Don’t you love kids?
I was thinking today how I remember when Kaitlyn was younger that her only goal was ‘to get back out there’ and be a kid.
It was always like, ‘hurry–hurry–they’re waiting for me”…diabetes was a side note to her life. I always wish, as parents, we could make diabetes a ‘side note’……don’t you?
We can surely try very hard not to have diabetes consume every aspect of our lives and some of us are very, very, VERY, good at that attempt. But if you have kids with diabetes, you KNOW EXACTLY what I mean.
Watch them as they deal with their diabetes. It truly is remarkable. “Do it—do it—I have things to do.” And off they go, back to whatever ‘we took them from’ to check their blood, give a shot, or what I call, to do diabetes-whatever.
At some point, the toys were outgrown, and diabetes became more real; and mom and dad no longer taking care of diabetes had to step in.
I would be very interested to hear from those PWDs who are now adults, who grew up with diabetes. Do you remember what it was like growing up with diabetes? Do you have the same attitude ‘of getting back out there’ today as you did when you were younger?
Did your parents’ concern/care for your diabetes allow you to just move forward or was it front and center with you during childhood as us parents make it in our own lives?
An interesting question. To my PWDs friends, of course you are more mature now than a child but could you try to capture if there was a time that diabetes was just there and if there arrived a time when you said, “Crap, this is mine and I better deal with it.”
Would you be so kind as to share?
I am a diabetes dad.
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7 replies on “PWDs….”There Came a Time in Your Life When…….”—–Please Share with Us.”
Going to the pharmacy to get prescriptions on my own for the first time as a big moment. Moving over 3 hours away from home to start college 4 years early? No problem! Dealing with the pharmacist? I just kinda stared at him while I found the words.
I had heard mom talk to the pharmacist in my hometown so many times, but I stumbled over my first conversation with the pharmacist in my new town. It dawned on me that all the conversations about diabetes would be mine, not Mom’s, from then on. Personally, at age 14 I was able to handle that, though I am not necessarily representative.
Thank you Melissa—your words mean a lot and I thank you for sharing.
For me, those years were a long time ago (1942-1950), but I don’t think I experienced a sudden realization. My parents prepared me so I was ready to leave home when I left home to go to college. I remember the moment, after we had unloaded all my stuff in the dormitory, when they departed. I didn’t feel like I was being abandoned. It was just the next step in my life, and I was ready for it. I have always assumed that my parents probably drove away a short distance, stopped, and embraced each other, uncertain about whether I was really prepared. We never discussed it, but I can say now that they did a great job.
I never experienced a need to get back out there.
I could almost feel that time when the car was unloaded at school Tom, thanks for sharing your story.
I was diagnosed at the age of 6 – and I have to admit – either getting it at that age – made it easier for me to adjust or it didn’t really affect me (tho’ I do have vivid memories of watching my Mum injecting in oranges in the hospital I stayed at for a week or two).. I’ve been reading Erin Spineto’s book entitled “Islands and Insulin” – where she was diagnosed at 19 – and I’m finding at times it is difficult to understand her feelings about having diabetes (she was very angry for many years at it). I have never felt this way with having diabetes – it never has stopped me from doing anything I want to do (actually made me want to do more I think due to being told as a teen after a DKA experience I’d only live to be 40 – something many T1D’s I’ve met say they were told as well). I guess the only thing is not having children since my endo/GP thought it was far too dangerous for a diabetic to have children – and at the early age of 18 – I had the ol’ snip snip – that was the end of my ever having little bundles of joy. I know that’s not a childhood memory – but that’s the only bad memory I have of diabetes besides the silly coma of 3 days due to the DKA (and having my hair cut short due to all the tangles – I’m a girl – what can I say – we all wanted to be Breck girls ). Now, that affected me later in my 30’s – so not really a childhood memory.
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My parents were in my opinion – very pretty carefree about my diabetes. They didn’t make it an issue – and I was never treated any different – tho’ my older brother sees it a different way – he thinks I was treated special. My Mum worked, so as I got older, I guess around 10, I would go for my 1 day check ups every 3-6 months at a local hospital in Ottawa (the Children’s Hospital was too far a drive/bus ride) – I would be dropped off at the hospital, and after the blood work, discussions with doctor and staff, I’d come back home in the afternoon by bus, by myself. I guess I grew up pretty fast with having diabetes – but to me – I liked the independence.
I know a few PWD’s when they hear this – can’t believe my parents did this. I guess that was the way in the 70’s – that perhaps diabetes in children wasn’t such an overwhelming disease to have? I don’t’ know, but perhaps because of my having that independence so early, and my being in control without being overly mothered, it made me take control of my diabetes better? Hard to say.
