Time

So I am bit disappointed in myself that I have not been writing on my blog more often. To be honest it is  bit harder for me to find (or maybe just take) the time to sit down and write. Trying to find time to do everything I would like to do in one day is a constant struggle for me as I am sure it is for many many others. I can only blame part of my "time" issues on diabetes- I blame most of it on being a perfectionist and wanting to do everything as fully and passionately as I can all the time. I want to do well at my job, take care of my health and my house, spend time with my friends and family, and do things I enjoy like running and reading. Still, diabetes does take up a lot of time. So I got to thinking....how much time would I have back if I didn't have diabetes??

I estimate it probably takes me only a minute or so to check my blood sugar and a minute to take my shots...but with testing 8-10 times a day and 4-5 shots a day- there is 20 minutes. And those minutes are even more precious when you are already running late for something and you inconveniently need to stop to find your meter and check and maybe treat a low blood sugar.  That brings me to diabetes time filler #2: the time it takes to treat lows. The actual eating should only take a few seconds if you dont over treat and just take a few glucose tabs, but the time it takes to return to feeling "normal" is usually 15 minutes or so. And for those 15mins- I am pretty much worthless. Sometimes if I have a bad low at night (after 8PM) I am usually done for the night and head to bed early. So those lows cost me over 2 hours. And we all know that I dont always treat the way I should with glucose tabs, and that sometimes I can spend 20 minutes raiding the cabinet and fridge in a fit of hunger eating anything from cheerios to coolwhip.

I also spend alot of time doing what I classify as "admin" type things related to diabetes. For example- scheduling and going to my doctors appointments, getting blood work done, filling prescriptions, trying to squeeze a meter, insulin pens, test strips, my phone, lip gloss, and a granola bar into a very small clutch, buying ketone strips, and arguing with insurance companies about claims and co-pays. I also spend alot of time "thinking" about my diabetes. I read in a diabetes blog once a comment to the question of "what would you do if they cured of diabetes?" There was one response along the lines of  "I don't even know what I would do with that entire side of my brain that is thinking about diabetes all day every day." and it is really true. I spend so much time calculating carbs (or at times completely guessing how many carbs are on my plate), deciding how much insulin to take, worrying about lows, and being frustrated and even scared when my numbers are out of wack for no reason.

Since diabetes is a big part of my life, it unfortunately takes up alot of my time. Although I will give it credit for helping me spend more times in certain areas. For example, I probably spend more time sleeping and working out than I would if I didnt have diabetes, which isnt necessarily a bad thing (as long as you dont over do it.) I probably spend more time grocery shopping to ensure I always have fruit and veggies and my other necessities on hand and also more time cooking or preparing food since I rarely stop for any type of fast food- pizza, burgers, etc. Again- not a bad thing. Lastly- as I have mentioned before- diabetes has helped me spend more of my time giving back to a charity that is important to me- the JDRF. The time and friendships I have made and time I have invested  with regards to JDRF have been life changing for me.  So again- not a bad thing at all.