Don't Blame Me for My Diabetes

“Chromium,” my friend told me last week. “If you take chromium, you can cure yourself of type 2 diabetes.”

On the other end of the phone, I sighed. While it’s true that a few good studies have shown that chromium may lower blood sugars, the jury is still out on the supplement. In any case, the medical world has not called it a ‘cure.’

As a freelance health and science writer, I am constantly running into well-meaning folks who try to tell me how I can cure my diabetes.

Their advice is usually based on a recent study they just read, or an episode of The Biggest Loser they just watched, where someone with excess poundage was miraculously cured of diabetes once they sweated off the excess weight.

Given how difficult it is to control a chronic disease like type 2, their ‘insights’ and ‘well meaning advice’ hardly seem fair.

And, aside from being annoyed – I’ve managed type 2 for over twenty-five years and have an A1C of 6.2 – their information seems to blame me for my disease, even though I’ve never been seriously overweight.

While being overweight or obese is definitely a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes – as well as other diseases – it isn’t the sole determining factor: usually there is a genetic component as well. People don’t ‘give’ themselves type 2 diabetes or have the ability to ‘get rid of’ type 2 diabetes forever. In most cases it can be controlled, but not eradicated.

Yes, dieting and exercise can help reverse the symptoms and can prevent people who have pre-diabetes from sliding into full-blown type 2. And having a gastric bypass in extreme cases of obesity can reverse the disease. But gaining back the weight can start the cycle all over again.

All of this is worth mentioning, because type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease, which means it requires constant monitoring and vigilance. In type 2, the body cannot process glucose, makes too little insulin, and develops something called insulin resistance, where the cells cannot utilize even the available insulin in the body. Once this mechanism is in effect, this means that if you slip off the wagon and regain your weight, you can restart your type 2. According to recent research, if you have a tendency towards type 2 diabetes, even eating a large meal can raise your blood sugars more than a normal person’s.

But just because you’ll never be completely rid of type 2 doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel. Watching your diet, keeping careful track of your carbohydrate numbers, and getting regular exercise are all worthwhile goals that can prevent complications and keep you feeling better. Lowering your A1C reading – an average of your sugars over three to six months – by a few points can have a profound affect in preventing nerve damage, heart disease, eye problems and other difficult and serious complications.

What is not needed in this equation is the guilt imposed by others. Next time someone tries to explain to you how you can ‘fix’ your disease, assure them that you are getting the best care possible and are taking the proper care of your condition.

In other words, speak up. Having a chronic disease is tough enough without feeling you’re to blame.