Men, Women, and Diabetes

In the world of diabetes management, who has a harder time: men or women? Let's face it, we all have our daily challenges. As I wrote this post, I just finished raising a 55 mg/dl blood glucose reading. Not fun, but not too troubling.

So, who really has it harder? Get ready for a laugh and learn session.

Ask any guy who has had this disease for awhile and they should tell you that women (yes, women) have a harder time managing this disease. Why? Duh!

Let's look at a few of the challenges women with diabetes have to face:
- Hormones, beginning from the "tween" age to well in to the golden years, reek havoc. They cause a beautiful blood sugar level to go from a 100 to a 310 in minutes. Men? Don't our hormones begin to level off at around 40 years of age? Oh, wait a minute... I'm 40!
- In addition to hormone havoc, emotions are tied in to this mess (hormones and irregular bg levels, cause emotions). Men can, and usually are to blame, but we won't discuss that here.
- Stress. Everything from school, peers, family, work (lather, rinse, & repeat), lions, tigers, and bears can cause BG levels to drop or soar. Do men really have this problem?
- And let's talk about family for a moment. For working women (single, married, and or married with children), the challenge to maintain normal BGs are a huge responsibility. If the word, "deadline(s)" causes your sugars to rise, then I'm sorrry. Really, it stinks.
- Oh, and let's not forget mothers who take care of diabetic childen! Face it, we men are sometimes CLUELESS (hello!) of all the work these wonderful women do. Talk about LOTS of responsibility and they make sure our undies get cleaned. Oh my!
- Food and exercise! In addition to all the other things diabetic women experience, they work very hard to take care of their health. Maintaining good BG control is paramount. Men? Yeah, we workout, too, but there's always time for a light beer (or two, or...) and a few pretzels.
- Lastly, the other health issues women face compared to men. I ain't touchin' this one. Nuh, uh. You can't make me. Men just don't belong in this particular point. We would lose miserably. (Some of you guys are gonna shake your heads in disbelief at this one. Okay, why don't you ask any mother what child birth is really like and see if you can pass that test. Hmmm?)

Special note: If you're not laughing, nodding you head in agreement, or smiling in the least by now, YOU need to get with the program. End special note.

Okay, take a deep breath. Yes, we diabetic men have our problems, too. When our BGs are high, we get angry or disappointed. When having a low, we open the fridge and eat everything in sight without much regard for our loved ones. We, too, hate stress and cry shed a tear during a great action movie. Other than that, the list is pretty small compared to women.

Truth be told, we all share much of the pain and joy that comes with this disease. We are all a part of a community that weeps and laughs together, and cares for each other with hopes of living long, fruitful lives.

By the way, are you smiling yet? :)