1. The illness I live with is: type 1 diabetes
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 2004
3. But I had symptoms since: the summer before
4. The biggest adjustment I've had to make is: understanding the humility that comes with this disease, and the unpredictability of it.
5. Most people assume: I've had it my entire life.
6. The hardest part about mornings are: having to wake up after having a scary low in the middle of the night.
7. My favorite medical TV show is: Grey's or Private Practice
8. A gadget I couldn't live without is: my glucose meter
9. The hardest part about nights are: having low blood sugars in the middle of them and waking my husband from a sound sleep to ask for help.
10. Each day I take 2 pills & vitamins: just my thyroid medication
11. Regarding alternative treatments: I think that the people that try to say that insulin therapy is not the only effective/life saving route to take are well intentioned, but DEAD (meaning without insulin, yes, you would be dead) wrong.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: Either of these makes life more difficult no matter how you look at it. They both suck.
13. Regarding working and career: There are the embarrassing moments when you get a low in the middle of working with someone, but the humility is half the battle.
14. People would be surprised to know: that there is no such thing as a perfect diabetic. And no, I don't need you telling me how to handle my disease, such as telling me how I should eat, or telling me about your friend that would never make the same food choices as me.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: that I am not invincible, and that my life would be changed forever.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: really the fact that I haven't had any thoughts about what my limits would be.
17. The commercials about my illness: are never about MY illness. They are always about type 2 diabetes.
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: being able to sit down and enjoy rich and tasty homemade foods and desserts without thinking about how much insulin I should take with my food, or how sick I might be later after eating it.
19. It was really hard to have to give up: living a more care-free life style. Oh, and not having to carry a purse, which I HAVE to do to keep all my supplies with me.
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: ... reading nutrition labels?!
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Eat what I want without thinking about how my body will respond to it, and be excited about not having to take my injections or prick my finger.
22. My illness has taught me: how much those that truly care about me worry about me, and once again, the overwhelming sense of humility that comes with having and living with this disease. Oh and that it's okay to get angry once in a while about having this disease.
23. One thing people say that gets under my skin is: "Ew, I could never do what you do with all those needles" or "That sucks" or "It's YOUR fault you have the disease because you didn't take care of yourself growing up" (FYI Type 1 is NOT my fault, there was NO way to prevent it)
24. But I love it when people: ask questions in the attempt to understand what I experience everyday.
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: "This, too, shall pass."
26. When someone is diagnosed I'd like to tell them: that there is hope.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: it does not define me as a person, individual, or my potential as a human being.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn't feeling well was: accepting the in's and out's of my disease and supporting me instead of blaming me.
29. I'm involved with Invisible Illness Week because: you should never judge a book by it's cover.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: like maybe you'll understand me a little more than you thought you did.
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10 years ago
