We are back for our second Monthly Spotlight—yay! Being a mother is hard work (I don’t personally know this, although my puppy is a handful. All I can think of is my mother raising me and two other daughters…. Can you imagine all the unnecessary drama that came through our house growing up?! I bet we made her want to pull her hair out). Now, imagine being a mother to twin toddlers, working a full-time job, and managing Type 1 Diabetes (which is basically another full-time job). This is what Michelle Grant does every day.
Michelle’s Diabetic Journey
Michelle was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 17 years old. She has been battling diabetes for a little over a decade now, however, she still considers herself a “baby diabetic.” She didn’t receive the same support that she has now when she was first diagnosed. Therefore, she’s still learning and adjusting (I’m not sure that ever goes away with diabetes though). Finding the correct support from family and medical professionals can be hard when you get diagnosed. With so much information to absorb and changing your routine, you’re incredibly overwhelmed and not exactly sure what to do.
As it does for many, the diagnoses took control of Michelle for years leaving her feeling hopeless. Now, ten years later, she manages her diabetes and has the support she needs. However, she doesn’t really have a choice when it comes to ensuring her diabetes is under control. It’s not just herself that has to think about. She has a husband and two little boys that she has to think about too.
Work Life Balance
I had the pleasure of getting to learn a little bit more about Michelle’s daily life and routine. And let me just tell you, this woman deserves a Wonder Woman badge ASAP. With family, work, and diabetes Michelle has her hands full, but she is a major #diabadass!
Here is a clip of her daily routine (of course each day varies because diabetes and twin toddlers are incredibly unpredictable…to be honest, I’m not sure which of the two is more unpredictable):
Morning:
“I typically wake up at 4:30am so I can make it to the gym by 5. I make sure to check my blood sugar to ensure that I can work out. Lately, I’ve been waking up in the 150s and will need to take an insulin shot to bring myself back down to 100. I bring a Glucose SOS, a glucose meter, some test strips, and a lancing device with me just in case I go low during the workout.
After an hour workout, I’m back home with my fingers crossed the kids are still sleeping. They are never in bed past 7:30 (except that ONE time they slept till 8:30am).”
I’m going to interject here and say wow…. If my mornings were like this I would be sleeping at my desk by 10am!
Morning continued:
“Whether the kids are up or not, my morning routine stays the same. It’s just a little more time consuming with toddlers running around. I’ll check my blood sugar, make a protein drink, and start breakfast. Occasionally I’ll check my blood sugars again before breakfast, but that depends on how soon I eat after my workout. Unless my blood sugars are below 70, I’ll give myself an insulin shot before the meal to prevent a spike. After I finish getting the kids ready, I sneak away to finish getting ready myself. I’ll try to be out the door by 7:30am as I have a 20-30-minute commute to work. Before driving, I will check my sugars again to ensure that I am safe to drive.”
Work:
“Once at work I’ll check my glucose again around 9-10am, but only if I had a heavy breakfast and suspect that I might need another insulin shot. If I ate a light breakfast, I won’t check my sugars until lunch time around noon. At lunch, I take a bolus shot of insulin for the carbohydrates that will be in my lunch. The day seems to fly by after that and when I’m ready to leave (anywhere between 4 and 6pm) I’ll check my sugar levels again so that I can drive home safely.”
Post Work Day:
“My after-work schedule varies. Sometimes I have dinner done by 5pm and other times it won’t be until 9pm. It all depends on the boys and if I already had prepared dinner. If I have dinner done around 6, then we’ll play outside for an hour. Then, the bedtime routine starts. Get the boys cleaned up and in bed by 8. However, as you mothers know, they sometimes won’t fall asleep until 10pm or even midnight!
I’ll get ready for bed, check my sugars and give myself a final basal shot of insulin before I go to bed. Ideally around 9 or 10pm. However, life is unpredictable! The other night, I was in bed by 8:30 and didn’t get to bed until 11:30 because of low blood sugars and the boys decided to take turns throwing up.”
Okay, one more interjection to applaud this busy bee! Seriously, she’s crushing life as a working, diabetic mom!
Stay At Home Mom?
With how busy Michelle is and managing her diabetes, I asked if she had ever thought of being a stay at home mother. Her response was, “OMG, like all the time? I would love to be a stay at home mom, but that wasn’t the original plan. Life never goes as planned, so now I’m just living my best life and finishing what I started.”
Do you ever just feel so drained that not even your favorite activities or people excite you?! I’ve been there numerous times, but not Michelle. She keeps her family in her mind all the time, “They give me reason and purpose. They are my biggest motivation to live my best and fullest life. They mean the world to me. They are my everything.”
Make Today A Good Day
We all know that life gets difficult and we might feel like just giving up for a little bit. Succumbing to our couch, popcorn, and Netflix. Mindlessly watching the same show you’ve seen 12 times already. But, we can’t do that. Michelle wakes up every day knowing that it’s a new day. No matter what her blood sugars were at the day before, she gets to try again today. And that’s what’s important in this life. Having the ability to make today a good day, even if yesterday was bad.
Go check Michelle out on Instagram to follow along with her journey! If you’d like to recommend someone for the September Monthly Spotlight, please leave a message in the comments, social media, or via email! Also, if you’re a diabetic mom as well, comment what is similar or different about your daily routines!
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