Monday, November 23, 2009

A Medical Hurricane

I haven't posted in a while, because I simply needed a break. However, I have a confession to make: I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS. It's painful and uncomfortable and the list goes on. I've been fighting it for a awhile, but really didn't want to tell anyone. My IBS is brought on by stress. A combination of work and family stress, along with an irregular diet and lack of regular exercise, caused the equivalent of an internal hurricane.

And this hurricane put me down for several days last week.

Sadly, I couldn't stop this hurricane; I could only alleviate it. I ate little and drank lots of fluids. Even as I write, the last of the hurricane is rumbling through. In addition, you probably are wondering about my diabetes. How did I manage through this storm?

I was constantly testing my blood sugar and adjusting as necessary. Yes, I had many highs and many lows which just added to the storm. Yet, it could have been much worse. Personally, I'm angry with myself that I didn't deal with these issues sooner. I know better, but failed to take action. I hoped that this storm would just dissipate. Clearly, I was wrong.

I know there will be a next time. I know life is going to keep throwing me curve balls. I'm aware of the signs... BUT, I can't promise that I'll handle it any better. All I can do is try to keep my stress down and learn to let some things go.

5 comments:

Alison said...

Mark, that's so unfair. I've always thought everyone in the world should have to have one chronic disease each before people are allowed to be blessed with two.

Take care of yourself

Alison x

Crystal said...

Dang yo. I am so sorry. Hope things settle soon. Take care. ((hugs))

Unknown said...

Ach - that's a real pain Mark. Much sympathy (I'm almost never sympathetic to anyone!) Hope you start feeling better.

Scott K. Johnson said...

Sorry to hear about this Mark. I hope that you are feeling some relief by now. I agree with Alison - diabetes should be all we ever need to deal with. It is more than enough.

Anonymous said...

Mark, I'm also sorry to hear this. My wife battles daily with this, a verion triggered by pretty much everything she eats and it isn't pleasant. I've read up that extra fiber is supposed to help, and she has noticed some aid by boosting the fiber intake, but don't know how well it works for everyone. Can't imagine going through this, on top of your diabetes... Hope you feel better and are able to survive the storm.