My husband went first to have his exam. The exam discovered that he had ruptured blood vessels and calcification on his retina. The eye doctor said that this was most likely diabetic retinopathy. I realized that I knew very little about this disease. I wanted to know more about how to combat it- or at least- what to expect. Because, you know, I kinda like the guy…

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

As tempting as it is to hop onto “webbernets” to see what Dr. Google says (because who doesn’t like a great horror story?), I decided to look at what actual doctors were saying about this disease. First stop? The Mayo Clinic website. There was a great deal of detail on the website, and the links and images were very helpful. As observed in the image above from the Mayo Clinic, a healthy eye does not have burst patterns. Burst patterns are present in diabetic retinopathy. From what I understand, the blood vessels get damaged by excess sugar in the blood. That excess sugar blocks the tiny little blood vessels. This does not allow for enough blood supply. So, when this happens, the body tries to make new blood vessels. The new ones are weak and prone to leakage.

Early-Stage Diabetic Retinopathy

What I discovered was that there are two types of diabetic retinopathy: early and advanced. From what I read, the early stage is where new blood vessels are not yet growing. At this stage, the existing blood vessels are weakening. There are smaller vessels from around the wall of the eye that are protruding and leaking fluid and blood into the retina. According to the Mayo Clinic, too much fluid can build up in the center of the retina, causing macular edema. Sadly, if not treated, macular edema can cause permanent vision loss.

Advanced Stage Diabetic Retinopathy

The advanced stage is where the damaged blood vessels close off and new ones form. These weak blood vessels can leak a jelly-like substance into the center of the eye (the vitreous). The Jelly creates scar tissue that can cause the retina to detach from the back of the eye. This can lead to blindness. Complications of this disease include vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, glaucoma, and, of course, blindness.

Another thing I learned is that an initial diagnosis is not a terminal diagnosis. There are ways to treat this disease. I wanted to make sure I understood exactly what we could do to stop any progression toward vision loss. The first thing, of course, is to get the diabetes under control. This means changes to the way we eat, exercise, and, in my husband’s case, take medication as prescribed. Regularly checking blood pressure and keeping it under control is another important factor in preventing advancing diabetic retinopathy. High blood pressure can exacerbate the issue. Other ways to prevent this include checking blood sugar levels, smoking cessation, monitoring A1C levels, and paying attention to vision changes.

Importance of Change

Outside of the fact that I want my husband to be around for a hot minute, I think it is important for me because I am also dealing with Type II Diabetes. As I continue to age, I realize that it is not going to be as easy as it once was to get this old machine of mine back in tip-top shape. I also know that my husband would benefit from a partner who is willing to join him in the effort of getting these areas of our lives under control and improved. It is the whole idea of accountability. I need to partner with him toward better health because we have so much to look forward to.

It is also important to recognize areas in my life where I can make lifestyle changes because what I think about my lifestyle is important. I can encourage others around me with my high standard of health and long life. Being proud of me and putting in the work to achieve my personal goal. Not of being the next catwalk model, but of being the best version of me that I can be.

Call to Action

Change is hard, but in times like this, when we are informed that we are in dire circumstances or that our lives will be impacted in some way if we don’t take appropriate steps, we can find lasting motivation for making new decisions. I am dedicated to joining my husband in support and accountability to achieve the goal of healthy living so we can check off those bucket list items that we are looking forward to.

My goal is to first start a healthy living journal. I am going to track our eating habits, our buying habits, and our fitness habits. As I go along, I want to make this information available to my audience, which may be faced with similar challenges. I am also going to continue to educate myself on how diet affects my body as well as discover fitness routines that are not going to be absolute torture. The other thing is that I am going to work with my husband to find a healthcare provider that supports our goals and can offer reliable information as we go along. It is time to take that first step on the journey to a better us.

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