Can You Get Used to Diabetes?

Usually, when someone finds out I have diabetes, the conversation goes like this:

            Them: Oh, so you have diabetes?

            Me: Yeah, Type I. (I always try to make that distinction.)

            Them: Oh, my (fill in with some relative) has diabetes.

            Me: Really? That's a bummer.

            Them: Yeah, it runs in my family, so I'll probably get it too.  Did you just eat   too much sugar?

            Me: Uh.. No... Type I is actually an autoimmune disorder.

            Them: Oh, right. Well, I guess you're probably used to it by now.

That final comment is my pet peeve.  It is ridiculous how often I hear some form of it, all with the same theme.  If you've had diabetes for a while, then you are "used to it" and therefore immune to whatever the disease entails- shots pump sets, finger sticks, counting carbs, being high, being low...

There is no doubt that the first couple of months after diagnosis were the worst, mainly because of all the adjustments that I had to make to my lifestyle.  I had to learn how to use the tools, such as the meter, the pump, and the different kinds of insulin.  I had to remember to carry carbs for an emergency low, and I had to remember to always grab your kit.  I had to remember to always reconnect my pump and bolus for meals.  At first, dealing with diabetes was completely consuming.

I do believe that I have gotten used to some of these things.  I feel strangely naked without my pump on, and I always carry a kit and some carbs.  I don't get nervous to put in new infusion sets or take a shot.  When I feel funny, testing my blood sugar is a second nature response.

However, I don't think that I will ever get used to diabetes, because every day is so different.  I have gotten used to the tools, the motions, and the idea of how to manage my blood sugar, but not the unique circumstances of any given situation.   How could I be used to the seemingly random blood sugar spike at 10:00 this morning, when I have never spiked at that time before?  How could I be used to going low at work, when usually I fight to keep my blood sugar down during those couple of hours? 

The truth is that the unexpected and unexplainable swings in blood sugar define diabetes more than changing my set every couple of days or pricking my finger.  Yet, it's impossible to adjust to something that you don't know is coming!  No situation is the same; often, a comparison to even the previous day is totally useless.