As most of you know, I am sick… I have been sick for the better part of a decade now. I suspect my diabetic state started in the spring of 2012, I embarked on a journey, albeit an involuntary one, into the mysterious realm of diabetes. Little did I know that this path would be riddled with bizarre encounters that would rival a Greek tragedy. The only tragedy here is my life. The only one hurting here is myself. The people around me continue to suffer. I wasn’t officially diagnosed till summer of 2014 and almost right away my condition broke all the rules of a typical type II diabetic case. Everyone is now an expert on diabetes, how it works and how it “allegedly,” can be reversed. I believe unresolved extreme depression in my youth, that I ignored, and was also ignored by adults that would observe my erratic, sometimes insane, behaviors, contributed to my drinking habits becoming more intensive over the 2000s through the last decade. My father, who is a Vietnam Vet, was exposed to Agent Orange when he served, that has caused many of his ongoing health issues. I, being the first born of four boys, have the most physical, medical, mental health challenges in the family. Along with large amounts of stress in the workplace(s) over the years, I believe this had much to do with me becoming diabetic. I do not believe this was “just” habits. I believe all of which I just stated equally contributed to the condition. I also believe these same mental health issues caused me to ignore these issues as they crept up over the decades.

The summer of 2014, a season marked not by sunshine and leisure beach days, but by my official diagnosis with Type II Diabetes, as my eyes were being aggressively attacked by cataract in both eyes, simultaneously. As my left eye began its cataract performance in July 2014, I couldn't help but think, "Why should it have all the fun?" One day in October 2014 my right eye decided to join the party. It started mid-afternoon and by nightfall, it was a full house, and I found myself enjoying a riveting 90% blindness experience in my right eye. Quite the spectacle, indeed. I am not even sure how I was able to drive home like this. I was treated to double cataract surgery later in the month, and I began to notice the birth of denial issues. Denial is a peculiar companion, isn't it? A few more treatments, some ER visits, and an unexpected DUI later, I was spiraling down a rabbit hole that showed no signs of slowing.

They say truth is stranger than fiction, and in my case, its stranger than the upside-down dimension of “Stranger Things.” My personality became very difficult to deal with during this time, even worse now. I became way more confrontational with people, in general, especially those in the workplace and more withdrawn with people that were close to me. From 2005 to present I have probably had about 30-35 jobs that I was either terminated from or walk out of. Outside of three weeks in November of 2019. I have not worked a job on the books since November 2017. In July 2017, my debut as a “cellulitis connoisseur,” specializing in right middle finger infections. There goes my “go-to butt-holing finger,” I say to myself. The inside of my finger tip was surgically removed, as my blood sugar frolicked in the 500+ range. My reward for this adventure? Eight luxurious days in Sarasota’s finest ICU, replete with liquid IV antibiotics. It's almost as if they knew I needed a vacation. At least the food was amazing. No, seriously… The food at Sarasota Memorial is better than most of the restaurants in the area. I’d take a girl to the hospital cafeteria for a date before I take her to P.F. Sucks.

In September 2017, a torn L4 in my lower back. It hurt, especially when I dared to stand upright for more than a few hours. The cool kids may have partied through the night, but my nights were filled with discomfort as I struggled to find the perfect sleep position. October 2018, a time when my face decided to sprout a skin boil. A trip to the local clinic gifted me an antibiotic, and within days, it vanished like a female sex addict at an ED anonymous meeting. Super Bowl Sunday of 2020’s treat, cellulitis in my left eye, no treatment available to unemployed assclowns who think toughing everything out like a Rocky movie montage should be normal for anyone. Who needs a halftime show when you have your eye acting up? And oh, the blurry vision, a recurring guest in my line of sight. As the world descended into quarantine-madness, then gender madness now Jewish/Muslim madness, I consoled myself with heavier, three-day weekend drinking. My personal remedy for the absurdity that was 2020. Then, on a seemingly innocuous day in June 2020, I embarked on a stranger-danger date with Covid-19 at a beachside bar/restaurant in St. Pete meeting some girl for the first time I no longer talk to. A tequila shot, the harbinger of a migraine headache to try and make this seem like a good idea at the time. With a stroke of luck, I was graced with mono-like symptoms and embarked on a rollercoaster ride of wellness and illness that was Covid-19, which then turned to ketoacidosis and pancreatitis.

