Can I just start off by saying that I feel like every post, or almost every post, is titles "Diabetes and.... Whatever" ? Because I feel like they do. Anyway, this post may be helpful for some of you and for some of you, prom may have come and gone already. Either way, I hope this can help you this year or maybe last year. 😃 prom and diabetes can be an annoying combination. You have a million and one things to carry and keep up with, you have to either give a shot in your dress(good luck 😝) or you get to find a way to hide your pump in your dress(tip for all you gals: tucking it away in your bra honestly usually works even though it's super weird. 😂) But, it's something you have to deal with and you definitely don't want to have problems that ruin your prom night.
First, be prepared. Make sure you have your meter and sugar tablets at least, and find some sort of balance between taking too much and taking too little.
Second, be sure to check. You don't have to check excessively, but at least check when you eat dinner or if you start feeling high or low so you can take care of yourself and have a safe, gun prom experience.
Third, make sure someone knows you're diabetic. Be that your date, or your friends, or a chaperone, just make sure someone knows. This is always important, but especially at an event like prom. If something should happen, though I hope it never does, someone needs to know so they can take care of you and avoid anything really bad happening.
Fourth, know how far is too far. Don't push your body to its limits. If you're tired, go home. Don't just push it off and press on through it. If you're feeling low, take a minute to check your blood sugar and take care if yourself. You're long term healthough ultimately more important than having to take a break from dancing or bowling or whatever or you're doing.
Lastly, just have fun! 😁 You only have one or two proms, and you don't want diabetes to get in the way of you having a good night. Be careful and cautious, but just don't forget to have fun!
Monday, April 20, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Traveling with Diabetes
This weekend, I travelled to and spend a few days in Atlanta, Georgia for a choir trip. We did some shopping, went to Medieval Times, spent a day in Six Flags, and went to church where Dr. Charles Stanley preaches. Overall, it was a pretty good weekend, and other than a few blisters and a headache, I made it out without too many bumps or bruises. But, this trip reminded me of how annoying diabetes can be when traveling. You sit in the car for hours and your blood sugar goes up. You snack and forget to bolus and then your blood sugar goes up even more. You treat your blood sugar and then you our drop. It's a vicious cycle.
I don't have any life changing tips, but I do have a few recommendations. First of all, check. Check before you eat, check a couple hours into the trip, check, check, check.
Secondly, if you're at a theme park, or somewhere where you'll be walking a lot, don't bolus quite as much for food or lower your basal rate to help avoid lows. I did this at Six Flags, and it helped tremendously. I think I had one low. Maybe.
Lastly, it goes without saying I think, but be prepared. Take extra supplies, batteries, sugar tablets, etc. Just take plenty of supplies and be prepared. 😃
Friday, April 10, 2015
Diabetes and Dating 😘😍👫💋💌❤️
First of all, I want to apologize for the abundance of emojis in the title, I got a little too excited. 😅 But, today we're talking about diabetes and dating!!!! Yay!!!!
Diabetes and dating can be complicated, but it doesn't have to be. For me, diabetes has never been a huge deal in relationships, but that's not always going to be the case. I think there are three or so factors that determine how tricky or not diabetes is going to be in a relationship.
1. How long you've been diabetic
Some of you probably think I'm crazy and that this doesn't matter, but I believe it does. The longer you've been diabetic, the more comfortable you become with the disease. I've been diabetic since I was eight years old, so by now, I'm pretty comfortable dealing with the disease, both in private and in front of others. But, if you're newly diagnosed, you're probably still figuring the disease out yourself and so sharing it with others may be awkward, but not impossible.
2. How long you've known the person you're dating
If you're friends with the person you're dating first, like I always have been, they're probably going to find out you're diabetic while you're still friend and will go into the relationship knowing you're diabetic and accepting that part of you. But, if you haven't known the person you're dating for very long, they may not know you're diabetic before you start dating, which is totally okay, but it just means you'll have to tell them at some point and let them decide if they're going to accept that part of you or not. (And of they don't accept you in spite of you're diabetes, they're probably not worth it anyway. 💁)
3. Their willingness to learn about diabetes and help you manage it.
If you're dating a guy or a girl, you're probably going to be around them a lot. And if you're around them a lot, they're probably going to need to learn about diabetes and what they need to look out for. For example, my boyfriend Michael has always been super accepting and supportive of me and my diabetes and he's learned how to tell if my blood sugar is too high or too low, and if he thinks I'm not where I should be blood sugar wise, he'll ask me if I'm feeling okay and will suggest that I check my blood sugar to make sure I'm okay. He carries sugar tablets with him for me whenever we're out together, and if something goes wrong with my pump, he's always willing to help me fix it and does. I tell you guys all this to tell you guys that if you're dating someone and they're really someone you should be dating, they'll take the time to learn about diabetes and how to take care of you(and I wanted to brag about Michael a little bit, if I'm being completely honest. 😝)
Diabetes and dating can be complicated, but it doesn't have to be. For me, diabetes has never been a huge deal in relationships, but that's not always going to be the case. I think there are three or so factors that determine how tricky or not diabetes is going to be in a relationship.
1. How long you've been diabetic
Some of you probably think I'm crazy and that this doesn't matter, but I believe it does. The longer you've been diabetic, the more comfortable you become with the disease. I've been diabetic since I was eight years old, so by now, I'm pretty comfortable dealing with the disease, both in private and in front of others. But, if you're newly diagnosed, you're probably still figuring the disease out yourself and so sharing it with others may be awkward, but not impossible.
2. How long you've known the person you're dating
If you're friends with the person you're dating first, like I always have been, they're probably going to find out you're diabetic while you're still friend and will go into the relationship knowing you're diabetic and accepting that part of you. But, if you haven't known the person you're dating for very long, they may not know you're diabetic before you start dating, which is totally okay, but it just means you'll have to tell them at some point and let them decide if they're going to accept that part of you or not. (And of they don't accept you in spite of you're diabetes, they're probably not worth it anyway. 💁)
