Print Email Share

Anyone for Cookies?

By Kathy Weinheimer

Editor's Note: While this columnist is no longer writing for dLife.com and we have ceased to update the information contained herein, there is much to be read here that is still applicable to the lives of people with diabetes. If you wish to act on anything you learn here, be sure to consult your doctor first. Please enjoy the column!

June 2008 —My husband, Bob, just asked me if I need a cookie and it really ticks me off! It sounds sweet doesn't it, a man offering his wife a cookie? At our house, when he asks me if I need a cookie it is a code. It means "You just screwed something up and could it be because your blood sugar is low?" No, it is not! I just messed up, without diabetes being involved.

I do make mistakes, lots of them, but I hate when he blames everything on my blood sugar. Diabetes is a major part of my life (I should say our lives), but it is not who I am totally. There is a LOT more to me than just a disease! I have a family, a house, a job, a life, so sometimes I get stressed. I work really hard and I get tired. And sometimes (more often than I want to admit), I'm just a big goof ball. There are all kinds of reasons I make mistakes. Maybe he should ask if I need an aspirin, a chair, or time to rethink a response instead of offering that cookie.

Of course, there have been times when my blood sugar had dropped so low I can hardly tell you my name. After thirty-two years of marriage, Bob should know the difference between a really low blood glucose and an "open my mouth before I think" mistake. Sometimes he knows before I do that I need to check my blood sugar. Recently, while out with friends, I checked my blood sugar before dinner. It was a little out of range, just a touch high. My friend asked if that meant I needed to eat something with sugar. Bob wouldn't even have to ask. He would know I needed to correct my blood glucose with a bolus of insulin. He could use my pump to correct it himself, without any instructions from me, if necessary So why does he keep asking if I need a cookie?! When I am low, I don't even use cookies to bring up my blood glucose!

I, myself, say things to our children that are codes. When they stop by to visit they always leave with a goodbye hug, I tell them to be careful and be good. My oldest son, Matt, once asked me why I always say "be good." Did I think he didn't behave out on his own? I know all three of my children are responsible. I trust their behavior at all times, well, most times. But I always say "be good" to each of them when they leave. Telling them to be good is a way of saying I care about you, I love you. "Be good" is a sort of… term of endearment. That's it - a term of endearment.

Hmmm … "Be good" is like "Do you need a cookie?" Maybe I need to rethink getting so upset over Bob's question. At least he isn't asking why I'm such a goof ball (who knows the answer to that). Maybe "Do you need a cookie?" isn't such an offensive question after all.

Disclaimer
dLife's Viewpoints columnists are not all medical experts, but everyday people living with diabetes and sharing their personal experiences, most often at a set point in time. While their method of diabetes management may work for them, everyone is different. Please consult with your diabetes care team before acting on anything you read here to find out what will work best for you.