My friend Mike, over at My Diabetic Heart, came up with an interesting concept for all of us d-bloggers to ponder this week: what has diabetes given us that we can be thankful for?
Here's my Top Ten.
- Diabetes helped to shape me into the mostly-responsible, and freakishly organized person I am today.
- The high tolerance for pain that thousands of injections and blood tests have given me comes in handy. Take for example, that time in my self-defense class, when the instructor was demonstrating some sort of crippling thumb-bend move on me. Tried as he might, it didn't hurt. The look on his face was priceless - half disbelieving, half awe. Apparently I was supposed to scream in agony? I didn't get that memo.
- The aforementioned blood tests have built up some handy scar tissue on my fingertips. Hot drinks in paper cups don't feel so scalding anymore. It's like my fingertips are wearing their own little protective oven mitts. (Thanks to Karen from Bitter-Sweet for coming up with that. Genius.)
- It gave me justification to start blogging, and a way to connect with the great people that make up the DOC (diabetes online community).
- Hypoglycemia = guilt-free candy consumption.
- I've met some pretty great people because of diabetes, and look forward to the people it will help me meet in the future.
- I can use double entendres, like "That prick really hurt me", "I'm totally pumped about this", "I'm actually 87", or "Man, I'm so high right now".
- Going to the doctor every 3-4 months ensures that I'm current on all blood work and examinations, so if I end up with anything else, it should get caught early. (That doesn't always work, but I'm still hopeful.)
- Carrying around all of my d-gear makes me feel a little bit like MacGyver. I think I could probably substitute some IV3000 tape for duct tape in a bind.
- Like Kanye says: "That, that, that that don't kill me can only make me stronger". (One of my favorite workout songs, by the way.)
Kim,
ReplyDelete#2, about the pain, I think that's just you, I would've been screaming like a baby.
Oh my gosh, what a great list of thankful things!!! I laughed at them quite a bit, especially your double entendres. Thanks for the shout out too!
ReplyDeletePS: I actually am pretty high right now myself.
Great list, Kim! Thanks for the shout out, and for participating in Diabetes Blessings Week.
ReplyDeleteI have one to add!
ReplyDeleteBeing preggo and type 1, I get more ultrasounds than "normal" women. More glimpses at my beautiful baby! That and I get to skip the glucose tolerance test. As my OB said to me, "I think you're gonna fail that one..." :)