Saturday Snapshots is the topic of today for #DBlogWeek the aim of which is to show everyone what diabetes looks like! After some pondering, I decided I will share some snaps of some of the places where I have either had to test my blood sugar or dose myself up with an insulin shot. It’s only been a year and 5 months since my diagnosis but in that time I have injected myself an estimated 2060 times mostly in the thigh (very occasionally in my abdomen). But I feel more sorry for my finger tips which bear the brunt of the stabs and jabs diabetes requires in order to find out the sweetness of my blood.
The first of many…
Hiking in The Lake District….exposing thigh in freezing conditions.
Hiking in California…other end of the temperature spectrum
Hiking in Hong Kong on the Stanley Trail
Injecting on the Metro in Barcelona
In the taxi cab…
Iconic Taxi cab of HK – crazy mad drivers + HK traffic = challenging glucose testing
Having a hypo on The Peak Tram
Life IS like a box of chocolates…and yes, diabetics CAN eat chocolate.
BUPA Great Manchester Run, was a challenge to balance insulin with nerves and 10K to run!
Sweaty at the gym – glucotabs to avoid those hypos!
Our 21st – never a day off diabetes!
At the casinos in Vegas – hypos aplenty amidst the heat!
I get so unbelievably excited when this number appears. It’s the little things in life..
These snaps are just some of the weird and wonderful places I have had to fufil the duties of being a diabetic. For fear of boring you all with more pics, I will finish this post with two points I hope these snapshots have illustrated.
1) Diabetes follows you everywhere. There is no escape, no break, no day off. Even if it is your birthday, Christmas Day, wedding day, graduation…there is no respite. Every single day involves testing, calculating, administering insulin. It’s a full-time commitment. Nonetheless, as I have elucidated in previous posts, it quickly becomes a part of everyday life and something that you just get on with. C’est la vie.
2) You CAN still do incredible things, see amazing sights and lead a normal life. In the short time since my diagnosis, I have been extremely fortunate to have had the opportunities to travel and participate in a variety of exciting activities. Each different experience has presented new challenges in terms of managing my blood sugars within an optimum range and there have certainly been a few precarious highs and lows along the way. However, I’ve learnt much from my experiences and will not allow this diabetes to get in the way of living my life. When all is said and done, things could be a lot worse…
thediabeticmedic 
Wow, I’m amazed at how very many places you have taken diabetes in only 1 year, 5 months. Thank you so much for sharing.
What an amazing number of places you’ve visited! Thanks for sharing.
Brilliant!
I’m totally impressed!!!!
Love the photos, especially the Peak District hike. That looks like a smashing place! Also, I fully agree with your messages. We get on with it and we lead a normal, if not extraordinary, life!
Thanks. Yes it certainly hasn’t held me back in pursuit of adventure. Hiking is something I very much enjoy and don’t intend to stop! Have really enjoyed reading through so of your posts. Excited to see more 🙂
Love all the photos! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks kelley, I’m enjoying your blogs too! Look forward to reading more 🙂
Same here – totally impressed and WOW’d by all the places you’ve traveled. And of course, by all the “stabs and jabs” you’ve had in those many spots worldwide. And I can only imagine how those crazy HK taxi drivers reacted if they caught a glimpse of injections or fingerpokes when being all crazy behind the wheel. I’ve not traveled to nearly as many places as you, but totally can relate to the Vegas casino Lows that you probably had. Thanks for sharing the great snapshots, from start to where you are now!
Thanks Mike! Yes the heat in the Vegas desert was a bit much at times. I remember having to glug down several cans of coke whilst wandering The Strip. Such a fantastic place though. Thanks for your comments and sharing yourself 🙂