Just a Normal Diabetic
The other night after finishing a class at my gym, I went to talk to a friend of mine who I knew was having surgery the next day. Anxious for the procedure to be over with she said, “I just can’t wait to feel normal again.”
Normal, huh? What is normal?
We all have our own idea of what normal is. The word, itself, means to conform to a standard; usual, typical or expected. But we all have a different standards and often different expectations.
I knew what my friend was implying with her comment. She was having a mass removed from her stomach that had been interfering her ability to the activities she loves—especially biking and working out. Her idea of normal is being able to do those activities without feeling pain or nausea. That is her expectation of her body and what she calls normal.
When it comes to our bodies, we all have certain expectations. We expect it to function properly. When it doesn’t, we don’t feel normal. For instance, it’s abnormal to have a high temperature. It means our body is fighting off some type of infection. Thankfully, we can often take medication to bring the body temperature back down to normal.
What I wouldn’t give to have surgery or medication that would help me feel normal again! As a Type 1 Diabetic, I am far from normal. I can’t eat whenever I want. Exercise has to be planned hours in advance. On a typical day, a few hours don’t pass without me wondering where my blood sugar level is.
Attempting to be Normal
Since my body won’t break down sugars on its own, I take insulin to do that for me. How much insulin is often a guessing game.
I look at the number of carbs I eat—often guessing. I take into consideration whether or not I have exercised that day and when, or if I plan to. I try to determine if I am stressed. I look at what time of the month it is (probably too much information, but I have found that a certain time of the month can wreck havoc on my blood sugar). And, of course, I test my blood sugar to find out if I am within range, or not.
Diabetes has no cure. It’s something you can’t ignore. Doing so damages your eyes, your circulation which leads to amputation, your kidneys and other organs, and all sorts of things you need to live a quality lifestyle. While there is no cure, there are plenty of tools to help manage diabetes.
There are continuous glucose monitors (CGM), pumps, glucometers, apps, all sorts of tools. These tools aren’t cheap, but they are necessary to maintain blood sugar levels.
Managing diabetes means a lot of pokes and pricks. When I’m not wearing a CGM, I end up drawing blood from my fingertips at least four times a day. Testing my blood sugar helps me determine how much insulin to give myself when I eat. The CGM cuts that number to two times a day for calibration. But it also means I have something stuck to my body 24/7—which does not feel or look normal.
More pokes come with the injections of insulin—every time you eat, before you go to bed, and when you wake up. Sometimes an extra shot is needed if I have miscalculated my dose and am running high. I can count on five injections or more each day.
I feel a little more normal when I wear my Omnipod (an insulin delivery device that doesn’t have any tubing). It gives me the freedom from daily injections. The Omnipod comes with a wireless device that allows me to bolus when needed. I can stop insulin delivery if I am going low or headed out for a bike ride or run. The delivery system functions like a normal pancreas (which is something I do not have) except that I have to tell it what to do. But, again, it means having something attached to me all of the time. It also requires me to change its location every three days which wasn’t always convenient.
Living with Diabetes is My Norm
I’m happy that my friend will be able to recovery from her surgery and feel normal again. But, for me, my normal changed 17 years ago with a simple blood test and a diagnosis that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
The normal for diabetics includes needles each day, counting carbs, scheduling exercise around meals and shots, and testing multiple times each day. It means getting juice or any food when you start to feel the shakey, sweaty symptoms of low blood sugar. It includes going to more doctor visits and routine testing to remain healthy.
Diabetics can be just as normal as anyone else. We can run marathons, play sports, wakeboard, ski, act, sing—whatever we want to do—we just have to take a few extras steps to take care of ourselves. Personally, I think makes us better than normal—it makes us, diabetics, very extraordinary.