I was thinking with your symptoms some doctor should have tested you for diabetes especially with family history. But leave to a nurse to do the correct thing. We are taught to evaluate everything and ask questions. So glad you are doing better!
Absolutely. That’s part of basic, routine bloodwork for any physical exam. Add in your history and the failure to detect the diabetes is simply incompetence.
None of this is on you. A competent provider would have done a complete history and physical, and lab work. Diabetes is a common disease, and providers should test for it routinely. It’s a simple blood test. Please don’t spend a minute blaming yourself.
Nonsense. with your family history, getting an A1C reading should have been the first thing any health professional who actually listened should have been sure to do. It's not just the thirst that should have clued them in. Having been "prediabetic" for about 25 years now, I can tell you that even 25 years ago, that was one thing they did.
Gestational DM with all 3 pregnancies should have been a red flag as well. I'm afraid it's not just rural health--our whole system is so disjointed. Jess blames herself for not mentioning the thirst, but if we had a better system, that would have triggered concern. I'm very skeptical of AI in general, but when we are starting with such a terrible system, I think it may be extremely helpful in medicine, at least if it can have input from all the various providers you have seen over the year, which is a very big if.
I'm so glad the NP listened to you and got to the right diagnosis, and you can take better care of yourself now, Jess. You are a national treasure.
As a retired nurse, hearing your story, I thought surely someone ordered common blood tests, such as Blood sugar. The good news, if you can afford it, is there are so many ways to control your blood sugar now than ever before. Sadly, our health system is a mess. I have good insurance and live in a medical center rich area. I had to fight for my care. Good luck, keeping asking questions.
Well, Jess, it looks like next time you're not feeling right, maybe put it out here. Seems to be a lot of folks here have the expertise and experience to at least tell you what to ask your doctor's to do for you. Between the insurance companies, inept doctors, and their lawyers, we've got to take our own lives in our hands. So glad you're on the mend...you're indispensable and loved.
This is absolutely not on you. Your history of having Gestational Diabetes means your eventual development of Type 2 Diabetes was extremely high. It is malpractice that no one informed you of that fact, so that you would be aware you would need regular screening for diabetes.
When you are old enough to worry about your memory, they will just chalk it up to depression and put you on antidepressants. You have that to look forward to, glad you're better, God bless you!
I’m so sorry. Unfortunately that’s typical here in my rural underinsured area too. We do have good competent doctors but they are so overwhelmed and overworked. It’s months to get an appointment. And women’s pain and health problems are discounted and under researched in USA.
I’m truly sorry. But also grateful you have a diagnosis now. You are able to manage now that you know.
I’m glad you finally got a proper diagnosis and wish you well on your health journey. It is also such good news to read that Missourians will have a true choice in so many upcoming races. You are making a huge difference for your state and our country.
A sick nation, In many more ways than 1, 2, 3—>100.
Nullifying the great accomplishments America has achieved. Winning WWII, Building an all encompassing Economic engine called the interstate highway system, voting rights act for all, civil rights, first non white president, Medicare, social security, Medicaid & snaps.
Oh, many of us know that all too well. What you see of us in the media and even by current policies is not a good representation of who we are sadly. These are desperate times for the USA.
She went to a Nurse Practitioner. Completely different from a PA. Their training is quite different, most were never nurses before they became PAs and PAs also have to work under the MD license, where us NPs do not. I just want to clarify the difference between NPs and PAs.
I would like to add that some of the most compassionate, thorough, and accurate treatment I’ve received was administered by an NP. I have many friends that have had the same experience.
It’s no accident that the correct diagnosis was made by a woman who is a nurse practitioner. In my unfortunately vast experience with the US healthcare system, I have found them to be the pillars holding our creaky medical care in place.
