Change: The Only Constant

10/16/08 Type I Diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes

A day with diabetes is never the same as the one before. There are similarities and a fair degree of predictability. However, the only constant is that this disease and our bodies will change.

The other morning my blood sugar was 192 mg/dl. Two mornings before, I awoke at 48 mg/dl. I had not been ill. I had not changed my insulin. I had not consumed any alcohol. My diet, exercise, and daily routines had remained consistent. Why the fluctuation? I have no idea. This just happens.

I was recently on a message board and found a strand where someone was seeking advice for a scenario similar to the one I had encountered. The feedback offered by those posting was good. There was a reminder to check the expiration date on test strips. Another asked when the last time was the glucose meter had been calibrated. Many suggested tossing the insulin and opening a new vial. Then there was one reply that stopped the unconscious head-nodding I had been doing while reading. The message was something akin to the following: "If you just test like you should, eat clean, take your medicine, and exercise, you should be fine. Your blood sugar should not fluctuate." I thought: Here is someone who doesn't have a clue.

I did not respond to the individual's insensitive comment. However, I did begin to consider how to measure someone's diabetes knowledge.  This notion is not something that doctors and nurses and certified diabetes educators teach. If you know and understand diabetes, then you understand that living with diabetes is a constant navigation around change.

Eric Devine, 30, has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was 12. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and two daughters where he works as a high school English teacher. Devine is an avid writer and is currently seeking publication of two Young Adult novel manuscripts.