Last night, I wrote this as I was patiently waiting for my blood sugar to climb up safe enough to get some sleep. As I sat there, after a very tough week of roller coaster blood sugars, I found myself feeling frustrated and annoyed with my blood sugar dropping again, frustrated that even though I was not hungry I had to go and treat a low, because having T1D is a constant nagging pain that you can't get rid of and you sure can’t give up on it.
When you realize that you can't give up, you can't stop fighting because the truth is that you don't have a choice. We have to accept the fact that we have a chronic illness that will never go away. This does not mean that we have to like it; however, we must learn to accept that we have and will (most likely) always live with T1D. We have to keep fighting every battle that comes our way because our lives depends on it, even if we like it or not, that's the truth.
It took me having a chronic illness for almost 15 years to realize that those toughest days are the ones that make you stronger. Realizing that you can't give up when it comes to dealing with daily T1D struggles, it makes you realize that if you are strong enough to deal with unexpected lows, highs, not getting enough sleep because of crazy blood sugars - then you are strong enough to deal with other struggles in life, whether it's stress or trying to find a job or friend drama- you are strong enough. You can tackle the unexpected. The moment when you realize that you can't ever give up can either be depressing or it can be empowering. The choice is up to you.
The choice isn't an easy one and for me it took years to realize that as much as I hate having T1D and dealing with everything that unexpectedly comes with it, I realized that in its own way, I wouldn't be as strong, understanding, or thankful if it wasn't for the fact that I live with a chronic illness. As soon as you start to learn to just make the best of what is thrown your way and accept the things we cannot fully control, you can implement it in all aspects of your life. I am a true believer that everything bad, good, and all the in-between happens for a reason (even if we don't believe it at that time). The truth is that living with any chronic illness can be extremely challenging but in its own way it can also be extremely rewarding. You were given this life because you're strong enough to live and grow with it️! And that's the silver lining of living with a chronic illness.
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Until Next Time, Keep Fighting and Stay Strong!
