Changes in My Life

*This is an entry for Thirty on 30 Blog Contest: Changes in my Life*

        There is nothing constant in this life but change and death and well, taxes as Death said in Meet Joe Black. If there is anything in this world that changed my life forever, that is definitely the event that took place when I was 20. At the age of 20, I got diagnosed with diabetes. It was a hard time for me. I thought it would skip a generation. I had the notion that God wouldn't give it to me. I was invincible. My mom called me as someone who was "playing God" and tempted God because I blatantly ate chocolates and drank lots of sodas. I got very thin, the first time I ever weighed 90 lbs. in my life, I experienced both happiness and sadness. It's like getting my dream weight but at the price of my health.

         I had a great doctor who taught me a lot and gave me books. I was in control of my health. Diabetes changed me. It altered the course of my life forever. I was dependent on tablets, had difficulty in looking for food that I could eat. My only consolation was that I had tasted chocolates. I had my fill of food rich in sugar and carbohydrates.  I could imagine the taste of the food that I miss.

         How did it affect the people around me? It didn't affect them much when I was still single and when I got married. My mom and I are both diabetics. The cook has learned to cook our food with less salt, less oil, and no sugar. My husband (then boyfriend)  met me when I wasn't a diabetic and when I became one. He knew the mess he was getting into and the risk that our kids might be one.

         The effect came when I got pregnant. When I had to think of the future of my kids, and the risk that they are exposed to. Genetics is something they can't escape from. The effect for my kids, they may eat sweets but they are very moderated. I want them to know different tastes but we are constantly monitoring what they eat.

        The Change I want to happen: I want to be in better control of my diabetes. I have to control what food I put in my mouth. I tend to forget that I have diabetes and instead of eating 6 small portions of meals a day. I tend to eat at least 3 large portions and even eat at least 2 snacks, which is bad...bad...bad.

        I need to change... so I can see my kids grow up.  What I'm doing about it is being more conscious of what I eat. I drink more water to feel full first so I'll eat less. Fill up on the vegetables first then eat less rice.
Buying more sugar-free snacks and drinks so that my sugar level won't spike. Baby steps until I get my desired HBA1C (3 months average of blood sugar levels) results which should be in the good control so I can see my kids become adults  and have families of their own.