Diabetes Blogging: The Good, The Amazing, and The Reality

Yesterday I posted about the anxiety I've been feeling in regards to using my Medtronic CGM once it comes in due to the horrific reports of blood and pain I came across in the diabetes web community. 

Exhibit A:

"The only thing about the Medtronic CGM that absolutely crushes my soul is that hollow spear you insert it with, the thing Medtronic calls a "needle". A needle is what is on the end of my Symlin pen or perhaps my infusion set. They should describe it accurately, like this:

'A large, hollow, very sharp nail that enters with the grace of an angry bee's stinger and provides an additional 5 to 10 seconds of throbbing, intense pain.'" 

--Jason, tudiabetes forum member

Exhibit B:

Another tudiabetes forum member suggested that Medtronic redesign their transmitter and sensors to not be so awkward and bulky, and to not have a needle "with its own zip code". 

And another poster compared it to being shot.  Yay.

But then I came across Too Sweet, a blog written by the mother of a beautiful little girl with Type 1 diabetes, and saw that she had good things to say about the MM CGM.  As far as the pain factor, her post "Well, at least she'll never know the difference." shows that it's just part of the countless uncomfortable (and many times painful) things we do to keep our diabetes under control.  After reading several of Amy's posts, I realized how lucky I am to have the luxury of dealing with this as an adult.  I can't imagine how difficult it must be to have to deal with diabetes in childhood, both for the child and the parent.  While I'm not looking forward to blasting that monster of a needle into my body, I now see that it's doable.  After all, if a brave little five-year-old girl can handle it, surely I can!

One thing I've learned in the past five months since my diagnosis is that the diabetes community is wonderful.  They stick together, offer encouragement and support, help each other through the inevitable storms of this disease, and praise one another's successes.  It reminds me of the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13, 4-8:

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 ⁸ Love never fails.

The diabetes community is a loving one if there ever was one.  It's a club that no one wants to belong to (I don't know about you, but I sure didn't sign up for this!), but once you find yourself a member, you see that it's one that won't let you down.  Diabetes bloggers provide an endless source of information for newbies like me, and are truly an inspiration for all of us.  They are proof that this disease is a manageable (albeit annoying, uncomfortable, and inconvenient) one, and that it is possible to live well with it.  Anytime I have a question related to diabetes, whether it's related to medical advice or everyday living with the disease, I know that I can find what I need online.  Yes, at times it's scary, but sometimes reality is too.  At the end of the day, all we can do is our best and hope that it's enough.
 
So, in conclusion, I want to thank the amazing d-bloggers I've looked to for information, support, and endless wisdom over the past five months, whether they know it or not.  Their knowledge, kindness, and sense of humor have gotten me through many days of doubt and feeling alone with this disease, and for that I am incredibly grateful.
--Kerri @ sixuntilme
--Lyrehca @ Managing the Sweetness Within
--Lisa @ Lisa From Scratch
--Amy (& Emma) @ Too Sweet
--Everyone on tudiabetes