Yet another question that I often hear is this: has diabetes shaped you into the person that you are today?
Well, considering that I lived the first 24 years of my life without type 2 diabetes or congestive heart failure, or should I say without knowing I had them, I would have to say no. I was well on my way to becoming the person I am today before I was diagnosed with either of those things.
Having said that, though, I will admit that being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure has certainly had a huge impact on my life, and has been a driving force behind many changes I've made in the way I live.
For starters, I’m eating a whole lot better than I used to; my doctors put me on a 1,500 calorie diet after I was diagnosed, and while I do stray from it from time to time, I have managed to stick with it for the most part. I’m a southerner of sorts, and come from a family of good cooks. So, it’s only natural that I love to eat. Now, I’m just a lot more careful about which foods I eat, and more importantly, the size of the portion that I put on my plate.
Secondly, I’m more physically active than I was prior to my diagnosis. I mean, I have a gym membership for goodness sakes. Never thought I’d ever hear myself say that before. Prior to my diagnosis, the last time I was in a gym was during my junior year of college, when I was in rehab after a broken knee. And as anyone who has ever broken a leg knows, it’s so hard to resume physical activities when dealing with a painful injury. And that inactivity can lead to weight gain and a ride on a vicious cycle that’s hard to stop. That’s what happened to me.
And finally, I’m far more open and out going now than I ever was before. Prior to my diagnosis, I was not a very social person and didn’t have many people that I considered friends. Since being diagnosed, however, all of that has changed. I took my search for answers and support to the internet, and boy did I ever find what I needed. I found the Diabetes Online Community (DOC), and I’ve met so many people who understand. I truly appreciate all of the amazing people who I now call my friends; lots of love to all of them.
It’s hard to think that it has taken something as devastating as a double diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure to get me to wake up and accept that things needed to be changed.
Did diabetes make me the person that I am today? No. It did, however, open my eyes to the person that I could be if I was willing to fight for it.
I like the person I’m starting to see when I look in the mirror now, and that, my friends, is definitely a change.
