Detailing with Diabetes

[Derrick]

About 6 months ago I started to feel sick. It started on a Sunday and for about a week and a half I stayed in bed hoping to get better. It was strange, I was always thirsty and going to the bathroom all the time.

On Tuesday night, I started losing the feeling in my hands and feet and that's when I started getting a little concerned. The next day I started to feel like I was blacking out, so I called my wife at work and told her to bring me to the hospital.

At the hospital they did blood work and found that my blood sugar level was well over 600. The normal range should be less than 200, closer to 100. I was given a shot of insulin and eventually put on pills to control my blood sugar level. I was told to go to an eye doctor and get my eyes checked, but I didn't.

I already have eye problems so I was too scared to get examed and get more bad news that my sight is damaged. Fortunately that was not the case. Last week the doctor told me, my optic nerves are not damaged.

My detailing routine is being totally redone. Without the feelings in my hands, I have had to abandon the use of my rotary. I can't tell exactly how much pressure I'm applying to the machine which increases the chance of burning the paint. The doctor said it would take about a year for the feeling to come back in my hands so all I can do is wait before using the rotary again. I now use a da to do all paint corrections, which means it takes much longer to complete a detail. This has really hurt my family and finances.

Right now my wife and I am trying to find ways that will make work around my physical limitations and make my details top of the line. Hopefully in 6 months my nerves will have totally healed and I can go back to finishing a detail in a decent amount of time but that means a whole detailing season will be performed at half speed.

If you have any tidbits on speeding up the detailing process please post them here. :cheers:

Thanks for the information,
Diabetic Derrick

[tcollins33]

I don't have any tidbits to make the process go faster, but I absolutely wish you the best of luck with your health!!!!

[bige441]

sorry to hear about the bad news. If detailing is still tops on your list maybe switching to a flex might speed up the process. I personally have not used one yet, but hear good things about it.

[dublifecrisis]

Derrick-Your health is the most important aspect and I know you know that already. And so does your family. I wish you the best in your recovery.
Have you read about this 'Kevin Brown (KB method) regarding M105/M205 using a DA? Quite a few well respected pros are using it regularly and leaving their rotary back on the shelf. Personally I am just an amateur and I only use a DA but it was cool to see the PC getting some props again from the pros.

At least it sounds to be only temporary so maybe in the end you'll gain something out of this different route.

Again-best of luck to you and your family.

[YankeeFan]

That is an unbelievable story. Did the drs tell you the nerve endings will eventaully come back after getting your sugar under control? There are an estimated 10-12 million Type II diabetics out there that just don't know it. I've been Type I since '85 and still going strong. All I can suggest is test your blood often (I do 3-5 times a day) and keep your sugar as close to normal as possible between 70-140. Good luck!!!

Howard

[Totoland Mach]

Derrick: I've been diabetic for 20+ years and found there are tons of methods to control it while you are detailing.

You might have to try small steps in order to see which ones work and are able to keep your b/g under control. Working in an environment that is too hot taxes my bod and I have to take frequent breaks.

Are you going to take insulin? I use Lantus and also take Metformin pills for control.

You might want to invest in a good software program. I use Diabetic Diary (Google it for current pricing) and it will keep a good set of records/graphs for charting your blood sugar levels, diet, exercise, etc...really helps to see what's going on. The doc's also like me to bring my graphs to office visits (geeks that they are).

The single most important thing I've learned is to discipline your lifestyle and find a routine that works for you.

After you figure that out...detail away!

Toto

[Wendell Jarvis]

Derrick, Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, my brother about 4 months ago was diagnosed for Diabetes, he had the exact same symptoms that you described, my empathy goes out to you, don't have any recommendations on speeding up the detail process but I felt compelled to let you know that there are people in this world that you have and maybe never will meet, but care about your well being.....try to take control of the diabetes and not let it control you....I know its easy for me to say that, but don't let it rule your life. God bless you and your health and that you will prosper with your detailing business. Take care.

[Derrick]

Thanks for your support everybody.

bige441- I have a da. The only thing is it takes much longer to do paint correction with it. Right now the flex is a little out of my budget. Plus my pad are mostly Edge2000 pads, won't fit the flex.

Dublifecrisis- I tried reading about the KB Method, but from the pieces I have read you need to use a rotary. If that's how it works I can't use it until my hands are better.

YankeeFan- The doctor said my hands should become normal again within a year or so. At the time of my hospital stay my AC1 was 11.5 it is now 6.3. Much better than it was.

Totoland Mach - I was taking metformin at 2000 mg a day now at 1000. So things are getting better.

Wendell Jarvis - Encourage your brother. When I was first diagnosed I became depressed. I know one of my diabetic classmates who says he cannot continue living this way. It something you have to learn to live with. Support from friends and family will make adjusting to living with diabetes much easier.

