A Post on Insulin & It's Necessary Role

I love reading blogs written by Type 1 Diabetics, or by parents of the younger generation of Type 1 Diabetics.  Nothing takes away the feeling of loneliness more than meeting people who share similar life circumstances.  This is really due to the fact that those people will get it.   They understand your fears and uncertainties, your joys and your let-downs, your highs and lows (or those of your children), etc. 

One blog I follow, Ordinary Lovely, has a great article from November 2014 (Diabetes Awareness Month) entitled "Insulin is Not the Enemy  (Diabetes Awareness Month)" which can be found here. 

That post is so great because it really explains the purpose of insulin.  It's articles like this that made me comfortable (as a D-mom) to give my child insulin in public (ie, at Chick-fil-A, or Costco food-court, etc).  The point is, insulin is not medicine.  It is a hormone that your body needs, and everyone needs it.  A Type One diabetic just has to receive his insulin in a different way since his pancreas no longer produces the hormone.  This article includes a story about serving ice-cream sundaes as dessert, and about how all of the children need insulin to cover the carbs of the ice-cream.  All of the children aside from one have pancreases that produce insulin for them.  The Type One Diabetic child has to have insulin injected, but receiving insulin in that manner doesn't mean that child was bad or ate the wrong thing.  The body needs carbs to survive and to aid in proper brain growth & development.  The dinner guest was alarmed that the child with Type One could eat an ice-cream sundae and was concerned that the child would have to receive insulin for that treat.  The mother gently explained that insulin is not an enemy, and all of the children actually were receiving insulin-- only one of the children had to receive insulin via injection rather than a productive pancreas.

Many times people have come up to me with their well wishes and hoping that Michael won't have to be on insulin forever, and that maybe we can lower the amount of insulin he'll have to get.  No.  That will never happen.  Michael will need insulin because he will need carbs.  The insulin aids in the body's incorporation of the carbs.  This is a necessary function.  Insulin isn't medicine, and therefore, lowering the amount of insulin doesn't earn Michael a gold star or mean that he is getting better.  Until there is a cure for Type One diabetes, one cannot simply "get better."  And, in all fairness, Michael earns gold stars in my book everyday. 

Please read the article (link provided above).  It is really just fantastic.

Until Next Time,

Much love, Reba