Fit and healthy woman’s diabetes diagnosis ‘made no sense’—her colorblindness uncovered a scary revelation
It is crucial to advocate for one’s health and well-being and encourage others to be alert too. A mom named Rachel Hyman was confused when she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, The Washington Post reported. Despite being fit and healthy, she couldn’t understand why her blood sugar kept rising and the diagnosis wasn’t satisfying. After multiple diets, medication and whatnot, the woman started experiencing colorblindness. It paved the way to uncover a shocking revelation. Hyman mentioned that she had a history of gestational diabetes, which commonly develops during pregnancy, per Mayo Clinic.
For two out of three of her pregnancies, the gestational diabetes went away after delivery. After she gave birth to her third child, she noticed her blood sugar count didn’t drop. She decided to take more health precautions. She adopted a careful diet, including lots of salads, and did everything to control her count. For some reason, the number continued to rise, eventually placing her in the prediabetic zone. Hyman was “frustrated” by trying every possible precaution for months. Despite asking doctors for time to turn around the spike, nothing seemed to work and she was given a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. “I was really upset. I just didn’t fit the profile of someone with Type 2 diabetes,” she remarked.
According to Mayo Clinic, this type was once called adult-onset diabetes. It happens when the body cannot use insulin properly and sugar builds up. Prolonging the condition can cause problems with the eyes, heart and kidneys. Hymna’s husband, Garrett, a sports and spine doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, also wasn’t able to understand her diagnosis. “I always thought Rachel’s diabetes didn’t make sense. She was eating better than anyone,” he explained. The mom began taking medication to control the count, but soon found herself in another health dilemma. Hyman was struggling to identify colors.
Her vision got worse, pushing her to visit an ophthalmologist. There, she did a test where it was noted she was “severely color deficient.” Hyman visited the Swedish Hospital in Seattle and met Bonnie Keung, a neuropathologist. The specialist discovered that the woman’s optic nerves were pale and advised her to get an MRI in case of a mass in her brain. “I was scared they’d find something no one was looking for,” the mom recalled. From being misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the spectrum of the diagnosis was broadening with every doctor’s visit. Fortunately, the MRI was clear, but the genetic tests revealed something distressing.
Hyman had a rare condition called “Wolfram syndrome.” It is a rare genetic disorder that first affects blood sugar, vision and eventually causes the degeneration of the brain, per the Cleveland Clinic. “This was not good, and I was scared and confused,” Hyman recalled. She wondered if she’d completely lose her sight or if the condition would affect her life and eventually become fatal.
She met with Fumihiko Urano, a medical geneticist professor and director of the Wolfram Syndrome and Related Disorders Clinic at BJC HealthCare. He gave her some good news — she had a milder variant of the Wolfram Syndrome. She has begun treatment and supplements and the hope is that the condition can be managed in the long run without making her symptoms worse. “A diagnosis for people is peace of mind, even if it’s a terrible thing. Without it, I’d still be treated like I have Type 2 diabetes, which isn’t what I have,” she remarked.
