December 2024
Gary Scheiner MS, CDCES
Owner, Clinical Director
Pinball Lessons
I’ve always been a big pinball fan. Even when video games came out, pinball still captured my interest and fascination. There is something about the randomness of each play and the sequence of targets you have to hit to achieve big scores that I really love. So much so that when I turned 50, instead of going out and buying the usual midlife-crisis car, I treated myself to a vintage pinball machine. The last time I visited my parents down in Florida, the highlight of the trip was paying a visit to the Silverball Museum, a 2-level arcade in Delray Beach devoted entirely to the art of pinball. They have pinball machines dating back to the 1950s, and up to the present day. And best of all, they are all in mint condition and available for unlimited play (there’s an entrance fee, of course). Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at pinball. It is probably my second best skill, after deriving hidden patterns from glucose data. In fact, I’ve discovered a number of similarities between pinball and diabetes, with lessons to be learned from each: Don’t sweat the occasional failures. The random nature of pinball means that sometimes even the best players have the ball go between the flippers (“down the drain”) almost immediately. Even those with the best diabetes management skills experience highs and lows. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad… you just had some bad luck. Playing the right way and doing the right things doesn’t guarantee success, but it sure increases your chances. Keep your cool. When playing pinball, getting angry doesn’t help. Slapping and bumping the machine to try to influence the ball’s movement works to a certain extent, but doing so too aggressively causes the game to “tilt” and the ball to be lost. Getting upset over blood sugar irregularities usually leads to hormone surges and poor decision-making, which only makes things worse. Some things never go out of style. Technology has made modern-day pinball machines a hotbed of entertainment, but also more complicated and not necessarily more fun. There are also a lot more things on the play field that can break and require frequent maintenance. As we all know, technology has brought many innovative new tools to help with glucose management, but without basic skills and motivation, they can sometimes cause more problems than they’re worth. Appreciate the subtle differences. Every pinball machine is unique. Even two identical machines, side-by-side, can play a little differently. Everyone’s diabetes is also unique. While there are certain general principles that are universal, each person sports their own unique qualities and style. Maybe someday we can develop a diabetes-themed pinball machine, complete with a giant syringe plunger, glucose targets to hit, and a random number generator just to keep things real. I hope you enjoy this Holiday edition of Diabetes Bites. Be sure to check out the clinicians’ columns, recipes and news items, along with the survey and trivia question. As always, please reach out if there is anything we can do to assist you reaching your personal diabetes goals. Call 610-642-6055 or send an email to info@integrateddiabetes.com. Oh, and if love pinball too, email gary@integrateddiabetes.com and let me know which is your fav machine. Mine is “Fun House”. Gary Scheiner MS, CDCES
Owner, Clinical Director
