It finally happened. I finally caught something a bit more severe than the common cold.

On October 12, I went into the doctor's offices to get the results of a blood test, and I found out that I had Type II, or Adult-Onset Diabetes.

For those of you that do not know what diabetes is or what it does, here is the information I gave to people who have asked about it:

^.^

Ok, first off, they have not found a cure for diabetes yet, but there's always something going on research-wise.

Now for the definition. There are three types of diabetes: Type I, Type II, and gestational diabetes. In general, diabetes is a disorder that comes about when the pancreas malfunctions and either does not produce insulin at all (Type I), or produces a reduced amount of insulin (Type II). Insulin is used by the body to facilitate the absorption of sugars into cells which the cells then use as fuel. If the insulin level drops off, you end up with too much sugar in the blood. This is not good for your short-term state of being, and in the long term, excessive sugar can damage the body.

Type I diabetes is the kind a person generally gets at an early age. Again, the pancreas does not produce insulin at all, so daily shots are needed to boost insulin levels.

Type II, or adult-onset diabetes generally affects people over the age of 20 - 25 and usually what happens is people with Type II are given oral medication.

Gestational diabetes I believe affects women who are pregnant. I am not sure whether this is a permanent condition or whether gestational diabetes can lead to Type II.

Diabetes has a few risk factors. Having diabetes within the family, specifically within the grand-parents, can lead to a higher risk. Also, a high-sugar or fatty diet, and a sedentary lifestyle can contribute. (So, get away from the compy, grab a book, and go for a 30 min walk each day.)

If left untreated, diabetes can lead to blindness due to retinal damage, heart disease, kidney disease, nervous system damage which can lead to loss of feeling in the extremities. This is a bad thing for people who like to walk barefoot, as cuts and bruises take longer to heal, and if you get an infection, there is the possibility of gangrene, leading to amputation.

Anyway, that's what diabetes is. Again, there's no cure at this point, but treatments for it have gone a long way in the past 30 years. If you have diabetes and if you manage yourself a bit, you can live a full life.

Currently, my diabetes is unmanaged, and it has been for the past few months. (I just got diagnosed with it last week.) For right now, the doctors can't manage the diabetes until they find out what is happening with my liver. There are signs that my liver is being overworked, and this might be caused by a gallstone (another common adult condition). Gallstones are okay if they stay in the gallbladder. If they move out, they can block the bile ducts and cause problems. In that case, the gallbladder may need to be removed.

If that is the case with me, I will try to have the operation done on Friday or Saturday. It's a 1 hour operation, it's not nearly as invasive as it once was, and I will be back on my feet well in time to be back with you all following the Fall Break, which is this weekend.

Anyway, that's the full story.

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So... I have an incurable disease. It will take a bit of a change in my lifestyle, and I can handle most of them. The Pepsi STAYS though! :)

Anyway, I'll be putting together a diabetes support webpage and hopefully, it will be ready by the time Fall Break is done.

Artemis

(comments welcome - please email me at [email protected] and I will post your comments here as well.)