3. Their willingness to learn about diabetes and help you manage it.
If you're dating a guy or a girl, you're probably going to be around them a lot. And if you're around them a lot, they're probably going to need to learn about diabetes and what they need to look out for. For example, my boyfriend Michael has always been super accepting and supportive of me and my diabetes and he's learned how to tell if my blood sugar is too high or too low, and if he thinks I'm not where I should be blood sugar wise, he'll ask me if I'm feeling okay and will suggest that I check my blood sugar to make sure I'm okay. He carries sugar tablets with him for me whenever we're out together, and if something goes wrong with my pump, he's always willing to help me fix it and does. I tell you guys all this to tell you guys that if you're dating someone and they're really someone you should be dating, they'll take the time to learn about diabetes and how to take care of you(and I wanted to brag about Michael a little bit, if I'm being completely honest. 😝)
Strong Patient 💥
If you read my last post, then you know that I went to the endocrinologist yesterday. Normally, those appointments are less than fun... way less than fun. By yesterday was different. My doctor made the comment, "That was fun!" and while I don't know that I would say that it was fun, I left feeling strong and happy. The title for this post comes from the sticker( yes, my doctor gave me a sticker even though I'm almost 18. 😝) that my doctor slipped on my chair while I was using the restroom. It was a sticker that had Superman on it and said "Strong Patient." And even though it's just a sticker, this thing has made me pretty dang happy. I carried it around most of the day yesterday and admittedly got a little upset when I couldn't find it to take a picture of it to put in this blog. What is it about this sticker that I'm so attached to and proud of? The fact that it's an affirmation of my hard work and effort. As humans, I think we all like to be told we're doing a good job and that someone is proud of us. It's just human nature. And as a diabetic, we like to be told, we sometimes NEED to be told, that we're doing a good job and that someone is proud of us. We deal with a super hard disease every single day and that gets very tiring. When someone tells us we're doing a good job, or that we're strong, sometimes we shake it off and deny it, saying, "No, I'm really not." but, honestly, sometimes we need to hear that. We're not asking for people to worship us or idolize us for taking care of ourselves, but sometimes, we just need a pat on the back or an encouraging word. So, if you haven't heard it lately, you're a strong patient. You're taking care of yourself, you're keeping yourself alive, and you're doing a great job and I'm proud of you. 👍
Diabetes Update
Diabetes requires lots of extra doctors visits that normal people don't have to go to. Along with yearly check ups with my normal physician, I see my eye doctor every year(rather than every couple of years like most people), I see my endocrinologist every three months(4 times a year), and my cde(certified diabetes educator) every three months as well. So, saying I stay healthy and don't get sick and need to go to the doctor for other reasons, I go to the doctor about 10 times a year. That's a lot. I mention this because yesterday I went to see my endocrinologist for my routine check up, and unlike my previous appointments this year, it actually went really well, which was a surprising change. 😄 My A1c went down from 8.7 to 7.2(which is a healthy A1c for a diabetic) in three months, which is soooo much better than it had been in quite some time. I'd been stuck in the 8 point range for a while now, so being in the healthy range was kind of unexpected but nonetheless nice. Although my parents, grandparents, and endocrinologist were quick to credit my lower A1c and better checking habits to my boyfriend Michael, who has been very, very helpful and supportive about my diabetes and has helped me by reminding me to check when I forget and making sure I give myself insulin when I eat, I think I deserve some credit too. Going from checking maybe once a day to checking 3-4 times a day hasn't been easy, especially since I've just been really tired of diabetes and everything that comes with it. With that being said, I'm not at all trying to discredit Michael or say that he hasn't helped, because he most definitely has. Michael not only reminds me to take care if myself, but he also makes me want to take care of myself and has motivated me to want to be healthy. I want to be healthy so I can be around for him for a long, long time and because of that, I'm trying more now. Michael has come into my life and not only captured my heart, but also become my motivation to try my best every day to be healthy, and I'll always be grateful for him. 💕
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
I CAN eat that!
As a diabetic, you probably hear, "Can you eat that?" "Can you eat sugar?" "So, what can you eat?" and other similar questions quite frequently. Unless you live with the disease or know people who do, you probably don't know much about diabetes or how it works, and that's okay. But, if you don't know about diabetes, please, please, PLEASE don't ask us stupid questions. Most of the ads and programs on television about diabetes are about Type 2 Diabetes, which is completely different from Type 1 Diabetes. In Type 1 Diabetes, the immune system attacks and kills the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and your body stops producing insulin completely because it has no way to do so. In Type 2 Diabetes, your body just doesn't make enough insulin or you body cannot use the insulin properly(known as insulin resistance.) Admittedly, I don't know much about Type 2 Diabetes because I don't live with it and deal with it on a daily basis, and if the information I just gave on Type 2 is incorrect or false, please correct it and forgive me. I am in no way trying to misrepresent that disease because I know how frustrating that can be, and to the best of my knowledge, that information is correct, but if I'm wrong, please correct me. :)
Although you'll get questions about food frequently, those aren't the only ones you'll hear. You'll also probably hear, "Does that hurt?" "How often do you have to do that?" "Will you have to do this for the rest of your life?" And, although these questions may annoy you and you may want to scream, "Yes, of course it hurts! It's a needle going into my body!" It's probably best to refrain from doing so. People ask questions because they don't know, not to be annoying, and the best way to handle questions, no matter how tired we are of hearing them, is to answer them sincerely. People want to know what we go through and how they can help, and the only way they'll know is if we take the time to answer their questions.
Although you'll get questions about food frequently, those aren't the only ones you'll hear. You'll also probably hear, "Does that hurt?" "How often do you have to do that?" "Will you have to do this for the rest of your life?" And, although these questions may annoy you and you may want to scream, "Yes, of course it hurts! It's a needle going into my body!" It's probably best to refrain from doing so. People ask questions because they don't know, not to be annoying, and the best way to handle questions, no matter how tired we are of hearing them, is to answer them sincerely. People want to know what we go through and how they can help, and the only way they'll know is if we take the time to answer their questions.
Diabetes and the Movies
I don't know if this happens to everyone or to just me, but every time I go to see a movie I end up going low during it. And, let me tell ya, it's super annoying. Most people get to just sit there and enjoy the movie (or wonder why your mother is making you sit through Into the Woods if you're like the guy we saw after our movie last night :p) and then there's me, sitting through it happily until I start going low and then I just wish the movie would be over so I could check and take care of my low blood sugar so I could feel better.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all trying to complain and make any one who isn't diabetic or who doesn't deal with lows during the movies feel bad for me. This post merely came from wanting to know if there are other diabetics who go to the movies and go low on a consistent basis, or if I'm just crazy... I might just be crazy, but who knows. :P
Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all trying to complain and make any one who isn't diabetic or who doesn't deal with lows during the movies feel bad for me. This post merely came from wanting to know if there are other diabetics who go to the movies and go low on a consistent basis, or if I'm just crazy... I might just be crazy, but who knows. :P
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Diabetes is a serious thing, but sometimes you just need lighten the mood with laughter, and that's what this post will hopefully do. All I've done is collected memes/funny pictures about diabetes from pinterest and I'm going to pile them into this post and hope that they bring you all at least a little laughter! :)
Diabetes and Holidays
I want to first start off this post by saying, Happy Easter, guys! I hope you all have had a day to relax and spend with family, whether you celebrate Easter as the day Christ resurrected from the grave or not. I had a fabulous day at church with my friends and family and got to enjoy some time with friends, neighbors, family, and my sweet boyfriend this afternoon and I'm filled to the brim with contentment.
But, let's get back on topic after that rabbit trail! Diabetes and holidays, like today, can be tricky. You might be busier than you normally are visiting family and travelling, and holidays tend to revolve around food. (Not entirely, but there's usually a LOT of food around the holidays.) I mean, come on, Thanksgiving revolves almost entirely around a huge meal where you eat until you can't possibly ingest anymore food. Holidays are great, but they can wreck havoc on diabetes. It's hard to check, or you forget to check, or your blood sugar is all over the place from going high from all the food and the dropping low from treating the low(this is a rollercoaster that I got to ride today... it's exhausting.)
