Many of us have an aversion to going to the doctor. Indeed, some 3 years ago was the first time I could remember going at all, only for the doctor to inform me that I had the thinnest file in the surgery, consisting of just one page with my details on it.
I never used to go because I always thought I should just "get on with it" when I felt ill, and I had never had a major cause to go and see them. I think I also had a fear of being told that I had a serious disease. I was very much of the opinion that if I felt pretty much OK, then I needn't go.
This all changed 3 years ago, although I left it until I was virtually blind! I woke up one Saturday morning and although I could see colours, everything was just a blur, so I couldn't make anything out.
In the preceding few weeks I was conscious that I always felt tired and could not keep my eyes open unless I had a short sleep in the afternoon. I was also incredibly touchy and not nice to be around.
I simply put it down to stress. I was in the middle of protracted negotiations to sell my small business to a multi-national company. The writing was on the wall and I was desperate for the sale to go through. I still worked in the business, and the work was often tiring and very physical. I simply thought the tiredness was a result of age and stress!
Before that morning when my eyesight virtually failed, I had been suffering from an unquenchable thirst for a few weeks, drinking as much as 6 gallons of water a day, and having to visit the bathroom about every hour! Also, my eyesight was very slightly blurred. I thought it was probably just a virus as I felt fine.
However, the visit to my doctor and a couple of simple tests - a urine test and a blood test, showed that I had type 2 diabetes.
This was a complete shock. I always thought a chronic illness would come on suddenly and that whatever it was would make me feel ill - very ill. That is the problem with diabetes, of the 3 million sufferers of the disease in the UK; about 1 million don't know they have it. The symptoms can often be put down as old age, or workplace stress.
If the disease is discovered early, there is a good chance that a change of diet and tablets will be sufficient to control it. Caught later, as in my case, and there's a good chance that insulin injections will be the only way of control, with all the inconvenience that causes.
Left untreated, the health effects are serious and range from foot amputations to blindness and renal failure.
So when you reach a point in life where you recognise that you are "not as young as you were", go and have a medical check up. In fact, try and make it routine to have a yearly examination, no matter how much you dislike going to see your doctor.
I never used to go because I always thought I should just "get on with it" when I felt ill, and I had never had a major cause to go and see them. I think I also had a fear of being told that I had a serious disease. I was very much of the opinion that if I felt pretty much OK, then I needn't go.
This all changed 3 years ago, although I left it until I was virtually blind! I woke up one Saturday morning and although I could see colours, everything was just a blur, so I couldn't make anything out.
In the preceding few weeks I was conscious that I always felt tired and could not keep my eyes open unless I had a short sleep in the afternoon. I was also incredibly touchy and not nice to be around.
I simply put it down to stress. I was in the middle of protracted negotiations to sell my small business to a multi-national company. The writing was on the wall and I was desperate for the sale to go through. I still worked in the business, and the work was often tiring and very physical. I simply thought the tiredness was a result of age and stress!
Before that morning when my eyesight virtually failed, I had been suffering from an unquenchable thirst for a few weeks, drinking as much as 6 gallons of water a day, and having to visit the bathroom about every hour! Also, my eyesight was very slightly blurred. I thought it was probably just a virus as I felt fine.
However, the visit to my doctor and a couple of simple tests - a urine test and a blood test, showed that I had type 2 diabetes.
This was a complete shock. I always thought a chronic illness would come on suddenly and that whatever it was would make me feel ill - very ill. That is the problem with diabetes, of the 3 million sufferers of the disease in the UK; about 1 million don't know they have it. The symptoms can often be put down as old age, or workplace stress.
If the disease is discovered early, there is a good chance that a change of diet and tablets will be sufficient to control it. Caught later, as in my case, and there's a good chance that insulin injections will be the only way of control, with all the inconvenience that causes.
Left untreated, the health effects are serious and range from foot amputations to blindness and renal failure.
So when you reach a point in life where you recognise that you are "not as young as you were", go and have a medical check up. In fact, try and make it routine to have a yearly examination, no matter how much you dislike going to see your doctor.
About the Author:
Toby also has a condition called "sleep apnoea", which involves him having to wear an oxygen mask at night allow him to sleep deeply, bought on by his diabetes. He uses a Ryobi 18v battery to power this machine and would recommend a Ryobi 18v batteryto any patient using one of these machines, the consequences of which help fight the depression diabetes can cause.
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