How My Wife Saved Her Life
By Lowering Her Diabetic A1C Level 8 Points in 8 Months
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This is the story of my wife, Sharon, who was gravely ill with undiagnosed diabetes; and her struggle to bring her diabetes in check and save her life. This book captures the process that my wife used (and still uses today) to lower her A1C level from 13.8 (14.0 the highest range) to 5.8 (normal range). My wife was first diagnosed with Type II diabetes at age 51. Prior to age 50, she appeared healthy. She: began gaining weight from 140 pounds to 245 pounds; could not control her urination; had no energy; had extreme fluctuations in mood swings; had dry and flaky skin; was retaining fluid in her feet (including numbness and tingling sensations); had reduced mental cognizance; and was showing signs of being gravely ill. So, I took my wife to the doctor. The doctor diagnosed her symptoms were a result of a dangerously high A1C Diabetic Level (13.8), Fasting Blood Sugar Level (465), and that she had Type II Diabetes that demanded immediate treatment. Here is a background synopsis leading up to her being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. Previously, Sharon: did not get sick very often; would get a cold or sinusitis once a year; and bronchitis. Before she was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, she developed: overactive bladder which is only a minor inconvenience; and elevated pressure in the eyes. The eye doctor began a glaucoma monitoring and prevention program due to the elevated eye pressure, a symptom of glaucoma and a complication often triggered by diabetes. It was incredibly hot that year, particularly in August when it is supposed to be real hot. My wife, Sharon, could not tolerate the heat outside. Every time she started to go outside during the heat of the day, she got sick. In August we had a lightning strike nearby our house. It blew out the television along with the satellite and did some other minor electrical damage. The repair people had to completely rewire everything. It took about six weeks to get everything working again. It was very expensive and very aggravating not having any television. It was very stressful between the extensive August heat and the lack on television. Nobody was happy being hot and without TV. My wife and I attributed her diabetic symptoms to be caused by stress, not diabetes. At the end of August, I had to go out of town on business. Sharon went with me because I am in a wheelchair and if something were to go wrong, she would be there to assist. During the trip, it became noticeable that she was having medical problems with her overactive bladder condition. She was also incredibly thirsty. Although she saw one of her doctors before we left on the trip, she and the doctor attributed her symptoms to a stressful summer. The trip was a real nightmare. Sharon would constantly be drinking water or going to the bathroom. She drank at least two 32 oz glasses of water in the morning, before or during breakfast. She drank one 32 oz glass of water between breakfast and lunch. She had a large diet soda plus another 32 oz glass of water for lunch. Between lunch and dinner, she polished off another 32 oz glass of water. When we went out to eat, the waiter had to bring us two pitchers of water plus the original glass of water for her to drink. After dinner and before bed, she would only drink half of the 32 oz glass of water so that she could sleep through the night without waking up too many times. That was a lot of water. Looking back, all that water probably saved her life. When we returned, Sharon was feeling very ill. Sharon went in to see her doctor. She had lost 30 pounds while she was gone (three weeks). She and the doctor didn’t know how. Sharon thought it was all the water that she was drinking. Her doctor tested her A1C Diabetic Level and it was 13.8. The doctor told her that she had diabetes. The doctor immediately started her on a medical regimen in hopes to bring her diabetes under control. This included a gluconometer (blood glucose meter), medications, and diabetes education. Sharon cried most of that day about being diabetic. Sharon visited the hospital diabetic education program nurse and the diabetic nutritionist. The hospital nurse took her blood sugar with the new gluconometer. Her blood sugar registered 465. It was still not even noontime. Sharon did not inform me that the nurse recommended that Sharon needed to go to the hospital emergency room. Sharon stated that she felt fine, did not need to be hospitalized, and refused hospitalization. Little did my wife realize how high her blood sugar had gotten and the related health risks. The nurse scheduled Sharon for diabetes education at the hospital. Sharon went home to read about diabetes and how to lower her blood sugar. She looked forward to the diabetes education given through her local hospital. This began her journey towards lowering her systemic blood sugar.
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About the Book
At the age of fifty-one, Sharon Johnson knew something was wrong. She began to gain weight, had a tremendous thirst, and became gravely ill. The doctor checked her blood sugar and found that it was abnormally high: on a scale of 0-14, her A1C level was a 13.8. Her doctor diagnosed her as a Type 2 diabetic, and Sharon realized she had to make some major changes in her life.
With the help of her husband, Sharon began researching diabetes and came up with a six-step approach to managing this potentially deadly disease. These steps include
• setting priorities;
• hydrating your body;
• finding the right medications;
• exercising;
• managing your diet;
• getting adequate sleep.
By following these lifestyle changes over the next eight months, Sharon not only lowered her A1C level from 13.8 to 5.8 and maintained it, but also reduced her daily medications levels by more than 50 percent. In addition, she lost weight, lowered her cholesterol, and had more energy.
Full of helpful information and solid advice, How My Wife Saved Her Life is one woman’s story of how she took charge of her diabetes and saved her life.
How My Wife Saved her Life
by Paige E. Johnson, PhD.
Trafford Publishing
reviewed by Lori Lucero
"Her priority is that diabetes will not defeat her. Will it defeat you?"
This book was authored by the husband of a woman who almost died from type-II diabetes. He describes her struggle and provides advice for other diabetics, as well as a warning for those not yet afflicted with the disease.
Johnson's wife, Sharon, was only fifty-one years old when she was diagnosed with type-II diabetes. Indeed, she became gravely ill, with a near-lethal blood sugar level, before her doctors arrived at that diagnosis. However, Sharon dramatically lowered her blood-sugar level and improved her general health by making certain lifestyle changes. Johnson organizes these lifestyle modifications into a six step approach beneficial to not only diabetics but anyone wanting to improve their general health. In the section on diet management, there is a sample meal plan.
There is a great deal of information out about diabetes. Some of this information presented in this book is available through many sources (i.e., suggestions such as altering one's diet and getting enough exercise). However, the six steps are nicely organized and easy to follow. Furthermore, Johnson has been able to observe first-hand how these various modifications affected and continue to affect his wife. For example, he mentions that if his wife has missed exercising for several days, he notices a decline in her physical health and mental outlook. Also, he provides simple, clear explanations of the medical aspects of the disease, such as explaining what it means to have high blood sugar and what it will do to one's body in the long run. There were a few editing issues, such as a word being left out, minor typos, awkward sentences, and punctuation errors. A reference list would have been a nice addition to this book. Overall, though, it is a helpful guide, especially for newly-diagnosed diabetics.
About the Author
Paige E. Johnson, PhD, has a doctorate and bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in program management. He is a highly recognized researcher, tester, evaluator, and developer with more than forty years of experience.