This post is my September entry in the DSMA* Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information here.

I’ve blogged before that I have been accused of making diabetes look easy and fun. It’s neither of these things. And I’m not a very good actress either, so it surprises me that people think that. In some of my recent blogs at Diabetes Australia – Vic, I have delved into the darker side of my life with diabetes – specifically the way hypos are changing and how that’s making me feel.

But this week, when yet another person told me that by looking at and listening to me, diabetes can’t be all that difficult I started wondering why. And then I realised. It’s because the ugly truth gets hidden. And I laugh a lot about how hopeless I am at things instead of stopping and really pointing out how they affect me.

Because, if I didn’t laugh, then I would cry!

If I didn’t laugh about my constant dia-mistakes, I would spend every waking minute second guessing my diabetes decisions.

If I didn’t laugh about ‘splurters’ (you know – finger pricks that ‘splurt’ everywhere), I would never wear white tops (and I love white!).

If I didn’t laugh about all the diabetes paraphernalia I need to carry, then I wouldn’t have an excuse to keep searching for the perfect bag (and buying the not-quite-perfect-ones in the meantime).

If I didn’t laugh about (and cheer) the diabetes nirvana that is 5.5mmol/l, then I wouldn’t have an excuse to post pictures of my BGL meter (with said 5.5mmol/l) on Facebook and Twitter.

If I didn’t laugh about being the person with the largest jar of jelly beans and Chupa Chups on her desk, then I would probably feel guilty about the vast quantities of sugar sitting in one place.

If I didn’t laugh at sharing diabetes war stories with my pancreatically-challenged friends, then I wouldn’t feel the community, solidarity and love from these amazing people.

If I didn’t laugh (sarcastically) when people ask ‘Should you be eating that’, then I would probably hit people, (and would have a criminal record by now).

If I didn’t laugh (again, sarcastically) when people refer to me as a ‘diabetes sufferer’, then I would start to feel victimised.

And if I didn’t laugh, rejoice and celebrate at what I am learning from the DOC, then I would feel a lot more alone and isolated.

DSMA is Diabetes Social Media Advocacy. If you don’t know who they are, please have a look here. And follow on Twitter @DiabetesSocMed. For those of us in Australia it’s a way to feel linked to the wider diabetes community. And that, in my opinion, is a great thing!