Acceptance or Defeat? Responding to WebMD
WebMD posted an article titled "What I've Learned From 15 Years of Living With Diabetes". It is a heartbreaking read, not because of the suffering described, but because of the opportunities missed. It paints a picture of "managing" a disease that, for many, serves as a life sentence. But does it have to be?
After 15 years with diabetes, one patient shares key lessons: learning to take it day by day... Early denial gave way to acceptance, which she says made it easier.
— WebMD
Let's look at what they call "lessons" and what I call "traps."
WebMD: "The most important thing I learned was acceptance."
Reality: Acceptance of a chronic, progressive disease is only valid if the disease is actually incurable. Type 2 Diabetes is a condition of carbohydrate intolerance and insulin resistance. Accepting it means accepting the decline. It means accepting the neuropathy, the vision loss, and the medication cascade. Telling patients to "accept" their Type 2 Diabetes robs them of agency. You don't accept a metabolic injury; you heal it.
WebMD: "I changed my eating habits. I no longer eat a lot of junk food (The key is moderation)."
Reality: Moderation is the myth that keeps people sick. If you are intolerant to carbohydrates, which a diabetic is by definition, "moderation" is just slow poisoning. You wouldn't tell someone with a peanut allergy to eat peanuts "in moderation." Why tell a diabetic to eat sugar and starch in moderation? The result is what we see in the article: 15 years of struggle, 15 years of "small meals," and 15 years of wondering if the next A1c will be bad.
WebMD: "I’m proud to say that my A1c has been ranging from 5.6 to 6.1."
Reality: While these numbers are better than uncontrolled diabetes, they are still above the optimal range for true metabolic health. But more importantly, how are these numbers achieved? If it requires multiple medications and constant hunger from "small meals," it's not health. It's managed sickness. Remission is normal blood sugar without medication.
WebMD: "My doctor is phenomenal... He simply says, 'We may need to do some modifications to help you get back on track'."
Reality: A doctor who watches you manage a reversible disease for 15 years without offering you the exit ramp is not "phenomenal." They are managing your decline. "Modifications" usually mean "more drugs." True healthcare would be saying: "Let's stop feeding you the very thing your body cannot process."
The true tragedy: The Polyol Pathway
Patients often ask: "Doc, I did everything right. I ate my small meals, I took my meds, my A1c was 'okay'. Why am I losing my vision? Why do I have nerve damage?"
The doctor would shrug and call them "diabetic complications," as if they were just bad luck. They aren't bad luck. They are the consequence of chronically elevated glucose levels.
When glucose levels are chronically elevated, even slightly, as they often are in "managed" diabetes, excess glucose enters cells that don't require insulin to absorb it (like the retina, kidneys, and nerves). This triggers the Polyol Pathway.
In this pathway, the body converts excess glucose into sorbitol. Sorbitol cannot exit the cell easily, so it accumulates. It draws water in, causing the cells to swell and burst. This osmotic stress, combined with the oxidative stress from the process, is what destroys your vision, your kidneys, and your nerves. Again, not part of being a diabetic, but an expected outcome.
This is why "acceptance" is dangerous. Accepting "managed" high blood sugar means accepting the slow activation of the Polyol Pathway. How do we stop it? We lower the glucose load by removing carbohydrates.
What they forgot to mention
The article talks about support systems, exercise, and patience. All good things. But it leaves out the one thing that matters most: The Fuel.
You cannot exercise your way out of a bad diet. You cannot "support group" your way out of high insulin. You have to fix the food. When you remove the carbohydrates that drive insulin resistance, you don't need "acceptance." You get reversal.
I don't want you to "live with" diabetes. I want you to live without it.
I have walked this path myself. If you want to know how I reversed my conditions, you can read my personal journey here.
Eat like it matters,
– Coach Roxana
Written by Roxana Soetebeer, MPHC, NNP, MHP, PFC
Published January 4th, 2026
References
- WebMD Article: "What I've Learned From 15 Years of Living With Diabetes"
- Original WebMD Post on X
- The Polyol Pathway as a Mechanism for Diabetic Retinopathy: Attractive, Elusive, and Resilient
- Biochemistry, Polyol Or Sorbitol Pathways
- Aldose reductase and the role of the polyol pathway in diabetic nephropathy
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