DIA-GRAM (ENG)

Diabetes S U C K S.   But Jenny doesn't.

Last week I reacted to a post on Instagram from a fellow diabetic, Jenny.
I will describe the post for you.

You see a photo of her in blue pyjamas, leaning forward on the bathroom sink.
Head resting on her arms, her golden-blonde hair in a loose bun on top of it, a few strings escaping te band holding it together.
It looks like a just-out-of-bed- situation.
And a I- don't- know- what- to- do- anymore- situation.

The text she wrote accompanying the photo, contains the frustration of every person with this disease: Diabetes s u c k s.      Sometimes.
You try to get a grip on a disease you did not ask for.
And too often it acts out like a wild animal.
You never know what it's next move is going to be.
The thing is: what worked out fine yesterday, is no guarantee it'll will work again today.
It has an overwhelming effect on a lot of things in one's life.
Mentally: The million extra decisions you have to make each day. And the energy it takes. The anxiety it triggers for complications, now and in the future.

Physically: The loss of energy whilst trying to correct highs and lows.
The sleep deprivation from being awake at night, trying to correct wrong bloodsugar levels.
It takes away the chance for your body to recover properly.

But the bottomline of Jenny's post is: the importance of the ones who stand by you to support you in this struggle that matters the most.

The ones that keep on loving you when you snarl at them when you're "high".  AGAIN.
(this is coming from the anxiety of getting into ketoacidosis and frustration of what the f*ck you did wrong this time)
Or the times you're sobbing like a baby when you are "low" and nothing seems to make sense anymore. Terrified of sliding into unconsciousness. The guilt of the sorrow you bring on those next to you.

But THEY matter the most. THEY are the reason you keep on going. THEY are your personal support team in the olympic game called managing diabetes.
And when we get back to our "normal" bloodsugars and - selves. We thank them. A lot. For being there when it matters.

The caring network

This morning I noticed I've received a message request from Jenny.
She thanks me for the reaction I left by her post the other day.
That it matters that we support people that are dealing with the same struggles.

And points out how important a good network is to her, and wants to get a step closer to me by telling more about herself.
Jenny has been diagnosed thirteen years ago with Diabetes Type one and lives in the United States. She married her high-school sweetheart and has ever since standing by her side.

She wants to help other people by sharing her story and thereby supporting them.
Jenny made it her mission to educate others about T1D.
This shows how similar we are.

But the last question to her message was: What about you? And where are you from?
And in answer to that question, my fingers didn't stop typing for an hour.
Only twelve (because there are limited characters per message) book-long messages later they stopped. And I learned a lot about myself today. Again.
It's something I rather do a lot lately.
But to keep all this content a bit light, ill divide it in several pieces.
You can read on in my next blogpost: Fleur, Chapter One.

-Fleur-