In January of 2007, I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. I was 2 months away from being 24 years old and thought; but I am too young! Maybe that was true thirty years ago, but no more. There are people younger than I was being diagnosed with the “old peoples’ disease”. First, I should start with a back-story of what lead me to visit the doctor in the first place. So much of what I will write is very personal, but, I know there are so many other people out there in the same situation I found myself…and maybe this will show them they don’t have to be.
I have always struggled with keeping weight in check, but it seemed to just spiral out of control after my marriage, around age 20. There are several reasons for that, the first and foremost being that I was extremely unhappy and, as happens with many people, I had a poor diet. I cannot place the blame anywhere else but myself, as I made poor eating choices and lacked exercise. During this time in my life, my self-esteem was extremely low and I didn’t care much about my outward appearance.
Things started to change in late 2003, when I began having problems with edema in my leg. There was no apparent reason for it, other than I had a very traumatic injury to it 11 years prior, so I began a regimen of diuretics to relieve the pressure. This worked until about mid 2004 when nothing would stop the swelling. By this time, my leg was swelling twice its normal size. I finally went the hospital in June and had an ultrasound done to check for blood clots, which came back negative. Blood work also came back negative for infection. I was recommended to see the doctor that had originally put my leg back together in 1992, and so, that was the next visit.
I made an appointment with the doctor and headed up to my hometown for the appointment. Over the next 3 months, I had two regimens of prednisone and antibiotics, which helped in the short term, but caused me to gain a lot of weight. When all attempts failed, I was referred to a vascular specialist here in Salt Lake City.
In November of 2004, I met with a vascular doctor in the hopes of finally putting this problem to rest. In a few minutes, he was able to diagnose the issue after checking that my arteries were not pinched. The final verdict? Lymph edema. A disease for which there is no cure. I had to fight back the tears, as I hate to cry in front of people, until I left the office. But before I left, he told me that there is an array of therapies available to try, but that the best “cure” would be for me to reduce weight. Doesn’t it seem that is always the best cure? I got home and burst into tears. However, that day, 18 November 2004, my life changed.
I decided it was time to get it together and get healthy. I really put forth an effort to change my eating habits and trying to get more exercise. During this time of my life, I struggled so much with social phobias and general unhappiness, that I found it extremely hard to make these changes. About 5 months later, in April of 2005, I applied for and got a job with my current company. I finally found my niche and really excelled. I found a sense of self-confidence that had been missing for so long. People believed in me and I started believing in myself.
2005 whipped by pretty quick, and by the end of the year I had been promoted to the level of outsource supervisor. Basically, I managed a project at an outsource customer care provider in India. This was right up my alley, as I had always loved travel and foreign language. My manager was exceptional; very intelligent and understanding. She took me under her wing and taught me the foundations of a great manager and how to excel in business.
In early 2006, my then husband and I separated, and by June we were legally divorced. The entire process was extremely liberating for me. I finally had the self-confidence to make the decision to end the marriage and try to survive on my own. I started going to the gym with a friend each day, and really got serious about healthy foods. I stopped drinking regular sodas and switched to strictly diet. I cared about my looks again, and started paying special attention to my clothing choices, my makeup and overall persona.
In July of 2006, I was asked by my company to go to India to be a representative of the company for 6 weeks. I agreed and before I knew it, I was on my way. Of course, when I got off the plane, I wanted to run right back on and fly home, but in the end, India saved my life. My 6 week business trip turned into a 14 week adventure. I really found myself by living in another society. I saw another way of life; appreciating every breath, every moment and every person in one’s life. I also picked up healthy eating habits and lost about 50 pounds by the time I flew back to the USA. None of my clothes fit and I could not have been happier about it! My first day back at the office, nobody recognized me. The VP, with whom I had worked very closely, was shocked when she saw me. I came back lighter and full of confidence.
About a month after my return, I ended up on some hefty antibiotics for a massive sinus infection that developed from not only the smog, but because due to the new bacteria and less-than-sanitary conditions in India, my immune system was impaired. I had been feeling run down for awhile, and thought this would help. However, by Christmas, I could hardly see my computer monitor at work because my vision was so blurry. I have worn glasses in the past, but, it’d been about 10 years. I considered booking a visit to the optometrist, but decided a full physical would be a better idea. I’d never visited the gynecologist, as I had fallen into such depression that I just didn’t care much about my health. I asked around and found a great doctor that accepted my insurance, and booked an appointment. I was lucky; someone had cancelled, and I was able to get in quickly.
At the doctor’s office, I filled out a health questionnaire with questions about my family history, my own history and current issues. I was taken into a consultation room to speak to the doctor and we discussed everything I had written down. She was particularly concerned about my lack of menstruation for about 3 years, which had suddenly returned in India. She told me the symptoms I described could be one of two things; type II diabetes or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). She ordered a full blood panel, which happened a week later. It took 10 excruciating days for the results to come back, and when they did, the verdict was in; pre-diabetes, borderline on type II.
Believe it or not, I was SO relieved. I’d researched PCOS after it was brought up, and I became convinced I’d never be able to have a baby. So when I heard “diabetes” I could’ve rejoiced! My mother is also a type II diabetic, and while I knew it was life changing, I also knew it would be manageable. Since I’d already changed my eating habits, it was time to get some exercise. I was on the right path before I even knew I had it.
In the 18 months since I was diagnosed, life has really changed for me. Healthy eating is no longer the “change” for me, but the norm. I take 500 mg of Metformin each day to assist my body, but my main controls are diet and exercise. And having this condition is more life changing than I ever could have imagined. Each day, I have to think about how much sugar is going into my body and how I have to balance my eating schedule so that I don’t get too high or too low. It’s constantly on mind. Sometimes, I get angry and wish I didn’t have to deal with it. Sometimes, I wish I could be young and careless and eat whatever I wanted. But in many ways, I am thankful that I have to be so on top of things, because it forced me to get it together health wise, and my quality of life has improved tenfold. I’ve continued to lose weight, especially as I’ve gone through trial and error of what works and what doesn’t in regards to diet for me. There’s not one specific diet that works for everybody…and who knows their body best but you?
To summarize…I think I waited far too long to get checked out. There’s always the “what if” that creeps into my mind. What if I didn’t let myself go? What if I would’ve had better eating habits? What if I would’ve just gone to the doctor? Perhaps I wouldn’t have this condition, but maybe I still would. I will never know, and it’s just as well. I can’t change the past; all I can do is try to change my future.
