Dear Diabetes

Dear Juvenile On-set Diabetes (aka Type I),

We've lived together for 20+ years. I've hated every single second of it, roughly, but since I can't get rid of you - despite my best efforts with that pancreas transplant in '05 - I'm doing my very best to take care of you. I'm checking my blood sugars 3-4 times a day (at least), watching my carbs & programming the amount I do eat into my insulin pump then having the proper amount of insulin, and giving myself a bolus when my sugar is higher than it should be. I'm doing everything I should and am supposed to do to take good care of you.

So WHY are you being so petulant??

Transplant Update: First Kidney-versary

There is something in the transplant world known as the "critical year". It's the first year after a patient receives a transplant and it's the most important year. That first year is the most imuno-suppressed and the most likely period of rejection. It's the year a transplant recipient is monitored the most closely as the new graft settles into it's new home. My critical year ended on March 15th with a .89 creatinine and a party in honor of me and my sister.

I Hate to Wait - Inigo Montoya

Last week I submitted an application for my future. I won't find out if I'm accepted for 5 more weeks. It is pure torture. I've never been very talented at waiting.

I've been trying to keep myself busy, mostly to try and stay away from things I think will jinx my chances (I can be a tad superstitious) but it's not working very well. I'm still caught in that initial "application submitted" buzz, when all you can think about is how fantastic it would be if it actually happened, if you got accepted. Fair warning: this is purposefully vague. I greatly dislike vagueness, such as when people post "I'm soooo done!!!!" on facebook and that's it. We get it, you want attention without having to be specific. If you tell me what you're done with, I might care. So if you detest vagueness as much as I do, you don't have to keep reading. What's written here isn't a cry for attention, just something I need to write to exit my "application submitted"buzz. Free my miiiiiiind and the rest will follow, if you will.