Newly Diagnosed Type I
Question:
| … < diagnosis horror story omitted | to ask two questions. First, why don’t doctors make a bg test a | standard test? While doctors are more educated than most, they still seem to adhere to the the axiom of when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. If they are used to diagnosing and seeing stomach virus’s, it is natural for them to think of stomach virus’s. When I was in college it was strep throat. I came in once with a crushed finger and they took a strep test. However, I agree that your doctors should have known better. My physician, for whom I have always had great respect, was much quicker at diagnosing my diabetes (5 minutes), than other problems I have had. Using Mayo Clinic software, we had already arrived at that conclusion the day before. | It would have saved me a lot of suffering. and Second, | there should be a way to educate people about diabetes. There are plenty of books and delivery mechanisms for educating people about diabetes. The problem is interest, awareness, and all those other nasty diseases about which one could also choose to learn. Good luck with controlling your diabetes. I too was diagnosed last October. Stories such as you tell have been excellent motivation for me to educate myself about diabetes and to use that information to supplement what I learn from my health care community. Andy — | Andy Ellis | | Room: DR-01C57 | | 11900 North Pecos Street | | Denver, CO 80234 | | (303) 538-4286 |
Response:
The first symptom for me was the change in eyesight. Unfortunately the eye doctor didn’t realize what was happening. He was only an optometrist, not an opthamologist. I stressed to him the "sudden change" and everything, but… oh well.
I was just diagnosed with Type I in January. I had some of the usual symptoms of extreme thirst and tiredness. I never lost any weight. I did start having visual problems last year – cataracts in both eyes from March to May. My opthamologist didn’t pick-up on the possibility of diabetes. I started experiencing sharp pains in the back of my eyes – about three or four times a week. Once again, when I called my opthamologist – the next appointment is in May – even after I explained that I have been diagnosed with diabetes. I guess we sometimes have to wait for others to catch on. Randy J.
Response:
TEXT EDITED to ask two questions. First, why don’t doctors make a bg test a standard test?
Based on a lot of factors, like saving of lives, we give our doctors far too much credit. They are not all seeing gods. A really good doctor is akin to a really good technician. Someone who had been trained to diagnose a series of ailments or brokes…. Doctors have also been acused of testing needlessly just to cover their butts because of lawsuits. Some have overcompensated because of this. The other problem is that with hundreds of ailments to look for Diabetes, based on our percentage of the population, isn’t as common as other problems. Is that why 1/2 of the diabetics in the US are still undiagnosed? I believe that doctors should do a few blanket tests when someone comes into their office. A blood pannel being one of them. This would be just like the electronic techincian testing the power supply of a unit brought in for repair, or the auto mechanic who puts your car on a test set. Some may complain that this testing would increase the cost of health care. I believe that if a really comprehensive panel was developed and marketed we could see a decrease in disease. This panel would have the latest approved tests for cancer, AIDS, heart disease Diabetes, etc and would be entered in a national database. This along with patient information would be a wonderful benchmark and then database for prediction of diesease and prevention of life threatening health hazzards. This dream will NEVER happen. Civil rights groups will defeat it as an invasion of privacy. Many would see it as the "Big Brother" concept….. I don’t understand why doctors don’t make it standard practice. When I was in the 5th grade I read a book about a girl who was diagnosed with diabetes and I told my mom that I felt like her. I had Anyway, sorry to rant, but you just have to get it all out now and again! Good luck to you in keeping it all under control.
You have a right to vent! Good health to you! — Manager, Engineering Laboratories 916-478-3419 voice Grass Valley Group Inc. 916-478-3887 FAX P.O. Box 1114 Grass Valley, California, 95945
Response:
The first symptom for me was the change in eyesight. Unfortunately the eye doctor didn’t realize what was happening. He was only an optometrist, not an opthamologist. I stressed to him the "sudden change" and everything, but… oh well.
Just as an example of the range of responses, when I explained my sudden onset eyesight change to the receptionist over the phone the "next available appointment is in 3 weeks" became " we will squeeze you in between the last am appointment and lunch tomorrow". Charles Coughran
Response:
The first symptom for me was the change in eyesight. Unfortunately the eye doctor didn’t realize what was happening. He was only an optometrist, not an opthamologist. I stressed to him the "sudden change" and everything, but… oh well.
This was my first clue also. But It started just as I was turning 40 and I was expecting it…. 
