Being diabetic and HIV positive!

It is a complicated business...

Some experiences can change your life in a split second—death, a car accident, the end of a relationship, losing a job... the list is endless. The unfortunate truth is that, no matter how much we might wish otherwise, we can never truly prepare for the unknown. We don’t know when, how, or why it will happen to us—and that’s life. It’s unpredictable. The best we can do is face the aftermath and deal with it as best as we can.

I’ve had my fair share of life’s setbacks. Many of these experiences have shaped my character and the way I view the world.

Recently, I discovered I have type 2 diabetes. And when I say it made its presence known, I mean it introduced itself in the most aggressive way. The first words from my doctor were, “It’s bad.” I had nearly every symptom you could find on Google. At the time, I knew very little about diabetes, and what I did know wasn’t comforting. All I could think about were the severe effects people speak about in hushed tones of fear.

Now, imagine receiving this diagnosis just weeks before your wedding! Yes, that’s what happened. I’ll let you imagine the rollercoaster of emotions that followed.

Misdiagnosis and Discovery

Being diabetic was the last thing on my mind. Before the diagnosis, I thought I was simply overworked and exhausted. Then I considered whether I might have COVID-19. It took a while to pinpoint the real problem.

Ironically, it was a routine blood test for my HIV management monitoring that revealed the issue: my blood sugar levels were dangerously high. To put it into perspective, my glucose level was at 16 mmol/L (feel free to Google it—you’ll understand the gravity).

Before reaching this point, I had visited four different doctors over two months. None of them thought to test my sugar levels, despite my symptoms. If I hadn’t insisted that something was being missed, I might still be undiagnosed.

Living with Diabetes

I’m now on treatment, and thankfully, it’s starting to reverse some of the damage caused by diabetes. But let me tell you—this is not an easy journey. Diabetes is relentless, and its symptoms appear suddenly.

Some of the symptoms I’ve experienced include headaches, fatigue, blurred vision, and numbness. One of the more serious effects is diabetic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage caused by high blood sugar. It most commonly affects the legs and feet, causing anything from pain to numbness. To make it personal: as I write this, part of my foot is partially numb due to nerve damage.

Comparing Diabetes and HIV

Managing diabetes is very different from managing HIV. With HIV, symptoms can take time—sometimes years—to manifest. With diabetes, the effects are immediate and aggressive. However, both conditions share one thing in common: they’ve forced me to make significant health changes in my life.

I’ll share more about those changes in my next blog.

Reflect and Share

While you wait for my next post, I’d like to ask: What are your thoughts on diabetes, hypertension, and HIV? How would you approach these conditions if you or someone close to you had to live with them?

For me, managing diabetes has been a major disruption. It’s taught me that my years of experience managing HIV offer little help here. I’m a newcomer to diabetes, and I have a lot to learn.

The one thing I can rely on is my identity as a ‘Life Beyond Champion.’ I’m constantly working to rise above my challenges and create a life beyond them. This is just another challenge—and the journey has only just begun.

#LifeBeyond #DiaryofPR #PholoRamothwala

Disclaimer: I don’t always rely on Google—I verify my information.