An Everyday, Nonstop Roller Coaster Ride

I was never really a fan of roller coasters. To practice brutal honesty, they scared the crap out of me as a child. As children, my family frequented Walt Disney World and I was scared to go on some of the rides there. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain were all terrifying to me. Thankfully, one parent was willing to go on those rides with my brother and sister while another one would go on Pirates of the Caribbean with me multiple times in a row. These rides had nothing in comparison to more of the intense roller coasters at Six Flags Great America.

At that time, I never thought I would be able to overcome those fears of going on roller coasters. They were frightening, scary, and I would honestly have rather spent my time watching the Disney Animators working in their studios all day long. That brought me peace, while the idea of riding a roller coaster brought terror. Eventually, I was able to overcome those fears and ride pretty much any kind of rollercoaster and even come to enjoy some of the excitement and thrill-seeking.

The ironic part of this story is that ever since I was diagnosed with type one diabetes my life became an everyday, nonstop roller coaster ride. To explain it as easily as possible, as a type one diabetic we focus on keeping our blood glucose (sugar) level in a healthy range. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends a level between 80 and 130 (although over the years I’ve been instructed to focus more on 70 to 120). Either way, that’s a small window of keeping the blood sugar in range (a range of 50 to be exact).

For those of you who have a healthy, functioning pancreas your body does this for you. So, as I look down at my desk and see Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers from Keebler (delicious by the way), I read the back nutrition facts where it says Total Carb. 23g. If you were to eat this, your body produces its own natural insulin in order to break down the sugar and release it from your body – pretty fancy. Most of your work is focused on enjoying the amazing snack.

As a type one diabetic, our bodies do not break down the sugar naturally. Therefore, we rely on medicine and technology to help us do just that. So, before we can even bite into the first of six little sandwiches we must take our blood. Let’s say our blood sugar is in that healthy range, such as 100. Well, we don’t need to take any further insulin to correct that. Then I grab my insulin pump and enter in 23g of carbohydrates and the fancy pager-like gadget calculates how much insulin I need based on my carbohydrate/insulin ratio.  So, that number comes out to be 2.8 units of insulin.

With an insulin pump or other kind of delivery device it can be relieving at the amount of work it can help you do. But, when I was using syringes alone back in the day it was more work. I had to count the carbohydrates, calculate the amount of insulin, grab the insulin bottle, pull out a new syringe, draw up the correct amount, and inject it. All of that so I can eat the sandwich crackers.

How does this relate to a rollercoaster? Well, when you think about it… the last two paragraphs were only about eating a snack with a healthy blood sugar. Take into consideration some of the other factors such as meals throughout the day, when blood sugars are above or below that average and need correction, working out, long days at work, interrupted sleep, going out to restaurants and not knowing the exact carbohydrate count, being sick, or even unexplained reasons for complicated numbers. So many different factors can influence and have an impact on someone’s blood sugar levels, and when your body does not do it naturally the work it takes is a life full of dealing with the highs (ups) and lows (downs).

High blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) can lead to increased thirst, headaches, trouble concentrating, blurred vision, frequent peeing, fatigue, weak, feeling tired, and even potential weight loss. Low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia) can lead to shakiness, nervousness or anxiety, sweating, chills, irritability, impatience, confusion, rapid heartbeat, lightheadedness or dizziness, and hunger or nausea. Imagine experiencing some of those symptoms every day or even multiple times in a day.

You may find yourself thinking, “So with all the technology and information why can’t a diabetic just keep their levels between 80-130 all the time?” To be honest, a lot of us do our very damn best to do that. But, in all my times as a diabetic and finding out from others that never, ever happens. That’s why people will often say that living a life with type one diabetes is like being a rollercoaster every day of our lives that we never get a chance to get off.

We experience and deal with the symptoms of high and low blood sugars all the time. Sometimes we know what caused it – – and other times we chalk those up as the unexplained reasons. We can test our blood sugar, calculate the right amount of insulin, draw it up perfectly or enter it into our delivery device, and moments later it could be too high or too low. We can go to bed at night with a perfect blood sugar level and be woken up in the middle of the night shaky (from being too low) or frequently peeing (from being too high).

At first, the roller coaster is a frightening, scary, and even an angry ride. We desperately want to get off of this ride and never have to get on it again. But, when that diagnosis comes from the words of the doctor it’s the beginning of the rollercoaster that because of not having a cure, will not end.

However, the ride gets easier. We find ways to manage the ups and downs, twists and turns just like getting used to the rollercoaster at a theme park. The preparation and courage we take is what allows us to not only survive the ride but continue to thrive under circumstances that are not ideal for anyone. It’s one of the characteristics that makes a type one diabetic such a strong individual. We learn not to run, hide, or give up… instead, we learn how to take a challenge, push ourselves to deal with all the painful and uncomfortable parts of managing this disease, and yes… we even find ways to say with a smile, “It’s one hell of a ride.”