Diabetes Blog Week Day 2 - Keep it to Yourself

"Many of us share lots of aspects of our diabetes lives online for the world to see.  What are some of the aspects of diabetes that you choose to keep private from the internet?  Or from your family and friends?  Why is it important to keep it to yourself?"

Yes, I know.  A blog post to talk about what I won't talk about sounds very.. oxymoronic.  However, I think it is a great idea. 

Think about it.

You have something weird going on with your diabetes (or whatever) and you turn to the internet to see if anyone else is having that same weirdness.  You find nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  That is almost more destructive than finding wrong information.  Almost.  I know for me it weighs heavily on me mentally and emotionally.  I start to think, "If no one else is experiencing this, then I must be REALLY REALLY bad and am going to die."  Or, "I'm making this up, and I'm turning into a hypochondriac."  Then you get into the downward mental spiral and end up in the corner curled in a ball sucking your thumb.

See?  Very destructive.

However, if I were to come across a blog post (or 90) that said.  "I won't talk about THIS thing, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, just that I'm not sharing the details."  I would go, "Whew!!  I'm not crazy!  There are other people that are experiencing this."  The power of "ME TOO" strikes, and comforts, again.

There are times and places where the unmentionable topics are safe to talk about.  A place where you know there will be no judging, no snickering, no "ya whatever"-ing.  It may be at your doctor, in your living room with family, in your closet with your spouse, or at a conference with other PWD's that is designed to be a safe place.  (I'm talking about you, Diabetes UnConference). 

It's at places like that where I will talk about the untalkable topics.

Diabetes effects absolutely every area of life.  Every area.  Not just my health in relation to my food but everything.  My stomach health, my gastro-intestinal health, my internal organ health, my social health, my mental health, my sex health, my humor health, my structural (bone) health, etc. 

Someone wanted to ask me a diabetes related question the other day and prefaced it with, "If this is too personal and you don't want to answer, I totally understand, but I'm curious."  My reply to them was, "I will answer 99% of the questions you have.  I'd rather you ask, than not ask and be mis-informed." 

The same goes for here. 

I will talk about 99% of diabetes related things.  The other 1% I will leave for a more appropriate, and safe, setting for good discussions.