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THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE DIABETIC
One
of the most difficult aspects of life with Diabetes is the feeling of
isolation that comes with living with an intense measure of experiences
and knowing that most of the outside world has virtually no idea of what
you are going trough or even how to react. It's taken me years to get
to the point of separating the true "me" from a lifetime of
reacting to the demands of this Disease. Even the ability to verbalize
my feelings has been a big step to disconnect my true self from a kind
of artificiality that I have to live with. I realize and appreciate this
is much more difficult to a quantum degree for those who have physical
conditions which are much more apparent.
Those of us who live with this disease are able to exercise the discretion of letting anyone know we have this or even expose the degree it affects our lives. To the outside world being a Diabetic is an option, unfortunately having Diabetes is not. There are many people who would be satisfied to leave it at that, as a matter of "don't ask, don't tell" , but this kind of attitude I think is fostered by those who have the luxury of not having to face the huge financial burden of this disease, or are satisfied by living behind a mask while, research money and efforts passes what is seen as a "manageable condition" , and even more years are added to the prospects of an eventual cure.
I think the reward for fighting for my personality is a sense of energy, that comes from knowing that through all of the difficulties living with this conditions that I've won my fight against Diabetes because I never allowed it to take the "ME" out of ME.