Then it went to a weight loss and gallons of water, then, well you know the rest….. — Manager, Engineering Laboratories 916-478-3419 voice Grass Valley Group Inc. 916-478-3887 FAX P.O. Box 1114 Grass Valley, California, 95945
Response:
The first symptom for me was the change in eyesight. Unfortunately the eye doctor didn’t realize what was happening. He was only an optometrist, not an opthamologist. I stressed to him the "sudden change" and everything, but… oh well. keith
Response:
to ask two questions. First, why don’t doctors make a bg test a standard test? It would have saved me a lot of suffering. and Second, there should be a way to educate people about diabetes. My family has no
I don’t understand why doctors don’t make it standard practice. When I was in the 5th grade I read a book about a girl who was diagnosed with diabetes and I told my mom that I felt like her. I had been seeing a urologist for bedwetting and having to use the bathroom about every 15 minutes. We _asked_ the doctor to do a BG test and he _refused_, telling us that was not a possibility. Meanwhile he was going to anesthitise (sp?) me and blow up my bladder to see what was wrong with it. Luckily, the routine bloodwork for that procedure included a BG. 3 minutes before they were going to put me under the nurse came running in to tell me how high my BG was. I guess I was lucky, but it all seems so foolish to me. I think that not only should the general population be educated about the symptoms, but the medical world should be more educated about the different variety of symptoms that one can have. That doctor’s excuse for not testing me was based solely on the fact that I had no weight loss! Anyway, sorry to rant, but you just have to get it all out now and again! Good luck to you in keeping it all under control. "and now i speak to you in there you have her face and her eyes but you are not her" -tori amos
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My husband developed diabetes while in the Navy. It took then a few weeks and 4 visits to the hospital until some diagnosed him with diabetes. He said he was inhaling donuts, driking and urinating constantly. He was originally told he had the stomach flu, but when he kept coming to the base doctor he was accussed of trying to goldbrick. He was in pretty bad shape by the time he was diagnosed. (This info was second-hand, I didn’t meet him until 3 years later) Laura Clift
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: I was newly diagnosed as a type I last October. (snip) This : doctor didn’t know what was wrong with me… (snip) Even though it’s been years since diagnosis, I still get mad about all the times I went in not feeling well and they just didn’t see the diabetes.
Before my diagnisos my wife was in the mode "…..well get to the doctor and get it fixed….." I also only recently found out that she was considering divorce because I "…was so had to live with…" Still, If I get after the kids or an in a cranky mood they ask me "..Dad what’s your Blood Glucose…" I can’t even be upset without it being attribute to my Diabeties!!! 
— Manager, Engineering Laboratories 916-478-3419 voice Grass Valley Group Inc. 916-478-3887 FAX P.O. Box 1114 Grass Valley, California, 95945
Response:
* First, why don’t doctors make a bg test a * standard test? It would have saved me a lot of suffering. My problems were exactly the opposite. I have a brother with Type I, along with other cases back the family tree, so knew I had a better chance of getting it myself. Plus, I knew much more about diabetes that than the general population because of my brother. Well, back in February, I all of a sudden realized that I had all the classic symptoms, and my brother agreed. So of course, we just tested my bg on his meter, and it didn’t leave any doubt at all. I started calling endocrinologists here in Madison (don’t currently have a family doctor) and every single one of them said "well, we don’t see patients without a referal from a family doctor" even though I could list my symptoms and my sugars and they couldn’t deny there was something wrong. It was very frustrating, knowing what was wrong, but not being able to get anyone to help me. I was quite pissed. Finally I called the hospital my brother had been a patient at, the program director said "no doubt, we’ll be waiting for you" and I drove 100 miles to finally see a doctor. brad hodgeman
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: I was newly diagnosed as a type I last October. (snip) This : doctor didn’t know what was wrong with me… (snip) A friend recognized my symtoms of diabetes before the doctor did. It wasn’t until she tested my blood on her husband’s meter that I could tell the doctor what the problem was. Only after finding ketones, very elevated BG, and confirming a weight loss of more than 20 pounds in a couple of weeks did they tell me to try a diet, then pills, then insulin. Even though it’s been years since diagnosis, I still get mad about all the times I went in not feeling well and they just didn’t see the diabetes. (Family history – mother and sisters Type II, grandfather Type I) CindyB – Type I
Response:
I too don’t understand why drs. don’t routinely screen bg levels.
