Day 6: Diabetes Haiku

A haiku about diabetes.  5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables:

Diabetes is

The first and the last thing I've

Thought about today

Day 5: Not Mother Nature, But Something Of Meaning

To most people this image will mean and represent very little.  When I first saw it, I'll be honest, I was clueless as to what it was.  I thought it was perhaps the naked branches of a tree, in front of the moonlight in a red sky.  It's not.  In fact it's nothing of the sort; it's the photograph of the first stage of Diabetic Background Retinopathy.  As much as I appreciate the beauty of mother nature, the image meant much more to me, knowing what it really was and realising that I do not want my eyes to look like this.

Day 4: Why I write.

Someone recently said to me "Why write about diabetes? I might as well write about my size 11 shoe."

It helps me to manage my own diabetes because knowing that I need to keep posting on a semi-regular basis means I'm reminded that I need to maintain my focus.  I can't ignore my diabetes, not only because I'll be an absolute mess and really ill, but because I'll have nothing to write about!

Writing this blog helps me connect with other diabetics.  It's a pretty rare occasion that I will meet another type 1 in my every day life, whereas through the Diabetic Online Community I make new acquaintances and friends every week.

I'd also like to think that by writing about diabetes I am able to provide inspiration and support to other diabetics, just as other Health Activist Writers do for me.  I love how I can write about something sad, annoying or funny about my diabetes and I'll receive comments from people saying that they've had the same experience or they know just how I feel.  Writing about my diabetes makes me realise that I'm not alone in this.

Most of all though, I write about it because I have diabetes.  I have to live with it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so I'll write about it if I want to!  So, to the person who made the comment I mentioned at the beginning of this post: take your size 11 shoe and shove it where the sun doesn't shine!

Day 3: A Very Simple Superpower

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm now home for Easter break and don't have my laptop with me.  My mum is a writer and works from home, so getting the chance to be able to use her computer is a rarity.  Luckily I've managed to grab it solely for the purpose of writing this post, but I'm on a time limit!

If I could have a super power, I would be able to re-boot my pancreas and the pancreases of every other Diabetic in the world.  Okay, maybe not very imaginative but I'm being honest.  As far as I see it, a super power is a wish.  It cannot necessarily exist or occur, but you want it to.  You wish it did.  I wish I could kick-start our pancreases!

So I may not want to be able to fly or breathe fire from my mouth, but that's only because they're not going to fulfill my deepest desire.  I don't want to be able to vanish on the spot, but sometimes I wish Diabetes would.

Day 2: Smile, run and don't stop either

'Diabetes management is a marathon, not a sprint'

I read this recently in a book.  It captured my attention especially because I realised that I'd been trying to do the 100 metre relay in Diabetes Sports Day for 15 years.  

I would get into my 'I'm going to do this!' state of mind and start to make changes to my diabetes management. However if I didn't see almost immediate results, I'd give up and relapse into the 'I hate diabetes and it obviously hates me too' mentality pretty quickly.

Now I know that things don't work that way in the realm of Diabetes.  If I want to be healthy and have well controlled blood sugars, I need to work to earn them.  I need to stick with it.  Persevere.

So that's pretty much all I have to say for today.  Okay, so it's now 11.23pm on the second day of #HAWMC but I made it before midnight!  Going home for easter break tomorrow (without my laptop may I add!) so I am going to have to find someway of getting my posts written and live everyday.  Might be interesting.

'I've got nothing to do today but smile' :)

- Simon and Garfunkel

Day 1: HAWMC Begins!

30 posts over 30 days?  Wow.  We'll soon see if I'm cut out for it.  Saying that I suppose if I could inject myself 4 times a day, everyday for over 15 years then I should be capable of blogging for a solid month.  Definitely.

Today's prompt is to imagine that I'm going to bury a time capsule of me and my health focus that won't be opened until 2112.  Here goes...

• NovoPen 4
• NovoRapid and Lantus insulin cartridges
• Accuchek Aviva blood testing monitor
• Accuchek MultiClix finger pricker
• 5mm needles
  

I'm really hoping that when they're found in 2112 they'll look like foreign objects from another planet.  I would want the diabetics of the future to see them and look at them with the same confused expression as I did when I first saw one of the old horse-syringes.  I want them to not be able to comprehend how anyone could ever have used such a monstrous looking device, because in 2112 type 1 diabetes won't exist.

