Looking Back… At Bruises

I’m currently painfully aware of the yucky bruise on my stomach from my Vampire Cannula over the weekend. As I keep checking to see if it finally looks any better, I keep remembering when stomach bruises were normal..

What I Call Success

October 31, 2011

As I took the needle out of my stomach, I heard my sister exclaim, “Ta Da!” as if I had just done a successful back handspring.

I hadn’t realized that anyone was watching me give myself insulin as I had stepped out of the room full of people to take my shot. Diabetes is considered an invisible illness, but for me it can be extremely visible, especially when I first started injecting insulin.

Diabetes is visible to me in one way through bruises at the injection site

We don’t make a habit of photographing my stomach, but we decided to document the bruises, and now I see them and feel like I’ve mastered a skill.

I count it as a success each time the insulin goes in without blood coming out.

They’re small victories… but still victories.

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