Hi all. With tomorrow being the first of the year and that being my B-day and D-anniversary all in the same day. I just wanted to know what do you all do to mark your d-anniversary. Do you treat it as any other day? Do you do something special on that day? This will mark my 11th year with diabetes. The other 10 years when my b-day has come around I have pretty much been the worse person to be around because it reminded me of the day I was told "Missy you hve type 1 diabetes" and ended the fun that I was having.
This year I am thinking of doing something different.
I would like to hear what you all do? Or don't do?
For many years I didn’t do anything for my d-anniversary. In the past five or so years since I’ve started taking more of an interest in diabetes I have tended to write something in my (semi-private) blog about it, usually a Type 1 diabetes awareness sort of piece. Offline, though, I don’t do anything to mark the date and some years completely forget about it until a few days later.
I am thinking I might do something special this coming year, though, because it will mark 20 years of Type 1 diabetes with no complications (assuming nothing pops up between now and then) and also my 30th birthday two months later. I’m thinking of travelling somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, or something similar.
nope. It doesn’t matter, it just is. I still remember not so much being annoyed at having a ghastly disease but feeling better than I had while I was un-dx’ed.
I usually write a letter to my diabetes (either post it as a blog post or keep it private depending on how I'm feeling) and let my diabetes know how I am feeling and usually try to focus on the struggles that I have overcome rather than comparing with my life before diabetes.
I have the same feeling as you that I should mark the day in some way, but I don't know quite what to do except to celebrate the struggles that we overcome!
You found out you had D on your B-day Missy? Ugh, that is horrible! So Sorry!. And on a holiday too!
To me it seems like the good thing - your B-day- should trump the dreaded D-anniversary. I haven't even had my one year yet and I think I will be relucant to call it an "anniversary" because those are supposed to be happy, right? So is your b-day. For me, my b-day is the one day where it is ALL about me. If I am working I try to take off work and do what I want - whatever that might be (normally ends up being shopping - I go and buy something for myself). I hope you don't let your D-anniversary ruin your B-day and make it something more positive. You have been alive longer than you have had D - so B-day wins out in my opinion since you have had them longer! :)
I know what I DON'T plan on doing - is being all mournful about it when the day comes (Feb 26) - I will never forget it of course and I am sure I will think about it on that day - but I think I am more apt to look at how far I have come and how much I have gone through more than get all depressed about (at least not for the whole day!). I plan to treat myself honestly - not to really celebrate that I have it but more to turn the day around and turn around the supposed "depression" of it. I figure I deserve it and so do all of us for what we have to put up with on a daily basis. We made it through another year with this - we deserve some present, medal, award -anything!
Weird for you since Jan 1 is a day when lots of people do a lot of reflecting on the past and we D peeps tend to do that alot when it comes to our disease all year. I know you haven't had a good year. When that happens, I read that you are supposed to treat the old year like you have walked through a passage to the new year and the old years "door" gets locked behind you. This could be something you can do for your "end of D year" too. This "diabetic year" is over and you did your best and you are still here! And you will do the same the next year whatever comes your way! You should be proud of yourself and reward yourself and have some chocolate! :)
Anyhow, this is more how I plan on treating mine - reflection and reward. :) I will probably put a blog up to talk about it but I am not going to hide under my covers about it that is for sure. And you shouldn't either esp. since it is your B-day which is more important I think.
I am another one that does not know the exact date but I have narrowed it down to the last week in Jan, 1984. I do wish that I knew the exact date though. I had a bet with my cousin that year on the Super Bowl and won a case of beer (go Raiders!). My cousin also lost a big bet with another friend and she asked me if she could buy the beer at the end of the month when she got paid (she always got paid on the last day of the month). Between when I won the bet and when she got paid, I found out that I had diabetes and at the time, did not think that I could drink again so did not collect my beer. That Super Bowl was played Jan 22nd that year so I would have found out between Jan 23rd and Jan 31st. I am going to pick one of the days in that week and do something fun this year – not sure how, but I managed to make it 27 years so I am going to celebrate even if it isn’t on the exact date.
Kristin I have done this too, write to my diabetes. I think that is what has helped me to accept the fact that I have it and that’s that. Thanks for sharing.
I have never marked my D-anniversary. Probably because I have 3 of them: a PROBABLE diagnosis on Aug. 19, 1992, and a FORMAL diagnosis in September of 1993. Whereas I would have been diagnosed by current standards in September, 1991.
So I think I should do as the East Asians do: everyone's birthday is formally marked on January 1 of the year they were born. So I should consider my D-anniversary as Jan. 1, which would make it today!!! :-) And makes 20 years!
Since we have about 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground and on the roads, hiding the ice that formed overnight, I think I will just stay home today, and fool around -- cuddle with my cats, and call friends and just BE. Good!
