Reflection

When I was diagnosed I went through the feelings most diabetics go through. It’s been 9 years and all those feelings came back yesterday while talking with a client who was recently told she was a Type 2. At the beginning she was losing the weight she needed to, and her A1c went from 13 to 6. I was so proud of her! This lifestyle is no piece of cake…no pun intended! Well, yesterday she was in and wanted me to actually look at her test results. Her A1c was back up to 7.5. She was kicking herself and clearly depressed about it. She gained back all the weight she lost, and now her doctor has increased her meds. OHHHHHH have I been there. I assured her that this was not a crime and at one time or another even the best diabetic has fallen off the wagon. I hope I gave her some words of wisdom with my 9 years of experience. I did tell a white lie though. I tested while she was still there, and it was 260. She freaked out….”Oh my God…isn’t that high???” Yes, it sure is but….”I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff and not freak out over every high number.” When really…I obsess about every high number and where it comes from, and how to get it down, and how did I let this happen, and etc, etc….
There are pros and cons to having this disease for as long as I have…which, by the way, is no where near as long as some of my friends have had it. Sometimes when you know a lot about something you think too much…and when you are a rookie at something you are just starved for information and ask questions. Some days I just don’t want to think about it at all. But I wouldn’t want to be a rookie again either!