Good Reads: Diabetes Sucks and You Can Handel it by Dr. Mark Heyman

Hello, Sharica

Happy July! I hope you are soaking up some sunshine these days!

I’ve recently been able to get away for a few days as my husband attends an engineering conference in Orange County, California. I have never been to this sunny state, and I am in awe of the palm trees and the lovely dry heat. Not the same humidity we have in SW Ontario!

While he is attending his conference, I’ve been re-reading the book “Diabetes Sucks and you can handle it” by Dr. Mark Heyman. I recommend it as a great read.  

Have you read it?

I’ll just pass on a few take-aways that have really challenged me, personally. While this book was written with those with type one in mind, as a care-giver of an almost-adult son with type one, I found it very thought-provoking and challenging for myself.

As I read, one word constantly came to mind, COURAGEOUS. 

The word courageous has its root in the Latin word, “COR”, or ‘heart’” To be courageous in the 14th century was to speak from the heart, or speak the truth. Speaking the truth can require strength, both to ourselves and to others, and sometimes it can be dangerous, especially if the person you’re speaking to holds a sword in their hand. The meaning of the word has changed over the centuries, but is still rooted in the old meaning of speaking truth even when under threat. 

According to Webster’s Dictionary:

/kəˈrājəs/

Courageous means possessing or displaying courageIt describes someone who is able to face and deal with danger, pain, or difficulty without flinching. True courage doesn't mean the absence of fear; rather, it is acknowledging that fear but choosing to proceed anyway.

If you combine the two concepts, you could say that to be courageous means to have the strength to embrace the truth and act on it despite the pressure from within and without.

Dr. Mark emphasizes the importance of constantly evaluating the REAL impact of diabetes (ie. not minimizing, and not exaggerating) by constantly editing the stories we tell ourselves about diabetes and ourselves and others. But at the end of the day, the hard truth is that living with this disease is HARD.

Recognizing that negative emotions associated with this disease is a matter of course is a first step towards Acceptance. When I accept the annoyance, anxiety, fear, frustration, exhaustion, I can then embrace these emotions and move forward anyway.

I don’t know about you but I often wait for circumstances to be Ideal or try to micro-manage the future to minimize risk of all these negative emotions, trying desperately to control the future environment so it will be more comfortable for me to act.

This, I admit is a challenge for me. 

We are all different, and our journeys look different but I thought I’d share the read in case it is helpful for you. I know it helped me a lot in understanding some of the psychological aspects of living with type one diabetes, while at the same time, running this race of life to the fullest.

Regardless of anything, you, me and anyone living with T1D is COURAGOUS. 

What do you think? I’d love to know what you think of the book as well. You can always reply to this email or email me at sharica@pumppocket.ca