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Along Life’s Way
Living with
Diabetes
By Lois E. Wilson
When I married Jim, he was 6’ 1” tall and weighed 210 pounds. He was
not obese nor did he look heavy. He was healthy and able to do training
in the Army. Later out of the service, he had an office position that
required some visits to farmer clients of the Miami Valley Production
Credit Association. Each fall, PCA had seven, county banquet meetings
to give the annual report and elect board members of the association.
During the course of the meetings, I noticed that Jim was losing
weight, was excessively thirsty, and had to urinate more frequently
than usual. I urged him to see our doctor to determine the problem.
After fasting blood sugar level tests and glucose tolerance tests, he
was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In those days it was called
juvenile diabetes as it usually occurs in children and young adults.
Jim was 27 years old. In Type 1 diabetes, the body makes little or no
insulin so one must take insulin every day. Fortunately, he lived in a
time when insulin could be administered directly into the body. In the
1950’s the protocol was to put the patient into the hospital so that
the amount of insulin to be injected could be coordinated with one’s
diet.
We were given a book by Dr. Elliott P. Joslin, A Diabetic Manual for
Doctors and Patients. He was an early pioneer in the treatment of
diabetes. I read the book. It was not comforting at all. It gave
illustrations of side effects and indicated the diabetic might live
only to age 50. We knew Jim would require treatment and shots the rest
of his life. In a few weeks he was to take over managing the Preble
County PCA office.
Jim came home and we slowly but surely got into the daily routine. He
was what is called a “brittle” diabetic. Over the years, we rarely had
difficulty keeping sugar levels under the acceptable high number, but
his level could drop quickly into a dangerous low level. Once he was
hospitalized for a broken leg. Before going to bed, I phoned him to see
how he was. He acted silly as we talked. I knew he was having a low
sugar episode. I called the nurses’ station and asked them to check
him. They called back and thanked me as his level was only 50. A
fasting level should be around 100.
Jim did at least 5 sugar level tests and 4 insulin shots a day. His
body made no insulin of its own. He had Type 1 diabetes for 60 years.
That means over that period, conservatively, he stuck his fingers
110,000 times to do a sugar test and had at least 88,000 insulin shots.
He never complained. I am thankful that improved treatment helped him
exceed early predictions of life expectancy. Of course, the credit goes
not only to Jim’s doctors, but to Jim himself. He accepted his
diagnosis and was a conscientious patient. I hope his story is an
encouragement to all who battle diabetes. Whether you have Type I or
Type 2 diabetes, be optimistic—each discovery and treatment may improve
and lengthen life. Diabetes is a growing epidemic. Let’s pray for its
cure.
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