I remember the day to the minute! It was 11:22AM in the morning. I was getting ready to go into a patient’s house to take care of them as a Registered Nurse practicing Home Health. I was a RN case manager and one of my duties was educating patients on diabetes. Boy was I in for the best education in my life!
My wife called at precisely 11:22 and said, the doctor just called and your fasting blood sugar is 301. She then stated “your diabetic honey”! I was numb…No way! Even though I had every single symptom…the worst being the unquenchable thirst. I would dream of waterfalls and wake up every 15 minutes to drink. I remember my urine foamed very badly and smelled strongly of acetone. Deep down, I knew what this meant, but hey, I am a Marine, a bodybuilder, a registered nurse, a MAN! This couldn’t be happening to me! To make matters worse, she told me my Hemoglobin A1C was 13.9! This is a measurement of your blood sugar levels over the past 90 – 120 days. This averaged out to about a blood sugar of 450+ every day for the past 120 DAYS! No wonder I had been feeling so sick. I had constant nausea, weight loss, dry mouth constantly, unquenchable thirst, I was peeing ALL the time and had lost over 70 pounds in 2 months.
As you can see from the chart, my A1C was more than double what it should be and so was my fasting blood sugar. My eyes were blurry, I felt weak, I felt like I was dying.
I remember not having to wear my glasses anymore and anyone that knows me, knows I can’t survive in this world without my glasses. My eyes had actually improved because of all the edema or water retention in my eyes! I couldn’t wear my glasses at that time. I was still in denial! I still am some days!
I thought I was recovering from whooping-cough, that I had caught in my last weeks at a great job, which caused me to lose said job, even though I had 2 doctors notes and my clothes were hanging off my frame. Losing a great job as a Director of Nursing at the top nursing home in my state was a huge blow to my ego, to my family. I lost the job because I had Diabetes, the lab tests confirmed Diabetes in my last 3 months at that job. Later, I realized the fight Diabetics have in the workplace. So many people don’t understand the disease.
Getting back to my testimony, I had lost that great job as director of nursing due to whooping-cough followed by influenza A. The reason for these illnesses? Diabetes! My immune system was so beaten down, but the Marine in me kept going! I had a job the same day I left the other! I thought, “it’s just a cold”. Boy, was I wrong!
I had all of these symptoms and not just slightly, but full-blown. My wife, a RN and soon-to-be Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, formerly known as Nurse Practitioner, said, “that’s it, were going to the emergency room”!
I was immediately admitted with new onset of diabetes and the physicians said it was probably type 1. I had elevated cardiac enzymes, indicating heart damage from the diabetic ketoacidosis. I had some slight chest pain the day before. I thought, I’m a healthy 41-year-old! This can’t be happening but then, it happened. A swarm of doctors and nurses came in and started hooking me up to IVs, pushing IV medications and talking very quickly. This was surreal for me as I used to work in the same emergency department! I was admitted and went through a ton of tests. My heart was okay, but coming down from that high blood sugar was hell!
I had the worst stomach cramps! The physician caring for me said it was worse than Heroin withdrawal. He also said he bet I was type 1 diabetic due to my high A1C and the fact I was in Diabetic Ketoacidosis instead of the syndrome Type II diabetics usually encounter. Usually, type II diabetics will gain weight, not lose 35 pounds per month for several months! Some days I would lose 5 pounds!
I have lost 2 jobs this year due to diabetes. Despite what the government and state governments may think, there is wide-spread discrimination against Diabetics. We need special accommodations at times. We may act bizarre or get confused when our blood sugar drops or goes high…more typically when we get hypoglycemic.
I started blogging 2 months ago and this seems to be something that allows me to manage my diabetes better and reduce my stress.
I am doing good now with my diabetic control. My last A1C was 5.8 and my last fasting blood sugar was 101. This isn’t everyday. It’s a struggle with the pills and shots, diet, pain, complications, anxiety, etc.
There is hope! This is just a short clip of what my life has been like for the past year. There have been so many changes, scares, joys and accomplishments. We can live long lives with Diabetes. The key is screening! Ask your doctor to screen you at least yearly. Call him if you have any of the above side effects! Stay well!
I want to personally thank McKenzie Myers for making sure I got the care I needed and forcing me to go to the emergency room. Without her, I would not be writing this testimony!
Written by Emery Myers RN-DON-CLTC
McDonalds worker ShanTia Denni was arrested for dealing heroin. The shocking part of this story is the method in which she was dealing the drug. District Attorney Narcotics Enforcement received information that Denni was dealing drugs through Happy Meals at the McDonalds where she worked.
According to investigators, Denni would sell heroin through the drive thru to customers who said, “I’d like to order a toy.” That phrase was the code word for buying heroin and it is unknown exactly how many people Denni was dealing to through the drive thru.
