The day’s consult had gone according to plan. It looked like Jenny’s diabetes was finally under control with a combination of dietary changes and increasing her exercise.
As I began to wind down the consultation, she looked at me with weary eyes. “I am unsure if I can continue my great streak of blood sugar control seeing that we are approaching the festive season Dr Teah.” I nodded as she continued, “The work Christmas party, the multiple family barbecues over the warmer weather and the amazing trifle I am known for currently pose a massive challenge because I do not know how I am going to survive without messing up my blood sugar control. I need your help!”
Going back to basics about diabetes, we reaffirmed why we had been pursuing better diabetes control throughout the year. She recalled that poorly controlled diabetes increased her risk of heart disease and stroke. With further probing she remembered that diabetes can compromise her vision, her kidneys, and the nerves on her feet.
She had recently become a grandmother and was looking forward to spending quality time making memories with her new grandson. Her father had developed heart disease and had died following a stroke as he had not had great control of his chronic illnesses which included diabetes. She remembered her maternal grandmother needing to use insulin injections to manage her diabetes and she was not keen to experience that for herself.
She was looking to retire in the next few years and was not keen to substitute work with doctor waiting rooms.
On reflection, Jenny recognised that her diabetes was a chronic illness that required chronic life adjustments to accommodate it. She understood that ignoring her illness was a choice that would certainly cost her more in the long run and so she decided to continue with her diabetic management. She understood that each festive season comes with tempting food and would always be difficult to navigate.
She knew she had the tools to rise to the occasion and ensure her illness was well managed. “At least I had not cancelled my exercise- class membership, and I guess I still have time to try out new diabetic friendly recipes for our Christmas feast,” she chuckled as she stood to walk out, grateful to have had an opportunity to put everything in perspective. “The festive season is only a few days, and I have my whole life to look forward to,” she acknowledged.
As I closed the door behind her, I couldn’t help but smile with glee as there is no prouder doctor than one that gets to walk besides a patient as they expertly navigate their chronic illness despite the challenges life throws at them.
