Well, tomorrow Novermber 14th is World Diabetes Day. You know, I haven't given much thought to this day much in the past. But let's face it... diabetes is in my thoughts EVERY SINGLE DAY.
It was 18 years ago this month that my mom took me to the doctor. His name was Dr. Valentine. I always thought that was a funny name when I was a kid. My mom was worried because I was peeing all the time. Seriously, they took me to Disneyland and I had to stop at every bathroom. I would come home from school starving and down a bowl or two of ice cream, but I was losing weight. SO... she made me an appointment. She told the doctor her concerns and he reassured her that I was probably just fine and looked like a normal skinny 11 year old, but he would test my blood sugar anyway to make her feel better. Looking back at my school pictures that year, my typically full cheeks looked sunken in and my bones were popping out like no other time in my life. I weighed 61 pounds. Later that night my mom got a phone call from the doctor. She left the room to talk to him and then handed the phone to me. I could see her crying which scared me. The doctor explained to me that my blood tests came back showing I had Juvenile Diabetes (aka type 1 diabetes) and I would need to go to Primary Children's Hospital first thing in the morning. I really didn't know what this meant but I said okay. We were all scared, but we spent the night playing games as a family and enjoying the time we had all knowing our life was about to change one way or another.
My time at the children's hospital involved a lot of education. I learned how to give myself shots. I learned how to test my blood. The nurses would come into my room multiple times a night to test my blood sugar. They had to feel a small tube of blood back then so would squeeze my finger until it went completely numb.
I knew my life had changed, but I was okay with that. I knew I could handle it and I would. Really I had no other choice so figured why not make the best of it. On a side note, once starting insulin I got back up to a healthy weight up 90lbs!
Getting diabetes has very much formed who I am today. I have worked very hard to manage my diabetes well, knowing my whole life that I wanted to be a mom and knew I needed to stay healthy so I could be. I started running when I was young. Partly because I knew it would be good for my health, partly because I was determined to prove that my diabetes would not stop me from doing anything. I ran cross country and track all through high school and college. I like to think it hasn't stopped me from doing anything.
I learned quickly that I wanted to help others, especially with circumstances similar to my own. I loved my doctors and nurses who truly knew what it was like to have diabetes. They had a different touch to their care. I wanted to be like them. I started working long ago towards becoming a diabetes educator. While I'm yet to be certified (you have to have 1000 hours before you can take the test), this last year I finally landed my first job working as a diabetes educator :).
Most the time my diabetes is just part of my daily life and I don't think much of it. Sometimes I think how much easier life would be without it. Some days are really hard. Not just for me, but also for my family. They have to put up with the high's and low's just like I do. They also deal with the financial burden. My mother used to put some much time and energy into planning my meals and counting the carbohydrates for me. She was always prepared and had to save me a couple times from some dangerously low blood sugars. I'm so very blessed though. Not once have I heard my parents, siblings, or my husband complain.
Most people have no idea what is actually involved when caring for diabetes. It involves A LOT of calculations and adjustments and planning. LOW blood sugars are dangerous... it alters your mental level so driving or anything else involving concentration is not safe. If it's not treated with a snack, it could be fatal. HIGH blood sugars can lead to devastating long term effects. Pregnancy is stressful because high blood sugars create all kinds of risk factors for your unborn child. High blood sugars (long term) lead to kidney disease, retinopathy, nerve damage, heart disease... the list goes on. High blood sugars short term if untreated can lead to a coma, brain damage, and can be fatal. Everything effects your blood sugar. Not just what you eat, although that definitely does. You have to count every carbohydrate you eat and take insulin for it, but that doesn't always work. Sometimes your pump site starts going bad, so you don't get all the insulin you think you do. Sometimes insulin works faster and more effectively depending on WHERE you inject it. The timing of when you eat effects your blood sugar. Stress makes your blood sugar rise. Exercise lowers your blood sugar. Want to walk to the neighbors house? Sure, but you'd better pack a snack! Some exercise, like lifting weights and sprinting, can raise your blood sugar. Fatty foods, like pizza, can raise your blood sugar for hours. The list goes on but I'm sure you get the point. It's complicated.
I'm not writing this because I want sympathy, because truly I do not. I'm very grateful for all aspects of my life and everything I have learned. What I do want is for people to UNDERSTAND the disease. I want the stigma gone. I'm tired of the statistics. I don't like hearing "oh they are just a non-compliant diabetic". There are so many reasons why diabetics might appear "non compliant". Some people just really have a hard time managing it. Some haven't found the right resources to help them do so the right way. Some can't afford the right medical care to manage it as they should. Don't judge them when you see them grab a cookie and call them "noncompliant". Maybe you think they just don't care, and maybe they don't. But if they don't maybe we should ask why. Diabetics can have candy too, even safely so when done the right way with the right medicine, so don't jump to conclusions. You don't even have to question them... "Aren't you diabetic? Can you have that?" Speaking from experience here, I can assure you that Diabetics don't actually need to be reminded that they are diabetic.
Alright, enough said. I digress. Here is what I ask, with tomorrow being World Diabetes Day, I'm asking you all to wear blue in support of all those you know (or don't know) who fight the ups and downs of this disease every day. I would love to see Facebook flood with pictures of people wearing blue tomorrow!
