And then... everything changed

It's been a while since I've updated. A lot has happened. I've found myself working successfully freelance in the video industry. The money isn't always amazing (or regular) but mentally it is quite satisfying. I got married! And just as the cliche goes, it was honestly the best day in my life. I've been having good weeks and bad weeks in my quest to living well. Still cooking, still DIY-ing, just not being so good about blogging it.

But then, as of the 25th of November, everything changed. The husband, after losing lots of weight and having an unquenchable thirst, went into the GP hoping to find out he had some easily treatable virus or some such. We knew he was feeling the symptoms of diabetes, but as a slim guy at age 35 and with no family history, we thought... there's just no way. Well, unfortunately our worst-case scenario was confirmed and instead of spending his Friday evening on a plane to Manchester with his mates for a weekend of football, he was stuck in the Mater A&E on an insulin IV with a diagnosis of type-1 diabetes. So now, the poor fella is faced with a lifetime of checking of glucose levels and secret belly jabs before meals. I'm also faced with the task of support, sympathy and understanding.

This seems to be a pretty good day and age to be diagnosed with type-1 diabetes, with better understanding of treatment and treatments themselves becoming easier to use. But it is still a life-long disease from which there is no cure. It's still early days for us and we both have a lot to learn, but there are certain things I am thankful of. As much as I have moaned about Irish health care in the past, I now understand how truly important a national health care system (even one that is flawed) is for people with long-term illness. All of his daily prescriptions and tools and testers are automatically covered. As a couple who have been considering an eventual move to the States, we will have to seriously research how we'll survive there with a preexisting and long-term illness.

I also feel lucky that we already have a pretty healthy lifestyle and somewhat healthy eating habits. There's a lot less to change in that sense... but of course, everyone has off days and naughty days. In fact tonight we are realizing the effects of a giant Dominoes feed on glucose levels (hint: not good). Anyways, as much as the fella would be annoyed at my public discussion on the subject, I thought this might be a good opportunity to share and learn and journal our journey. Diabetes is quite common, and the more people we talk to, the more people we realize who live with it who are happy to share their experiences. So there you go.