Mangled by the Mango: A Short Story in the Theater Known as Diabetes
The Scene: My couch. 9:45pm.
The Protagonist: My valiant efforts to look up the carb count for a mango, and
dose for it with laser-like precision.
The Antagonist: Diabetes. Who else would it be?
Alexis is ready to retire for the evening. She had a sensible dinner of chicken and spinach, with almost zero carbohydrates. She’d chosen a beautiful mango from the local market for her dessert, justifying its sweetness because of her carb-free dinner. She used the CalorieKing app on her iPhone to dutifully research the carb count of said mango, and accurately dosed for it uses her OmniPod insulin pump. The air is full of promise and sound diabetes management. She checks her bloodsugar.
Alexis: “275mg/dL? After all that? After looking up the effing carbs and dosing like a ninja and that’s what I get? TWO SEVENTY FIVE?! Hey Jacob….”
(calls to her boyfriend in the other room)
Jacob: “Yeah?”
Alexis: “Can you please remind me that, the next time we’re at the grocery store and I say the fruit looks nice and I’d really like to have a piece of it for dessert that I have no idea how to bolus for fruit and it’s going to completely ruin my day after 12 hours of gloriously controlled blood sugars?”
Jacob: “No problem sweetie. Will do.”
**SCENE**
Playwrite’s note: And that’s why my boyfriend is awesome – he goes right along with my diabetes rants, bless his heart!
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Comments
Fruit does me in too….It’s one of those items I gotta let the insulin work for about 30 minutes before I eat
Though I don’t have a pump, the way I do my insulin for a meal is all at once, including the fruit I’m eating for dessert. Perhaps taking what you need for everything beforehand would help you catch the mango at the peak of your insulin’s effectiveness. Or not.
All true. But fruit is too good and too good for you, to pass up. Besides, “…12 hours of gloriously controlled blood sugars” is a pretty good run. Two-seventy-five just happens sometimes, even when we’re almost perfect.
Sadly a mango did this to me yesterday 
I usually stick with apples and pears and berries when in season…but that delicious mango. Sigh (sometimes I feel I might as well eat chocolate!)
I have to balance my fruit with a bit of fat/protein to slow the blood sugar spike down. Banana+peanut butter, apple+cheese, mango+greek yogurt. Makes it a proper dessert as well.
Thanks for reminding me I’m not the only one dealing with this yo guys! Also, Ressy I really need to remember to bolus earlier for fruit like you said, or dose at the beginning like Tim mentioned. And Rose I love the fruit + protein idea! Sounds delish too.
Wow, this post is good, my younger sister is analyzing these things, thus I am going
to let know her.
You rock. this was way too true to life!