www.incontinentsupport.org

as many will know on here i suffer with diverticulosis which over time gets infected resulting in hospital stays.

my last stint was back in February but then yesterday awoke feeling very ill resulting in diarrhoea and also loads of vomiting.

the worry when the ambulance came was that after checking my sugar levels they were abnormal and then asked about diabetes which i wasn't aware i suffered from.

this has now been passed over to my doctors so will see what comes of it, it could be with been ill that this resulted in the high reading but have been told it could be other factors as well.

strange years ago i had a similar problem and that time the reading was up to 19 this time it was around 11 fasting for obvious reasons i had nothing to eat due to vomiting.

up to yesterday thought i was doing okay but this just shows how quickly things develop. the other concern as some will know is that i have a abdomen mass which is going to be scanned next week and they were also thinking that it could be related to this.

well today still feeling a bit rough around the gills but at least i am able to sit up and walk around unlike yesterday. well sort of okay

just wondering if any others out there are like me where they are okay then the next minute taken ill like this?

for now t.c, off for a lay down soon.

Here are a hope and a prayer that your diabetic scare will be just that: a scare and not permanent. However, that abdominal mass still bears watching. Keep us informed.

I was diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy by the Mayo Clinic in 2017. Before that I served in the U.S. Marines from 2003-2009. I did well and was very healthy. I used to run triathlons and marathons. Now I have a whole team of doctors watching over me. It’s a complicated nerve condition that effects the involuntary functions of the body. The effects are vast and cause me major problems. I have difficulty with digestion such as nausea, vomiting, early fullness and sometimes I choke on my medication because I have difficulty swallowing. I suffer from chronic GI distress and complete neurogenic incontinence. I have difficulty sweating and almost passed away a few years ago because I got dehydrated and overheated and one of my medications became toxic in my body. I got lucky on that one. The ER told me when I came in that I may not walk out. That was scary. I also have breathing issues. I have asthma and have had pneumonia several times over the last few years despite having the pneumonia vaccine. But I have trouble taking my inhaler because I also have cardiac issues and albuterol increases heart rate and blood pressure. I have a rare heart rhythm disorder called sick sinus syndrome where my heart alternates between too fast and too slow. I’ve had heart rates over 200 beats per minute and also less than 35bpm. I have a loop recorder in my chest which is a permanent EKG. It sends messages to my cardiologist whenever my heart rhythm becomes abnormal. This happens a lot. Eventually, with natural disease progression, my heart will beat slower and slower. I’ll have to have a pacemaker to keep it going. I also have issues with high blood pressure despite a healthy lifestyle. It’s part of the disease. I had thyroid surgery last summer and the hospital told me they were prepared to treat my condition during my stay. It was a naval hospital. After surgery they tried to wake me but couldn’t. They had to try all kinds of things to get me awake. They gave me epinephrine and narcan. This raised my blood pressure to dangerous levels and I almost had a stroke in the recovery room. The doctors were panicking. Turns out, my wife, who is a nurse, asked them if they see people with my condition. The answer was never. That hospital will probably never accept a surgical patient with my condition again. It’s a rough disease. Came on quick. I know exactly where you’re coming from. Life can change in an instant.

Don, your list of medical issues is mind-boggling. I hope you live near a teaching hospital whose staff are skilled in the medical management of such complicated challenges as you must live with every day. I value your contributions here, and your courage.

Thank you Patrick. We all have our challenges. I do live by several hospitals. I think I have different doctors at each of them specializing in different fields. I went to Mayo Clinic 2 summers ago. Mayo is one of the premier research hospitals in the world. I was there for about 3 months. Not inpatient. I commuted back and forth several times a week. It was worth it. My neuropathy is actually considered mild. Severe cases of autonomic neuropathy are quite terrible if you know what I mean. I hope it doesn’t progress further. I have enough stuff to deal with. My neurologist said she didn’t think it would. Then I started having cardiac issues. So...there’s that. I was told for my particular version, there is no treatment and no known cure. All they can do is treat the conditions (the ones that can be treated).

nice to see others come on with not just talking about diapers but their symptoms as this is as important as just wearing diapers.

well the obvious happened vomited so hard that i fractured my left rib so just in a bit of pain luckily i have tramadol to ease things.

i have also just received the surgeon letter and once the scan is done if the findings show whatever then it is off for surgery.

something puzzles me can anyone tell me what functional element is? as there was mention of this and also then mention of surgical intervention wonder if she was talking about the bowel not working as it should besides diverticolosis.

Functional element may indeed have to do with how well certain parts of your bowel works. I have gastroparesis. Patrick mentioned he does too. I take it you see a gastroenterologist? There are numerous tests they can use to diagnose bowel dysfunction. I have been through many of them due to the complexity of my illness. If you have questions, ask. I will do my best. Some are worse than others but none of mine were painful. Mostly just slightly embarrassing. Others were super easy. Just leave it all at the door. They do this a lot!

Burned deeply into my memory is watching an x-ray video of my bladder going into a violent cramp while the urologist, a nurse, and two technicians were watching. I was in terrible pain, but that image sealed my fate. I actually saw what my doctors had dismissed for years prior. Yes, it can happen fast, too fast for some doctors to see. But it still hurts.

bloods showed that i have diabetes on the day of testing it was sitting around 10 and another test was done to show how long and at what levels and it was some where just below 10 so am starting meds in due course.

well i have also just had my ct colonoscopy virtual and off course things didn't go exactly to plan, they couldn't get a line in so had to do the test without the contrast which basically means that the images aren't as good so if the surgeon isn't happy then i will have to endure another, am sat here waiting for a letter to see what is going on.

strange though as although they couldn't get a line in the person doing the scan was able to inject me with the bowel relaxant so the veins must of been there, perhaps the staff were having one of those days.

some times you just wanna scream