Imagine not being able to sleep for several days because of terrible leg pain and finally deciding to finally go to the emergency room for help, only to discover that the leg pain was a sign of something much, much worse.
As she would detail in a later TikTok, TikToker @oujibug had been experiencing a series of symptoms that she ignored because of the costs she was afraid of accruing by seeing her doctor, including dehydration, frequent urination, skin irritation, dramatic weight loss, and eventually, her leg pain.
When she finally went to the ER and explained that her legs hurt and what her experience had been, the medical staff soon inquired whether or not she had diabetes, which, to her knowledge, she did not.
However, a lengthy series of blood work and other tests soon revealed that she had a blood sugar level of 700 and an A1C, the measure of sugar in the bloodstream, of 14. For reference, average levels are below 150 and six.
It was at that time that a doctor admitted:
"I'm surprised you're not unresponsive. I'm surprised you walked in here yourself."
You can watch the original video here:
Fellow TikTokers were shocked that @oujibug's situation got that bad.
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Others were depressed that some of this could have been prevented if medical care were not so expensive.
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The TikToker remained in the hospital for several days while the doctors worked to regulate her blood sugar and start her on medications that would assist with her newly diagnosed diabetes and leg pain while being compatible with her history of depression.
Unfortunately, her leg pain was a product of the undetected diabetes, which had caused autonomic polyneuropathy, an extensive and irreversible nerve damage in her legs. It's also unfortunately a diagnosis that will continue to progress, though she was also placed on medication that will help to slow the progression down.
The problem was that now that her diabetes was being treated, she was also experiencing treatment-induced neuropathy, which was caused by her body's reaction to the sudden level changes in her body, causing the pain to severely spike.
It is fortunate that @oujibug went to the emergency room when she did to address these dangerous issues, and that the treatment-induced neuropathy will go away after her body has had time to stabilize and adjust.
Because of her commitment to immediately changing her diet and exercise, as well as closely monitoring her sugar levels, she's doing everything to make her situation as positive as possible, no matter how bleak it might feel during the transition.
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