I was just discharged from the hospital last night. I am a generally healthy 25 year old, pretty fit, I have type 1 diabetes but it's well-controlled. On Monday, though, I fell ill -- I was throwing up constantly, breathing shallow, and my heart was pounding. On top of that, I was having trouble controlling my blood sugar. By 7 on Wednesday morning I couldn't handle it anymore; I'd lost almost 10 lbs in a day and a half, I hadn't slept, and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. My roommate drove me to the ER where I found out I was just this side of being intubated and having a through-line put in my neck! I also found out that the illness had thrown me into diabetic ketoacidosis -- briefly, when the blood becomes acidic. I spent a couple nights in ICU and then the medical ward, and now I'm home feeling tired, but better.
Except one very, very strange thing: I am mildly nearsighted. I have prescription glasses that I use mainly for watching TV and biking at night. I didn't bring them with me to the hospital. Yesterday, a few hours before I was to be discharged, I noticed that I was having trouble focusing on things close to me -- I could no longer read, see my phone, etc. High blood sugar can cause blurred vision, and while my vision wasn't really blurry per se, my doctor and I agreed it was a side effect of the hyperglycemia and would go away. Then I got home, got into bed and turned on the TV. I was reaching for my glasses when I realized the TV looked pretty clear. This was weird -- I shouldn't be able to see it clearly from my bed. I looked at the digital clock below it and was surprised to see that I could read it. I put my glasses on and everything blurred! My vision had reversed itself. I was nearsighted, and now suddenly I am farsighted!
I thought I was going crazy, but apparently this is actually a possible (though not particularly common) side effect of a sudden spike and drop in blood sugar; the temporary switch from near to farsightedness. It can last anywhere from a few days to 6 weeks, and then my vision should return to how it was, I'll be nearsighted again. It's really the strangest experience, everything being so clear. Of course, it's also really awful. I had to buy a pair of cheapo Wallgreen's reading glasses, and my eyes still feel very tired. Anyway, it was just so strange I had to share!
Except one very, very strange thing: I am mildly nearsighted. I have prescription glasses that I use mainly for watching TV and biking at night. I didn't bring them with me to the hospital. Yesterday, a few hours before I was to be discharged, I noticed that I was having trouble focusing on things close to me -- I could no longer read, see my phone, etc. High blood sugar can cause blurred vision, and while my vision wasn't really blurry per se, my doctor and I agreed it was a side effect of the hyperglycemia and would go away. Then I got home, got into bed and turned on the TV. I was reaching for my glasses when I realized the TV looked pretty clear. This was weird -- I shouldn't be able to see it clearly from my bed. I looked at the digital clock below it and was surprised to see that I could read it. I put my glasses on and everything blurred! My vision had reversed itself. I was nearsighted, and now suddenly I am farsighted!
I thought I was going crazy, but apparently this is actually a possible (though not particularly common) side effect of a sudden spike and drop in blood sugar; the temporary switch from near to farsightedness. It can last anywhere from a few days to 6 weeks, and then my vision should return to how it was, I'll be nearsighted again. It's really the strangest experience, everything being so clear. Of course, it's also really awful. I had to buy a pair of cheapo Wallgreen's reading glasses, and my eyes still feel very tired. Anyway, it was just so strange I had to share!
I'm glad you're feeling better now though.
