Support

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, my mom tried really hard to get us involved with support groups.  I can remember going to group events with other T1 kids . . . .  and I hated it.  I was painfully shy and group situations were pure torture, regardless of the diabetes connection.

It’s funny how things have completely changed.  Now I get support from many different places - so when the #dsma blog carnival asks us to describe our ideal support group, I am lucky enough to say my ideal support group already exists!

The first place I turned for support as an adult was the diabetes online community, or DOC.  In many ways the DOC is the best support group around.  It’s filled with fun, caring people.  And because you can connect with others all over the world, there is always someone online at any time of the night or day that you need support.

I’m very lucky that so many of my online DOC friends have become true real-life friends, but because we are spread out all over the place I don’t get to see them as often as I would like.  And as great as online support is, there are times when you just need sit down with another person with diabetes for a good chat.  And that is where my Fairfield County Dinner Group comes in.  Our dinners are fun and always feel festive, and these ladies are always willing to lend an ear and give advice about all things diabetes.  The best thing?   We talk about so much more, and I love that our group shares a bond that goes far beyond our diabetes.  I really don't know what I'd do without Rachel, Kathleen and Erin!

And to round things out, I’m also involved with my local JDRF T1 Adult Outreach groups.  These gatherings tend to be larger and more diverse, because JDRF has the resources to let more people know about the meetings.  I also love that we do a mix of events - some casual hang-outs and some more structured and informational meetings.  It’s nice to have the variety.  And our planning dinners are just as much fun as our actual events - we are lucky Joan is so organized or we'd probably spend so  much time socializing we'd never get any actual planning done!

My ideal support group exists, cobbled together from three different sources of support!  Where do you turn for support?

This post is my April entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival.  If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/april-dsma-blog-carnival-2/