The Upside of Diabeties - Yes, I said Upside!

I was wandering around this evening on the American Diabetes Associations' website and found a really interesting on Adolescent Diabeties

Parents, Teens, and Diabetes

it was written by Tim Wysocki, PhD, ABPP  and discusses how families differ in success in dealing with the challenges of raising an adolescent with Diabetes.  It was a really interesting article.

I was most interested in the conclusions Dr. Wysocki came to; two in particular caught my attention.

Diabetes management is seen as a vehicle to accomplish broad life goals, rather than being defined more narrowly.

Because my brain is wired as oddly as it is, it started firing away and those little neuron thingies began chatting in overdrive!  What if that were true for more than adolescents?  What if we applied that statement to Diabetes and life in general?

Isn't that what has happened in our case?  The three of us, my little family, has taken on the challenge of Diabetes by coming at it from an entire life approach.  We did not just change our eating habits, we changed everything.  Virtually every aspect of our life is different now from what it was a year ago.  Thinking about it, it's a good thing!  We are having more fun, we are laughing more, and we are back to spending time together away from the television and movie theater.  I'm liking that . . . A LOT! 

One of the other conclusions in the article was:

 Parent-adolescent communication is frequent, mutually respectful, and constructive rather than conflictual and destructive.

 Okay, we all know it's not just parents and kids that have problems communicating.  We all do, with everyone.  Most often, it is with those we love the most, as we tend to take them for granted and don't put as much thought into how or what we are saying to them (they'll always forgive us, right?)

While the three of us have always been close, the year since the diagnosis has been a learning experience for all of us in communication.  I had to learn what was happening when my blood sugars were swinging, and the boys had to learn to recognize them and figure out a way to help me figure it out.  Now we have a whole new code system.  There are certain phrases that are said when someone thinks my sugars are high or low.  The boy even has a "secret weapon" that he says to me when I am about to eat something I shouldn't.

Communication around here has improved a lot.  We talk easier with each other about all sorts of things and everyone helps in meal planning and preparation.  We had to learn to communicate because we had to change things in order to make them better.  We are all happier for it as well.

So, thinking back to last nights entry, my diagnosis, which a year ago I saw as a death sentence, may have been another 2x4 from the angelic crowd.  Boy are those folk sneaky.

Parents, Teens, and Diabetes