I've been diabetic for almost ten years now, and I STILL haven't mastered holidays(and truth is, I probably never will. Diabetes is definitely NOT a science that you can master and set "rules" for.) But, that being said, I do have a few tips for y'all on how to better manage diabetes around the holidays.
TEST, TEST, TEST.
Let's face it, the holidays just require more checking than usually. You're eating tons of food, you might be travelling, and you might just be plain stressed out by the holidays, all of which can cause your blood sugar to be higher/lower than usual. Although you can't avoid this, you can monitor your blood sugar more closely and try to roll with the punches as best you can.
Bolus, bolus, bolus.
Along with testing, bolusing is another thing you need to be consistent about doing. It's easy to eat something and completely forget to bolus, especially around the holidays, but being diligent about it can help prevent the rollercoaster of highs and lows.
Something I've found helpful in keeping up wit bolusing is keeping a log of blood sugars, what I'm eating, and how much insulin I gave myself/when I gave it. It may take some extra time, but I have found it helpful personally.
Relax and don't stress yourself out.
The holidays can be stressful, but there's really no need to get stressed out! The holidays are a time to celebrate and be with family and friends, so don't stress it! Everything will be okay. You may have a few highs and lows, but life happens. Nothing always goes as planned, and as long as you're trying and you take care of the highs/lows and take measures to prevent them, that's what ultimately matters.
http://www.cdc.gov/features/diabetesmanagement/index.html
http://www.diabeteslibrary.org/View.aspx?url=Diabetes_Holidays_Stress
But, let's get back on topic after that rabbit trail! Diabetes and holidays, like today, can be tricky. You might be busier than you normally are visiting family and travelling, and holidays tend to revolve around food. (Not entirely, but there's usually a LOT of food around the holidays.) I mean, come on, Thanksgiving revolves almost entirely around a huge meal where you eat until you can't possibly ingest anymore food. Holidays are great, but they can wreck havoc on diabetes. It's hard to check, or you forget to check, or your blood sugar is all over the place from going high from all the food and the dropping low from treating the low(this is a rollercoaster that I got to ride today... it's exhausting.)
I've been diabetic for almost ten years now, and I STILL haven't mastered holidays(and truth is, I probably never will. Diabetes is definitely NOT a science that you can master and set "rules" for.) But, that being said, I do have a few tips for y'all on how to better manage diabetes around the holidays.
TEST, TEST, TEST.
Let's face it, the holidays just require more checking than usually. You're eating tons of food, you might be travelling, and you might just be plain stressed out by the holidays, all of which can cause your blood sugar to be higher/lower than usual. Although you can't avoid this, you can monitor your blood sugar more closely and try to roll with the punches as best you can.
Bolus, bolus, bolus.
Along with testing, bolusing is another thing you need to be consistent about doing. It's easy to eat something and completely forget to bolus, especially around the holidays, but being diligent about it can help prevent the rollercoaster of highs and lows.
Something I've found helpful in keeping up wit bolusing is keeping a log of blood sugars, what I'm eating, and how much insulin I gave myself/when I gave it. It may take some extra time, but I have found it helpful personally.
Relax and don't stress yourself out.
The holidays can be stressful, but there's really no need to get stressed out! The holidays are a time to celebrate and be with family and friends, so don't stress it! Everything will be okay. You may have a few highs and lows, but life happens. Nothing always goes as planned, and as long as you're trying and you take care of the highs/lows and take measures to prevent them, that's what ultimately matters.
http://www.cdc.gov/features/diabetesmanagement/index.html
http://www.diabeteslibrary.org/View.aspx?url=Diabetes_Holidays_Stress
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Thursday Ramblings
Hey guys! I'm back again, and this time I'm not blogging about eating habits and diabetes, and I'll leave whether that's good or bad up to you. 😋 In the end, I decided that vegetarianism isn't for me and have since started eating meat again. 🍕🍔🍗🍖🍤 While some people eat vegetarian/vegan and enjoy it, I really didn't. I felt like I was depriving myself of meat for no reason, and although it is possible to survive without consuming meat, it's just not for me, or at least not right now. In addition to feeling like I was depriving myself of something, I just had so many more low blood sugars during the time I tried to cut out meat and it was actually super annoying. Maybe I wasn't getting enough protein or eating enough, but it just wasn't fun dealing with the lows.
Anyway, moving on. This post had no real topic, so please bear with my random word vomit (or don't. It's up to you. 😃) With today being the start of spring break(at least for me), I thought about doing a post about packing for trips/being prepared, but I'm fairly certain I already have two of those types of posts already, and there's only so much you can say about that. Basically, just carry your stuff with you and have extras of everything because you never know when you're going to need something or when something might happen. So, with that idea cut out, I'm sorta out of ideas to blog about for the moment... My mind is on spring break and diabetes isn't really a hot topic to me. To me, it's a disease I've lived with for almost ten years now and am extremely tired of. To me, it's nothing new. It's very, very old, and if I can deal with it without having to do too much extra thinking about it for at least a little while, I'm going to take that opportunity. Sooooooo, yeah. 😳 That's about all I have, I hope all is well with you guys and that you're staying well and not dealing with allergies and all have super amazing A1Cs next time you visit the endo and that you have a wonderful, wonderful Easter weekend. ☺️
Anyway, moving on. This post had no real topic, so please bear with my random word vomit (or don't. It's up to you. 😃) With today being the start of spring break(at least for me), I thought about doing a post about packing for trips/being prepared, but I'm fairly certain I already have two of those types of posts already, and there's only so much you can say about that. Basically, just carry your stuff with you and have extras of everything because you never know when you're going to need something or when something might happen. So, with that idea cut out, I'm sorta out of ideas to blog about for the moment... My mind is on spring break and diabetes isn't really a hot topic to me. To me, it's a disease I've lived with for almost ten years now and am extremely tired of. To me, it's nothing new. It's very, very old, and if I can deal with it without having to do too much extra thinking about it for at least a little while, I'm going to take that opportunity. Sooooooo, yeah. 😳 That's about all I have, I hope all is well with you guys and that you're staying well and not dealing with allergies and all have super amazing A1Cs next time you visit the endo and that you have a wonderful, wonderful Easter weekend. ☺️
Monday, March 30, 2015
Eating Vegetarian with Diabetes: Continued(I forgot how long it's been. :p)
Aaaaand I'm back! It's been a few days since I've blogged(oops... sorry guys!) but I'm still trying to make the switch to vegetarianism and so far it's going pretty well. I'll admit it, I did break down and eat chicken today, but other than that, I've done pretty well cutting meat out of my diet. While I am cutting meat out basically cold turkey, don't feel that you have to if you want to try becoming a vegetarian, because you totally don't have to. It's completely okay to cut meat out little by little, and it's probably a lot easier. I chose to cut meat out all at once mostly because the only meat I eat( or ate) on a regular basis is chicken, so there weren't really many varieties of meat to cut out. Overall, the decision to change my eating habits has still been a good one. One thing I will say, though, is that not eating meat does require a bit more prep and planning. Rather than getting up and just throwing whatever I could find in the kitchen in my lunchbox to take to school, now I have to do more planning ahead and do most of my prep/packing the night before, which isn't a bad thing because it helps make my mornings less hectic. I also do a lot more prep for my dinner meals, which kind of sucks because instead of eating whatever my family is eating, I'm usually making my own meal because my family is not going vegetarian, which is totally fine, but I slightly miss not having to make my own dinner... oh well. It's good practice for the future, right? (Side note: I didn't have to make my own dinner tonight! Yay for veggie stir fry!)
