Tammy's Story

Occasionally I come across inspirational stories on forums. I like these stories because I am sure they help new people believe that the light at the end of the tunnel is not necessarily a train heading their way.

Tammy posted her story last month on the ADA forum. I received her permission to post it here. I hope it helps someone who has stumbled across this blog, newly diagnosed, scared and wondering what lies in their future.

My Story: Tammy 

I will never forget that morning. It was Tuesday, May 29th, 2013 and was two days before my 42^nd birthday. My doctor called to tell me I had diabetes and I needed to see my endocrinologist right away. My A1C was 10.7 and this could not wait. My heart was racing, and I really don't remember driving home. I cried all the way home in a complete state of panic.

My name is Tammy and I am a registered nurse, having spent most of my career working in ICU. Two years ago I started working per diem, once I was accepted into grad school. It is stressful! I am in my last year of the nurse practitioner program and am so excited to be graduating next year!

At the end of last semester I started having panic attacks with chest pain during finals and I was always tired - always! That’s part of working and going back to school, right? Wrong!

After my finals were over, I went to the cardiologist - my exam was fine, my EKG was fine. He wanted me to come back for an echocardiogram and sent me for tons of blood work, including an A1C.  I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was about 20 yrs old, which is basically a hormonal imbalance (simplified), which causes irregular periods and CAN predispose you to diabetes. I told my doctor that my endocrinologist told me two years ago I was insulin resistant and my fasting glucose was 114.

I was always afraid of getting diabetes but really never thought it would happen. Diabetes doesn't run in my family. My parents are both healthy, I exercised off and on, and although I loved carbs, I ate a lot of fruits and vegetables and considered myself mostly healthy.

That same day I made an appointment with a nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator, and saw my endocrinologist. He started me on Metformin 500 mg two times a day and said, "You need to lose 20 or 30 pounds and then you can come off the medication.” He gave me a prescription for another A1c to repeat in eight weeks.

Nothing made any sense to me. The only symptom other than the fatigue was a dry mouth. That’s it. I had such minor symptoms that it could have been ANYTHING!

The nutritionist changed my life. I began exercising consistently and writing down every single thing I put in my mouth. I began Googling everything I could find on diabetes, causes, symptoms, and of course, complications. I came across the ADA Forum, this wonderful website, where I read stories for hours, and I never imagined I would learn this much from complete strangers. It is such a wonderful feeling to be among others who share your story, who relate to your concerns and who understand your pain.

In eight weeks I lost 25 pounds and my A1C went to 6.5. I am now exercising daily, four miles on the treadmill, and eating lots of veggies. To date, my A1C is 6.0, I have lost 40 pounds, and although I am not yet at my goal, I am close. What keeps me going is not the weight loss but the desire to be healthy. I have never looked or felt better!

It is a very scary diagnosis, but here I am four months later and I'm doing what I need to do! What I have learned throughout this ordeal is that we have a lot more power than we realize when it comes to managing this illness. I refused to take on the "poor me" attitude at diagnosis. I said to myself "Ok, I've got this, and I am going to learn as much as I can to stay on top of things and live a long and healthy life." Of course there are days where you just want to give up, but I just let those feelings pass on by and I keep on moving forward.

When I saw my endocrinologist a few weeks ago, he gave me the option of going off the Metformin, but we agreed that since Metformin treats PCOS and I've done so well on it, we are going to decide together when I see him in three months if I should continue or just try to manage it with diet and exercise. Either way, I am very proud of what I have accomplished in a short time.

If I can do it, you can do it too! (Believe me) Best of luck in your journey, we can all do this together

 

Thanks Tammy.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter