The day they discovered I had an eating disorder

I have type 1 diabetes. I had not been to the doctor in quite awhile. My friend Glynda and my husband encouraged/made me go to a free clinic they were holding at the local hospital. They were checking blood glucose, eyes, feet, blood pressure, etc. I was trucking right along when I got to the blood pressure/heart rate station. Suddenly I was asked to sit down by the nurse, my pulse rate was 183. I didn't know what it was supposed to be but she was concerned enough to call the head of nursing over. I was placed in a wheelchair and taken to the emergency room. The nurse that was taking me had broken her arm, so the head of nursing pushed my chair. Her name was Avis, and meeting her was another turning point in my life. They left me in the ER and the doctors checked me out. A few minutes later while I was waiting for my husband to get there, Avis came back. She said she was worried about my eating. I denied any problem, and it went back and forth for a few minutes until I broke down and admitted I had a problem. It seems that while pushing me down to the ER in the wheelchair she touched my shoulder and knew that I had a problem. Her daughter had recently been released from an eating disorder treatment center. She could tell by the feel of my bony shoulder.

I was admitted to the hospital that day for heart monitoring and for referral to a treatment center. She visited me many times during that stay, and I saw her one other time while I lived there. Her grandkids went to my sons' school. I have never seen her since, but still think of Avis as an angel sent to start me on my road to recovery. I am eternally grateful, but wouldn't have admitted it at the time.