Easy.

Late last week, I went with my Dad to drop my sister back off at uni. We were talking about peer support, after my Mum was invited to an event for people living with her condition, polymyositis.

"It sounds really stupid," I began, "but the best thing I've ever done is get on a train to London and meet this girl called Lizzie. The rest, as they say, is history! You and Mum don't often see my bad diabetes days because I have this network of people I can turn too. Some I only know by name, others have become good friends, close friends, that I can't imagine not knowing. I think Mum could use that. The worst that happens is she goes and hates it. That's okay [no force-feeding of community is one of my rules]. On the other hand, it might be just what she, and you, need."

"I think you're right," my Dad said (he's a man of very few words), "so that's your secret to making diabetes look easy, huh? Friends with diabetes?"

"Yep! So simple, so effective! Because this disease is not easy, not in the slightest. And I would take a cure in a heartbeat. But, for me, community helps. Friends help. They've influenced who I am today and my attitude towards diabetes."

"If someone had asked me when you were diagnosed if you'd have coped, I honestly would have said no."

"I would have said no too," I laughed. "But it's not all my doing. I've had a lot of help and support from family and friends [and from the DOC as a whole] along the way."

And I will forever be grateful for that. 

"How Is Diabetes...?"

Hey! (I don't think I've ever started a blog post with "Hey!" but after three days offline, it feels like the right thing to do!) I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and weren't too affected by the storms! Mine was great: my family, good food, gifts, games and a bit too much to drink! 

Christmas is generally a time to see family and friends, which is lovely. Apart from my immediate family, I don't see the rest of my family unless it's an occasion, like Christmas or a birthday. Because of this, as you would expect, there are a lot of questions: "How are you?...How's uni going?...Got a boyfriend yet?...What are your plans for after uni?...How's diabetes?..."

How's diabetes?

I get that what they're trying to ask is "how are you getting on with diabetes?" but, still, I'm never really sure how to answer, which I know is a result of different perspectives. Let me explain.

I've been living with diabetes for almost four years now. I'm no longer new to this game of balancing blood sugars. But my family only witness these snapshots of diabetes when I'm home. I forget that living with diabetes is my normal, but it's not theirs. When I do a blood sugar test it's "Oh yeah...how is all that going?" It's a forgotten entity to them until they witness those "diabetes moments" - the blood sugar testing, the shooting up insulin - the rest of the time, it's forgotten. When it is remembered, it's still new to them. And it can get frustrating at times, especially when they try to tell me what's what, but it's still new to them. 

I need to remember that, even after the tenth time of being asked!    

Pet Hates.

Image taken from Google Images.

Yesterday evening, I went out for dinner to celebrate my Granddad's birthday and, as lovely as it was, there were a couple of "incidents" that really got under my skin.

First off, we arrived at 6.15pm, and I checked my blood sugar - 4.5mmol/l - and then went a bought a small lemonade as I knew we wouldn't be ordering for a while and I didn't want to risk having a hypo. I'm standing at the bar, and my Mum asks what I'm getting and I tell her. Then, she starts talking really loudly about how I might hypo and I need sugar.

NO!!! I'm not okay with that. No big deal was needed in that situation. I wasn't hypo. I might not have even had a hypo. I was just being cautious as it was a big family dinner and I didn't want to be dealing with a low blood sugar whilst there if I could avoid it. The fuss my Mum made was not necessary at all. So I snapped at her telling her to stop! And this occurred 10 minutes after arriving!

Pet hate number 1: Making a big deal out of nothing. Check.

Pet hate number 2 happened after we'd ordered our meals. My Uncle asked me what I'd ordered, and so I told him "the pie and mash with seasonal vegetables." The response I got?!

"Vicki! You can't eat that! I can't believe you ordered that! You should know better!"

I looked at him confused. And then it clicked. Diabetes Police. 

"What do you mean I can't eat that?! I've got my insulin. As long as I adjust my insulin to cover the carbs, I'm good!"

But that response wasn't good enough, and he (pancreatically-fine) still thought it was necessary to lecture me (pancreatically-challenged) about my food choices and how it was really bad of me to choose that meal. 

Pet hate number 2: Being lectured about what I can and can't eat. Check.

Then, when dinner was served, I got my Carbs and Cals out so that I could work out carb content (I'm not confident enough yet to do it just by looking) and then he "scolded" me for carrying such a book! 

"You shouldn't be worrying about carbs and calories!" 

I did just tell him that have to adjust my insulin according to the amount of carbs I consume. I was so close to snapping, but then I remember it was a family meal and there were 20 or so other people there.

So, naturally, I did what any other person with diabetes would do.

I ordered a pudding as well!