Bridging the Gap: 4 Things I’ve Learned about Diabetes

1. There’s Many Types, and They’re That Different?

There are many different types of diabetes. The most commonly known are Types 1 and 2, and they are very different…

Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that sadly has no cause or cure. It develops when the pancreas stops producing insulin. This is a serious problem, since insulin is what regulates blood sugar, and uses it to give the body energy. Therefore, the person needs to take insulin through injections or an insulin pump. To avoid having too low of a blood sugar level, or too high, the patient needs to consistently be checking their blood glucose with finger pricks or a continuous glucose monitor to determine when insulin needs to be administered. 

Type 2 is when the pancreas produces insulin, but the body is resistant to the insulin being produced. The pancreas’ main job is to regulate glucose production, but within those who live with T2D, the pancreas has a hard time managing these blood sugar levels. T2D is often related to genetics and/or lifestyle, but does not always require insulin to be managed properly. 

2. Finding the Balance within Diabetes Management

To help manage sugar levels in both, people with T1 and T2 diabetes, working out and living a healthy lifestyle can definitely help. But, a healthy lifestyle is not just about going, going, going… there needs to be some R&R, too. 

Stress can affect your blood sugar levels. When you are nervous, your body produces adrenaline to make you fight or flight the current situation. But, if you have diabetes, your body has a harder time enacting the fight or flight response, and instead the glucose remains in the bloodstream. The remaining glucose in the blood then causes a sugar imbalance. Therefore, it is just as important to do mental exercises as well as physical ones. 

3. Helpful Tools like the Omnipod® System

Insulet has taught me to have hope, to look to the future, and to smile at all of the healthy lives they support. Before coming to Insulet, I thought diabetes was something that had to be monitored and managed continuously with a large device strapped to your waist. 

Recently, one of my close family friends was diagnosed. He was only 15 years old, and I felt so sorry that at such a young age, he would have to take on the consistent responsibility of watching his sugar intake. But then I heard he was using the Omnipod^® System, and that the Pod helped keep him aware of his next step in an easier manner. Now, diabetes doesn’t rule his life, but instead it’s just a part of it. It is waterproof* and easy to use. It was great, since it let my friend be a kid, and have control over his life. 

Being able to work at a company that is so technologically advanced in improving the lives of those who live with diabetes is inspiring. I’m able to work every day knowing that what I’m doing will benefit others. Every time I open my computer and write an email, I’m benefiting others. Every time I share my knowledge of the power of the Pod with those who need it, I’m benefiting others. 

4. People with Diabetes Deserve Respect

Last, but definitely not least, I have gained an immense respect for the diabetes community and their families. Almost everyone that I work with at Insulet has a direct connection to someone who is living with diabetes. Whether it be a co-worker, a parent, a child, or a cousin, there is a passion for helping make life with diabetes easier. I have seen how much hard work goes into being a working parent, while also trying to care for your child who is learning how to manage their diabetes - how much your mind needs to be aware of your surroundings, your blood levels, your sugar intake, and your mood, when dealing with the disease. It’s a job, and it’s not part-time. Those living with diabetes could give us all a lesson in management… management of balancing our lives, our health, and our stress. Thank you diabetes community, for being a model for us all. 

-Jillian Bowdring, Insulet Intern