Aug 18 2008
Tunnel Vision
There’s a saying that when the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail. Likewise, when you have a chronic disease, every problem in your life begins to look like a symptom. Little things that were minor annoyances pre-diagnosis, like fatigue and the occasional spot of fuzzy memory, are now the things that make you sweat at night.
Recently, I started having pains in my low back. They’re pretty consistent and have been going on for a few weeks. I started wondering if I might have kidney disease. According to the National Kidney Foundation, anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of adults with type 2 diabetes will suffer kidney failure. I didn’t know this statistic, I just knew my back hurt and I started to get nervous.
I looked up the symptoms and I have exactly one, frequent urination. This symptom is common to diabetes and kidney disease. A little relief followed, but I know that every time I see one of the other symptoms on the list (which include things as innocuous as itching, pale skin, and puffiness around the eyes) I’m going to be a little more tense.
There’s a balance I have to strike in my head between hypochondriac-esque caution and Devil-may-care confidence that I’m not all that unhealthy. I have to remember that I have a problem, but I can’t freak out about it constantly. After all, stress is bad for blood sugar.
The answer to most of my issues is keep a list of them and discuss them with my doctor. There are tests that can be done to detect kidney disease, heart disease and other things that being diabetic puts me at risk for. Also, I’m already trying to control my diabetes, so anything I do towards that lowers my risk for other problems. Focusing on the things I can control helps me relax and not worry.
But I have to listen to my body. Sometimes I hear something from my body that I didn’t pay attention to before. And when I do, sometimes it comes with jitters.
Kidney failure takes a long time, though, and you’re sugars aren’t that bad. My Bear; he had a scare when he found out that his bloodwork was shoeing signs of kidney damage, and is *finally* taking things more seriously.