The Mothership
Before I got to Boston-I had visions of entering into this massive building-high ceilings, some dramatic movie soundtrack playing in the background, and a flock of eager doctors awaiting my arrival. I think I was bored and fantacising a bit. The ceiling are hig, though.
I'm talking about visitng the mothership of Diabetic care in America-The Joslin Center in Boston, I just got home late last night from a whirlwind tour of the city-seeing friends-visiting Harvard (and pretending I was one of them), and getting myself back on track with the help of the Joslin group (A Harvard Affiliate-not surprising).
It was a blast-literally and figuratively. I had moments of great clarity-like "oh yeah I should be taking insulin when I eat-not an hour after food/sugar has started taking over my body."I knew I needed help when I assumed my sugars would be in the 300's and I was okay with that after eating my meals. So they guided me-the group at the Joslin Center. They've seen patients like me. They reminded me I am healthy for now-but the road is long and we must be diligent. I must be diligent. I have a family to care for, I have a life to live, a world to explore.
It wasn't dramatic, the doc's offices are the same no matter where you go. I did like the idea that the excersize phisiologist has worked with famous athletes-he mentioned a few. Not in a name-dropping way-in a "during games, he checks his sugar 6-7 times and he goes off the pump and uses a slower-longer acting insulin." I'm wondering if Ok magazine would pay money for that kind of insider information. Yeah..nope.
So the trip was symbolic as things in life can really be. I feel renewed-I've got a real plan form the best doctors in the business. I took a trip alone-and traveled as a diabetic-it can be done quite easily. Lots of testing at the gates, in the air, on the subway. And of course being away from my little family was tough for a bit-but I knew this was good for them in the long run.
So the ceilings were high, but the docs weren't waiting with clipboards in hand telling me I wasn't in Kansas anymore. They brought the reality, the humanness, the feeling that people all over deal with it-we are working with it-it will get better-you will be okay. And I will. The soundtrack playing-hard to tell right now. When I hopped on the treadmill-I had a Rocky moment-but that's a bit much...I'll keep thinking on it.
I'm talking about visitng the mothership of Diabetic care in America-The Joslin Center in Boston, I just got home late last night from a whirlwind tour of the city-seeing friends-visiting Harvard (and pretending I was one of them), and getting myself back on track with the help of the Joslin group (A Harvard Affiliate-not surprising).
It was a blast-literally and figuratively. I had moments of great clarity-like "oh yeah I should be taking insulin when I eat-not an hour after food/sugar has started taking over my body."I knew I needed help when I assumed my sugars would be in the 300's and I was okay with that after eating my meals. So they guided me-the group at the Joslin Center. They've seen patients like me. They reminded me I am healthy for now-but the road is long and we must be diligent. I must be diligent. I have a family to care for, I have a life to live, a world to explore.
It wasn't dramatic, the doc's offices are the same no matter where you go. I did like the idea that the excersize phisiologist has worked with famous athletes-he mentioned a few. Not in a name-dropping way-in a "during games, he checks his sugar 6-7 times and he goes off the pump and uses a slower-longer acting insulin." I'm wondering if Ok magazine would pay money for that kind of insider information. Yeah..nope.
So the trip was symbolic as things in life can really be. I feel renewed-I've got a real plan form the best doctors in the business. I took a trip alone-and traveled as a diabetic-it can be done quite easily. Lots of testing at the gates, in the air, on the subway. And of course being away from my little family was tough for a bit-but I knew this was good for them in the long run.
So the ceilings were high, but the docs weren't waiting with clipboards in hand telling me I wasn't in Kansas anymore. They brought the reality, the humanness, the feeling that people all over deal with it-we are working with it-it will get better-you will be okay. And I will. The soundtrack playing-hard to tell right now. When I hopped on the treadmill-I had a Rocky moment-but that's a bit much...I'll keep thinking on it.
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