“Would you rather” is a neat little game because it’s both hypothetical and literal: You’re presented with a scenario or a concept that could either be real or total fantasy, but in both cases, you’ve got to choose the one that you’d prefer to deal with over the other. 

So I figured, why not have some fun and play it with a diabetes spin?

Here’s my game of would you rather….diabetes edition:

High or low blood sugar? I don’t like either, but I have to go with high blood sugar here because the symptoms of a high aren’t as bad or scary for me as my low symptoms.

Insulin pump or injections? If you’d asked me this a decade ago, I would’ve said injections all the way, but I haven’t missed multiple daily injections since I went on my OmniPod about six years ago. So insulin pumps are my winner here.

Glucose tablets or juice boxes? I go through phases and lately, juice boxes are my go-to for lows because they’re so dang quick and perfectly pre-portioned.

CGM or fingerstick checks? As long as the CGM is accurate (accuracy is crucial here), then I’d choose CGM any day of the week.

Lick blood or wipe? The mere prospect of licking a drop of blood away after a finger-stick check gives me the heebie-jeebies. I’ve never done it and will never do it…wiping blood drops on a piece of tissue is the way to go for me (if you’re a blood licker then I’m not shaming you, I just can’t stomach the thought of it).

Abdomen or arm site? This is a tough call because I like both for different reasons, but abdomen sites slightly edge out arm sites – I have great absorption there and they’re more discreet underneath clothing.

Back or leg site? Back sites over leg sites, easily. Leg sites can be so uncomfortable and I always risk ripping them off whenever I’m getting dressed whereas back sites rarely ever get in the way.

Abdomen or back site? Of course I have to take my two favorite sites and pit them against each other! Back sites win this one again. For me, they’re the most comfortable sites that also have good absorption and don’t interfere with my outfits much, if at all.

Endocrinologist appointment twice a year or quarterly (four times a year)? My whole life, I’ve visited the endo every three months. Only recently have I started going twice a year and I’m simply not used to it. I think quarterly visits keep me more accountable and motivated, so even though I don’t like going to the doctor’s office, I’d choose more visits in the hopes that I’d be more successful in accomplishing my goals.

A1c or time in range? A1c is soooooo 1998 for me. Time in range is where it’s at in terms of measuring how well I’m doing with my diabetes management. The problem with A1c is that it’s narrowly defined as the average glucose readings in a three-month period of time, whereas time in range can be defined in whichever scope of time I find most useful, so that’s the obvious winner here.

What would you rather when presented with this list of choices?