I've already talked a little bit about my health journal. So, I thought that today I would share with you exactly what I do with it.
I've already talked a little bit about my health journal. So, I thought that today I would share with you exactly what I do with it.
To begin with, my health journal was born out of my fear.
I was gripped with fear from the moment I was dismissed from the hospital. I was terrified every time I took a bite of food. I felt food was my enemy. My foot was being sucked on by a wound vac. My toe was gone forever. Home Health Nurses were coming to see me. My house was a mess. There were moments I wished I had died. It's hard to explain all the emotions I was going through. I was trying to be strong and joke about things. Inside, I was having a melt down.
My health journal was my idea of a way to gain some sort of control over this hand I had been dealt. I had been told I could manage diabetes if I really worked at it. I didn't want to become more of a horror story than I already was. I knew then, as I still do, that I would be forever haunted because I lost my toe. I wanted to make sure that I decreased the risk of losing anymore of me to it EVER.
In a simple composition notebook I began writing down an entry for each and every day. It includes:
The times I test.
(I test before each meal and at bedtime for a total of four times daily.)
My temperature.
(No temperature means I'm not fighting an infection.)
(I mainly do this in the morning if I have no concerns.)
My mood.
(This is very important for me because I have come to realize that my anxiety level is directly tied to higher blood sugar readings.)
What I eat.
(This is very helpful in tracking patterns regarding certain foods I eat. I have been amazed at how some foods I think I can eat make me have high readings and others that I shouldn't be able to eat don't. I find this very helpful in tracking my diet.)
Anything of note.
(I write about my thoughts in general. Things like how I'm learning about how my body works, etc.)
The occasional pep talk.
(Sometimes I give myself a pep talk on those pages. I need it more for a release than anything.)
I keep it pretty simple. I carry it with me everywhere. I've since graduated to a funky little striped journal. I figure it might as well look fun even though it's not. Attitude is a lot when you are trying to manage diabetes.
I love writing, so this health journal was a natural progression for me. Over time, it has helped me to manage the fear as well. I have found it to be very cathartic.
I take it to all my doctor's appointments. I write down questions I need to ask before I go and I write down what they said when I was there while it is still fresh in my mind. I let my doctors look through it if they want to. Usually they do. My endocrinologist has even copied pages for my file.
Above all else, it keeps me honest with myself. It's there on the page how good or bad I did that day. It shows how hard I tried and often it shows why I think I've failed. It has become my secret weapon for this fight.
I believe that I will share the pages of my health journal with you here. I think if you are someone you know is diabetic, you might find it helpful. I was so scared and I didn't really know where to turn so I wrote about it. I will label the posts here as Health Journal Entry followed by the date.
Please let me know if you find any of my experience helpful.
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