At least its interesting

By | 18 October, 2012
These wee chaps are interesting too!

These wee chaps are interesting too!

Being pancreatically challenged can have its downsides. But I think the real beauty of diabetes over other more boring chronic conditions is that it is so multi-faceted. The spectrum of areas diabetes interferes with is as broad as it is long. It means life is never dull.

• Complications run the full gamut from head to toe with plenty of interesting diversions en route via most major organs.

• It touches every aspect of my diet, from what I eat to what alcohol I choose to drink (well I do know from experience that wine is far easier for me to deal with pancreatically speaking than beer – that doesn’t necessarily affect my final decision, but the thought is definitely there).

• Exercise is never dull. None of this boring stick your iPod on and go for a quick run business. Oh no, all physical activity is accompanied by an equivalent mental workout to try and avoid mid swimming pool hypo drowning incidents. That careful balance of reducing insulin prior to exercise and eating a bit more, but trying to avoid the really irritating situation where you end up eating more than you could ever possibly burn off, meaning that you’d arguably have been better off having a bag of crisps on the sofa watching TV.

• It covers the full range of potential emotions. From fear and anger through to disproportionate levels of contentment and happiness that come from an in range reading or a decent HbAlc.

• It can be controlled. It can be taken by the scruff of the neck, given a damn good talking to, and with some beating and coercing made to fit in with how I choose to live.

So while it might be a bit of a pain at times, I suppose we should be grateful. It would surely be incredibly boring to have a dull disease.

Category: Living with diabetes Tags:

About Alison

Diagnosed with Type One in 1983 at the age of four, Alison's been at this for a while now. She uses Humalog in a combined insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring system and any blood glucose meter as long as it takes five seconds or less.

3 thoughts on “At least its interesting

  1. Tim

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; if you’re going to have a chronic condition then, hey, diabetes is one of the better ones to have. Hurrah for diabetes!

    Reply
  2. Mike

    I think I need to hire you to give my diabetes a ‘good talking to’*. I’ve an A1c looming and with crushing inevitability this has coincided with Things Not Going To Plan followed by a severely snotty nose after I’d caught up with the moving goalposts.

    Fun fun fun!

    *read: dragged down a dark alley and kicked mercilessly until it has learned its lesson once and for all

    Reply
    1. Alison Post author

      That sounds like fun. I can’t promise it’ll listen, but it’d be satisfying to give it a good beating anyway!

      Reply

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