Or that we did it to ourselves, @Fraser70…That is very common and one of many important threads in discussions that happen here at TuD. Many T2s come here full of shame that must be overcome…
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Beautifully written, Randy 5… and I should know. I taught technical and creative writing for over 30 years! I agree with what you expressed, especially your comments on attitude. We all must play the hand we are dealt in life, and I can either rage about the cards I hold or figure out how to use them best to my advantage. When I was diagnosed 50 years ago at age 12, the doctor told my mother, “Mother, don’t cry. Because she will have to eat healthy food and exercise, she will live to be 99.” (In 1966, the diagnosis of diabetes was synonymous with “early death.”) The doctor was very wise. You are correct, Randy5, that each person is unique. I am blessed (believe it or not) with good genes, so my weight is normal, I have very few complications due to my diabetes, and I have been able to live a normal, active life. Sure, my family makes accommodations to eat well and “on time,” but that has benefitted us all. The diagnosis is always a shock, but knowledge of the condition and acceptance of the “new norm” have helped me live life just the way I wanted to live it for the past 50 years. There is so much suffering in the world right now that does not touch me. I am fortunate for who I am and for what I have in life.
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From my personal perspective, I believe being diagnosed as a child was beneficial to my acceptance of diabetes. Children are very adaptable. Yes, I went through the “Why me?” phase, but that did not last long. I have always been taught not to dwell on the problem or who was at fault for the problem, but rather to look at the problem and say, “OK. This is what is wrong. What can I do to solve this?” Learning how to live with diabetes, learning how to control it without making it the focus of my life, and just getting on with the joy of living all were part of the process and the progress of “solving” that problem. It won’t go away, so I quickly learned how to best deal with it. I repeat: child are adaptable. Dealing with diabetes becomes a normal way of life, and as a 12-year-old child I believe I personally had an easier time of dealing with it than I would today as a 62-year-old adult. That being said, though, if a 12 year old can learn to control diabetes, so can an adult. Knowledge of diabetes and of how your body will react to food and to exercise are the keys. We are never to old to learn.
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In some ways I would agree with this. In a way, I did just go along with the flow and accept it…at least until my late adolescence and early 20s when I had a very emotional adjustment to the idea that I was going to have diabetes for the next 50-plus years. When I switched to the adult healthcare system I essentially had to re-teach myself everything about diabetes, because my parents had received all the education and I had received very little. My childhood was also touched by things like severe lows that other children did not have to go through and that, in some ways, still affect my relationship with diabetes to this day.
I wouldn’t say that I hate diabetes. But neither would I say that I view it as an upside to anything. I feel like I’d be healthier today if I hadn’t grown up with diabetes. I feel like diabetes is just one manifestation of my immune system being off the rails (I have many severe allergies and other autoimmune conditions that impact my daily life). I do what I have to do around diabetes and put a great deal of energy into keeping it under as best control as I can. Sometimes I look at others in their 30s around me who don’t have to put in so much extra time, extra cost, or extra energy into their health and wonder what life would be like if I had all that extra energy, time, and money. That doesn’t mean I hate diabetes or spend my life raging against it; it just means I don’t like it.
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And then there are stories like this.
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What a great story. That is an example where Type 1 definitely had a very positive impact on someone’s life!
I don¹t LIKE diabetes either, but I refuse to waste time or energy trying to
fight with it. I find it just easier to live with it the best that I can,
and to not let it define me. I also have dermatomyositis, and I find that
dealing with the fatigue that sometimes accompanies that condition to be
more intrusive than the diabetes. However, I get up each day, take my meds,
thank God that the meds are available to keep me as normal as possible, and
focus on more important things in my life like my family and my friends
as the day progresses. The American painter is quoted as saying, ³Life is
what you make it. Always has been; always will be,² so I try to make my
life as positive as possible. I hope you have a great Fourth of July
weekend, Jen.
tudiabetes+892a7e68723e321ae117374c8e58526e@discoursemail.com
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I think we probably agree then. You just described exactly what I do each day of my life. I just don’t see an “upside” to having diabetes, that’s all.
I’m Canadian, but I hope you guys have a good Fourth of July down there! We just celebrated Canada Day yesterday.
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Happy (late) Canada Day, Jen!
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The only upside of being diagnosed in my 30s is that I think everyday…“at least it’s .not my kids”…I’d rather go through this battle 100 million times over than them. I guess the other upside is we live in a world where I can manage it…and I can be in good control. There are many things that can happen and this isn’t the worst thing. I just manage it. There are many people who have lost their lives to varying things in life and you know what? I get to be a wife and mommy another day. That’s all that matters to me. It has humbled me a bit too.
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My upside. I feel like I understand how to eat healthy. Something I do not see with the average man and woman everyday. I see far too many folks overeating all the time. If they only understood the damage they are causing to themselves even with a working pancreas.
Note: My 1st post. Hello everyone. 41 years with T1. 17 years on the pump.
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Hey Mark welcome. 41 years that’s a long time. And, 17 years on a pump. Sounds like you have seen a few changes along the way.
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Welcome to TuD markcap!!!
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