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I have Diabetes….and I was in denial.
I fell down stairs one day when my legs stopped working. I didn’t know my legs were going to short circuit at that moment….I just walked like I always did across my living room, and went to walk down the 2-3 steps that lead to my family room. Only this time, as I put my foot down, I collapsed into a pile. Why didn’t my legs work? Apparently my blood sugars were soaring, and I didn’t know it…
THANK GOD it was not a full staircase. This is how I learned I had Diabetes….at the medical office I was in directly after it happened.
What would I have done if I was found unconscious outside of my home?
Now, I have had Diabetes for a couple of years now, but I brushed it off….I was in denial. It happens to a lot of people….”I’ll be fine” we’re often heard saying.
What if I collapse outside if something happens? Nobody would know I have Diabetes….I wouldn’t be able to say…I HAVE DIABETES– please help me.
I got my wake up call one day when I was reading my RX bottle. It says…if you’re taking this medication, you should wear medical alert ID.
It was like a smack in the face…I sat there fingering my insulin and went…well, crap- I have Diabetes. Who am I fooling, besides myself? I decided at that moment, I had been foolish to think just because I was in denial, if I collapsed, the difference between a diabetic coma and well…not letting it get that far could be as simple as wearing medical ID..
Here’s the thing…get over it. Get your ID on, and help out those who are trying to help you.
I know better. Years ago I ran with a rescue squad as an EMT…and here I was 20 years later dwelling in my own denial.
I’ve got my medical ID tag now…what about you?
I don’t care if you’re a bracelet person, a necklace person….but I do care that you take care of yourself…and identify yourself for those moments when YOU can’t speak for yourself.
I wear a dog tag…on the front it has a small picture, and on the back it’s engraved with:
My full name
My home phone # and the name of the person to contact
My condition
What my medication is
and if I do or do not have allergies to any medications
This one tiny tag holds a ton of information in case of an emergency….
….AND COULD SAVE MY LIFE.
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