Beat the Beetus

OK , a serious post here. A few topics. Sorry for the length. 

1. If someone is ignorant towards diabetes or the type that doesn’t make them dumb or stupid. Before I was diagnosed I didn’t know anything except it had to do with watching amounts of sugar and shots. That’s literally it. I thought it was a a disease/disorder you almost had complete control over getting. Obviously I was wrong. I never bashed anyone before hand. I was curious but I wasn’t like Oh you have it BECAUSE of this. I knew I was ignorant. I was in their place. Ignorance doesn’t make you less intelligent. Ignorance is how we gain knowledge. What does upset me it when people take what little they know and expand their knowledge on that. Which that makes them look dumb. My point of this is just STOP , fellow diabetics and you who have an aunt Reeta who had it and blah blah blah, stop going off, yelling at people, and insulting them. There are TONS of subjects I know nothing or next to nothing about. Instead enlighten them with facts if they are rude back then let that be it. Don’t lower yourself to someone who embraces their ignorance because almost every time in order to win you’ll have to lower your own self down. Instead of flipping out on someone who doesn’t know things help them out. When majority of us were diagnosed, including myself, I was the ignorant one. I had to learn everything and ask tons of questions. 

2. I don’t like the “diabeetus” jokes are that funny. At first they were. Now they’re just old jokes. Some I get a chuckle out of. I don’t get offended by them but I get offended disgusted when I see a comment on a photo where is says “That’s not how we get it you Prick. Get your facts straight dumb@$$”, some nastier I have seen and some not so nasty. Also I realized something the other day sometimes when I have told someone I have diabetes or they ask…. I really just say diabetes for the most part. Just really they’re meant to be jokes. Sometimes the person may legit know the difference and possibly a diabetic themselves. Some diabetics, this is how they bring light onto their disease. Just how some aren’t so blunt about having it and some are this is part of me, embrace it. Different things work for different people. 

Another this: So i mean you do know type 2 diabetes isn’t always because of overeating, poor diet, and lack of exercise right? I have seen things that offend type two as well. Sometimes it’s more apparent they’re not taking care of themselves. But WE will be in the same boat with the complications, dieting to the extreme if WE don’t get our heads on straight and think about that. I don’t think I’ll feel all that tough in a wheelchair with one foot going TYPE 2 is you didn’t take care of yourself, haha! ……… really? 

3. I truly do think about other diabetics all the kind of every type. For years I was neglecting the care I needed. Eating whatever I wanted. Doing nothing that I should on a daily if even a weekly basis. I was a person who had to be told hey uhmm, you are dying, right now and it’s your fault. It was. I was one to always be like I’m extra sick because of diabetes with a cold, ok yes we can feel worse than others and are numbers go crazy but with good and/or great control over our diabetes our immune system isn’t shot like everyone else’s. (When it comes to such thing.) 

My slap in the face: Oct 2010: I have just strep throat in January earlier that year. I took my antibiotics but I kept my sugars high and wasn’t taking care of myself. (Average of about 350) I ran Hi quite often. Never corrected. So instead of the strep going away it was dormant in my body for quite awhile. I just getting a little sick in the fall. The October my body just couldn’t do anything. I had a fever of 105.8 when I got to the hospital. It was that was for over a week. Which was literally just slowly destroying my organs and killing brain cells. I couldn’t eat, faded in and out of consciousness throughout the day. Oh, and halfway through I went into cardiac arrest. After that I was told I wasn’t going to live. A miracle because two days later the fever suppressed and I was feeling better. I started slowly taking better care of myself. About a year and a half ago…….. cancer cells found. So began a process I NEVER want to repeat. If I didn’t make a different it was guaranteed I was going to die. I am  proudly alive and healthier today. 

Two things I want to point out about these things:

1. The hospital visit was because I neglected myself. I have been to the ER so many times since I was diagnosed with diabetes. 

2. It wasn’t caught earlier on because of the condition I constantly kept myself in. I didn’t recognize pain that much or differences in my body. I also, didn’t realize how bad I felt until I was consistent on taking care of myself. I started recognizing issues I never noticed before which  I didn’t like feeling but I was able to get things fixed and taken care of. I almost lost some battles because I wasn’t taking care of myself before hand. I had a miscarriage because of my neglect. 

It’s scary. truly it is but just think about something might happen today, or tomorrow, you won’t see it coming. A car crash, cancer, get shot, even getting pregnant…. if you are not controlling your diabetes IF these things among other things your body might not be able to  handle it, never be able to fully heal, to battle whatever comes at you, and your body can shut down during pregnancy, or afterwards be severely damaged. This stuff is real and I HOPE and PRAY (not to offend anyone) But I care about you all. I really don’t want any of you to have to wait until something changes your life for the decision to take control of it yourself happens. It could be too late. I was very lucky, I am aware. 

This goes to all the diabetics out there, any type, any amount of time having it, just take small steps if you have to. Get someone who will hold you accountable and ask you frequently how things are going. I am aware, and don’t fool yourself, we NEED and WANT that support. 

Take care of yourselves. It’s hard sometimes. Frustrating. Feel unfair. I have those days too. And though you might not be able to see it first hand but trust me just the support from this blog alone in the last month has CHANGED my life. Truly has. Incredible amounts. I thank you all for that. 

-Shelby