News Flash: Life is Hard!

By: Gwenyth Wagner, DNP, APRN, Adult Nurse Practitioner, Diabetes Clinic at Health Partnership Clinic

Have you seen the Facebook post which is called “Choose your Hard”?

It goes something like this:

Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard.
Choose your hard.
Dieting is hard. Being obese is hard.
Choose your hard.
Following a budget is hard. Being in debt is hard.
Choose your hard.

You get the picture. Life can be a joy, but many things worthwhile are also hard.

I was thinking of this as I was counseling one of my diabetic patients who was struggling with adhering to her medication regime. After all, sometimes in the moment, we can feel great even when our sugars are running high, and that warm, luscious cinnamon roll seems so worth it!

For a while we can try to forget that uncontrolled blood sugars over time will damage our eyes; block out that our provider told us we are starting to show signs of kidney damage; and pretend that the heart disease that happened to our parent (who also had diabetes) won’t happen to us!

So, I have adapted the above quote for the individual with diabetes though it could be adapted to address a variety of health issues! Perhaps it will be helpful in those times we are tempted to take the easier path.

Checking your blood sugars is hard. Being hospitalized due to high blood sugars is hard.
Choose your hard.
Giving yourself insulin injections is hard.  Going on dialysis is hard.
Choose your hard.
Giving up food with sugar is hard. Needing laser surgery for eye disease is hard.
Choose your hard.
Making time for your diabetes appointments is hard. Walking with missing toes is hard.
Choose your hard.

So, the next time you are faced with one of these health decisions, Choose Your Hard!