When Numbers Get In The Way of Living

Part One

Why do the numbers matter?  To everyone else, the numbers are a measure of how well 'you' are managing your diabetes, how many highs, how many lows, your A1c!  There - that was pretty much the entirety of a twice yearly consultation with the 'specialist'.

And there is the rub, 'cos they are a specialist - in endocrinology - not in managing diabetes, not in living with diabetes and most certainly not in coping with diabetes.

So there you are, with an A1c that's half a percent up on last time, you feel like a failure - after all, you work so hard at 'managing'.  You take pride in how hard you work to manage your health and this result leaves you devastated, feeling defeated.  Why?

Why do you allow a number to control your life, the numbers are a measure of your condition, not a measure of your life!  Tight control is laudable, aspirational even.  It isn't sustainable if the effect of the numbers mean you lose quality of life. If you're stressed, worried, feeling like any comment is a criticism!  Feeling like you've let yourself down.

So do the numbers matter?  Yes, but not as the be all and end all, and certainly not as a measure of who you are!