Play that Funky Diabetes

Today is the second day of Diabetes Blog week.  Each day we have a prompt and are called to post a response.  You can read all responses at my friend Karen’s site Bitter~Sweet.  Also, please remember RABlog week will occur in September.  I hope you join the fun then as well.

Prompt:

The Other Half of Diabetes – Tuesday 5/17/2106  – We think a lot about the physical component of diabetes, but the mental component is just as significant. How does diabetes affect you or your loved one mentally or emotionally? How have you learned to deal with the mental aspect of the condition? Any tips, positive phrases, mantras, or ideas to share on getting out of a diabetes funk? (If you are a caregiver to a person with diabetes, write about yourself or your loved one or both!)

I have certainly had my share of diabetes funk.  As a matter of fact, I bet that I may hold the record for diabetes funk.  Remember I went over 20 years without seeing a doctor, yes any doctor.  Now that is funk.  Thankfully I now see more doctors than I can count, (between 15 and 20 annually), so as far as doctors go I am either all in or all out.  I think that sort of defines my life.  So for today, I decided to give it the funk.

Phife Dawg: The Funky Diabetic

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But the thing is I cannot talk about diabetes funk without remembering “Phife Dawg” Taylor (Malik Izaak Taylor), a rapper from “A Tribe Called Quest” he billed himself on the 1993 song ‘Oh My God’ as The Funky Diabetic.  Phife Dawg passed on March 22, 2016, reportedly from complications as a result of diabetes.  Even if you have never heard of Phife Dawg, you have to agree that his life was too short and like all people he had so much more to give.

Now when we think of funk we have to acknowledge that a person passing at 46 from complications of diabetes is enough to put us in a serious funk.  It did me as I researched this item some weeks ago.  So much so, in fact, I did not even publish the story I worked on. Oh and no I had no idea who the man was before I started researching the story.  But I do know that the passing of such a young person had a negative effect on me as a person with diabetes.

the Betes organization

This past year I have been working on ‘the Betes” complication project.  This multiyear initiative to help people discuss and face the very real lingering fear about complications has helped me to avoid that age old trap of gloom and doom.  I think that Marina, the Executive Director of ‘the Betes”, has the right idea.  When she asked our help she said we can face complications head on or we can put them aside and hope the underlying worry does not invade our life.  We who work on ‘the Betes’ complication project have decided to face the mental and emotional aspects of diabetes head on.  Perhaps it is shared experiences that bring us together to do this or maybe we have dealt with some of these complications ourselves.  But as a group I think we can say that we believe that not facing the physical issues, will in the end, not lead to positive outcomes either mentally or physically.  So we have decided to dig in and see if we can encourage the discussion in our community.

Given my volunteer work, it is not surprising that I find great hope in talking about the fears that many of us face. I believe in the work of ‘the Betes’ organization because I know the emotional toll I faced from diabetes.  I also know that the only way I can successfully deal with fear is to face it, point at it and call it what it is, fear, not reality.  What is my tip for overcoming the mental health monster that I live with?  The monster that showed up with my diabetes and lives deep within me every moment of every day?  I deal with it by doing something, anything that helps me say I am not controlled this moment by my fear. I cannot promise that the next moment I will be alright, but this moment when I am working for my community I have overcome it.  String enough moments together and I can beat the fear.  It is also laughing.  So for today, I can play that funky music instead of being played by it.

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rick

 Take away for May 17, 2016

• 46 is young
• ‘the Betes’ complication project is the bomb
• For me getting through the funk means service
• And always play that funky music