What is a Diaversary? It is the anniversary of the date that you were diagnosed with Diabetes. It seems pretty dark, but a lot of people with diabetes celebrate this day. They say that it is about celebrating the fact that you made it this far, that you have overcome and are continuing to overcome many obstacles, the fact that you are still alive.
I am one of those people who will pretty much find any reason to have and/or go to a party (like, if you invite me to your cats birthday party, I would be into that) and yet a “Diaversary” still seems like an odd thing to celebrate. The drug company, Eli Lilly, one of the major manufactures of insulin even has a program where they send you medals/necklaces for your diaversary. It is to celebrate people who have successfully managed diabetes with insulin for 10, 25, 50 and 75 years...
I am one of those people who will pretty much find any reason to have and/or go to a party (like, if you invite me to your cats birthday party, I would be into that) and yet a “Diaversary” still seems like an odd thing to celebrate. The drug company, Eli Lilly, one of the major manufactures of insulin even has a program where they send you medals/necklaces for your diaversary. It is to celebrate people who have successfully managed diabetes with insulin for 10, 25, 50 and 75 years...
Should I try to get one of these things? I think I might apply! It would look like this:
Though I often reflect on my journey, and think of how terribly my diagnosis was fumbled by every medical institution leading up to and including my hospitalization, I have never actually celebrated this day. I should honestly celebrate the fact that they didn’t kill me in the hospital… I digress, that is a story for another day (but seriously, everyone should always have an advocate in the hospital and never be afraid to contradict the doctor, question authority, make them explain what they are doing and why).
But, today, June 10th is my Diaversary; in fact, it is my 15th Diaversary! And though it is not necessarily a happy day, it is a special day. It is a day that for better or worse changed my life, changed my husbands life and my parents life.
I decided to celebrate this year by launching my latest creative endeavor, one that is quite personal and close to home, my new blog, Blood And Numbers. Though I feel that Diabetes is probably the least interesting thing in my life, it is absolutely the most time consuming. It is also terrifying, frustrating and draining. I have a lot of goals in life and it is astonishing how many of them revolve around my blood and numbers.
I have owned this URL, BloodAndNumbers.com, for more than two years now and I am finally publishing my site! This is both exciting and scary. It makes me feel both vulnerable and strong. On the one hand, I don’t want to spend one more second of the day thinking about my blood and numbers, diabetes, but on the other hand I have noticed that when I lean into the details of my disease, my care and management get better. And when I do it publicly, I want to do better, be a source of inspiration and information for others. After all, this is not a disease you can ignore, or pretend you don’t have. It is a disease of constant vigilance.
So, for now, I am leaning in. I am leaning into my daily struggle with the hopes that it will be less of a struggle in the future. I am eating low carb, I am taking my insulin on time (mostly) and exercising as much as possible while chronicling the ups and downs. I am observing, I am putting in the work and I am going to be doing all kinds of personal therapy through Yoga, nutrition, fitness and art and you are welcome to follow along if you would like.
A word of warning though, it isn’t always pretty. There will definitely be very personal content; I might swear, I might get political and I might get naked, at least partially. I might brag, I might complain and I might have exciting breakthroughs! I will definitely talk about my other autoimmune issues too, from Menieres Disease to Endometriosis. And I will definitely talk about the positive impact Yoga has had on my life. I want this blog to be as frank and honest as it can possibly be; it is the only way for it to do its job, for it to be good, and for it to be useful. If you are looking for sterility, you won’t find it here.
You might read about my ovaries, hormones and period too. There is a possibility that you might read or see something that offends you. And there is also a damn good chance that I will get burned out on this whole thing and binge on tacos and margaritas for a while! #DiabetesBurnOut is real y’all!
Currently, It is my hope that I will inspire others to lean into their diabetes, if even for a short time, to see what they can learn. I also hope to build awareness. You never stop learning with this disease; even our endocrinologists are learning new things all the time. And there can never be too much awareness. Also, I hope to encourage my fellow people with diabetes to do everything they want to do in spite of their diabetes, in spite of their blood and numbers. And finally, I hope to offer some help, outlets and tools to anyone suffering from or dealing with chronic stress and anxiety as a result of their diagnosis.
So, Happy Diaversary to me! I have a new project and I am leaning into it for now! It is going to be educational, therapeutic, really personal and kind of artsy. Enjoy, or not. It is up to you… But I promise, it is all for the greater good!
But, today, June 10th is my Diaversary; in fact, it is my 15th Diaversary! And though it is not necessarily a happy day, it is a special day. It is a day that for better or worse changed my life, changed my husbands life and my parents life.
I decided to celebrate this year by launching my latest creative endeavor, one that is quite personal and close to home, my new blog, Blood And Numbers. Though I feel that Diabetes is probably the least interesting thing in my life, it is absolutely the most time consuming. It is also terrifying, frustrating and draining. I have a lot of goals in life and it is astonishing how many of them revolve around my blood and numbers.
I have owned this URL, BloodAndNumbers.com, for more than two years now and I am finally publishing my site! This is both exciting and scary. It makes me feel both vulnerable and strong. On the one hand, I don’t want to spend one more second of the day thinking about my blood and numbers, diabetes, but on the other hand I have noticed that when I lean into the details of my disease, my care and management get better. And when I do it publicly, I want to do better, be a source of inspiration and information for others. After all, this is not a disease you can ignore, or pretend you don’t have. It is a disease of constant vigilance.
So, for now, I am leaning in. I am leaning into my daily struggle with the hopes that it will be less of a struggle in the future. I am eating low carb, I am taking my insulin on time (mostly) and exercising as much as possible while chronicling the ups and downs. I am observing, I am putting in the work and I am going to be doing all kinds of personal therapy through Yoga, nutrition, fitness and art and you are welcome to follow along if you would like.
A word of warning though, it isn’t always pretty. There will definitely be very personal content; I might swear, I might get political and I might get naked, at least partially. I might brag, I might complain and I might have exciting breakthroughs! I will definitely talk about my other autoimmune issues too, from Menieres Disease to Endometriosis. And I will definitely talk about the positive impact Yoga has had on my life. I want this blog to be as frank and honest as it can possibly be; it is the only way for it to do its job, for it to be good, and for it to be useful. If you are looking for sterility, you won’t find it here.
You might read about my ovaries, hormones and period too. There is a possibility that you might read or see something that offends you. And there is also a damn good chance that I will get burned out on this whole thing and binge on tacos and margaritas for a while! #DiabetesBurnOut is real y’all!
Currently, It is my hope that I will inspire others to lean into their diabetes, if even for a short time, to see what they can learn. I also hope to build awareness. You never stop learning with this disease; even our endocrinologists are learning new things all the time. And there can never be too much awareness. Also, I hope to encourage my fellow people with diabetes to do everything they want to do in spite of their diabetes, in spite of their blood and numbers. And finally, I hope to offer some help, outlets and tools to anyone suffering from or dealing with chronic stress and anxiety as a result of their diagnosis.
So, Happy Diaversary to me! I have a new project and I am leaning into it for now! It is going to be educational, therapeutic, really personal and kind of artsy. Enjoy, or not. It is up to you… But I promise, it is all for the greater good!