I wouldn’t call diabetes a prison,my grandfather had diabetes type1 for 66 years and still as strong as an ox .his a jugde supreme court and is a hell of a runner and swimmer achieved a lot in life.when I was diagnosed he said" son stop braging and get your ■■■■ together" ,pretty harsh of him to say that but he comes from a different time.
My lawyer says my short list of peccadillos will cost me either A. nothing at all, B. being on probation (easy), C. five years in a federal prison camp (with senators’ sons, businessmen and rich kids), or D. ten years in jail. Diabetes is easy to manage now. I am comfortable in my own chair. I am a long time diabetic and short time disabled and all of sixty years old. I have gotten myself into a freakin jam.
I told my lawyer that, of those three legal options, I want the one with nothing at all. She laughed a little. I sometimes think I might be able to handle five years at a federal prison camp, although with great difficulty. I come from a middle class upbringing and I am not at all used to being institutionalized, if you don’t count my various hospital stays. Federal prison camp is like a health club, they say. No iPhone and no computer, but no violent extortion or daily anal rapes. I spoke with a guy who went to real jail and that last part about rape was true in his case. There is a federal prison camp just north of here. My lawyer tried to reassure me. She does not know for sure, but the story there is that it is much lighter than real jail.
As far as option number three, ten years in a federal facility, I’d like to say that I have lived a nice long life, sixty years is for me quite long enough. I love my wife and would not want to hurt her. But if it came down to ten years, let me just quietly say that it is my right to end my life. I would never tell my wife this, but because of my heart problems and my diabetes, I already possess several different ways to check out from life at any point in these proceedings, if it ever got to be way too much. I will next say that getting a sentence of ten years for what I did would in itself be way way too much. Diabetes is not the problem, at all. I have to wait for the arraignment and then there is discovery. At that point, I will know my fate. I want to push everything back as far as possible. It may be nothing at all. I cannot just run away because in my condition I need intermittent medical attention. I am getting squeezed from all sides. This is ridiculous. But diabetes was always and is now pretty damn easy.
I would not trade diabetes for prison. No way. Diabetes is a pain. No doubt about that but I’m still free to enjoy relationships with the people I love, be comfortable in my home, do work I enjoy, build wealth. I have many happy times and rewarding experiences that would not come to me if I were locked up.
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Yeesh–sounds pretty grim @Robert17, but I hope it turns out ok!
As regards T1 in actual prison, as opposed to seeming like prison in the OP, the question recently came up in a FB group I’m on, in which someone is about to do time for marijuana possession (seriously ridiculous!) and asking for advice on how to manage and what to expect. A number of T1s who have done time weighed in. Don’t know if this applies to all institutions, federal, state or local, but they all agreed that that, as a rule, you don’t get to manage your own. Pumps & CGMs are contraband, and all meds–including fingerstick checks–are administered through the institution’s medical staff according to established guidelines unrevised since the days of yore. The norm is R/N regimen, three injections per day, no ifs ands or buts. Treatment for lows is your own problem, so keeping a positive balance in the commissary for sweets is recommended.
I’ve often said that getting off R/N after 20 years was like being let out of prison, but being condemned to it while actually in prison sounds even worse.
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error
Diabetes over prison any time
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Lawyer said my exposure is minimal. And my age and health problems mean I will do thirty percent of whatever they give me. Maybe even just a slap on the hand. I celebrated this morning by eating a plastic cup full of fruitloops. Who is diabetic?
Prison.
Diabetes is a prison anyway.
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But have we lost Gary4?
Yo Gary, the Sad One?
I’ve led an outwardly fortunate life, and managed to direct it towards stuff I truly care about. But I describe diabetes as my inner concentration camp, where a guy with a very sharp bayonet follows me through my days, stabbing me relentlessly at the least lapse of attention or even when full attention is paid… Even last night, I had an epic meltdown, rueing dramatically how lonely it is to have diabetes that pretty much NEVER does what I expect and regularly beats me about the head with a baseball bat, cackling. I do use a pump and
CGM, which helps SO much! Yet can not control this Effing disease. A1C of 5.8 last time, yet I feel like crap, and spend pretty much all my time shepherding my BS up or down, to where it “should” be. Anyway, Gary, I hear you. I hope you have tried some of what people here have offered to improve your life. Let us hear what if anything has helped? Thank you!
Your an interesting cat, Gary4. You might be pretty physiologically sensitive, but I always think of that as a gift, not a curse. I’m certain that you could reach a point where you feel good. Sounds like you might have an interesting project. Maybe you could start a blog here and develop a plan for how to approach this problem.
I, personally, definitely go through stages where I don’t feel good and have to fight with the numbers. In the past, sometimes, I have dedicated an absurd amount of time trying to fix it. While it hasn’t always worked, it has helped me learn more and more about how to manipulate the system and generally it changes on its own into something else that I can work with within a couple months. I dont know how similar you are to me, but if your an interesting case, then people will be even more likely to look at the numbers and try and figure it out.
Dont let this stuff beat you and try to remember that, as uncontrollable as diabetes seems, there are far worse diseases. Your odds of success are good if you can summon the resources and time to troubleshoot this crap. Maybe you will discover something that helps other people who are like you.
Do you have a Dexcom? Its entirely possible that you, currently, lack the tools to be successful. Obtaining tools may be difficult, but necessary.
Gary4
This user is suspended until Apr 16, 2215 10:19 am.
Harsh, you guys. He started a controversial post. But, he sounds like he ought to be here.
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