First, my newly diagnosed "board buddy" told me she was "scared" of Thanksgiving. Then she told me she was embarrassed about her blood sugar in response to her Thanksgiving Feast.

I felt really badly that she was "scared" of celebrating. That's just not how we should be made to feel. I was diagnosed as a child just a few weeks before Thanksgiving. I don't remember any fear or guilt or embarrassment. Mom altered a few things (such as the amount of sugar in the apple pie) and I know I stopped eating cranberry sauce and drinking apple cider (except for lows) but other than that ... no fear or guilt. So, I didn't really know what to say to her other 1) test often 2) write it down and 3) learn from the experience. Telling someone to not be "scared" just seems to be insufficient advice.

On the other hand, I didn't want to tell her not to eat. That's just plain not happening in my house and it's not advice I want to give. I tend to do the cooking. I feel more in control. I know what is on the table. I know there is no sugar in the butternut squash (use cinnamon instead). I know there are no marshmallows on the sweet potatoes (use butter and, again, cinnamon instead). I know the apple pie has about half the amount of sugar and twice as much sugar and nutmeg. Sometimes I substitue a few macintosh apples (instead of my tradtional cortland apples) to add juice.

Now, that doesn't mean that this is a carb free meal and I've never cared about the fat (I think that's a veteran juvenile onset thing). So, it doesn't make it an easy day for any insulin dependent diabetic trying to maintain tight control.

For me it was my definition of a "good day." I had no lows while cooking. And I stayed <90 for most of the day. Dinner was consumed at 3 p.m. and since I had a few guests, I did not succumb to laying my butt on the couch so the food digested in a much better fashion. I tested hourly as I do with most meals. I took small amounts of Apidra and Humalog as required.

My mistake of the day was not taking any Regular insulin before I fell asleep or testing when I woke to take my Levemir at 11 p.m. Thus, I woke up high at 1:45. But alas, my kidneys were not destined to sit in a pile of sugar all night because I did wake up and treat the high. A shot of Apidra was all that was needed and alas, I was fortunate and woke up at 81.

But I too was subject to what Dr. Bernstein calls the "Chinese Food Syndrome." Diabetics and non-diabetics are actually all subject to it. As Dr. B describes, when we eat large meals and take or produce large amounts of insulin, our bodies notice all this insulin. So ... it decides to spit out glucose to compensate. I've noticed over the years it doesn't happen the day of the large meal. It tends to happen the day after the meal.

So, as happens ... yesterday I didn't eat breakfast. When I did decide to eat and dosed in my normal fashion I wound up high ... and it took about 1 1/2 to 2 times the amount of insulin for the food I ate. I always describe this as insulin behaving like "saline." I tried both Apidra and Humalog before finally dropping several hours later. I was even out shopping so I wasn't just sitting waiting for the insulin to do its thing - so insulin sensitivity should have been at my normal level of 1:70. NOT!

Do I feel embarrassed like my board buddy? No. I can't. After 32 years of this, if I feel guilty every Thanksgiving meal (or other), I'd be more depressed than I can even imagine. These are the traditions in which I will not eat low carb. I will not feel guilty. I will employ the tools that I use daily. I will use my hard earned experience. I will continue to test often and treat judiciously and will write down what I eat. I wjll not drink alcohol and further annoy my liver. I DO eat well.

I can't even offer more advice than I already did (about testing, and dosing and controlling the food preparation). I can only let less experienced buddies know that am not perfect no matter how much I try. I do reduce the risks but can't and don't avoid all of them. For instance, my lower sugar apple pie is pretty good if I do say so but I won't avoid pie entirely.

And honestly, I may write down the data on the holiday but I learn from what I wrote down the next day. Other than worrying about events that make me feel really icky, I try to enjoy the holiday for what it is - a day of being thankful for what I do have.

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Doris

diagnosed juvenile-onset diabetes 11/2/76