Re: Sharon Take me away from my pity party PLEASE!!! LONG

December 6, 2003

Hi Sharon

Everyone deserves a pity party once in a while....we all do it. Dealing with

diabetes is difficult but when you add in other diseases it becomes a royal pain

in the butt. When I saw your email I thought " that sounds familiar " ....

I have been diabetic for pretty close to 25 years (actually one day I will sit

down and figure out the exact date) and am now what the doctors like to call

" end stage complications " . Pretty dumb name for anything as far as I am

concerned.

I have peripheral and autonomic neuropathy which has done a big number on all my

organs, renal insufficiency, multiple connective tissue disease (Lupus and

Dermatomyositis) heart damage, high blood pressure, body wide muscle spasms

which they call muscle seizures and require hospitalization to stop me from

looking like a pretzel, gastroparesis that goes with the autonomic,

hyperparathyroidism (should have surgery which no one wants to do....lol),

retinopathy, DDD (disk disease) and then some . Oh yeah also have Charcot's

which is a pain in the foot literally. The foot has been fractured due to the

neuropathy and the arch bones are now pushing through the bottom of my foot.

Not pleasant to say the least. Oh and my favorite is the constant cellulitis

and perniculitis. 47 days on oral and IV antibiotics in three months. Also

problems with edema too. My immune system is so compromised I jump when someone

else sneezes Yeppers this diabetes is a dandy disease. I don't think very

many realize all the damage it can do.

I am not competing with your symptoms what I guess I am trying to say is don't

give up. Diabetes is an insidious disease but you have to keep fighting it.

Above all else you need physical exercise. If you can't walk (I'm in a chair

most of the time) get yourself some bands/weights and do arm resistance training

or chair exercises. Start slow but keep moving. Pain causes fatigue and

fatigue breeds more fatigue which causes more pain. It is like a vicious circle.

Depression goes hand in hand with pain.

You never mentioned if you are a type one or type two diabetic....which are you?

I am guessing you are type two ....... Is weight an issue? Diet? Control? Is

there anything you can do to help change your circumstances.....there is always

something we can do we just have to figure out what.

I also run a private chronic and terminal illness support group. We are unusual

to say the least. We all believe that in order to survive what life hands out

you have to maintain a strong sense of humor. Laughter is like magic even if

there are tears mixed in. You can get through anything for one day and really

that's all you have to do. One day at a time. Just remember no matter how

terrible things can look, if you look hard enough you can always find something

to bring a smile to your face.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I hesitate to say

anything else until I know which type of diabetic you are I get the

impression yours is a new diagnosis.

Take care

chant

Outgoing Mail Certified Virus Free NAV 2002

And getting diabetes on top of

everything else scares me but I am really thankful

every morning that I am still here to live another

day. My computer is my life and I have to resort to

doing my christmas shopping on it and I who hated

shopping would love to just have one " more " day to go

into a mall and spend the day. Electric scooters won't

help because of the legs filling up with fluid after

sitting for any legnth of time and I sit until I sit

to get uncomfortable then I have to lie down and

elevate my legs. But I try to keep being cheerful and

keep an optomistic outlook on life and being a

grandma to two little guys makes me want to live to

see them grow up. I guess why I am down is because the

holidays are a hard time for alot of people and myself

as well. My father was brutally murdered on New Years

eve a few years back and I miss him so much. They have

captured one of his killers but the other is still

roaming the streets of Detroit. all my family live in

Michigan but I live in Florida and can't travel to see

them. I am thankful that my two sons will both be home

for christmas this year. The first time in 10 years.

The bad part is my oldest son who has been on an

education leave for a year must return to active duty

and I am so afraid he will be sent over to Iraq. He

has already served two tours over there and seen more

than a young man should have to but he choose this

lifestyle. Lets all pray for peace and an end to the

turmoil in Irauq and bring our men and women home to

their loved ones.

Thanks for listening

God Bless You all

Sierra (the other Sharon)

December 7, 2003

I know all babout pity parties I am going throught that stage now.

And I hate myself for it. I just now developed neeuropathy of the

feet , my hubby and I go dancing every Saturday night, but now all I

can do is watch the others. Its not fair what this diabetes can do.