As far as diabetes goes, I'm noticing that I'm having a few more lows, but nothing huge or horrible. Cutting meat out of your diet takes some getting used to, both for you and your body, and I'm still in the adjusting phase and that's okay.
One thing I would stress about cutting meat out of your diet is stay healthy! It's easy to not eat meat and still eat unhealthy foods. Chips don't have meat in them, ice cream doesn't have meat in it, chocolate doesn't have meat in it... you get the point! Make sure you're eating lots of fruits and veggies and complex carbs and getting protein. People ask vegetarians/vegans all the time, "where do you get your protein?" but it's because meat is such an easy way to get protein and taking that away can have us confused as to where to get the protein we need from. Depending on whether you're vegan or just vegetarian, eggs and dairy can still help you get protein. Soy is an incredible source of protein, as is anything that's made from soy(tofu, for example.) Although it's not incredibly healthy, peanut butter can be a good source of protein if you're in a pinch. Protein shakes can also help you get protein in when you're in a rush or just don't have the time to think about where you're getting your protein from. To help you guys, here's a list of meatless protein sources that I found online that's helped me(and this isn't a comprehensive list and there are definitely more sources of protein out there) http://www.refinery29.com/greatist/89?crlt.pid=camp.ZLJJQv2czW5L#slide.
If I haven't said it before on here, another thing I would recommend to help make the transition easier is finding new, vegetarian recipes and trying them! Don't be afraid to try new things! You're cutting out something that seems to be a huge dietary staple for most Americans and you need something to replace it with. You could just eat salads all day everyday, but that would get boring and you probably wouldn't be getting all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs and it is super, super important to make sure that you are doing that. Vegetarians can be some of the healthiest people, but you have to take the proper measures to do that. So basically, just try new things and don't deprive your body of the things it needs! One of the best places( at least from my experience) to find new recipes has been Pinterest! Pinterest has been a very helpful tool in making the transition and if you don't have a Pinterest account, I would highly recommend making one. You can type in vegetarian recipes and have thousands of recipes at your fingertips that you can "pin" and save for future reference. It's awesome and has definitely been a great help to me!
Well, folks, that's about all I have for today. Ultimately, yes, I did cave and eat meat today, but ya know what? That's okay. None of us are perfect, especially not in the very early beginning of things. The way I look at it, I can either look at eating meat today as a reason to give up vegetarianism or as a mistake that only makes me human, and I choose the second one. Tomorrow's a new, meat free day and it'll all be okay/
As far as diabetes goes, I'm noticing that I'm having a few more lows, but nothing huge or horrible. Cutting meat out of your diet takes some getting used to, both for you and your body, and I'm still in the adjusting phase and that's okay.
One thing I would stress about cutting meat out of your diet is stay healthy! It's easy to not eat meat and still eat unhealthy foods. Chips don't have meat in them, ice cream doesn't have meat in it, chocolate doesn't have meat in it... you get the point! Make sure you're eating lots of fruits and veggies and complex carbs and getting protein. People ask vegetarians/vegans all the time, "where do you get your protein?" but it's because meat is such an easy way to get protein and taking that away can have us confused as to where to get the protein we need from. Depending on whether you're vegan or just vegetarian, eggs and dairy can still help you get protein. Soy is an incredible source of protein, as is anything that's made from soy(tofu, for example.) Although it's not incredibly healthy, peanut butter can be a good source of protein if you're in a pinch. Protein shakes can also help you get protein in when you're in a rush or just don't have the time to think about where you're getting your protein from. To help you guys, here's a list of meatless protein sources that I found online that's helped me(and this isn't a comprehensive list and there are definitely more sources of protein out there) http://www.refinery29.com/greatist/89?crlt.pid=camp.ZLJJQv2czW5L#slide.
If I haven't said it before on here, another thing I would recommend to help make the transition easier is finding new, vegetarian recipes and trying them! Don't be afraid to try new things! You're cutting out something that seems to be a huge dietary staple for most Americans and you need something to replace it with. You could just eat salads all day everyday, but that would get boring and you probably wouldn't be getting all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs and it is super, super important to make sure that you are doing that. Vegetarians can be some of the healthiest people, but you have to take the proper measures to do that. So basically, just try new things and don't deprive your body of the things it needs! One of the best places( at least from my experience) to find new recipes has been Pinterest! Pinterest has been a very helpful tool in making the transition and if you don't have a Pinterest account, I would highly recommend making one. You can type in vegetarian recipes and have thousands of recipes at your fingertips that you can "pin" and save for future reference. It's awesome and has definitely been a great help to me!
Well, folks, that's about all I have for today. Ultimately, yes, I did cave and eat meat today, but ya know what? That's okay. None of us are perfect, especially not in the very early beginning of things. The way I look at it, I can either look at eating meat today as a reason to give up vegetarianism or as a mistake that only makes me human, and I choose the second one. Tomorrow's a new, meat free day and it'll all be okay/
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Eating Vegetarian/Vegan with Diabetes: Days 2+3
Hey guys!
I'm back blogging about the transition to vegetarian/veganism with diabetes and things have not gone quite as planned. As I mentioned in my blog about day one of eating vegan(or at least I think I did) day one did not go quite as smoothly as I would have liked for it to go and I ended up eating foods that definitely were not vegan and after day one, I decided to try to simply eat vegetarian to begin with, thus the change in the title of this post. And honestly, I don't regret making this decision. It's still been hard watching my family eating meat and telling myself to be strong and not eat it, but adding dairy and other animal products back into my diet is making the transition a lot easier. Not completely, but significantly easier. And what I've learned from my few days of eating vegetarian, is that it is completely possible to still feel good without consuming meat, and that while choosing to eat vegetarian /vegan requires more food prep and planning, it helps reduce stress when you think ahead about what you'll eat and don't just walk to the pantry to find food.
As far as diabetes goes, there have been some ups and downs, quite literally. While I haven't had many, if any, lows due to cutting meat out of my diet, there have been a few highs caused by not letting myself have certain foods during the day and then losing my resolve at night and forgetting to bolus for the foods I'm eating, which has led to a few after-high lows. But, overall, I haven't noticed much, if any, change in blood glucose patterns from the few days I've cut out meat and most dairy.
If anything, deciding to make the switch to vegetarianism has been a good decision. Yes, some days have been rough as far as missing meat, I'm not going to lie, but I have noticed that I'm making a more conscious effort to eat healthy and to check my blood sugar more regularly, which has been something I've been struggling to do for so long. I haven't been perfect, but I've been better than I have been. I've been eating tons of fresh fruits and veggies, and learning what I like and don't like, and while it's still a learning process, I'm starting to feel confident about my decision and I think that's awesome.
