Diabetes, Hearing Loss and Heart Disease Who Would Have Thought

March 14, 1994 I started a great job I was sworn in as a County Deputy Hamilton County Sheriffs Dept. I was part of a unit called the Native American Reserve Force first non-reservation police force to protect burial grounds. I did this for 3 years the was asked to work inside the county jail to help find officers who were bring in contraband. It was a great job. I had been having chest pains didn’t think much of it. I went ahead and started my shift I just thought it was indigestion the pain moved in to my jaw and left arm. The duty officer loaded me in to a squad car. Next thing I knew I was admitted into the hospital according to the tests one of the main arteries was 90% blocked. They done an angioplasty which resulted in me having a heart-attack. I didn’t survive I had to be defibrilated the after effects was I lost 70% of my hearing. This cost me my job I was classified as deaf and the dept didn’t have a job for a deaf officer even with hearing aids, lip reading and sign language.

A year later I was back in the hospital due to serve chest pains this time they put in two stents. Which caused another heartattack I didn’t survive that either and had to be defibrilated they also found 3 ateries at the bottom of my heart that were 70% blocked, but to small to do anything with. They told me the heart damage wasn’t very serve with both heart-attacks I was 39 at the time and was only given 30% chance of living a year after the stents were put in.

Two years later I had to go back and have more stents making it a total of 4 Each time my hearing degraded alittle more. Five months ago I was told I was a type 2 diabetic. I’m 52 now. According to the doctors I shouldn’t be alive now. One of the doctors went back through my medical files to check out a theory he had.

The doctors theory was I was a diabetic from the beginning when the heart disease and hearing loss started and no one caught on till now. It really troubles me to think that if the diabetes would have been found back then I wouldn’t be dealing with as many problems now. But with a great sense of humor good diet and exercise I will do great.

By paul