The receptionist checked me in and sent me on my way. My first stop was to see the lab technician to get my blood drawn. She took the order form from my hands, typed my information into her computer, and went pale. I was distractedly text messaging my sister when out of my peripheral vision I spotted this woman slowly inching towards my chair. In a soft voice she whispered, "You do understand the reason your doctor has requested another set of labs, don't you?" My heart started to race as I mentally prepared myself for a new diagnosis. "I'm sorry. What?" She leaned across the table that was separating us, looked me dead in the eyes, and stated, "You have diabetes." Are you kidding me? Come on folks-- please read my chart and save us both some time. I tried not to laugh as I felt relief wash over me. I smiled and said, "You scared me. I thought I was dying!" A surprised look came across her face as she asked, "You already knew?" It is in my chart. Yes, I knew. [Insert the obvious flurry of questions] However, the question I didn't see coming came as she jabbed a needle into the crook of my arm-- I'm not sure if it was the lab tech or if my typically high pain threshold was at an all time low, but the discomfort of the needle nearly brought me to tears. I tried to focus as she asked, "So, do you already have children?" I shook my head no. "Oh... so when you decide you want kids... umm... then... oh, okay. So anyway..." What? I decided I wouldn't think too hard about the underlying meaning of her comment. Instead, I cringed as she pulled five vials of blood and willed her to finish quickly.
I ran back to the receptionist desk and informed the man behind the counter that I was ready to complete my retinal eye testing and requested the Tdap vaccination. He called up to the nurse's station and asked if they could see me. He stayed on the phone for an extended period of time, muttering "uh-huh", "my thoughts exactly", "I know", and "very strange", all the while looking me up and down. He set the receiver down, told me that they were discussing me, and began his list of questions. How long have you had diabetes? Twenty-five? Do you know you are really young to have this disease? We usually see people in their seventies for this exam. So does it run in your family? How did you know you had diabetes? And of course, the question of the day-- Do you have children? Curiosity got the best of me and my fiery streak wanted to shame him a little bit (can't I have my fun too?), so I questioned, "Why do you ask?" I was dumbfounded by his response. "Well, because my sister-in-law developed gestational diabetes and then gained a ton of weight. She put on seventy pounds and developed type 2 diabetes. So... I was wondering if maybe something like that happened to you." Was I being Punk'd? Sir, you are looking right at me. Do you believe I have seventy pounds to lose? If you say yes, I will need to chuck the outfit I am currently wearing. Thankfully, this conversation ended rather quickly and he directed me to the appropriate waiting room.
I didn't have to wait long before the nurse came out to escort me to her station. She handed me a questionnaire to see if I qualified for the Tdap vaccine-- there is an epidemic of whooping cough in San Diego and I wanted to get vaccinated because my nephew was recently born and infants are at a higher risk of contracting the illness. The sheet she placed before me might as well have been written in Greek. "Excuse me-- what does this word mean?" She glanced at the word my finger was resting against and said, "It is an allergic reaction. It is when your head swells up." Nice. I'm growing a little concerned now. Well, I don't have any recollection of my head swelling up like a giant balloon, so that's a good sign. I answered the questions with the appropriate responses needed for approval and signed my name on the dotted line. As she prepared the vaccine, I asked if there was any danger of contracting the illness if I wasn't feeling 100 percent. She said no, injected me, and with the needle still in my arm said, "Um... you know what? I would just refrain from any strenuous activity or late nights for the next couple days." You can't buy comedy like this! Then, she entered my information into her computer and her eyes grew wide. "Wow. You have the highest sugar levels I have ever seen!" You know what? I actually take pride in this statement. I hear it a lot and it makes me smile because my glucose level was at such a high and with discipline I was able to bring it down to a safe level. The standard questions ensued and then she asked, "So, do you already have children?" No. Honestly, I don't remember her follow up questions because I was stunned. I'm trying to focus on the present in hopes of not overwhelming myself-- especially since there is a very real possibility that there may be a cure before I go down that road. It surprises me that these employees would ask such personal questions that are unrelated to my appointments. If I were trying to have a child, this could have been a great source of pain. It was all so absurd that I just laughed. This kind of questioning is a recurring theme at all of my visits and in these past few months I walk in wondering what question will come next. I may be able to laugh it off, but I'm not sure other patients will do the same. I think I've found my niche in this market-- bedside manner training. Hey, it might not be a bad moneymaker. I digress. I rested my forehead against the metal bar and secured my chin into the chin rest. She focused on each eye with the slit lamp and quickly, bright bulbs flashed into my eyes. I sat back and tried to look past the haze of red circles. "Um... will I be able to drive myself home?" Without removing her eyes from the screen, she replied, "Eventually." Well, this has been great. We should do it again. I grabbed my bag, thanked her, and rushed out the door-- all the while hoping my results would be better than my visit. I hopped into my truck, pulled out my phone, and dialed. "You won't believe what just happened..."
I woke up the next morning to my Blackberry blinking red-- I had an email informing me that my results were in. I signed into my medical account and I have to say, I am pretty happy with the results. I wish they could be perfected immediately, but I understand that it takes time.
My results:
My A1C (a test that reflects one's average blood sugar levels) came down from 12.2% to 7.8%. This test gives results for the past ninety days and I am anxious to retest in another month (three months after my diagnosis) in hopes of obtaining 5-6%.
Lipid panel:
Cholesterol: 247 mg/dl (8/12/10: 329 mg/dl)
HDL: 64 mg/dl (8/12/10: 50 mg/dl)
LDL: 179 mg/dl (8/12/10: 194 mg/dl)
Triglyceride, nonfasting: 138 mg/dl (8/12/10 791 mg/dl)
The following is a quick description of other tests ran. They all returned normal results.
The alanine aminotransferase tests the amount of enzymes in the blood determining if there is damage to the liver.
The thyroid stimulating hormone detects if there are problems with the thyroid gland.
Free T4 evaluates thyroid function.
T3 evaluates thyroid function.
Thyroperoxidase antibody assists in establishing the cause of thyroid disease.
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