Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Diabetes Moments That Are Automatic & Like Clock Work~

Diabetes is never far from my mind and it’s always both clipped to my hip and at my fingertips.

As people with diabetes, our brains and our bodies NEVER get a break from diabetes. 
BUT (and isn't there always a but,) there are moments in my life with diabetes that are automatic and like clockwork.

In those rare moments I do diabetes without thinking. 

Like when my alarm clock (iPhone) goes off every morning. 
I get up (OK, I normally hit the snooze button once and then I get up,)  then I go pee. 
Then I walk to the kitchen, turn on the coffee maker and while my  coffee brews,  and then I check my blood sugar.  It’s absolutely automatic and like clockwork. 
I do it without thinking because the mechanics of diabetes have become a part of me. 

And I do my best to remain emotionally detached from the numbers on the screen, and do my damnedest to view the number as my current Diabetes GPS coordinate, telling me where I am and what direction I need to go. 
Of course most of the time I remain anything but detached,because blood sugars can bring op all sorts of emotions and thoughts.
If my blood sugar is low, I probably already know, same goes if the numbers are heading north.

Between you and me, I can change out both a reservoir and infusion set while watching television and if required, in mid conversation and without skipping a beat -  A balancing act of sorts that occurs in the circus that is my/our life with diabetes~

And until my old one died, I never realized just how many times a day I’d reach for my pump, not because I needed to bolus or change a setting. 
I reached out to pat or feel for my pump because it made me feel secure and safe.


Anything about your diabetes that has become automatic and like clockwork and that you do without even thinking, besides the whole crapped pancreas thing?  

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Although I've been a T1 for about 35 years now (35 of my 55) - I still manage with a vile and syringe - it works for me (last A1C = 7.2). So the routine is different - but a routine none-the-less.

I get out of bed, pee, check my BS, take a correction dose of Humalog if needed, then take my Lantus.

This is followed by a "non-T1" routine that includes feeding the outside cats, puttting all my bird feeders back up, and openning the barn for my two little goats. Then back inside to make the coffee and fry up one egg (usually).

I was able to retire early - so the rest of the day is more flexible - but the BS and insulin thing is automatic...

Allison Nimlos said...

I did that little reach for the pump thing too. I don't know why... maybe to make sure it was still there. How funny. I never even thought about it. I don't think I do that with my Omnipod but definitely did it with my Medtronic pump.