A lady made a comment the other day about her mother being a “bad diabetic” and herself struggling with living with diabetes.

It made me really sad.

I don’t want anyone thinking they are a “bad diabetic” because they have natural mood swings, food cravings, moments of weakness in the face of temptations, moments of forgetfulness or even denial.

Those are things that make your normal, not things that determine your merit in the face of a complicated and unrelenting disease called diabetes.

 Let me also be clear on another thing: your response to your disease will affect and possibly damage your relationships with those you love and those who love you but it can truly only physically hurt YOU.  There is no second-hand smoke when it comes to diabetes.  No one else can catch it, and in that same vein, no one else can do what you yourself need to do after you’ve been diagnosed.

So it’s up to you, for better and for worse.

But I still cringe when I hear someone refer to themselves as a “bad diabetic” because they want birthday cake, or because they ate potato chips, or whatever.  I know it is most often said in jest but there is real truth and fear behind those words. 

Yes, listen to your doctors and diabetes educators.  Yes, listen to the guidelines broadcast throughout the country and medical community.  Yes, understand what is going on with your blood sugars in response to your food and medication.  Yes, participate in your understanding of your disease. 

Learn what foods make you feel healthier and what foods make you groan an hour later.  Learn how exercise can make you feel physically and mentally.  Learn what it takes to treat yourself well and how that feels.

But relax a bit on your self-criticisms.  Don’t let a number determine how you feel about yourself.  Please don’t let those little gadgets tell you how much you are worth in the world.  Be more than your disease.  Don’t let the fear of failing to be a “perfect” diabetic turn you into thinking you are a “bad” person or “bad” diabetic. 

I don’t even think “perfect” really exists.  And I know there is no such thing as a “bad” diabetic.

Treat yourself kindly and intelligently.  You deserve it.

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