Coping with Diabetes 1

Having the right attitude in life is very important for everybody. And apart from the medication, what diabetics need most is encouragement and optimism.
When I was diagnosed 22 years ago, I adopted a positive attitude from the very beginning. One of the things that helped me develop a positive attitude was learning that there were many successful individuals who had diabetes.
Thomas Edison, Mary Tyler Moore, Nikita Kruschchev and painter Paul Cezanne were all high achieving individuals who had diabetes. Today and throughout history, many diabetics have reached fame, even in demanding careers.

Thomas Edison



Paul Cezanne

Living with diabetes: Daily Routine

One of the main issues with living with diabetes is understanding that there is no cure but only treatment. When insulin was first discovered in the 1920's it was thought that this was a cure. Sadly it turned out to be merely a way to treat diabetes. The daily routine that faces diabetics can be daunting and we have to always be planning ahead. I actually cannot remember a day for the past 22 years when I did not have to think about my insulin injections, blood glucose testing and my diet.
But we have to continue with our lives and not allow the routine to become an obstacle. When I was initially diagnosed I had to explain to friends what diabetes was. And it was difficult for many of them to understand it. Until one day I thought of a simple analogy: A person without diabetes is actually driving an automatic car, while having diabetes is like driving a manual car with the clutch and gear shift. We have to do a bit more work to keep ourselves moving forward.