It's been about eleven months since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (insulin dependent). Since that time, I've been shooting insulin with every meal and snack and monitoring my blood glucose levels with an electronic meter. I've done amazingly well with this task - possibly because it's all numbers and I'm comfortable with that.

I am amazed, myself, because I had heard, not horror stories, but discouraging stories when I was diagnosed about how difficult diabetic control could be. On top of that, I read about all kinds of side-effects of diabetes like loss of sensation, vision impairment or blindness, and sexual dysfunction. I was pretty concerned.

But, as time went on, my diabetes seemed to be in very good control. I kept my blood glucose levels in the "optimum" range probably more than 95% of the time. After a few months of this, I started feeling comfortable knowing my blood glucose levels would be good in the morning and at dinner and that I only needed to check at lunch and before bedtime for any potential concerns. This worked really well... until this last four to six weeks.

During the last four to six weeks, I've started to notice spikes in my blood sugar when I test. I attributed it to over-eating at the pizza place I often go to - and vowed to take it easy there. I also attributed it to the fact that I've generally been pretty sedentary lately.

It occured to me tonight, however, that I could be exiting the Honeymoon Phase of my diabetes. If that's true, the road ahead is going to be a little bumpier and my diabetic control is going to require more strict monitoring.

After a person is initially diagnosed with diabetes, they may go through a "honeymoon phase" which may last days, weeks, months, or, in rare cases, years. During this phase of the disease, the diabetic must maintain little or no control over their blood sugars because their pancreas is, in a sense, "bouncing back" due to the assistance from insulin injections.

So, maybe that's what's happened to me. Maybe I've been lucky enough to have an easy time during the last eleven months. Now it's time to be a true diabetic and watch myself very closely.

To combat the high blood sugars I've been having, I'm going to have to do the following:

• Eat a little less carbohydrate content
• Increase my insulin ratios from 15:1 to 12:1
• Exercise more

Then, in a couple weeks, I'll review my readings again and see how I'm doing.

It sounds funny when you say it (because it sounds like a furniture store advertisement) but it's never been a better time to be diabetic. Doctors not only allow, but encourage diabetics to learn as much as they can about their condition so they can take control of it themselves.

A couple good online resources on diabetes are Diabetes 123 and Diabetes.org.