Perspective and Mindset: I Take My Life Seriously #29

The discourse initiates with a cordial greeting from Deborah Anderson, who articulates her reflections inspired by a recent Matlock episode. Through this lens, she examines the critical importance of managing diabetes, particularly focusing on the perilous condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis, a topic that has been the focus of the past few episodes. Deborah's narrative is profoundly influenced by her childhood experiences, where she was instilled with a sense of responsibility at a tender age to manage her diabetes independently. This retrospective analysis serves as the foundation for her argument that when individuals living with diabetes DO manage their diabetes, the credit should remain with them rather than their parents, and vice versa. Conversely, an encouraging, team-based approach is much better than a toxic, blame-based, credit-grabbing approach that does not benefit the diabetic or the diabetes management approach. The parents, in this situation, have an opportunity to set a positive example.

“I was diagnosed at six, but it's like, this is your disease, you need to manage it...It's your disease, you handle it...” 

Deborah, 05:38

Deborah's insights challenge conventional perceptions regarding hospital visits and health management, advocating instead for a proactive approach that prioritizes regular health assessments and awareness of one's condition. Also, the absence of medical visits does not mean absolute health in the way that some may indicate that it does and instead, it represents a willingness to advocate for a team approach and listen to wisdom from medical professionals assigned to their medical team.

• In this episode, we explored the intricate relationship between diabetes management and personal accountability.
• The podcast underscores the importance of seeking medical help when experiencing prolonged high or low blood sugar levels.
• We emphasized that being proactive in health management can significantly improve outcomes for diabetics.
• Ultimately, the episode conveys a message of self-advocacy and the importance of being informed about one's health.

As the episode progresses, Deborah emphasizes the need for individuals to seek help and support, dispelling the stigma often associated with frequent healthcare visits. She presents a nuanced perspective on health management, emphasizing the significance of self-advocacy and regular monitoring in preventing complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis. Her overarching message is one of empowerment, encouraging individuals to take their health seriously and engage actively in their management strategies. By intertwining personal anecdotes with broader health themes, Deborah fosters a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding diabetes management, inspiring her audience to approach their health journeys with confidence and diligence.

Chapters

• 02:04 Inspiration from Television (New Matlock)
• 04:54 Algorithmic Inequality in Others’ Assessment
• 09:02 The True Sign of a Healthy Approach to Management
• 11:32 Revisiting the Simple Rule of When to Visit the Hospital
• 13:58 Seeking Help and Support IS a Sign of Health

Episode Resources

• Fun Run Episode #19 [Black Beauty Jag Podcast Episode]
• Kathy Bates [IMDB.com]
• Matlock (Game Face) [IMDB.com]

Community / Connecting

• Join us (absolutely free!) in the brand-new

Episode Transcript

(04:24):
Hello everybody, and welcometo another episode of DiabeticReal.
And I'm your host, DeborahAnderson. I am often inspired by
television episodes and itjust so happens that this time it
was an episode of Matlock. AndI'm not talking about the 80s Matlock,

(04:49):
although I love that show withAndy Griffith, by the way. I actually
passed Andy Griffith in one ofwhat was, you know, other than our
Black Beauty Jag. I'm not acar person. I understand our Black
Beauty Jag because I publishedthat podcast featuring our Black

(05:10):
Beauty Jag. So I don't knowexactly what the car was, except
it was a white convertible.And bless his heart, he held up his
hand, he smiled at me and hewaved. Of course, I'm sure he does
that to everybody he passed.But such a Southern gentleman, I
just have to say about AndyGriffith. But anyway, this isn't

(05:33):
about an episode of thatMatlock, even if the actor is a Southern
gentleman and may he rest inpeace, but this is about the new
Matlock starring Kathy Bates.Anyway, there was something that
was said in, of course, it'sseason one, it's the first season

(05:54):
and it was episode 15 and itwas about 10 minutes, 30 seconds
in. And there was somethingthat was said that made me, I think
she made some reference totaking her life seriously. And I
don't want to spoil the show,so you'll have to like watch the

(06:16):
show to, to get a feel for it.But it got me thinking about my own
situation. We have beentalking about diabetic ketoacidosis
and there was something that Iwas reading. It was a note, I think
it was between my mother andmy mother in law. And this also,

(06:37):
ironically, this fits inbecause I was actually being interviewed
on two different podcasts justthis week and I was being asked questions
about, you know, what is itlike living with diabetes, growing
up and things like that. Andso other questions related to family,
things like that. So it wasreally interesting how the whole

(07:01):
thing about diabeticketoacidosis fit in with, you know,
this Matlock episode. It'slike everything all fit as if the
topics were all interrelated.It just, it's always interesting
to me how things kind of cometogether timing wise, but I'm fascinated
by things like that. So thesenotes, my mother was referencing

(07:26):
something where it was like,oh, hey, the. And I think I may have
mentioned this on the podcast,one of the podcast interviews where
the belief was that I hadnever been under better diabetic
control than when I lived athome. Yeah. In fact, I did mention
that in one of the interviews.And one of the things was that good,

(07:49):
bad or otherwise, in fact, I'mactually thankful. It may not have
felt very loving, but she.Well, both my parents, but in particular
my mother basically said,okay, you know, you're eight years
old now. This is your disease.I was diagnosed at six, but it's
like, this is your disease,you need to manage it. You're the

(08:09):
one that needs to talk to yourteachers about it. It's your disease,
you handle it, blah, blah,blah. And she took hands off. I did
my shots myself. I did thefood measurement. I think maybe a
couple times she might havescooped up the mashed potatoes in
a measuring cup kind of thing.Back then, everything was old school.

