Why have RADiabetes.com ?

Purpose of RADiabetes.com

This site is new but it is the product of much planning and a great deal of thought. I formed this site because I have both Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and diabetes so I deal with the real issues caused by each. To me  both diseases are a constant issue. The tape image shows a stack of colored tape. For me my life is like that tape. Each disease is staked on the other and all require management to be successful.

Two days ago I went riding my bicycle. It was a glorious day. I rode for about 10 miles. But before I set out, I had to check my blood sugar, eat a banana, pack apple juice and designate my route in case I developed low blood sugar and needed to call my wife. I am a casual rider, I don’t do it for training and I never travel far, 10 miles tops, but the extra effort to plan my blood sugar and insulin was a precaution I take every time I ride a bicycle.

RA is a little different. It does not require precise planning to do simple tasks. However if an RA flare occurs, and it often does, I might be prevented from walking in a store let alone riding a bicycle. RA can prevent a person from doing even simple things. It is this constant threat that I deal with for every decision, every action and every plan. Did I sleep the whole night? Do I have the energy for a walk? Am I ready to admit I have to turn around if I cannot make it? This is the struggle I and those who have RA face every day.

Two diseases

These two diseases require exacting balance to allow a person to live what passes for a reasonable life. This site is designed to report on the balance I find and don’t find. The site may seem like it is more about Diabetes or more about RA, depending on what you are interested in. But it is about both. My perspective is shaped by both diseases and my interest is about both. As you read my blog I hope you will remember I did not choose my disease. My disease choose me.

In my case and with many others we have two diseases each impacting the other and both large burdens for management. Now the common question, does one disease impact the other? Yes it does. Everything impacts everything and no we seldom know the true outcome of an action until we do it. Something simple like riding a bicycle for instance, is like a science experiment. It might be great or it might be terrible, we do not really know until we try it.

I am a person not a disease

This web site will be about those little and sometimes big experiments, but also about each disease independently. I am a person with diabetes, I am a person with rheumatoid arthritis. I am a person with both. But most important I am a person. I hope this web site humanizes those of us who have either or both diseases. Our disease may be invisible, but we are not. I hope this site humanizes who we are.

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