Two Decades of Insulin Later

I was diagnosed before Christmas in 2002. Having a brother who was diagnosed before I was born, a mother working in healthcare, and a pediatrician who was an endocrinologist, my diagnosis was fairly straight forward. That being said, going from just living my carefree teenager life to “Congratulations, here’s this vial of liquid that you can no longer live without!”, definitely did not prepare me for all the things that come with type one diabetes. Lows that I don’t remember, terrible highs from bad decisions, technology upgrades that are life-changing (when they work), guilt, embarrassment, questions, misconceptions, doctor’s appointments, insurance phone calls, …the list is more like a scroll and continues to grow.

It may sound ridiculous, but I sometimes forget that I do have a chronic disease that affects every cell in my body. Living with T1D is just life now and I still have to remind myself at times that I might need to give my body a rest, lie down for a bit, sit and let my blood sugar level come up before continuing. I think I’ve just pushed through it for so long that it almost feels like giving up control and admitting to myself that diabetes is steering and I’m just along for the ride. I forget that it’s not only ok to take some time for myself, but actually imperative that I do.

In reality, I know that no one is meant to function as autonomic organ on top of all the everyday responsibilities brought on by just simply living. Decades of this illness and all the baggage it packs with it has taught me to give myself grace. I’m not perfect but I’m not doing too bad either, all things considered!

Why a picture of the Rockies, you ask? Because I it was my favorite trip, it was beautiful, and I can. I hope you like it!