7 Years

Post originally written on April 29, 2008

I've had diabetes for seven years! Can you believe it's been that long?! It sure doesn't seem like that long to me. Seven years is a long time.

I remember that when I was diagnosed that I made the decision to make diabetes be a way of forced good health. I knew that I would have to eat healthy, exercise, and do all of the things everyone should do anyway. I felt that my reason to live a healthy life was chosen for me. I went information crazy and tried to learn as much as I could about diabetes. I printed out hundreds of pages off the Internet and read them, highlighted things, put them into a binder. I was really craving to know as much as I could.

Things started off rocky for me, as is the case for a lot of newly diagnosed diabetics. But, I had a good doctor and a GREAT nurse who tried to get my insulin dosages correct. She would call me twice a week to go over blood sugars and insulin dosages.

About a year after being diagnosed, I decided I was ready to try the pump. This was honestly the best decision I made in caring for my diabetes. I was lucky enough to come across the BEST doctor in the entire world, Dr. Robert Day. He and his staff at the Diabetes Clinic at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center have really become a big part of my life. They've taught me so much about caring for myself that I feel forever indebted to them. This team of educators, nurses, dietitians, and doctors really work wonders. I now travel over 40 miles to go to doctor appointments at this office.

About three and a half years of living with diabetes, my blood sugars were finally good enough to try getting pregnant. We were lucky enough to conceive in the first month and nine months later our healthy baby Ryan was born. His blood sugars at birth were minimally affected and he shows no signs of developing the disease.

In my sixth year of diabetes, continuous glucose monitoring systems were being covered by some insurance companies for patients with special circumstances. I was covered 100% through our great health insurance plan about two months into my second pregnancy. Blood sugars were a very small issue during this pregnancy due to the incredible technology of the CGM. Evan was born with no blood sugar issues whatsoever, another healthy baby boy!

Throughout the past seven years, I've been really good at taking my medication, counting my carbohydrates, learning as much as I can about the condition. We've even done a little work for charity too. Diabetes is an all encompassing disease that sometimes gets me really down. Overall, though I think it has been a blessing in my life. I've gained an enormous testimony of the word of wisdom through living with it and I've certainly learned and experienced a lot. I don't mind that I have diabetes (most days) and I love to tell people all about it, mostly because I get tired of hearing very ignorant questions and comments about my condition.