Evolving D-Goals

WEGO Blog Prompt for Day 25 –How have your goals as a patient / advocate / person evolved?

Our goals for Rosie's care have definitely evolved over the years since her diagnosis: 

• First, our goal was just to keep her alive.  We were scared to death that one wrong move might have devastating affects.  That lasted for the first six months or so after diagnosis.
• Next, our goals focused around her A1C and hitting a "magic" number... this probably lasted for the next year or two.  We made ourselves crazy trying to weigh and account for every single bite of food and every minute of activity.
• Around this same time we started helping Rosie learn to do some things to help take care of herself... not everything, of course, but little things, here and there.   She started doing her finger pokes, then later she could inject her own insulin shots if an adult drew them up.   We walk a fine line between wanting to teach Rosie the skills she will need, and yet wanting to protect her right to just be a kid while she still can.
• Now? Our goals are more about quality of life, and learning to live with this monster for the long term.   We learned that it's not really just about the A1C... it's important, but so are other aspects of her care.  We've learned that we can SWAG some boluses and things work out fine.    
• We're all still learning, still growing, but I'd say that our main goal is to keep diabetes as an important part of our lives, without letting it BE our lives.

And personally... my goal is to be an advocate whenever and wherever I can.  I take opportunities as they come along to educate and inform people.  
I'm posting daily in November in honor of Diabetes Awareness Month and the WEGO Health's National Health Blog Post Month. #NHBPM