Voices of Diabetes

The hardest thing about having diabetes is not wanting to deal with the changes you need to make. For example, when I first started injecting myself, the needles freaked me out! Then I got some advice from my friend, Rosemary: "Just don't look at the needle when you inject yourself. Watching that part scares nearly everyone." At first, I thought, "No way can this work!" But I did try her advice, and it actually helped me a lot.

The part that I can't get used to is having to do my injections or testing in public places. I was getting some blood work done, and while I was waiting, I realized I needed to do my injection "NOW!" The hardest part was that the lab tech actually asked me to "do that sort of thing privately" instead of in front of others.

The other problem I have is getting good exercise in, because I also have arthritis, which makes it painful to exercise. I plan on discussing this with my doctor at my next appointment.

Shelly G, 30
Rochester, NY