It All Started with a Spider Bite
Susan's Story
The year of 2005 I was diagnosed with diabetes…..
Believe it or not I was still very shocked to hear the doctor tell me that I did have diabetes. Those were words I did not want to hear even though I suspected it. I had gestational diabetes through all of 3 pregnancies but after I gave birth to healthy baby boys, the doctor told me “You do not have gestational diabetes anymore”. He went on to say that I am at greater risk of developing diabetes since I had gestational diabetes. All I heard was that I did not have it anymore and did not need to think about it any further. I was of course – w-r-o-n-g!
I remember I was extremely thirsty all of the time (but I live in Texas).
I just attributed it to the hot weather. And of course, I was running to the restroom all the time but I thought it was because I was drinking so much. I was tired all of the time but I was working and running after 3 boys all day and add to that the fact that I am overweight! I had reasons for 
everything. I’m a mom, and we typically have answers for everything. Then one day, I had gotten a spider bite on my hip and it went from the size of a quarter to the diameter of a baseball. It lingered around longer than usual. At that point I decided to go to the doctor.
My lab test results came back at 330 fasting! It was so surreal to hear the doctor tell me what I feared. My doctor put me on Metformin which I was to take twice a day. I was sort of stunned. I turned inward at that point. I started doing everything I was supposed to. I was following the diet from the nutritionist and I was working out at the gym but my mind was always consumed with this “thing”-my diabetes. I was living life but I was always consumed by my thoughts. I would see people drinking regular sodas or eating cake and I would think “they are lucky they do not have Diabetes”. Of course I did not know whether they did or not. I checked out every book that the local library had on the subject and it did not help. I even found a support group at the hospital but when I went it was full of old people. It just was not a place where I felt I could connect or get any kind of support.
After a little while, I got my blood sugars in good control. I was feeling better and losing weight. But then I got fed up and tired of it. It took a while for me to realize it (like a whole year) but I had slowly stopped doing what was necessary to take care of me. I knew that I needed to do something. I was doing what I call the “bare minimum” which is not doing anything else except taking the medicine that I was prescribed. I told myself that I was still “taking care of it” because I still popped the Metformin in my mouth twice a day. I stopped taking my blood sugar readings because I did not want to “deal with it” at that time. My family was getting on my case, giving me lectures or articles that they clipped for me to read. The one thing that always “got through to me” was being reminded that I have to do this and I do not have a choice. And that I should do it for me and if I could not do it for myself then I had to do it for my three boys that I love with every part of my being.
But still, it is hard. I was afraid to confront my numbers again. I went to the dLife website which I love because there is so much information. This is where I found some articles written by Kerri. Then I found her website. It was so nice to read how other people deal with their diabetes. It is comforting to know that you are not the only one in the world going through the struggles. I must be from the dark ages but I never knew these blogs existed. I started looking at other blogs as well. These finally gave me the “umph” I needed to get off my butt and go to the doctor and get control over my health. I went to the doctor and now I am on Byetta along with the Metformin. It was scary having to give myself a shot but I’m used to it now. My numbers are getting better day by
day and I have been sleeping phenomenally! I have also been swimming as my daily exercise. I know the struggle is not over. I know I will have to rely on family & friends but the one thing about reading the blogs is that you are reading about people just like you; People that are going through the same things. I am doing so well right now. I will continue. I must. I will succeed. –Susan L from Texas
