The long suffering life of a type 1 diabetic...

It always grates on my nerves when I hearing myself described as a person who has suffered with diabetes. You know, that fingernails-on-a-blackboard noise type of annoying. I felt that the word "suffer" implied that I was weak or ill. But I don't look like either of those things, so how can I be a sufferer? Especially when I'm having a good day?

But then, I tried to come up with another way to describe my life with type 1 diabetes I have decided that while I don't like the word, it does seem like it's the best one to describe it.

I considered "survivor", but that word implies that somehow I have left diabetes behind me and it is no more. No such luck! Diabetes is never going to leave my life (unless of course there is a cure).

What about "Conquered"? But that would suggest that I battled and won. And again suggests that my diabetes is no more.

I think I would still prefer for people to use another word to describe living with diabetes but until I, or you, come up with a better word, I will have to suffer the word "suffer".