DBlogWeek 2017: Diabetes and The Unexpected

 

Diabetes Blog Week prompt for Monday: Diabetes can sometimes seem to play by a rulebook that makes no sense, tossing out unexpected challenges at random.  What are your best tips for being prepared when the unexpected happens?  Or, take this topic another way and tell us about some good things diabetes has brought into your, or your loved one’s, life that you never could have expected?

Diabetes.  What isn’t unexpected about this disease?  The onset.  The guessing.  The what’s going to happen next.  The everything.Everyone has their backup plan to a certain extent so I’m going to list a few things on mine.

-Glucose tabs and capri suns.  Where might you ask.  Let me tell you.  On my nightstand.  In my desk drawer.  In my purse.  In the trunk of my car.  In the glove compartment.  In my hiking/beach bag.  In my hand while I am exercising.  EVERYWHERE.

-A stash of backup supplies for my pump.  I keep extra infusion sets, reservoirs and batteries in my desk drawer.  I really should keep a set in my car as well but that would mean carrying insulin with me at all times too.  I do on occasion but probably not as much as I should.

-Glucagon kits.  Yet again, in my purse, in my fridge and in my desk drawer.

-My phone has 3 ICE numbers in it. (In Case of Emergency)

– But a big one is, you can’t let the unexpected rule your life.  You have to roll with the punches.  (Roll with the punches?  I’ve never thought to start rolling when I’m being punched.)  What I mean is that you can’t let it get you down.  If something happens unexpectedly, try to take it in stride and deal with it the best you can.  They say learn from your mistakes but sadly with diabetes, you can do the same thing every day and get a wildly different response.  That’s the thing with diabetes… you have to expect the unexpected.

FYI: it’s amazing women with t1d don’t have shoulder and back problems from carrying all this extra crap with them.  Especially moms with t1d.  Yikes.