I have yet to fully recover from this 1,151 days later and counting…

Alcohol Intake was rather high starting in February 2020 due to the quarantine already. I have not had a drink since that day. I have sworn off Alcohol for life. Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Pancreatitis is a reminder of a symphony of sickness, weakness, and a relentless dance between my digestive system, gravity itself and death if not treated right away. I waited six days... Not even the bravest of souls would dare to eat or drink when everything returned as bile, blood and partially digested pancreas within the hour. July 11th, 2020, marked a visit to the ER. With Covid-19 as my not-so-welcome companion, I spent 36 hours in the ICU. Morphine ensured that I had no recollection of this enchanting stay, but it left me with a positive test for Covid-19. It was the Liver-Pancreas Shutdown Spectacular – a show I didn't even know I had VIP tickets for.

Come July 15^th 2020, I was set free, proving that even the most peculiar of odysseys have a pause button. Pause is subjective… A brief intermission before Macular Edema decided to join the ensemble, debuting in both my eyes on July 18^th 2020. The drama continued with eye doctor appointments, blurred vision, erratic heart rate and a spectacle fit for a thriller. By August 14^th 2020, I dared to venture out into the world after months of seclusion. It wasn't without its challenges; anxiety clung to me like a shadow, and the weight on my chest was a constant reminder of the strangeness of human interaction. My chest felt like a pressure cooker about to burst. September 2020 was a month when I had the pleasure of being denied the SSI benefits that I not only need but absolutely qualify for. My lawyers took it upon themselves to embark on an appeals journey that promised more excitement than I had bargained for. I am still in appeals now 1,100+ days later.

I now have rather high anxiety that began sometime in 2015-2016. It is a complete polar opposite of who I used to be before this all started. In March 2016 ED (Erectile Dysfunction) began to rear its debilitating appearance. I have not just had to deal with the physical effects of ED this whole time but the mental and emotional issues as well. I feel this has hit me harder than the physical parts. I would have considered myself a hypersexual personality, nice way of saying sex addict. I will keep the specifics of those exploits to a minimum till I can figure out how to make money off those, ha… To go from “that” to nothing in such a short time really catapulted my anxiety and depression. Which in turn drove me to drink more from 2016-2020, which contributed to this whole mess. I am also dealing with extreme fatigue since I feel I originally caught Covid-19 and in nearly a constant state of physical pain in the form of extreme muscle aches. I am experiencing pain near 5-6 on the 10-scale almost 24/7. I am also experiencing issues in the heat when I go outside. I can only be outside for a few minutes before I feel sick. I can be out there when it is hot, but I tend to fatigue very quickly, and am sort of weak when out in the extreme humidity of SWFL. I still take strolls in the nature trails by my house five days a week.

December 2021 came with its own package of surprises, as I decided to halt treatments on my eyes at Retina Associates of Sarasota. It turns out I didn't have the insurance for laser surgery, a small detail that seemed to have escaped their notice. In 2022, Hurricane IAN decided to add its unique chapter to my saga, bringing heavy damage to my house which has yet to be paid out by the insurance company for repairs to the house. We are talking over a year with no pool cage. Warped doors, drywall damage, damaged floor tile, the pool tile is bubbling up on the deck as well. It’s a shitshow of damages that the insurance company wants NO accountability for but they want their monies every month or they will drop us. It’s a goddamn clown-show of poop… Just another day in the life of a medically sick, mental-health crackpot thrill-seeker, I suppose.

