Don’t be the girl who fell. Be the girl who got back up.
- Jenette Stanley
I don’t know who Jenette Stanley is or was, but I like that quotation.
Saturday before last, I went to the Arkansas Scottish Festival in Batesville with friends from church. We call ourselves the 49ers and we’re all over the age of 50.
It is heartening to see folks older than I am enjoying outdoor activities with such vim and vigor. They are an absolute joy to be with, even though some of them run circles around me.
We boarded our church bus, headed out at 7 a.m. and made it to Lyon College a little after 9 - despite having to stop and ask for directions.We saw no signs directing festival goers to the campus. (Believe it or not, it was a couple of the men in our group who asked for the directions.)
After five hours of festivities, I was bushed. We checked out the displays of the Scottish clans that were in attendance, looked at merchandise and T-shirts, and tasted meat pies and shortbread.
The only negative was the fall I took coming out of the campus library, where they were holding a book sale. I wasn’t watching where I was going. I walked right off a step and plopped, very unladylike, on the pavement. And I’m pretty sure I yelled loudly, which probably called even more attention to me.
Several helpful young men rushed over, and from my seated position I saw hands reaching out toward me. Chivalry is not dead.
As gracefully as possible and with a bit of help, I got up, brushed myself off and sat on a bench for a few minutes.
My mother patted and loved on me. And eventually I got a good laugh out of it, but my knee hurt. Thankfully, I was wearing pants, but I had an unattractive skinned area on my left knee. As I walked, fabric rubbed the wound. Let’s just say I was a wee bit uncomfortable.
We asked around about a first-aid tent without finding one. Earlier we had spotted an ambulance in the parking area, but when we finally got there, it was unattended.
An hour or so later, while I was seated and watching a sheep-herding demonstration,the ambulance pulled up in the parking area right behind me. Once I stopped laughing ironically, I did seek medical attention. A helpful young EMT put some gauze on the wound and wrapped it with a stretchy bandage - which did help.
Of course my knee hurt for days, but the pain was a reminder that I need to keep my eye on where I am, not some distant place I’m looking for.
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Lately my mind has been dwelling on the guilt and shame that often come with being diagnosed with diabetes.
Marcia Ford is an advanced practice registered nurse and certified diabetic educator practicing in El Dorado. After I wrote a column early this year about my health challenges, she reached out to me with some good information about the issues I addressed and some of her experiences with patients.
Ford says that she works with new diabetics as well as those who’ve had their diagnosis for years. She has found that she can’t make predictions about how people will face their diagnosis based on what she perceives to be their intelligence level, social standing, personality type or anything else. Everyone is different.
Some soldier on and rise to meet the challenge, while some are afraid or embarrassed to confront it.
An example she gave is a patient who said she felt better about her diagnosis, but she always seemed to whisper the word “diabetes.” She thought people would think she was “stupid” for having developed it because she had been warned well in advance that she was at risk. She’d experienced no symptoms, and so she hadn’t believed she had it.
Sound like anyone you know?
Ford believes that when a person has a sudden health issue, it can trigger grief, which is a process. They go through the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, sadness and, hopefully, acceptance so they can move on.
The grief can be caused by loss, possibly a loss of self-image. We think we are healthy and in control when we really aren’t. People can also get stuck in the denial phase. They take the prescribed medications, but don’t eat right, exercise or check blood glucose regularly.
The angry stage can get ugly too. Ford says that patients will come in to consult and argue with her because they are trying hard but not getting results. The bargaining begins when people try to figure out the “just enough” they have to do to “get rid” of their diabetes.
But thankfully, she says, many move on, make adjustments and do quite well.
I tend to fall somewhere in the middle most days, but I’m still in the fight.
If you find yourself struggling like so many of us, a diabetes educator could help. I had a brief visit with one right after I was diagnosed, but to this day, I’m in need of continuing education on my disease. It can be confusing and scary sometimes.
To find a diabetes educator in your area, go to the website of the American Association of Diabetic Educators (diabeteseducator.org). There’s a place to search by state and ZIP code.
But whatever you do, just don’t give up.
Email me at:
ActiveStyle, Pages 24 on 04/21/2014