Everyone has a good story to share, whether it is about the time your car broke down on the freeway and you were rescued by a motorcycle gang wearing tutus, the time you singlehandly managed to cause a power outage for the entire city, or the time your pants fell down in the school cafeteria when you were in fourth grade.
People who have been diagnosed with a chronic illness, like diabetes, all have a good story to share about the time they were diagnosed. Sadly, not all of these stories are filled with humor and warm fuzzies, but most stories are poignant experiences detailing changes in identity and lifestyle.
I was diagnosed when I was 14 years old, the month before I started high school. I had been feeling tired and thirsty all summer, but we chalked it up to me being busy with early morning swimming team, theater workshop, and fun on the lake boating and camping.
My mother had the feeling something was wrong, and her fears were especially piqued during a short road trip. I drained our family's two gallon jug of water within the first 45 minutes of the trip, and was so desperate for water that I tried to fill up the jug with sprinklers from a rest stop. The water was a horrible rusty color and there was a sign that said "water is non-potable," but I tried to drink it anyway. Luckily it tasted so bad that I wasn't able to drink much.
At our destination, the water also tasted bad, so I satiated my thirst with regular soda. In hindsight, that made everything worse, but of course we didn't know that at the time.
A month after the trip I was preparing to go camping. I thought I had a bladder infection, so we went to the doctor to get it taken care of before going into the wilderness. While I was providing the urine sample, my mom asked the doctor if he could run a diabetes test as well. He thought she was being overprotective, but did it anyway.
When the doctor returned to the exam room several minutes later, his face was grave as he explained that I had a little bladder infection but an abnormally large amount of sugar spilling into my urine. He sent me down to the lab to get a blood draw and said he would call with the results the next afternoon.
That same fateful Friday my older brother had a collision with a car which totalled his bike, and my sister found her treasured opal necklace crushed in the garage. My mom loaded us, the three kids, into the car and took us to the fire station, where my dad was at work. She had us share our woes with him, and I went last. I said in a rather casual manner "yeah, I might have diabetes." I remember my parents exchanged a meaningful glance, but I still wasn't letting it sink in. It was, after all, not a real diagnosis. If something was really wrong the doctor would have done something at the appointment.
Everyone else was worried, but I was fairly cavalier about the situation. I even tried to wheedle my mother into taking us out for ice cream, because if I DID end up having diabetes, I would never get the chance to have ice cream again. She did not comply.
The next morning, at 7:30 AM, we heard the phone ring. I knew what the call must be, and I was right. A few minutes after the end of the murmurs on the phone, my entire family came into my room to wake me up (like I was asleep!). I went into the hospital immediately, and the rest is history.
Looking back at my diagnosis story (can you believe this is the short version?), I think of the emotions felt not only by me, but by my family and friends. The support I felt at the hospital was incredible, and sometimes I have to remind myself that diabetes is not just MY disease, but a condition that affects the important people in my life.
I also am reminded about how blessed I am with how far technology has come since my diagnosis in 1993. My first meter took 45 seconds to get results, I was on several injections a day, and I was told that I couldn't eat anything where any form of sugar was one of the first three ingredients. Wow. Now I have my pump, a continuous blood glucose monitoring system, and a great carb counting system.
What is your diagnosis story? I'd love to hear it!
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