For Those Blissfully Unaware Souls

"How do you do it?"

"Do what exactly?"

"How do you handle the needles, the finger sticks, etc?"

That's just it people. I just do. I handle the needles, the blood, the constant reading of nutrition labels, the expensive test strips and insulin, the annoying insurance company, the stares, and the reactions of those people I like to term "blissfully unaware" of what having diabetes really means.

It doesn't just mean that I take shots or test my blood sugar. It doesn't mean that I can't ever have sugar. It doesn't mean that I am fragile or sick all the time.

Diabetes has changed my world forever. Long gone are the days of being carefree or "foot-loose and fancy free". Diabetes doesn't just affect my diet. It affects every single aspect of my life in one way or another. Diabetes has changed my outlook on social gatherings where there is food. It has affected the options on restaurants where I eat on dates with my husband. It affects the fact that when I have to go somewhere, I have to carry a purse constantly to make sure I have a snack, my glucometer, needles, and most importantly my insulin. I can't go for a short hike without my diabetes stuff. I can't go for a fun day at the lake with my husband's family without hauling my stuff with me in to the boat, or camping without it either. While some people consider eating candy and desserts a daily ritual, for me it is something I plan for and have to know how many carbs or cholesterol are in the ingredients.

In our society today foods on my "no-no" list are everywhere. It is almost insane. When someone is a diabetic you don't just look at any menu and pick something. My thought process when looking at a menu is "that will make me sick", "i can't even imagine how many carbs are in that", or "it sounds good, but isn't worth the amount of insulin I would have to give myself".

I am not complaining when I express how I do things. This is the life that I live, and I love it and am so grateful to be living it. This is just the rhyme to the reasons behind how I do and why I do these things.

Part of being a "healthy" diabetic is exercise. Every time I go exercise in some form or fashion I have to check my blood sugar to make sure I won't have a LOW while working out. Then when I get back I check it to make sure I am not headed that way, or that I am not too high.

That is the unpredictability of my disease, and while some people have told me they could never do it, or that they would rather take a bullet to the head, I just think "this is how I take care of myself". Diabetes care has become second nature to me. Every day is just another day in the life of being Lisa. I just don't think about it too much anymore because if I did, I'd be certifiably insane and depressed.

I have learned to be more tolerant of people who are ignorant to diabetes. Often I do not tell people right off the bat that I am a diabetic, because of the questions that inevitably come from doing so. I don't mind the questions or any opportunity to educate someone about my "world", but I also don't want them treating me as if I am breakable or in need of sympathy.

This is just a miniscule glimpse into the world/life of mine and so many others like me. So for all those of you that fit in to the category of the "blissfully unaware", don't worry because I used to be one of you!