Where do we go from Here? A story about Diabetes

I have lived with diabetes ever since my mother was diagnosed almost 25-30 years ago.  At first it was not a disease that effected me, but it was something my mother should have taken more seriously.  I did try to think of ways I could help her, but for the most part it was her disease?

At first nothing in our lives seemed to change.  My mother switched to products that were labeled "sugar free" or "diet".  There were more fruits and vegetables in our home, but everything else seemed to stay the same.  We ate out just as much as we always had, and we still had chocolate or candy in our home.  It never occurred to me this was not a good choice.

I didn't know that much about diabetes, and I didn't go with my mother to her doctor appointments.  I didn't know what pills she was taking.  My mother was independent and self-sufficient enough to handle her diabetes on her own.  Or so I thought.  If I had known then what I know now.......

The reality hit me full force when I moved back in with my mother in 2007.  I hadn't seen her in three years because she had moved to the west coast.  (We are originally from the mid-west.)  She had gained 50 to 60 lbs, and she was loosing her eye sight.  She was too nervous to drive any longer, and I later learned she had been in numerous accidents.  The pain in her back, hips, and knees were increasing, and her hands and feet were either tingling, or numb.  All these symptoms were signs that her diabetes had been out of control for too long.

How could she have allowed this to get so out of control?  I felt overwhelmed, disappointed, and guilty about what had become of my mother.  Why didn't she ask for help?  What more could I have done to stop this from happening?  So many questions were going through my mind, but the time for those questions had come and gone. The only remaining question left is, "Where do we go from here?"

I'll share more later.  Do you know of anyone, or have you been diagnosed, with the horrible disease, Diabetes?  Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you, answer any questions you may have, and possibly help you with information I've learned through this process.

photo credit: Ciro Boro