[Diabetes Part 2] Immediate Hospitalization with HbA1c 15.3% | The Day I Was Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 29
Last time, I wrote about the initial symptoms I had before being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
This time, I would like to write about the story from when I actually visited the hospital until I was immediately hospitalized.
Honestly, I still remember that day clearly.
Going to the hospital with a referral letter from my health checkup
It all started with my company's health checkup.
Inside the results notification, there was a referral letter to a hospital.
I understood that I had been flagged for something related to my blood sugar levels, but at the time, I didn't think it was that serious yet.
"Is my blood sugar just a little high?"
That was the extent of it.
"It's a hassle to have to take time off work for a health checkup," I thought as I took the day off.
I took the referral letter and visited the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism.
The atmosphere changed after the blood drawI had my blood and urine drawn before the consultation and waited for a while.
Then, the atmosphere when I was called into the examination room felt a bit different.
What the doctor said to me was,
"Your numbers are quite bad."
My HbA1c was 15.3%, and my blood sugar level was over 300.
I know now that those are quite dangerous numbers, but at the time, I still didn't have a real sense of it.
"Please be hospitalized as you are today."
Honestly, my mind couldn't keep up.Because I hadn't anticipated being hospitalized at all.
"Huh? No way... today???"
That was my reaction.
I had intended to come to the hospital normally and go home normally.
I had work, I had plans for the weekend, and I hadn't brought a change of clothes.
But the doctor clearly explained to me,
"You can go home to get a change of clothes, but please be back by 4:00 PM."
"You will be hospitalized starting today, and you will have an insulin injection before dinner."
I never imagined I would get type 1 diabetes
At that point, I didn't even really understand the types of diabetes.
After further testing, I found out it was type 1 diabetes.
When I hear the word diabetes, I had an image of things like
dietary habits
lack of exercise
lifestyle habits
so I really didn't think I would ever get it.
From here on, I write in a bit more detail about
the actual test results
what the doctor told me
my real feelings when hospitalization was decided
how I contacted my company
what it was like to be told I would need insulin for the rest of my life
and so on.
I hope this will be helpful for those who were diagnosed suddenly like me, or for those who are about to undergo testing.
What I first thought when hospitalization was decided
Honestly, the very first thing I thought was,
"What should I do about work?"
Even though I was told it was a life-threatening condition, I still didn't have a real sense of it at the time.
Rather, I was worried about
my plans for the day
Handover
Work for tomorrow
was what was on my mind instead.
But the doctor was quite serious, and
looking back now, I think I was really on the edge.
I was told, "You will need insulin for the rest of your life."
As the examination and explanation progressed, I was told,
"You will need insulin treatment from now on."
At that time, I only had the image that
insulin injections meant the final stage of diabetes,
so I was quite shocked. Moreover, the words "for the rest of your life" felt heavy.
The next thing I thought was
"How much will hospitalization cost?"
It was my first time being hospitalized since moving out of my parents' home.
Can I take time off work? Did I have any paid leave left?
How much are the hospital fees? Can I pay by credit card?
Will I need to go to the hospital for a long time? Do I have to take time off on weekdays?
There were so many things I didn't know that my head felt like it was going to explode.
For now, I contacted my parents about being hospitalized, and then I contacted my company.
Since it was during the COVID-19 pandemic and visitors were not allowed, I was lonely throughout my hospital stay.
I have many regrets about how I communicated with my company.
First, I contacted my boss.
"I came in for a re-examination because my blood sugar was high during my health checkup, and I was hospitalized starting today."
I think it was a message that didn't make sense even to me.
Thinking about it now, I regret telling my boss about my medical condition so easily.
When you say your blood sugar is high, don't many people think of diabetes?
[Diabetes]
What kind of image do you have when you hear that word?
When I told the people around me that I had diabetes, the reactions I got... I don't have any good memories of that.
I remember my doctor also saying on the first day of my hospitalization,
"Diabetes can sometimes lead to hurtful prejudice, so be careful when you tell people."
At that time, I regretted telling my boss at work.
I would like to talk about this content again later.
I'm glad I had that health checkup back then.
At the time, I just thought,
"I'm just a little tired."
But looking back at the numbers now, I think I was in a very dangerous state.
It's a little scary to think about what would have happened if I hadn't had the health checkup.
Next time, I plan to write about what my life was actually like during my two-week educational hospitalization for Type 1 diabetes.