I was pleasantly surprised to find this thoughtful and in-depth article in our local daily newspaper’s periodic health insert. I kind of want to get extra copies to give to people, but it is probably too long for the average non-D peep to actually make it to the end.
My only real quibble is that the author refers to insulin pumps using a catheter to supply insulin - yikes!
OUCH! is right!
Pretty good article overall, though. And the people are almost in my backyard.
Well, that’s not the only technical mistake; there are several scattered throughout. Like the statement that T2s must eat a restricted diet whereas T1s can eat whatever they want, and that T1s sometimes carry “glucose injections” with them for emergencies.
Nice article, still reading. Here’s one section that suffers from disputable generalizations:
Despite the restrictions on when Type 1 diabetics can eat, they can still eat most of the same foods they did before. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, requires tight limits on sugar, unhealthy fat and salt intake.
My OHSU doctor is a source for this story!
This newspaper article explores diabetes in much more depth than you normally see. I give the journalist an “A” for wide ranging scope and many good facts. It takes on the psycho-social aspect of diabetes that most stories ignore or quickly brush over.
It concludes well:
“But the day to day can be brutal,” Lachman said. “It’s exhausting. It’s nonstop. It’s very dynamic.” •
Quotes taken from The Bulletin, a newspaper serving central Oregon and Bend.
A few other things in the article that are wrong - and potentially dangerous:
I think they mean glucagon. But beside that, using a glucagon injection when you have been running for several miles is potentially worthless. Your liver glycogen can become depleted, so a glucagon shot may do nothing. I’ve tried it as a test several times, and it did nothing for me. Works great when I am asleep, but when running - nothing!
I wish people didn’t think you had to do that. The problem is that they are told to. 
There are much better ways to do that.
Any way of getting them on the forum?
Well, that’s a simpler way to express to an audience with a tendency to glaze over eyes when the science gets too deep than trying to explain the whole glucagon process. I understand the challenge from a writer’s perspective. In the end, glucagon yields glucose to quell an emergency, so it’s not that far from reality.
I didn’t know about the ineffectiveness of glucagon during heavy exercise. It makes sense if the liver dumps its glycogen to source glucose for heavy needs. I guess I always assumed that the liver glucose was an emergency reserve tank protected for real metabolic emergencies. I learned something new.
Some people prefer to exercise under those conditions. If this tactic allows some people to exercise safely, who are we to say it’s wrong? I understand your point, however.
I know it’s possible for me to simply reduce my basal rate for a few hours before exercising and not need to add carb or start a little high. Our individual experience does not always generalize well to more people. Our diabetes does vary.
I liked the “it’s like having a full time job” statement - that’s exactly how it feels for me…thanks for posting the article - got a lot more right than wrong. I did want to whisper to the dad who did not test for antibodies because of his age that I went DKA and was properly diagnosed as T1 at age 45…as for the teens dealing with T1 - they are working very hard to take this problem in stride - awesome 
You could always post a comment on the article and suggest that people join Tud.
will do
I sent the author an email thanking her for her good work on the article along with a link to this thread.
I guess the inaccuracies ( a couple of which I pointed out ) disturb me more than they do everyone else. Granted they’re not big in the grand scheme of things, and it is a very good story overall. They just poke at me; like an itch that won’t go away.
That’s fine if someone likes to be at 150 and feels comfortable there. But I just don’t think it is necessary if someone is willing to work toward having good BG during exercise, and develop a good plan for it.
The problem is that most of the time, that sort of recommendation comes from healthcare providers who are worried so much about hypos, that they end up going to the other extreme. And it is not necessary.
It also limits your athletic performance in a number of ways.
If she is a new diabetic and still in honeymoon, then I could see something like that being necessary. Or if someone is not able to adjust their basal for exercise, like if they were on Tresiba.
But if your body makes NO insulin, if the only insulin in your body is what you put in it, then I just don’t see how 150 is necessary.
I guess I’d just like people to be aware that they don’t have to be a slave to it. You don’t have to pick either good BG or exercise. You can do both.
Could that itch be from the catheter? 
Hmm. Hadn’t considered that possibility. And I would still prefer not to. 
Man, she is going to feel dumb when she needs to have this tattoo removed when the cure comes out in 5 years. I read that, so I know it’s true.
No problem. She can just head back to the tattoo parlor and have the word “Former” added. There’s plenty of room.
Yeah, any day now, right?
I think it is a pretty cool idea, actually. I have a stupid medical alert bracelet that I wear all the time in the same location. I’m definitely not a tattoo guy, but having a tattoo like that makes sense. If I’m still kicking when a cure actually comes, it would be with great satisfaction that I would have a “Cured” or a Ghostbusters style circle with a line through it tattooed over the top of it. It would be a great reminder of what I’ve survived.
A whole new meaning to the idea of wearing it on your sleeve.
I like the circle-with-a-line idea. Very cool.
