A [World] Diabetes Day in the Life of Dorkabetic

Inspired by Kerri's vlog today, here's a rundown of a typical day in the life of this diabetic:

Wake up.

No, really wake up. Not the 4 times I’ve hit snooze so far.

Think about testing.

Go do morning bathroom routine, bleary eyed. Take a moment to be appreciative that I still have healthy eyesight, though I've always been nearsighted. Worry for a moment that my blurry left eye could be something more, but some yawning and rubbing does the trick. Looks like it's allergies, not retinopathy. I hate how many times a day this crap can creep into my head.

Did I check my BG? No? Guess I should do that.

Oh! Where are those shoes I wanted to wear today…found them.

Do I have extra pump supplies so I don’t have to run home today if something goes wrong? Stuff said supplies in giant purse.

Get in car. Drive to work. Sing if there’s something good on the radio. Walk into office. Greet co-workers. There’s something I’m forgetting here.

Right! A BG test! I was going to do that like 40 minutes ago. Testing…134. Cool.

Work work work. Answer the phone. Text the husband. Answer the phone again. Snack snack. Work work.

Mmm, 2 Hershey’s Kisses aren’t so bad.

OMG my mouth feels like it’s full of envelope lick and stick glue…I must be going high. I probably forgot to bolus for those freakin’ chocolates. Or the snack. Or both.

Test. 302. Ugh. Correction. What’s that smell? INSULIN! Dang it. Off to the ladies’ room. I’m wearing a dress today so it’s not like this is something I can conduct at the front desk. Infusion set change. Re-correction. Hope I guessed right since I don’t know how much insulin I actually absorbed off that leaky set.

Time passes. So hungry. Wow, it’s 2:00, guess I can go get lunch.

PANERA! Yum yum yum. Oh, and they gave me 2 whole grain baguette pieces instead of just one…maybe I’ll save one for later. Soooo goooood. Munch munch munch. So much for that saving business.

Crap! I forgot to test! Stupid stressful life. One of these days I’m going to get it right. I just have to keep trying. I’ll test after I eat. I know it’s not the best thing to do, but I’d rather head off a major high by ending up with a mild high.

Test. 274. Correct. Cross fingers.

Work work work. Answer the phone. Text the husband. Answer the phone again. Bz-bz-bz-bz-bz-bz!! What IS it, pump?

Ah, low cartridge volume, but enough to get me through the end of the day. Smooth sailing. No worries.

Work work. Greet the students. Almost class time. Almost go-home time. Bz-bz-bz-bz-bz-bz! Again? Really? Time to cancel out that cartridge message…oh, wait. The pump’s trying to tell me my battery is low. One more thing to do when I get home. Fantastic. Time to go!

Get home. Help Matt with dinner. Did I do a test? No, not yet, babe, let me do that now. Testing…174! Woo hoo! This is, amazingly, a lot better than I’ve been running at this time of day. I’m sure someone else finds this atrocious, but if I reach a personal best, I celebrate.

Hmm, now just how many grams of carbs are in Matt’s Mystery Mexican Dish? So many beans…he served it up with chips…ARGH! Take a wild guess, Hannah, it’s better than nothing.

Make a quick run to the grocery store post-dinner. We need some trash bags, not to mention some AAA batteries for the aforementioned buzzing pump. In line, I notice a “Diabetic Recipes” magazine. Aww, those poor recipes, I say to Matt. They have diabeetus! He informs me I’m wrong. No no, the recipes are diabetes-based. You know, like Insulin-Glazed Chicken. I crack up, then chime in, oooh, with a side of test strip pilaf! Please tell me there will be glucose-tab tarts for dessert.

Home. Relax. Video games. Voldo FTW. Matt is hard to beat. Xianghua FTW. Ha ha, a girl just kicked your butt, Matt. I am apparently good with imaginary swords.

Sitting on the floor. Pins and needles halfway down my leg. Back of my mind says, it's been 18 years, Hannah. Maybe it's catching up with you. I probably just haven't shifted positions in half an hour. These things happen. I hate thinking the worst during the mundane.

So sleepy. Bedtime. Do a test. Mystery casserole results in a BG of 287. Time to correct. Take pills and drink extra water. Let’s hope I don’t have to get up and pee at 3am.

Then you start all over again the next day, only with different distractions, numbers, foods, challenges, stress levels. Diabetes is manageable, but it isn’t always easy to manage. Factor in highs that make it difficult for me to stay focused, make me cranky, or make me sleepy. Then the occasional low. I don’t have a lot of those lately, so when I feel weird I wonder what the heck is going on. If I’m really high, I can feel like I’m low when I should be “normal”, around 110 for example. Everyone’s diabetes is different, but we all need to manage it. We need to know when to have fun, and when to take things more seriously. There is no cure for diabetes yet. I am grateful that World Diabetes Day is becoming a more widely-recognized awareness day. I hope everyone has used today as an opportunity to educate and inform a friend, co-worker, loved one, acquaintance or perfect stranger about diabetes.

And like all of you, I hope that a day comes when we no longer have to deal with all of these ups, downs, highs and lows. Here's to the day when we can all become former diabetes bloggers. I plan on using this space to write about fluffy baby bunnies and cupcakes from then on. What will you be blogging about after you're cured?