No ‘betes over here.
I wish that sparkling 81mg/dL in the picture below was my blood sugar. But it’s not. It’s my future sister-in-law’s. She wanted to check her blood sugar one morning while we were camping on the river, so we did.
Nothing really says “good morning” like knowing your pancreas is working just fine, right? Wait a second….I wouldn’t know much about that, now would I? 
Ah well, a girl can dream of functioning beta cells and bagels for breakfast can’t she?
Almost all of us with diabetes have tested a friend’s BG before, only to reveal a number we’re jealous of. I’ve lent my meter to dozens of people in my almost 20 years with diabetes, and each time the BG comes back in range I am amazed by the human body. Having diabetes makes you appreciate the incredible work of art that is our endocrine system. The fact that a non-diabetic can metabolize an entire ice-cream-hot-fudge-sundae…hell make it 10 ice-cream-hot-fudge-sundaes in a row without so much as going a point over 120mg/dL is nothing short of a miracle to me. Amazing instruments, those functioning pancreases.
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Comments
Yes, those things are amazing, as are most parts of the body. Now, if only the natural pancreas had an (almost) indestructibly hard plastic shell to protect it from that cherished yet pesky immune system, then we’d be in good shape!
I think that those of us who have Type 1 should have as our reward an immune system that ALSO kills all the bad cells, germs and microbes. We should never have another cold or flu attack!
Tim that is so true! And in fact, we’re the reason that everyone else is ok - read this quote by one of my favorite authors, James Hirsch:
“The system generates so many surplus T cells that some of them escape their intended purpose and attack healthy cells. This forms the basis of all autoimmunity. It may be tragic for the individual victims, but the immune system is so advantageous, indeed necessary, for the species’ survival that sacrificing 1 or 2 percent of the population is acceptable to ensure that everyone else lives. Evolution doesn’t care whether your child or mine lives or dies. It only cares that the population endures. This is no consolation to anyone with autoimmunity, no comfort to a parent whose diabetic child seems all but helpless against the vagaries of a heartless condition. But those very youngsters deserve recognition for their special sacrifice. It is no exaggeration to say that diabetes is the price we… pay for the survival of all humanity.”
-James S. Hirsch
I always think of that! How amazing other people´s pancreas are!