A second helping of denial came around the corner to my life in and around November 2022, The SSI appeal, a never-ending quest, proved elusive yet again. May 2023, I waded into the realm of diabetes treatments with Virginia B Andes. With a dash of irony, June 2023 welcomed the flu into my life, and I found myself on the brink of another ER visit due to my stubborn inability to recover. June and July 2023 became a blur of sickness and health, interspersed with ten days of respite. Mid-July 2023 I decided to take charge of my medication, straying from the beaten path of standard treatment. I've never been one for conformity, and my body has made that abundantly clear. With meticulous record-keeping of my blood sugar, insulin doses, and other metrics, I presented a case against metformin, which not only failed to tame my sugars but left my stomach and digestion in turmoil. Right now my digestive issues seem to be what stand out the most on my day to day issues. They are quite extreme. The constant pain I get in all my joints and muscles. The stiffness. I spend more time stretching out than I do actually training my body. If I didn’t train I feel my condition would be worse for both my physical health and my mental health. My experimentation with regular insulin led to sporadic sugar crashes, a thrilling rollercoaster ride. One literally feels their perception leaving the body. Things like sight turn to tunnel vision and seem distant. The ability to think gets super scattered and cannot even remember basic things like age/weight/sex. A brief stint with 70/30 insulin emerged as the unlikely wannabe hero, providing some better stability. September 2023, Happy 45^th birthday to me and I found myself marveling at the subtle changes in my eye power (again). Perhaps a visit to the eye doctor was in order, as the nearest treatment was a distant trek to Bonita Springs, which is anywhere between 90-120-minute drive; an adventure I am not willing to venture in.

October 2023 brought with it a new challenge - the need to convey my peculiar case to the higher-ups at Virginia B Andes. My goal? To secure a semblance of stability and a well-thought-out plan to navigate around this medical labyrinth. Right now I have a candle and I need a mag light… Simultaneously, I began re-seeking help for my mental health, an issue that had been overshadowed by the medical circus. This one subject should be a blog on its own and I feel I will write one. The short version is I had an amazing therapist who truly understood my quirks than any woman I ever dated or was with. Sadly she unexpectedly passed away. She was young, healthy, vibrant, and was the most important female in my reality besides my mother for nearly two years. I have yet to really hash this out properly. I have yet to mourn her passing. Too much happening around me that literally made me not think of it and that in and of it itself is terrible. Empathy is something I struggle with, heavily since I became ill over a decade ago. I get sicker, the more my quality of life shrinks, the less space in my soul exists for such things as empathy…

In the realm of analyzing the data that comes across my perception. I've come to my own conclusions about my condition(s). A history of unresolved depression, coupled with the chaotic dance of alcohol, stress, genetic deposition of what my father was exposed to, me being the first born, and perhaps sheer bad luck, led me to the doorstep of diabetes. This journey transformed me from an affable soul into a confrontational, withdrawn figure, navigating a sea of instability with employment, love, being a mature adult. I waved goodbye to my job market presence in 2017, save for a three-week stint in 2019. A sudden increase in alcohol consumption during the quarantine heightened my anxiety, propelling me to change into a polar opposite of my former self. My already borderline-mental health issues. The extreme complications I have had with my diabetic state over others that have to deal with it and the specter of erectile dysfunction became my companions, wreaking havoc on my mental and emotional well-being. In the vast landscape of my current medical issues, I find myself engulfed in a never-ending battle with Type II Diabetes, retinopathy, diabetic ketoacidosis, pancreatitis, neuropathy, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and the silent agony of erectile dysfunction. Gastroparesis has thrown digestion into disarray, leaving behind a messy trail of stomach pains and a self-consciousness I never wanted to be or have to begin with. Finally, let's not forget the chronophobia or the fear/anxiety of the passage of time and never feeling like I have enough of it – an affliction that gnaws at my sanity with the relentless march of time, casting a perpetual shadow of dread over my existence.

