Silent Sam and I were talking the other morning. I asked him what 5 things scared him most about his diabetes. His ability to answer quickly indicated to me that these things really concern him.
1. The long term effects on his heart.
2. The long term effects of the medicine that he takes.
3. The threat of losing body parts.
4. A change in his quality of life due to any or a combination of #1, 2, or 3.
5. How his choices affect those around him.
He then asked for my list. While we share some concerns, I have some that are different.
1. The long term effects on his heart.
2. To go with his fear of losing body parts, I have a bit of a foot obsession with him. I am so worried that he will get a foot sore and it will get infected and cause problems. While I feel bad about it, I have asked him to please wear shoes all the time. I am crazy (yea, I know!) but when I see him in his bare feet, I just cringe.
3. Because we have come to rely on our health insurance over the years, I worry about the insurance changing and the expenses associated with the disease. And yea, it is another area where I can show how crazy I am.
4. I worry about our kids. While a component of the disease is hereditary there is a strong component connected to lifestyle choices. We did not really demonstrate the best lifestyle to our kids as they were growing up. We can only hope that they see the effect of our previous lifestyle and the changes that we have made. (I do have my doubts that we will ever talk them into turkey sausage or sweet potato chips, though)
5. I worry that we will go back to our "old ways". That we will slide down that slippery slope and not keep his health (and mine!) at the forefront of our thoughts.
So there you go. What scares you about diabetes? How do you face that fear?
Thanks for reading.
Being honest about the scary side of diabetes is really brave. Good work guys :)
ReplyDeleteThe scariest part about my dad's diabetes is before he was diagnosed I always thought he was indestructible. He was never sick, tired or unable to do anything. He could drive for 12-15hrs with a few breaks - now he gets exhausted after 3hrs. He could eat on the run and work all day - now he has to eat 6 times a day and keep his eye on the clock.
BUT - diabetes has brought blessings too. He always got around in bare feet of flip flops (familiar?) but now takes awesome care of his feet. Dad hated glasses but now has regular optic appointments. I think in some ways his diagnosis was a great wake up call to start taking excellent care of his overall health.
Every cloud has a silver lining I guess :)
Dear Neighbor,
ReplyDeleteI think you are right, diabetes has brought us worries and blessings. There are times that I think our "new" way of life (eating right and exercising) are fun. I think I may have lost my mind.
There is a lot about diabetes that is scary. But I can tell you, over the years you find a way to put those fears on the back burner. Not that go away - or even that they SHOULD go away. I think fear is part of what keeps us motivated. But we learn not to let them rule our lives (and I'm not saying you let them rule yours - I'm just trying to give a perspective that I've gained after more than 32 years with diabetes.). It does get less scary. But I think you can banish your #5 fear, because I can tell you are willing to put in the hard work to keep both of you healthy and I don't see you backsliding over time. In fact, I think it will get easier and easier for you over time, because your new good habits will become second nature!!
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