From the day I was diagnosed back in 1985, it has been emphasized that diabetes is serious stuff. There’s blood. And numbers. And calculations. And the ever-present risk of dangerous hypoglycemia and scary complications. Sure, diabetes needs to be taken seriously, but sometimes we can take it too seriously. For me, the straw that broke the camel’s back was when I went to New York City and met a friend at Famous Ray’s Pizza. When we got there, instead of seeing a nice slice of heaven, all I saw was “50 grams of carb with a side of delayed absorption.” Enough already! There is no rule that says you can’t take care yourself and have some fun too. So I started searching for humor among the diabetes management minutia. Like giving a prize to the kid who finds the most used test strips scattered around our home. Or playing “guess that blood sugar” with my co-workers. Or sharing stories about who ate the most carbs during a ravenous bout of hypoglycemia. The fact is, we live in a very imperfect world. And blood glucose regulation is the EPITOME of an imperfect science. It can be very stressful dealing with something so demanding and undpredictable 24/7/365. Maybe that’s why depression, anxiety and burnout are so prevalent among people with diabetes and their caregivers. Now I truly believe that next to insulin, laughter really is the best medicine. I think you’ll find that our approach at Integrated Diabetes Services reflects that philosophy. There are times to get serious, and there are times to take a step back and have some fun. Our clinical team’s monthly “food experiments” are a good example – we all consume the same challenging meal and compete to see whose glucose least resembles a dumpster fire. So if you feel like living with diabetes is getting to you, let’s get together. Maybe all you need is to find a bright spot, a silver lining, a light at the end of the tunnel (and know that it isn’t a train coming at you), and maybe laugh a little. As always, I hope you find this month’s edition of Diabetes Bites informative and entertaining. Be sure to check out the clinicians’ articles along with the news items and “fun” stuff towards the end. Your feedback and suggestions are always appreciated. And if you have something funny about diabetes that you’d like to share, PLEASE send it my way: gary@integrateddiabetes.com.
Ready to take your child’s Diabetes care to the next level? Schedule a talk with our team. We offer remote Diabetes Management, or if you’re looking for an in-person diabetes educator near Philadelphia, visit our office in Wynnewood, PA.
Gary Scheiner MS, CDCES
Owner, Clinical Director
