Is That Normal?

A common question -- directed at caregivers anytime people experience symptoms they cannot explain or do not expect. Most often it's because they think the body should heal faster than it does.

The answer, of course, depends on many things. Seldom is there a universal norm that applies to every person. "Normal" often varies, depending on age, sex, medical history, and genetic background. Even abnormal responses may be considered normal under certain circumstances.

The better question would be, "Is this normal for me?" The answer might even be, "Yes, for now."

And so I have tried to apply this to my Type 2 Diabetes.

When my vision blurred, losing the ability to read any kind of small print (even wearing prescription eyeglasses) it threw me for a loop. Mainly because I made this discovery on a Monday morning at work, and good eyesight is essential to my profession. (The second panic attack came three days later with my first glucometer reading.)

Our newly acquired physician (we only decided to get one with the advent of my condition) did not seem too alarmed. But then he'd probably heard it many times before. Unfortunately, I had not. He did not tell me how long it would last, only saying that it would "probably" come back once my blood sugar was under control.

So, it was "normal" for that to happen, because the same symptom afflicts many people with the onset of Type 2.

I understand that what's normal for me now may not be the same in five or ten years. And I don't plan to live in fear, constantly anticipating what might happen, or even what will probably happen. Since it is not possible to know exactly how long I will live, there is really no guarantee that any of it will "happen" at all.

I'm sure it's probably normal to crave certain foods from time to time, especially when told I'm not supposed to have them. So far it hasn't been too bad. With all the substitutes and alternatives from the grocery store, I really don't feel deprived. I keep telling myself it's not like going off some fad diet (where the worst thing that could happen might be weight gain).

I try to compare my daily blood sugar readings to various guidelines from the internet, glucometer instructions, etc. And even though my numbers still do not fit within "ideal", I'm wondering if it might still be normal for me -- at this stage of the game.

Take blood pressure, for example. Many, many people have hypertension. Even with medication, their numbers often run high. And yet, we say it is "controlled" if they stay within a certain range.

It does not seem unreasonable that my numbers would drop gradually, over time, going from 360 (at diagnosis) to @240, then 210, then 180, then 150. (I'd like them to be lower, but it is what it is. And sometimes they fluctuate, going up or down from one day to the next, something I still can't quite figure out.)

And so I imagine it will continue to drop, until the readings level off and stabilize. Right now, I'm guessing that could take at least another month, since I still have one more refill on my prescription, and that's also about the length of time I was told to wait before getting new eyeglasses.

It seems that "normal" may be an evolving state for me, depending on where I happen to be.

Only time will tell.