Lower than a rising glucometer

Published 7:34 pm Thursday, May 6, 2010

You’d never think that a day that begins with a drop of blood would suggest a good day. But when you’re a diabetic and that drop of blood hits a test strip that feeds information to a glucometer that indicates your blood sugar is a perfectly normal 107, a drop of blood is simply the best way to start the day.

The battle of maintaining one’s blood sugar is very familiar to those afflicted with diabetes. But I wonder if there is anyone else who feels like a whole other person with normal blood sugar. It’s almost like stepping out of that phone booth that once held Clark Kent and emerging as Superman. You feel invincible. Like all things are possible.

Add to that, the excellent weather we’re experiencing in the area and I am — and I’m almost ashamed to say this — beaming with energy and vitality.

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I feel like running a marathon, kickboxing in Thailand, or even skydiving while riding the back of a Bengal tiger. I have just that much energy.

Moreover, again for those familiar with the symptoms of diabetes, my restroom stops are much less frequent. So, not only is normal blood sugar energizing but a real time saver.

But what I like most about having normal blood sugar is the absence of that giant sleepytime bear on my back. It’s the same bear that’s constantly urging me to take naps when I’m in the middle of important things like working or driving to the ice cream parlor.

So factoring in all those positive effects from keeping my blood sugar normal, there’s no wonder I feel like the Man of Steel himself.

And since achieving this feeling is no easy task for a man who chases his next plate of food like an archeologist might chase the Holy Grail, I really try to savor these rare moments. I also take the time to remind myself that moments like these should not be as rare as they are. If I can do it once, I can do it always.

I absolutely must chase this feeling from now on. This one seems to have snuck up on me. My careful eating, new medications and learning to say ‘no’ on occasion have granted me this awesome feeling for a spell. It is a spell I must continue to chase, for my health, for my sanity, and, more immediately, for the duration of the wonderful weather, which has only enhanced the feeling that much more.

So, to all you other diabetics out there, chase that feeling of normal blood sugar. It is the cure for more than just your illness. It is a mood changer and an indicator that diabetes in a very treatable disease.

With that said, I think I’ll go find a speeding train to outrun.