I'm back blogging about the transition to vegetarian/veganism with diabetes and things have not gone quite as planned. As I mentioned in my blog about day one of eating vegan(or at least I think I did) day one did not go quite as smoothly as I would have liked for it to go and I ended up eating foods that definitely were not vegan and after day one, I decided to try to simply eat vegetarian to begin with, thus the change in the title of this post. And honestly, I don't regret making this decision. It's still been hard watching my family eating meat and telling myself to be strong and not eat it, but adding dairy and other animal products back into my diet is making the transition a lot easier. Not completely, but significantly easier. And what I've learned from my few days of eating vegetarian, is that it is completely possible to still feel good without consuming meat, and that while choosing to eat vegetarian /vegan requires more food prep and planning, it helps reduce stress when you think ahead about what you'll eat and don't just walk to the pantry to find food.
As far as diabetes goes, there have been some ups and downs, quite literally. While I haven't had many, if any, lows due to cutting meat out of my diet, there have been a few highs caused by not letting myself have certain foods during the day and then losing my resolve at night and forgetting to bolus for the foods I'm eating, which has led to a few after-high lows. But, overall, I haven't noticed much, if any, change in blood glucose patterns from the few days I've cut out meat and most dairy.
If anything, deciding to make the switch to vegetarianism has been a good decision. Yes, some days have been rough as far as missing meat, I'm not going to lie, but I have noticed that I'm making a more conscious effort to eat healthy and to check my blood sugar more regularly, which has been something I've been struggling to do for so long. I haven't been perfect, but I've been better than I have been. I've been eating tons of fresh fruits and veggies, and learning what I like and don't like, and while it's still a learning process, I'm starting to feel confident about my decision and I think that's awesome.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Eating Vegan and Diabetes: Day One 🍏🌽🍌
Alrighty, here goes. Today, I attempted to start eating vegan(not eating meat, dairy, eggs, or any other animal products.) I started the day strong, determined to get through the day and not give into temptation to eat things that weren't vegan and to try to put as little processed/artificially flavored/colored products into my body as possible. It sounds great in theory, right?
Well, I lasted until about 3 pm when I got out of school. I got up and ate a fairly healthy breakfast(a banana and oatmeal) and when to school armed with a healthy vegan lunch and fruits and veggies for snacks. Breakfast went over pretty well and I didn't drop low or spike up, although I was a little on the low side when I woke up which might have played into it. Between breakfast and lunch, I ate some of the fruits and veggies as a snack, but forgot to check and bolus, so my blood sugars was slightly high when I checked at lunch(I was at about 215 or so. ) I checked at lunch, heated up my meal(chickpeas with cooked spinach and an orange and some more veggies.) But... I ended up not being too crazy about my lunch(cooked spinach does NOT go down too well... unless it's your thing. Then you'll be fine.) So, for lunch I ended up eating an orange and some carrots and celery with peanut butter. By about 1:30 or so, my blood sugar was dropping and I could tell. By the time I was out of school and able to check, I was at about 49, and, in the hungry, I-just-want-to-feel-better state that being low brings, I broke my vegan foods only attitude and ate marshmallows and a pack of Little Debbie cakes.... oops. And, with my resolve weakened but not gone, I decided not to beat myself up over breaking and eating non-vegan foods and to try just eating vegetarian for the rest of the day... which lasted until supper time when my family had made chicken and I gave in and ate that too.
Basically, what I learned from today is that eating vegan and making that transition isn't easy, but that's okay. You're not going to be perfect on the first day, or ever. You just have to do your best and keep trying, even when you mess up and things go wrong. On the diabetes side of things, I learned that changing eating habits is going to require more careful monitoring of blood glucose levels and carb/protein intakes. Eating vegetables doesn't mean you never eat carbs in protein, it just means they come in different shapes and forms than they would when eating a carnivorous diet, and that's okay. You and your body will take time to adjust to new eating habits and how to get what your body needs and it'll take some time, but we can both get there with a little patience and perseverance. 😃
Well, I lasted until about 3 pm when I got out of school. I got up and ate a fairly healthy breakfast(a banana and oatmeal) and when to school armed with a healthy vegan lunch and fruits and veggies for snacks. Breakfast went over pretty well and I didn't drop low or spike up, although I was a little on the low side when I woke up which might have played into it. Between breakfast and lunch, I ate some of the fruits and veggies as a snack, but forgot to check and bolus, so my blood sugars was slightly high when I checked at lunch(I was at about 215 or so. ) I checked at lunch, heated up my meal(chickpeas with cooked spinach and an orange and some more veggies.) But... I ended up not being too crazy about my lunch(cooked spinach does NOT go down too well... unless it's your thing. Then you'll be fine.) So, for lunch I ended up eating an orange and some carrots and celery with peanut butter. By about 1:30 or so, my blood sugar was dropping and I could tell. By the time I was out of school and able to check, I was at about 49, and, in the hungry, I-just-want-to-feel-better state that being low brings, I broke my vegan foods only attitude and ate marshmallows and a pack of Little Debbie cakes.... oops. And, with my resolve weakened but not gone, I decided not to beat myself up over breaking and eating non-vegan foods and to try just eating vegetarian for the rest of the day... which lasted until supper time when my family had made chicken and I gave in and ate that too.
Basically, what I learned from today is that eating vegan and making that transition isn't easy, but that's okay. You're not going to be perfect on the first day, or ever. You just have to do your best and keep trying, even when you mess up and things go wrong. On the diabetes side of things, I learned that changing eating habits is going to require more careful monitoring of blood glucose levels and carb/protein intakes. Eating vegetables doesn't mean you never eat carbs in protein, it just means they come in different shapes and forms than they would when eating a carnivorous diet, and that's okay. You and your body will take time to adjust to new eating habits and how to get what your body needs and it'll take some time, but we can both get there with a little patience and perseverance. 😃
Monday, March 23, 2015
Diabetes and Veganism
As a diabetic, and as a human being in general, eating a healthy diet and making sure your body had the necessary vitamins and nutrients that it need to function properly is so important. Almost any planned, well informed diet can do this, but today I'm going to talk about an option that is often overlooked and underestimated: veganism.
I know, I know, veganism doesn't seem, at first glance, like the most healthy, nutritious diet(most of you are probably thinking, "What do those people eat? Salads for every meal, every day?!) But despite the stigma surrounding veganism and those who choose to adopt this lifestyle, eating a healthy, well planned vegan diet can provide all the necessary nutrients and can offer many amazing heath benefits.
Veganism simply means that, like vegetarians, you don't eat meat, fish, or poultry, and you take it a step further: you don't consume any animal products either(aka eggs, milk, dairy products, honey, or gelatin.) While this post will mostly focus on the health benefits of the vegan diet, veganism also comes from a compassion towards animals and a desire to see animal cruelty minimized and spare the lives(or at least the brutal killing) of animals that we would normally eat without thinking twice about. Whether you're looking to adopt the vegan diet for health reasons, ethical reasons, or both, the vegan lifestyle can be adjusted to fit any person in any walk or stage of life.
