Dia-wuh???

Diabulimia is a term I came across a few years ago when researching complications of diabetes. For me, knowing the possible complications of diabetes helps me to freak out a lot less than being in the dark. Fear of the unknown and all that. In order to understand the seriousness of diabulimia it's important to understand exactly how diabetes works.

This is the way insulin works. When we eat anything with carbohydrates our bodies beta cells produce insulin. This insulin turns the glucose in our body into energy. You might be surprised at what foods contain carbs; it's not just breads and pastas. Fruits, vegetables (peas & corn especially), milk, yogurt, sports drinks (gatorade), juice, regular soda, nuts, ice cream, beans, soups all have varying amounts of carbohydrates. There is a misconception that people with diabetes eat too much sugar or should not have sugar. Diabetics, like anyone else, need carbs. Also, like anyone else they should try to eat more healthy carbs than unhealthy carbs.

In a person with type 1 diabetes, the beta cells (contained in the pancreas) gradually stop producing insulin. With nothing in the system to lower blood sugar, it continues to rise. If left untreated high blood sugar leads to serious complications, one of which is weight loss, and eventually death. Treatment is multiple daily injections of insulin and constant monitoring of glucose levels in the blood. It's a pain the ass, it's uncomfortable for the diabetic and it can be heartbreaking for the family to watch.

Now, what exactly is diabulimia? Diabulimia is when a person reduces or skips insulin doses in order to increase blood sugar and ultimately in order to lose weight quickly. This article can answer your questions about diabulimia. I don't know enough about it to confidently explain the disorder. What I do know is that it scares the hell out of me and that all of us need to be aware of this disorder. Diabulimia is not recognized as a medical disorder. Yet. Hopefully with time and with an increase in awareness we can change that.