Managing blood sugars can be done a number of ways. I can use diet, exercise and insulin therapy to seek control. I enjoy exercising a lot. I wouldn't say it really helps my control at all. In fact, it actually makes things a bit more complicated. Insulin is a given. I couldn't live without it. Depending on who you listen to, insulin can be a very large negative or others think otherwise. My biggest struggle is diet.
As a diabetic, food is my enemy at times. Unfortunately, those that are not type 1 will not understand. Food should not drive my thoughts throughout the day, but it does at times. When my nbers are high it's like having the flu. Being low can be very different. Sometimes I lack motor control and am helpless. Control, control, control...
My best blood sugars occur when I don't eat and take small amounts of insulin. This leads to going down in flames. There have been a few times in my life that I needed control of my disease so much that I hardly ate. Seeing the blood sugars averaging around 85 seemed to make everything okay. I had control.
About five years ago, I really started to switch some things around. I started becoming more serious about nutrition and performance. I did it all wrong. I was under eating, acting like a jerk and felt awful. I never even thought it was because I wasn't properly fueling my body. I had such good control of my blood sugars, I was blinded. The results from my lack of food resulted in three liver biopsies, one muscle biopsy and a thyroid disorder. Did I mention I had good control?
I still get upset and beat myself up for days that my numbers are not the greatest. Unfortunately others take it a lot further than I did. I never plan on going back to how I treated myself for control. This disease needs to be worked with and not against it. I can see how other type 1s can dig and bury themselves into this hole. Quality of life can be measured in so many ways. My A1C is only one little piece of the puzzle.
The way we discuss our control publicly can be strange. When I test in public, it still seems very uncomfortable for me to have others see my results. The worst for me is when at the doctor's office and they test me there even though I always test on those days way too much.
Social media doesn't help the diabetic insecurities for control. People post their numbers that are on target. I am guilty of this as well. The last thing diabetics want to feel is that we don't have great control. The stress and worry of the judgment of others in how we are living with our disease can be very fearful.
In the end, I can control my mindset. I like to believe that I am a diabetic warrior. This may sound silly, but it's a state of mind. I go to battle on a daily basis with something that can kill me if not battled and conquered.
BREAK DIABETES.
