Carol just imagine being a teen who was dxed and hadn't lived life yet but I survived and did have a life. My mantra has always been it could have been worse....I'm now in my 53rd year of living with this disease.
I have finally come to terms with it. For me that is huge. My DM2 was the BIG ELEPHANT in the room that I always ignored. I just wanted it to go away. No such luck =(so I have learned to embrace it. Take it and run with it. I have learned that it is so much easier to do that than fight it. I am a working progress small steps everyday.
I remember my days of hatred for this. There was definitely a period of time when I felt like I couldn't stand even ONE MORE DAY with diabetes, and I felt trapped and consumed with anger about it. I'm so sorry you're feeling that way, Carol. It's the worst. I've actually always been grateful that I was diagnosed as a kid, so I never had a comparison to "better times". Everyone's psychology is different, of course, but I think I would not handle that comparison well.
I sincerely hope you arrive at a different place with your diabetes soon, Carol!
I'm not sure of the timeline, but I had major life crises during that period. My best and dearest lifelong sister-friend from the time she was 14 and I was 15 died of a ruptured bowel (she had been gravely ill for years), I was "squirreled" out of my job, because the school needed a Spanish-credentialed football coach who could teach ESL more than it needed Japanese-teaching me who just happened to be teaching ESL as well. So they transferred me to a middle school to teach science with no equipment, no curriculum, no nothing except a 10 lb. textbook that 4/5 of the kids couldn't read anyway. And after 5 weeks of trying to teach almost 200 students most of whom couldn't cope with English, reading or just being in school, I didn't even know all their names, and when parents called to see how little Johnny was doing, I didn't even know who Johnny was! So I had a suicidal nervous breakdown and got a disability retirement. Meanwhile, my son got angry at me for reasons unknown and stopped talking to me, and still hasn't resumed.
Needless to say, my diabetes care was crappy, and I pretty much stayed in a major depression until 2010, when I went into a near-fatal coma. I was working with a therapist, but it takes time to recover from such losses. But coming here, I HAVE had a lot of support, and getting a CGM has helped, as well as a number of people (you know who you are) who ALWAYS respond to me when I write them a message. The emotional support that I have found here has been invaluable, and I am grateful to Manny, who started it, and all the rest of you who keep it going! No more comas for me! :-)
Wow, you have truly come a long way in that five years, Natalie. I definitely see your response to the school idiocy as what we call a "normal response to an abnormal situation." How could they expect anyone to function well under those circumstances?
I'm glad you put all that behind you and are here with all of us!
I wasn't diabetic 5 years ago. Never would have occurred to me that it could happen. I was dx'd type 1 a year and a half ago, at age 38. Since then I have gotten on a pump, gotten my A1c into the low 5's, and now I'm 7 months pregnant. Crazy times.
Interesting that March is the 5 year anniversary of tudiabetes as March 1, 2007 was my first day on insulin. After 14 months of being "type 2" and on oral meds, I had finally convinced my family doctor to refer me to an endo. I first saw her towards the end of January and she tried one more kind of oral med (can't remember what at this point) with the instructions that if my BG had not improved within 3 weeks, to call and she would arrange for an insulin start, which was March 1.
Pretty sure I was diabetic 5 years ago, but wasn’t dx until a year later. I was literally dying and completely oblivious to why. Fast forward now through multiple docs, misdiagnoses, I am finally on track thanks mainly to TuD and the help I’ve found here. From hints, tips, book recommendations, like minded chats, etc. I’m not out of woods yet, but I can see there’s light ahead. Time will tell if it’s just an oncoming train or not, heh.
Five years ago… Oh let’s see, skittles and girl scout cookies come to mind. I had not a care in the world about what I ate as I was a normal healthy 22 to at the time. I distinctly remember buying 5lb bags of skittles from Costco, separating all the colors into there own bags and eating te colors I liked, giving the green ad yellow ones away. And let’s not forget hunting down our local girl scout office with my brother to purchase cookies.
And while I still eat skittles when I have lows and have been able to indulge in girl scout cookies from one to time, it’s not are care free and innocent as it used to be.
I barely knew what diabetes was other than you have to take shots. It made my grandma go blind, and you die if you eat candy. I have learned sooooo much. Lol
Five years ago, my type 1 diabetes was barely a year old. I was still figuring all of these things out. Confusing still abounded. I really did not like injections, or testing so often throughout the day. Not my thing at all. I wanted to know why I was the one to get diabetes....why when I thought I was so healthy?
It was basically a big question mark. But now I definitely feel more positive, and that I am contributing to something important at the JDCA that can lead to a cure. It is ambitious, yet exciting.
Oh, and I joined the DOC, which has been a great an eye-opening experience. Part of the reason why I think a cure is achievable.
5 years ago - I was (and still am) in good control - I was training for a marathon, had done a couple of triathlons before I turned 30. Little did I know then that I was about to move across the world, meet the man of my dreams (and my soulmate), and have the time of my life.
So much has changed in 5 years - diabetes - still in good control! YAY.
WOW....that is such a great story. Congrats. BTW if you really love that girl I think she would say yes if you asked her to marry you. So don't wait too long and do me a favour - make it something really special she can brag to her friends about. :)
Five years ago I was in the great state of denial. I took my meds but I didn't test, I didn't exercise, and I didn't watch what I ate. The strange thing is that my A1c's weren't much higher then than they are now that I do all those things. Diabetes is strange.
Oh my. 5 years ago? I was 9 months away from graduating with my undergraduate degree in Animal Science. I was happily riding horses and eating whatever I wanted, including massive amounts of Cadbury eggs at this time of year, plenty of pizza and pasta, and God knows what else.
What was diabetes? Well type 2 was something my Dad had... and type 1 was a nebulous cloud that the media always portrayed as little kids.. (with the exception of Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias)... (Incidentally, when I was diagnosed, all I could think of was Julia Roberts as Shelby in Steel Magnolias...)
Certainly didn't expect this 5 years later!
Here's a link to my blog response to this prompt! http://www.janekdickinson.com/?p=579
Five years ago, I thought I was an unhealthy type 2, with an A1-c that continued to go up. I moved form oral medications to Lantus with no improvement in numbers or physical being. My physician referred me to an endocrinologist and he started me on rapid acting insulin, much to my dismay. I thought I had failed miserably. It wasn't until a year later that my endo decided to do some additional tests to discover that I am actually an LADA diabetic, and with better treatment, I am doing well now.
Five years ago: I was managing my diabetes reasonably well, with an A1C around 7. I ate healthy but unbalanced meals at odd times that differed by the day and didn't actively track my blood sugar trends, but did test often and exercise daily.
Today: I am managing my diabetes reasonably well, with an A1C around 7. I eat healthy but unbalanced meals at odd times that differ by the day and don't actively track my blood sugar trends, but do test often and exercise daily.
Hhhhmmmmmm :-/ Stasis is not actually my goal.
DEAR NATALIE GLAD YOU'RE OK NOW KEEP IT UP