So, I’ll start by saying no this isn’t going to be rant about alcohol and diabetes. But it’ll make sense in a minute I promise. I am on a clinical rotation in Louisville, Kentucky (more on that another time), and I find that even healthcare professionals do not know all that much about diabetes and after having a hyperglycemic event while at the hospital, it hit me. Real quick, just as a side note hyperglycemia is when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal. But back to today’s talk: For the diabetics reading, haven’t you noticed that you’re always hiding your numbers from people? Even if you’re comfortable enough to test your sugar around a group of people I’m sure you find yourself slightly angling the glucometer away from that “judgmental gaze.” Why do we do that?? And on another note, does it really matter? I realized that we get shamed a lot for having bad numbers; even if we have stable numbers 90% of the time, we get accosted for that 10% and get a reputation as, or perceive to get a reputation as a bad diabetic. So let’s talk about that notion for a second here.
As a euphemism I’m going to talk about sports or playing an instrument. First I am going to have to make some assumptions about you, is that ok? Ok great, let’s continue. I assume that you have played a sport at one time or another throughout your upbringing or maybe have even dabbled a little here and there with learning to play an instrument of some kind. Now take a second to visualize one of your lesser days of performance. Ya know, those days that you just weren’t feeling it? Despite executing the same plays, hitting the same riffs, or nailing a follow through you just couldn’t get it together. Was it because you suck and can’t do well? Of course that wasn’t why, you were just…well off your game. You didn’t showcase your normal abilities and ultimately that’s what gets you frustrated with yourself, and hey, we’ve all been there. Second assumption is what happens at the end of those days. After the initial tantrum we throw, we gather our thoughts and chalk it up to what it was. We say “well that was an off day” while taking the lessons we can and apply it to the next time. You don’t beat yourself up too much after a day or two. Your teammates and moral support give you a pat on the back and remind you that everything is fine and you come back next time better and with more determination. Life goes on without further ridicule. All this just say that diabetics have our off days as well.
I can tell you right now that if I committed to having the same breakfast for the remainder of my life, injecting the same insulin, at the same time every single day, I still would never have the same outcomes for those meals. The human body is so vastly complex and every little bit of it from your hormones, things you ate for dinner, hell even your mood when you wake up can and will become a variable that plays into glucose control. Just like in sports or with instruments we have our off days and that is OKAY!!!
Can we make a promise to ourselves real quick. If we test our sugar and the number is a hyperglycemic one, let’s try and not get so aggravated. I have been diabetic for 10 years and yes I know we will be peeing incessantly, sure we’ll be tired, but to me the worst thing is that we get really, really thirsty..even if it isn’t Thursday!! All that really isn’t too bad in the greater scheme of things, and on an optimistic note: water has never tasted so good! Know that you’re doing the best you can and as the late UCLA basketball coach John Wooden used to say “Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.” So grab some water, don’t be ashamed to share your numbers with the people around you, and get out there. Enjoy life! Do everything you can and don’t let that number hold you back from experiences that can shape who you are. Hyperglycemia once in a while won’t kill you but stressing about it sure can! To you I promise this: you have diabetes, diabetes doesn’t have you; live your life according to that.
If you’re reading this and you’re not a diabetic I hope you can now appreciate that we got this. We really just want your support. We all know that consistently high numbers can cause a myriad of health issues and I also promise to you none of us are trying to experience that. If you see that our numbers are off maybe just skip over the health lecture. In the moment we can definitely tell you if there’s something that requires immediate attention, but asking another hundred times won’t help alleviate the situation. If there’s an emergent concern then absolutely please intervene but really my point is I want you to be our teammates. Give us a pat on the back and say no worries you’ll get through it like always, its an on-going balancing act and this is just a hiccup.
-DS
Diabetic-Drive 