Let me get back to the beginning of this page… My name is Veronika and I am type 1 diabetic. If you sense a certain similarity with the AA sessions, it’s my intention. I enjoy watching Sherlock Holmes in the series Elementary. Maybe you do too. As a former drug addict, he attends the AA meetings on a regular basis. I was thinking a lot why each of the testimonies I had seen in the series (and elsewhere) start with this particular sentence and understood that saying the condition out loud, accepting it and admitting the problem, is a part of the healing process. It’s not until you really mean what you say that you have the power to do something about your illness or condition. Acceptance is the key. Otherwise, we lose our precious energy in a fight that cannot be won. A fight against ourselves.
Diabetes is not a one-size fits all illness. Things that work for me on some days, totally do not work on other days. Therefore, it is certain that my approach will not be applicable to all type 1 diabetics. But there is always a chance that some thoughts or logical approaches might bring light to someone who is struggling to figure something out. Diabetes is about self-management and knowledge is the biggest asset here. Knowledge needs to be spread. Same holds for experience in handling situations.
There is a great chance that you are in the same situation as I was a while ago. Feeling alone surrounded by non-diabetic people who have no chance to put themselves in the shoes of a diabetic. And I don’t blame them. I had no clue about diabetes before either and not a slightest idea how being diabetic felt. I would most probably pose the same questions that we diabetics find annoying (because the knowledge on diabetes is low – it’s by far not about not being able to eat sugar or feeling tired). Trying to explain to other people why you do things the way you do and why you feel that way, getting “smart” advice, often leads just to energy loss. I could see and hear by the reactions that my message did not come through. I came to an understanding that being a part of the diabetic community is of key importance. Listening to or reading about other diabetics’ testimonies can bring many answers to unsolved questions. And if not answers then at least a feeling of belonging somewhere and not being alone. This on itself is powerful.
Over the past 11 years, I have conducted many studies and experiments on me while trying to achieve good glycemic control, studying and identifying factors that influence the glucose level, writing down notes on food (exact weights), exercise, mood… I have learnt a lot, but I failed a lot of times in the process. There is still so much to learn, because diabetes is very complex. And I am aware that there will be many times when too many factors pull the diabetic strings and there is not much that I will be able do about it. Learning to let this pass in the calmest way so that the nervousness doesn’t become another major factor is very important and I am learning as days go by, what works and what doesn’t.