Well, I am back...........

[Keystone]

I'm back, well almost anyway. About three weeks I started feeling a bit "funny". Crushing fatigue, very irritable (to say the least), conversations that didn't seem to make sense ect. Ended up in the ER, into the ICU and then some days on a regular unit. Ended up finding out I had become a type 1 diabetic for my 54th birthday. I was in a Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). Pretty scary event. If I was a bit on the un-friendly side here the past few weeks I apologize. I really wasn't myself.

The Veterans Administration Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN took extremely good care of me. Sure am glad that I have that place. The medical folks there are second to none.

On the plus side the Dr's say I am clear to travel about the country. So I will.

 

[Bikerbozo]

Glad you are feeling better. I just looked that stuff up. Scary. My wife has diabetes, so I try and keep up on anything I need to keep an eye on her for.

 

[Lucky]

Glad to hear you are back. Take care and do what they tell ya. They will probably want ya to do a lot of riding. (I HOPE) ThumbUp

 

[msocko3]

Glad to here you back and it was caught in time, I know all about getting pissy when ones sugar gets out of whack.

 

[Gorilla]

Good to hear you got saved. Now take care of yourself as the doctor ordered.

 

[Papa Zook]

Glad you caught it early and got good treatment. Both my brothers have type 2 diabetes and I will be next if I don't get some weight off and start exercising more. It's easier said than done, but I sure have to start working on it. M3's food porn thread isn't helping a whole lot, just bought an electric smoker a couple of months ago. :cxtv:

 

[Keystone]

Glad you caught it early and got good treatment. Both my brothers have type 2 diabetes and I will be next if I don't get some weight off and start exercising more. It's easier said than done, but I sure have to start working on it. M3's food porn thread isn't helping a whole lot, just bought an electric smoker a couple of months ago. :cxtv:

I was "pre type II" for years. All controlled by diet. My labs late October were fine. A1C was 6. All of that was just coincidental to this. I was eating as I should, had lost 38 lbs ect. I have had two Autoimmune diseases for years. Forced to retire at 44 on disability because of them. Guess now I won the AI trifecta is all!:xzqxz:

 

[msocko3]

Glad you caught it early and got good treatment. Both my brothers have type 2 diabetes and I will be next if I don't get some weight off and start exercising more. It's easier said than done, but I sure have to start working on it. M3's food porn thread isn't helping a whole lot, just bought an electric smoker a couple of months ago. :cxtv:

Did someone say food pornepper:, nothing like some ribs, pulled pork, brisket, smoked chicken. One of my weaknesses is deserts, at times I do rip through a bit of insulin. You know its bad when you look at desert and figure how many units will take for me to get that big old piece of cake down:laugh:.

 

[Papa Zook]

Did someone say food pornepper:, nothing like some ribs, pulled pork, brisket, smoked chicken. One of my weaknesses is deserts, at times I do rip through a bit of insulin. You know its bad when you look at desert and figure how many units will take for me to get that big old piece of cake down:laugh:.

Yeah, I've seen you post the thing about estimating the units to offset the spike before, so I'm sure you fight that ongoing sugar battle. For me it's more of a savory struggle...mac n cheese, fried catfish, pizza, smoked ribs, ribeyes...man, I love that stuff!

 

[screwball]

Been a Type II for 12 years, using Insulin for the last 7. I carry a small insulated bag in my trunk with my insulin and needles. Even on the hottest days we can get from motel to motel with everything still cold. Don't carry your test kit in a cold pack, it skews the results. Just another small inconvenience in life's road. We have been out for 3 weeks without a problem. Always carry at least 1 vile extra. Depending on the regimen your Dr. has you on, Novalog Pens work great and don't have to be kept refrigerated.

Good Luck, and welcome to the club.

Oh, it takes some time for your body to acclimate to the Insulin, so watch out for the dizzies, night sweats, and low sugars. I keep 3 4oz bottles of Cranberry-apple juice close by for the low blood sugars.

 

[roadrunner1800]

Sure glad you and the docs have your diabetes diagnosed and have treatments begun....so many people are pre-diabetes and don't know it.


I myself also have diabetes , take meds morning and night as well as my nightly insulin shot. I take Lantus insulin. My A1C has dropped from 8.4 to 6.7 as of last week, but doc tells me my bloodwork shows signs of kidney damage done already...so watch your diet and make sure your doc is watching your kidneys...I'm sure they are.


Anyone reading this thread, if you find yourself "lost" in conversations, can't focus and concentrate when riding, feeling thirsty all the time, or feel like you are so tired you could lie down on the hard pavement and take a good nap....these are all signs of diabetes and by all means have your doc check your A1C and sugar levels. I usually bring my meter and finger sticker with me while riding, and stop frequently for small snacks while riding to ward off the low sugar events...which I believe are potentially much more dangerous than elevated sugar levels.


Good luck as you fight this disease...you are not alone with it.


Allen Serviss Vernon,VT

 

[Keystone]

Docs told me I was good to go next week to take my trip as planned. After this ordeal I need a real vacation!

 

[87Trike1200]

Great they identified the problem and you're are now back to more "normal numbers". You are correct - low sugar levels can be scary. Enjoy your upcoming vacation and God bless... ThumbUp

 

[msocko3]

Yeah, I've seen you post the thing about estimating the units to offset the spike before, so I'm sure you fight that ongoing sugar battle. For me it's more of a savory struggle...mac n cheese, fried catfish, pizza, smoked ribs, ribeyes...man, I love that stuff!

