Hey everyone! I have been diabetic for 8 years now and was diagnosed during my teens, upon which I didn't take very good care of myself. When I was 17 I had became sexually active and a nurse told me that if I were to get pregnant I and the baby would die. Of course from that and watching Steel Magnolias, I had gone through the rest of the years already given up on the thought of ever having kids. For awhile I was fine with that, but now I have been married for a year and I can't think of anything else. Of course I've done research and have a few type 1 diabetic friends that have had very healthy babies. But because of the not taking care of myself initially I have neuropathy and gastroparesis. I take reglan for the gastroparesis and cymbalta for the neuropathy. Cymbalta is an anti-depressant so it has been led to birth defects. I have an appointment August 10th with a high risk prenatal consultant to talk about getting pregnant. Is there anyone else that has neuropathy and takes medication for it and is pregnant?
Courtney-
I have a question for you, I lived a life much like yours during my younger years. I have had diabetes for 20 years therefore I have had a lot more time for destruction to do it toll on my body. Thank the Lord that the only problem I have had so far is stage 2 retinopathy which the eye specialist doesn't seem to be worried about. But I looked up gastroparesis because I was unsure what it was but had heard of its ties to diabetes. How did you find out you had that? What symptoms led you to that diagnosis?
My husband and I will be trying for a lil one in the next few months and I am so nervous for my health and the baby to be's. I will keep you in my prayers. I thank the Lord for no more complications than I have right now.
Nikki,
I developed gastroparesis 4 years after my initial diagnosis of diabetes. Gastroparesis is a digestive disorder, where it takes my body five times the amount of time a normal person takes to digest food. I was 17 when I decided to start taking better care of myself, which it seems everything then fell apart. I think the hardest part for me was that I was actually trying to do good and everything was against me. The gastroparesis was causing me to get sick and regurgitate everything I ate and put in my mouth including pills. By 18 I only weighed maybe 105 and being 5'4.5" it did not look well. They did a test where I had to eat eggs with radiation and then lay underneath a giant camera for an hour and a half. They did this so they could watch my stomach digest. After an hour and a half I still had 90 percent of my food in my stomach, whereas normal people only should have 40 percent left. My endo explained that it was from taking my insulin before I ate for so many years. he then switched me to correct afterwards and take reglan. Right now I feel so much better than I did 4 years ago. The reglan works wonders and my neurologist says that my neuropathy can be reversed. I went from having to take 120 mg of cymbalta a day to only 30 now, so I am slowly on track. My doctor thinks there is no problem with me trying to conceive in the next few years, but wants me to have a full team of specialists and wants all my numbers to be perfect. When my husband and I first started dating he was always saying "I want to have babies with you" or if we were in the act he would announce midway "lets make a baby now" and I would just get terrified and it would definately ruin the moment. Now that I feel better about it and he understands everything alot more he's the one that says "I'd rather keep you perfectly alive and healthy than risk your health and anothers". So i'm just feeling like "ahh if it's not one thing it's another lol".
Good luck with your future pregnancy! You will definately be in my prayers.
Courtney