BEFORE
But as a nurse it’s easy to put
yourself on the back-burner,
prioritising the care of your
patients while forgetting about
No.1. To be honest, there was
also a fair bit of denial involved.
I’d preach to my patients about
how important it was for them
to start making lifestyle changes,
but I wasn’t doing any of it
myself. Hypocritically, I was
the ‘do as I say, not as I do’
nurse when I was caring for
AS people with diabetes.
TO
LD
T
O
K
AR
EN
FI
TT
AL
L^
PHOTOGRAPHYGETTYIMAGESThe upshot
is that these
days, at age
51, instead of
being in the
prime of my life, I’m in the fight
for my life. And it makes me
upset that I’ve forced my family
and loved ones, particularly my
mum, to come along for the ride.
They’re amazing and I thank
them every day for their love
and support.
Now I’m fighting with all I’vegot. A combination of hitting my
lowest point emotionally, finally
accepting responsibility for my
health and being afforded more
time to focus on myself due to
not being able to work has
allowed me to make some
important changes.Taking charge
I’ve stopped eating rubbish
food, I’m getting more sleep
and I’m working with a physio
to incorporate some exercise
into my life. And the insulin
I’ve been prescribed means
my blood glucose levels are back
under control. I’ve also lost 30kg
since being diagnosed with liver
cirrhosis, because the nausea
has stolen my appetite. The irony
of that accidental weight loss is
that my diabetes has improved
significantly. What a way to do it!
Once a month I drive three
hours from my home in
Echuca to Melbourne to see an
endocrinologist, a
gastroenterologist,
a neurologist and
a cardiologist,
and I probably have
a liver transplant
in my future,
if I’m lucky.
Some days
I feel like I’m 151
years old, but I’m
nowhere near done
yet. Would I change
some things about
my past? Absolutely.
But all I can do is
deal with where I’m at right now.
Regrets won’t change anything.
I’ve stepped up and stopped
burying my head in the sand,
and I try to find something
to enjoy and be grateful for
every day. My goal now is to
start living again, not just
existing. ■If you don’t
care for
yourself,
how can
you expect
anyone
else to?
my story: type 2
diabetic living NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 121