Diabetes Blog – Happy-Medium.net

We’re right in the middle of Diabetes Blog Week! Myself and many others are posting for 7 (seven!) straight days. This is day four’s post. Haven’t heard of Diabetes Blog Week? Get the lowdown by clicking on the banner above. Now, on to today’s subject:

We don’t always realize it, but each one of us had come a long way since diabetes first came into our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s been 5 weeks, 5 years or 50 years, you’ve done something outstanding diabetes-wise. So today let’s share the greatest accomplishment you’ve made in terms of dealing with your (or your loved one’s) diabetes. No accomplishment is too big or too small – think about self-acceptance, something you’ve mastered (pump / exercise / diet / etc.), making a tough care decision (finding a new endo or support group / choosing to use or not use a technology / etc.). (Thanks to Hilary of Rainie and Me for this topic suggestion.)

Wow, I get to say something good about myself two days in a row? That’s almost too much! Almost.

Actually, I’m having a little difficulty finding my greatest accomplishment. Not because I think I have so many to choose from. Because I don’t. I just don’t know if anything I’ve accomplished is that great. I mean, all the things I can think of seem to fall into the “gotta do it to survive” more than the “this is a great thing” category. So I think I’ll list one thing that I’m thinking of right now, and that will be “my greatest accomplishment I can think of in five minutes”. Hey, it’s my blog, I make up the rules.

I’m thinking of the time I went to my endocrinologist (the one I go to now), and told her, in my first appointment, that I was ready to go on insulin pump therapy. She didn’t know it then, but I had been thinking about pump therapy (and putting it off) for quite some time up to then. Like, years. I was finally ready to pull the trigger, and she stopped me right in my tracks. She told me that I might be a good candidate for pump therapy, but I needed to demonstrate that I had a good grasp of my BG control, counting carbs, and logging my data (including glucose readings, carb intake, and insulin dosage). And she wanted to see two consecutive A1cs at seven or below.

Well, I’m a lousy data logger when it comes to my diabetes. You could say I’m a logger lollygagger. Or something like that. But the gauntlet having been thrown, I had a decision to make: Accept the challenge, or stay on MDI (multiple daily injections). I decided to suck it up and log the data, while trying my best to manage my diabetes as well as I ever have.

In the end, the work paid off. Two consecutive A1cs at seven or below (7.0 and 6.9, if I remember correctly). Shortly after, I started on my Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm® Revel™ insulin pump. That was a little over three years ago.

Deciding to go with a pump for insulin delivery has been a life-changer for me in a number of ways. I won’t try to tell you that it’s all been fantastic. But it’s been pretty good so far. And those months where I was really keeping track of everything (even if a lot of it was on a spreadsheet– is that wrong?) really taught me about how important it is to know the math of it all. In that respect, it was an accomplishment that I’m glad to have… accomplished!