I hope these experiences of doctors can help you

In 1977, I was the only diabetic patient in the entire hospital ward.

The year diabetes was discovered, I was 22 years old, in 1977.

I was working in a military hospital at the time. Looking back now, I had a high fever, vomiting and diarrhea in the late autumn of 1976, but I didn't take it seriously. I took medicine and rested for a few days and felt better.

I don’t remember when I started to be able to drink more water. The symptoms became more and more obvious, and I started to feel weak and lack of energy. The director of the department and my colleagues around me didn’t think it was diabetes. They saw me running to the toilet all the time and even said that I Do you have diabetes insipidus?

I read the book by myself (I had graduated from medical school at the time) and found out how the symptoms were so similar to those of diabetes, so I went to the hospital laboratory for a urine test the next day. The result was four plus signs for urine sugar, and I quickly took blood again. Blood sugar 360mg/ml (20mmol/L). The director of the laboratory told me that you might have diabetes.

At that time, I cried so hard that I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I was stupid.

All subsequent hospitalization procedures were done by my comrades. The next day they sent me to the Military General Hospital, where my diabetes career began. It was June 1977 (probably). I was the only one in the entire ward of the hospital. A diabetic has no diabetic friends, cannot find anyone to communicate with, and is in an extremely bad mood.

Although I have received medical training, I have not seen a single case of diabetes during the entire internship, so I only know theoretically that diabetes cannot be cured, so I am very depressed, helpless, and listless every day. Fortunately, the director and head nurse of the ward were very kind to me. They came to comfort me when they had time, and told me how to treat the disease and how to eat and take medicine after returning to the unit. This was a kind of psychological support for me.

There were no blood glucose meters at that time, so you had to ask for help to buy insulin.

I remember that I didn’t get any injections after I was discharged from the hospital. At that time, there was no classification of type 1 or type 2 diabetes. When I was discharged from the hospital, it was written as “youth-onset diabetes.” At that time, the classification was not very standardized. I remember that the textbook classified it as insulin-dependent. and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. So when I was discharged from the hospital, I was still taking the antidiabetic drug: Jiangtangling.

I didn’t know what my blood sugar was, and there was no blood glucose meter at that time, so I had to burn sugar in my urine every day.

Due to the convenience of work, I checked my urine sugar carefully several times every day. Not long after, I was hospitalized due to fever and ketosis. This time, my disease was determined to be insulin-dependent diabetes and I decided to use insulin. At that time, it was still the era of the planned economy and there was very little insulin. It’s very stressful. Many patients have to look for connections to buy insulin. Thanks to my work in a hospital, I can ensure the medication.

I have a comrade who works in a pharmacy. He has been helping me take care of this matter for so many years. After I changed my job, he helped me when I needed it. At that time, I was using long-acting + short-acting domestic animal insulin, one injection a day, and the situation was relatively stable.

During those years, the hospital was convenient in all aspects, and with the care of leaders and comrades, my blood sugar was fine every time.

I’m afraid of going to bed every night, fearing that I’ll have low blood sugar at night and never wake up again.

The turning point came in 1986 when I changed my job to a local company. After arriving in a new working environment and unfamiliar with the place, urine glucose monitoring basically stopped. In addition, I changed careers and careers again, and joined the corporate human resources department to work in management. I had to learn everything from scratch. I also participated in correspondence college studies while working, and I couldn't take care of it. My blood sugar during that period was probably very bad.

In 1988, I felt something was wrong with my vision. I was immediately hospitalized and found to have slight fundus hemorrhage and cataracts. I was a little scared that time, so I quickly adjusted the treatment plan and switched to premixed human insulin 30 twice a day. I also had laser surgery on my eyes, but fortunately my vision was not greatly affected.

From then on, I paid special attention to my diet because I was afraid that my eyes would bleed again, and I didn’t dare to eat more than one bite of staple food, but this low blood sugar started to cause me trouble again. Several severe hypoglycemia nearly killed me.

It was only with the help of family, colleagues and passers-by that I saved my life. Severe hypoglycemia tortured me so much that I needed to control my blood sugar, but at the same time I didn’t have the right tools to monitor it. I was afraid to go to bed every night, fearing that I would never wake up from low blood sugar at night.

Because of this, my husband would wake up at one or two o'clock in the morning to see if I had any abnormality, and touch my body to see if I was sweating, until he got a blood glucose meter.

