Last month, a friend of mine had to build a website for a class project, and the site focused on people with diabetes who had multiple health problems. I was really struck by the title and slogan that she came up with for the project; it was "Diabetes Plus: because it's rarely just diabetes."
Those words rang true for me, as I know they do for many people, because I'm a person with type 2 diabetes, and I have several other health problems, too.
On top of diabetes, I live with congestive heart failure and related issues, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, acid reflux, a hiatal hernia and other gastrointestinal issues, migraines, and sinus/allergy problems. There may be something I'm forgetting, but you get the idea.
And there's an equally crazy list of medications that accompanies that list of health problems. They are as follows:
- Aspirin
- Claritin
- Colace
- Coreg
- Cozaar
- Crestor
- Flonase
- Lasix
- Metformin
- Plavix
- Protonix
- Proventil
- Tramadol
In case you lost count, or stopped counting for that matter, that's 13 different medications. Some of them are taken multiple times a day, so you can imagine how much fun I have swallowing all of those pills every day. And that spoonful of sugar idea definitely won't help, so don't mention it.
As I said, I know I'm not the only person here living with diabetes and other health problems, and I would like to hear from the rest of you. What other health problems are you living with, and how many medications are you taking for them?
Thanks in advance for your comments. I can't wait to read them.
My biggest chronic health problem is fibromyalgia, which affects me all the time and makes any pain or fatigue from anything else worse. It also causes something called "fibrofog," which seems like Alzheimer's but isn't.
I also have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, anemia of chronic disease, multiple food and environmental allergies/intolerances, foot, knee and leg conditions that make it difficult to walk, oh, and of course, type 2 diabetes.
I had congestive heart failure when my mitral valve failed, but I was able to have it repaired rather than replaced, so I've only had 2 sieges of atrial fibrillation and hope never to have it again!
I take 23.5 pills a day of 14 different prescriptions and supplements: carvedilol, Crestor, Diovan, Lovaza, metformin for heart and diabetes; sertraline, trazodone, arthritis strength acetaminophen and magnesium maleate for fibro, and a bunch of vitamins and minerals. I have a marvelous little pillbox with 4 timers to keep track of them all. The only one that's hard to remember is metformin, but I really know when I don't take it!
The good thing is that most of these illnesses require the same treatment (except for the difference in medications). The bad thing is that exercise and eating well are the hardest things because of the arthritis and fibromyalgia. I have a massage once a week which helps everything, and I use guided imagery from HealthJourneys which has specific programs for fibro and for diabetes.
Good luck with your multiple health challenges, Mike. Nice to have you aboard!
Thanks for commenting, Kinget. My mother-in-law has fibromyalgia, so I'm pretty familiar with it.
I've been fortunate in that I've had no surgeries to this point, although I have been poked, prodded, and run through machines more times than I can count.
At one point, I was taking the same amount of the same number of medications that you are taking now. Pillboxes really are awesome things. I'd be lost without mine.
I'm definitely with you on the exercise bit. It can be really hard to keep it going on a regular basis. As long as we try, that's what counts.
Best of luck to you with your health challenges as well. Hope to see you around.
I have suffered with skin issues for many years, cannot remember the name of it right now, but only a small percentage of diabetics get it and I was the lucky one. So for me my diabetes is on the outside and the inside and has caused me to be very self conscious my whole life and this year it is getting worse and hard to conceal. Oh and there is no help for it.
I take an ace inhibitor, ambien, prozac, and xanax, as being Type 1 for 43 years has left me with a lot of anxiety.
I am suppose to be on Lipitor to lower either HDL or LDL, which ever one they want a bit lower for being diabetic, but I stopped taking it as I have heard some bad things about Statins.
So no awful complications, but for me diabetes is a very noticable disease when most people say you "don't look diabetic". Hope I am making sense.
Hey Karen! I get that "you don't look sick" stuff all the time, so I understand what you're saying. It's hard for people to believe that someone as young as I am could have all of the health issues that I do, especially when they can't see any real visible impairments. There are times that my response is simply, "Sorry to disappoint you. How am I supposed to look?" And on that note, I think I got the inspiration for a future blog post. Thanks for that, Karen.
And thanks for sharing with the rest of us. :)
Thanks Mike, You are a very brave young man. I am so glad you told your health story to others. I pray it will reach others before they go through what you have had to deal with.
Hi, Mike!
I just joined this forum after 4 years of pretending I didn't have diabetes! I was on Metformin for most of those years, enduring the cramps, diarrhea and nausea that accompanied it. Most of the time I just didn't take it because I had to be within 10 feet of a bathroom all the time. I sat my doctor down and confessed my sins and said something has to change. He put me on Lantus insulin and it's like a miracle. No digestive upsets! No more staying home!
I also have fibromyalgia, arthritis in lower back, both hips and left knee, acid reflux, IBS, high blood pressure, chronic neck pain and headaches from a car accident, as well as the fibromyalgia. I have a 'handicapped' placard for my car and have been sworn at because I don't look 'disabled'. Then I get out of the car and get my walker out! I have too much pain and no energy for most exercise. I'm still trying to adjust the insulin and it feels like a really big dose, but the doc says it will take a big dose to overcome the insulin resistance. Does anyone else take Lantus? How much? I have no reference point. I'm just supposed to go by blood glucose levels.
Meds: Lantus insulin, atacand, imovane, prozac, Tylenol #3, sinequan, losec, Armour thyroid and OTCs for sinus and allergy problems. Thanks for letting me vent!
Mike, I'm new to this site so I hope this gets to you. I know what you mean with taking so many meds. I'm currently up to thirteen and probably counting. Generally things are ok, sort of. I have neuropathy from type 2, but then I have sarcoidosis which could have caused the diabetes to cause the neuropathy...I guess it's a mess and I'm denying it. I had neuropathy for five years before I was diagnosed with diabetes and that was when I switched doctors or I'd probably still not know. I hope and pray you don't have pn, as well as everyone else here because it' nothing less than horrible and very depressing. I hope the best for you...Rob