I’ve been quite active lately going to open mic nights to tell some jokes and develop a standup routine. It’s stressful trying to balance this with a full time job, marriage and a household. I am getting better at compartmentalizing my tasks and thoughts and making lists, lots of lists. Diabetes and stress do not bode well together. Sugars go up in my case because I tend to eat more when I’m stressed. Ironically “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts.”

Before going out at night I eat a healthy dinner around 5:30 to 6:00. This is a good time because I tend to get a little sleepy after a meal. Don’t want to hit the road or the stage, sleepy. Dinner usually consists of: a protein – chicken breast or fish – 4-6 ounces; a starch of either brown rice (1 cup) or a sweet potato (6-8 ounces) and salad. I chase it with a glass of water. No alcohol before going on stage…no way. It slows down my thought process.

Before leaving the house I take my insulated bag (“CARBOLICIOUS”) with a couple of apples. I know I’ll be hungry on my way home.

I have managed to find one or two “healthier” items on the menu at the clubs where I’ve been doing standup. “Healthier” as opposed to fried foods which my stomach cannot tolerate. At Cozzy’s Comedy Club and Tavern in Newport News I recommend the Spinach and Artichoke dip with pita rounds or a small salad. At Cinema Cafe just plain old popcorn or a salad.

Drink club soda and I’ll tell you why. In general I have been staying away from all soda because I think that it increases my desire for more sweets. Last night I ordered a diet soda but I think the waitress gave me soda with sugar. I hadn’t eaten a thing since dinner and my blood sugar rose into the high 200′s. Insane. Fortunately I got through my set feeling okay. When I got home at midnight my bg was 297! By the morning I had tested enough and taken enough insulin to get me back to normal, waking up with a bg of 95. So again I emphasize, order club soda because even the best wait staff can make a mistake.

I’ve been developing a routine about life with diabetes. Trying to make it funny, not gruesome. We all have our stories, our desire for “evil” food that will set our blood sugar reeling sky high. Maybe not everyone but I do. For many it’s the high carbohydrate foods that are a weakness. I’m always reflecting on my first endocrinologist’s words of wisdom: “Everything in moderation Susan, everything in moderation.”