Plus I am so moody anymore I cant stand myself. No one knows how to

talk to me because they are afraid I will bite their headsoff. I

don't want to be this way and all I can do is cry myself to sleep

over it.

Have to run take

care

kathy

> Hi Sharon

> Everyone deserves a pity party once in a while....we all do it.

Dealing with diabetes is difficult but when you add in other

diseases it becomes a royal pain in the butt. When I saw your email

I thought " that sounds familiar " ....

>

> I have been diabetic for pretty close to 25 years (actually one

day I will sit down and figure out the exact date) and am now what

the doctors like to call " end stage complications " . Pretty dumb

name for anything as far as I am concerned.

>

> I have peripheral and autonomic neuropathy which has done a big

number on all my organs, renal insufficiency, multiple connective

tissue disease (Lupus and Dermatomyositis) heart damage, high blood

pressure, body wide muscle spasms which they call muscle seizures

and require hospitalization to stop me from looking like a pretzel,

gastroparesis that goes with the autonomic, hyperparathyroidism

(should have surgery which no one wants to do....lol), retinopathy,

DDD (disk disease) and then some . Oh yeah also have Charcot's

which is a pain in the foot literally. The foot has been fractured

due to the neuropathy and the arch bones are now pushing through the

bottom of my foot. Not pleasant to say the least. Oh and my

favorite is the constant cellulitis and perniculitis. 47 days on

oral and IV antibiotics in three months. Also problems with edema

too. My immune system is so compromised I jump when someone else

sneezes Yeppers this diabetes is a dandy disease. I don't think

very many realize all the damage it can do.

>

> I am not competing with your symptoms what I guess I am trying to

say is don't give up. Diabetes is an insidious disease but you have

to keep fighting it. Above all else you need physical exercise. If

you can't walk (I'm in a chair most of the time) get yourself some

bands/weights and do arm resistance training or chair exercises.

Start slow but keep moving. Pain causes fatigue and fatigue breeds

more fatigue which causes more pain. It is like a vicious circle.

Depression goes hand in hand with pain.

>

> You never mentioned if you are a type one or type two

diabetic....which are you? I am guessing you are type two .......

Is weight an issue? Diet? Control? Is there anything you can do

to help change your circumstances.....there is always something we

can do we just have to figure out what.

>

> I also run a private chronic and terminal illness support group.

We are unusual to say the least. We all believe that in order to

survive what life hands out you have to maintain a strong sense of

humor. Laughter is like magic even if there are tears mixed in.

You can get through anything for one day and really that's all you

have to do. One day at a time. Just remember no matter how

terrible things can look, if you look hard enough you can always

find something to bring a smile to your face.

>

> Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I

hesitate to say anything else until I know which type of diabetic

you are I get the impression yours is a new diagnosis.

>

> Take care

> chant

> Outgoing Mail Certified Virus Free NAV 2002

>

> And getting diabetes on top of

> everything else scares me but I am really thankful

> every morning that I am still here to live another

> day. My computer is my life and I have to resort to

> doing my christmas shopping on it and I who hated

> shopping would love to just have one " more " day to go

> into a mall and spend the day. Electric scooters won't

> help because of the legs filling up with fluid after

> sitting for any legnth of time and I sit until I sit

> to get uncomfortable then I have to lie down and

> elevate my legs. But I try to keep being cheerful and

> keep an optomistic outlook on life and being a

> grandma to two little guys makes me want to live to

> see them grow up. I guess why I am down is because the

> holidays are a hard time for alot of people and myself

> as well. My father was brutally murdered on New Years

> eve a few years back and I miss him so much. They have

> captured one of his killers but the other is still

> roaming the streets of Detroit. all my family live in

> Michigan but I live in Florida and can't travel to see

> them. I am thankful that my two sons will both be home

> for christmas this year. The first time in 10 years.

> The bad part is my oldest son who has been on an

> education leave for a year must return to active duty

> and I am so afraid he will be sent over to Iraq. He

> has already served two tours over there and seen more

> than a young man should have to but he choose this

> lifestyle. Lets all pray for peace and an end to the

> turmoil in Irauq and bring our men and women home to

> their loved ones.

> Thanks for listening

> God Bless You all

> Sierra (the other Sharon)

>

December 7, 2003