When I think of a cookie, the song from my childhood will almost always come into my head. In the Cookie Monster’s voice, I would hear, “C is for cookie. That’s good enough for me.” I loved cookies as a child, especially Oreos®. This was back before there was a double stuff. Just two black cookies with a creamy filling!
It wasn’t until I got diabetes back in 1977, and I couldn’t have any of the creamy fillings that I started to crave them. Nothing changed except now I was told that they were off limits. They have so many carbohydrates it isn’t worth it now that I am all grown up, in control of my diabetes and myself.
Just in case you were wondering, three cookies come to 25g of carbohydrates and 130 calories (and two double stuff’s come to 21g and 150 calories).
Several Weeks Ago…
During a routine grocery shopping trip, I start to head down the last aisle. Out of nowhere, my blood sugar dropped fast. I had sun spots in my vision, and my legs were weak.
I looked up and saw that I was in the cookie aisle. Oh, Crap! Need I say more!
I looked all around and then…I saw them, there in their blue bag staring up at me, calling my name! I reached down and grabbed the large bag of Oreos®.
I ripped open the bag and an Oreo® dropped out onto the floor. I paid it no mind and started to eat the Oreos®. I must have eaten 9 or 10 by the time I got to the cash register. 8 to 9 – if you count the one that got away.
Then I went out to my car, put the groceries in the back and placed the Oreos® on the front passenger seat. I ate two more. Before turning the key, I decided to check my blood sugar. It was back to normal.
Why didn’t this happen at the beginning of my trip to the grocery store? Like when I was in the vegetable aisle! I had packets of honey with me in my pocket for just such an emergency.
I looked at the bag, and I got out of the car. I took the bag of cookies to a trashcan and threw them away before, oh my God; they would end up in my home.
I got back in my car and gave some fast-acting insulin to balance my blood sugar.
At first, I was happy eating the cookies, pulling off the cookie halves and licking off the filling. Ahhh, if I had just had some milk.
After the stop at the trash can, I was on my way home. I thought to myself how stupid I was. I have passed by the Oreos® in the grocery store hundred’s of times over the years with nothing happening. I’ve admired them and enjoyed seeing them but didn’t buy them.
All humans make mistakes.
However, during this recent reaction, my acts were deliberate and calculated, after realizing my error in judgment in the cookie Isle:
- I took care of the reaction first.
- I then went and tested my blood sugar before getting behind the wheel of a car.
- I got rid of the temptation.
- I compensated for the binge with extra insulin.
- I didn’t beat myself up or make myself feel bad. No one is perfect, and only this one time out of hundreds did I succumb to the cookie monster.
- Even though I didn’t use my reaction kit, I had it with me.
Overall, I did a good job. Remember: diabetes is hard to manage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For every so-called mistake, there are a lot of things you do right.
Hopefully, the cookie monster won’t get you, but if he does let’s talk about what you did right.
To get help or for more information on Diabetes-Focused Psychotherapy go to Eliot’s website or set up a free 30-minute phone consultation.
Eliot LeBow, LCSW, CDE, is a diabetes-focused psychotherapist. His private practice, located in New York City and is also available via Skype. LeBow, who has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1977, treats the many diverse cognitive, behavioral, and emotional needs of people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Medical Disclaimer:
All the advice included in this blog is therapeutic in nature and should not be considered medical advice. Before making any changes to your diabetes maintenance program, please consult with your primary physician or endocrinologist.
