Small World

SO firstly, I am still alive. My parents were not as upset as I originally thought they would be about my tattoo. My dad was mad and more annoyed now than anything, but my mom took it pretty well. She would not admit it for a while but she really does think it is cool, she just doesn't want to encourage any more. But when I dropped them off at the airport, my mom finally told me she actually really did like it. So all is good:)

But anyways, onto my story.

Today in my philosophy class, somehow my teacher got off topic and it somehow came up that his nine year old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes back in March.

When class got out, I went right up to my teacher and told him that I was diagnosed when I was five years old and it will be 15 years in February. At this moment, another person in my class walked up and also told out teacher that he was diagnosed when he was 12 years old.
(Keep in mind that by this kid walking up to our teacher I FINALLY found out whose pump was going off)
But then the three of us talked about our different experiences and at the end of the conversation, our teacher expressed how appreciative he was that we came up to him and talked to him about this and that it had made his day. He also said that it always made him feel better to see successful college students who are also diabetics because it gives him hope for his son growing up with diabetes. He is able to see that his son still has the opportunity to become successful and live a normal life.

At the very end, I told him that sometimes even I get discouraged and I always need a little reminder to test my blood sugar and I showed him my tattoo. To this, all he said was, "This... is awesome."

It's always nice making someone's day by connecting with them on a different level. By seeing how much he appreciated us just walking up to him made me feel so good about myself and really reassured me in how important taking care of myself is and how important it is to reach out to others who may be struggling with the same thing that I am struggling with.



Also, this weekend, I met my guy friend's family, whose sister is also diabetic. They all walked right up to me and started talking to me like we had known each other for years. The very first thing his dad said to me was "Can I see your tattoo?" and when I showed him he goes, "that is so cool."
As I continued talking to his mother, she expressed how compassionate my friend is about people with diabetes and how much he volunteers on our behalf. I never knew this about him but hearing how much he does for people with diabetes makes me appreciate him so much more and makes me realize how sweet people can be.

Overall, it was a good weekend:)

Daily Reminder

So, as I have previously talked about, I have a hard time testing my blood sugar as often as I should be. Before this past summer, I would go days without testing and over a week without changing my pump site. Then when I finally met Nick Jonas, I started testing more but it still wasn't as often as I should have been.

I was constantly trying to think of new ways to get myself motivated enough to test my blood sugar at least three times a day. And as of Sunday, I think I finally figured out a way to remind myself to test.

Yes, I got a tattoo. And yes, it is real.

For the past two years, I have thought about getting a tattoo that was diabetes related, but I just couldn't figure out what I wanted that I would not get tired of. And I finally figured it out when I thought of getting "test yourself" on my finger. 

For me, it is the perfect tattoo. Not only does it literally mean to test myself, as in testing my blood sugar; but it can also mean 'challenge yourself' and try new things which I have a hard time doing. I thought about getting it in a less obvious spot but that would ruin the point of getting it because it is meant to be a constant reminder and something that I should be constantly thinking about. 

I am so unbelievably happy thatI finally got this tattoo because so far, it has been working tremendously. I have been testing at least four times a day and I am able to keep my blood sugars in check better which makes me feel better physically overall.

While I understand that everyone has their own reminders of when and how often to test throughout the day, I just could not stick with one or find one that has actually made an impact on the habits. But now, I have found out what works for me and I am happy with that. 

Plus, I am completely in love with my new tattoo and that is all that matters right now :)

The only scary part about the whole thing will be my parents reactions since they have no clue yet. BUT it is parents weekend and they get in town on Thursday so they will find out soon enough. **fingers crossed**