This is one of those kind of fun Saturday night question / discussions.
The question is "What would be the very first thing you'd do if and when a cure for Type 1 was announced."
I just have this image in my mind of disconnecting my pump and gently removing my infusion set. I would then remove the battery from my insulin pump and stare at it as tears of thanks and gratefulness would swell up in my eyes. I would probably place it on the mantle above my fireplace.with my one-touch right beside.. for always to be a reminder.
Would I go out and binge on cake, ice cream, candy and everything else I've cut out from my diet? (I know you can eat these things if you want to take enough insulin and can deal with the sugar spikes. I just don't anymore.) I don't think so. Would I miss having Type 1? Well, no... but I could imagine there would be some kind of hole to fill.
Anyone else care to contribute? Just for fun, right now.
Turn it off. Just take everything off, take all the batteries out of all the meters, insulin pump. Turn everything off just like we turned diabetes off. I'd keep everything, to show my family some day, that "this was when people used to have diabetes." But I'd put it in a box somewhere; I wouldn't want to see it every day. When I'm done, I'm going to be done all the way. I'm going to finish this chronic illness with the same effort I started it with.
I would definately cry, because all the feelings that have built up over the years would be gone. I'd feel free. Heck, I would be free. And then I'd pray, thank God for everything He's given us; this disease, to learn from; these tools, to heal from; this cure, to live from. And I would smile. The very, very first thing I would do is smile.
Diabetes has been a part of me for almost 4 years. It doesn't seem that long in numbers, but the emotional and physical impact heavily outweighs the time I've spent without diabetes. For the first time in a long time, I would feel absaloutely, 100% free. But diabetes would still be a part of me, a part of who I was, and because of that I wouldn't throw any piece of it away. Some days I'd like to think I'd throw my pump into the ocean, or binge on sweets, or something dramatic. But when I get down to it, really all I would do is smile and thank God. That's all I've needed without diabetes, now with diabetes, and in the future with the cure. Simply to be thankful for what I have, and thankful in anticipation of what science will one day bring.
I have a feeling we'll see the cure in our lifetime. And the second it's announced, we'll all scream - and we'll all hear each other :)
I also wouldn't believe it until it was made true. And I would grab my brother and talk to him for the first time in ten years to tell him, wherever he was, because he would probably not be listening to the report. I would make him get the cure first.
I'd get to the nearest Indian restaurant and have a feast without worrying how my BG will just go up and up and up for an entire day even though I used a dual wave bolus and did 14 corrections. I'd go to bed and not have to worry about my CGMS high alarm going off all night.
I was diagnosed at age 19 so I can still remember what life was like before diabetes. I would be more than happy to go back to that.
Let the cats finally play with a brand new infusion set, which they always seem to want to do. Have a large wedding where, in the place of rice, test strips and unused lancets would be thrown. Let's see...I think cake and candy would lose all oddness to me. I also don't think I would go out and eat some. I'm like the other posting...I know I can, but I don't gravitate to it. Life is complicated enough with my serious pizza habit. I might eat some pizza. I imagine I would probably manifest missing symptoms while my hypothalamus rehabilated itself. Then I would find a sturdy pair of shoes and just walk across the nation. I would just stand up one day and walk for hundreds of miles. Because I could. I'd roller skate sporadically, followed by sporadic events where my dog walks me. Wait...my dog already does that...but I wouldn't have to worry about exercise dependence, if you follow. The must walk now syndrome (because, after all, the BG's go haywire otherwise). Whoo...this one is addictive. Hmm...I am procrastinating grading papers. Oh, yeah...I would walk in my street clothes to the nearest lake and just slowly walk off of the pier and into the water...and I would dance in the rain. The minute I would hear thunder, I would run outside (that whole can't get the pump wet thing). Well, I kind of do that anyway...not the jumping into lakes or pools thing...I would go find that person that always tells me I can't eat something, and I would take a large jar of honey, open the lid, angle it over my face, and pour it down my throat. And THEN I would tell her I was cured. Anywhoo.
I said it in a previous thread but I figured I'd repeat it anyway :) - I'd grab a box - something like the size of a cigar humidifier - put all my supplies in there - pump, meter et al. I'd play some music, grab a vodka on the rocks with an olive and sit in the stillness of the music. While my wife has been nothing short of a huge help - I'd want to be alone and she would understand. I spent many years being alone with the disease that I think it would be best to spend the first few hours at least, alone. I'd shed a tear and be happy that not only do I/we have a cure but countless others would be heald too for if they find a cure of us, you have to know that other diseases either have been cured or are on the way to being cured. I'd also try to figure out what to do with the extra $$$ I'd have in my pocket each month from not having to pay for supplies! I'd use the stillness to figure out who I want to be. While diabetes doesn't define me, it sure has played a big part as to who I am. After a few hours, I'd sit with my wife and plan where we want to go on vacation and smile when thinking "I don't have to tell TSA that it's not a cell phone, it's an insulin pump when going through security at LAX!" I probably wouldn't worry too much about a meal plan where ever we went.
My son Christopher is approaching his one-year anniversery of his dx. I asked him your question. His reply was that he would eat anything he wanted to, including junk food! There is a nine-year-old's perspective for you. I can't say I blame him!
For my son, Ty... I would cry (like I am now reading your answers), I would fall to my knees and thank God, I would hug Ty very tight while telling him. Then he would say that is cool, smile, grab a ice cream bar a run out the door to continue to play. Being 8 makes some things too big to grasp and skateboarding the priority! lol
The very first thing I would do would be to demand proof. 70% of my life I've had diabetes. I simply can not imagine not having it, being it, living it, thinking it.
Then...
I would have the biggest party of the century! I'm thinking New Orleans Mardi Gras style. People in the streets just celebrating! Laughing and Music and Dancing.
Oh and later I would want to find another cause to support. Like cancer. Let's take down cancer too!
Verify that it exists and how the heck I can get my name on the list to be cured. After that is finished, probably start partying so hard that I wake up three to four days later with zero recollection of what I did.
I would definatly celebrate. but before hand I am sure I would have to fight with my stupid insurance company to cover whatever it is that will cure this.I can here them now."Maam you have excellent control over this disease we don't see that it would be necessary for us to cover this for you" . Oh man then I would scream into the phone " do you understand the day in and day out struggle I go through to keep my sugars in good control you try it for one day and see if you want a cure or not." lol But after the many weeks of fighting with them I am sure that when I would finally be able to turn everything off would just be amazing I probably would cry over really random stuff, like eating a plate of spegetti and not having to think about the carb to insulin ratio and do math in my head. that would make me extremely emotional just stuff like that would be awesome.
I would gather all things related to my diabetes, needles, test strips, meter... take them outside and run them over with the car until they were unrecognizable (of course I would then clean up the mess after...). Then I would go to my local bakery and buy myself a dozen of their very delicious cupcakes and eat!