You don’t know what you have until…

When I talk to people who have Type 2 diabetes, I always wonder what goes through their head. Do they know that they can be rid of it? That it was preventable? Do they not realize that choosing not to take care of their medical condition is basically like suicide? That it’s a selfish act and to think they don’t affect anyone besides themselves is a skewed view of things?

I suppose that the benefit that I have, when it comes to diabetes, is learning about the disorders and realizing that getting rid of Type 2 diabetes should be everyone’s goal. I wish there was an option to get rid of Type 1 except, it wouldn’t be getting rid of, as much as it is making your pancreas work again.

Some say that going to Natural healers is the way to go and was the answer to curing Type 1. I can’t lie, I’m very skeptical about it, but I wouldn’t mind trying it out to see just what it is they give me and what it is they tell me to do. It’s not even something I could fathom right now. Not at all. It’s so abstract that wrapping my head around the idea is hard. Can mixing something into my juice every morning jumpstart my pancreas?

But to hear about people who won’t change their lifestyle, can’t change their habits and don’t bother to help themselves, is really upsetting. There have been plenty of stories about people who get rid of it. They come to understand that all they have to do is eat better and lose weight and they do it. Why? Because it’s possible to reverse the effects of Type 2 diabetes.

I have to worry about blindness, cardiac disease, nerve damage, periodontal disease and premature death even if I take care if myself! How fair is that? People with Type 2 diabetes can lose weight and eat right and not have to worry about all those problems if they keep watching out for themselves.

I inject myself about 5 times a day. I prick my fingers so much and so often that I have calluses on my finger tips and I can’t really feel anything because of it. I’m in the process of getting the insulin pump and I wouldn’t mind having a continuous glucose monitor, either. I wouldn’t have to poke and prick that often.

Actually, it will be something like once in 3 days. That’s exciting to me. Knowing personally that some Type 2 diabetics, some can’t even keep up with a pill nor can they keep up with checking their blood sugar 3 times a day. I have always made my point of view known, saying things like, “Do you know what I have to go through everyday? All you have to do is pop a pill! I wish that’s all I had to do.”

And really, that’s just the beginning. You might get dropped off of your insurance for not taking care of yourself. I always, always, always worry about my insurance coverage in the back of my head. How will I pay for everything? It’s expensive to be sick in this day and age. A Type 2 diabetic can change that. It might be a bit more complicated, but hell, you can fix it.

I’m lucky, I am. For all the reasons I’ve mentioned before, I’m lucky; for my health for my mind, for my support system. And I’m thankful.