The Could’ve Been, Should’ve Been Blues – The Life of a Diabetic

I love writing prompts.

They make you look in the mirror, examine every gray hair, every wrinkle, and make you wonder how they got there. Some people look, go OK, and walk away without further examination. Others look at the image in the mirror, hate what they see, and try to gloss it over with whatever to hide the journey.

But this prompt asks not about the past, but about what’s going on right now. What in your life isn’t working?

Well (which is a deep hole full of water), from the world of a sixty-eight-year-old, there’s a lot I can still do differently. If I were to start listing them and expound on each and every point, I’d have another book out there.

So, let’s limit that conversation to one of my favorite topics. Diabetes.

If you have diabetes, you might be led to believe it’s something you did wrong. We all hear it from people who don’t know what they’re talking about (you ate too much candy as a kid is a favorite). But there’s a lot of genetics involved. Looking at my father and mother’s side of the family, I see on my mother that almost everyone on her dad’s side had diabetes. On my father’s side, he gets it from both sides of the equation.

You can’t beat those genes!

So, don’t feel guilty about it. Maybe you ate lousy as a child and as an adult. Maybe you put on a few pounds. Maybe you’re too slow to qualify for some marathons.

You can always change that.

Ever since I came over to the dark side (my doctor welcomed me with the news that there are no cookies over here). and especially for the last couple of years, I’ve made an effort to live with it and to overcome as much as I can. I’ve seen people die from diabetes. They’ve lost legs, eyesight, had major strokes, and I’m damned if I’m going out that way.

So, what have I done to try to live with it:

• Top of the list. Don’t ignore it. It’s there and unless you acknowledge it and do something to deal with it, it will kill you.
• More water. No real problem there. I’ve always drank tons of water.
• I lost over sixty pounds. Much of that was done by changing the way I eat. I’d still like to lose another ten.
• A lot less carbs. Hell on Earth. I’m a huge fan of pasta, so that’s no simple task. Something I’ve developed a taste for is sweet potatoes. They’re higher in fiber than a regular potato and that helps keep the blood sugar down. Do consult a dietician. They will help. Oh, whole wheat is your new best friend.
• Eating out. I do a lot of a la carte ordering and I stay away from the stuff I know isn’t good for me (which makes breakfast rough – I love pancakes). If I go to a fast-food place, I’ll order just the hamburger patty and some tomato slices or better yet, bring it home and open a can of green beans and eat that way.
• Stay away from beer, wine, and whiskey or use in extreme moderation. Lot of carbs and sugars in those.
• Processed foods or fast foods – Not the best for you. They’re loaded with carbs and sugars. Cultivate the lost art of cooking at home. It’s cheaper, better for you, and at least you know what’s in it.
• Quit smoking and stay away from drugs. You’re fighting a big enough war without adding that crap to the equation.
• Snacking – Watch what you eat, how much, and when. I eat nuts and air-popped popcorn. Ditch the chips and cookies. Anything after 7 PM is a no-no for me. And remember, even stuff advertised as sugar-free, or no sugar added might not be good for you.
• Eat in moderation. Just because you’re eating better doesn’t mean you should eat more.
• Stay on top of your meds. Don’t ignore your doctor.
• Watch your blood sugar. If it goes up drastically, ask why. Generally, the answer is eating or drinking something you shouldn’t have. If you want to keep a food log, do so.
• Research. You’re in a fight for your life and you’re the general of your battle. Know as much as you can. Ask questions. One Cavet to is there are tons of stuff on the internet. Understand that a lot of what is out there is designed to separate you from your money (the snake-oil salesman is alive and well, thank you). Do be careful and do your homework.
• Treat yourself once in a while. A pastor friend of ours allows herself a single doughnut a month if she’s done well. I like ice cream, so that’s my treat.

Now, what can I do differently?

How about exercise. I work hard outside (lot of yard work, I do carpentry, gardening, etc.) but that’s not the kind of stuff meant for the long hall. It helps, but what I really need to do is get back to the old days of the U.S. Army and be a lot more disciplined in exercise.

• Walk more. I kind of cheat on this, but not enough. For example, I go to Walmart, I park far from the door. But even that isn’t enough. I need to get back to a couple of miles a day walking.
• More pushups and setups. I do a few but a few isn’t enough.
• Toss some planks into the mix.
• Get off my butt and do it.

More rest. I joke that I’ll get all the sleep I need when I’m dead. But I also know that if the universe works the way I think it works, the resurrection will happen exactly five minutes after I’m declared dead. That will put me in the unique position of looking for the snooze button on the alarm clock of Eternity. But seriously. Get rest. The concept of the nap or going to bed at a decent time is not over-rated.

All that to say that living with diabetes isn’t a death sentence. It’s still the same concert, just a different song. Learn to dance to the new song.