Search This Blog

Saturday 6 June 2015

I Ashleigh, Take you, Diabetes

A month ago I walked down the aisle. Somewhat. I got married, I just didn't really have an aisle. Logistics.

Everyone ever since has asked me how 'married life' has been treating me. Much the same really. My husband still doesn't like to do the dishes. I still don't pay any attention when he starts talking in work lingo. We both still go to work. Come home. Make the house messy. Clean it on weekends when we think it reaaaaally needs a clean. And I still have diabetes.

Apparently it didn't take the hint when our celebrant explained the 'union of a man and woman to the exclusion of all others' part of the ceremony. Although you might forgive my diabetes if it wasn't really paying attention to that part. We actually had that part read separately to ourselves and our two witnesses, given that both my husband and I believe strongly in same-sex marriage equality. Sadly, that particular line is an actual legal requirement for a marriage to be deemed legit here in backwater Australia. 

I did a piece for Diabetes Queensland about a week after I got married as a follow up to a post I did about wedding prep with diabetes. I talked about how diabetes actually left me (mostly) alone for the day. The prep actually worked, it was amazing. 

I got my marriage certificate early this week. The basic gist of getting my marriage certificate meant that I could finally change my name somewhere other than Facebook. So I have been excitedly changing my name on my bank cards, at Queensland Transport (where I handed in my medical certificate for driving with diabetes at the same time. Only one month late), and some weird place with a bunch of bickering bogans out the front. Sorry, Centrelink. Medicare. It only took me four attempts to merge my husband and my Medicare cards. The first time they made me line up  and then sit for ages for no reason. I had to fill out a form apparently. Even after calling to ask that specific question and being told to just turn up with my Marriage Certificate. The second and third times I rocked up to CentreCare the line was out the door by about 50 people. The fourth time I decided to be right outside CentreCare's doors at opening time. It worked pretty well. My husband and I are now an official family unit. I just hope that I didn't miss anywhere, because I'm 85% sure I have lost the marriage certificate already.

Upon coming back from CentreCare the fourth time I discovered a pretty wooden USB sitting in my mail box. Wedding photos. So you'll have to excuse my absence. I've been poring over photos and reminiscing about how my hair and make-up will never ever look that good again. And wondering how I look 10 x fatter now than I did one month ago. I blame it on the cake. 


If anyone was curious, this is what diabetes looks like on your wedding day:


It looks like: The fresh site inserted into your leg. The one you changed simultaneously whilst getting your hair done. When the smell of new insulin overpowered the smell of hairspray. And you found it oddly comforting.


It looks like: A blood sugar check, done just before stepping into your dress. The one your bridesmaid reminded you to do because you were so paranoid about getting blood on your dress. 


It looks like: Pulling your pump painstakingly slowly through your 'suck-it-all-in' underwear so as not to tear out your pump site. And then realising you pulled it up the wrong way and having to feed your pump and tubing back down through your underwear again. 
It also looks like playing 'Find the pump pocket' and having to search all 6 layers of your dress skirt to find the specially altered loop to attach your pump to.


It looks like: Protecting your feet. Even if that means pairing gumboots with your wedding dress.



It looks like: A first look. A time to relax with your husband, before he becomes your husband. It looks like a way to calm those nervous blood sugar lows and highs down.


It looks like: Diabetes? What Diabetes? 



It looks like: It doesn't exist. Especially when your husband makes you cry with the sweetest vows ever written.


It looks like: A tissue in your bra instead of your pump.


It looks like: An amazing view. A reason to look after your eyes.


It looks like: The bouquets you made yourself. When you did a blood sugar test after you pricked your finger on florists stem trying to attach the brooches and other fun trinkets.

It looks like: Hugs from another amazing diabetic!



It looks like: The curious cow who wanted to know why some people came in pretty clothes just to stand around a tree. It looks like trying to avoid stepping in cow patties and trying not to ruin your dress, after being so careful all day not to get sugar or blood on it.


It looks like: The individual cake jars that you had made up as name-place holders. The idea that you came up with that was probably a sub-conscious 'F-U' to diabetes on your wedding day. The super-sweet cake that you ate at 1am on your wedding night as you battled a low of 2.1. 


It looks like: Hours and hours of hard-work. That nobody realises you've done. But you can see that it paid off, so you're happy. And yes, these are THE hand-made table number gold-books that I might have mentioned once, twice or 30 billion times because they took so long to make.


It looks like: Lifelong friendships. You go to your diabesties wedding and they come to yours.


It looks like: Perfect happiness. Love. Your husband telling you that diabetes makes him love you more, not less.





_________________________________________________________________________________

Today's Reason Why I'm Hypo:

I'm not. I'm kicking Morty's butt today!





5 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos, congratulations on both your marriage and kicking Morty's butt! (Also I so feel your pain with Centrelink and co.... urgh)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Bec :)

      I'm not looking to go into Centrelink again anytime soon. They were probably the only hard part of getting married!

      Delete
  2. I loved reading this babe once again congrats x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Ashleigh
    The State Library of Queensland would like to archive your website in the National Library of Australia's web archive PANDORA at: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/
    Archiving your website simply means we take a copy of your website and preserve it. The archived copy is kept in long term storage and is freely available directly from the National Library of Australia and the State Library of Queensland's catalogue.
    Could you please contact me so that I can send you a formal request for permission to archive your website?
    Kind regards
    Gina Tom
    Digital Content Librarian
    Queensland Memory
    State Library of Queensland
    e: gina.tom@slq.qld.gov.au
    t: 07 38407826

    ReplyDelete