Diabetes Doesn't Define You

Salutations Everyone,

I'd like to re-introduce myself. My name is Yogi, and I am so happy to be apart of the 1happydiabetic family. Bill (founder of 1happydiabetic), Mike, Ryan, Suzanne, and myself, are working on some really cool ideas for the site. We will keep you posted!! For my first blog post, I would like to talk about the importance of good diabetic support system (which fits with the overall mission of not just 1happydiabetic, but many diabetic bloggers around the world who are donating their time to help others). Today, there are more than 350+ million people around the globe that have diabetes. Ten percent of those are type 1 (thats 35-45 million). Althought type 2 still makes up for the majority of diabetes cases, 45 million type 1 people around the world is nothing to sneeze at; yet, it appears that very few of us have support groups (personal or professional). Why is this??

I can tell you from first hand experience, support groups are extremely important. Not just for the newly diagnosed, but for veteran diabetics as well. Diabetes isn't always easy. Sometimes we have to endure mean comments from people who will never understand; sometimes you just want to hear from someone who's gone through the same thing; sometimes we need pep talks; sometimes you just want to be around other diabetics that keep you motivated.

You are not alone. There is no need to keep your diabetes inside, or even to keep it a secret. Let our experiences become someone else's lesson. Diabetes isn't just a condition, it's a way of life, a way of thinking, a way of reconnecting with self, away to confront our subconscious; emotional cleansing, a permenent lifestyle change. All of these various stages in our lives, requires support on some level. Diabetes is unlike any other disease. You can't just take a pill, or even insulin once a day, and "forget about it". Diabetes is the only disease were it requires you to be focused 24/7, and the only way to stay focused, is to truly love yourself, love your body, and love life. There really isn't a such thing as a "vacation" for any diabetic.

Yogi

I have been diabetic a very long time.  When I was first diagnosed, my mom and dad helped me with shots and tests for the first year.  After that they were not involved other than shopping for food for me, they believed it was my job to manage the disease.  This was a blessing and a curse all at the same time for me.  I get that they were trying to teach me to be independent and be able to manage diabetes by myself but it made it very difficult for me to ask for help when I needed it.  Over the years I never asked anyone to help me, even when I really needed help.

Fast forward to about two and a half years ago.  Not taking care of my diabetes finally caught up with me and I became seriously ill.  My poor husband wanted to help me get control of my diabetes and I pushed him away, telling him "I can do this, I don't need your help!"  He watched me struggle to get control of testing, eating, and shifting my diabetes care focus.  And he stood by me, ready to help with anything at all if I would just ask.  But I didn't ask.  Then I got the pump.  He learned how it worked, read all the documentation, and gave me the space I demanded since I wanted to do it all by myself.  I guess I hadn't realized that my diabetes was a family issue, it didn't just belong to me.

When I got the DexCom last spring, once again I didn't want any help.  I could master this on my own.  My husband watched helplessly as I got angry over pump and CGMS issues, biting his tongue and letting me rant.  A few months ago I was reading some old blog posts of Kerri's over at Six Until Me.  She had pictures of her DexCom sensor in her arm and she said her husband helped her put them there.  My poor abdomen needed a rest from sensors so I decided it was time to ask for help.  I asked my hubby to put a sensor on my arm for me.  I think he understood how hard it was for me to ask for help.

So the first attempt at my hubby putting a sensor into my arm didn't go well.  He was nervous, I was really impatient and kind of mean to him.  Don't get me wrong, the sensor worked fine but I was terrible to him!  We don't fight often but we did fight that day.  I thought alot about why I was so angry with him when he didn't do anything wrong.  That is when I realized how hard it was for me to ask for help.  We talked it out and I promised the next time I would be aware of my behavior.  So yesterday we tried it again and guess what?  When I relaxed and just let him help me, the sensor insertion went fine!  I thanked him for being patient with me and understanding.  I am starting to get how much my diabetes is part of his life too.

So do you find it hard to ask for help?  Do you get angry sometimes?  I would love to get your feedback!

You can be 1happydiabetic too, it's all about your attitude!

Suzanne