Ten Things I Like About Diabetes

I complain about diabetes all the time, and lament the weight of that monkey on my shoulders. But let’s face it. It could be worse. Diabetes isn’t so bad, right? Every once in a while, I need to remind myself of that– so here are ten things I like about diabetes.

1. It doesn’t involve chronic pain. Intermittent pain from needles and other medical devices, yes– but that’s far preferable to consistent aching, bruising, bleeding, or anything like that.
2. I get to be part-cyborg. Yeah, that’s because there’s no cure yet, but I must admit the tools are kind of fun to play with, aside from the invasiveness.
3. It’s not AIDS.
4. I have a handy excuse to not eat that scary-looking, mayonnaise-filled, heart-attack-inducing dessert at the church potluck. (Why is that layer green? I think I just saw it move.)
5. Biologically speaking, diabetes is fascinating. Have you ever read about the cellular mechanics of the immune system? And the islets of Langerhans? If it weren’t my daily burden, it would be a fabulous case study of the intricacies of our internal biological systems.
6. People know about it. Especially with the growing press about Type 2 diabetes, I can usually say, “I’m a diabetic,” and at least get a nod of recognition, without having to explain to everyone I meet what the disease is. Alkaptonuriacs, on the other hand, are not so lucky.
7. I bring food into museums, movie theaters, and music halls, and most security guards take “I’m diabetic” as excuse enough.
8. There’s a lot of blood involved in diabetes, but other than that, I don’t have to deal with many awkward or unpleasant bodily fluids.
9. I can still have kids, and the changes of them being diabetic is low, even though not negligible. Plus, with all the recent progress in treating recent-onset and probable diabetes, my hopes are high that my children will not have to deal with diabetes.
10. The cure is coming. Yeah, I know they’ve been saying that for years, and I know the medical device and pharmaceutical companies don’t have much incentive to find a cure– but the university and research community is out there working, and the JDRF is out there funding, and it’s a solvable problem. Nanotech, stem-cells, islet sheets, and so on– the cure is coming, and I’m getting in line.

Have anything to add? What is worth appreciating about diabetes?

Karmel Allison

Karmel was born in Southern California, diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of nine, and educated at UC Berkeley. Karmel now lives in San Diego with her husband, where she is loving the sunshine, working in computational biology at the University of California, San Diego, and learning to use the active voice when talking about her diabetes.

Karmel Allison

Karmel was born in Southern California, diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of nine, and educated at UC Berkeley. Karmel now lives in San Diego with her husband, where she is loving the sunshine, working in computational biology at the University of California, San Diego, and learning to use the active voice when talking about her diabetes.