It’s been a little while since I’ve written here, and I wanted to share why.
It started with a horrible hyperglycemia episode caused by a kinked cannula—so bad that my eyelids hurt—that left me feeling pretty awful for a few days. Normally, I bounce back after episodes like that, but this time it pulled me into something deeper. What began as physical exhaustion has morphed into something harder to put words to—what I’d call diabetes depression.
It was more than that. I’ve been hunting for a role in diabetes and found one that seemed like it would keep me connected to the community I care so much about—but it didn’t turn out the way I had hoped. I’ve been working long enough to know that not getting a job doesn’t define my worth or abilities, but it still left me feeling like an outsider looking in on a space that has been such a big part of my life—personally and professionally.
I try really hard to bring a touch of humor into my writing. Diabetes gives us plenty of absurd, eye-rolling, “you can’t make this up” moments, and laughing at them helps me cope. It also gives us plenty of moments where you feel like screaming out loud, and if I can make those moments lighter, I’m all for it. But lately, when humor has felt out of reach, the words have been harder to find too.
I don’t share this for pity. I share it because I know I’m not the only one who’s ever felt stuck, burnt out, or disconnected. Diabetes can be relentless, and sometimes it leaves even the most motivated among us feeling like we’ve lost our voice.
Right now, writing about diabetes feels heavy. But I also know that honesty is part of healing, and sharing this piece of the journey is important too.
If you’ve been here before—in the rut, in the silence, in the space where diabetes feels bigger than your words—I see you.
Perhaps this experience is a sign that I need to write about both the bad and the funny. We all tend to stuff that down where no one can see it, but it’s still there—and writing about it helps us recognize that we need to acknowledge and talk about it.
Thanks for hanging in there with me. I’m hopeful that soon I’ll get back to finding the humor in diabetes again—because let’s be honest, there’s plenty of material.