As always, I applaud your courage and honesty. You always speak the truth, even when it’s difficult. So glad you finally have gotten the care you need and furious it took this long. Keep up the good work. We need your voice. Joanna
I was SO excited to hear that almost every state seat is contested this time. Yes, you did this!! I'm so proud of you and those who work with you to reach this milestone. Your health issues are a perfect metaphor for looking at the "ills" of your state. You are getting better, and Missouri will eventually climb out of this dark time because of the effort you and others have made. So glad you got to an NP who took the time to figure out what was going on!
Jess, you're a real trooper! Working as hard as you do, and looking fabulous (you do!) in the face of all that pain. I'm so glad you have a diagnosis and are starting to feel better.
The parallel you make between undiagnosed and untreated illness, and political negligence toward rural regions, is solid and sobering. Bravo to Missouri for getting so many Dem candidates on the ballot this time around! All local, state, and national Dems need to hear this message and get busy.
Glad you found the help you need to get better. You make the world a better place! Nurses prove SO often to be better diagnosticians than the darn doctors/🌈👍✌️🖖😀❤️!
And thank God for your nurse practitioner who took the time to listen to you and found out what your health issues really were/are. Please take care of yourself and congratulations on your new knowledge. Good luck with the political battles in Missouri.
So glad you figured it out - textbook symptoms that I knew long before you said it. So sorry you had to deal with this so long before getting diagnosed! My daughter was 21 when diagnosed and just had finished college to be a pilot. It took her about six months to get feeling better and figure things out…but she is now flying planes and just made captain! You got this!
It's funny, I've long thought that Coca-cola (or any other soda pop in general) is the number one cause of type 2 diabetes in America. My cousin finally stopped drinking it at 70 and lost 20 lbs without even trying. Then a French doctor I saw today told me about her visit to America, marvelling over the huge quantities of Coke folks drink there with the exclamation, "They must all be diabetic!" So I googled it. It apparently also causes insulin resistance.
If you have one in your area, the best thing you can do is meet with a Diabetes Educator. The certification for this is Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. (CDCES) I am an NP and have spent the last 23 years in this role, coaching and helping people understand their disease and planning how best to manage it and remain healthy. https://www.cbdce.org/locate
As always, you generously share your life and your stories for the benefit of others. And I learn more and more about the challenges facing red states that make me fight even harder for all of us. Keep talking and we’ll keep listening and learning. To your good health!
This may be off topic unless I can make it symbolic in some way, but of course it was a Nurse Practitioner, not a doctor, who went back to basics, did the actual testing instead of having pre-conceived notions about what was wrong with you, and found the root of the problem. I'm a city person but at least twice in my life I discovered that the Nurse Practitioner had a whole lot more sense than the specialist he or she was supposedly working for. In fact, for 47 years, from shortly after my daughter's birth and continuing until the Nurse Practitioner retired recently, I never saw any of the doctors in the gynecologist office. I made all of my appointments with the Nurse Practitioner.
As other commenters have said, it is really criminal that no health professional over many years ever thought to look for diabetes, given your family history if nothing else. And of course it took a woman, highly trained but not the precious MD, to pay attention.
I wonder if rural areas get the 'less-qualified' - less driven, less money-oriented, less skilled - medical professionals because the pay is lower. What an indictment of this society.
My husband developed type 2 diabetes by accident as a result of having surgery for something else. With medication exercise and change of eating habits he came from very high to 5.5.. out of diabetes range altogether. I just say this to encourage you but stop with blaming yourself even partially. The diet I devised for my husband was so successful but sooo strict and lacking in what we both loved to eat. Your genetics played a big part. I never developed diabetes while living the same as my husband. Sending you all golden thoughts and so much thanks for all you do
Thank you, my friend. The diet has been difficult to follow, but I want to live without all of those symptoms so I am managing. I’ve also incorporated daily exercise which has elevated my mood. Weird that people know what they’re talking about with exercise, right? Solidarity!
While I am not dealing with high blood sugar, I do deal with high cholesterol, and yes, diet is tough. I had to give up all that lovely butter, cream, and most cheese. Sigh. And I still needed to take a statin. I felt like a failure until I learned that most people cannot lower their cholesterol by more than 10-15% with diet and exercise alone. So, I combine medication and lifestyle changes of exercise and diet. Be patient with yourself as you adjust.
