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You are worried. You are scared. You are overwhelmed.
But you need to know two very important things.
First of all, you can do this! Yes, you. This new life of counting carbs, keeping records, injections, infusions, finger pokes, pharmacy trips, calls to insurance. You can do it. You’ll surprise yourself with how quickly you’ll adjust. Some day not too far from now you’ll rattle of how many carbs in an ounce of strawberries like you’ve known it for your whole life. The logistics of managing diabetes will get easier and find its place in your daily rhythm.
And the emotion? I remember. I remember crying through the night at the hospital. Crying at my first post-diagnosis trip to the pharmacy. Crying any time I had to share the news, or any time someone asked how she was doing. For a while, it felt like all I did was manage diabetes, and cry as I felt the full weight of its impact on our family. But eventually I found myself only tearing up about once a week…and then once a month. It’ll taper off. But to be really honest with you, if I have the time to really think about how big and relentless and consuming this disease is, the tears come back quite quickly. And you can do that too. You can feel the weight of it and it’s ok to cry.
Secondly, you need to know that you are not alone. I know that you feel like you’re on a bit of an island. Your friends and family, your closest people, the ones who have known you forever…they don’t get it. They may be trying to get it. But they don’t. And as much as you’d never wish this diagnosis on anybody, there’s a part of you that wishes someone who loves you actually could walk a mile in your shoes. Because that’s the only way to understand living with type 1 diabetes: by actually living with type 1 diabetes.
So I want you to know that although it feels lonely right now, there is a big, loving, compassionate community of people who know exactly how you feel. The type 1 diabetes community is one of the biggest blessings that will come out of your diagnosis. It breaks our hearts to hear about a new diagnosis, but we always say “Welcome to the best club you never wanted to be a part of.” And it’s true. You don’t want to be in the club and neither do we. But we are. And I’ll tell you what…the people in this club are some of the best I’ve ever met. We become fast friends and we take care of our own.
So get connected! Reach out to JDRF about their mentor program. See if your local hospital has support groups. Find a facebook group. Or shoot me a message and I’ll do my best to find a place for you to connect with other families living with type 1.
In case no one has welcomed you yet, let me be the first. Welcome to the best club you never wanted to be a part of. You can do this. You will find strength and courage in yourself and in your child that you never knew existed. You’ve got this.
