And so we begin again

There is one thing a diabetic can count on everyday....at some point, there will be a prick. For some it is more, but no matter the count, a prick will happen and the outcome of that prick will determine a wide variety of choices and actions. In contemplating writing about a house with two parents, two children, two religions...( we do have it all) I tried to think of what differentiated us. Not that being Jewish, Unitarian, Gay, parents isn't enough. But dealing with diabetes in the midst of it all was the bell ringer.

So, welcome to my blog. You will learn about my family ( 1 boy, 1 girl), my wife ( a medical professional), myself (an educator who is currently a housewife ), our cats ( 1 boy, 1 girl) and the tapestry of our lives. And you will learn how a diagnosis of diabetes has affected all of these things.

I have been wanting to write for a long time, the key word here is time. There isn't any when caring for children, a house, a family and oneself ( often the neglected item in a time management crunch). I have tried perfecting my quick blurbs on my Facebook account and enjoyed the challenge of sharing our day in 140 characters or less.

In January I recieved the new that sent my world rocking....diabetes!! Now, it should not have been a surprise, it runs in my birth family ( theres a whole blog of the future...adopted child find birth family) and my doctor had been warning me for a long time that I had " Markers" for the disease. But I thought I was immune, above the influence, impenetrable. The day my doctor said those words you could have picked my jaw off the floor.

And then, you cry.

Because Diabetes hurts. It hurts to prick your finger, it hurts to change diets, it hurts to take meds timely, it hurts to exercise more, it hurts to know that you could have done something more to put it off, it hurts to be vulnerable and it hurts.......to know that your body is not all you thought it was and that it has a weaknes that if not addresses will kill you. Pretty heady.

I cried because no woman in my maternal line has made it to age 60. Thats right. My Aunt died a wek before her  60th birthday and my birthmother died a week before hers. Both died of complications from Diabetes, asthma, alchohol, dementia, a life lived hard. I was determined to break the curse. But until that day, I didn't understand just what the curse was. Now, facing it, at my feet, i just wanted to weep and curl in a ball and hide and say " do over, do over".

My doctor is a genius and has done much work with diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. I feel safe in his hands and care. It means work, change, commitment and vigilance to live....right now to live beyond 60 ( I've got 9 years to make that goal).

But I also have two wonderful children and a wife that I'd like to be able to be there for in the future and be present for now. With that motiation , we endeavor into this journey of family, disease, growth and......a daily prick.

Thanks for reading this first entry. Stick around. Hopefully you'll enjoy these tales and your day will be a little better.because you had......just a little prick.