The myth of no sugar (74/100)

I wanted to continue with another post about type-1 diabetes and talk about the myth of no sugar. This is a common misconception that people have, especially those who are newly diagnosed (see awful introductions) and the illinformed. It’s one that should probably be better understood because this kind of misconception is one that can weigh heavily on the diabetic.

A while back I read an article about how one woman dealt with poverty. She talked about how smoking a cigarette was something she controlled, she enjoyed, but they became something that people would comment on. People mentioned how if she just cut back, maybe she could save some money. It was something that I ignorantly thought as well until hearing her explain her feelings of hopelessness and need for release. Some kind of comfort. For her it took the form of a smoke. For type-1 diabetics, it can take the form of a slice of pie, piece of candy or cookie dough (I just ate a spoon-full of cookie dough and it was amazing).

As I’ve mentioned before, type-1 diabetes is an incurable, unknown auto-immune disease. That’s the say, doctors don’t know what causes it and because of that they can’t truly “know” it. It could be a viral infection that only effects a small population, it could be a genetic abnormality. Right now it’s all speculation.

The thing we do know about type-1 diabetes: it is an all-consuming disease that requires constant regulation, management and observation. For all intents and purposes, it’s a job added onto your other jobs.

At this point in my career I have a few jobs. I’m a freelance/contract copywriter for tech companies in the Bay Area/Silicon Valley, comic book writer, brand consultant, husband and type-1 diabetic. The biggest constant, as you could guess, is managing my type-1 diabetes. It is the one thing that I can’t not be focused on and it’s exhausting.

Whenever Lindsay makes me something sweet and delicious (this happens twice a month or so) I get very excited. Tonight it was cookie dough, a couple weeks ago it was Russian teacakes, during Thanksgiving it was a plate of pumpkin cookies. And I don’t eat them. I devour them.

That’s not to say I don’t have self control, I do, just that for a few minutes my mouth’s actions cannot be controlled. I count my carbs, dial them into my insulin pump and my vision goes glazed. It’s glorious. I don’t think about the diabetes, I think about enjoying the food being stuffed in my face.

My mother, and many other people, have gasped at this and told me that “diabetics can’t have sugar.” Let me break it down.

Carbohydrates are broken down into sugars, which are then absorbed into the blood to fuel our bodies. The thing that breaks down those sugars to be absorbed is insulin. Insulin is the thing that a type-1 diabetic cannot make because our pancreas doesn’t work. This is why a type-1 diabetic needs injections or the pump to deliver insulin into the body so that those sugars can be broken down. Without insulin, the body wouldn’t know what to do with all the sugar which leads to keytones being created, which do a lot of damage to our kidneys and liver.

So, for someone to throw the blanket statement onto the sugary food tray they need to understand that a lot of food have carbs; therefore, saying “don’t eat sugar” doesn’t make sense. It’s not possible.

The reality of the myth is based on an over-simplification. See, many type-2 diabetics got that way because of their eating habits. They ate to excess or regularly ate or drank foods or beverages that are/were high in carbs/sugars. This over-taxes the pancreas and slows down the production of insulin in the body. So saying “don’t eat sugar” or “cut down on the sweets” makes sense for those who find monitoring and controlling their diabetes (either, really).

For those of us who manage their diabetes on an hourly basis, who test themselves regularly and carb count every meal, the prospect of a sugary snack to be devoured becomes a release. That once or twice a month treat that reminds us that we’re human. That we can eat like everyone else. That we’re not so different from everyone else.