Getting Better

On the 14th of November 2002 it was 8 weeks since I was taken to the hospital DKA a near coma. Since that time I have learned quite a bit about diabetes (both Type I & Type II) as they still don't know how to label me, believe it or not. I am hoping that on Wednesday when I go in for my 6 week (since last) follow-up clinic that they will have a better answer to this much sought after category.

Many might think that it doesn't really matter all that much. Either I take insulin or I don't. But its not that simple. The treatments may look similar on the surface but the long term solutions and "headaches" are very much different. In a Type I situation, you might as well remove your pancreas as it would serve better as a hood trophy for your car. In a Type II situation, you want to be careful to give the weak pancreas a chance to heal - unfortunately this is often in spite of other endocrine systems attacking it. Think of it as a "transplant" where the donor's organ is being rejected.

The real knuckle ball in my situation is that I fit the profile for a Type I. I am young, thin & healthy with good eating habits. The conflict is that I'm too old for Type I - often called juvenile diabetes. It should "hit" in the early 'teens at the latest. On the flip, I don't fit the profile for Type II at all. They tend to me overweight, over 50, have poor diets and some other health condition that adds to the weakness. It has been suggested, by Type Is that recover, that there is a 3rd classification - thin Type IIs, but the medical profession dismisses this as readily as a "curing the clap with OJ" suggestion. I'm not sure if the latter will work, but you see what I mean.

Anyway, I hope to lick this - either by beating it into submission or by natural "time" healing. We'll see & I'll update on Wednesday or Thursday as to what the black witches (doctors) say. :-)