I often think about what it would be like to not have Type 1 diabetes just for one day. Honestly, I know I’m supposed to say I’d run around drinking soda and eating sour patch kids all day, but I think I’d just spend all day thinking about my blood sugar!
It would be so hard to believe and trust that my body really was regulating itself. To wake up in the morning and not need to check my blood sugar before taking my dog for a long walk? To eat breakfast and not take an injection? To go to the gym and not check before and after and be thinking about it during?
Like we all know, it's such a 24/7 disease. Constantly changing. Constantly needing our attention...
I don't know if I could suddenly go from managing Type 1 diabetes to just letting my body take care of itself...even for one day. All day long, I would feel like I was missing something! Forgetting something! I'd continue to check my blood sugar "just to make sure" that everything really was working the way it's supposed to.
A body that actually takes care of itself and manages its own blood sugar? I couldn't imagine!
On the other hand, imagine the amount of brain-energy I'd have left over if I weren't spending so much energy thinking about diabetes all day long?! I could finally focus on running for president ;)
Being newly diagnosed I can totally relate to this as can remember doing things that are totally unhealthy and not thinking twice about it. Eating sugary snacks…carb city…choosing to watch a movie instead of walk the dog…all pretty normal decisions. Now before I choose the sugar I think what else could I have that would be better…planning ahead when it comes to family favorite meals that are just not the best choices…having healthier meals and snacks for everyone. Walking the dogs even when I’d rather “relax” always feel better after wards as my Border Collie/Bermese puppy is slightly less rambunctious and will then allow me to relax! Checking blood sugar levels has just been added into my daily routine and is hardly ever forgotten in the day to day busy life I lead! If not I have the “diabetic police” a.k.a. three teenage boys who will not so gently remind me. Even if I slip and try a tasty sugary treat…I get not one not two but usually three lectures about what I should be eating. Somehow makes it not worth the effortless choice!!
Despite healthier choices…more active lifestyle…checking blood sugar levels my health is not perfect. I suffered a mild heart attack in June of this year and scared the heck out of myself and my family!! I spent 10 long days in hospital…missed my sons Grade eight graduation…and spent the entire summer off work and restricted. Not allowed to drive…lift…do housework…until medication finally got my blood pressure under control. It was a real eye opener for us all and now besides checking blood sugar…eating right…exercising regularly…taking medication that up until now did not exist…I have regular check ups with the Cardiologist to add to my routine. So now my outlook has changed no longer will I only worry about deadlines at work…getting kids to sports events on time…being wonder woman when it comes to running the household…never asking for help…doing everything myself!! My perspective has changed allowing me to be more relaxed and not get so s tressed about little things…focus on time together as a family rather then having the cleanest house and yard…spending time enjoying walks in the park,swimming in my pool…reading a good book…instead of rushing from place to place…cleaning like mad…stressing about time constraints and disorganization. Accepting imperfections of life and realizing its ok…I’m glad to still be here and will do whatever it takes to keep my health on track and be here for many years to come!!!
Well, let me make an admission. I’m diagnosed as a type 2, but my diabetes doesn’t respond over the long-term to medication. I have to follow a strict low carb diet (Dr. B). However, when I have a medication change, I apparently go into temporary remission. I become essentially non-diabetic for a week or two. When this first happened, I couldn’t recognize it, it just seemed strange, all the sudden my blood sugar readings were outstanding. After this happened a couple times, I gave myself an oral glucose tolerance test and I passed. I could eat a 100 grams of carbs and still be below 100 mg/dl at 2hrs, quite a difference from not being able to handle 15g of carbs.
So is it a vacation? Do I go wild? Well, as it turns out, No. It is hard enough recognizing when this happens, I don’t think I would necessarily recognize my one true day until after it was over. And I know in my heart that I will wake up in a couple days and it will be gone. Sure, I ate a big piece of carrot cake, but I never did so without a care in the world. I couldn’t get away from thinking about every carb I put in my mouth and measuring my blood sugar even tho I was assured to be normal. And in the end, I’ll still be diabetic. I might be fixed for a day or even a week or two, but for me, it really didn’t change anything.
In the end, it wasn’t about having a non-diabetic blood sugar response for the day, it was to suddenly achieve a non-diabetic world view in my mind. I could never switch that off for the day.
And I hope you never feel that diabetes can keep you from being president.
I’ve only been T1DM for about 7 months now, so eating everything w/o a care is still recent history. One day to be able to go to the bar, have a few glasses of sam adams, wings, pizza, nachos and fries w/o knowing that the rest of the night is going to suck would be a great feeling again though!
