Watching Minutes Turn to Hours

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that I was at the Diabetes Centre and they told me about the Disability Tax Credit.

They said that, if I could prove that I spend 14 (or more) hours per week managing my diabetes, I could fill out the application form and they would sign it. That is, of course, no guarantee that it gets approved but a signature is the only way that the form will even been looked at.

So step one: track my time spent with diabetes for two weeks.

I have been dutifully chronicling everything I do since my appointment.

• every blood sugar check
• every insulin administration
• every post-shower check for air bubbles 
• every post-shower insulin prime
• every pump change
• every basal adjustment

I figured 14 hours a week equals, on average, two hours per day so I kept my eye on the daily totals. No point in doing this for two weeks if I am only averaging 45 minutes per day right? 

Well, it's almost laughable how close I am to the target. 

One day I'll be 120 minutes. The next I'll be 115. Then I'll be 125 followed by 110 and then 130. The days are all averaging out to 120 minutes or two hours. My numbers are so close to the target that it looks like I'm making it up. 

I'm not though - there is no way I'd be comfortable submitting false numbers. I'd be awake nights expecting the diabetes tax credit auditing people to descend on my house and demand to see my blood sugar logs. 

Still though, I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad to know that I spend 14 hours a week doing nothing but manage diabetes. 

I'm happy because it might qualify me for a tax credit and any little bit extra is always welcome. 

But holy bananas. Fourteen hours a week??  On a chronic disease?!?

I'll try to take comfort in the thought that it's my choice to spend that much time and energy taking care of myself. Because there is little comfort in the thought that I've spent 728 hours in the last year checking my blood sugar, changing my pump, adjusting my basal and priming my pump. 

Those minutes add up apparently.

I'm hoping that, in the end, it will be worth the time spent.