The Day I Was Diagnosed

  November 4th, 2012,  I was living with a friends parents and I was feeling exhausted and a little nauseous.  I had been drinking gallons of water daily over the past several months but thought nothing of it because water suddenly tasted deliciousness to me and I thought I was just craving it.  I was sitting on the porch swing when I became agitated over being so fatigued and I decided to go into the house get some tennis shoes on and go for a run.  Before leaving the house I had a strong impression in my mind that I needed to borrow my friends moms glucose meter.  I turned around and embarrassingly asked if I could check my blood sugar.  The meter wouldn't register.  It would only read "High Glucose, seek emergency care."  I fought going to the hospital for about an hour because I had no insurance and I felt "fine."  Finally I agreed to go to the Emergency room.  They had me pee in a cup which is when I noticed the bottom of the sample was covered in red sand which turned out to be Uric Acid kidney stones.  They tried taking glucose samples but none of the hospital equipment could detect my levels.  Finally after three hours on an insulin drip the lab was able to record it at 643.  The emergency immediately put me in ICU and told my Grandparents that I might not make it through the night.  I thought I was being punked because just a few hours before I wanted to go for a jog.   After a night in the ICU my nurse handed me a menu and told me to order my lunch.  I ordered a chicken salad.  The kitchen staff informed me that I had not met the carb requirements and needed to add more to my meal.  She offered me juice.  Still not enough carbs and so I added a bowl of fruit and crackers.  Every time I ordered a meal they said I needed to add more carbs to reach the dietary requirements.  I remember sitting there thinking "Do you think I'm an complete idiot?!!  I'm in here fighting for my life because of sugar and you're telling me that I need to eat more of it.  How come they think 75 carbs per meal is healthy for a diabetic?  Who sets these guidelines?"  The answer is the government sets the nutrition requirements.