Let me begin by saying I was a healthy child, healthy adult. I may have been to the doc 5 times in 30 yrs, unitl I turned 50yrs old. I was 6’1" 260lbs most of my life since 10th grade in high school and strong as an Ox, slightly over weight and ate everything and anything that was in front of me.
My wife and I walked 20 miles a week for years. She then had medical problems of her own and the walking subsided. It was during this time I think my BG started to climb. Doc says I had D for approx 3-5 years with out being Dx. All the rest happened in a short 18 months of my life, as I look back I still can’t believe this all took place.
It all started with a MRSA infection on my leg. I went into DKA twice, the Docs at the med center took my blood and said it was 250, this was after loosing fluids out of every orifice I own for 48 hrs before I could get to the med center. Of course denial is a powerful enemy and I brushed it off. I went thru 3 different antibiotics for a month. The yeast infection was some kinda fun, both ears, throat mouth, and yes I even had it where any man doesn’t want a yeast infection.
I finally went to the Doc after eating nothing but eggs and slim jims for a week and my BG was 350, and my BP was 220/110. He put me on MET and BP meds. Thats when the rest of the fun began.
We have a very small manufacturing process that requires lots of hand work. Needless to say I had Neuropthy so bad in my hands I had to tape popsicle sticks to my fingers and wear a wrist brace on both hands, couldn’t move them with out some really outrageous pain. I was a sight to see, Edward Scissors Hands comes to mind.
Two ear aches followed, one in my left ear, so severe I lost partial hearing. Weeks later in my right ear, (inner ear) this one gave me vertigo so bad I layed on the floor for hours just dry heaving after I lost everything in my stomach. Not long after that my back was tightening up, so I had my wife walk on my back as she had done for years. Got a broken rib out of the deal. Next was the chest pain I was having when we did try to walk. I endured the chest pain for 9 months or so. Again, denial is a powerful enemy. Wife convinced me to see a Cardiologist, and within 5 days I had open heart surgery. All this because I was to thick headed to see a Doc early on. I am a new man these days, denial has been beaten, I hope.