My Christmas present to you: You can’t control your blood sugar levels.

I’ve been saying this for quite some time, and now I’m going to write about it. Blood sugar levels and diabetes cannot be controlled. Sure, you can manage it, influence it, navigate it, debate it, and enrage it en masse, but you can’t “control” it. You can’t just do x, y, z and get the exact numbers you want. The reason for this is many interacting factors. If you’ve had diabetes long enough for the shock to wear off, I’m going to go out on a limb and say you agree, as everyone does when I explain this to them. You would think that after living with Type 1 for 51 years, I would know all the tricks to control it – no, that hasn’t happened yet.

So, this is my Christmas present to you. You’ll see why you can’t control it and what to do instead. “Myths about blood sugar control and better ways to manage your blood sugar.” Featured in this month’s DiabetesSisters newsletter.

It’s truly amazing that this falsehood has been told to us for decades by medical professionals, the media, and now device companies. Is that wishful thinking? Do we like to speak aloud? Medical training for acute illnesses fails miserably for chronic illnesses.

Whatever the cause, whether it’s scientific evidence, anecdotal evidence, or simply repeating this myth without really thinking about it, people with diabetes expect the impossible from themselves, which makes them feel worse. You become sad, frustrated, disappointed, angry, ashamed, and burned. When they fail to achieve it, you blame it.

So I’m going to sneak somewhere today, read. The rewards are immediate. And all I have to say is it’s going to be the gift that keeps on giving every day.