45 Minute Phone Calls

March 25, 2013
 I get a lot of phone calls lately from people with the insurance company informing me of my benefits and giving me more information on diabetes. I know if I get a weird phone number calling my phone that it's just the insurance company asking me more information on my insulin or how I'm doing with all of the new changes. This was the longest phone call I'm supposed to get which is a good thing, but there will be more phone calls.

 At first she was talking to me about my benefits I get with my insurance. I have a hotline I can call to talk to a registered nurse at any time with any questions with no additional charge to me. That will be incredibly helpful where I am so newly diagnosed and just starting out I'm sure I will have a dozen or more questions. Then we started talking about all of the things that will now be yearly for me to get checked. I'll have to do a yearly test to see if my kidneys are functioning properly. I have to do a yearly eye exam to make sure that my high blood sugar hasn't done any damage to my eyes, which could lead to loss of eyesight. I pride myself on my 20/20 and it's kind of a scary thought that I might lose that since I am such a visual person and a photographer. We also talked how I will have to be really incredibly picky with my feet. I can't go get manicures or pedicures because I don't want their bacteria to get into my feet. Diabetics have a harder time fighting off infections and having cuts heal. So now I have to make sure I look at my feet everyday because if I have any type of nerve damage I won't feel a slight cut as bad as others would and I could get an infection and not have it heal as quickly. I also have to watch when I start to get sick because if I'm taking my insulin regularly and I can't keep any food down my blood sugar is just going to drop and I could end up in a comatose state. I also have to have a yearly A1C1 done, which is basically a test to find my average blood sugar level. They want it at a certain number because anything else could cause damage to my kidneys or my retinas. It's kind of scary learning all of the things I have to check on. It's a good thing though because then I will be really healthy and if I keep my blood sugars in check hopefully not have any eye or kidney damage.

 We also talked about symptoms of diabetes which is tightness or pain in the chest, stumbling over my words, my thought process not being as clear, anxious, nervous, sweating, feeling nauseous or dizzy, really tired, loss of interest, numbness or tingling, dehydrated, having to use the restroom a lot, just being kind of dazed, and loss of eye sight or blurred vision. Which was good to know a few more symptoms that I might not have attributed to my diabetes. I'm glad that the stumbling over my words is a part of it because I was so worried why it was happening and it happened a lot.

 The most important thing we talked about was what to do if my blood sugar drops too low that I'm not even responsive and hopefully not ever letting it get to that point. I need to find a cute medical bracelet that will let everyone know that I'm diabetic in case I do drop too low and I need some kind of medical attention. We also talked about informing all of the people around me that I'm diabetic and what to do if I can't do it for myself. If I drop below 70 I will start to shake, feel nervous, sweat, ache, feel hungry, or I'll start to be unresponsive. I can also get very pale and just look like I'm checking out. If this happens I just need to get some sugar in me. It's better for me to be above my desired blood sugar than below it. If I start to just daze off and I am shaking all I need is some sugar. 1/2 cup of juice, any little candies, or a packet of sugar under my tongue because I can't choke on that. Really any sugar substance and I should start becoming responsive again. If I don't you can always seek emergency medical attention. It's kind of scary to talk about dropping that low and all of the things that could go wrong but it's important in case I can't do it for myself. Hopefully I will know my body well enough that I won't drop below 70 or even get close to the 40 range where my comprehension is just gone. I'm just making sure everyone knows just in case.

 As if the vegetables and exercise weren't enough to be healthy I also won't be around tobacco or alcohol ever in my life. Alcohol since it's just pure sugar and goes straight to my stomach it will raise my blood sugar an incredible amount and I won't be able to get it down that easily. Cheers to a healthy lifestyle.