This is the one with 10 reasons I enjoy having diabetes.

Posted August 15th, 2008 by Mike Lawson

Too much space on this blog has been dedicated to me bitching about diabetes (testing blood!  needles!  low blood sugar!  high blood sugar!  no sheet cake from Costco!), but I wanted give a little space to the ten reasons I enjoy having diabetes.  Here they are in no particular order:

1.  I’m selective at potlucks – How many times have you been at a potluck where someone demands that you try their gross recipes?  “You’ve got to try my mom’s meatloaf recipe.  The secret ingredient is cows tongue.”  Well, with diabetes you can just say that you wish you could try it, but there ketchup is just full of sugar.

2.  Free stuff – I’ve received a few free blood glucose monitors, a pedometer, and a diabetic cookbook just for filling out those little cards that fall out of magazines.

3.  I’ve got mail – My mailbox is never empty when I check it – and you know how much I love getting mail.  The information I filled out to get those free gadgets mentioned in number 2 was put into a diabetes database and I always get mail.  Granted, they assume I’m a 70-year-old living with diabetes and send me AARP junk and ads for other services that cater to the elderly, but it’s still nice to never open an empty mailbox.

4.  Funny looks - When I say things like “I’m feeling high,” or “I’m going to go shoot up,” It’s funny to see the eavesdroppers reactions.

5.  Eat whenever I want – If I’m in one of those dreaded situations where friends are arguing about where we are going to eat, I just need to raise my voice a little and say, “We have to stop arguing and get some food.”  If I close my eyes after this (for dramatic effect), we usually are in a restaurant ordering before 10 minutes passes.  What’s funny is that I’m pretty good at timing my insulin injections and I am rarely in a situation that demands that I eat immediately…just a small white lie.

6.  I remember what I eat – Before my diagnosis it was too easy to munch away for hours.  This amnesia during high-calorie binges was more than responsible for my weight problems.  Today I’m still guilty of an occasional binge, but I’m much more aware of what is going in my mouth since it has a direct affect on what my BGL readings are.

7.  It hurts so good – This one is a little sadistic, but I’m just being honest.  I’ve come to terms with the “pain” of diabetes.  It’s not easy, but I try to  approach all things with gratitude…and when I think about the daily injections and finger pricks, I’m grateful that I can still feel these small pains.  And I’m grateful that I have 10 fingers to sample blood from.  And I’m grateful that I can (barely) afford the expensive drugs that I have to inject.

8.  Online communities – Without this chronic illness, I would have never been connected to the great people I’ve found at TuDiabetes.com and other online communities.

9.  Self-awareness – When something changes in me, I know about it right away.  My blood glucose monitor tells me if I’m going too high or low.  And since I’m consciously thinking (worrying) about hypoglycemia, when I feel an ache or a little lightheadededness,  I can immediately do something about it.

10. I’m still young.  I don’t have a number 10 yet.