All I know, sometimes I think having diabetes has made me a better human being. I bond much better than others do with people who have health issues (far worse then my diabetes IMHO) – I don’t know any other way of living then being a diabetic – is that so bad?
See you this Friday in Toronto!!!
I was diagnosed at the age of 6 – and I have to admit – either getting it at that age – made it easier for me to adjust or it didn’t really affect me (tho’ I do have vivid memories of watching my Mum injecting in oranges in the hospital I stayed at for a week or two).. I’ve been reading Erin Spineto’s book entitled “Islands and Insulin” – where she was diagnosed at 19 – and I’m finding at times it is difficult to understand her feelings about having diabetes (she was very angry for many years at it). I have never felt this way with having diabetes – it never has stopped me from doing anything I want to do (actually made me want to do more I think due to being told as a teen after a DKA experience I’d only live to be 40 – something many T1D’s I’ve met say they were told as well). I guess the only thing is not having children since my endo/GP thought it was far too dangerous for a diabetic to have children – and at the early age of 18 – I had the ol’ snip snip – that was the end of my ever having little bundles of joy. I know that’s not a childhood memory – but that’s the only bad memory I have of diabetes besides the silly coma of 3 days due to the DKA (and having my hair cut short due to all the tangles – I’m a girl – what can I say – we all wanted to be Breck girls ). Now, that affected me later in my 30’s – so not really a childhood memory.
.
My parents were in my opinion – very pretty carefree about my diabetes. They didn’t make it an issue – and I was never treated any different – tho’ my older brother sees it a different way – he thinks I was treated special. My Mum worked, so as I got older, I guess around 10, I would go for my 1 day check ups every 3-6 months at a local hospital in Ottawa (the Children’s Hospital was too far a drive/bus ride) – I would be dropped off at the hospital, and after the blood work, discussions with doctor and staff, I’d come back home in the afternoon by bus, by myself. I guess I grew up pretty fast with having diabetes – but to me – I liked the independence.
I know a few PWD’s when they hear this – can’t believe my parents did this. I guess that was the way in the 70’s – that perhaps diabetes in children wasn’t such an overwhelming disease to have? I don’t’ know, but perhaps because of my having that independence so early, and my being in control without being overly mothered, it made me take control of my diabetes better? Hard to say.
All I know, sometimes I think having diabetes has made me a better human being. I bond much better than others do with people who have health issues (far worse then my diabetes IMHO) – I don’t know any other way of living then being a diabetic – is that so bad?
See you this Friday in Toronto!!!
I am an only child of two T1s. I was diagnosed at 18 months old (currently 29). I can totally relate to the “hurry up and get back out there” feeling you describe. However, growing up in an all-diabetic household probably did a lot to shape my attitude. Diabetes always felt like a side note to me–just deal with it and move on with whatever you’re doing. I was always open about it to friends because in my world, diabetes was the norm. The only sort-of moment of realization I experienced was going away to college. When I was first looking at schools, my mom insisted that I go somewhere close and commute from home. Growing up, my lows never woke me up. I used to have seizures 2-4 times a year, with multiple close calls at other times. While my parents were glucagon experts, what would happen in a dorm room?? However, they relented in the end. I was accepted to a school about 45 minutes from home and decided I had to live on campus. My parents felt slightly better because there was a hospital literally across the street from the school. After all of this had been set up, I had another seizure in January of my senior year of HS. My dad was furious–how was I ever going to go away to school?
Today I’m glad to say that was the last seizure I had (now 11 years ago). My freshman year I used to set an alarm and test everyday at 5:00am (which was prime seizure time for me). Slowly, I magically developed the ability to wake up when I was low–maybe because there was no one left to save me? Once, as a sophmore, I woke up very sweaty around 3:00am. My roommate had gone home for the weekend and I was alone. My blood clocked in at 24, and instant panic set in. If I fell into a seizure, no one would find me in this room for hours to come. I had the sense to pick up the phone that night. I decided to call my boyfriend, as calling my parents would freak them out. He stayed on the phone with me while I sucked down every juicebox and cookie I could find. He promised to call me an ambulance if I stopped responding to his questions. I think he may have even cracked a few jokes for me at that ungodly hour to try to lighten the mood. Luckily, I survived. When it was all over, he stayed on the phone with me while I cried hysterically about the ordeal and did his best to calm me down. Today, that man is my husband 🙂
I think that even when you grow up and your diabetes becomes your own, there will still be times when you still need someone to lean on (literally, at times). You just have to try to make those times a few and far between as possible.