I was diagnosed in April of 2004, that’s almost 6 years ago. Diabetes has changed me in so many ways, even though I always say that I am not going to let this disease affect me and control me. Well in reality it has controlled me and affected me, but in positive ways. Of course there are some thing that I don’t like about the disease that I have to do, but overall they have made me more health conscience, it has introduced me to so many new great people, and it has changed my outlook on life.
Going back to my high school years and freshman year of college before I was diagnosed, I had a completely different outlook on life. I didn’t care about things as much, I didn’t appreciate the little things in life. I would always say, “whatever, I’ll do it tomorrow” or talk about things that will do in 5-10 years from now. The night I was diagnosed that all changed. I then started talking about doing things that same day because you never know what could happen. I know that goes for anybody, not just somebody with diabetes, but it really sunk into my brain at that time. I have become a little impatient at times, especially when it comes to work and making a lot of money because I want to travel the world and I want to do it now! I don’t want to do it later on in life because you never know what may happen in the future.
Since diagnosis I have become a lot more health conscience. Sure, I may not always eat as well as I should, but at least now I know what the complications are. I used to eat a burger and fries, well probably 3-4 burgers and fries and a milkshake and didn’t think anything of it, because I was young, skinny, and worked out everyday so what did it matter. I never thought about the fat getting stuck in my arteries and clogging my veins that could lead to heart problems later on in life. Now, before I decided to eat that burger, fries and shake, which I do at times, I at least think about the consequences and what I will need to do to make up for eating that meal.
I also made a decision to become an expert in the field of diabetes and know everything about this disease that I could. My definition of expert here does not mean knowing how to do research in the field, but to become a diabetes management expert. If I can manage my blood sugars and keep my A1C at good levels, then in my mind I am an expert. I have read more books about diabetes then I have any other field of category of books. I read blogs, articles, magazines, journals, essays, whatever is out there to better myself and to possibly lower my A1C but just a tenth of a point.
The people that I have met, whether just online or in person, have been incredible. I have learned so much more about diabetes than these books could ever tell me. Other d-bloggers have made me feel comfortable living with diabetes. At times when I thought I was the only one in the world that was going through this stuff, they made me realize that I wasn’t the only one. Also, they made me stop feeling sorry for myself. There were times that I would get down and feel sorry for myself and want a pity party because I was the lonely diabetic that nobody knew what I was going through. Shut up Chris and get over it. You’re diabetic and so are millions of other people. But now I was able to connect with these people and a lot of them have become personal friends.
These are a few of the ways that diabetes has changed me and I am thankful for these things. They outweigh some of the negative things that may have changed my life, like checking my blood sugar, worrying about what the food I’m about to eat will do to my blood sugar, and counting carbs. But these are all things that I do to manage my diabetes, so in my mind they are good things to do because I have become healthier since my diagnosis.
I hope everyone else can see the positives of diabetes and focus more on them, then the negatives that are out there.