Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Because

Finish this sentence.........."Because of the diabetes.........'

I would say that............ 1) my life has been ruined
2) I have clnical depression and have to take meds
3) I weigh more than I'd like to
4) I'm stuck at a dead-end unfulfilling job
5) I have to spend a lot of money on co-payments for
oral meds, insulin, and office visits - money that I'd
like to be spending on clothes, recreation, new
furniture and vacations.........
(I decided I'd limit myself to 5 salient points.)
Rebuttal........................ 1) inconclusive, as my life's not over yet
2) clinical depression is rampant on my mother's
side of the family - if I been taken back 40 years, the
treatment of choice was electro-convulsive therapy -
lovely
3) what in the heck does diabetes have to do with me
stuffing my face?
4) well, probably not
5) well, maybe

Now for the next page:--please note that all things in bold face are advancements that occurred within the last 30 years.

1) Because of laser therapy, I can see out of my left eye.
2) Because of retinal angiography, the dr. knew exactly where to put the laser and did not have to destroy healthy tissue.
3) Because of the nitrous oxide bubble technique, I had the best possible chance of my detached retina healing well
4) Because of the ACE Inhibitors, my kidney function has returned to normal.
5) Because of June Bierman and Barbara Toohey, I am probably alive today. These dear sweet ladies launched their writing career with "The Peripatetic Diabetic", a book that I was initially annoyed with because of the PollyAnna optimism. But, it gave me hope in those early days to keep on living.
6) Because of Dr. Lois Jovanic and Dr. Charles Peterson, I was willing to try MDI. Their book "The Diabetes Self Care Method" launched a whole new world of matching carbs to insulin and getting rid of that wretched exchange system.
7) Because of blood glucose monitoring I no longer have to pee in a cup. I no longer have to guess when I'm low. I no longer have to leave a high untreated.
8) Because of the A1C test, I am given valuable information on whether things need to change or remain the same in my daily self-care.
9) Because of the glycemic index, I have an idea that not all carbs are the same.
10) Because of those obnoxious, sour-chalk glucose tabs, I can treat a hypo reasobably quickly, without a lot of overkill.
11) Because of books, magazines, and the world wide web, we get exciting new information right away.

Because I am sobbing very hard and don't want my keyboard to be ruined, I will sign off. (Why do we pwd have to feel things so deeply?)

8 comments:

Lyrehca said...

Oh, Sweetie. Think of things this way:

Because of the diabetes, you've been able to start a blog and connect with a whole group of other people with diabetes, who share some of the frustrations you feel, but also some of the successes, such as the fact that no, we don't have to test our pee anymore to know what's happening inside us.

Small consolation, maybe, but I for one remember those. And I don't miss them at all.

Thanks for your nice words on my blog earlier today... and I remember Scott giving you major props when you started your blog because of your insight. Don't forget that.

art-sweet said...

Oh, MN.

I don't have anything profound to say, except that I'm glad you're here, and I'm glad you're blogging, and yes, diabetes sucks sulfuric rotten eggs.

Scott K. Johnson said...

It is, as you said, hard travlin', that's for sure.

Dealing with diabetes can take us on these involuntary emotional roller coaster rides, and I think they are as much a part of the package as everything else.

We ride these times out, and it's healthy, I think, to feel these feelings at times.

It helps us to appreciate, to a degree, all of the advances in the tools we have.

But most of all, I think, it helps us to appreciate just how strong we really are.

To be able to deal with all of this, and everything else that life throws our way.

Sure, we might have more little "meltdowns" than the average person - but they don't have diabetes to deal with do they.

It's all part of a healthy balance, and a process that helps, in some strange way, to deal with the negative emotions that we deal with.

Spend whatever time you need in these little pockets of yuck. It will help you overall. It's when you get stuck there that you need a little boost.

You are strong and graceful in how you deal with your diabetes, and that's something that shows through very strong in your blog and comments around the OC.

Take care.

Vivian said...

I have just found your blog and I love it. You are so honest with your writing. Welcome aboard!
P.S. I loooove Gertrude! Everybody should have something like that on our mirrors to remind us that we are strong and will overcome all the obstacles.

BetterCell said...

Jimi Hendricks and I are both proud of you..........Having a chronic illness enables a person to focus on what is "really important" instead of the mundane.

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