My name is Emy, I am 57 years young and like so many of you, I have an uninvited guest on my journey- pre- diabetes!!!
And like so many of you I have other guests who have decided to join the party, osteoarthritis, low blood pressure, fatigue and just for good measure a brain tumour!
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you any of this so you feel sorry for me, you are way too busy partying with guests of your own.
My take on my uninvited guests is, I didn’t invite them, I’m not going to do anything to make them more comfortable and I’m definitely not going to do anything that gives them more power!!
Like all of you reading this, I’m in it for the long run, so I drew up a battle plan and as such have gathered some weapons:
– Humour, I’ve learnt to laugh at myself, and I’ve learnt to laugh even harder when my uninvited guests embarrasses me.
– I’ve learnt to cry when I need to, as I’ve found tears are cleansing.
– I’ve learnt that honestly with myself and when appropriate, shared with others, keeps my mental health on the right side of okay.
– I’ve learnt that self-control, discipline and knowledge gained from the Walking Away from Diabetes programme is a passport to staying healthy.
– I’ve also learnt, that exercise although exhausting and painful will keep me from being bed-bound.
Let’s be honest, high sugar, high fat and starchy foods are pleasure inducing, especially during lockdown! And doesn’t our waistline tell us just that!
So I am very grateful for learning about my risk of Type 2 Diabetes when I did and for all the information I gained at the Walking Away from Diabetes programme. If not for the knowledge I gained, I would without a doubt have joined the very long list of people who have sadly developed Type 2 Diabetes.
I have also found the follow up phone calls incredibly useful because it’s kept Type 2 Diabetes at the forefront of my mind, a little voice in my head that comes to the fridge and food cupboards with me, especially in the evening.
And during the lockdown I have also started remote exercise classes with Everyone Health as a direct result of support from the team.
We are definitely in this battle against Type 2 Diabetes together, so I want to end by saying, stay strong, keep smiling, stay active and don’t visit the fridge and food cupboard too often and when you do, I hope you hear the same voice I hear that reminds me to make the right choices.
