10 Ways I Know I Have Diabetes

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1

This just went up on the Huffington Post and I thought it worth sharing as you will definitely "get it." Enjoy, and if you want, I'd love to hear how you know you have diabetes.

No, I'm not going to give you the typical symptoms like thirst, peeing a lot, losing weight, blurry vision and fatigue. I'm going to give you my 10 ways I know I have diabetes. Those 10 things I find myself doing only because I have diabetes.

1. I find myself screaming, "How many carbs are in that pancake? You don't know?! Can I see the box?!?" My day is filled with stuff ordinary people never think about.

2. Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t! (and really I don't usually curse) I wasn't going to walk this morning because they predicted rain and now the sun is out! Walk? Don't walk? Will I risk going low? Will I then have to eat when the last thing I want to do is burn calories only to have to eat more? Damn! How many other people beat themselves up for wanting to take a walk?

3. I am afflicted with a terrorist torture -- sleep deprivation. "I'm so tired, can't I just lie here and fall asleep?" No, gotta get up, go into the kitchen and stick a needle in my finger to check my blood sugar." Sunday morning replay: "I'm so sleepy, can't I just lie here just a little longer? It's only 6:45 a.m. for goodness' sake." No, gotta get up and stick a needle in my finger, and then two more to take my insulin.

4. "Hmmm... That's a cute designer diabetes accessory. It would carry all my syringes, vials, test strips." God, did I really say that? I want out of this club, never mind the cute accessories.

5. Wiping blood off my counter, my cupboard, my shirt -- yuck, my food -- with absolutely no notice, hesitation or dismay.

6. "When's dinner? When? You sure? Really? You're sure?"

7. Glucerna has a cereal for diabetics -- a product just for us. Hmmm, I notice there an "us." I don't really want to know there's an "us." Yet now people with diabetes are worthy of marketer's attention. Right up there with Lexus drivers.

8. How often do I really have to go to my endocrinologist? I just found a prescription to get lab work done from July 30, 2011. Oops.

9. Sneaking lunch into a noon movie, no sweat. Taking my shot in the dark, not so easy. Last time, I think I stuck the guy next to me.

10. I just checked my blood sugar and forgot the number! Alzheimer's? Dementia? Is it really true that lows cause dementia? Who cares, now I have to do it again!!

2

Thanks for sharing!

3

Riva, may I just applaude you on your list. I especially like #9 where you tried to inject in the dark and got the person next to you…lol. You should read the post where another member was trying to give themselves a glucagon shot…with low sugar (yeah I know, why else) in the dark…alone. The first time the wife had to try to give me one she didn’t realize that those vials have a nice little plastic cap on them. It’s a little tough sticking the needle through that thing let me tell ya. She did finally figure it out.

I used to do primitive camping and had to do many an injection by fire light and candle light. That is as close to in the dark that I ever was. I will call that close enough.

Thanks for sharing.

4

Oh there's nothing like D humor that only we can understand! :) Thanks for making me chuckle today!

And, yes, I've tried testing and taking an injection in the dark at the movies...near impossible! And I thought I was the only one who has had to retest because I couldn't remember the number! Funny funny.

brokenpole, I so feel for your wife on the cap on the vial in the glucagon kit. Made me smile except I could also feel her panic (I know I would have been). :)

5

haha that's great. Loved #2 and 3 especially. Thanks, lived up my day, Riva. : )

6

I've heard myself exclaim No. 1 more times than I can count. Another version is, "it didn't seem to have that many carbs in it yesterday!"

7

Yes, we all belong to the club you wanted want to belong to, but it's nice to have company who "get it" ;-)

8

That was "you wouldn't want to belong to"...

9

5 and 6 hits me sooooo good! LOL!

10

It's nice to be able to say, "I felt like a truck hit me after that 24" and have someone understand immediately what that feeling is. When you say it to civilians, I just don't think they have the correct understanding of how big that truck feels. :)

11

Love this blog! I can so relate! Number 2 is a statement I relate to every day of my life, except I run. One I often think of everyday is, separation anxiety from my meter! And diabetes, the new form of self mutilation! Just some funnies!lol,!

12

Hahahahahaha! :D Wow, I can relate to most of the things on the list! This made my day. Thanks for posting! :)