I fear you did not receive a Welcome email to The Type 1 Diabetes Dilemma. That it just arrived in your mailbox unannounced. That was a mistake. I forgot to check a box.

So… you received the newsletter because at some point our paths crossed personally or professionally and I thought you would find my present work as a life coach focused on easing the mental and emotional challenges of living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), as well as essays about living with T1D, relevant to your work or life.

I’ve lived with T1D from 30+ years and I’m still living and learning. I understand where folks with T1D are and where they’re coming.

People can live in ease and peace with T1D. It’s a practice. That’s how I help.

I also understand you might not find it relevant. Maybe your in-box is bursting! No problem.

But before you go, if I ever impressed you as someone who led with passion and creativity, humor and integrity, please forward this to a person or organization interested in learning how to manage the mental and emotional challenges of living with T1D with more ease. For instance:

• People with T1D, especially if diagnosed later in life (I was).

• Pregnant women with gestational diabetes. (I was borderline gestational diabetes during my second pregnancy & diagnosed with T1D three years later.)

• People with T1D and a history of eating disorders. (I was in recovery from bulimia when I was diagnosed, and did not relapse.)

• People with T1D and a history of domestic violence. (I was 7 years into an abusive 13-year marriage with two children under 6 years old when I was diagnosed.)

• Influencers or providers with T1D. (They’re helping everyone else and forget to help themselves.)

• Organizations focused on the mental/emotional health of people with T1D, or any kind of diabetes. (I can develop programs for individuals and groups).

• People/organizations looking for someone to write personal stories about living with T1D.

• I’m also available for podcast interviews.

For more About me…

For more about my coaching…

I’ve lived 30+ years with T1D, and though management is important, and the numbers—always the numbers!—are not the focus here.

The focus is what’s often missing. Namely nurturing and fortifying the mental and emotional resilience needed for living with a condition affected by the dynamic forces that shape our lives—everything from exercise, food, illness and more. T1D needs consistent attention, and since we’re human, we’re not consistent and neither is Life. We make mistakes AND we can learn to flourish as we navigate change.1 That’s not just about living with T1D, it’s about living—period.

It’s hard to pinpoint a beginning but I have to start somewhere. I was going to start with the diagnosis, but that’s not the true beginning of my diabetes story. The beginning I often forget is my second pregnancy when I was “borderline” for gestational diabetes. Blood work six months after delivery was normal. No diabetes! And that was it. No more follow ups.

But the year my youngest turned two things began to change. Or at least began changing in ways I noticed. I was peeing a lot. I was so tired, bone tired even after marathon naps. I was hungry and ate more than usual, but despite that I lost weight.2

For months I suspected something was amiss, but I was a mom to two active boys—wasn’t that it? But still… it was like hearing a few notes of a song but not remembering the title or lyrics.

Why didn’t I connect the dots?

First, I was a woman with a history of bulimia, an eating disorder defined by binging and purging. Second, besides being in my early thirties with two boys under six, I was also living in a physically, emotionally and psychologically abusive marriage.

So at the time of diagnosis in 1992, I’d been married for eight years and was ten years in recovery from bulimia. I was eating and exercising in a way that felt balanced, but despite the changes—excessive peeing and fatigue were not fun— eating whenever and whatever I wanted, even dessert, while still loosing weight was a dream come true. And despite concerned friends saying, You look gaunt. I heard (and saw) thin.

That aspect of diet culture—the imperative to be thin—still held sway. That and a traumatic marriage distracted me for almost a year.

Epiphany

But one day I stood alone in the kitchen, utterly exhausted. I drank my umpteenth glass of water and put the glass in the sink. My mouth was still as dry as the Sahara.

Then I remembered. These were the symptoms of diabetes. I knew the symptoms of because of my experience with gestational diabetes, and also because I had apprenticed with a homebirth midwife and been a postpartum doula. I knew this was another form of diabetes.

In that moment the song and lyrics came together. Everything coalesced. I clearly saw what was happening and could not unsee it.

At the end of every post I’ll highlight something I’ve learned and ask you to share something in the comments. I hope you will!

I’ve Learned…

• Not only to listen to my gut, but to act on feelings and intuition when they arise, even when I feel silly. I can tell you it’s an ongoing process.

Please share…

Identities

I write from the perspective of an older, white, cisgender woman, of mostly northern European descent. Those identities increase my access to healthcare, education and many other supports that contribute to my mental and emotional health and wellbeing. I am dedicated to equity in all forms, especially health equity, and to ending stigma. When I make mistakes I seek to repair harm. I realize intentions don’t mitigate harm though a sincere attempt to make amends may be accepted.

Coaching

I’m a life coach who helps folks with T1D attend to their mental, emotional and spiritual health. See my coaching page for more info.

This is my second Substack. I also publish Glorious Ordinary