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Hi, my name I David, Dave to my friends and I have joined the board for help getting my attitude right. I have been Type 2 for 5 years now but I still don't seem to understand the seriousness of this illness.
Can anyone talk to me about this, has anyone else experienced this and what made your motivation kick in??
Hi Dave, welcome to the forum, glad you decided to join
🙂 Are you on any medication for your diabetes? Have you been on any diabetes education courses? How have you found things generally?
Personally, I find that it is actually easier to pay attention to my diabetes as it requires so that I can then get on with my life without worrying too much about what might be being stored up for me in the future, or feeling any guilt about neglecting my condition. If you want to know whether it is worth the effort, then I think it most definitely is, both in the short term and the long term. In the short term, having good blood sugar control will improve your moods and energy levels, and your overall feeling of well-being. Long term, you will significantly reduce your risk of a rather frightening litany of terrible complications that can creep up on you unawares until they become a serious threat to your quality of life. Problems with your eyes could lead to some uncomfortable treatments with lasers, and possibly blindness. You could lose kidney function and need regular dialysis, or at the very least medications that may affect your day-to-day life with side-effects. You might lose sensation in your feet and lower legs, or experience constant pain from neuropathy. Those are all serious things to consider, but they are not the most serious by far.
So you see, diabetes is not something you can ignore if you want to get the most out of life, you need to tackle it right from the start. Medications won't do the job for you either, you need to look after yourself too. Remember, diabetes is in the blood, so it affects every part of you, and there is no such thing as 'mild' diabetes. By the same token, well-controlled diabetes is the major cause of....absolutely nothing!
My main motivation is that I enjoy feeling healthy when my levels are well-controlled and I can continue to enjoy life. We are fortunate in that diabetes is a condition that can be controlled, but we do have to put the work in
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