Thursday, February 25, 2010

Diabetes- The Little Things

I have a love hate relationship with the little things that life with diabetes brings my way.

Sometimes I find pure joy and happiness in the simple moments of happiness that the little moments with diabetes bring.

I love when I reach Blood Sugar Nirvana after a challenging meal. I particularly enjoy reaching “Blood Sugar Nirvana after dining on cupcakes, ice cream, or the occasional brownie. Don't even get me started bread~

Same goes for achieving Infusion Set Nirvana.

I love receiving comments and emails from others who live the “D Life” for many reasons.

We are all part of the same “club” and we “get” one another’s diabetes idiosyncrasies, and we learn from one another. And at those moments of D Bonding, I KNOW that I’m not alone.

I love moments of D bonding that are totally unexpected. When these moments involve cupcakes, I like them even better!

I relish the time that I’m D Disconnect Mode from my pump. Those times include but are not limited to, the pool, the bath, the shower, a massage at the spa (which happens far less often than I’d like or need,) and a good roll in the hay! Sometimes the latter also involves wearing my pump, but that’s a different post entirely!

I love finding extra diabetes supplies in unexpected places, like in my glove compartment or in a long unused suitcase or handbag. Recently I found four infusion sets in the bottom drawer of my bathroom vanity, which is normally reserve for washcloths. I had absolutely no ideal how they ended up there, but finding them was the cherry on the cake of my nonetheless.

And then there are those infuriating diabetes moments that make me more nuts than usual.

Moments like unexplained high or low blood sugars that happen for no reason except because diabetes can allow them to. My frustration factor becomes higher right along with my numbers and I have to make myself mentally detach from the anger and frustration, which isn’t easy to do.

The middle of the night lows that make waking up for work in the morning more difficult than usual because of over treating, but you over treated because you were blowing a 40bg at 2 am.

Then there are the times when my pump becomes a magnet for doorknobs. Comically, my pumps attraction to doorknobs is VERY FUNNY to watch - as a spectator. But it hurts like hell when your an active participant in said doorknob/insulin pump attraction. It can also become downright expensive.

Then there are the moments (both large and small) that diabetes makes me feel tremendous self doubt.

Did I bolus correctly?

What if my blood sugar doesn’t get back to normal?

Why am I running into more members of the Diabetes Police today than I have the whole month? And why the hell am I letting them get to me?

Personally or professionally speaking, will this person have more of an issue with me being a PWD (person with diabetes) than I do?

And it’s at those maddening diabetes moments, that I make myself remember the little diabetes moments that bring me happiness – and the maddening moments become less so.

Because remembering those little moments of happiness really does make all the difference in the world~

10 comments:

Cara said...

Little things are so important. Appreciating them is even more important.

Kellys Blogs said...

I love this blog and I love the cupcake lady, too. :)

The Piquant Storyteller said...

Amen to everything you just said! I couldn't have said it better myself.

Katie from SF said...

Yes, yes, and YES! Fantastic, and true in every way! =)

SarahK said...

AMEN!

Karmel said...

Nice post-- I think diabetics are particular susceptible to the little things often, as we are used to being so focused on the minutiae of diabetes management. I wrote about a similar idea-- finding the moments of ascendant beauty even with diabetes-- so it's nice to hear your take!

Laura said...

Great post, Kelly! I hear ya. I hear ya. I hear ya!

L.

Jillavieve said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE finding D supplies! Great blog, just what I needed to lift my spirits.

Stacy said...

My daughter, at 4 feet tall, isn't big enough to be bothered by doorknobs yet, but we did have our first "happy dog got a paw tangled in the tubing" inset yank yesterday. *sigh* I think the dog is as educatable as the doorknob, unfortunately...

Scott K. Johnson said...

I hate the self doubt. Hate it. Why must we always question ourselves?