Eat, Drink and be Merry. How?

02/11/08 Living Well

“So why are you? What’s the point?”

Here I typically think: To ease the strain that comes from conversations like this. However, I usually end up saying, “I enjoy it, and I know how to do so, safely.”
   
This answer is typically followed by a snort or rolling eyes, and the conversation ends, because despite my ability to indeed explain, the other person is locked into the notion of my pre-cast limitations, which true or not, become binding. 
   
What now follows, is the conversation I’d like to have:
   
“Explain that, please.” She sips her wine and throws a mildly haughty glance my way.
   
“All in moderation. That’s the answer.” I smile. “I can’t drink six beers or a bottle of wine—I don’t think that’s wise for anyone—but I can enjoy a drink or two, socially, or at home, to unwind.” I take a sip and savor the moment.
   
“Reasonable enough, but isn’t there risk, even with one or two?”
   
I nod. “Hypoglycemia, or ‘going low’. Yeah, that’s the rub. If I go low, under 65 mg/dl, because I’ve been drinking, I may not necessarily recognize the symptoms because intoxication and the associated euphoria can mask the shakiness, irritability, and hunger.”
   
“But don’t you just eat something and are then all set?” She curls her lip and shakes her head.
   
I frown. “Only if I catch on, and if I don’t, because I’m drinking, my body’s ‘Plan B’ is shot.”
   
“ ‘Plan B’?”   
   
“Alcohol is processed in the liver, which also makes a vital hormone, glucagon, which, in spite of having diabetes, I still produce. It maintains glucose in the bloodstream, saving my life, for a while, should I have a low and there’s no sugar available. However, if the liver is all tangled up processing alcohol, it may not have the ability to release the glucagon, and…”  I wait for her to finish my sentence.
   
She hesitates, but then says. “And then you pass out?”
   
“Precisely. And if people have seen me drinking, they think I’m intoxicated and write me off.  I then slip into a coma and…”
   
She nods. “I see.” She sips her drink and her face slides into a more sympathetic pose.  “But you said moderation was the answer, how?”
   
“A little drink and a little food, hand in hand, keeps the danger at bay.” I grab a nearby hors d’ oeuvre and a handful of peanuts. “Also, I test every hour. If there’s any major swing in my level, up or down, I treat accordingly, and then always stop drinking.” I take a bit of my food.
   
“Hmm.” She fixes a quizzical look and then settles on something and nods. “All right.”  She raises her glass toward me. “A toast to you, then.”
   
I swallow and smile. “No, to moderation.”
   
She smiles and echoes my sentiment and we clink our glasses, an affirmation of the degree of normalcy we can all achieve, if we simply take the time to sip and listen.

Eric Devine lives in upstate New York where he teaches English. He is a regular contributor to My Diabetes Information. His insights have been published in Diabetes Forecast. He currently works with a local organization, The Sugar Free Gang, to help people with diabetes address their health and social needs.