Thankful Thursday- Diabetes...Just Keep Reading And I Will Explain

Today, the wonderful sunshine chose not to show its face....it really makes me feel blah!  I have grown very used to seeing the sun regularly so when we have these gray days, I feel like crawling back into bed until the sun returns.  Not really, but, you get the picture. 

I am not so thankful for days like this but, it makes for a good day to sit back and blog about something that I am thankful for. 

I AM thankful for diabetes.  What?  Am I crazy?  Nope. Here is a brief (ok...it may not have ended up to be so brief...my apologies) rundown of my thinking...

A few days ago I was thinking back to the day that I received the phone call from the doctor's office that delivered me the news of "...your blood sugars were very high and you will need to start four shots a day and several blood sugar checks as well..." My initial thoughts sent me into a panic.  How would I EVER be able to give myself shots and poke my fingertips multiple times each day?  I was terrified of needles!  From that day forward, it was not a choice if I liked it or not....it was a fact of life.  I got past the initial shock and told myself that it was something that I could do for a few months.  The doctor assured me that it was gestational diabetes and that it would go away as soon as I delivered the baby.  Okay, I told myself, that is totally doable.  It won't be for the rest of my life...or so I thought...

Emma was born, I was told the diabetes was gone and two short weeks later, my eyes were very blurry...not from old age.  After hanging up the phone with the doctor, checking my blood sugar and finding it was over 400(very high), I realized that I was, in fact, a Type 1 diabetic from that day forward until they find a cure.  I experienced a wide range of emotions after realizing that I would be living my life with a chronic disease.  What could I have done wrong?  I did everything in my pregnancy exactly by the book and it still wasn't enough.  I was not overweight, I exercised, it was not in my family history...how could this possibly be?  I had to put all emotions aside and deal with the cards that I had been dealt and take care of myself the very best that I possibly could because I now had a beautiful baby daughter that needed my love, security and care for as long as I can remain on this earth. My life was no longer about myself.  I had larger responsibilities so, I needed to... like my mom always told me when I experienced tough times throughout my life, "put on my boots and pull up my bootstraps".  We only get out of life what we put into it! 

So, my life with diabetes began...I began using an insulin pump once I knew it was a permanent part of my life.  I had become an ace at giving myself injections daily but, the pump would be an improvement.  I wore this particular pump attached to my stomach 24/7 for a few years.  A huge drawback was that I had to disconnect it if showering or swimming.  That made the beach a bit difficult.

Soon enough, something even better was developed and the first time I heard about it, I was on the phone figuring out how quickly I could have one of these babies in my hand.  This was going to be yet another advance in my life with diabetes. I would no longer have long, awkward tubing hanging out of my body and a pager looking device on my waist!  Wearing dresses and going to the beach were once again a part of my life.  I know you have all seen it before but, here is my Omnipod, or what I have referred to as my "lifesaver".

Fast forward to today, after living with diabetes for 8 years, I am thankful that it is not something that is going to take my life from me.  Yes, of course, you hear all sorts of horror stories about people losing their arms, legs, toes and going blind and dying (all of which used to freak the heck out of me when people were so nice for sharing with me once they found out I was Type 1) but, with tight blood sugar control, sensible diet, exercise and of course my Omnipod...I can live a life that is just as long as anyone else who does not suffer from a chronic disease.  I am almost obsessive, like that surprises anyone who knows me, about checking my blood sugar.  I test it 15 to 20 times daily.  Yep, that leaves my fingertips pretty ugly if you take a close look at all of the tiny poke spots.  And at about $1 per test strip, it is quite an expensive habit.  The insurance company, for some odd reason, has a hard time understanding why I need so many....Hello...if I don't check, bad things happen and I could end up in the hospital.  I would have to take a gander and say that the preventative approach would be much less expensive than a hospital stay.  Frustrating...I often wonder if I should become an advocate to explain these things to people.

Now that I have made an entirely too long post on why I am thankful for my diabetes, I hope that you can see my reasoning.  Like my best friend always likes to remind me when things are frustrating me in my life  ..."It could be worse, I could be blind and not be able to read the texts that she sends to me."  She could not be more right.  I am so thankful that it is something that I can control and live a very long, fulfilling life with.  There are so many other illnesses and health issues that do not have such a positive outlook.  I know that there is a pretty good possibility that they may find a cure for this disease in my lifetime.  I am more excited about this possibility for all of the children affected by this disease than for myself.  It breaks my heart for every child that has to deal with the inconvenience of diabetes. 

To sum it up, diabetes is just one of the cards that I was dealt in my life, someone else is always dealt with something worse.  So, strange as it sounds, I am thankful to be Type 1.  And yes, to anyone who was wondering...I can still eat sugar.  :)

Happy Thankful Thursday!