I have to make some changes in my lifestyle, particularly a few bad habits that are negatively affecting my . I’m afraid of what will happen if I successfully make the changes, but at this point, I must push past that . Otherwise, dialysis and/or an organ transplant may be in my future. I certainly don’t want things to progress that far. I have to pull myself out of the denial and take this new diagnosis seriously.

When I was ready to go back to after I recovered from Pleurisy in February, I had to go to the doctor to get a release. The doctor decided to run a few tests because he suspected I have diabetes. Unfortunately, his suspicions were confirmed. So I was diagnosed as a new diabetic February 9th.

Initially, I didn’t believe the diagnosis. I didn’t believe I had . My blood sugar was a little high, but I assumed that was because I am a dedicated Coke drinker and had at least a bottle before I went to the doctor that day. However, after a few weeks of nagging from a nurse, I finally kept an appointment with the Tulsa Diabetes Clinic. I had that appointment last Friday.

I spent about a little over an hour with their dietician. The poor woman was a little stumped on making a meal plan for me because I don’t like bread, eggs, cheese, noodles, or rice. She finally figured something out. I don’t have much of a problem with food. My biggest problem from a dietary standpoint is I never drink water. All I drink is pop: Coke, Pepsi, or Cherry Coke. When I went to the doctor in February, I had been drinking 3-4 liters of pop a day. I cut myself down to 2 liters a day after he told me I was diabetic. She weighed me and I had lost three pounds since I seen the doctor. Cutting out the extra 1-2 liters of pop a day caused me to lose a pound a week.

After the dietician, I met with a nurse for about an hour and a half. She told me all about diabetes, as well as what my future will be like if we don’t get a handle on it now. I told her I didn’t really think I had diabetes and she gave me a blood-glucose meter. She told me when to check it and if it was higher than 120 after fasting two different days then I am definitely diabetic. Well I took the second fasting test this morning and it was 141, so apparently I am diabetic.

I’m going to have to lose . There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. My fat has been protecting me from things for a long time, but now it’s starting to kill me. Damn the luck.

On this day..