—I Go Through This Every Day—

My cocktails of various medications, that seem to not work how they are supposed or at least get minimal effects of that could rival the most complex mixology of drinks at your, local, now closed for good, TGI Friday’s. We have the dynamic duo of 70/30 and long-lasting insulin, along with a hint of Lisinopril and a sprinkle of Amlodipine. Not to forget the Polyethylene Glycol, a singer that never quite matches up with the lip-sync on the stage. My supplement list includes Omega-Three Fish Oil, Vitamin D, and Probiotics, all served in generous helpings. A nightly dose of Melatonin and sound-frequency therapy ensures that my dreams are as complex and either relatable or unreliable as my medical journey has been. Should be noted that I informed ALL Doctors for over a decade now, not to treat me like “a typical type-II diabetic” case. That ALL treatments that are typical or standard would be ineffective. Late July 2023, I brought in my data that I keep for my numbers. I record my blood sugar, the type and amount of insulin I take, the date/time I do this. I do this for each meal. I also take my weight, fasted in the A.M. and my Sys/Dia/PR, along with the time I do that. I take and log this data into a spreadsheet three to four times a day. I was able to show that metformin does nothing for me and destroys my stomach, which I already suffer from Gastroparesis, which is still very persistent and we are not even sure if this is that or something else. I have never gotten a solid diagnosis. I was able to show that taking regular insulin tend to put me in hypo (extremely low blood sugar). The only thing at this point that has shown to control my blood sugar numbers is taking a light dose of 70/30 with each meal. A shot of Long Lasting insulin from 10-15 units, once in the AM and once at night around the bedtime hour. This has also caused hypo, but far less frequent and usually happens if I eat a really small meal that is on the extremely low end on the carb scale. If I eat normal I am fine, but there are those times when I get mentally overwhelmed and do not eat enough to justify the amount of insulin I just took. I intended to eat more or a bigger carb meal but would lose my thoughts, get overwhelmed, frustrated and eat small, only to have to eat something I shouldn’t later to get my sugars back up. I probably need a pump but I cannot handle having that on/in my body at all times. I just can’t do it.

Since the beginning I have never been able to get my blood sugars under control with standardized medicines for the treatment of Type II diabetes. Curving my diet works, some, but it is not something I can do under my current living situation on a regular basis. We tried all the standard or typical treatments for people showing the symptoms I show. What tends to be most people does not apply to me. I have the data to show this. Metformin didn’t work in 2014. Granted we can argue that my drinking could have been at play there, but we later, again, tried this treatment in 2022 after I have already been sober for 2 years. We had different direct results but the same result as it did nothing to regulate my blood sugar. All we found out was metformin makes me sick. If I mix it with drinking I get sleep paralysis and I being “taken” by shadow people. So, yeah, hard pass on that one… Where most Type II diabetics float around the low 200s I was in the three and four hundreds. All it did was further agitate my digestive system. That seems to be getting worse by the month. We then tried regular insulin and my sugars would crash around that 3-times a week mark. We shifted the insulin to 70/30 and that worked a little but only if I took it with all meals or any time I sat down to eat. If that was twice, three or four times a day. That is when I would need to dose up.

May to June of 2023; the Doctor puts me on one dose of Long Lasting insulin followed by regular insulin with each meal and metformin. I went back to crashing out my sugars again now with additional stomach issues. I spent nearly all of June and July of 2023 sick. During this time I wasn’t eating a lot, so I would not take my meds if I was not eating. I noticed some of the symptoms were relieving themselves. I then started subtracting medicines. I went back on the 70/30 taking it with all meals and decided to split up the long lasting insulin shot to see if it would curve down these sugar spikes. The attempt here is take those sharp spikes and try to make them more like hills than drastic sharp points. After I did this I started noticing my numbers leveling off to more consistent normal numbers. I started feeling better. I started feeling better enough to join a gym. I still have extreme stomach issues. However, taking the meds for that like how I am doing it the symptoms are not as bad. They are still severe, painful, messy and a bother; but it is no longer nearing the levels of discomfort as I had before where I was about to go to the ER again. I am not saying I am doing better. I’d say I am doing “less worse” than I was in say June and July of 2023. When I am having issues I am still fairly useless, in extreme discomfort and the mess it makes in the bathroom is disheartening. I know we are limited at what sort of treatment I can get through my current medical accessibility. I am grateful for what Virginia B Andes all do for me. I just wish my SSI (Supplemental Security Income) would go through so that I can get a better stability and understanding on what it is that is actually happening to me here. I feel like something else is at play here that NO ONE has been able to figure out. In EVERY instance I have to argue with medical people about the most typical answer here, the one that ALL medical people seem to keep projecting onto me, is indeed, the wrong one… I have no expectations that I will convey this to anyone that can actually look into this at the level it needs to be looked at while my SSI case is in appeals for the third or fourth time now. This isn’t your problem or even your fight. It’s mine and I have accepted that –that is how this stuff is done. I just try to maneuver around the red tape and do what I can do for myself with the very limited resources that are displayed to me. Does this make me sometimes difficult to be around and/or operate around? Absolutely it does. I am working very hard on myself, pretty much by myself. I am still trying to get a new therapist. I need more things to happen faster but I cannot make broken fixed just because I want that to happen. I can only steer the ship for so long before it requires others to keep the boat afloat.

