Hope.

I’ve been away.The Diabetic Life has laid dormant inside of me while I’ve been swept up in other things.I don’t put the hours in worrying anymore, and I certainly don’t work overtime to make sure basals are succinctly dialed in like I used to.There are only so many minutes in a day, and I have the immediate need to graduate early so I can move across the country, and get married, and start my career. Other things have taken precedence, so I’ve reverted to inevidable "Diabetes autopilot." Even though Diabetes is still a very important part of our lives, it isn’t the most important part of our lives, and it certainly isn’t where it needs to be...

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You're a Fat F@#! and You Give Diabetes a Bad Name!

When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it took me some time to become aware of all the various resources that were out there for me. There were various mainstream informational websites, and a few personal blogs. I didn't even have an inkling that there were exclusive forums for people with diabetes, until I found a reference for one in a blog.So I joined the forum, excited to meet other people and see what it was all about. It opened my world to a whole new level of knowledge I had not been exposed to through the mainstream informational websites, and it made me consider so many questions related to day to day living with diabetes. At the time, I was struggling with other life challenges, as well: I had been struggling with underemployment, lack of medical coverage, and a lack of food,...

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What are D-Moms made of?

We are a complicated concoction.  D Moms are made of Glue:  We hold the entire family unit together.   Our children's challenges stick resolutely to us as we work to find solutions and wash away the unpleasant sticky residue of diabetes.D Moms are made of Fire:  The bad blood sugar day our children had yesterday?  We burn it away into ash and begin the day anew.  Every day is the rebirth of new numbers.  The old worries are burned away and in its wake come new saplings of hope.D Moms are made of Ice:  We can numb the pain...the sadness...with our love, our bear...

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I always want to know.

Last week I had the opportunity to volunteer at a community event taking blood pressures of the interested passerbys. There were those that volunteered readily to have their blood pressure taken, those that were bullied into it by their spouses or loved ones, and then those who simply said, “I don’t want to know.” To them I smiled and said, “Knowledge is power! Don’t be afraid of the numbers, they are exactly what you need to give yourself peace of mind, or design a customized care plan with your doctor.” (Psst…. Thanks, Diabetes.) A lot of the time, my pleas worked.I had a few gentlemen with blood pressures so high I wondered how they weren’t...

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Full Circle

I had never known more anguish, never known more sadness, and never known more loneliness than the day I lost Ryan.  I remember those early days clearly, although I hesitate to bring myself there fully. It’s an indescribable feeling.  Helplessness and nausea are the only words that come to mind. In the moment all I could do was concentrate on lifting my foot and then positioning it in front of me. One feeble footstep at a time. One minute at a time. Everything baby steps. Everything frightening. The process of losing a beloved spouse is a horrifying one, and one I only bring up because a dear friend lost her husband last week. Our correspondence...

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Guest Blog Post: The Perfect Storm

Disclaimer: The following is a guest post from a fellow reader of this blog, and a person living with type 2 diabetes as well as HIV. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are not necessarily my own, nor are they intended to diagnose, treat, or advise anyone's medical condition. Expression and platform for all experiences of living with diabetes are intended as a tool to generate awareness, increase our empathy and understanding and generate questions which we may take to our medical team. The CauseWhat I’m about to write might sound like a lost script from some soap opera or an episode of Casualty or Holby City. Come to think of it the...

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