Not a diabetic

Posted on by Reena Saxena

I am the lucky one from all sides of the family, in not being diabetic. My mother had osteoporosis and suffered from a lot of pain, but no hypertension or diabetes in 82 years. I’m inclined to believe that these two health issues will not affect me.

However, my three sisters-in-law (who are all diabetics) are not happy with the fact.

In the week after my mother-in-law’s death, when we were supposed to be in mourning, I heard a loud comment.

“Congratulations!”

I was baffled. Nothing great had happened for me to deserve this honour.

“Your medical reports are in, and your blood sugar is normal.”

OMG! Was being normal an achievement? Maybe, yes, when others around you are not normal.

I went to the ophthalmologist for new glasses, and my vision had deteriorated drastically. The doc advised a blood sugar check.

Next morning, the servant came to call me as soon as I woke up. My brother-in-law (a doctor) was waiting to test my blood sugar in fasting mode. A quick needle prick on my finger and his device showed 128. He grimaced, and arranged for a complete blood test from the lab.

The technician collected the blood sample. There was very little conversation during the day. The medical reports that arrived in the evening seemed to surprise them.

“But your blood sugar is normal. Maybe the device at home is not functioning properly.”

Did I sense resentment, and not jubilation?

A typical conversation in a large gathering would go like this. Someone asks my sister-in-law,

“No sugar? Are you diabetic?”

“Only Reena is not.”

I lost my cool one day.

“Why do you need to always say who is not. This has happened 3-4 times. If someone is asking about you, reply with a Yes or No.”

They don’t take kindly to the youngest daughter-in-law raising her voice, but I just had to.

On a different note, I keep reading that blood sugar up to 150 should not cause concern. However, pharmaceutical conspiracies have set the benchmark at 100, to entrap a larger number of people in the net of diabetes remedies.

Friday Faithfuls at MLMM

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