Toughen Up People

Hey
So this week I thought I would talk about how people cope with diabetes. Personally I've never really struggled with it, I have pretty decent control. Especially now I'm on the pump. But it appears that for many people it's not. I hear a lot about how people really struggle to control it and how much they hater and that for me is an alien concept. To me I don't understand how people struggle to control it and I think this is because I was diagnosed so young. Being six I don't have many memories about what  life was like with diabetes, I grew up with it and saw how many things I did effected it. For example exam stress will either send me sky high or crashing lows, so I would change my basal rates accordingly. This to me has never been a problem and I don't think it will ever be, but I do wonder why people complain so much about it.

A few months ago there was a regular columnist in Balance ( the diabetes UK magazine) who every month, without fail, would talk about how hard it was for her and her son to handle living with diabetes. This really annoyed me, not the fact that they struggled to control his diabetes which I understand can be difficult for some people, but that she went out of her way to make sure everybody knew how hard it was. I'm no angel I have occasionally stretched the truth out to make my stories more entertaining, but I have never made a habit of it. I think the reason I have no sympathy with them is that I know from personal experience it's not that easy but when your blood sugar is a couple of mmols over what it should be I don't feel the need to panic. Diabetes is not easy but it is not better than you, don't fight it. Work with what you've got to make your life better.

It's not just diabetes I can't stand people continually complaining about what is wrong with them. No one seems to embrace the opportunities they are offered anymore but would much rather complain about how much work they have to do this week. Of course there are people who have got a really tough lot and have every right to be upset about it but I've found these are the happiest people. I've spent a fair amount of time with children with disabilities ranging from minor behavioural difficulties to not being able to do anything for themselves and I have never met anyone happier. Some of these children cant walk, talk, eat or drink by themselves but they will give you the biggest grin if you are willing to spend time with them and that's my point. These children face a daily struggle much greater than our own while we all spend too much time looking on the negative side of things and complaining about how hard life is but as the absolutely horrific saying goes YOLO. You only live once. So embrace the good things in your life and if your struggling to control any aspect of your life look on it as a challenge rather than a problem, you can beat anything you put your mind too.

And on that cheesey note it's time for me go. Adios

Rhona x