Unlimited potential

Diabetes is a life changing disease, but it does not have to be a deal breaker.  Despite a few specific lifestyle changes, you can live a normal life and participate in anything and everything.  I can't tell you how many times people have figured out I was Diabetic after an extended period of time and been completely shocked.  I have played sports competitively my entire life and up through college, and never allowed Diabetes to hold me back.  It takes establishing a "routine" and knowing what works in order to manage your blood sugars throughout the physical activity.  Another example is a few years back, the winner of the show "The Amazing Race" was Type One diabetic, and if she could manage her blood sugars through those extreme conditions, my thought process is what can hold me back in the real world.

The area that I felt I was somewhat limited at times is eating specific things with friends and family.  Whether it be pizza or Chinese Food, or any other fatty foods, I knew it was probably not the best idea to eat them because of the difficulty and increased "variability" thrown into the equation.  Another instance is when I would have a high blood sugar and would not be able to eat with the rest of my friends and family.

I learned at a young age that there are worse things than not eating with your friends or not eating pizza.  Learning how to keep things in perspective at an early age allowed things like this not to bother me.  In the long run, eating pizza and Chinese food is not the most nutritional for a normal person let alone a diabetic.

A good tactic I found is to find the healthiest thing on the menu at a restaurant, and order that whenever I attend the establishment.  Most often there is a few options that actually are not bad for you, and won't punch your ticket to the blood sugar roller coaster.

So to wrap things up, Diabetes can only hamper your lifestyle and hold you back if you let it.  By having a positive thought process and have the confidence to handle any challenge presented, you can be a normal member of society and do anything your heart desires.



-CA