Choosing Life and Sobriety
As this is Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 6-October 12) and addiction and substance abuse are a part of mental health, I wanted to share something here that I shared publicly on Facebook for the first time last month during National Sober Day. I don’t talk about it much, but alcoholism runs deep in my veins, much like it did my father who was an abusive alcoholic when I was a child. There was once a time when I could and would drink you under the table. The hard stuff was like water in my system. I loved the taste of it and the burn as it went down. But no longer. All of that changed for me when I…
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…
9 Years
Today marks 9 years of life with diabetes and congestive heart failure for me. It’s been a crazy journey, and the events of the last month have been a reminder of just how fortunate I am to have come this far. Cheers, folks!
Throwback Thursday: What Brings Me Down
Well, it’s day 4 of Diabetes Blog Week and today we talk about mental health and diabetes. Today’s prompt reads: Today let’s revist a prompt from 2014 – 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. What things can make dealing with diabetes an emotional issue for you and / or your loved one, and how do you cope? (Thanks again to Scott for this 2014 topic.) 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…
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…