Dear Depressed In The West

I get lots of emails from members of the DOC (diabetes on-line community) and I try my best to answer each one. On occasion, I paraphrase a letter (to protect the writers privacy and keep them totally anonymous) with other DOCers who might have some tips of the diabetes trade for a fellow PWD (person with diabetes) in need of some advice!!

#######

Dear Kelly -

I'm a DOC lurker for over a year now. I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 6 and I'm now 22.

I spend a lot of time thinking about what my life would be like if I hadn't been diagnosed and it depresses me.

I worry about my future and my family, I worry about finding and then losing a job with benefits.

Basically, I worry about EVERYTHING.

Do you ever think about never being diagnosed with diabetes? How do I get past the wondering & the worrying ? Depressed In The West

Dear Depressed in the West:

HANG IN THERE! I totally under stand the worry and I find "the what ifs" in life (diabetes or not) to be TOTALLY paralyzing.

What ifs can literally stop us in out tracks and keep us from living the life we want. There was a time in my life that I worried so much about life's what ifs, that I couldn't enjoy the now and it made it really difficult to move forward.

I found a person to talk to about my fear of the "what ifs" and she was a tremendous help!

As far as wondering what my life would be like with out diabetes, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about that. Not that I don't spend my time wondering about things, because I do. I wonder about my future; why people go crazy for the Kardashians,what it would be like to win the lottery, why green makes me happy, and what's the next chapter of this thing called life.

And yes, I worry about the good, the bad & the diabetesalicious of it all~

Honestly, I wonder about a hell of a lot of things!

But wondering what my life would be like without diabetes is like wondering what my life would be like if I was born a man instead of a woman, or a dolphin instead of a human. I can't go back in time and change it- Well, technically, I could change my gender, but I don't want to.

And I certainly can't change my species - Though I have to admit, being a dolphin would be kind of cool -And I'd totally be willing to try it, but just for 1 day ;)

Bottom line: This is my life - not a dress rehearsal, and diabetes is a part of it and it's a very important part of me.

I try and focus on what and where my life is now, as in today- and where I'd like to take it from here.

I know living with diabetes can be overwhelming & scary, but be proud of who you are and how far you've come - broken pancreas and all!

Find a person that you can talk with who can help you focus your efforts on living a great life, continue being an active participant in your diabetes and continue reaching out to your diabetes on-line community - Because you're not alone and we're all in this diabetes life together!

Thanks for emailing & hope this helps!

Sending you a big HUG over the net!

k2

Does anyone else out in Diabetes Land have advice for our friend?