[DressyFemme]

I was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago with Type 2. It was a shock, to see the letters A O D M on my doctor's diagnosis sheet. Adult Onset Diabetes Mellitus.

Wow is this a crazy ride or what. Last time I went to the dr. and got my blood sugar tested 3 weeks ago, it was 141 and that was the highest it had ever been for someone who was normally 80-100 for 39 years! Scary stuff. That measurement was 4 hours post-lunch, too.

My mom got Type 1 at the age of 12 and valiantly struggled and coped with it until she died at the age of 59 in 2006 from cardiac complications and a systemic staph infection/cellulitis. She had also been on dialysis for 3 1/2 years at that point, had significant neuropathy in her hands and feet, and had problems with her eyesight. It was absolutely devastating to watch her health deteriorate more and more with each trip home for the last year or so (she was in NJ with my stepfather and her friend Eileen who helped care for her 24/7).

Now I have the disease things have changed overnight. My eyes are dry most of the time (and I have to make the initial appt with the eye doctor - someone kick my femme butt to get on that phone! ). My fingers and toes tingle from time to time. I find I now have to put on extra lotion on them every night and every morning. And one day I didn't eat for 7 hours straight after lunch because I was busy.... then fell asleep on the couch. Got up 20 minutes later to answer the door and thought, "well, I should be able to just walk across the room like normal and answer the door." Nope - I immediately got dizzy and fell over the coffee table! THAT scared me. Just got a bad bruise but it shook me up emotionally that not eating could affect me so profoundly. I've taken extra care not to let that happen again...

I'm on oral meds and haven't been instructed to get a glucose test kit yet, but it's scary thinking that I might have to (18 years of growing up hearing my insulin dependent mom say OUCH twice a day made me very phobic of blood and needles). Watching my mom almost die several times during her life from insulin attacks gave me an appreciation for the seriousness of this disease. Also is scary because my boi is Type 2, takes double the dose I do, and my boi refuses to test because it hurts her fingers (despite the doc telling her to do it). I don't want to get to the point where I have to give myself injections or get an increased dose of meds. So I guess I can say I'm going through a big grieving process right now.

I have been a struggling recovering compulsive overeater for the last 13 years. Due to my mother's death, diagnosis of a disability and losing my job of 9 years then being unemployed for 2 years, I gained 150 pounds from 2006-2009 and am now maintaining around 290-300. I am looking into a residential treatment facility for eating disorders at the suggestion of a friend in OA. We will see what happens next, there are a lot of steps to be taken before I consider something like that. But something needs to be done when I can't go up and down stairs comfortably anymore.

It means a lot to have other bf folks in my life to help me along the path of diabetes recovery and health improvement. Thanks for being here.

Good health to all,

Dressy