I’m stoked to share my recent visit to the endocrinologist. In earlier years this dreaded trip brought on a week or so of anxiety… Would he know I lied about my blood sugar? Could he tell that I drank a wine cooler a few weeks ago? Will they have to take blood? He is the window into my diabetes life and I was terrified as to what he could reveal. That might sound silly, but having diabetes since age 8 adds a LOT of other layers to the growing up process.

I no longer stress about this biannual visit, in fact, I kind of enjoy it. I work hard every single day to feel good and my numbers hopefully reflect my actions.

The visit starts with a super sweet nurse who allows me to prick my own finger. YAY ME! Having someone else prick my finger seems to be WAY more painful (control issues?).   I settle in and wait for Dr. Lane to enter the room. He pops in and starts with a story about his recent trip to the Salvador Dalí Museum. I appreciated the story and how Dalí’s work reflected his love of science, but I couldn’t focus because I was antsy about the numbers – I NEED THE NUMBERS!

Dr. Lane starts going down his check list.

• Meds: I’ve lowered my intake of insulin considerably since June.
• Weight: Lost 5 lbs.  WOOHOO!
• A1c: 6.5, down from 6.9.  I honestly questioned this number and said something like, “Are you sure?”  I’ve had a few unexpected highs and thought they would totally screw things up.  Apparently not.
• Blood Pressure: Perfect.  In fact, I’m being taken off a medication I was prescribed years ago.
• Eye Exam: Dr. Lane confirmed my diabetes retinopathy can be reversed while at this stage.

I left the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center on cloud 9 and couldn’t wait to share the good news with Ryan and my family. I’m not bragging, I’m just proud of myself. As a T1D veteran, I often feel like I’m on the diabetes battlefield, but today I scored a major victory. Diabetes complications and all things doom & gloom were left in the dust.

TAKE THAT DIABETES!