Denni was arrested on Wednesday night but denied the allegations. Iftikhar Malik owns the franchise where the heroin deals occurred. He also owns another McDonalds a few miles away, where another employee was caught dealing drugs earlier this month. Investigators do not think the McDonalds franchise owner was aware of Denni’s drug deals.
Malik released a statement through a McDonald’s corporate office saying, “As an employer and a member of the community, the safety of our guests and employees is our first priority. The allegations related to this employee do not represent acceptable behaviors and are not consistent with my values. As such, we take these charges very seriously and we are fully cooperating with the authorities. We are also conducting our own thorough internal investigation.”
There have been 22 fatal heroin overdoses in Pennsylvania over the last few weeks. Police are working to determine where the fentanyl-laced heroin is coming from, but do not believe that either of the McDonald’s dealers are connected to the lethal batches of heroin.
Denni has been charged with criminal use of a cellphone and four drug counts: delivery of heroin, possession with intent to deliver heroin, and possession of heroin and marijuana. She is currently in jail.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
Article via http://www.webpronews.com/heroin-happy-meal-drug-dealer-gets-creative-2014-01
Why have we grown so intolerant of each other? Why do we imprison so many other human-beings in our country, the United States? Why does the word “immigrant” seem almost taboo, when that is how our country was started. Why do we not honor the Native Americans more? What is wrong with…US? Why is the U.S. so intolerant of any other religion besides Christianity? Why does the U.S. put religion ahead of science? Religious intolerance for the scientific community? Shouldn’t there be a clear separation between politics and religion? Shouldn’t religion be personal choice? I know…I know…lots of questions and not many, if any, answers.
Before chemistry, was alchemy…or magic. Before science was religion…or magic! I believe that religion has a huge influence on intolerance of others. Intolerance of different cultures, colors, voices, beliefs…Intollerant!
What makes Sunni Muslims wrong and the Mormon’s right? What makes Christianity right and Muslim wrong? I am asking honest questions. I would like responses in the reply section. I really want to know how so many people, that believe in their chosen religion, believe it is THE religion and everyone else’s religion is wrong. I need to understand this in my own personal journey. I am a supporter of Charles Darwin, Evolution and Science. I am not religious in any way, but was raised in a Lutheran Church in the midwest.
I am not saying I wouldn’t believe in God…the science just does not support the existence of the Gods written of in many religions here on little, old, 4.54 billion-year-old Earth. The evidence would have to be presented in a factual manner, peer-reviewed, studied and scientists unanimously agreed that God were real, and these top scientists had absolute proof… I would then believe in “God”. If science proved that a virgin could get pregnant without any male assistance, I would believe in immaculate conception, but this will never happen. I believe in the science of penicillin because I have studied what penicillin does to a Petri-dish full of bacteria. I visualized the evidence, very easily in my first microbiology class at Kansas Wesleyan University! It was a very simple, scientific lab test. It gave me more proof than anything I have seen in religion. I know… I have to “have faith”.
“When Columbus lived, people thought that the earth was flat. They believed the Atlantic Ocean to be filled with monsters large enough to devour their ships, and with fearful waterfalls over which their frail vessels would plunge to destruction. Columbus had to fight these foolish beliefs in order to get men to sail with him. He felt sure the earth was round.”
–Emma Miler Bolenius, American Schoolbook Author, 1919
Science, of course proved the Earth was round. That is the metaphorical point I am making…the scientists almost exclusively, do not belive in the bible’s account of history or the other religious texts of ancient. Science can prove many things through carbon dating as all carbon 14 decays at a constant rate with a half-life of somewhere around 5400 years.
Many, many Christians believe the Earth is somewhere between 4000 and 6000 years old, which directly clashes with what the scientific community theorize and have proven through Carbon14 dating. The Scientific community overwhelmingly supports Earth being somewhere around 4.5 billion years old.
This brings me back to intolerance, which I firmly believe is due mainly, to religion. All of this pain and suffering due to religion. I know the answer. “You have to have FAITH”. I have heard that answer so many times when I am just wanting honest answers. I don’t understand it. It may seem I am picking on Christianity, but remember, I put in many years in a Lutheran Church!
It is no wonder we are always at War with other countries and other countries are always at War with other countries…it seems insane just writing this!
I just have one question really…Why can’t everyone and anyone practice their religion with freedom from persecution and intolerance? This question also pertains to the general intolerance of atheists and agnostics too. Many atheists are afraid to voice their real beliefs. I think this is sad. It seems if persecution and intolerance were taken out of the equation, religion would have more living customers. The whole religious equation just does not add up!
I am by no means a theologian or a scholar. I do have a degree based in science. I am expressing my opinions. I encourage you to express your opinions in the reply section. I am interested in any other view points.
Additional information available:
http://www.livescience.com/38014-physical-evidence-jesus-debated.html
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