Monday Morning

I'm no worse for the wear from yesterday's food fest. My blood sugar was only 97 when I went to bed so I drank a cup of chocolate soymilk and ate a graham cracker. When I got up this morning my blood sugar was only 94. Now my cholesterol medicine is probably working overtime to take care of all the delicious beef I ate, but that's another story.

Here are some of my insulin syringes. These have a 1/2" long needle! Can you imagine sticking something 1/2" into your body on purpose. Well I do it twice a day! (I know I'm not the only one who gives themselves shots, but if you'd told me 10 years ago I'd be injecting myself, I'd have told you you were crazy.) The pharmacist said I didn't need to try and hit bone to deliver the insulin but, once I get the needle going in, I usually work in the whole length before I manage to push the plunger down and deliver the insulin. Sometimes it hurts; sometimes it bleeds; sometimes I don't feel a thing; but most of the time I just feel a little stick. I didn't even know how to use one until I went onto the BD Diabetes site to learn about their syringes. I pretty much inject myself the way described on their website.

Will I have to take insulin the rest of my life? Probably. I've heard about people who, after they lost some weight, got off their medications. Truth is once you've got diabetes you'll always have diabetes because there's no cure yet. Even if I get off insulin it'll only be temporary. My pancreas is worn out. If there's anything left it might work temporarily for a leaner me but it's not going to self-repair. If I don't get off insulin I've discovered it's not as big a deal as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the shots but I'm just saying they're not as onerous as I thought they'd be.

So that's what's on my mind this fine Monday morning. Go out and enjoy the day!