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Kerri recently posted a blog on Six Until Me about her co-worker having "diabetes for the day." It was interesting to hear just a few details about an outsider's perspective on this disease. Even though it was only for a day, at least a small portion of what we go through hit home with him.

I've often mentioned to my mom how frustrating it is when people don't understand how difficult diabetes can be. They assume it's so easy to manage. You take a shot, you eat right, and you do what you're told. Magically, your A1c's are supposed to be within range. They don't understand how monotonous the shots, the eating right, the doing everything you're told gets. They don't understand how other things (even the smallest things) play a huge role in diabetes management. Sick days. Hormones. Stress.

My one line is always "If they could just live this for a day, be in my shoes for one day, then maybe they would catch a glimpse of diabetes life." Surely, you cannot grasp everything a diabetic goes through in one 24-hour period. You can't understand the fears, the longevity, and the emotions of this disease. You can't fathom how unpredictable it can be on a daily and hourly basis. You can't grasp 85% of what we deal with. At least that 15% might open a few doors to better understanding and more empathy.

My mom had the idea of wearing a "watch" that would read a fake blood sugar number. It would simulate a diabetic's struggle with numbers. You'd wake up at 150, drop to 80 after breakfast, spike to 270 after lunch, stay at 100 for hours, crash to 40 after a workout. I really wish that something like this was out there. If my friends, my brothers, my future husband could wear something like this, they might look at my life in a different way. Like I said, there's no way to grasp the bigger issues with diabetes. They won't feel the way that 40 actually feels. They won't thirst when they're 270. They won't fear that 270 will cause them long term complications, wondering if at 35 they'll have their sight or limbs. They won't stare into the future and wonder when diabetes will take everything away from them. They won't have a sick day where they debate whether the hospital is necessary to prevent DKA or worse.

But if they could just see how having to check your blood sugar in the middle of a big work project or first thing in the morning is aggravating. If they could feel the needles, see the calluses on their fingers, manage supplies, maybe they would appreciate more of what we do. If they had to treat lows, avoid eating when ketones are present, plan a schedule, maybe there would be a greater understanding. And maybe they'd be less apt to say "But it's so easy, just do THIS." Maybe.

My challenge is that everyone who cares about someone who is diabetic (or just wants to know more) should live diabetes for a day. Get a meter, check sugars, count carbs, inject insulin (saline), record everything, make decisions. All of the mundane things we deal with, you should do it. Otherwise, you will forever forget how hard diabetes is on a daily basis.