Well, it’s been over a year since my last post and a whole lot of things have changed once again. Just over a month ago I was diagnosed with diabetes and told I was going to be on insulin for the rest of my life! I must say the NHS have been amazing with the diagnosis, getting seen and treatment of this! I know that is not everybody’s experience, but I have had a long run of very good experiences with them and for that I am very thankful!
To cut things short I was showing signs of things not being right for a month and went to the GP to get help. A few days later I had my blood tests done and the next day (a Saturday) the doctor phoned me to say the results show I should get referred to the diabetes centre urgently. Monday morning I get a call from them saying I should come in ASAP and arranged to get in by taxi that afternoon. A few more tests in house and they gave me insulin there and then – my risk of DKA was severe. Several hours later I was allowed home with insulin in hand and bookings made for various follow ups and CT scan to check things over.
Turns out I have Type 3c diabetes (I had not heard of it either until then) which just means my pancreas can no longer make enough insulin to keep my blood glucose (BG) levels in check. After getting my fitted with a BG monitor I was able to understand how various foods affected my BG levels and to quickly work out how much insulin I needed to take before food. I must admit I am loving the technology behind diabetes nowadays and am turning into a geek with watching food, insulin and BG levels!
Up until now I had been in awe of people who would inject themselves multiple times a day with insulin and wandered how they managed! After feeling run down and exhausted for a while, having energy and vigour back is what it is all about! Yes it is a big step to take on all this news and what I can and cannot eat now, and the thought of injections used to scare me… now, even after just a month, I am able to go with it and live with a positive way forward once again.
I am still awaiting official channels to get me registered as a church elder. I am still planning on youth ministry… but as the name of this site suggests – youthless worker is still a worker!
Love and God Bless
-DJ