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What a Ride!

Iwas diagnosed with type; 1 diabetes six years ago at age 40. That day was a blur; it was as if I’d entered the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney. My world just took an unexpected sharp turn and dropped. I had been so thirsty I thought my tongue and lips were made of sandpaper. I couldn’t drink enough water, and I felt terrible—tired and irritable. A smart nurse would go to the emergency room. Or call a doctor. I am a smart nurse, so why didn’t I act like it? My only goal was to keep out of the hospital. Finally, though, I got help and was told I had type; 1.

Much of the past six years has been like a roller coaster ride that never stops. The worst part of being diagnosed was that everyone assumed I’d know what to do because I was a nurse.

But I was a patient ;rst and an RN second. At ;rst, I was in denial.

Then one day my doctor told me my A1C was still 11;percent. I needed to decide: Was I going to live a full life or a short, dif;cult one? I spent the weekend in tears. A decision had to be made; I decided to accept diabetes.

I needed to learn how diabetes affected my body—and to accept my lack of knowledge on the subject. How does diabetes affect and control me? What does it mean when I can’t think or tell time? It’s my body telling me that my sugars are low and I am hypoglycemic.

I ;x that by drinking juice, but then I start to eat and eat. I know this isn’t good, but my brain is in survival mode and I can’t stop.

I learn the “rule of 15” for when I’m low: Consume 15;grams of carbohydrate (glucose is preferred), wait 15;minutes, retest.

If still low, eat or drink 15;more grams, and repeat until my blood
sugar is above 70;mg/dl. I learn to write
down the time so I can ;gure when

15;minutes have passed.

I start connecting my nursing education to what I am experiencing. What does it mean when I have a headache and am irritable and tired? It’s my body telling me my blood sugars are too high and I am hyperglycemic. I check my blood sugar and, if necessary, ;x it by giving myself insulin. Each hypo- or hyperglycemic episode feels like a roller coaster ride—the kind of ride that when you ;nally get off, you feel wiped, can barely stand, and want to leave the park. I realize I need control.

Control came when I was put on an insulin pump with a continuous glucose monitor. My life changed dramatically. My A1C is 6. 9. I work with my endocrinologist and diabetes educator to tighten my control. I’ve learned how to read my body and my symptoms. I educate everyone around me. At last, I’m off the endless roller coaster, and I’m living my life to the fullest. Now when I ride, it’s for fun!

PAULA AGOGLIATI, MSN, RN, PCCN, is a nurse at Middlesex Hospital in Connecticut. She recently received her master of science in nursing from the University of Hartford.

DIABETES FORECAST® August 2014, Vol. 67, No. 8, is a registered trademark of the American Diabetes Association—all rights reserved. DIABETES FORECAST (ISSN 0095-8301) is published monthly by the American Diabetes Association, 1701 N. Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311, 1-800-806-7801. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to DIABETES FORECAST, American Diabetes Association, Membership Department, P.O. Box 15218, North Hollywood, CA 91615. Back issues: $6 plus $5 for postage and handling to the U.S., $6 plus $13 for postage and handling to Canada and Mexico; all other countries, $20 plus $16 for postage and handling. ©American Diabetes Association, 2014. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Convention. This magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the American Diabetes Association. The American Diabetes Association is a nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible.