What’s It Like?

I tried to think of appropriate metaphors to describe diabetes to the pancreatically gifted when I’m really, really bored. If you really want to take the time to explain diabetes, you need more than a few minutes. To really get into the nitty-gritty it takes a sit down and a somewhat serious conversation. But when you don’t have the time for serious, I go for the other end of the spectrum. Which brings me to this video that is the perfect quick example of how sweet diabetes (see what I did there?) is IMHO.

I don’t think this is analogy is 100%, but I think you can use it to describe some of the joys of diabetes. Hear me out.

I’ve never had to have explicit permission from diabetes to do anything. Ever. However that doesn’t mean I am not constantly aware of what diabetes is “allowing” me to do. Cupcake for dessert? Gotta check the bg. Pasta for dinner? Bg better agree with the portion. A low or a spike demands immediate attention before I can resume normal activity. Even after I’ve corrected an out-of-range number, I still have to keep an eye on it for the next hour or so to make sure things are back to “normal.” For everything that I do, as hard as I try to keep everything under control, I always have to be aware of what my diabetes is up to. It’s something that I can never ignore. To relate it to the video: Diabetes = Vista’s crazy security, Me = John Hodgman (PC).

Sometimes I feel like diabetes is that annoying chaperon that is a total buzz kill on the night. It’s a 3rd wheel on an epic date (as if I have proper context for that). It’s an overprotective firewall that prevents anything from happening on your computer, hence the video. I have these vivid explanations ready any time someone new asks me: “what is diabetes like?” As much as I hate that question, I’ve heard it enough that I have a few quick responses ready, just in case. Do you have any other metaphors or analogies out there that are your go-to responses for what “diabetes is like.”