Kidney disease came back to trouble me in 1993. During that time, I always had headaches. My blood pressure occasionally measured was 170/100. I knew something was wrong. When I checked, my creatinine was also high and I had protein in my urine. I was hospitalized for a renal puncture and my glomerulosclerosis was 44%. , diagnosed as: stage IV diabetic nephropathy, chronic renal insufficiency. Seeing this, I thought my life was almost over. I had no choice but to take injections and medicine. Anyway, I couldn't do anything in this life, I just had to deal with this disease and that disease.

Four years later, the antihypertensive drugs have been completely stopped, the creatinine has returned to normal, and the proteinuria has disappeared. It has been 24 years now and everything is normal. Miracle!

my experience

I now know that stage four diabetic nephropathy is irreversible, and I was treated by nephrologist Li Leishi. He was researching the topic of diabetic nephropathy. The medicines I eat are all made by the pharmaceutical factory of the Military Region General Hospital. Mainly the traditional Chinese medicine rhubarb preparation Baoshen Tablets, its side effect is diarrhea. As a result, I can't live without this medicine now. If I don't take it, I won't have bowel movements.

I guess there may be something wrong with my intestines. I realize that blood pressure control and sugar control are equally important in the treatment of kidney disease. When creatinine is high, a low-protein diet must be used. Since my kidney disease, I have always insisted on eating high-quality protein and do not eat plant proteins such as beans.

I feel like my stomach is a little indigestible now. I haven’t had a test to see if it’s gastroparesis, and the doctor can’t tell. It has been more than ten years since I retired.

I go to the hospital for a check-up every year to regulate my blood sugar. In 2006, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was hospitalized. Now I take 1 and 1/4 Euthyrox every day. The cataracts were replaced with lenses in 2000 and 2010 respectively.

Although I study medicine, I really don’t have much experience in sugar control, because my blood sugar control is not very good. Before, I was really confused when I didn’t have a blood glucose meter. Now that I have a blood glucose meter, especially a dynamic blood glucose meter. I discovered that my blood sugar was jumping up and down. The doctor said that my blood sugar was too fragile and very sensitive to insulin.

Therefore, I control my diet more strictly. I basically follow the requirements of nutritionists and control the amount of staple food. Sometimes I make steamed buns myself and weigh them well. I never eat more than one at each meal and keep my mouth shut. It’s easy, but it’s really not easy to do, because it’s not something that happens in a day or two.

Secondly, blood sugar monitoring cannot be neglected. I basically guarantee that I can test it 4 to 6 times a day. Now there is a continuous blood glucose meter, which I also use. In type 1 diabetes, blood sugar changes rapidly, so you must be aware of it.

Regarding exercise, I basically go to the park around eight o'clock in the morning. Because I found that my blood sugar is relatively high in the morning, and I usually don’t have hypoglycemia. Going out for a walk right after lunch or dinner is particularly likely to cause hypoglycemia. Therefore, exercise requires individuals to find the time and method that suits them according to their own specific conditions.

After getting sick, I paid close attention to the research progress of type 1 diabetes at home and abroad, and I have always kept in touch with doctors, from animal insulin to various imported insulins, from one, two, four injections a day to insulin pumps.

I am also looking for ways to control sugar while ensuring a good quality of life. Now that I have been retired for more than ten years, my daily life is very fulfilling. I go to a senior college, learn to dance, learn computers, and travel domestically and abroad. I always feel like I don’t have enough time. I always feel that with a good attitude, everything is fine! This sentence is so true.

So far, I have been to Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Turkey, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. When I travel, I usually test my blood sugar when I eat. During the trip, I eat a small amount every 1-2 hours. When I go out, I usually go with my comrades, family, and colleagues. They all know about my condition and will remind me at any time.

Therefore, basically no major accidents have occurred over the years. There was only one time when I was traveling to the Three Gorges with my family. The insulin I brought was placed in the staff’s refrigerator, and someone accidentally broke it. As a result, I didn’t dare to eat the meal, but my blood sugar was still a little high. The tour guide was pretty good. He happened to dock early the next morning, and he rushed to the hospital to help me buy the medicine. There was no danger.

From now on, I will bring more medicine with me when I go out. Since wearing the pump, I will prepare another set of consumables and bring a pen and medicine when I go out to prevent problems with the pump or blockage of the tube. Fortunately, everything went smoothly and no problems occurred. In addition, I bring a copy of the disease diagnosis and summary of recent hospitalizations so that they are available in the event that something happens while away from home.

I now feel that although diabetes has brought me a lot of trouble and pain, as a lifelong partner, I must face the reality and treat it well, so that I can live in peace and harmony.