Page 36 of Gene

Realization flashed across Doctor Mike’s face. “You have type 1 diabetes.”

He said that as if she was supposed to know what it was. It felt like he was just spewing out medical terms at her.

“Do you know what diabetes is?” he asked.

She shook her head and gripped Daddy’s hand just a little bit tighter. She had heard the term diabetes before, but she didn’t know anyone who had it or what it was.

“Type 1 diabetes is where the pancreas makes very little to no insulin, which results in high blood sugar. Your body needs insulin to help store glucose or blood sugar for energy,” the doctor explained.

Sammi couldn’t wrap her head around all the information.

“Have you noticed an increase in thirst and hunger? Needing to go to the bathroom more? Have you lost a lot of weight, had mood changes, feel tired and weak, and your vision has been getting blurry?” he asked.

Tears formed in her eyes as he spoke.

“I think? I know the thirst and needing to go to the bathroom is true. But I don’t know about mood changes, vision changes, hunger, weight loss, and feeling tired…” She trailed off. “Well, weight loss, yes. I’ve had to buy new belts recently. But as for all the other ones, I don’t think so. I’ve felt tired for years, but I don’t think I felt any more tired than normal. So that means I can’t have diabetes since I don’t have all the symptoms.”

She looked at Doctor Mike, and he gave her a small, gentle smile. That was all it took to crush her spirits.

“I’m afraid that’s not how it works. You have type one diabetes,” he gently said.

“What... what does that mean? Am I going to die? Do I need to get a transplant of some sort?” she asked.

Sammi looked up at Daddy, but he was looking at the doctor. His eyes were focused but also unfocused like he was in his own head. Was he having second thoughts about being with her? About them getting through this together?

“You’re not going to get any sort of transplant yet. And as long as you manage your diabetes, you’re not going to die. You’ll need to take insulin for the rest of your life. You’ll need to check your blood sugar levels throughout the day to make sure that they are at the right levels. You might need to change how you eat a little bit, but it shouldn’t be a lot,” Doctor Mike explained.

“I don’t... I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered.

“I know it’s a lot of information to take in right now, but you are going to get through it. There are support groups here to help. It’s going to take a lot of work in the beginning, but it will get better,” Doctor Mike spoke.

She wasn’t so sure about that. She was living in the unknown now, and she didn’t like it.

“Am I going to be able to work?” she asked.

What was she going to do if she couldn’t? How was she going to help her brother pay his debt off? How was she going to dance with diabetes?

“You will be able to go back to work. I suggest you take several days off to learn about type 1 diabetes and how to manage it. And then, when you do go back to work, it might be a little bit different for a while as you learn things.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that,” she mumbled as she looked at Daddy.

He was still looking at the doctor, in his own head. He was definitely having second thoughts about being with her. Was he going to fire her when the doctor left?

“Gene?” Doctor Mike called out.

“Work won’t be a problem. She’ll take a couple of days off or even a week or two if she needs to get a handle on this. When she gets back, I will make sure that she is taking care of herself. I will make sure that everything is good,” Daddy declared without missing a beat.

She couldn’t help but have a little doubt in her heart as he spoke. Was he just saying that while the doctor was here? Was he going to back out of everything he said when the doctor left?

“Good. She’s going to need a good support system. It’s going to be overwhelming and tough for her, but with people surrounding her and making sure that she is okay, it will help a lot.” Doctor Mike nodded at the end. “A nurse is going to come in a couple of minutes to give you a couple of things and explain how to use them. Then, she is going to look at your insurance with someone else to figure out what they will cover and what they won’t. It’s going to be a lot of information, but she’ll have it all printed out so you can reference at home.”

Sammi knew she wasn’t going to comprehend much of anything the nurse said. She was already overwhelmed with so much information, and she couldn’t take any more.

“I’ll also be taking notes to make sure I understand as well,” Daddy explained. “I’ll attend meetings with her if I can and also research things on my own.”

Tears pooled in Sammi’s eyes as she looked at Daddy. He was really going to do all of thatfor her.

“Good. That’s really good,” Doctor Mike replied. “The nurse will be here shortly to talk to you guys about things.”

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