The Diabetic Professional: A contradiction of terms?
Now that
I’ve started my last year of uni, I’m spending a lot of time trying to be a
professional. I’m currently on my first 6-week placement of the year, living a
few hours drive away from home. For 4-5 days a week, I’m treated almost like a
qualified speech pathologist. For 8.5hours a day, 4-5 days a week, I wear my
speech pathologist hat. Then I come home, take it off and
go back to being Bec. When I’m back home
in Sydney and working on health consumer committees or in advocacy roles, I’m
wearing my advocate hat.
The problem
is, the hats are very different. I’ve got Bec, a health advocate, and a
professional. When I’m wearing the advocate hat I’m very loud about my
diabetes. I use my experiences to attempt to make change in the health care
system, albeit on a small level. I am a person with feelings, thoughts and
ideas on making change.
When I’m
just myself, I’m also pretty open with my diabetes. I test my sugar in front of
strangers and usually feel comfortable explaining my diabetes if someone asks.
With people I’m close to, I’m an emotional person. Which isn’t necessarily a
bad thing because it makes me notice how other people might be feeling pretty
quickly. I’m someone with hobbies, like playing the piano and photography. I’m
someone who likes to challenge people with difficult questions and be
challenged in return. I like to think about big questions, and discuss them
with people who don’t necessarily agree with me.
Clearly,
I’m fun at parties.
But Bec the
professional is different. For one, she’s usually “Rebecca”. She has this funny
idea that it’s unprofessional to be anything less than perfect. That means no
feelings, and certainly no diabetes.
Ha. Never
works that way.
Just this
week I had to take a day off from huge sugar fluctuations that meant I got very
little sleep and woke up with high sugars. I got upset during a meeting with my
supervisor later in the week, partly because I’m a bit touchy at the moment, but also because my
sugar was 15+.
Feelings and diabetes in one meeting. I wanted to be swallowed by the floor.
But
thinking back on it, do I really want to be a robot at work? No.
Do I want to have constantly high sugars at work? Nope.
Do I want
to be a soppy mess? Hell no.
Ah to be
well adjusted… that’d be nice.
I have no
answer to this one so I’m passing it to you. What is a professional? How do we do our jobs with a condition that impacts us in so many unpredictable ways every day?
Please excuse the title. I believe in person
first language for other people but I tend to use “diabetic” when I speak about
myself. Also “The Professional with Diabetes” doesn’t have as nice a ring to it
;)
I think you're the example of a true professional. You took time out to tend to your own wellbeing, so that you would be able to perform at your best when you returned. Nice blog refresh too, BTW :)
ReplyDelete:) Thanks Frank. I think I made the right choice there.
DeleteStill playing with the format but it's been 4 years and it needs a change!
When you were first DX'd you were likely a little skiddish about talking about diabetes, but as you grew more confident you grew bolder. As you grew professional and comfortable in your job diabetes will be second nature. I t will come give it time.
ReplyDeleteVery true Rick. Such wisdom as usual!
DeleteGood question. I think it means being able to balance your management with your work. Making sure you putyou first means you can do the best job possible. It can be hard. I always seem to go sky high during staff updates because the food provided is too hard to bolus for accurately and sometimes I just have to leave so I can go back and concentrate on whats happening. Diabetes is just part of you and to get your best work done that has to be recognised.
ReplyDelete