As I said before, veganism offers many awesome health benefits, and vegans are some of the healthiest people around, granted that they're carefully planning out their diet and have done their research to learn what nutrients they need to get and how to get them without consuming meat or animal products.
HEART HEALTH.
Studies have shown that vegans following a healthy diet plan have an 26% percent lower chance of having a stroke or heart disease than those who eat a nonvegetarian diet and it has been found that the vegan diet provides much stronger protection against stroke than any other dietary pattern, and it has also been shown that vegans have the lowest total and LDL(bad) cholesterol, that vegans have the lowest intake levels of saturated fats, trans fatty acids, and cholesterol, have higher blood levels of antioxidant and lower levels of lipid peroxidation, have lower rates of hypertension and have leaner waist to hip ratios. Along with these benefits, there are a few risks, such as possible higher rates for blood clots due to low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and higher or similar homocysteine levels, which can increase the risk for heart disease, due to low levels of vitamin B12.
CANCER.
In addition to these heart health benefits, eating a vegan diet(plenty of fruits and vegetables) is associated with lower risk of cancer at almost every sight, and is proven beneficial because animal products and meat, which can have a detrimental effect of health, are not being consumed.
DIABETES.
Most of you reading this are questioning why I'm putting this section in here because, if you're like me, you're thinking, "I already have diabetes, there's nothing I can do now to prevent it. "
However, the vegan diet can help bring better control in diabetes and knowing the facts about how it can possibly help reduce the risk of diabetes is helpful information for the future and for protection our families from having to fight the same battle we are dealing with.
The vegan diet has been shown to help improve blood glucose control(along with exercise) and has been shown to possibly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes(vegans tend to have the lowest number of cases of type 2 diabetes. However, it is still unclear if the low body weight is strictly the cause of this.) As type one diabetes only account for about 10% of all cases of diabetes, it's hard to tell what triggers the disease, but milk consumption has been possibly linked as one of the factors/triggers, which, if it's true that milk triggers type one diabetes, could make the vegan diet a way to help prevent type one diabetes by eliminating milk and dairy consumption. However, there is only limited research on this and further research is needed.
While these health benefits are great for any person in general, I think they are especially great for diabetics, who are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or a stroke than people without diabetes.
The vegan diet, as you've seen, has many great health benefits as well as ethical benefits brought by not consuming meat or animal products. But, as with any dietary change, it is important to do your research before making the switch. Find books at your local library or at Barnes and Nobles, ask someone you know who's a vegan or vegetarian, ask a nurse, nutritionist, or just ask your doctor. Just do your research to decide if eating a vegan diet is the right choice for you. The book that almost all the information in this post is coming from is Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, and I've found it very informative in learning about the health benefits of veganism as well as the risks and how to properly plan a vegan diet so that you get all the vitamins and nutrients you need.
While I think veganism can be extremely beneficially to diabetics, I am in no way trying to say that it is the only healthy way to eat or trying to force it upon anyone. Veganism is not for everyone, and meat and animal products can still be part of a healthy diet and there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating them at all. I simply wanted to share what I've learned about veganism as I've looked into and researched it and I look forward to hopefully sharing more about veganism and diabetes as I make the transition.
I know, I know, veganism doesn't seem, at first glance, like the most healthy, nutritious diet(most of you are probably thinking, "What do those people eat? Salads for every meal, every day?!) But despite the stigma surrounding veganism and those who choose to adopt this lifestyle, eating a healthy, well planned vegan diet can provide all the necessary nutrients and can offer many amazing heath benefits.
Veganism simply means that, like vegetarians, you don't eat meat, fish, or poultry, and you take it a step further: you don't consume any animal products either(aka eggs, milk, dairy products, honey, or gelatin.) While this post will mostly focus on the health benefits of the vegan diet, veganism also comes from a compassion towards animals and a desire to see animal cruelty minimized and spare the lives(or at least the brutal killing) of animals that we would normally eat without thinking twice about. Whether you're looking to adopt the vegan diet for health reasons, ethical reasons, or both, the vegan lifestyle can be adjusted to fit any person in any walk or stage of life.
As I said before, veganism offers many awesome health benefits, and vegans are some of the healthiest people around, granted that they're carefully planning out their diet and have done their research to learn what nutrients they need to get and how to get them without consuming meat or animal products.
HEART HEALTH.
Studies have shown that vegans following a healthy diet plan have an 26% percent lower chance of having a stroke or heart disease than those who eat a nonvegetarian diet and it has been found that the vegan diet provides much stronger protection against stroke than any other dietary pattern, and it has also been shown that vegans have the lowest total and LDL(bad) cholesterol, that vegans have the lowest intake levels of saturated fats, trans fatty acids, and cholesterol, have higher blood levels of antioxidant and lower levels of lipid peroxidation, have lower rates of hypertension and have leaner waist to hip ratios. Along with these benefits, there are a few risks, such as possible higher rates for blood clots due to low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and higher or similar homocysteine levels, which can increase the risk for heart disease, due to low levels of vitamin B12.
CANCER.
In addition to these heart health benefits, eating a vegan diet(plenty of fruits and vegetables) is associated with lower risk of cancer at almost every sight, and is proven beneficial because animal products and meat, which can have a detrimental effect of health, are not being consumed.
DIABETES.
Most of you reading this are questioning why I'm putting this section in here because, if you're like me, you're thinking, "I already have diabetes, there's nothing I can do now to prevent it. "
However, the vegan diet can help bring better control in diabetes and knowing the facts about how it can possibly help reduce the risk of diabetes is helpful information for the future and for protection our families from having to fight the same battle we are dealing with.
The vegan diet has been shown to help improve blood glucose control(along with exercise) and has been shown to possibly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes(vegans tend to have the lowest number of cases of type 2 diabetes. However, it is still unclear if the low body weight is strictly the cause of this.) As type one diabetes only account for about 10% of all cases of diabetes, it's hard to tell what triggers the disease, but milk consumption has been possibly linked as one of the factors/triggers, which, if it's true that milk triggers type one diabetes, could make the vegan diet a way to help prevent type one diabetes by eliminating milk and dairy consumption. However, there is only limited research on this and further research is needed.
While these health benefits are great for any person in general, I think they are especially great for diabetics, who are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or a stroke than people without diabetes.
The vegan diet, as you've seen, has many great health benefits as well as ethical benefits brought by not consuming meat or animal products. But, as with any dietary change, it is important to do your research before making the switch. Find books at your local library or at Barnes and Nobles, ask someone you know who's a vegan or vegetarian, ask a nurse, nutritionist, or just ask your doctor. Just do your research to decide if eating a vegan diet is the right choice for you. The book that almost all the information in this post is coming from is Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, and I've found it very informative in learning about the health benefits of veganism as well as the risks and how to properly plan a vegan diet so that you get all the vitamins and nutrients you need.