(08:32):
I won't go all into it. Ithink I've discussed that before.
As far as old school or as Kenmentioned, and I'll give a link to
his podcast. That was back inthe dark ages. I loved the reference
to those the dark ages as faras diabetes management, but everything
was about managing thediabetes myself, even if I was 8.

(08:55):
But that's not the point thatI'm trying to make here. The point
was her reference to the factthat I was under better care when
I was in her household, in herhome. Well, as I said in the podcast.
Yeah, but did we forget thepart about that? I was told to manage

(09:15):
it myself. It wasn't beingmanaged by anyone else. In fact,
it was all about me managingit myself. So in the note that between
the women, it was like, oh,hey, this isn't being managed well
when she's out on her own asan adult. It was managed better when
she lived with me in my home.I'm thinking, wait, you really can't

(09:40):
have it both ways. You can'tsay, hey, little kid, you have to
manage this all by yourselfand then say, oh, but it was managed
better when you're in my home,even though I told you you had to
manage it all by yourselfwithout my help. You see what I'm
saying? You can't have it bothways. Either the parent manages it

(10:02):
and then gets the credit forhaving managed it, or they say to
the little kid, you manage it,and then you can't take the credit
for saying it was under bettercare when I managed it as a parent,
if you said the little kidmanaged it. But even that is not
the point. And here's thepoint. Yes, I am finally getting

(10:26):
to the point. Yes, the pointis, and this is where the mindset
is, and this is where it Fitsin with the diabetic ketoacidosis.
And this is the part that Iwant diabetics and those who care
for diabetics to reallyunderstand. And this is where it

(10:46):
fits in with the Matlockepisode. It's perspective and mindset.
Okay, here we go. Ready?Ready? Okay, I know you're ready.
All right. It is as if. Nowthis is just my perspective on what
the two ladies are discussing.It is as if the perspective was that

(11:10):
because I didn't go to thehospital as frequently as a little
kid, even though, side note, Ishould have and I needed to, but
because I didn't go to thehospital. Oh, second side note, the
management was in the darkages, meaning it was urine testing

(11:33):
of, quote, unquote, bloodsugars, which weren't blood sugars,
they were just sugars. Twohours after eating, they weren't
blood sugars at all, they wereurine testing, dark ages of testing
and not blood sugars at all.So, yeah, I needed to go in the hospital.

(11:55):
It was completely differentworld. So, yes, I should have gone
to the hospital several timesbecause I was in DKA several times
as a child and needed thehospital. But anyway, the measurement
stick was because I didn't goto the hospital as a child, that
meant that I was healthier asa child and therefore under better

(12:22):
management as a child, again,giving herself credit, presumably
as a parent, even though themanagement was me. Well, now I just
insulted myself as a littlekid. But you have to compare all
the factors. Dark ages. Ididn't have access to blood testing

(12:42):
because they didn't do bloodtesting back then. Not yet. Until
the technology came about.Now, the way I look at it, and this
is where, if you listen to thelast few episodes, my rule of thumb
is if I am going into diabeticketoacidosis, I don't let three days

(13:06):
pass where I make sure I amdown there at the hospital. In other
words, you know, I didn't wordthat correctly. If my blood sugar
is high, high blood sugar forthree days or low, too low for three
days, I am there at thehospital getting checked out because

(13:28):
something is wrong. SomethingI may be going into diabetic ketoacidosis,
and a diabetic can die fromthat. So that's my rule of thumb.
And I have been told that thatis the right rule of thumb for a
diabetic, for type 1 diabeticlike me. So my view is that that

(13:53):
is taking my life seriously asa type 1 diabetic. And I look at
it and say, hey, doing itright, that if I'm going into the
hospital now, maybe not, youknow, ICU every other week, then.
Then there might be some.There's some room for improvement

(14:16):
on the diabetes management.Not judging, just saying, hey, there
might be some areas where youcould be tweak. But if you're going
into the doctor because you'rehaving some. Some lows or some highs
and you need some help, hey,kudos. You're asking for help. That's
a good thing. But the keything here is you should not be judged

(14:38):
and said, well, hey, youdidn't go to the. You didn't go to
the hospital at all for 20years. So that means you have perfect
health. No, no, no, that's notthe right way to look at it. That
just means you didn't ask forhelp. But does that mean that your
blood sugars were perfect? Howwould you know if you didn't ask

(15:00):
for help? Bit of a brainteaser there, but my view is that
you need to be checking in tomake sure you're on the right track.
Just a little perspectivecheck. And at the end of the day,

(15:21):
we want you healthy. Okay?Type 1ers. All right, this is Deborah
E signing off on DiabeticReal.Stay healthy, guys, and know that
you're loved.