In closing, my medical saga has been nothing short of bewildering. Standard treatments have proven futile, and my quest for stability remains elusive. The medical world sees me as a typical Type II Diabetes case, but I stand as an exception, a conundrum, defying all attempts at categorization. My journey continues, with red tape and uncertainty as my companions. If, by some miraculous chance this enigma may have an end other than a day of remembrance of my days of life at the beach, where all my friends, and peers say goodbye to me. FUCK… I so do not wanna be “that guy.” I have no thirst to be there, like that. For now, I continue to soldier on, the captain of my ship through the turbulent seas of my health.

Brace the sails and laugh in the face of the storm, for behind those clouds, the sun awaits our triumphant return… (Air guitar solo.)

Medical Update Fall 2023
by David-Angelo Mineo
11/9/2023
3,916 Words

Medical Timeline Since 2012
(Suspected Beginning of My Type II Diabetes)

2012-2019

• Spring 2012 - Believed Start of my Diabetic State.

• July 2014 - Diagnosed with Type II Diabetes after going to North Port ER. Blood Sugar 500+. I was put on metformin and within a week I was getting sleep paralysis about 3x a week. That is when I started on insulin. I was still drinking alcohol during this time and I suspect the sleep paralysis came from the mixing of the meds and drinking.

• July 2014 - Cataract begins to form in my left eye.

• September 2014 - Left Eye is completely covered in cataract.

• October 2014 - One day around 3pm Cataract begins to form in my right eye. Around the 7pm hour that same day my right eye now was completely covered in cataract, which left me at about 90% blind.

• November 2014 - I have double cataract surgery.

• September 2015 - Denial issues start to form.

• November 2015 - I have double YAG Treatment. Standard Follow-up procedure for Cataract Surgery.

• June 2016 - DUI. I had not yet heeded my original diagnosis to stop drinking. Blood Sugar at the Jail over 500+.

• July 2017 - Cellulitis in my right middle finger. A large section of the infection, which was the inside of the tip of my right middle finger was cut out. Blood Sugar in the ER was 500+. I was in ICU for 8 days hooked up to liquid IV antibiotics.

• September 2017 - L4 tear in my lower back. Hurts a lot if I stand for too long, measured in hours. Most of the time I am fine but at night when I try to sleep it is hard to stay comfortable. I can no longer sleep on my sides or stomach for very long. Nor can I sleep through the night, most nights.

• October 2018 - Skin boil on my face from ingrown hair. Went to a local clinic and they gave me an antibiotic. It healed in a few days.

2020

• February 2^nd - Super Bowl Sunday - Cellulites, Left Eye, no treatment. Healed in a few days. Has had blurry vision on/off since.

• March - June - Quarantine, Had been drinking on the heavier side on weekends due to the craziness that is/was the Pandemic.

• June 22^nd - Likely caught Covid in St Pete at a restaurant on the beach. Last shot, tequila, my only drink of the day. Was not feeling well on the way home. Started with a migraine headache.

• June 24^th - Mono like symptoms, in bed, last insulin shot till ER on July 11th.

• June 26th - Felt ok, went out to eat. Last beer, just one. • June 27th - Sick again, mostly the same as before. Mono like symptoms.

