The Unfortunate Clash Between My Hobbies and My Health: I Like the Sugar and My Diabetes Doesn't

So, baking has been something I've loved since I rolled my first sugar cookie as a 7-year old.  I really got into it during middle school, and ever since then it's been a hobby I can turn to and count on to cheer me up.  Through the "I love everything mermaid" phase, the "Taking everything annoyingly seriously"phase, the "Oh my god I'm so random" phase, and the "I think I'm really good at applying eyeliner" phase, baking, books and blonde hair are the only consistent factors. So basically I'm trying to say I like baking.

However, almost two years ago, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes.  Let's make sure everyone knows this type is a hereditary immune system disorder that was most likely triggered by puberty or  fever in my case.  Having diabetes has been hard for a thousand reasons.  Midnight finger pricks, self-administered shots, three hour visits to UVA, and that annoying bag that makes everyone thing you are some sort of "priss" who always needs her purse.  Most of it sucks. Luckily I haven't had to give up anything I love, I still play the sports I used to and I can manage things well enough to travel and stay away from home.  I also have a super supportive family and doctor that make it so I know I'm never alone in this.  But most of it still sucks.

If you know anything about diabetes, you know that baking + diabetes = not ideal.  See, previous to my diagnosis, my style of baking was one of those eat while you go processes.  Now don't worry, there was lots of handwashing, but I consumed a fair amount of batter before putting anything in the oven.  Now this isn't good for a person for many reasons, but for someone with diabetes, that just wasn't going to work.

So my baking style had to change, whatever, an easy sacrifice.  The only thing I had left to deal with were the judgments.  When I told my nurse practitioner (who reminded me a lot of my grandmother, comforting and disconcerting) that I liked to bake, she scrunched up her eyebrows and told me that diabetics aren't usually the baking type (still a little confused at who you could define as "the baking type"...).  Even people that aren't in the medical field look briefly confused when they learn I'm a diabetic with a passion for all things sugar.  Well I suppose that does sound a bit strange... but I've never been the stereotype, so why start because my pancreas cells committed suicide?