RE: my story??? might be a bit long, sorry.

June 24, 2011

,

Have you received your meter from Blind Mice Mart yet? It would be a good

idea to do a BG when you feel like that.

Also, what is a honey bear?

_____

From: blind-diabetics

[mailto:blind-diabetics ] On Behalf Of Lora Leggett

Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 12:58 AM

To: blind-diabetics

Subject: Re: my story??? might be abit long, sorry.

Hi Cheryl,

The honey bear story is pretty funny. I have two honey bears and I certainly

hope the only thing I do with it is in my mouth once in a while!

I was wondering which is really worse for you or are they equally bad.

Regular Kool Aid with a cup of sugar or regular pop? I have a pitcher of

grape Kool Aid I made for (my excuse I guess) and I took a few sips

from it when I was feeling awful. I have gone about ten days now without

opening a bottle of pop. My last antibiotic is Saturday morning and then I

think I am going to make some plain iced tea. Maybe it will wake me up. I

do not know if it is the antibiotic or the glyburide that is making me so

drowsy. I can be having a conversation or paying close attention to a show

and the next second I am sound asleep. This is not good because I am my

husband's care giver. He has to call me several times to wake me up when

this happens about an hour and a half after taking my pills. I am hoping

the antibiotic could be doing it but I wonder.

Lora

my story??? might be abit long, sorry.

> i've been reading thru the latest posts here. some are sad because of the

> fear or denial or hopelessness. and sad that so many don't know how to get

> the supplies they need and i know some can't afford these things on their

> own and need help with that . the system is a nightmare sometimes and you

> have to keep hounding some of these agencies to get the help you need,

> etc. thank the great spirit above for a list like this, with folks who've

> been there, done that and are willing to help with advice and support.

> some remind me of back when i finally got more serious about checking my

> blood and trying to keep it in line. of course that didn't happen until i

> woke up totally blind one day. that got my attention. but even with that,

> i didn't believe it was serious and certainly not from the diabetes.

>

> when i was a child and color tv's first came out, us kids would sit as

> close as possible, i can still hear grandmother telling us not to sit too

> close or the rays would come out of the tv and burn our eyes, so we'd be

> blind for however long it took to heal. hahaha i never forgot that. and as

> it turned out, the night before i woke up blind we had a house full of

> company and were watching movies. the room was full so i was sitting very

> close to the screen. the next morning i woke up blind. my first thought of

> course was that grandmother had been right. lol so other than irritation

> at this nuisance, i wasn't shocked or afraid and in fact refused to go to

> the doc; telling everyone there was nothing wrong and my eyes would heal

> themselves in a week or so. the third day i was taken into see an

> optomatrist who said i had diabetic retinopathy and he referred me to an

> opthalmologist. i told him grandmothers story. he assured me that is an

> old wives tale and also assured me that if i didn't keep the appointment,

> that he or one of his staff would personally come get me and take me

> there. so i went. there i began a year long battle to get and keep some

> eyesight. i thank the great spirit for those doctors.

>

> fast forward to about a year later. i was put on insulin. the nurse came

> to my house to show me how to do it. while we were talking she told me a

> true story about a man who took the same kind of insulin as i had been

> prescribed. a story i'll never forget. the man went out rabbit hunting one

> day. he'd taken his shot and eaten one meal, went hunting, but forgot to

> take his sandwich with him, it was in the truck. he was too far away when

> he had an insulin reaction and passed out. search and rescue was in the

> area because it was winter. they saw him laying there, went over saw his

> bracelet and knew he needed sugar. but his jaws were locked, so they

> radioed the hospital for instructions. the doctor asked if by chance any

> of them happened to have a honey bear. yes one did. as strange as this

> might sound, don't ask questions, just do what i say. take his pants down

> and inject the honey rectally. they did and he came around quickly. tg!

> now, what i found so hilarius about this was imagining that poor man

> coming out of unconciousness with his pants down and three strange men

> bent over him with a honey bear up his booty. its a wonder he didn't have

> a heart attack. i'm sorry but i laughed til i cried. i was still laughing

> when my boyfriend came home from work. he asked what was so funny and i

> told him the story. big eyed he started out the door. come on he said

> urgently. where i asked. to the store to get honey bears, i'll keep one in

> each vehicle, one for the house and one for your purse. we have to be

> prepared. hahaha o m g! the idiot told all our friends to make sure they

> had honey bears on hand just in case. lolol fast forward to a week or so

> later. we were in the period of figuring the right dosage for me and as it

> turned out it was too much. anyway, i had an appointment with good old

> social security that morning and had spent all week filling out forms and

> was intently double checking everything before my paratransit bus arrived.

> i had taken my shot and eaten my first meal then sat down to go over the

> paperwork. by that time i had a few pinholes of blurry vision so trying to

> read anything with my little handheld was an intense undertaking. it was

> also my very first time of using a bus service. anyway, i forgot to eat

> the second meal. suddenly this weird feeling started coming up from my

> feet. i got weak. then it dawned on me what was happening. a hunger came

> over me like i'd never felt. i knew i needed sugar. fast. i chugged a real

> pepsi of harves and checked my blood. 47. i leaned against the counter to

> hold myself up, etermined not to go down and spied a peach pie i'd made

> for harve. i was almost jerking at that point and thinking the pepsi

> hadn't worked. no time for manners i just dug my hand into the pie and

> started shoveling it in. peaches and crust all over my face and blouse.

> and a knock on the door! hahaha by god i couldn't miss that appointment. i

> made it over to the door and opened it. the poor man stumbled backwards

> with a horified look. i was able to say " don't be scared. don't move! do

> not leave! i'll be right out. " i washed peach pie off my face and changed

> shirts. he helped me into the van probably thinking he'd be dropping me

> off at the e r. but finally i started coming back and got some strength

> and made my precious appointment. he's dead now but he never forgot our

> first meeting. hahahaha but the moral of this particular story is: like

> dave says if your sugar drops, you honestly don't have to eat a five

> gallon bucket of whatever you can shovel into your mouth, all you're doing

> then is causing it to skyrocket. took me awhile to understand that.

> everyone here has said every diabetic is different and thats so true.

> you'll figure out what works for you.

> also, it really doesn't have to be without humor. we're all human and

> sometimes we slip. there is quality life with diabetes. anyway, hope i

> haven't put anyone to sleep and thanks again for the list.

>

> cheryl

>

June 24, 2011