This young girl has an amazing attitude when it comes to managing her Diabetes. Does a positive attitude play a role in your daily management?
Kennedy. Beckman sophomore
By Caitlin Kennedy, Dyersville Beckman sophomore
Mar 25, 2016 at 3:34 pm | Print View
DYERSVILLE — You know that feeling you get when you’re sitting in a doctor’s office and are about to get a shot or finger prick? How your stomach feels queasy and your heart races? How you hate getting a couple of shots every few years?
As a Type-1 diabetic, I can only wish I didn’t have to face this reality each and everyday. I can only wish that instead of five shots and eight finger pricks every day, it would only be an annual occurrence.
That’s a refreshing story about how a young woman accepted and learned from her diabetes instead of denying it and practicing self-defeating behaviors. I agree with her. Diabetes can help people mature in life. And not just young people!
My daughter is pretty diligent about her D-care and, overall, has a positive attitude. That being said, I think everyone experiences those days when they become just sick and tired of needing to do all of the constant and ongoing things that go into taking good care of their diabetes. Every once in a while, my daughter still has one of those episodes in which she cries and curses the fates for giving her diabetes. And it breaks my heart when I hear her say things like “You know what I hate most about my Type 1? That I can never be really naked again. Even when I swim or take a bath I have these [points to her Pod and Dexcom sensor/transmitter] stuck to me.” Whenever my daughter has one of these (non-blood-sugar) lows, I make sure I don’t encourage her to “look on the bright side”, e.g. remind her that she’s had access to this incredible D technology since she was diagnosed, doesn’t have a disease that truly restricts her from participating in the activities that she enjoys, etc. Instead, I try to validate her feelings by acknowledging that having D does suck big-time and that it’s totally unfair that she can no longer live her life unfettered by all of the responsibilities that taking care of her Type 1 entails, unlike her non-D friends. I tell her that I can only imagine what it must feel like to be her, to have D, and I remind her that if there was a way to take her Type 1 from her and place it in my body, I would do so without hesitation. I tell her how proud I am of her, how much I look up to her, and how, when I sometimes feel overwhelmed by balancing work and being a single parent, I remind myself of how well she “keeps on keeping on” and how this thought gives me the mojo I need to continue doing what I need to do. My 13 year-old daughter is my hero.
and that is EXACTLY what you need to do. you are awesome! being told to look on the bright side when having a crap D day is not what anyone needs to hear!
Nice. You’re extending empathy instead of sympathy. As a typical man relating to other important people in my life, I’ve often taken the stance of trying to fix the problem, when all I really needed to do was acknowledge it. The linked video, in a few short minutes, demonstrates profound wisdom. I’ve posted this on TuD recently; sorry for the repetition but it’s well done.