While I think veganism can be extremely beneficially to diabetics, I am in no way trying to say that it is the only healthy way to eat or trying to force it upon anyone. Veganism is not for everyone, and meat and animal products can still be part of a healthy diet and there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating them at all. I simply wanted to share what I've learned about veganism as I've looked into and researched it and I look forward to hopefully sharing more about veganism and diabetes as I make the transition.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Diabetes and Relationships
Let me just start this post off by saying that even though this subject can feel awkward, it doesn't have to, and shouldn't be! Relationships. whether they're platonic or romantic, are a natural part of human life and diabetes shouldn't get in the way of this. Diabetes can pose lots of questions in relationships on both sides. How do I tell them I have diabetes? Is it okay to check my blood sugar or give an injection in front of them? Does that hurt? Can you eat this? Can you eat that?
Questions are normal, and you shouldn't be afraid to ask or answer them. As long as you're open and not afraid to be yourself and maybe even be a little vulnerable, you'll both be fine. :)
But I'm going to answer some of the questions that diabetics at least have in regards to relationships and their diabetes.
When should I tell someone that I'm diabetic?
Telling someone that you're diabetic can be scary, depending on how open you are about it, but at some point or another they're going to find out anyway. In my experience, at least, the best way to "tell" someone you have diabetes is just to take care of it in front of them( check your blood sugar, give yourself an injection, etc.) and let them ask questions. This is always how people have found out that I have diabetes(for the most part) and it's just a natural way for it to come up.
Can I check my blood sugar/give an injection in front of them?
Although you probably want to make sure they're not super squeamish about needles or blood, I think the answer to this is yes. If they're your friends, and especially if they're your boyfriend/girlfriend, you should be able to be comfortable and you should be able to take care of yourself with them. This may not happen immediately but it will happen, don't get discouraged. :) Some things take time, and being comfortable enough to stab yourself(not quite so much, but that's probably about what it looks like to them) can take a little time.
The best advice I can give you is just don't overthink it too much! At the end of the day, diabetes does not change who you are as a person and it shouldn't change the way they see you.
Questions are normal, and you shouldn't be afraid to ask or answer them. As long as you're open and not afraid to be yourself and maybe even be a little vulnerable, you'll both be fine. :)
But I'm going to answer some of the questions that diabetics at least have in regards to relationships and their diabetes.
When should I tell someone that I'm diabetic?
Telling someone that you're diabetic can be scary, depending on how open you are about it, but at some point or another they're going to find out anyway. In my experience, at least, the best way to "tell" someone you have diabetes is just to take care of it in front of them( check your blood sugar, give yourself an injection, etc.) and let them ask questions. This is always how people have found out that I have diabetes(for the most part) and it's just a natural way for it to come up.
Can I check my blood sugar/give an injection in front of them?
Although you probably want to make sure they're not super squeamish about needles or blood, I think the answer to this is yes. If they're your friends, and especially if they're your boyfriend/girlfriend, you should be able to be comfortable and you should be able to take care of yourself with them. This may not happen immediately but it will happen, don't get discouraged. :) Some things take time, and being comfortable enough to stab yourself(not quite so much, but that's probably about what it looks like to them) can take a little time.
The best advice I can give you is just don't overthink it too much! At the end of the day, diabetes does not change who you are as a person and it shouldn't change the way they see you.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Lilly Diabetes Journey Awards™
Onto a happier topic! Although diabetes isn't fun or easy to deal with, Lily Diabetes understands this and to make things a little more optimistic, I suppose, they created the Lily Diabetes Journey Awards. Basically, these awards help you celebrate milestones in your life with diabetes. After 10, 25, 50, and 75 years with diabetes, you are eligible to apply for(or be nominated by your healthcare professional) a Lily Diabetes Journey Awards. In essences, these awards are meant to help you celebrate 10, 25, 50, 75, and more years of successfully managing diabetes and I think that's pretty cool and I'm super pumped to be able to apply for first Lily Diabetes Journey Award this summer to celebrate 10 years of managing my Type One Diabetes!!!! While I'm not sure the awards are limited to Type One Diabetics, I do know that you have to have treated your diabetes with insulin continuously for the number of years the awards states (for me, 10 years) to be eligible. You can find more information about the Lily Diabetes Journey Awards at http://www.lillydiabetes.com/Pages/lilly-diabetes-journey-awards.aspx or I'm sure you can ask your endocrinologist or your diabetes educator for more info if you're curious!
It's More than Meets the Eye
When you think about diabetes, the first things that come to mind are probably needles, blood, and shots, not anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. But just because you don't see the mental pain and exhaustion that diabetes causes does not mean it doesn't exist, because it most certainly does. Diabetes is a disease that wears you out and never goes away. You never get a break.
Today while on Facebook I saw an article posted by TypeOneNation titled When Type 1 Diabetes is Too Much for a Child to Bear: Part 2 and, intrigued, clicked on the link (http://asweetlife.org/feature/when-type-1-diabetes-is-too-much-for-a-child-to-bear-part-2/.)
The article is about a little boy, whose name was changed for privacy but in the article is called Finn. Finn had been depressed even before his diagnosis of Type One Diabetes in 2011 and later Celiac Disease, but these chronic diseases only added to the depression that he felt. He had been seeing a therapist about his depression, but one day he told his school counselor that he wanted to hurt himself and the school counselor contacted Finn's parents as well as the children's psychiatric hospital’s emergency department. After several calls, Finn was admitted and stayed for just under a week. Although Finn was not miraculously cured after this stay in the hospital, it helped him realize that he wasn't alone and there are others who are struggling worse than he is, and more importantly, it helped his parents realize how they could help Finn and that they needed to.
I told you all this story because it helps show that diabetes is definitely not just physical. It is just as mentally exhausting as it is physically. And this mental exhaustion comes in all shapes and sizes. It can come in the major extremes of depression and anxiety, or it can come in smaller forms like burnout and just not wanting to deal with diabetes. Sometimes diabetes just mentally wears you out to the point that it's hard to make yourself do things like check your blood sugar and give yourself insulin because even though you know you need to do them to stay alive and well, you just don't want to. No matter how long, or how briefly, you've lived with diabetes, you can still experience the mental effects of the disease and you probably will, unfortunately. Just as diabetes is different from person to person in the physical effects it causes, it is also different in the mental effects that it causes. One person may only deal with minor burnout and having to force themselves to do what they need to do to care for themselves not matter how much they don't want to while other people like Finn may experience the more extreme mental effects that diabetes can cause like depression and anxiety.
No matter how much alone you feel in dealing with the mental exhaustion that diabetes causes, you're not, and that's important to know. It's okay to admit that you're not okay, and it's okay to reach out for help. Find a parent, doctor, nurse or some other person you trust and let them know what you're going through. They want to help you and they don't want you to have to go through this battle alone. They may not understand what you're going through, but they can support you and encourage you to keep going when you feel like giving up. So please, if you're like Finn and are struggling with diabetes and need help, please reach out and get help. There are people who are there to, and want to, help you and all you have to do is ask.
