{"id":37491,"date":"2015-01-21T10:10:33","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T15:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?post_type=feature&p=37491"},"modified":"2016-01-11T07:32:16","modified_gmt":"2016-01-11T12:32:16","slug":"i-speak-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=37491","title":{"rendered":"I Speak Diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"I<\/a><\/p>\n

If you have any doubt of diabetes\u2019 ability to take over every part of a person\u2019s mind, just ask someone with diabetes how much basil she needs for a serving of pasta.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalf a teaspoon,\u201d she might tell you.<\/p>\n

Then again, it might be something like: \u201cI set a 150% temporary rate for two hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Either one works, right? As the hashtag goes, #itmakessenseifyouhavediabetes.<\/p>\n

Diabetes has a language all its own, and that language has a way of working itself into so many aspects of our lives. Generally, it\u2019s a helpful integration \u2013 but at its worst, it can make you feel like diabetes is eating your brain.<\/p>\n

The basal\/basil thing is more common than I would have ever expected, even if it\u2019s just the spelling. I can\u2019t write a grocery list without checking that one twice, there are times when I honestly can\u2019t remember which one comes with an \u201ci\u201d and which one has the \u201ca.\u201d<\/p>\n

When technology\u2019s involved, the word \u201ccarb\u201d is almost always replaced with \u201ccrab\u201d by autocorrect or spellcheck. \u201cBolus\u201d turns to \u201cblouse.\u201d \u201cPrick\u201d and \u201cstab\u201d and \u201clance\u201d stay the same, although their meanings vary in intensity. That\u2019s something the grammar and usage robots haven\u2019t gotten to yet.<\/p>\n

Then there are all the acronyms to keep straight. A1Cs and ACE inhibitors; CHOs and CDEs. Mmol\/L and MG\/dL. IDDM, T1D and LADA. Even if they\u2019re not your<\/em> terms, they have a way of getting stuck the mind \u2013 especially if you have a habit of keeping in touch with your fellow diabetics.<\/p>\n

I once heard the mother of a child with diabetes express her disgust with the word \u201cbolus.\u201d As it turns out, a bolus is \u201ca small rounded mass of a substance, especially of chewed food at the moment of swallowing.\u201d A mouthful of chewed-up pizza at the back of your throat, basically. And while the visual isn\u2019t appealing, the double-meaning serves as a nice mnemonic device when you\u2019re trying to keep \u201cbasal\u201d and \u201cbolus\u201d straight in your mind. Boluses of chewed-up pizza get boluses of insulin, see?<\/p>\n

For me, the most dramatic period of diabetes doublespeak came shortly after my daughter was born. I was (and still am) a member of several different Facebook and online groups: some for people with diabetes, some for mothers with diabetes, and some for (non-diabetic) mothers of very young children. In each of these groups, the terms \u201cpump\u201d and \u201cpumping\u201d were thrown around often, with dramatically different meanings.<\/p>\n

Some new mother would ask a desperate and panicked question about pumping at work, and before I could respond with a reassuring word about back-up syringes and batteries at the office, I realized she wasn\u2019t talking about insulin.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s the same with other simple words, too. An acquaintance mentions feeling high, and instead of thinking \u201cdrug user,\u201d your mind goes to \u201cDKA danger!\u201d Someone who\u2019s feeling low isn\u2019t depressed, they just need a handful of glucose tabs. \u201cShots\u201d aren\u2019t for fun; they\u2019re medically necessary. When I hear people talk about infusions of olive oil, tea or vodka, I automatically picture pump tubing and needles and adhesive and wonder how they affect the flavor.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, it\u2019s possible to have a full conversation in front of a person without diabetes \u2013 without them knowing what you\u2019re talking about. \u201cI can\u2019t wait for the closed loop. I\u2019m all over the place with units and ratios. And these pricks are killing me.\u201d \u201cI know! I just wish my CGM showed by IOB and estimated my A1C. For F\u2019s sake.\u201d It\u2019s a secret diabetes code! I\u2019ve heard fellow diners in restaurants discussing preprandial glucose levels, and my ears perk up. I have to stop myself from crashing the conversation: \u201cWe don\u2019t know each other, but we speak the same language! Hi!\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly, diabetes has invaded the language center of my brain, and it\u2019s just another aspect of the condition I\u2019m living with. I\u2019m choosing to see these terminology mix-ups less as a sign of my own flightiness, and more as a symbol of my dedication to diabetes care. Our daily routines, our words and our health can\u2019t be kept separate from each other \u2013 or from the outside world. There\u2019s probably a fancy psychological or linguistic term for this collision of word worlds, but I\u2019m afraid to find out what it is; I\u2019m not sure I have the mental capacity.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll just continue to let these little word slips entertain me. As long as I don\u2019t end up with breast milk or macerated pizza in my insulin pump, I think I\u2019m safe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I once heard the mother of a child with diabetes express her disgust with the word \u201cbolus.\u201d As it turns out, a bolus is \u201ca small rounded mass of a substance, especially of chewed food at the moment of swallowing.\u201d A mouthful of chewed-up pizza at the back of your throat, basically. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":37501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1435],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nI Speak Diabetes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Diabetes has a language all its own, and that language has a way of working itself into so many aspects of our lives. 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