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March 7, 2010 If you received the March Newsletter, you probably saw the headline article about eye health written by Laura Ely. She pointed out some things that I was not aware of…such as vision changes during pregnancy and increased eye dryness during/after menopause. Granted, this is not earth-shattering news. But, I am certainly glad to be aware of these potential issues now. For those of you who haven’t been pregnant yet, you now have a license to ‘not freak out’ if/when you notice some slight vision changes during your pregnancy. Certainly, you should mention it to your physician, but at least you don’t have to spend your time in between doctor visits worrying about something that will return to normal after the pregnancy is over.This is a little off subject, but I remember being very concerned about ANYTHING that might cause harm to the baby growing inside me when I was pregnant. Early on, I was also freaked out by almost every high blood sugar. It’s amazing how having a child changes your mindset! I was so much nicer to my body when there was a little one growing inside of it. I ate all kinds of fruit for snacks..and that’s a biggie for me because I am not a big fan of fruit at all! My blood sugars were also the best they had ever been IN MY LIFE! My A1C stayed under 6% throughout the nine months of my pregnancy…and I went through more test strips than I have ever gone through in a nine month period. But, the hard work paid off…my daughter was born at a healthy 7lb. 13 oz. on April 12, 2005! Her blood sugar was a little low at first, which is common among babies born to mothers with diabetes. So, after a brief period of monitoring to ensure her blood sugar was rising to normal levels, she was brought to my room. She also had a little bit of jaundice after we brought her home, so she had to have one of the medical blankets for a couple of days. However, since then, she has been a wonderfully healthy, energetic child! Now, let’s get back to the subject of eye health. Ironically, I went in for my annual eye exam this past week. Now, I must tell you that I view my eye exams as a sort of badge of honor. I recall being told when I was first diagnosed that I would see damage to my eyes by my fifteenth year with diabetes. That always stuck with me and I fearfully anticipated my eye exam on my fifteenth year (2005—the same year my daughter was born). Well, the fifteenth year of diabetes came and went…..and surprise, surprise…nothing happened, nothing changed. Nowadays, it is such a badge of honor to go in to the ophthalmologist every year and hear the pleasant surprise in their voice when they say, “Wow! You’re doing great. I see no signs of diabetes in your eyes.” (I live on those words for at least the next week!) This year, my usual ophthalmologist (who specializes in diabetes eye health) had left the practice, so I was scheduled with a new doctor. After having my eyes dilated, the new physician came in and looked briefly at my chart, obviously recognizing that I had diabetes, she asked what my last A1C was. Then, she looked thoroughly at my eyes, shining the bright light in and telling me to look in all directions. At the end, she said the usual, “Your eyes look great. I see no signs of diabetes or its complications.” Then, she sat back and looked at me again and asked, “How long have you had diabetes?” “I just passed the 20 year mark,” I replied (with my heart doing a little dance of joy and celebration on the inside). “You must have done a great job with your blood sugar control all those years because we usually see some sign of diabetes in your eyes by now,” she went on. “Well, I can’t say they have been perfect throughout my twenty years with diabetes, but I have tried pretty hard on a consistent basis. My college years were probably the most difficult in terms of control. After struggling with control for a couple of years, I ended up going on a pump my senior year of college and I have been on it ever since!” I replied. Although I view my diabetes as a gift given to me by God, I must say that I get a little boost of hope (and even a little pride) when I can say, “Diabetes has had no effect on my eyes, despite everyone consistently telling me it would! I have control over my diabetes! It DOESN’T have control over me!”
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I was terrified, and spent the next 25 years
The only thing