Now I can sure eat some Pizza, unfortunately it sure mess up the works, I call Pizza the gift that keeps on giving. You can take x amount of units and think your in the clear, the fats in the cheese and pepperoni slow down the hit of the carbs. On me and another diabetic I know, it will mess us up for a whole day or two.

 

[msocko3]

Been a Type II for 12 years, using Insulin for the last 7. I carry a small insulated bag in my trunk with my insulin and needles. Even on the hottest days we can get from motel to motel with everything still cold. Don't carry your test kit in a cold pack, it skews the results. Just another small inconvenience in life's road. We have been out for 3 weeks without a problem. Always carry at least 1 vile extra. Depending on the regimen your Dr. has you on, Novalog Pens work great and don't have to be kept refrigerated.

Good Luck, and welcome to the club.

Oh, it takes some time for your body to acclimate to the Insulin, so watch out for the dizzies, night sweats, and low sugars. I keep 3 4oz bottles of Cranberry-apple juice close by for the low blood sugars.

Good advice here, traveling on a bike or trike does pose some problems when it comes to insulin. I've been using the Novolog and Lantus pens, I use one of these http://www.amazon.com/ChillMed-Cooli...words=chillmed to carry my insulin in.

You can wet down the little pouch and have it cool your insulin for quite a long time, the bag also has room for needles and alcohol wipes. I'm going to be talking with my Endocrinologist about an Insulin pump, better control and the benefit of not sticking myself 4 or more times per day to give insulin.

Low sugar can sure be bummer, I'm a firm believer in checking you sugar anytime you think you feel kind of odd. The other month I was sitting at work talking with my shift when I thought I felt kind of odd. Checked my sugar and found it at 30, grabbed a couple cookies and told some of the guys what was going on so they could keep an eye on me. I have 2 guys on my shift with diabetes experience one who is an insulin dependent diabetic and one who's 7 year old son is diabetic.

I can always tell when I'm getting sick or an infection. A few weeks ago I started sweating like mad, checked my sugar and found it at 373, the next day I was sicker than a dog. The one guy on my shift who is diabetic has had his sugar hit 700 when he gets sick.

 

[Keystone]

Thanks for bringing the cooling thing up. Never gave that any thought as the pens are good for 28 days outside of the fridge. But I can see where I would want them to be kept cool while out riding. I'm going to order some of those cooling wallets for sure.

 

[msocko3]

Thanks for bringing the cooling thing up. Never gave that any thought as the pens are good for 28 days outside of the fridge. But I can see where I would want them to be kept cool while out riding. I'm going to order some of those cooling wallets for sure.

If you check you should find they also have a max temp, if I remember its right around 86 degrees. The chill med wallets do a great job of keeping the insulin cool, I've yet to have any spoil on me when traveling. There is a ton of information on the internet about managing diabetes, one book I found quite helpful is a book called Using Insulin http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/188...?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It has a bunch of good information which answers many questions.

 

[screwball]

You would be surprised how hot it gets in your tourpack, trunk, or saddle bags in July! When we head out into the desert I will load several needles in a thermos bottle with ice. I've stopped at Mc D's to refill the ice if it starts to melt. In my case my blood sugar can get into the high 200s and I don't feel anything. Let it go below 60 and here comes the dizzies and the sweats. I've always used fruit juice of one kind or the other to bring blood sugar back up, it is all a matter of checking and experimenting. I've never let my diabetes slow down our travels, JUST KEEP PREPARED!

 

[Keystone]

It's not going to slow me down one bit. I've been living with two Autoimmune diseases for years now. This new one just means a few things will be done a bit differently is all.

Most of the time when we are out and about on the bikes for the day I have a small cooler along anyway. Nothing better on a hot day than cold water as far as I am concerned.

 

[Keystone]

Question for the other Diabetics. Have any of you noticed any improvement in your vision after going on insulin?? I suddenly find myself not needing the trifocal stuff. Computer screen is clear and crisp. In fact I have to remove my glasses to read! I've been wearing glasses for forty years and have never had my script go backwards.

 

[screwball]

Have any of you noticed any improvement in your vision after going on insulin??

Not me. Although my eyes haven't gotten worse with age. Really can't attribute any improvements or declines to the Diabetes, it's just there.

 

[msocko3]

Question for the other Diabetics. Have any of you noticed any improvement in your vision after going on insulin?? I suddenly find myself not needing the trifocal stuff. Computer screen is clear and crisp. In fact I have to remove my glasses to read! I've been wearing glasses for forty years and have never had my script go backwards.

I've heard of it happening, it never happened to me. One of the questions I've always been ask when getting my eyes checked was how well my sugar was under control.

 

[Keystone]

Saw the Doc today. He said that for late onset Type 1's that the eyes will change over the first 6-8 weeks. Some for the better, some for the worst and all points in between. With the BS as high as it was they said I am going through "withdraw" right now. About the same as Alcohol withdraw as far as how it is affecting me.

Good news is I am adjusting well. Leaving for LA and then onto FL in less than a week. Sunshine will be a nice thing!