Thursday, July 18, 2013

Memories of Grandma

   Tonight as I was getting M's nighttime does of Lantus ready.  I got a became a little sad.  This sadness had nothing to do with M's T1D, but rather the memory that that little vial of insulin triggered.  Usually we keep M's insulin in the cupboard at room temperature, but because it has been so hot and I'm not sure our air conditioner can keep up, I have been keeping it refrigerated.  When I took that vial of insulin out of the fridge, it took me back to over 25 years ago.  You see my Grandma was a type 2 diabetic.

     As long as I can remember my grandma took insulin injections.  I remember being a little girl sitting at her kitchen table, watching her fill her syringe and give herself a shot in her thigh (for some reason it was always her thigh.)  But what I remember most was that when she took that vial of insulin out of the refrigerator she would roll it around in her hands a little and it would make a clicking sound as it rolled back and forth over her wedding band.

   So tonight as I got M's insulin ready, I rolled in back and forth in my hand just to hear the sound of it clicking over my wedding band.  I smiled and remembered my grandma.  I wish she were still here for M to meet.  I'm sure they would have great times together, just as I did with her, they could "roll" their insulin together and listen to the sound it would make in my grandma's hands.

2 comments:

  1. Is it weird to want to say "what a nice story"? Because diabetes and insulin shot aren't really "nice" but I loved the pictures you painted with your words. And also, I remember my mom rolling my insulin vials in the palms of her hands and the clicking against her wedding band too. I think it was the cloudy NPH insulin she used to need to roll. Thanks for the memories.

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  2. I too remember my grandmother rolling the insulin. I'm lucky enough that my Grammie is still alive. She has been living with diabetes for 60 years! Diagnosed as type one at age 15. When Amy was diagnosed she took it the hardest, blaming herself. Oddly enough, Amy was diagnosed on Feb 8, and my Grammie was Feb 9 so many years earlier. It's strange to say that I was comforted by them bonding over their diabetes.

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