{"id":34682,"date":"2013-12-03T07:51:35","date_gmt":"2013-12-03T12:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?post_type=feature&p=34682"},"modified":"2016-01-09T11:02:10","modified_gmt":"2016-01-09T16:02:10","slug":"diabetes-the-ultimate-preparation-for-turning-30","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=34682","title":{"rendered":"Diabetes: The Ultimate Preparation for Turning 30"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week I turned 30.<\/p>\n

A lot of people have anxiety about this milestone. Something to do with leaving their free and easy twenties behind. It\u2019s the start of a decade that didn\u2019t begin when you were still in college.<\/p>\n

I know I was supposed to get the Turning-30-Jitters, too. I waited for them all month, but they never came. Where were they?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The truth is that I\u2019m not all that anxious about turning 30. Actually, I\u2019m kind of excited. For me, 30 has been a long time coming.<\/p>\n

You see, I\u2019ve always felt older than my chronological age. (I believe I have something to thank for that. Ahem\u2026 Diabetes!)<\/p>\n

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 12 \u2013 the beginning of my awkward phase. Not only was I an awkward pre-teen. I was an awkward pre-teen who pricked her finger at lunchtime.<\/p>\n

From the moment I was diagnosed, we all know the story\u2026 life changed completely. A sudden jolt into a world of medication, doctor appointments, and responsibility. A new vocabulary filled with strange words like\u00a0glucometer<\/em>,\u00a0ketones,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0hypoglycemia<\/em>. Not exactly SAT words.<\/p>\n

This was back in 1996, when I should have been meeting up with friends at the mall, at the movies, and in AOL chat rooms.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re a kid with diabetes, of course, there\u2019s plenty of opportunity to have fun and live a normal life. But you do grow up faster. There\u2019s no way around it. Doing the adult things that diabetes requires is a flashing red light that says You Are Not Invincible. It\u2019s the adult secret that kids with diabetes learn early.<\/p>\n

Through high school, college, and even living in Manhattan as a single twenty-something, I was never carefree. I never partied till the sun came up. I never binged on pizza and ice cream. I never went to sleep without testing my blood sugar.<\/p>\n

Outings with friends have always been filled with swaps. I swapped in more mature (diabetes-friendly) alternatives for whatever it is my friends were having or doing. They baked brownies while I sipped coffee. They drank margaritas while I nursed a glass of dry merlot. They indulged in baked ziti while I ordered \u201ca salad, hold the croutons.\u201d They stayed out at the bar for another round of beers, while I called it a night.<\/p>\n

On the rare occasions that I \u201clet go,\u201d I always paid the price\u2026. which is why I\u2019ve been behaving like a 30 year old woman (incidentally, on a diet) for at least fifteen years.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve had an experience similar to mine (you turned 30 before your time), don\u2019t feel bad. 30 is the time when people are just starting to become more conscious of their health, their diet, and their choices. As a person with diabetes, you\u2019ve already got that covered. You\u2019ve been paying close attention to your health for a long time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, things have a way of evening out. As your peers hit 30, some of them will have prescriptions to fill, too. More of them will have serious responsibilities. And I bet a lot of them want to go home and go to sleep!<\/p>\n

A few years ago, I attended a support group for young women with type 1 diabetes. At one of the meetings, someone in the group said that having diabetes for two years makes you feel fifteen years older. \u00a0Everyone in the room nodded their heads.<\/p>\n

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 12, so, by that calculation, by the time I was 14, I felt 29. That means, right now, if I\u2019m 30 in regular years, I\u2019m 149 in diabetes years (and I\u2019m 210 in dog years, in case you were wondering).<\/p>\n

What an accomplishment! You might be wondering if I really feel like I\u2019m 149.<\/p>\n

Well, no. I think that\u2019s taking it a little too far. But, am I ready to officially be 30?<\/p>\n

You bet. Diabetes has prepared me for this moment.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve read that being in your 30s is all about real life \u2013 the life you\u2019ve begun to build \u2013 and the life you\u2019re still creating. It\u2019s tough and it\u2019s busy, and it\u2019s also filled with rewards.<\/p>\n

It sounds to me a lot like diabetes.<\/p>\n

\n

*In the group photo, clockwise from left:\u00a0<\/em>My twin brother, Mike, who feels differently than I do about turning 30. He says, \u201c30 is the new 20.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Grandma Rhoda, who also celebrated a birthday this week. She turned 39.\u00a0<\/em>Grandpa Manny and Maya, who are in the picture just for fun.\u00a0<\/em>And me.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 12, so, by that calculation, by the time I was 14, I felt 29. That means, right now, if I\u2019m 30 in regular years, I\u2019m 149 in diabetes years (and I\u2019m 210 in dog years, in case you were wondering). What an accomplishment! You might be wondering if I really feel like I\u2019m 149.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":34712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1435],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDiabetes: The Ultimate Preparation for Turning 30<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"30 is the time when people are just starting to become more conscious of their health. 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