There will be no need for injection pens or blood testing monitors because a cure will have been found.  Words like 'bolus' and 'hypo' will have been forced out of the dictionary and out of our vocabulary, once and for all.  The only place you'd see them would be in history books (or on some wonderful Kindle/iBook thingy-majig of the future!)  In 2112 no D-parent will have to worry that their child will slip into a diabetic coma and, when their pancreas calls it a day, no type 1 diabetic will be told that they have to inject themselves every day for the rest of their life.

So there's the dream.  However, before I go putting all of my diabetes supplies into this time capsule, I should probably make sure I've got spares.  Somehow I'm doubtful that the dream's going to come true in time for my next meal.

Oh yeah, I'd also put a can of Diet Coke in because I love the stuff.  Although I don't think I'd love it as much if it looked like this in 2112:

A Letter To My Parents - In Aid Of Mother's Day

Mum and Dad

Seeing as it's Mother's Day I thought I'd take the opportunity to let you both know how much I appreciate you both.  So here goes...

I think it's hard for anyone who doesn't have to deal with diabetes on a regular basis to realise just how difficult it can be.  Although I know how it feels to have diabetes myself, I think that in the past I've underestimated how much it has affected you both too.

Being told that your three year old child has a incurable disease such as diabetes isn't what any parent wants to hear.  No parent wants to have to inject their child, draw blood from their fingers or force them to eat, otherwise they'll be ill or worse (remember how I used to hide my second piece of toast in my room, only to be found weeks later?!)  From the moment of diagnosis your lives were changed and I can't even begin to imagine the fear and shock you must have felt.  Despite this you both accepted it and tried your hardest to learn the in's and out's of my diabetes, in order to make sure that I was healthy and that my blood sugar levels were controlled.

Mum - Happy Mother's Day!  I know that the last 15 years haven't been easy for you, but I thank you for supporting me with my diabetes through them.  In all honesty I realise now that I didn't always help you in helping me.  I often thought that I knew best when it came to my diabetes and didn't listen to your advice when I should have done (I know you told me dozens of times that I needed to follow my fast acting hypo treatment up with slow burning carb, otherwise I'd drop again!) 

You have done so much to encourage me in taking care of my diabetes.  You even altered your diet to make sure that I was eating what I needed to.  You and I have had some 'adventures' with diabetes, from going low on the top of a cliff in Devon with no hypo treatment, to several hypo's on motorways (one resulting in me eating stale bread to bring my bg up!) 

Thank you for always reassuring me that, if I make diabetes my main priority, it never has to stop me from doing anything.  I know you used to hate going to the hospital for my check-ups because the doctors were judgmental - they never had any right to be.  You have done such an amazing job with my diabetes and without your input I wouldn't have the positive attitude towards it that I do.   Mum, you are an angel.

Dad, I know you worry about my diabetes care and I also know that over the past 15 years it's caused you a lot of stress.  I want you to know that now I'm older, I do take care of it and I do so because of how you have educated me.

I love how you send me links to diabetes websites with information about the latest technologies and the progress that is being made with regards to finding a cure.  Thank you for buying me books on diabetes and nutrition and subscribing me to Balance Magazine.  You take an interest in everything to do with my diabetes and that has encouraged me to be interested too.

I know that you worry because you love me, but you really don't have to.  Because of you I am eager to take care of my diabetes.  Again, I'm sorry that I haven't always taken notice of what you thought would be best but I listen to you now and you inspire me.  Dad, I trust you with everything.  You are my rock.

More than anything I want to thank you both for noticing of my symptoms, knowing that I had diabetes and for making sure I was diagnosed (despite being told by a GP that it was just a 'stage' I was going through).  You saved me and you have made my life a healthy and happy one.

We might not be the most conventional or nuclear family (okay, we're definitely not) but what we are is friends.  Thank you for bringing me up, for reinforcing the importance of controlling my diabetes and for supporting me always in everything I do, including writing this blog.  I couldn't have wished for better parents and I love you both with all of my heart.

From your Dais xxx