Playing catch-up
So, it’s been a while since I last updated the blog and some things have happened in that time that I feel a need to write about. This will be a bit long, so bear with me. Esophageal ManometryOn January 29th, my new gastroenterologist had me undergo a test called Esophageal Manometry. The test is used to measure the functionality of the muscles and lower sphincter of the esophagus and determine if there are issues. The procedure wasn’t the most pleasant of ways to spend a morning. To begin, I was given a cup of lidocaine gel to swallow and then a syringe full of the same gel was emptied into my left nostril. A thin probe was then passed…
What’s wrong with my gut?
For the better part of this year, I’ve been dealing with some recurring GI issues. I’ve seen a couple of doctors and have had some tests, none of which have provided any answers to this point. I have a history of GI problems; Acid reflux, ulcers, a hiatal hernia, etc…, but these have been ruled out as the cause the symptoms I’ve been experiencing as of late. I’ve done my research and, based on the symptoms, I’m suspecting the problem is gastroparesis. During a visit with my Endocrinologist last week, he brought up the subject. He remembered that I had been having GI problems when I saw him in January and wanted to know if things were any better. I…
9 Years
Today marks 9 years of life with diabetes and congestive heart failure for me. It’s been a crazy journey, and the events of the last month have been a reminder of just how fortunate I am to have come this far. Cheers, folks!
Healthcare wishes
Today’s topic about healthcare experiences comes at a time when I’m still trying to process the recent discovery that I was misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, when what I actually have is Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults, also known as Type 1.5 or LADA. This after 7 years of struggles with treatments not working and being told I just need to try harder. Bullshit that, based on test results that were present at diagnosis, could have been been avoided. I’m sitting on a lot of anger about this. Rightfully so. But I don’t know how to express it in a way that’s not riddled with f-bombs. I dropped those yesterday, so I’ll spare you today. Today, I’ll share wishes. Wishes…
Changing my diabetes label
“No one today is purely one thing.” ~ Edward W. Said So, back in February, I shared that I was feeling caught Between Two Fields. I shared about the discovery that I had been misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes when what I was actually dealing with was more than likely LADA, or Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. I also mentioned that my new endocrinologist wanted to do a few tests to get fresh data to confirm what we were suspecting. Well, that’s happened. And I got the results and new label during my office visit on April 21st. The new C-Peptide test and GAD65 autoantibody tests confirmed that there are both insulin resistance and autoimmune components to my diabetes. My pancreas…