Hello hello! My, it's good to be back. Here are a few things I learned while banished from cyberspace:
1. I'm way too reliant on the Internet for support, information, entertainment, and mind-numbing distraction.
2. Printed materials (yeah...those papery things...the ones with ink...) provide three out of four of the above very nicely.
3. There's no replacing the support. Missed all you cyberpals, your writings, and your wisdom.
4. That said, I am weirdly happier with a less constant influx of diabetes-related info. It's data I'm talking about: diabetes causes this, causes that, might someday be cured via this that or the other, etc. etc. I used to read diabetes news and research every day, half an hour or more each day. I thought I was helping myself by adding to my knowledge. After all, information = empowerment, right? No one could have convinced me otherwise. Then, rather to my surprise, my spirits took a strong upturn when computerlessness forced me to give up that reading.
Am I better off in the dark? I don't believe so, at least not theoretically. I would never want to become ignorant about the disease or about how to care for myself, how to be a strong self-advocate through the health care system, etc. But I wonder if a continual influx of information, much of it negative, is truly helpful for me. Right now I'm experimenting with a narrower focus on self care, leaving aside for the moment the data gathering. I'm trying to read more for pleasure than for diabetes info. I'm trying to surround myself with things that enhance hope.
As for Charlotte and me, we're humming along pretty well. Not perfectly, but well enough. More to come, of course...
Hi Violet,
ReplyDeleteSO glad you're back! I went through a stage where I devoured every piece of information possible related to diabetes.
But~it's possible to OD on scare-talk, yes? As you said on Lori's blog~we're already scared enough. Give us some practical advice, already. Some stories from the pits and how we got out of them.
For instance~the torrid tale of how a certain party in my life decided to "sneak" 7 Girl Scout Thin Mints and then ended up over 450 at swim team tryouts, crying and screaming at the coach.
Practical advice~How do you 'talk someone down' who's over 450 and convince him that yes~he needs an insulin shot~no, Mom's not just being "a mean jerk."
That is why I like your, Amy's, Lori's and Scott's blogs. I hope more people with diabetes, and parents with children with diabetes, decide to blog about their experiences. That way, we don't feel so alone.
Martha, hello, thanks much for posting. I appreciate the empathy--yet your comment also highlights in such a vivid way the uniqueness of your own struggle as a parent to a diabetes kid. Talk about challenges. You get to be the bearer of rules, restrictions, injections, finger pricks, worries in the night and throughout the day, the aforementioned "mean jerkiness," and on and on and on. I'm so glad to see your blog and get a sense of what life is like in this very complex corner of the diabetes universe.
ReplyDeleteAnd that monkey rules!!!
Missed you oodles, Violet!
ReplyDeleteAnd you know what? I kind of had my blinders on before I started my blog: I figured all I need to know was how to use the equipment they gave me, and screw everything else. But for me, coming out this way has been part of getting over the denial that I am actually diabetic.
Yes, the influx of negative information gets me down. But I still think it's important to have an idea what's going on in the diabetes world. That's why I'm trying to make my blog an upbeat place to learn/discuss.
Anyway, looking forward to hearing more from you!
Cheers,
Amy
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI'm new to the blogging world and like Martha, I am a parent to a diabetic child. I've posted on Martha's and Amy's blogs. I've searched for and read everything I can Google concerning cures rather than what damage diabetes does. I grilled the endo that took care of my son when he was diagnosed. He said that a person would have to ride in the 300's for 15-20 years for any damage to occur. So, since I believe what he told me, I'm not so concerned about what this evil disease will do to my son. As long as we test several times a day and dose him accordingly and his A1C's are spot on (his latest is 6.5) then, I'll concentrate on what advances are taking place for cures and management rather than what diabetes has in store for my son. He is a pump user by the way. I've also started a blog concentrating on what a parent goes through in caring for a child, and after reading these other comments, I guess I'll start writing more often.
Shannon