Today's prompt: The 30 days of diabetes blog prompt is about diabetes in the news.
Today is Diabetes Blog Day. I would say that when the majority of the diabetes online community blogs about diabetes all in one day...that is quite newsworthy. You should take a minute to head on over to Diabetes Talk Fest and see the massive number of links to other diabetes bloggers who have chosen to blog today about 6 things they want everyone to know about diabetes!
Six things I want you to know about diabetes...
1. Type I is not just a kid's disease. I was diagnosed with "juvenile" diabetes (Type 1) at age 26. People older and younger than me have been diagnosed with Type 1 as well. Anyone at any age can be diagnosed with Type I or Type II.
2. You do not get Type I from eating too much sugar, being overweight, or any other combination of these things. It is not my fault I have diabetes, I could not have prevented it...no one can. Type I is an autoimmune disease. In other words, my immune system attacked my insulin producing cells in my pancreas. Since my pancreas can no longer produce insulin, I have to mimic as close as possible what my pancreas would do with insulin via an insulin pump.
3. Insulin is NOT A CURE. Sure, injecting insulin allows me to live, but it is not a cure. I still have diabetes. Insulin is a treatment, not a cure. Using insulin via injection or insulin pump does not mean I have really bad diabetes and it doesn't mean I have bad control. Insulin is what I use to stay alive. Simple as that.
4. If you have questions about diabetes please ask. I would rather you ask me a question than for you to have misinformation about the disease. There are so many misconceptions about this disease. Nothing hurts my feelings more than for people to rely on misconceptions and falsehoods instead of asking someone who knows firsthand about the disease. Please ask me if you are not sure!
5. I can eat sugar and carbs and whatever I want. Please treat me as a normal person making normal choices about my food and let me do the rest. I choose to eat low carb and avoid most sugary foods, but this does not mean I cannot eat those things. I have the ability to eat anything a non-diabetic can, I just may have different consequences if I don't take enough insulin or manage my blood sugar well. And, just because I ate pasta or a brownie yesterday doesn't mean I wont or can't eat it today. When I turn down food, sometimes it is because of my diabetes, but sometimes it is because I don't want what is offered. Food is completely variable on my mood and what my blood sugar is doing. I can never predict what I will be able to eat and I sure don't expect others to.
6. Dealing with diabetes is harder than you can ever imagine. Managing this disease takes time and strength. Some days I don't have the time or strength. Diabetes doesn't go away, I can't push it aside and forget about it. It is emotionally draining. It is always there in my thoughts, no matter what I am doing. I think about it when I exercise, eat, sleep, and even when I am relaxing. Sometimes it keeps me from doing things I love. It creates anxiety when I plan trips, outings, meals, and holidays. When I am invited to a party or a get-together, concert, show, game, etc....my first thought is what is there going to be for me to eat, should I bring my own food, what is my blood sugar doing? What if there is not anything I can eat....what if my blood sugar drops low, what if it goes high? Multitasking is now my forte. Every minute of every day it is in my thoughts. It has to be, I wish I could take it all away but I can't, so I live with it and that makes me happy...living.
so i love love love what you are sharing. and today 5 and 6 resonate with me because this is how i feel about the foods that we cannot have due to the food allergies of my children. with your permission i would like to copy your paragraphs and change diabetes to dairy etc.
ReplyDeletei'm here with you! on the days you don't feel strong. i'm here with you. if you need me that is.