Book review: Shot: Staying Alive with Diabetes by Amy F. Ryan
I recently read a book that from the time I sat down and began to read, I couldn’t put it down! I ended up staying up way too late just to read as much as I could. The story was very compelling. It is not only the autobiography of Amy Ryan’s life but also details her new life with type 1 diabetes having been misdiagnosed as type 2 due to her age at the time she sought the medical advice of her doctor. She was 29 years old and had been healthy up until this point but an unrelenting yeast infection was her presenting symptom. She writes of how her life was turned upside down trying to navigate the treatment plan she was given that didn’t seem to be working due to her misdiagnosis.
What I really like is that she is able to put into words the daily struggle to manage diabetes and to live life to its fullest despite all of the effort required to truly manage this disease. And, she doesn’t shy away from telling about the times she’s struggled with burnout.
As a young woman, Amy tackles the issues related to deciding how to administer the insulin that she needs to survive, including issues with intimacy and the insulin pump, what a successful pregnancy needs her to add to an already full management schedule every day. And, she’s not shy when she writes about her own emotional struggles and how to share that part of diabetes with those closest to her.
I thoroughly recommend this book, especially to young women and men who are diagnosed as adults with diabetes. And, although her story is about type 1 and what it entailed for her, I believe it pertains to any form of diabetes.
Recently, a close friend of mine had a number of questions about my daily life as compared to my life before my T1D diagnosis. I gave her a copy of Amy’s book for her to read. This friend had very limited knowledge of diabetes in general and we were able to discuss the book together and then my daily management tools I use to live my life as healthy as possible. It started the discussion for us, and I believe it can help others start the discussion with the people who care about them.
The book written by Amy F Ryan is, Shot: Staying Alive with Diabetes, published by Hudson Whitman, Excelsior College Press, Albany, NY, copy write 2013.
This review is my own. I have not been asked nor have I been paid to write this. I just love the book and wanted to share it with others who could gain something personal by reading it.
Remember…CHECK! DON’T GUESS!!