Sweet 16?

Being a teenager with Diabetes sometimes feels impossible. Kids today have so much more stuff to deal with than our parents ever did. They only seemed to worry about who they were going to the sock hop with, but the kids today have to manage texting, Facebook, SATs, their parent's expectations, and high school DRAMA. Now try and picture all the stresses of a teenager and then add the pressures of controlling one of the bodies most important organs, a pancreas. Taking at least 4 shots a day never helps me feel normal, but maybe I don't need to be "normal" maybe I could strive to be more "unique." I have never really felt like I ever fit into the typical high school student category and having Diabetes hasn't made it any easier. I'm different, I know that. And I know in the end that Diabetes will always make me stronger. In school our teachers usually reward our "good" deeds with baked goods and candy. That ritual never really made sense to me. I had one teacher pass out donuts in the middle of class which was very generous, but extremely unnecessary. There are only 4 students with diabetes in my small school. Yet, we aren't the only ones who need to control our diets and I believe that our school should focus on getting rid of the fried food served in the cafeteria and the "sweet" snacks served during our lesson plans and replace them with more nutritional alternatives. I often find myself staring at the skinny girls eating whatever they want and not gaining a pound with envy. Sure, I wish I could eat a slice of pizza or an ice cream cone but I can't get past the idea that my blood sugar would spike to dangerous levels only minutes after the consumption. I now exercise 5-6 days a week at the local Crossfit gym in my town. I also have been participating in Weight Watchers meetings for 7 weeks and have already lost 7 pounds. I have not only lost weight but I have decreased my blood sugars and A1c numbers and have gone a total of 14 days without needing to take Novolog! THREE FEWER shots per day! I have come to the conclusion that Crossfit doesn't make you skinny and Weight Watchers doesn't make you strong so the combination of both can balance my life perfectly. When I see my blood sugar is perfect without taking insulin it's an amazing feeling and makes me feel like I made my pancreas start up again. If diet and exercise enhances my blood sugars imagine what it could do for people without diabetes. For the people who don't take their blood sugar daily they wouldn't notice how much the exercise and diet are actually working like a person with Diabetes does. Let's all try to reduce the "bad" things we put in our bodies then perhaps we can possibly limit many diseases' that can come from those seemingly harmless "treats". I feel better and I feel like I finally have some control of my own life! Diabetes or not!