Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Happy DiAnniversary!

Happy DiAnniversay to me! On July 30, 1993 I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes (IDDM).Where have the last 20 years gone? In my life I have now had diabetes LONGER than without it.

A celebratory massive keg of Diet Moke is in my future today, and hopefully a cake with butter cream frosting. Which, off topic a bit, reminds me of one of my favorite quotes about diabetes, from the immortal Homer Simpson, which goes something like "...and I am one slice of Snickers pie away from losing my foot to diabetes! Mmmm....Snickers pie! [drooling]"  Some things ARE totally worth it! Which makes me think a pecan pie slice might be more apropos....I know the carb count, of course. :)

Anyway, how has diabetes changed me and my life? What have I learned? I could write a novel about this, but naptime for my kidlets is only so long and I really want to post this TODAY, since it is a day of note.

Honestly, when I was diagnosed I thought it wouldn't be THAT big of a deal. After reading "The Baby Sitter's Club" books I was a little scared because one of the characters had "brittle diabetes" and described testing her urine for sugar and not even being able to eat processed cheese. But then we had a family friend who was know to "cheat" on her "diabetic diet,"so I thought I would be able to get by. Luckily, I was right. :)

Sure, diabetes is a BIG deal and it requires a lot of concentration and work. There are days when I am  FRUSTRATED with the ups and downs (pun FULLY intended) of Type 1 and I am fed up with dealing with insurance companies and meeting huge deductibles within a few months and patronizing and/or ignorant health care providers. I am, however, blessed to have never felt sorry for myself or wonder "why me?" My philosophy is such that I know everyone has their respective trials or difficult things to go through in life. One of mine happens to be IDDM.

Educating myself has been the most crucial part of living with IDDM. The more I know and understand, the better I can handle it (even though it occasionally doesn't seem to matter because my body seems to be a rebellious two year old who wants to do her own thing). And how lucky am I to be living in a time when medical technology is so amazing? Heck, I still love that my glucose meter only takes 5 seconds, since for half of my diabetic life I had a dinosaur machine which took a huge drop of blood and 45 seconds to read. And I won't even get started extolling the benefits of my pump and continuous glucose monitor. AND---things will only be getting better! Love those diabetes researchers.

I have learned the supernal nature of Diet Moke and fully incorporated it into my life.

I need to become better at hiding my diabetes supplies and pump tubing from my small children. Who knew how fascinating a drawer full of test strips and pump supplies can be? Let alone my pump tubing! In all honesty though, I did, once during a memorable grocery shopping trip, give my pump to my baby in an effort to keep him occupied (because of course, the toys and snacks I brought were not fun enough). It worked for about 4 minutes, which made me thank my lucky stars I was diabetic and had such an interesting diversion.

I now know  the best way to prepare for most diabetes emergency eventualities (although keeping my extra vial of emergency insulin cool in the car in the summer is still tricky), and only require a modest size suitcase to accommodate everything.  For example,I have learned to keep an emergency syringe and a vial of insulin at homes where I are a frequent visitor, just in case the emergency insulin I keep in my tester in my purse runs out or gets too hot. Also, to take the tester with extra insulin with me at all times, just in case my pump tubing happens to be eaten by a goat at the zoo and I have to trek out to my minivan with two upset children in tow.

I have learned to have a sense of humor (most of the time) about diabetes and the various reactions it evokes.

I am STILL learning how to have good control without being low all the time. I HATE being low and having to have extra calories regardless of my appetite. Having juice or a snack before working out just seems counterproductive, and when I am low I don't feel like I can be efficient or productive. Cramming glucose tablets into my mouth while lecturing a full classroom is not on my list of favorite professional experiences. Being high is awful too, of course, but I feel like I can soldier on a bit better when I am at the higher end of the range than the lower end. Yeah....have to work at that.


I definitely have to learn about how to not leave tiny blood spots all over my habitat (i.e., steering wheel, sheets, small children, etc.), and how to corral those rouge test strips from taking over the world. Although I can argue that I am leaving my mark on the world.

So...whenever your DiAnniversary is (or your loved one's), may you continue to learn and grow with this challenge. You can do it!

1 comment:

  1. Chronic illnesses change your life, no doubt. It's an example to me, the way you face it with such a positive attitude.

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