I can't believe that not one doctor looked at your blood work! That's malpractice. I'm glad you are on the road to recovery.
I was thinking with your symptoms some doctor should have tested you for diabetes especially with family history. But leave to a nurse to do the correct thing. We are taught to evaluate everything and ask questions. So glad you are doing better!
Yes, we are all so grateful Jess is better!!
Yes, we all agree she’s a treasure!
But please don’t miss her point!!!!
She worked herself sick so MO has no uncontested races!!!!!!
She did that.
Now, what are we going to do?
I agree! It is unbelievable that no one did or checked your blood work!!
I was thinking the same.... crazy!
None of my doctors checked my a1c until I was 75.
Absolutely. That’s part of basic, routine bloodwork for any physical exam. Add in your history and the failure to detect the diabetes is simply incompetence.
As soon as you said 'thirsty' I knew what was wrong. No, I'm not a doctor. WHY oh WHY did no doctor know this as a symptom of diabetes?????????
I think that was partly a me problem. I’m not positive I ever mentioned thirst to a doctor. I attributed my symptoms to menopause.
None of this is on you. A competent provider would have done a complete history and physical, and lab work. Diabetes is a common disease, and providers should test for it routinely. It’s a simple blood test. Please don’t spend a minute blaming yourself.
And Jess's family history should have been a major clue!
Exactly!!
Nonsense. with your family history, getting an A1C reading should have been the first thing any health professional who actually listened should have been sure to do. It's not just the thirst that should have clued them in. Having been "prediabetic" for about 25 years now, I can tell you that even 25 years ago, that was one thing they did.
Gestational DM with all 3 pregnancies should have been a red flag as well. I'm afraid it's not just rural health--our whole system is so disjointed. Jess blames herself for not mentioning the thirst, but if we had a better system, that would have triggered concern. I'm very skeptical of AI in general, but when we are starting with such a terrible system, I think it may be extremely helpful in medicine, at least if it can have input from all the various providers you have seen over the year, which is a very big if.
I'm so glad the NP listened to you and got to the right diagnosis, and you can take better care of yourself now, Jess. You are a national treasure.
So agree, Ellen.
As a retired nurse, hearing your story, I thought surely someone ordered common blood tests, such as Blood sugar. The good news, if you can afford it, is there are so many ways to control your blood sugar now than ever before. Sadly, our health system is a mess. I have good insurance and live in a medical center rich area. I had to fight for my care. Good luck, keeping asking questions.
Agreed re questions. I would add: push for solutions, not just treatments. There are options.
Ditto
Well, Jess, it looks like next time you're not feeling right, maybe put it out here. Seems to be a lot of folks here have the expertise and experience to at least tell you what to ask your doctor's to do for you. Between the insurance companies, inept doctors, and their lawyers, we've got to take our own lives in our hands. So glad you're on the mend...you're indispensable and loved.
Great suggestion! We nurses are more likely to give the straight scoop and ask questions.
Start a Substack -- Ask a nurse!
But even without that, blurry vision didn't give them a clue to check your blood?
This is absolutely not on you. Your history of having Gestational Diabetes means your eventual development of Type 2 Diabetes was extremely high. It is malpractice that no one informed you of that fact, so that you would be aware you would need regular screening for diabetes.
The doctors should have asked. It is called diagnosing.
When you are old enough to worry about your memory, they will just chalk it up to depression and put you on antidepressants. You have that to look forward to, glad you're better, God bless you!
Jess, I am so glad you are finally getting care that you’ve needed for so long! You are loved! And we need you healthy!
Another admiring reader to say: I treasure your brilliant letters. Give yourself the loving care you are giving your neighbors!
My thoughts too.
Yes, please take care of yourself first. You are supplying important “oxygen” to all of us but you have to have it first yourself to continue.
