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Interview With Adult Onset Type II Diabetes

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Before we started, I thanked Bob for agreeing to an interview. I also assured him that all the information he would share with me would be kept confidential and it would be used only for educational purposes. Q. Bob, how would you describe your condition? A. Bob was diagnosed with adult onset type II diabetes. He explained that this condition means that your blood glucose is too high, and occurs when a human body does not produce enough insulin, or it is not responsive to insulin and fails to properly metabolize it. As a result, glucose cannot move into the cell where it should be used for energy. So blood glucose stays high, and it leads to diabetes. Q. When did you first begin to notice that you had this condition? A. Before he …show more content…

First, he was in shock. He could not believe that something that “happens only to other people”, was actually happening to him, who was invincible. Bob felt upset and thought “"why me, why am I getting it". He became depressed because his doctor told him he had to be on a new, healthy diet. When he heard that word “diet”, it elicited the images of hunger, miserable calorie counting, fatigue, frustration, sprouts and lettuce. Bob also felt a sense of loss, because he was no longer allowed to eat fast-food or chocolate, his favorite “junk food”. “Why not?” he could not understand. It was a real grief. He had to drastically change his eating habits and his relationship with certain types of food. Additionally, when his doctor announced he had to lose some weight, it sounded like a “death sentenced” to him. Physically, Bob was experiencing the classic symptoms of type 2 diabetes: severe thirst, excess urination, and constant fatigue. Q. What are some things that exacerbate your condition? A. Bob concluded “Sometimes I feel like everything aggravates it”. He seemed to be moved emotionally, which was evident when he said: “It was kind of a devastating”. Not obeying a carbohydrate free diet, sedentary lifestyle, and not being compliant with medication regimen were the top things that could really exacerbate his diabetes. Additionally, stress can aggravate his condition, because it elevates the glucose level. When Bob is under a lot of stress, he is also less

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