Although it is not the famous vampire Lestat that menaced her, the creator of the famous vampire character, Anne Rice, is haunted by a monster of her own, diabetes. The author of the Vampire Chronicles, had good reason to feel trepidation when she discovered that she had type 1 diabetes, the disease almost killed her.
Her battle with death occurred in 1998. She had been dealing with some unexplained health issues that had baffled her doctors. She was experiencing cramps after meals and had inexplicably begun to lose weight. “It was bizarre,” she confessed in an interview, “because I had been overweight all my adult life.” Then one morning she woke up, with a throbbing headache and difficulty breathing. Her husband called 911 and by the time an ambulance arrived, she had already fallen into a coma and was on the verge of death.
Her battle with death occurred in 1998. She had been dealing with some unexplained health issues that had baffled her doctors.
When Rice finally opened her eyes, her hubbie gave her the news. She was a diabetic. Following her diagnosis, she had difficulty getting back into the swing of writing. “I was sitting at the computer, and trying to write, and the simplest descriptions were impossible for me. I simply couldn’t find the words,” But she lost more than 100 pounds, learned to eat small meals, cut down on her carbs, Rice told ABC news. It took a while but she gradually got back into the swing of writing.
These days, Rice is on top of her ailment, checking her blood sugar four times a day and giving herself shots of insulin. She credits her slimmer frame and improved health to diabetes, confessing that like a vampire who return from the dead, she is grateful for a second shot at life. Since her diagnosis she continues to speak out about the disease, hoping to spread awareness to ensure that others don’t ignore the symptoms. “If you think there’s any chance that you might have diabetes, for God’s sake, go get the blood-sugar test,” Rice said. “It’s a simple test. There’s nothing to it. Absolutely nothing.”