That should have been discovered in the first appointment with a health care provider. It’s one of the routine tests for even wellness checkups
I’m so sorry. Unfortunately that’s typical here in my rural underinsured area too. We do have good competent doctors but they are so overwhelmed and overworked. It’s months to get an appointment. And women’s pain and health problems are discounted and under researched in USA.
I’m truly sorry. But also grateful you have a diagnosis now. You are able to manage now that you know.
I’m glad you finally got a proper diagnosis and wish you well on your health journey. It is also such good news to read that Missourians will have a true choice in so many upcoming races. You are making a huge difference for your state and our country.
I thought the same thing!
You really need universal medicine in the USA...you can drop thousands of bombs but cannot look after your people.
Exactly! We are a sick nation
A sick nation, In many more ways than 1, 2, 3—>100.
Nullifying the great accomplishments America has achieved. Winning WWII, Building an all encompassing Economic engine called the interstate highway system, voting rights act for all, civil rights, first non white president, Medicare, social security, Medicaid & snaps.
Oh, many of us know that all too well. What you see of us in the media and even by current policies is not a good representation of who we are sadly. These are desperate times for the USA.
You have it exactly correct. The bombs and other profitable "products" are the reason we keep getting sicker.
That's what I keep thinking.
It’s really criminal that you went so long without a diagnosis that was accurate… So glad you figured it out! And kudos to that PA
She went to a Nurse Practitioner. Completely different from a PA. Their training is quite different, most were never nurses before they became PAs and PAs also have to work under the MD license, where us NPs do not. I just want to clarify the difference between NPs and PAs.
I would like to add that some of the most compassionate, thorough, and accurate treatment I’ve received was administered by an NP. I have many friends that have had the same experience.
It’s no accident that the correct diagnosis was made by a woman who is a nurse practitioner. In my unfortunately vast experience with the US healthcare system, I have found them to be the pillars holding our creaky medical care in place.
As retired RN after 38 yrs, I'll take a NP over most MD's any day.
I used to hope that my internist was busy so I could have my appointments with the NP. Still miss her competence, thoroughness and care.
Strongly agree. That is who I go to now. Plus, my daughter is a NP, so guess I'm kinda partial!
That’s because of the training as a nurse before becoming a nurse practitioner. A PA has no prior medical experience before going to school to be a PA
I just had a wonderful appointment with my NP today. So smart and thoughtful. And she listens!!
Where I live, nurse practitioners are all we have.
As always, I applaud your courage and honesty. You always speak the truth, even when it’s difficult. So glad you finally have gotten the care you need and furious it took this long. Keep up the good work. We need your voice. Joanna
I agree, wholeheartedly!!
I was SO excited to hear that almost every state seat is contested this time. Yes, you did this!! I'm so proud of you and those who work with you to reach this milestone. Your health issues are a perfect metaphor for looking at the "ills" of your state. You are getting better, and Missouri will eventually climb out of this dark time because of the effort you and others have made. So glad you got to an NP who took the time to figure out what was going on!
❤️
Jess, you're a real trooper! Working as hard as you do, and looking fabulous (you do!) in the face of all that pain. I'm so glad you have a diagnosis and are starting to feel better.
The parallel you make between undiagnosed and untreated illness, and political negligence toward rural regions, is solid and sobering. Bravo to Missouri for getting so many Dem candidates on the ballot this time around! All local, state, and national Dems need to hear this message and get busy.
Well put
Glad you found the help you need to get better. You make the world a better place! Nurses prove SO often to be better diagnosticians than the darn doctors/🌈👍✌️🖖😀❤️!
My PCP is a NP. She listens to me. So critical.
My experience in general throughout the years is that nurses have been much more helpful, knowledgeable, and empathetic than my doctors.
And thank God for your nurse practitioner who took the time to listen to you and found out what your health issues really were/are. Please take care of yourself and congratulations on your new knowledge. Good luck with the political battles in Missouri.
