Managing diabetes is like conducting an experiment. Every day. Not sure how scientific these experiments are, though.
Diabetes has been compared to a game, a challenge, an experiment. What else? What do you consider it in order to keep a sense of humor, try new things, and stay sane?
In November I started a new long-acting insulin. Here I am three months later and it’s still an ongoing experiment. It really does take patience and a sense of humor to manage diabetes. I’ve written before about how helpful it is to be as consistent as possible in order to achieve consistent blood glucose levels. Well, life is not consistent, so it’s no wonder many people with diabetes either put up with less than ideal glucose levels, or even give up from time to time!
Continuous glucose monitoring and switching to a new insulin have opened my eyes to the many factors that make diabetes hard to manage. Work, kids, hormonal changes (whether that’s puberty or stress or menopause), life challenges, relationships, travel, and so many other variables play into how we manage (or don’t manage) our diabetes. Just when we think we have it down, one little change can throw the whole thing off. We say it’s “all about balance,” yet is balance even achievable in life?
I realize this type of post is frustrating to read because there are no answers. There are no simple tricks. There’s only persistence, perseverance, determination, humor, and hope. Get up each morning and start over. Without praise or recognition. Just experiment.