The Blood Sugar Dance

Most people understand that type one diabetes is a condition where someone’s own pancreas doesn’t produce insulin anymore.  Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to process glucose, the sugar that our body’s digestive system converts all carbohydrates into.  Without insulin, a diabetic’s body allows the glucose to remain in the bloodstream and accumulate there.  As the amount of glucose in the bloodstream — the blood glucose level or blood sugar level — increases, it has negative effects on the body.  Constant or even frequent high blood glucose levels eventually lead to organ failure (the kidneys often being first), improper blood circulation which can lead to gangrene in the extremities, and eventually, death.  Without regular insulin injections, a type diabetic can look forward to a miserable, painful, and short life.

What fewer people realize is that getting too much insulin can result in death, too.  In fact, if a person’s blood glucose level falls too low just once — which can happen if a person receives too much insulin — brain damage and even death can be immediate.  This is why living with type one diabetes is much more complicated than simply injecting oneself with insulin on a regular basis.

A type one diabetic must regularly test their blood glucose levels throughout the day, verifying it is neither too high nor too low.   (Bear in mind that the “safety zone” for blood glucose levels also depends on the time of day, particularly in relation to mealtimes.)   They do this constantly so that they can take the appropriate action (more insulin or more food) if their blood glucose levels is drifting too far in either direction.

Even the process of giving a regularly scheduled injection is not entirely straightforward.  When determining how much insulin to administer, a diabetic must take into account their current blood glucose level, the amount of carbohydrates, and their anticipated level of physical activity (which also affects blood glucose levels) over the next several hours.  Based on this information, a diabetic can make an estimate of how much insulin they need and inject themselves.  Such calculations are not precise however, and a diabetic needs to check their actual blood glucose level periodically after administering insulin.

If this sounds like a lot of work, it is.  JDRF has a document describing a typical day for a type one diabetic.  They encourage people who want to know what it’s like to be a diabetic to go through a day living by that schedule, just to get a better idea of what it’s like.

Bear in mind that this is what a type one diabetic does every day because they need to do it to stay alive and healthy.  Also bear in mind that many of the people living their lives like this every day are children.  Imagine having to learn to count carbohydrates and figure out how much insulin you need to take before yo learn to shave or buy your first bra.  Imagine having to take a break from playing with your friends because it’s time to check your blood sugar again.  Again, imagine you need to do all this just to stay alive and healthy.  Isn’t that a lot to expect a child to live with?

This is why supporting research to find a cure for diabetes is so important.  I would again ask you to help fund that research by either sponsoring me or someone you know who participating in Walk to Cure Diabetes, or become a walker yourself.  Every donation, whether $10 or $1000,  helps bring us closer to a day when children won’t have to spend time making sure their blood sugar remains at a safe level.

The image for this post was taken from the Diabetes 365 group on Flickr.