Jimmy Ong from Singapore relates his personal experiences of being a patient with Type 1 Diabetes and suffering frequent bouts of hypoglycaemia to learn diabetes management the hard way
Early Diagnosis
I was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic in June 1979 at the age of 28 when I also happened to be overweight. At the time of diagnosis, I had very high glucose in my blood, a count of about 23.
Symptoms
I was urinating abnormally and drinking liquid excessively. I used to wake up a number of times at night to pee. At the end of it, I would feel very tired and weak and my eye sight would also be blurring.
The Hospital Experience
I was hospitalised at Alexandra Hospital for about two weeks to bring down the blood sugar level to normal. After being discharged, I was on Insulin once a day in the morning only which was about 52 units IZS. This transformed me totally and after two weeks my eye sight became normal and I noticed an immediate change due to Insulin jabs. I joined Diabetes Society of Singapore (DSS) in 1979 after being discharged from hospital and was on blood glucose monitoring programme. I even attended the self blood glucose monitoring programme conducted by Peggy Huang.
Hypoglycaemic Attacks
I experienced a lot of problems initially and encountered many Hypoglycaemic attacks. Blood sugar used to be at a low below 4 before lunch and dinner. At the beginning, I also experienced the usual signs of feeling hungry as well as a slight blurring of the vision.
My Hypoglycaemic attacks usually would happen before meals, i.e., before breakfast, lunch and dinner. I used to be completely unaware of an attack till it was upon me and the sugar level would fall so low that I would be at a loss to control myself.
This would usually happen in the wee hours of the morning while I was still asleep. My children would come to my rescue because I would kick up a fuss. They would immediately understand that it's a Hypoglycaemic attack and would come over to my room to help.
Hypoglycaemic attacks can also take place at night and even in the early morning before breakfast. This posed as a serious problem for me which I could only overcome gradually as I managed to make changes in my eating patterns.
Lesson Learnt
There have been so many occasions of my Hypoglycaemic attacks that I have lost count. But it happened once at my workplace when l lost control and started becoming a little abusive and violent. But I somehow recovered after a few minutes and asked for a packet of orange juice from my drawer. Even in that situation, I realised that it was a Hypoglycaemic attack.
Present Frequency Of Attacks
I do get Hypoglycaemiac attacks even today, though I recognise the symptoms much faster now. If it happens in the day time while I am awake, I am still able to understand when the sugar levels fall and can take action myself. But, Hypoglycaemic attacks have so far not interfered with my work life.
Another story of someone coping with Hypoglycaemia: Diabetes has kept me healthy
Medications
I am on two types of Insulin, the fast acting Actrapid and Intermediate acting Insulatard. Both are working very well with me and I have also learnt how to adjust it according to my needs.
Side Effects
I have issues like hair loss and weakening of bones. Insulin may not be the only cause of my side effects. I also suffer from high blood pressure and high cholesterol and it may be due to these two other problems. My other problem is that I had a skin problem and it was diagnosed as Lichen Amyloidosis. I am on steroids for my skin disorder. I am not sure whether the side effects I suffer are related to the drugs I am taking.
Typical Diet
I eat anything and everything, almost like a normal person. When I am in a restaurant or at a Hawker Centre or even at home, I don't have a special meal plan tailored for Diabetics. I eat what other normal people eat, except that I avoid the sweet drinks.
Find out here: What can you eat in Singapore
Having said that, I must admit that I eat moderately though with no major restrictions. I don't have a regular exercise regime but somehow manage to maintain myself satisfactorily. I have been hospitalised twice due to Hypoglycemia but that was due to my own carelessness. There was once a long gap between two meals, which resulted in the fall in sugar levels. That was extreme carelessness on my part.
Insecurities
I have felt unsure at times about how to deal with diabetes and felt very strange to be having this disorder at a young age. I was married and my second child was on the way when I was diagnosed with the killer disease. Naturally, I was very disturbed and could only handle the pressure because of my family support.
With my medicinal requirements changing over the years, I am now on Insulin jabs twice a day. I have to maintain my HbA1c always below 7% in the range of 6 to 6.9 at the most. Rarely do I let it go above 7%.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I wouldn't say I am in very good control myself. I am overweight. I weigh 70 Kgs, my height is about 1.62 metres and my latest BMI is 26.7 kg/m2. I am not very disciplined in my habits now as I was when I was first diagnosed in 1979.
I am now 65 years old and I have made a lot of lifestyle changes to accommodate what I suffer from. I also realise the need to be in full control of one’s health. One of the most important things is that so far, I am able to maintain a very good HbA1c between 6 to 6.9%. I very rarely hit 7% and if I ever happen to cross the limit, I take immediate steps to bring it down.
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