Today's Bitter Sweet Diabetes Blog Week Entry/Ten things I hate about you, Diabetes

At first I had a hard time coming up to things that I don’t like (don’t like using the word hate) about Type 1 Diabetes, not that I love my son having it heck no! I think I have done such a good job over the years trying not to let the disease upset, hurt, or piss me off; so I don’t spend much time thinking about the negativity of the issue, but; I have managed to realize that there are things that do bother me so here they are:

1. Knowing how much my son doesn’t like having his yearly blood test. He can’t stand needles and I remember having to hold him on my lap and hold him down for the nurse to stick the needle in his arm. Not fun!

2. Having to keep track of his blood sugar readings to report them to our endocrinologist. This is a tedious task that I must admit I tend to forget for a couple of weeks, and then have to go back to log them all!

3. Seeing my son have extreme “HI” blood glucose readings! There have been plenty of days when he has been 400 or higher. Not only is that cause for concern for his future but; those are days when he can be sick or it is just hard to get him back under control.

4. Knowing that he gets bumps (subcutaneous) where his catheter goes. They can take a long time to go away and often he re-uses that spot before they do. Of course he is one that I have a hard time getting to try new places on his body, so he tends to stick to the same few along the back and sides of his buttocks.

5. Seeing his blistered fingers from poking them to check his blood sugars often.

6. The constant worries about him going low overnight or during the day. Lows can be just as hard to raise up as Highs can be hard to lower.

7. SICK DAYS! You know that ones that include ketones and upset stomachs, etc.

8. Having to check and re-check his blood sugars!

9. Knowing how much he does not like changing the site for his insulin pump catheter.

10. THE FACT THAT HE STILL HAS TYP1 1 DIABETES!

While I am not EXCITED about dealing with any of these things, I am humbled to be able to say that they are all we deal with. I have a couple of friends who have much bigger problems with their children and T1, and have had cases brought to my attention like ADHD on top of T1, Celiac, diabulimia. (If you are unsure please read up about it click on the word, it is an eating disorder, in which mismanagement of type 1 diabetes is used for rapid weight loss. It is an incredibly dangerous condition), and unfortunately bullying of a T1 in school. Take care to all of you T1’s out there and to those who have a loved one who are a T1, live life to the fullest daily.