From the archive: What Brings Me Down
May is Mental Health Month, so now seems like a great time to explore the emotional side of living with, or caring for someone with, diabetes. It was originally written in response to a Diabetes Blog Week prompt a few years ago. It makes references to other posts where I’ve shared more intense periods in my struggle with mental illness. And I also talk about things that help me through the dark times. I’m struggling right now, as May is hard for me due to a few death anniversaries that have a lot to do with my PTSD. So, I needed this reminder. If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’re likely aware that I’ve made no…
The Costs of a Chronic Illness
It’s day two of Diabetes Blog Week, and today we talk about the costs of living with a chronic illness. Today’s prompt: The Cost of a Chronic Illness Insulin and other diabetes medications and supplies can be costly. Here in the US, insurance status and age (as in Medicare eligibility) can impact both the cost and coverage. So today, let’s discuss how cost impacts our diabetes care. Do you have advice to share? For those outside the US, is cost a concern? Are there other factors such as accessibility or education that cause barriers to your diabetes care? Today’s prompt is timely, as the costs of living with diabetes have been a hot button issue as of late. The costs of…
The Other Half of Diabetes
If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’re likely aware that I’ve made no secret of my struggles with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. I’ve shared some pretty dark stuff on those topics over the last couple of years. When I wrote the Confessions of a Broken Man at the end of 2014, I was in such a bad place mentally that I was ready to end it. Obviously, I didn’t, but the possibility was real. A few months after that I shared about The Ah Ha Moment I had that led to my diagnosis with PTSD and that I was working to get back on the wagon. I’ve had success with that. Though I’m still struggling with some…
Clean it Out – #DBlogWeek Day 3
Diabetes Blog Week, Day 3 – Topic: Clean it Out . Yesterday we kept stuff in, so today let’s clear stuff out. What is in your diabetic closet that needs to be cleaned out? This can be an actual physical belonging, or it can be something you’re mentally or emotionally hanging on to. Why are you keeping it and why do you need to get rid of it? You know, I’ve had to think long and hard about how to respond to today’s topic, because there are half a million things, physical and mental, that I could stand to get out of my closet. I could write about my recent diagnosis with PTSD and how I’m still struggling to make sense…
The Ah Ha Moment
If you’ve read my blog, or followed me on Twitter or Facebook, for any length of time, you’re probably aware that life has not been too kind to me or my family over the last few years. And you are probably aware that as the year 2014 was ending, I was in a very dark place and I was considering ending my life. Obviously, I didn’t. I can’t express how thankful I am for the messages of love and support that came in from all of my DOC friends and family at that time. In mid-January, I was reading a blog post written by my friend Mari Ruddy, in which she mentioned her experience with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) stemming…