Blog Week: The Mental Stuff(ing)

We think a lot about the physical component of diabetes, but the mental component is just as significant. How does diabetes affect you or your loved one mentally or emotionally? How have you learned to deal with the mental aspect of the condition? Any tips, positive phrases, mantras, or ideas to share on getting out of a diabetes funk? (If you are a caregiver to a person with diabetes, write about yourself or your loved one or both!)



I wasn't planning on participating in #Dblog week, due to being fairly busy with the wrap up of Nursing School Year 1, but life had other plans. Tonight, my husband, son and I went out to eat at a local restaurant. The kiddo particularly enjoys flushing the toilet, so we made several trips to the bathroom to establish the fact that that was in fact what was going on. (no, he did not need to use it every five minutes)As I was helping him wash his hands, someone said "excuse me" and then "How do you like your Dexcom?" Well, that got my attention..turned around, and there was a blondish girl with a Johns Hopkins sweatshirt on.(I wear my Dexcom out in a Tallygear case) We had a very nice conversation about diabetes lows and how much the Dexcom was truly worth its weight in gold, and she turned to her friend with an expression of joy on her face and said she wanted to go back on one. And I showed her the transmitter and how much it has evolved, from whatever she had tried in the past. And then she said "You really get me!!!" and danged if that didn't just choke me up to pieces. No one has ever ID'd me as a Dexcom in the wild before. She was most definitely needing a kindred spirit that night, someone who also had diabetes and knew all about it. I didn't really have time to continue the conversation, but in that moment I felt that diabetes wasn't so sucky, if I could be that example that she wasn't alone. Previous experiences with everyone not at FFL, college kids with D generally want to do their own thing and ignore the D. And it isn't that way for everyone. (I needed reminding of that fact) I wish I could have been more informative of good resources, but my kid was pulling me in the other direction.


As for diabetes funks, it is helping me get out of mine. I have been thinking more that it would be a good idea to be a diabetes educator, if its as rewarding as the exchange I just had. Kids with diabetes really need that support. (so do adults) Because you're just mostly living your life in a diabetes-less vacuum until boom, you get a reminder that you are not alone.