• July 9th - Likely start date of Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Pancreatitis. So sick and weak and anything I tried to drink or eat came back up as bile and blood within an hour.

• July 11th - Called 911 to come get me. Admitted in ER at Englewood Community. 36 hours in ICU. No real memory of this as I was on Morphine the whole time. Had extreme visions/experiences. Tested positive for Covid-19 but feel Covid had already run its course. I was there because my Liver and Pancreas went into complete shutdown.

• July 15th - Released under my own power.

• July 18th - Home 3 days and Macular Edema sets in both eyes.

• July 25th - Eye Doctor Appointment and Macular Edema is confirmed.
• July 26th - Vision starting to improve.

• July 30th - Eye Doctor follow up. Vision about 50% cleared up but still has heavy blurriness in the left eye right eye fairly useless.

• August 14th - Went out for the first time in months. Felt very awkward being around people. Anxiety through the roof. Felt like my chest was going to explode.

• September – Began going to Family Centers of SWFL for follow up treatments.

• December – Began treatments at Retina Associates of Sarasota for Retinopathy in both eyes.

2021

• September – Denied SSI benefits. Lawyers took it to appeals.

• December – Stopped treatments at Retina Associates of Sarasota due to no insurance for laser surgery to remove excess scar tissue in the right eye before we can continue treatments.

• December – Diagnosed with Gastroparesis.

2022

• September – Hurricane IAN strikes. Heavy damage to the house.

• November – Denied SSI Appeal. Lawyers re-appeal.

2023

• May – Began treatments for diabetes with Virginia B Andes.

• June – Sick with flu. Almost went to ER due to not being able to get better. I was sick virtually all of June and July with a 10-day break at the end of June and the beginning of July.

• July – Changed medications from initial Doctor’s recommendations to something I believed to be a more logical approach due to standard treatments being ineffective and my experience with these treatments and how my body has NOT responded to them.

• September – Noticed eye power changing in the positive direction. I probably need to see an eye doctor and get new glasses at this point. The nearest eye treatments I can get through Virginia B Andes is all the way down in Bonita Springs. That is not doable.

• October – Having to discuss my strange case to the higher ups at Virginia B Andes so that I can try to get some kind of stability in my medical care and plan of attack to try to right this ship that is my medical health. I am also seeking treatment for mental health issues as well but have yet to get the billing mix-ups corrected to make an appointment with a new therapist.

Current Medical Issues:

• Type II Diabetes (w/ extremely high blood sugar even with drugs.)
• Retinopathy (both eyes, the right is really bad. Left is manageable.)
• Diabetic ketoacidosis (seems stable upon last blood test)
• Pancreatitis (seems stable upon last blood test)
• Neuropathy (mostly numbness, rare sharp pains, loss of dexterity seems to be what is worst here)
• PTSD (near death experiences and trips to ICU. My CNS is also very much out of whack.)
• Bipolar Disorder (undiagnosed, untreated in youth)
• Erectile Dysfunction (started after I got the flu in March 2016 and have issues ever since).
• Gastroparesis (digestion is abnormally slow, bowel movements are extremely messy, stomach pains, between 4-6 on the 10-scale.)
• Chronophobia (fear, extreme anxiety from the flow of time and always having a sense of dread there is never enough time.)

Medications:

• 70/30 Insulin - Lite dose with each meal, 0-20 units. (Supposed to take twice a day.)
• Long Lasting Insulin – x2/day, 10-15 units, once in the morning and once before bed. (Supposed to take one big dose a day.)
• Lisinopril (40mg) – once a day.
• Amlodipine (5mg) – once a day.
• Polyethylene Glycol – once a day. (Supposed to take twice a day.)

Supplements & Vitamins:

• Omega Three Fish Oil, Twice a day. Once in the morning before breakfast and once before dinner.

• Vitamin D, Twice a Day. Once in the morning before breakfast and once before dinner. This is a double dose.

• Probiotic, Twice a Day. Once in the morning before breakfast and once before dinner.

• Melatonin (5-12mg) once a night about an hour before bed.

—END OF LINE—