Preception vs Reality and Cautionary Tales...

It finally occurred to me that folks concentrate on any serious illness that someone might have and don't think much of any other traits of that person. For example, I think of my brother as being a diabetic and don't think of him as the fellow who is about to be divorced, as the fellow who likes "Calvin and Hobbs" cartoons, as the youngest brother I used to tell stories to when he was a pre-nursery school type. (I haven't really known him since I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1970 and left home forever.) I've been trying to do better.

I used to work with a man named "Carl" who was your basic out-of-control type 1 diabetic. Carl was subject to severe mood swings and would often get pedantic when he should have been practical. (i.e. When you've got a crisis because your computer network is down and I'd ask him for help in relaying data, I didn't need a lecture on how to relay the data,
I need Carl to push the buttons and make the relay happen!

One of the stories about Carl is that he was seen giving himself an insulin shot in evening. Carl was going to a party and planned on having chocolate cake; he was guessing the proper insulin dosage. (Carl died of complications early in 2004.)

I remember seeing my late father do the same thing and also inject himself before planning on drinking a lot of beer at a steak barby. Christ Mass of 2003, I saw my baby brother wander off into the kitchen and give himself a guesstimated shot because he was planning on eating Christ Mass cake and pie! Well, he's not dead yet but he'd better get his shit together...
I tend to worry about him and tend to worry about losing my feet, etc.

So, I don't plan on telling many folks who know me for fear of being seen only as "the diabetic" and not as me!