So glad you figured it out - textbook symptoms that I knew long before you said it. So sorry you had to deal with this so long before getting diagnosed! My daughter was 21 when diagnosed and just had finished college to be a pilot. It took her about six months to get feeling better and figure things out…but she is now flying planes and just made captain! You got this!
Thank you for the encouragement!
Congratulations to your daughter; my niece is a FO with United. Her Mom (my sister-in-law) is a FedEx Captain flying 777's. Brava!!
Kudos to the Nurse Practitioner! I am a critical care NP myself. I am so glad you got a diagnosis and now can focus on your diabetes! Have you been to Dr Michael Greger's FREE nutrition facts website? This is a great resource for anyone :https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/how-to-treat-the-root-cause-of-diabetes/#:~:text=By%20cutting%20down%20on%20saturated,cause%20of%20type%202%20diabetes.
He also wrote "How Not to Die" which is another highly recommended book!
Thank you for the recommendations. I will add the book to my list! Thank you for being an NP. You all truly make a difference.
you can and will be able to manage your diabetes!
It's funny, I've long thought that Coca-cola (or any other soda pop in general) is the number one cause of type 2 diabetes in America. My cousin finally stopped drinking it at 70 and lost 20 lbs without even trying. Then a French doctor I saw today told me about her visit to America, marvelling over the huge quantities of Coke folks drink there with the exclamation, "They must all be diabetic!" So I googled it. It apparently also causes insulin resistance.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/297600#effects-on-the-body
If you have one in your area, the best thing you can do is meet with a Diabetes Educator. The certification for this is Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. (CDCES) I am an NP and have spent the last 23 years in this role, coaching and helping people understand their disease and planning how best to manage it and remain healthy. https://www.cbdce.org/locate
As always, you generously share your life and your stories for the benefit of others. And I learn more and more about the challenges facing red states that make me fight even harder for all of us. Keep talking and we’ll keep listening and learning. To your good health!
Just got diagnosed with diabetes myself. We can do this.
We can! ❤️
This may be off topic unless I can make it symbolic in some way, but of course it was a Nurse Practitioner, not a doctor, who went back to basics, did the actual testing instead of having pre-conceived notions about what was wrong with you, and found the root of the problem. I'm a city person but at least twice in my life I discovered that the Nurse Practitioner had a whole lot more sense than the specialist he or she was supposedly working for. In fact, for 47 years, from shortly after my daughter's birth and continuing until the Nurse Practitioner retired recently, I never saw any of the doctors in the gynecologist office. I made all of my appointments with the Nurse Practitioner.
As other commenters have said, it is really criminal that no health professional over many years ever thought to look for diabetes, given your family history if nothing else. And of course it took a woman, highly trained but not the precious MD, to pay attention.
I wonder if rural areas get the 'less-qualified' - less driven, less money-oriented, less skilled - medical professionals because the pay is lower. What an indictment of this society.
My husband developed type 2 diabetes by accident as a result of having surgery for something else. With medication exercise and change of eating habits he came from very high to 5.5.. out of diabetes range altogether. I just say this to encourage you but stop with blaming yourself even partially. The diet I devised for my husband was so successful but sooo strict and lacking in what we both loved to eat. Your genetics played a big part. I never developed diabetes while living the same as my husband. Sending you all golden thoughts and so much thanks for all you do
Thank you, my friend. The diet has been difficult to follow, but I want to live without all of those symptoms so I am managing. I’ve also incorporated daily exercise which has elevated my mood. Weird that people know what they’re talking about with exercise, right? Solidarity!
And more play w grand kids!
While I am not dealing with high blood sugar, I do deal with high cholesterol, and yes, diet is tough. I had to give up all that lovely butter, cream, and most cheese. Sigh. And I still needed to take a statin. I felt like a failure until I learned that most people cannot lower their cholesterol by more than 10-15% with diet and exercise alone. So, I combine medication and lifestyle changes of exercise and diet. Be patient with yourself as you adjust.
I hope they did more than diet with an a1c that high. They should have put you on insulin.