What We Need To Know About Diabetes (Part 1)

Most of us have the misconception that diabetes is the result of eating too much sweets. Sadly I used to be one of those who thought it was. I usually stop when I read articles about it because of too much information like glucose, insulin and Type 1 & 2 Diabetes. I am one of those typical people who loose interest because I felt it is too medical and that there is someone who could explain it better for me. That had changed when we found out that my Mom was diabetic and suffered the repercussions of it.

My Mom has a history of diabetes. In fact, she had an Aunt whose leg was amputated because of it. Since information during the early days were very limited, people were not aware of the signs of such illness and how it could have been prevented. Coupled with complications and limited finances, my Grand Aunt suffered which ultimately caused her death.

With my Mom it was different. She was a Type A personality who accepted every work and task given to her without questions. To her it was a responsibility that challenged her capability and she did not know when & how to say "No." She became one of the outstanding teachers in the whole  province which was a first in the school where my siblings and I spent our first six years of education. She retired on her 60th birthday but she insisted to teach for the remaining three months left of the school year for free. Such was her love for her profession and the school which became her second home.

A few months after she retired, my Mom was hospitalized. She had a major stroke and went into a coma. We were all unprepared for what happened. Miraculously she was able to survive it. However that first stroke was followed by numerous ones that I have lost count. Ones were minor but the others lasted for a month, the last major one was when we needed to transfer her to a private hospital with an ICU where she was under observation for a week and needed blood transfusion because her hemoglobin went drastically low due to pneumonia. She was tied in a hospital bed, all in tubes and monitors. We were only allowed to see her for two or three hours everyday on that first week which was painful for all of us. We were prepared for the worst but then again, she surprised all of us including her doctors when she miraculously survived.

Mom on her 81st birthday

It took many years for me to learn and accept that medications and confinement are going to be a part of my Mom's life. We all learn the hard way. Though my Mom is now back to her old self, doing the things she love most and spending time with her senior citizen friends, my kids and I know that it maybe a bit late for us to reverse the repercussions with my Mom's diabetes . Sadly a few members in our family may just be likely candidates to such illness but we believe it can still be prevented by being informed and choosing to live healthy .



Up Next : What We Need To Know About Diabetes (Part 2)