D Blog Week: Accomplishments Big and Small

We don’t always realize it, but each one of us had come a long way since diabetes first came into our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s been 5 weeks, 5 years or 50 years, you’ve done something outstanding diabetes-wise. So today let’s share the greatest accomplishment you've made in terms of dealing with your (or your loved one’s) diabetes. No accomplishment is too big or too small - think about self-acceptance, something you’ve mastered (pump / exercise / diet / etc.), making a tough care decision (finding a new endo or support group / choosing to use or not use a technology / etc.).

Our Accomplishments Big and Small

I have to admit it might be a bit cliche' but our biggest accomplishment thus far since Clifford was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes is that he's alive! Diabetes is an inconsistent disease that you really never know what's going to happen every minute with it. So you must celebrate all the small victories. We've celebrated 'in range' numbers after a particularly high carb meal, or sweet treat, and we've celebrated learning to tackle that nasty bg spike that comes from eating pizza a few hours after. But the biggest celebration of all is that he's alive and healthy! What more could you ask for?

Granted you're going to have days that aren't so nice, numbers wise. But we tend think "bolus and move on". I do try to figure out as best I can what is causing those highs, but I don't stress about it as much as I used to. I've learned how his body is and works more now that we're three years into it. I can typically tell which way he should be trending after a certain meal, or bolus. I'm not always 100% right because no one's perfect, but I'm getting pretty good at it, so that in itself is an accomplishment. 

Another huge accomplishment is the addition of the insulin pump. He was on MDI's for 2 years after diagnosis, and on the dreaded sliding scale for a year and a half of that!! Throughout out it all his a1c has never been above 7.5%, except for at diagnosis. In fact 6 months after beginning the insulin pump he went from 7.5% to 6.5% and now has been hanging around the 6.4 and 6.3% mark for the last 8 months. I can say that is a huge accomplishment. The best you can do with diabetes is get up and take a hold of it and say, today you will not stop me, you may toss a few bumps along the way, but it will not stop you!