My Sweet Friends, This One is For You.

April 23, 2014

I want to give you as much advice as I can. Understandably, I don't have all of the answers, and most of my advice is based on personal experiences. I am not going to sugar coat it (Sorry for all of the bad diabetes puns. I think they're funny. :P), diabetes isn't easy. It is one of the hardest adjustments you will have to make. Don't think about it, just take it head on.

You have to give yourself injections now, that's how your life is. Don't fight it. When I was first diagnosed I adjusted immediately. I did absolutely everything I was supposed to, and it was, so far, the easiest time being diabetic. When I got lazy and forgot to take injections is when everything started to go downhill. Yes, you can skip an injection and live. Yes, you can still eat a lot of sugar. Should you do this? No, absolutely not. Not because it is unhealthy, but because it makes it that much easier to do it again and again. First, you're skipping injections only a few times, then it's a few times a week, then it's a few times a day, and then you have stopped taking insulin altogether. No, you won't die from not taking injections, not right away anyways. I lived for months not taking my insulin, or checking my blood sugar. I was very, very unhealthy though. I lost a lot of weight, I got a lot of pains, I was always sleeping, and I was very incredibly emotional. A few weeks in to not taking my insulin I just kept wishing I could be admitted to the hospital. I wanted to go back, because I knew they would help get me back to a good routine. I knew they would bring my blood sugar levels back down. I wanted to be admitted to the hospital because I knew I was very unhealthy, and I needed help.

No, my sweet friends, you can not eat doughnuts for breakfast, fast food for lunch, and pasta, pizza, and ice cream for dinner. Well, you can, but you shouldn't. It is so much easier to regulate your diabetes by eating healthy foods and less carbohydrates. You feel better about yourself, and you literally feel better physically. I always feel like I weigh a lot more when I eat a lot of carbohydrates. I'm not even quite sure how I can explain how you feel when you eat healthy, but just trust me that you will feel amazing if you do. Try it for a couple of weeks, you won't regret it.

Please, please go to the gym! Okay, you don't have to go to the gym, but please be physically active. Go for a walk, do some sit ups, lunges, squats, just do something! It's not for you to get in shape, or lose weight, not necessarily anyways. Just being physically active helps so much with your diabetes. It helps keep your blood sugars level, and wake up your pancreas to function more. The reason I was completely normal when I didn't take my insulin is because I was going to the gym so much that it acted as insulin. I don't recommend you stop taking insulin completely, but it will definitely help so you don't have to take as much. Go to the gym, it helps.

I know that doctors are annoying to go to. These doctor's visits are so helpful to keep you on track. They can help you to know what you need to work on. I also know that they are just going to tell you the basics and send you on your way to figure it out for yourself. It's frustrating, I know. I promise you, if you find the right doctor who specializes in diabetes, they can help you. They have talked to so many other patients and have seen a lot of what diabetes can do. Trust them. They aren't just there to write you prescriptions.

Speaking of prescriptions, they are expensive. Seriously, diabetes will be your new biggest expense. It's so annoying and a huge adjustment financially. There are people, organizations, doctors, and pharmacists who will help you. Look in to it. Take a day and Google all sorts of organizations and programs that will help provide you with the supplies you need. Just look and ask.

Get organized. I know that it seems like a silly thing to do with diabetes, but I promise that it helps. When you have a routine it is so easy to just go with it every single day. If you have all of your food organized and you can see your labels easily it is easier to eat. If you plan your meals in advance it is so much easier to eat healthy. If you have a clean house then it is so much easier to stick to your routine. Maybe try organizing one thing first and if you like it, go crazy with it!

Don't take your disease so seriously. I make diabetes jokes all of the time. Not because I think diabetes is funny or that it is not a big deal, because it is. I make diabetes jokes because it's one of my coping methods. Being diabetic is very hard and if I took it seriously it would drive me nuts. Also, when I don't take it seriously it makes others feel more at ease with it. I don't know what it is but when you have a serious illness it makes people very uncomfortable. Not because of you, but because they don't want to insult you or make you uncomfortable. They aren't sure how to ask questions or help you if they know you take it so seriously. When you make light of your situation it helps others to learn more about your disease.

People worry about you. You may be like me and dislike when people worry about you or treat you like a child, but people will always still worry about you. Diabetes is a scary thing, there is no doubt about that. I'm sure when they told you all of the side effects diabetes can have it kind of freaked you out. Guess what, you aren't the only one who is scared of what could happen to you. There are people who love you and only want the best for you. They want to help you, but they aren't always going to know how. When they worry about you and annoy you by asking what your blood sugar is like, they are just trying to help the only way they know how. Don't push away the people who want the best for you, because they are just as scared as you are. Let them in, because they are your support system.

You are not the only diabetic. It took me a long time to figure that out. Once I did my life was so much easier. I stopped thinking of myself as a victim of diabetes, but now I could be a spokesperson who actually experienced it and lived with it everyday. I took matters into my own hands and started blogging about my experience. Not only have I kept a great log of my journey, but it is incredibly therapeutic. Writing is my outlet, but if you find yours I guarantee it will help you with your new life change. Another thing that helps is reading other's blogs about their experience. It helps so much to know that you aren't alone and that there are people in the world who have made it past all of the things you are going through right now. Talk to someone who is diabetic and has been for a while. They can help you just simply by talking. I'm pretty sure that there is an unspoken bond between diabetics, and that's pretty awesome. You will have an instant friend if you meet another diabetic.

My last bit of advice for you, don't ever be ashamed to be diabetic. You are an incredibly strong person, and you need to give yourself more credit. You give yourself multiple injections a day, and prick your finger multiple times a day. You are always thinking ahead, and fight for a better life every single day. You are amazing! Diabetes can help you if you own it instead of letting it control your life. My advice for you, my sweet friends, don't fight it. You are diabetic now. That is your life, and you will live.