Sharing Diabetes With Others (Part 3)

By Scott Coulter Note: This is the final installment of a three-part series on how to share your experiences living with diabetes with those around you, along with a discussion of some of the ways the condition can affect self-image. Check out the first installment here and the second installment here. Feeling dependent Being "different" is not the only feeling we must confront in social situations. Diabetes can also make us feel dependent. Case in point: In my adolescence, I took a trip to Montana to participate in a Cherokee Vision Quest ceremony. A traditional Vision Quest is a right of passage for Cherokee youth. When the time is right, young men venture out into the wilderness alone to meditate, pray, and commune with the spirits. They do this without food and with very minimal water. Traditionally, they will remain in the wilderness until they have a profound vision. It is a right of passage into adulthood. The experience of my group, of course, was milder. We camped alone in the wilderness, while fasting. However, we didn't wander miles into the wilderness, but only far enough that we would not be tempted to spend the time simply hanging out with each other (though some did this, anyway). We camped for a period of two days. And we brought along plenty of water. My own vision quest was modified a bit further to accommodate my Type 1 diabetes. I didn't fast, of course. I didn't leave behind all technology — I obviously took my blood glucose meter and insulin. And ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs