Diagnosis

Well where can I start?................Friends those of you who know me, have known me as the funny fat kid, for many many years, well...this fat kid has been diagnosed with the Di-ya-Be-tus, now I know these are news, that are not to be taken lightly, but before we get into all that, I guess I should start by letting you know how I found out......thus The Matheus Journey (<-------ha! see what I did there?)

So a few months ago, I was lucky enough to get a government job, that's right folks, I am now a public servant, but don't go crazy and say things like "my taxes pay your salary" that's just not true, I am a tax-paying resident of this state so guess what I'll say to that?......I PAY MY OWN SALARY! If that is the case, I will have to give myself a raise pretty soon-I digress. (those of you tuning in, I have a bit of the ADD so just bare with me). Given my employer, I was able to sign up for pretty good health insurance, so what was the first thing I thought I should do? Well I just turned 30, and I figured that I should go see a doctor and make sure that I was in good shape. I also decided that I should see a new doctor, because the family practice my wife and I had been attending for the past few years, was well........MEAN!  A co-worker of mine recommended I go see the practice she attends, she spoke highly of them, and so I made an appointment. My doctor was very nice, patient, and had a great bed side manner. I guess this is the part where I should mention that I am a HUGE hypochondriac, so I appreciate a doctor who does not just dismiss everything I think I have (which is  A LOT!)

She asked about my family history, and I let her know about my father's side, and my mom. I got blood pressure taken and all the good stuff, and she side stepped over the "weight issue" which was outstanding in my opinion. I then proceeded to have blood drawn, 7 little glass things were filled with my blood, the dramatic side of me thought I would black out, but it also looked like I was being drained for "V". (Trueblood reference), I left the office and she said "you will get your results in 5 days, unless we see something that requires immediate attention." My mind was racing of course, "well I'll get a call in a day I'm sure of it," I thought.  And I did, I got a call 3 days after my visit, and she wanted to see me as soon as possible.

So here we are, I am back at the doctors, nervous as hell, wishing my wonderful wife could be by my side, but she could not slip out of work. I wait for what seems 100 years, but it was 20 minutes, and she comes in, happy, but I can hear the concern in her voice. "How are you?" she says. "Freaked out to be honest," I reply. "Well you should be a little, I am sorry to tell you that you have type 2 Diabetes"

At that moment, I thought I was going to die, yes......die. Again, you know because of the hypochondriac side of me. Also all the "oh yeah she died because of the diabetes," or, "complications, well mostly because of the diabetes" stuff like that was going through my mind a mile a minute, I could barely hear what the doctor was telling me. It is scary stuff folks, to be told that you have a disease that you have only heard horrifying stories about, including close family members who lost their battle with diabetes. But guess what? My uncle Douglas, never took care of himself, he was a smoker, with a sweet tooth. I loved him dearly and I always thought that diabetes killed him, but no, his lifestyle did. Yes diabetes didn't exactly HELP, but ultimately this was up to him, and now it is up to me.

I am educating myself on how to live my life, and my amazing wife is by my side, preparing, weighing and labeling meals, I love her so much. She is my rock, and my purpose for living. We had a moment of weakness where we both cried, and held each other, but then we said, "WE ARE THE MATHEUS DAMN IT! " -sorry mom for the cursing- and we will face this together, and for that, I am devoted to making this my push to eat healthy, which I should have been doing all along, instead of eating like a garbage can, and become more active.

Luckily my workplace is very diverse, means spending the day with extremely supportive, strong sassy ladies, with diabetes who express their concern, but also offer their advise, which has made this week bearable. I had to start medication to bring my sugar levels to normal and the first few days I did not feel like myself, but my desk mate said, that it will get better, and I believe her, it will........it has to.

With this, I begin my journey for the next three months to make sure I loose weight, and eat healthy so I can get off medication as per my Doctor, I thought that blogging about it would be therapeutic, which it is, but also, I hope maybe I can share my story and maybe help someone. I have always used humor to as my shield, and believe me this time will be no different, but I will make sure to stay honest, I will share my fears, my triumphs and my letdowns. Hope you will tune in, please feel free to comment, ask questions, and so on. More to come!