Hack #13: Don't Listen to the Voices of Diabetes Doom

The statistics can be discouraging. Not only is diabetes growing exponentially (I won't bother to quote all the searchable results for predictions of just how many people in the US are expected to contract the disease in coming years), but it is bringing a whole host of health complications that are keeping endocrinologists, heart doctors, retina doctors, dietitians and a whole host of professionals in business. More accurately: diabetes patients are overwhelming a medical system that has too few people available to help and still lacks a lot of answers to the problem. 
       The good news is that there are growing resources, studies, and technology advances that are helping in the war against diabetes (see other Hacks for details). The bad news that there are also a lot of well-meaning "experts" I've encountered that tend to rain on my diabetes parade. Here are some of the raindrops that keep falling on my head from the experts and coaches who are supposed to be helping me:

• "Now that you're on insulin, you're probably going to gain more weight that you don't want to, even with a healthy diet."  (See Hack X for counterpoint)
• "You may not need rapid insulin now, but those antibodies are going to keep attacking your pancreas, and eventually it's going to shut down." (See Hack X for counterpoint)
• "Eventually, everyone with Type 1 diabetes / LADA has to go on short-acting insulin because the pancreas just stopes making insulin altogether. So with your Type 1 diagnosis, I think short-acting insulin is probably in your near future." (See Hack X for counterpoint)
• "You mentioned only drinking coffee for the first half of the day. I want to highlight that skipping meals can lead to higher blood sugars as well. It's important to keep a steady flow of carbs in our system throughout the day because when our organs, muscles and brain lack the energy they require to keep working from food intake, the liver will release stored sugar to supply our body with the energy it needs... this will lead to a rise in blood sugars. So by eating an adequate amount of carbs throughout the day, we may see lower blood sugars because our body won't have to release that stored sugar.  (See Hack X for counterpoint). 
• "You really should consider an insulin pump."
• "Why are you taking Metformin? You shouldn't be taking it if you have Type 1 diabetes!"
• "Controlling our carb intake to be super low, is no fun and takes the joy out of eating. You should be able to eat and enjoy a piece of cornbread and not worry about a major spike in your blood sugar levels." (See Hack X for counterpoint)

      These advisors are correct - to a point, and have facts to back them up. But another statistical fact is that because diabetes can be difficult to manage, many people also suffer from depression and anxiety over the condition. So, in my view, these fatalistic or absolutist "coaching tips" I've been bombarded with aren't really helpful, especially given that there is evidence to the contrary, and most experts also agree that every body is different and responds differently to different therapies - diabetes related or not. 
       I am happy to say that, in contrast to all these voices I've heard in recent months telling me that rapid-acting insulin (i.e., more units per day) is inevitable in my (near) future and that I should start taking it now, one voice - a Mayo Clinic nurse who's had Type 1 diabetes for 30 years - told me that there was no rush, and that in my case they may not be correct with my body and my current situation. This gave me hope - not false hope - and motivation not to rush into adding more drugs and more tech to my body when, in fact, I am currently able to get by on just 8 units of basel (long-acting) insulin a day while maintaining glucose levels between 70-180 more than 95% of the time.