jhhwild

A question was posed to me the other day about diabetics and their highs and lows. The question was from the sibling of a diabetic, who is also a good friend of mine. I had just experienced an unexpected high (I'm now attributing it to my own negligence in keeping my infusion site fresh). He asked, "Why do you bounce from one extreme to the other?"

His sibling has had great success with the pump and is running stable after a period of prolonged highs on MDI's. For me, I do experience extremes. But mostly, I experience lows. I answered his question in a simple statement, "Because we're all different."

However, there's more to this than individual differences. There's a whole list of answers.

First of all, I'm not the type that celebrates my good levels out loud. If I'm running stable, you just won't hear about diabetes during that time. I complain when I'm high or running low a lot. I mention my lows because they are the most prevalent in my life (right now, I'm trying to bring one up in fact). Some people hold all their numbers to themselves. Some lie.

Secondly, body chemistry plays a major role in how your blood sugars run (this is especially true for women). For those blessed with stable hormones, they typically see more stable blood sugars (this isn't saying they will be stable, but more so than others). Varying weeks of the month can show substantial increases or decreases in blood sugar averages and insulin needs.

Thirdly, life stressors seem to throw everyone a curve ball. For me, I never noticed a difference because my life has seen a period of high stress times. Stress was completely normal for me. For some, they don't experience much stress therefore, they have the potential for better blood sugars (all other variables excluded).

Lastly (and most importantly I think), some diabetics are prone to certain things. Just like some people are more susceptible to colds or poison ivy, diabetics can be prone to highs or lows. Some people experience DKA several times a year, while some (like me) only experience it at diagnosis (if then). Others will see several seizures (again, like me) because of low blood sugar, while some never have a severe hypo episode.

Every diabetic is going to have differences in how they manage, how their bodies react, and how stable they are. It doesn't mean that they are less controlled or less interested than any other (I'm one of the most interested and controlled diabetics that I know). It doesn't mean that they are doing something wrong. It's simply an individual preference, reaction, and experience. We may all carry the same name, but that does not mean we are the same.