Today I realized that because it has been over a month since I was diagnosed, I’ve gotten used to this whole diabetes thing. During the first two or three weeks after I was diagnosed, as I saw nurses and dieticians and endocrinologists and pharmacists, this new aspect of my being was at the forefront of my mind. It was all I could think about. Even as I sat in lectures, it was only “Diabetes, diabetes, diabetes…” going through my head. Now that most of my questions have been answered and I know what I have to do, I’ve gotten used to everything. Diabetes is becoming part of my routine, and my brain is no longer obsessing about it. This, to me, is both a good and bad thing. It’s good because I can now put some of my energy into finishing up the semester and preparing for the holiday, but it’s bad because I find myself forgetting. I sometimes forget to bring my pills with me when I go out, sometimes I forget to take them when I do bring them, and often by the time I remember to test after a meal it’s long past the two hour mark and therefore too late. Human beings have short attention spans. Something new happens in our lives, and it holds our interest for a while, but then we grow bored and move along to find something else to fill our time. I need to be careful of this and be more diligent and patient. It’s important.
I think it’s also important that I get a watch, one with an alarm that beeps to let me know when to test and when to take my medication. Ideally, I’d to be able to remember this without the aid of a machine, but I am human after all, and who can blame me for being distracted by all of the other wonder and mystery the world has to offer?
And in time I’m sure I’ll have all of this figured out. I browse around here and I see many people on this site who have got their diabetes and lives under control and I am encouraged and inspired. Already I’ve learned that diabetes doesn’t have to be all that horrible. It can just be a sort of reminder that we’re all on the clock, a motivation to live healthily and to live fully.