Having diabetes has many challenges as we all know. Exercising, eating right, checking our blood glucose levels, taking medicines, seeing doctors regularly, and so many more that I cannot even think of. We are busy bees.

One thing I have found as a major challenge is not losing my cool with people who maybe don't understand this disease so I would like to clear up a few things.

1. Not all people with type 1 diabetes are thin.

I am on a weight loss program right now and frankly, the only time I have ever been thin in my life was the year or so before I was diagnosed and was losing weight like crazy.

2. Not all people with type 2 are overweight.

This one drives me nuts. It is true that weight loss can help your chances of not getting diabetes but there are other factors too. I think of my uncle who had lung cancer but never smoked a day in his life. Same sort of a thing.

3. People who take insulin are not out of control. (READ MORE)

sixuntilme

Up and down. That's the way it's been lately. Numbers are up, numbers are down, nothing is making sense, patterns are confusing, emotions are frustrating. I've seen some wildly high numbers in the past week or two that are completely blowing my mind. Go to bed at 109 mg/dl, but wake up at 5 am in the 300's.
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I have yet to really "weigh-in" or write a specific blog on a topic that is regularly discussed among people with diabetes. This is something diabetics deal with on a daily basis. For lack of a better word, I am talking about ignorance. Basically, as diabetics we talk with people everyday who lack a BASIC understanding of what exactly diabetes is. Heck, even I, will be the first to admit to you that I couldn't tell you EXACTLY what it is. I don't know all the medical terminology or the exact biological process that I went through as I was becoming diabetic. NOR DO I EXPECT everyone else too. I am not saying that it's wrong that people don't understand what diabetes is, but what I am saying, is that if you don't know what a "low" is or what "insulin" does, or what it basically means to be diabetic, 'please', at least speaking for MYSELF, 'don't act like you do'. (READ MORE)

As if it weren't bad enough that I'm in a group OB practice and see a different doctor just about every visit, they've added a new doctor to the mix. So today's visit was with yet another doctor, who doesn't know me, and doesn't bother to read the chart...

For eight months now, another doctor, in another office, with another specialty (ie endocrinology), has followed my diabetes. Last OB visit was the first time they wanted to actually see my logs. So this visit I bring them, one chart for pre and post meal numbers, which don't tell the whole story, and another one that shows everything. You know, those lows between meals and the random highs that come out of nowhere.

Doctors who are not specifically trained in diabetes management have no business at all whatsoever looking at my blood sugar charts. (READ MORE)

I'm so frustrated right now. Like cry myself to sleep frustrated. I started walking again five days ago. I had to skip this morning because at 5:50 a.m. my blood sugar was 231. I hate myself for that. But here's what happened. Yesterday, we were invited to a barbeque. In addition to the dessert I left on our kitchen counter, I also forgot to bring my medicine with me. I took the meds when I got home and ate something small just in case, but I still woke up to this hideous number. And of course, no matter how diligent I was all day I remained high because I can't take fast-acting insulin with Byetta. (READ MORE)