Do We Understand What It Means Living With Diabetes?
As Paul’s father, it broke my heart when my wife first called me from the hospital to inform me that Paul, who was seven years old at that time, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. When we moved to the United States, Paul was four years old, a healthy boy and very active, but too young to understand what that meant to immigrate to a country of his father’s dream.
From the first days in the hospital he was objecting to the way doctors went about their mission without any human feeling about the radical changes in his life, the team of doctors had prescribed for him. What child at Paul’s age would have understood that he had to take daily insulin shots? Paul was never convinced that the treatment was right. He felt that he was kidnapped and his rights were violated. Nevertheless he succeeded in coping with the new situation without losing his hope that sooner or later the truth would emerge.
Since then he kept a close eye on each fluctuation of his blood glucose. He seemed to manage his insulin dose without having any medical guidance. Paul was convinced that the insulin he was injecting in his body was a kind of foreign substance from pigs and cows. From day one Paul felt that something was wrong, because it went against his feeling of wellbeing.
But the burden of proof was too heavy for a child of that age. With perseverance it took him 21 years to prove it. The experts never talked to Paul as if he were a human being. He was watching doctors come to any conclusion without having to share anything with him. Despite the subsequent doctor visits, the original misdiagnosis stuck with my son. My wife and I suffered as much as he did, when he felt lousy. Every night there was a worry, because of the possibility of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia occurring. Paul’s determination kept him aware of the state of his health and this disease preoccupied him and took center stage, overshadowing any other interest. For those who want to know more, please visit
http://www.diabetescasestudy.com. And
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/mytitles.asp?AuthorID=64494
Cryssa
Blessings and Love...to you and Paul, Emile ~~ Micke
I once thought doctors were Gods, but I learned differently recently when I consulted three different ones about the countereffects of medication I was on for asthma. They totally ignored my purpose for being in their office and when I left, I asked myself, "What did I get out of this visit?" I got absolutely nothing, but they got big bucks for me being there.
I was told by one doctor that doctor's based their diagnoses on test results. Well, that's all well and good, but there aren't any tests for some things, and if they don't know what to test for then it simply boils down to they don't know what they're doing so they camouflage their ignornance by asking a lot of questions about your health history that often has nothing at all to do with why you're in their office.
Yes, I'm angry and bitter because I had numerous health problems as a result of that medication and could have died from it if I had not used my own intelligence to slowly wean myself from it.
If people don't take charge of their own health, then they are in for some sad results if they put their entire trust in doctors to heal them. We do need them, but more importantly, we need to be our own health caretaker before we see a doctor.
Georg