Tag Archives: diabetes and other health issues

I Passed Out and Ironically, Diabetes Was Not to Blame

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Thanks to my numerous allergies, I sometimes get laryngospasms which is where my throat closes up due to larynx muscle spasms. It only lasts a minute or two but it scares me to death each time it’s happened because when it happens I can’t breathe or talk.

Well, Sunday, yours truly, the occasional idiot, ate some blue cheese, which I seem to be allergic to (the mold in it or it’s relation to penicillin?)  Anyway, since eating blue cheese just causes me a sore throat, I didn’t think it was a big deal.  So I enjoyed some and figured I’d just enjoy my temporary hoarse voice for a few days.

Yesterday, I was in the living room with the kids when I took a sip of water and my throat suddenly closed up.  Within a minute I was on my knees struggling just to get a little bit of air.  Usually by 90 seconds I’m done and starting to suck in a tiny bit of air but this time I could feel myself getting really weak.  My head felt like it was swelling, my lungs felt like a major bruise, and next thing I know, I was waking up.

I got up slowly, relieved to be alive and then quickly searched the room for my kids.  They do so many crazy things that I felt myself blurting out “Oh thank God!” to find them sitting on the couch looking through books.  Little angels.  I had a bruise on my hip and I wondered if that was from falling over or my kids jumping on me (both are equally imaginable possibilities).  I looked at the clock and calculated that I was out about 20-30 minutes.  Why so long?  Did my body decide to take advantage of the opportunity and grab a quick nap?

The reason I was fine is because when you pass out from this, the muscles don’t spasm any longer.  At least that’s what my allergist told me.  So I really only fear this while driving or something like that.

I couldn’t help but go to sleep last night feeling so thankful and thinking about how lucky I was to pass out and type 1 diabetes not be the cause.   I wonder how many people who suffer from these spasms has that thought. lol.

Getting to the Bottom of This

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Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.

–Glenn Turner

 

“This” is whatever issue(s) I have going on which have been causing me to feel a lot less than great the last few months.  In the last few weeks I’ve been dealing with some stronger symptoms like frequent headaches and nausea and water retention.  I visited an allergist and we have ruled out Celiac disease but I’m still going to omit gluten to see if it helps in any way.  (Omitting gluten is a small price to pay if I just so happen to feel better!)  I had lots of other allergy testing done and we found I’m not allergic to any new things so that’s a plus.   Although I am allergic to about 30 different things.  No, my immune system is not confused at all. (Dry humor helps, try it!)

I was reminded that I have an asthma diagnosis from about 15 years ago.  It seems I have mild exercise induced asthma and have forgotten over all these years OR was initially misdiagnosed.  Perhaps when I’ve had my “panic attacks” I’m really just panicking over my breathing?  Could be.  I will get a breathing test soon.  In the meantime I’m just glad those symptoms are mild and I don’t require an inhaler.  Although I do get laryngeal spasms from time to time but although those can cause a person to pass out, the good thing there is that if I do, my throat will relax and air will pass once again.  Phew, what a relief.

Next I go get my hormones and ovaries checked.  Before having my kids, when my PCOS was causing more pain and ovarian cysts were growing all over the place, I remember having nausea and water retention-like I am now.  So hormonal imbalance issues may be the root of this.  It wouldn’t surprise me you know?  Lately, my blood sugars have been higher than they have been in a long time and that definitely affects hormones in the body.  My worry about that is how do I fix the problem?  I don’t feel well on birth control.  What else can I do?  Keep perfect blood sugars?  What else can I do?  Sometimes I dislike being a girl.

I also go to the eye doctor soon.  I’m sure my prescription has changed (everything is a tiny bit blurry) and although that is a bad sign of something diabetes eye related…I’m used to my prescription increasing every single year since age 14, so maybe that’s what the headaches are about.

Some of my symptoms could be tied to anxiety so I’m seeing a psychiatrist soon.  I know I said I would do this over a month ago but I have procrastinated.  But no more, I’ve just made an appointment.

I don’t necessarily want to share all of this with the world (Hello! Look at me! I’m broken!) but here is why I do:  Many of you out there are going through similar scenarios where you have multiple health issues going on and you can’t figure out what’s the cause of what and you feel really overwhelmed and as a result don’t do anything about it.

My advice is to just stop.  Breathe.  Write down your symptoms.  Make doctor appointments.  Visit one doctor at a time.  Get tests done.  Get to the bottom of this.  Ruling out different things will be strangely comforting as you move closer to what is making you feel ill.  Symptoms are our body’s way of saying “help!”   We need to listen and play detective and then tweak our lifestyle until we feel better.   We deserve it.

I should not have waited so long.  I’m already feeling better knowing I’m being proactive.

Any of you out there go through something similar?  Did it help?