my husband’s diabetes was diagnosed as a result of a doctor who screened for urine sugar on a routine check up almost three decades ago. a follow up test for venous blood sugar revealed the diabetes before edward experienced any weight loss or ketoacidosis. he was very lucky he had a doctor who did not wait until symptoms appeared to screen for diabetes. he has never had an episode of dka and has never been hospitalised for ill health. i attribute much of his good health to the fact he was placed on insulin before his beta cells stopped functioning completely. our family practice doctor runs a blood panel for all his clients with blood glucose a routine item. our veterinarian also always orders a blood glucose test on all my pets when blood panels are run. the blood glucose values can tell him if the lab has let the sample stay at room temperature too long. one of our beloved moggies was diagnosed with diabetes in a panel ordered to check for thyroid dysfunction. tis disheartening to read about people whose doctors do not adhere to the practice standards my vet employs. a routine check protected my husband from the suffering imposed by high blood sugar levels and a lack of circulating insulin. i will always be grateful to that doctor for running that check. melynda twenty five years ago no home blood glucose monitoring systems existed. we had to guess at highs and lows and use tes-tape to check for highs. we controlled by rigid schedules for eating and injecting insulin. my little dachshund nicholaus the ridiculous could identify lows at night and would awaken us by barking until edward ate something sweet. we were very lucky we had such a wonderful creature. today living with diabetes is so much easier. less guessing. less uncertainty. more freedom in eating and in injecting. it aint perfect but it is much better now than in the good old days. melynda reid who wears hats but does not type caps snail: p o box 378 greensboro, florida 32330
Response:
: I was newly diagnosed as a type I last October. (snip) This : doctor didn’t know what was wrong with me… (snip) A friend recognized my symtoms of diabetes before the doctor did. It wasn’t until she tested my blood on her husband’s meter that I could tell the doctor what the problem was. Only after finding ketones, very elevated BG, and confirming a weight loss of more than 20 pounds in a couple of weeks did they tell me to try a diet, then pills, then insulin. Even though it’s been years since diagnosis, I still get mad about all the times I went in not feeling well and they just didn’t see the diabetes. (Family history – mother and sisters Type II, grandfather Type I) CindyB – Type I
Response:
Brian. Keep up the good work of gaining control. I had exactly the same symptoms one month following a liver shunt operation though I feared for some years previously that I was hypoglycemic. Anyway, the symptoms leading to hospitalizing hit me like a ton of bricks and were much more severe than anything previously experienced during the prior years (when, I guess my pancreatic production of insulin was "not regular"). I was diagnosed two years ago at age 52 and have had no trouble keeping control as long as I followed the doctor’s and dietetiion’s recommendations. Only when I go off the regimen do I encounter 8 hr. fasting bg above 130. I believe you two will easily get into the routine of controlling bllod sugar. With all the artificial sweetners out now and with the low salt,fat & sugar free (low cal) food items in the supermarket, we have it easier than many in the old days. I too don’t understand why drs. don’t routinely screen bg levels. Best of luck to you. Regards. —
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night. In the morning, My mother to me to clinic to see a doctor. This doctor didn’t know what was wrong with me and even tested me for HIV and the doctor tells me that I am diabetic. The reason I wrote this was to ask two questions. First, why don’t doctors make a bg test a standard test?
Wait a second. They did an HIV test but didn’t do a SMA-24 (bg and other blood chemistry tests) and a CBC (complete blood count) on a sick patient with an unknown illness? Something is very wrong here. there should be a way to educate people about diabetes. My family has no
Well, I’ve seen many advertisements im magazines listing the symptoms of diabetes which I, of course, ignored until I went to a doctor with a bad skin infection. The *first* question he asked was, "Are you a diabetic?" Well, I’m glad you finally got diagnosed. Welcome and good luck. — INTPs of the world UNITE! Join the INTP mailing list. To subscribe email What’s INTP? finger me or visit my nest– URL:http://www.shadow.net/~skybird/
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I was newly diagnosed as a type I last October. (snip) This doctor didn’t know what was wrong with me and even tested me for HIV
(snip) The next thing I know I am in ICU and the doctor tells me that I am diabetic.
that is *exactly* what happened to me last summer, except the first 2 doctors thought I had an ulcer. First, why don’t doctors make a bg test a standard test? It would have saved me a lot of suffering.
I even had a blood test and my ph was 7.0 (dangeriously low and a major sign of diabetes and keto-acidosis). it was only when the third doctor smelled my breath that he checked my blood and realized that I was going into a diabetic coma. Second, there should be a way to educate people about diabetes. My
family has no history what so ever and nobody in our family new anything aboutt it. me too. my doc thinks that diabetes (and hypo-thyroid) run in my mom’s side of the family, but only once every 3 or so generations. the last person in my "line" who got diabetes was probably in the early 1900’s, so they didn’t have insulin and s/he probably died from a "mysterious" illness. I’m just thankful that I was born now instead of 100 years ago. Ed Feil
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I was newly diagnosed as a type I last October. Before I was diagnosed I had no idea what the syptoms of diabetes were. In September, I started to lose weight, feel tired, and drink a couple tons of water a day. by the end of sept. I started to feel sick to my stomach and vomitting. This is when I went to the doctor for the first time. The doctor provided by my college said I had a stomach virus and that there ws nothing he could do about it. I suffered for two weeks and then went home to my parents for a weekend. Then on Saturda evening after I had a big snow cone, I started to feel really bad and vomited the rest of the night. In the morning, My mother to me to clinic to see a doctor. This doctor didn’t know what was wrong with me and even tested me for HIV (which was negative). Sunday evening my parents took me to the emergency room, and I do not remember a thing. The next thing I know I am in ICU and the doctor tells me that I am diabetic. The reason I wrote this was to ask two questions. First, why don’t doctors make a bg test a standard test? It would have saved me a lot of suffering. and Second, there should be a way to educate people about diabetes. My family has no history what so ever and nobody in our family new anything aboutt it. I am 19 years old and am doing ok now. just struggling to keep it under control. Brian P. Mozisek Texas A&M University
