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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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