Re: New member (long)- this is a message to

[Guest guest]

Laaura wrote:

>The thing I found interesting is the eye symptoms you're getting......for =

the past month

or so I've had very blurry vision especially when reading.  My " normal " vis=

ion problems

are/were more distance related, i.e., near-sightedness.  But, I've actually=

had to buy those

cheap reading glasses to read now and this wasn't a problem before.  I also=

have been

getting very hypoglycemic feelings lately (low sugar)....I'm wondering if i=

t's pancreas-

related which I suppose it could be but didn't think that happened until al=

most all panc

function was gone.< 

Dear ,

When I read this I was reminded of the eye problems I had before I was adm=

itted to the

Emergency Room with Diabetic Ketoacidosis. This happened in March 2003, af=

ter only

having chronic pancreatitis for less than two years. My vision was blurry =

and I couldn't see

close up unless I wore magnifying glasses. The vision problems started abo=

ut eight

months before I became DKA. I'm normally near sighted and only wear glasse=

s to drive. I

noticed that when I was in grocery stores or stores with a lot of overhead =

lighting that my

vision would blur. Outside in bright sunlight I had light sensitivity and =

would tear up

quickly. I've always had a sensitivity to bright sunlight, especially duri=

ng winter with snow

on the ground, so the vision problems with sunlight didn't alarm me. But t=

he grocery

store lights would make my vision blur. The next symptom that hit me was t=

he feelings of

low sugar.

I asked my GI doctor to test me for diabetes and he said " don't worry about=

, it was too

soon " . HE WAS WRONG! We found out later that I'd been running blood gluco=

se levels

over 600 for three months. When I was admitted my BG was 1,000 and I was i=

n diabetic

shock.

I do not mean to alarm you, but the symptoms you describe are the early sym=

ptoms of

diabetes. Other symptoms are frequent urination during the day, having to =

get up during

the night to go frequently, increased thirst, increased hunger and fatigue.=

Those symtoms

didn't start with me until very close to my pancreas burnout.

Please talk to you doctor about this asap and ask that he do an HBA1c blood=

test for

diabetes on you. It's simple, and it could save you a lot of heartache. P=

eople with chronic

pancreatitis are an increased risk for diabetes, but if it's caught early e=

nough you only

develop the type 2 variety which can be treated it with oral meds and diet =

only. If you wait

too long, you could end up being a type 1 brittle insulin dependent diabeti=

c like me, which

is very difficult to control, and to live with. It changes your life forev=

er.

Better to be safe than sorry. Please have a proper test done!

Think good thoughts,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments and advice are based on personal opinion, and should not=

be

substituted for professional medical consultation.