Just What The Bloody Hell Is Going On, Eh?

My heath crisis continues to be a bit of a mystery. Granted, from the point that my sugars skyrocketed, some were more than willing to ascribe it all to my weight - big is bad, don't you know? Now I'm the first one to realize that I need to exercise, but not to get smaller. I'm perfectly comfortable with my size. I do need to move this body in order to maintain an appropriate level of endurance, range of motion, and strength. Besides, there's something really embarrassing about being a couch potato without television.

However, further visits with additional doctors and medical testing is beginning to support what I suspected all along - that I'm having some kind of autoimmune episode. I will lay out my medical case for you here and you can tell me what you think.

My first symptoms (aside from being fat) occurred about three months ago. I began to have unusual pain in my finger joints and occasionally my thumb joints as well. I was also having foot pain, but at the time ascribed it to really beat up tennis shoes and poor arch support. The pain was arthritic in nature, though not reproducible (meaning that if I pressed and manipulated the knuckle joints I couldn't make the pain worse). I had no redness or warmth present either.

Of course then I had the episode where my blood glucose (sugar) skyrocketed to 526 and all the talk of diabetes began. From the beginning my presentation was unusual but not unheard of and the doctor (endocrinologist) diagnosed me as typical Type II (probably because I'm fat).

The pain in my hands and feet began to worsen and take on many of the characteristics of carpal tunnel syndrome (in my hands). Before I went back to my primary care doctor, I checked with the endocrinologist to see if there was a correlation between my blood sugar fluctuations and my symptoms. He said there was no connection, so I went back to my regular doc. He referred me to the Rehab doc with signs of probable carpal tunnel vs. diabetic neuropathy.

The Rehab doc initially concurred and told me he expected it to clear up within a month - just as the changes in vision cleared up in a few weeks. I was instructed to see him again in 4 weeks time and schedule 15 min if things were improving or an hour if they weren't. I scheduled an hour. My hands, by now, were mostly numb most of the time. My inability to fully extend my fingers was getting worse.

On Monday I had my first follow up appointment with the endocrinologist and he confided that he was completely surprised by how well my body was responding to treatment. He put me on a new injectable medication and told me to come back in 3 months.

On Tuesday I had my follow up with the Rehab doctor. He performed a nerve conduction study which conclusively showed that my problem was NOT diabetic neuropathy. This lead him to diagnose carpal tunnel without a clear understanding of the trigger. A complete history lead him to suspect that something autoimmune is occurring.

At 24, I was diagnosed with "asthma" though I never developed any allergy triggers. This has since resolved to the point that I no longer take any medications for the condition, though my lungs remain a bit hyper reactive.

By around 30, I developed a metal allergy that has since prevented me from wearing any jewelry - even 24k gold. This is the same allergy that prevents me from using any deodorant products (probably the aluminum salts).

About 6-7 years ago, I developed a case of Sweet's Syndrome which is a skin ailment that usually affects women over age 50. There was a subgroup, however, where the syndrome is a precursor to autoimmune disease.

My brother, father, and paternal grandfather all have been diagnosed with autoimmune diseases (Ankylosing spondylitis, Myasthenia gravis, and Polyarteritis nodosa).

He is now trying to get me in to see THE rheumatologist (there's only one up here). He also ordered some x-rays and some blood work. Interestingly my glycosylated hemoglobin was almost normal, indicating that I have not had a prolonged period of elevated blood sugars, rather that the diabetes came on very suddenly.

On Wednesday, I saw a hand therapist. His full evaluation revealed that much of what I am experiencing in my hands is not carpal tunnel. There is evidence that I am ALSO having carpal tunnel syndrome, but the pain and decreased mobility, extension of my fingers is not indicative.

I went home and googled "autoimmune triggered diabetes" and found information on Latent autoimmune diabetes. Given the timing of the pain in my hands/feet and the sudden change in my blood glucose levels, I suspect that was is occuring here is some kind of autoimmune disease, which, if true, appears to indicate that my size is irrelevant to my health crisis.

I will keep you all posted on what I learn. More than anything, I want my hands back. I can handle the changes necessary for living with diabetes (of any variety), but having to deal with weak, numb and achy hands is tiring me much more than passing on sweets, candy, potatoes & pasta. Keep me in your prayers if that's your bag. Peace.