The fine balancing act of managing diabetes.

A major problem for people with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is to manage their self-care satisfactorily while living a normal life. This paper deals with the management of diabetes from the perspective of people with diabetes. It is based on the analysis of qualitative data, collected by means of informal interviews. This analysis made it apparent that the entire life of most people with diabetes is dominated not only by the fact that they have to maintain a metabolic balance but also that they have to find an equilibrium in their relationships with others. Walking a fine line was the data-based core category, which analysis of the data singled out as being the most important for the understanding of the meaning and the management of diabetes.