Diabetes Changes (D-Blog Week 2015, Day 4)

This is Day 4 in this year's Diabetes Blog Week. The topic: Change.
Today let's talk about changes, in one of two ways.  Either tell us what you'd most like to see change about diabetes, in any way.  This can be management tools, devices, medications, people's perceptions, your own feelings – anything at all that you feel could use changing.  OR reflect back on some changes you or your loved one has seen or been through since being diagnosed with diabetes.  Were they expected or did they surprise you?
OK, this is a little too serious for my taste today.

I don't want to talk about that oh-so-serious something I'd change in the world of diabetes. There are many things: CGM Availability for all who want it, Global Insulin Access, Insurance Coverage Navigability, Public Awareness, blah blah blah. It's all important. And stuff I advocate for - just not today.

Yes, I feel like I've seen a good amount of change in the 31 years since my T1D diagnosis. And those who've lived longer have seen their share, too.

Most recently at the JDRF TypeOneNation Summit in Metro Detroit, it was pretty fascinating hearing the legendary Dr. Fred Whitehouse talk about his experience during the past seven decades -- from seeing his little brother live through a dx'd, his practicing with the Dr. Eliot Joslin in the late 40s, moving his practice to the Detroit area and even treating the grown-up Elizabeth Hughes Gossett who as a girl was one of the first to ever get insulin from Dr. Banting himself.

The man has pretty much seen it all, and a hell of a lot has changed, no doubt.










Yep, true that. Kudos to Dr. Whitehouse, a man who at 89 has it going on!

Oh, and seriousness aside?

Today, my wish for that oh-so-great-change in diabetes (short of a cure):

Beer, instead of insulin.

Yep, I wish that those of us with diabetes didn't need insulin to survive. Instead, I wish that beer had
blood sugar lowering effects.

That would be awesome, and I'd have the best A1C ever.


Now, that would be a change I could get behind... and raise my glass to, without raising my blood sugars!


Comments

Frank said…
Wow, hearing about Dr Whitehouse really makes you realise how far diabetes has come in the past century and how lucky we are today. That JDRF Summit sounds like it was a fantastic experience, thanks for the insights Mike!
May 14, 2015 at 5:03 AM
Colleen said…
I'm glad you were able to listen to Dr. Whitehouse. He sounds fascinating.
And yes to the beer!
May 14, 2015 at 7:12 AM
Liz said…
Beer? Good Gawd. I'd be cured! I'd love to talk to Dr. Whitehouse and hear ALL his stories.
May 14, 2015 at 10:19 AM
Unknown said…
That was such an interesting history lesson on diabetes care over the years, and then seeing the actual devices during Gary Scheiner's talk was fascinating as someone who never had to use them. We have come a very long way, definitely gives me hope for the future.
May 14, 2015 at 11:02 AM
Kelley said…
I bet his speech was really interesting to hear! I wonder if it was recorded? I'd love to hear it too!

And yes to the beer, but maybe throw in wine in the blood sugar lowering mix too :)
May 14, 2015 at 11:08 AM
Anonymous said…
Too funny. Beer is not my thing but if we could pick one thing to substitute for insulin my vote would be chocolate. Thanks for the post.
May 14, 2015 at 11:17 AM
StephenS said…
Great looking at diabetes through the lens of Dr. Whitehouse. How great that you could see him present at the summit!

I am totally for the beer therapy. Maybe I can get to work on that one at home this weekend...
May 14, 2015 at 1:23 PM
Anonymous said…
Beer should help you suppress the tricky glucose release from liver, right? You'd just need to be sipping constantly...
May 14, 2015 at 1:55 PM
Kate Cornell said…
Beer for all!! Great post Mike.
May 14, 2015 at 5:31 PM
Anonymous said…
I would gladly take beer over insulin!
May 14, 2015 at 8:51 PM
Katie said…
Ha, I'll take beer over insulin any day! :) Thanks for sharing what you learned from Dr. Whitehouse. It's a great reminder of how far we have come. I got to hear Gary Scheiner at the JDRF Type One Summit in LA and was fascinated by how much better (and smaller!) the devices have become over the years.
May 14, 2015 at 9:01 PM
Mike Durbin said…
Great post, Mike! Cheers!
May 14, 2015 at 9:07 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COVID-19 Vaccine Researcher with Type 1 Diabetes Wins Nobel Prize

Image
Dr. Drew Weissman at the University of Pennsylvania isn't one to seek the spotlight. But as one of the two key researchers behind the science used to develop the first COVID-19 vaccines, his name has leapt into public view as of late 2020. Self-described as "just a basic scientist," Weissman is a modest man who has spent his lifetime devoted to research. He also happens to be living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) for more than 50 years, spanning the two decades that he and his colleagues have spent digging into the vaccine-related research that's become so critical to public health at the moment. Weissman may not be advertising that he lives with T1D, but a recent photograph of him getting his own COVID-19 vaccine shot in mid-December tipped off the public that he's sporting an insulin pump on his belt. DiabetesMine spoke with Weissman by phone in early 2021, just as President Joe Biden took office and the scattered vaccine distribution was making
Read more

The Unpredictable Stability of Diabetes

Image
Not too long ago, I came down with an unknown viral bug that knocked me off my game for a couple weeks. It wasn't immediately diagnosed, but turned out being a viral stomach flu that was probably complicated by COVID-19 from more than a month earlier. After 10 days of being unable to work and do much of anything, I turned a corner and started moving toward recovery. This all made me realize how much I appreciate (at times) the world of life with diabetes. As much as type 1 diabetes can seem the opposite of stable, it's also predictable at times in that instability. And that in itself, might very well be comfortable when compared to other health issues life throws at us. By that, I mean that even when your blood sugars are jumping High or diving Low without any rhyme or reason, there's a certain amount of familiarity that comes with it. If you're too High, take insulin. Maybe the injected insulin or pump boluses take too long because insulin isn't too quick-acting, s
Read more

Flapping the Gums

Image
No time for my chatty-typing fingers to engage you today. I'm off to the dentist's office for a dreaded appointment. Thanks to the wonders of D-enduced periodontal disease, this should be a visit full of poking, prodding, pain, and likely some bleeding. Great times. Not looking forward to this visit. Or the next more painful one. I see soup in my future. Maybe Easy Mac. But, I digress. That's all fodder for a future blog post. In the meantime today, talk amongst yourselves. Flap those online gums in the blogging world. And remember to brush and floss.
Read more