Post #212461 by SilverLine on Fri, Feb 3, 2006 12:02 PM

Wow, Polynesiac, that's a load of "no fun" to have dropped into your lap right out of the blue. You've got a great attitude about it though. I freaked out for about a week, even tried to starve myself into better BG numbers (which doesn't work, BTW, and is just stupid) but I'm learning to have patience.

The suspected culprit in my case is is hemochromatosis; or very high iron levels in the blood. It's a genetic disorder where your blood doesn't rid itself of the iron it doesn't need. The excess iron builds up in your pancreas, liver and heart and can cause organ failure over time. Add to that the fact that my poor heart is basically pumping a Buick around all day and I was headed for disaster.

Hemochromatosis is like a 1 in 200 chance and most prevelent in white males of northern euopean decent. The real shame is that Drs don't usually test for it. If you haven't had an iron test, ask for it! It usually doesn't present symtoms untill you're over 30. The treatment is simple and effective; you give a pint of blood at regular intervals untill your iron level is normal, then give a pint every couple months to maintain it, Fixing the iron problem won't cure the diabetes, but there's a 40% chance it will improve once normal levels are reached. There's genetic testing you can have done to see if you're at risk, or you can just have the iron test done every couple of years.

Anyhow, it IS very encouraging what's being done in the way of long-term treatments for diabetes these days. I hear people talk about "the pump" and was really NOT looking forward to being hooked up to some contraption all day . . then I saw one. And now I WANT ONE! In the grand scheme of things, it could be a WHOLE LOT worse than diabetes.

I think about 80% of getting this under control is mental. Positive outlook and good attitude go a long way, as does the support of fellow Tiki-betics!