Jim Turner was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1970 as a teenager in high school. Glucometers didn’t exist. Pumps, CGMs, and even a steady long-acting insulin didn’t exist. But Jim is also a well-known actor whose starred in TV shows such as Arliss back in the late 80s, and more recently Granite Flats and Anger Management. He’s known in the diabetes community for his true-to-life videos at dLife that are always a charming mix of both humor and serious aspects of living with type 1 diabetes.
Can you imagine going back in time to the 1970s during your first few years of life with type 1 diabetes, and how different things would have been if you had had today’s technology like glucometers that give results in 5 seconds, insulin pumps, and continuous glucose monitors? Do you feel as though the technology would have impact far more than just your overall blood sugars, but any parts of your life or emotional wellbeing as well?
I think that, of course, my blood sugar management would have been better. But emotional well being; I’m not so sure. I think the initial diagnosis is such a shock that having more stuff to learn how to use doesn’t help things. I’m a fairly simple guy. I have many reasons for not going on the pump but a main one is that it seems like a giant mess of stuff to figure out and frankly, I don’t want to. I’ve seen perfectly intelligent people struggle with how to simply test their blood sugar. I think it would have slowed my acceptance of my diabetes initially.
Where do you feel, in your own personal experience living with diabetes, diabetes technology is still falling short?
Right about the time that I started testing my blood sugar in 1980 with the old Chem-Strips (no meter, just an eyeball guestimate based on the color the strip turned after being dipped in urine) I had this idea for a thing about the size of a dime that would be surgically inserted into your bloodstream and then somehow cordlessly forwarded to a device you carried around. This was during the heyday of the cordless phone. Wireless was not a thing yet. We now have the CGM that works the same way, but I still kind of like the thing inserted in your blood stream. As far as actual things, I’m not much of a visionary. I love my CGM. I don’t mind taking shots. I read about the artificial pancreas and it just makes me nervous — what if it reads your BG wrong and pumps you with insulin. I know this is silly but that’s where I am. If it was left up to me, diabetes technology would probably wither and die right where it is. I’m awful.
You’ve shared a great deal through dLife episodes and interviews about hypoglycemic episodes during work and home-life and how supportive your family and coworkers have been…do you have any tips or suggestions for helping people educate their friends and family about diabetes and get the support they need?
Oh jeez. I think just talk it up. Talk about it all the time. I think people are pretty bored with my diabetes stories by now. The main thing is not feeling any shame about it. Talk, talk, talk. I got really mad playing golf the other day. Really mad at myself. I threw a club. The first thing my friend asked was if I need something to eat. Like NOW. I said no, I’m just mad that I suck at golf. He said, are you sure, why don’t you test? I did. It was my golf. So… find a way to accept it (the diabetes) and yourself and let people know. If people want to get educated about it, there’s a lot of wonderful books — your book “Your Diabetes Science Experiment” is a great way to understand it. But the person has to make the commitment to read it. I don’t expect my friends or family to go reading about my diabetes. That’s why I continually talk about it.
You have a wonderful way of talking about diabetes with both a lightness and a serious respect for how overwhelming it can be…do you have any personal mantras or philosophies that help you face diabetes each day?
I used to meditate and I think even though I don’t anymore, I think that continues to help me deal with the moment I’m in. I try to stay in the moment instead of racing off into the future to deal with things that haven’t happened yet or running back into the past to fix things that can’t be fixed anymore. A character in the movie, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, says something to the effect, “wherever you go, there you are.” Man, is that the perfect diabetes guideline, or what!
Thank you, Jim!