Ten things I hate about you, Diabetes - Thursday 5/12: Having a positive attitude is important . . . but let’s face it, diabetes isn’t all sunshine and roses (or glitter and unicorns, for that matter). So today let’s vent by listing ten things about diabetes that we hate. Make them funny, make them sarcastic, make them serious, make them anything you want them to be!!
I don't subscribe to the theory that hating something means that it has dominance over you, that it's "won". And while I try not to be that person who goes around saying "I hate diabetes!" with every breath, I wouldn't also say that I love it..yeah,it has some good points, but the fact is, I do hate it. I guess, for me,hating it makes me want to fight that much more to make sure it doesn't win. So here are ten of the things I hate about this disease...
1. I hate how, after coasting along (per Dexcom) at a nice, stable blood sugar all
evening, within twenty minutes of me falling asleep my liver commences to hard-core partying and dumping out glucose,spiking me to 250+ (which I don't wake up for until 4-6 hours after the fact). Wake up with a parched throat and not knowing what the heck just happened(pump failure? or just good 'ole Dawn Phenomenon?) This is a re-occuring theme, no matter what time I go to bed.(9,11 or 1)
2. I hate the little "wave" the Dexcom does all night,dipping either above or below the High/Low alert and going off every ten minutes...not great, when you just want to sleep. What's it taunting me to do, throw it in the drawer and ignore it?
3. I hate low blood sugars, and how they knock you out of commission (no matter how hard you're trying to act that they didn't).
4. I hate that I just can't exercise, without mathematical calculations on the order of a Phd.(and eating as many calories as Michael Phelp's) I'm pretty sure I'd exercise more, if it weren't for you.
5. I hate that I just can't jump in the car and go somewhere...I have too much "essential" stuff that must be packed.
6. I hate how many young,(and older) innocent lives you've claimed...it saddens me so much.
7. I hate that ignorance about you is so widespread,even among the medical community. How can we fight/prevent/cure something so misunderstood?
8. I hate getting Real Person Sick and watching the diabetes control go completely off the deep end. And I hate ketones. (though I have no problem with drinking vast amounts of Diet Coke, at any hour of the day or night.)
9. I hate the scars (from years of guillotine lancing devices)on my fingertips...I don't think my fingers are as sensitive as they should be,and I worry I won't be as good a nurse, because of it.
10. I hate how much it costs.(pure and simple) So much for trying to save money..even if you wanted to, things are always popping up that make it impossible to do so. I can think of much better ways to be spending it all.
Come back tomorrow, for a cheerier post.
4 comments:
This makes me think of how much I dislike in general the "failures" that DexCom shows you in between the dots. You can't escape those dips above and below the lines awake or asleep.
Great post I will be back tomorrow for the cheerier post.
My blood BOILS when I think about how much we all pay just to be healthy. It's criminal. Health insurance in this country is so flawed...why do we need to be wealthy to be healthy?!?
A couple of years ago I was riding out a pre-existing condition wait-period and I literally had to decide if I was going to pay my car payment or buy insulin. I chose poorly and ended up DKA in the hospital!
GRRRRRRR.
Good post though.
:)
Before I say anything I'd really like to congratulate you on your great work at Nursing school.
I simply loved "I don't subscribe to the theory that hating something means that it has dominance over you, that it's "won" because it just about captures where I'm at as well.
Thanks for another excellent post Heidi, I hope you have a refreshing and recharging break
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