Once again thanks for the kind words of support everybody.
:cheers: Cheers with a Zero Carb Drink!

Derrick

[ss-truck]

My diabeties runs up and down with no warning . so far I have not gotten it under control , even taking pills as recommended by the doctor . The sense of touch in your hands is called neuropathy and can also go into your feet . I have it in my hands and feet . Please be careful and keep a very close watch on your situation . It can cause damage to your kidneys too . Again be careful .

[Hashimon]

Derrick, I was just like you thirsty all the time and going to the bathroom. When I was diagnosed I was around 300 (from what I remember). That was a couple of years ago. The best thing the Drs did was send me to a dietician. She explained how many carbs I could have per meal. For me it's 60g of carbs. I am supposed to eat every two hours. Basically breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. The meals are 60g of carbs and the snack should be no more than 20g for me. For me they had me checking my blood sugar twice a day. First thing in the morning and then 2 hrs after lunch one day, then first thing in the morning the next and checking my blood sugar 2hrs after dinner, then first thing in the morning and then 2 hrs after breakfast. You repeat that cycle and write it down in a log book. This way when you see the doctor you show them the book and they have a visual representation of what's going on with your diabetes. And you should check your blood sugar levels at 2hrs after you start eating. Any sooner or later will give a reading that is not indicative of how your body is processing the glucose.

Sorry this was so long but when you first find out you have diabetes and have all these questions, now is the time to get the answers.

If you have any more questions, just pm me.

Good luck and drink lots of water and exercise!

Glenn

[Hashimon]

Derrick,
One more thing. If you're used to wearing sandals when you're just hanging out...don't. When you're diabetic you start to lose circulation in your extremities...hands and feet. You could stub your toe and not even know you're injured and with the reduced circulation it could take a L-O-N-G time to heal if it heals at all. I scraped my leg and what would normally heal in a couple of weeks took about 3 months. It was like the scab wouldn't form. It took so long I was thinking about going to the doctor just for that. Plus I got a big scar on my leg just from a scrape.
Glenn

[Derrick]

My diabeties runs up and down with no warning . so far I have not gotten it under control , even taking pills as recommended by the doctor . The sense of touch in your hands is called neuropathy and can also go into your feet . I have it in my hands and feet . Please be careful and keep a very close watch on your situation . It can cause damage to your kidneys too . Again be careful .

Mike,
Your diet, exercise and medication are the three most important things you must focus on when you have diabetes. You need to start carb counting if you are doing everything else correctly.

Take Care of Yourself,
Derrick

[caddolicious]

It is nice to see such a caring online community. However, his condition should be a warning to all the pro detailers who work long days.

My friend, there's one other thing to watch out for when using powered tools. Vibration induced hand injuries are common in many industries. Essentially (much abbreviated), the vibration frequency of the powered hand tool can cause an eflux of blood from the fingers and hands. This results in a condition known as Reynaud's white finger. Some chain saw operators have lost their fingers over a few years due to lack of blood flow (and not the chain saw itself, ironically). Second, the vibration of the tools also interfere with your sensory system's ability to measure its own grip strength. This causes excessive muscle use and similar white finger conditions.

Now with your Diabetes, you have to be extra careful as your blood can be extra viscous and thus not enter the capillaries in your fingers as easily. This, coupled with the eflux of blood from chronic power tool usage can create highly detrimental circulatory conditions in your hand. So my advice would be:

1) Minimize use of powered tools, hand jobbies for all wax applications.
2) Take a 10 minute break for every 30 minutes of continuous power tool usage. During this time perform hand exercises to increase circulation in the hand.
3) Wear textured gloves. Essentially stickier surfaces minimize the amount of grip force needed to hold an object. They can also buffer vibration forces and keep the hands warm to improve circulation.

Best of luck. Monitor the colour of your finger nails frequently to ensure they stay fleshy coloured and don't turn white.

[tempter927]

Derrick, I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I have heard that the M105/m205 purple wool pad "kevin brown" method really speeds up the process and in general m105 seems to be a quality polish.

[Derrick]

Hashimon,
The first thing my doctor did was get me into a two week diabetes class. We learned counting carbs so that we do not carb overload which will cause our blood sugar to spike too high. We were also taught how a high blood sugar level can cause your blood to flow like syrup. That's what caused my neuropathy. When my blood sugar was over well 600 my blood was about as thick as molasses. That almost killed me. My blood sugar is under control now so all I have to wait on is the feeling in my fingers to return.

I have been using gel filled gloves for years which stops the damage caused by vibration so that's why having full feeling in my hands(fingertips) is so important. I need to know exactly how much force I'm applying so I don't damage anything.

Thanks again,
Derrick