Today while on Facebook I saw an article posted by TypeOneNation titled When Type 1 Diabetes is Too Much for a Child to Bear: Part 2 and, intrigued, clicked on the link (http://asweetlife.org/feature/when-type-1-diabetes-is-too-much-for-a-child-to-bear-part-2/.)
The article is about a little boy, whose name was changed for privacy but in the article is called Finn. Finn had been depressed even before his diagnosis of Type One Diabetes in 2011 and later Celiac Disease, but these chronic diseases only added to the depression that he felt. He had been seeing a therapist about his depression, but one day he told his school counselor that he wanted to hurt himself and the school counselor contacted Finn's parents as well as the children's psychiatric hospital’s emergency department. After several calls, Finn was admitted and stayed for just under a week. Although Finn was not miraculously cured after this stay in the hospital, it helped him realize that he wasn't alone and there are others who are struggling worse than he is, and more importantly, it helped his parents realize how they could help Finn and that they needed to.
I told you all this story because it helps show that diabetes is definitely not just physical. It is just as mentally exhausting as it is physically. And this mental exhaustion comes in all shapes and sizes. It can come in the major extremes of depression and anxiety, or it can come in smaller forms like burnout and just not wanting to deal with diabetes. Sometimes diabetes just mentally wears you out to the point that it's hard to make yourself do things like check your blood sugar and give yourself insulin because even though you know you need to do them to stay alive and well, you just don't want to. No matter how long, or how briefly, you've lived with diabetes, you can still experience the mental effects of the disease and you probably will, unfortunately. Just as diabetes is different from person to person in the physical effects it causes, it is also different in the mental effects that it causes. One person may only deal with minor burnout and having to force themselves to do what they need to do to care for themselves not matter how much they don't want to while other people like Finn may experience the more extreme mental effects that diabetes can cause like depression and anxiety.
No matter how much alone you feel in dealing with the mental exhaustion that diabetes causes, you're not, and that's important to know. It's okay to admit that you're not okay, and it's okay to reach out for help. Find a parent, doctor, nurse or some other person you trust and let them know what you're going through. They want to help you and they don't want you to have to go through this battle alone. They may not understand what you're going through, but they can support you and encourage you to keep going when you feel like giving up. So please, if you're like Finn and are struggling with diabetes and need help, please reach out and get help. There are people who are there to, and want to, help you and all you have to do is ask.
Friday, March 6, 2015
You are a Fighter
There's one thing about diabetes that just becomes more and more evident the longer you live with the disease: diabetes is annoying. It wears you down, both physically and emotionally, very quickly and you never. get. a. break. Diabetes is the disease that never takes a break. There's never a day off, or a lazy day with diabetes, or a day that you just choose not to deal with it. That's the thing about diabetes and other chronic illnesses: you have to fight it every day. Every day you have to make a conscious decision to fight for your health, to fight for your life even, and that gets tiring. And you know what? That's okay. It's okay to feel tired because of diabetes. It's okay to have days where you just feel done with diabetes. It's okay to cry and it's okay to be upset. But what's not okay is giving up. If you're living with diabetes, you are strong enough to handle it. Diabetes is a tough disease, but you can handle it; you can overcome it and thrive in spite of it. Diabetes is a challenge, but it's not a handicap. Diabetes cannot stop you from doing anything. You can do anything you set your mind to, and diabetes cannot stop you. Diabetes will be a big part of your life, but it will not be your life. You will not be defined by diabetes, but it will help explain why you have to do certain things different than other people. Diabetes can feel like a thorn in your side, but if you look at it through a different set of lenses, it can also be a blessing in disguise. Diabetes makes us strong. We deal with so much that other people don't, and we handle it like champs. We survive the daily finger pricks and needles without flinching. While others are afraid of having blood drawn or having a flu shot, that stuff is nothing to us because we endure so much more than that. Sure, counting carbs can be annoying, but we know more about the nutrition labels than most nutritionists, to be honest. We know how to be prepared for anything(ever need batteries? Find a diabetic. They probably have a stash of them for their meter/pump.) and we know how to hide medical devices like pros(because sometimes your pump just completely ruins your outfit, you know.)
Diabetes has it's downs, but it also has it's ups. There will inevitably be days that you feel like you are your disease, but you're not. You are so much more than that. You are a unique, one of a kind human being and your disease just proves how strong you are. And no matter how weak you feel, you are strong and you can handle this. On the days when diabetes seems to be controlling your life, just remember that: you are strong and you are not alone. There are so many other people just like you who live with diabetes every day, and they're there to support you, you just have to find them. And beyond that, you have friends, family, and doctors, who although they may not understand what you're going through, love you and are there to support you when diabetes weighs you down.
Diabetes is tough, but you can handle it because you are strong and you are a fighter.
Diabetes has it's downs, but it also has it's ups. There will inevitably be days that you feel like you are your disease, but you're not. You are so much more than that. You are a unique, one of a kind human being and your disease just proves how strong you are. And no matter how weak you feel, you are strong and you can handle this. On the days when diabetes seems to be controlling your life, just remember that: you are strong and you are not alone. There are so many other people just like you who live with diabetes every day, and they're there to support you, you just have to find them. And beyond that, you have friends, family, and doctors, who although they may not understand what you're going through, love you and are there to support you when diabetes weighs you down.
Diabetes is tough, but you can handle it because you are strong and you are a fighter.
How to Handle Lows
Low blood sugars can be one of the most annoying parts about being a diabetic, or at least to me they can be. I'll be at school taking a test, or out to see a movie with my boyfriend, or laying in bed at night, and I'll start feeling like my blood sugar is dropping. If I'm by myself or at home or in a situation where testing my blood sugar isn't a problem, then of course I'm going to sit down, test, and eat or drink something to bring it up if it actually is low. But, it can be harder to deal with a low when I'm out and about. A lot of the time, for me at least, I feel like I can't take the time away from class or from whatever I'm doing to take care of my blood sugar and to take care of myself.
No matter where you are, though, it's important to take the time to take care of yourself and your blood sugar. Not only can a low blood sugar be unpleasant and make it hard to focus, they can be dangerous. No one wants to pass out because of a low, so it's important to take care of low blood sugars promptly.
The first thing to do is check(obviously.) It's helpful to know just how low you are or if you're low at all. It's the weirdest thing, but sometimes your body makes you feel like you're low when you're actually not. In addition to this, it's also helpful to have a record of lows so your doctor can help you see a pattern and fix whatever is causing the lows.
After you check, you're just going to sit tight and eat or drink something to bring your blood sugar up. Glucose tabs, juice, milk- any of these will do. What you want to keep in mind while treating lows is that you want to choose something that has fast acting sugar and not a lot of fat. The sugar will bring it up quickly whereas the fat will cause it to rise slowly. While you're waiting for your blood sugar to come back up to normal, just take it easy and rest for a few minutes. Moving around will only slow down your blood sugar as it rises and most of the time, you probably aren't going to feel great. Lows can cause you to feel weak and shaky, so there's nothing wrong with just sitting down for a minute!
So that's my advice. Although they're extremely annoying, lows aren't too complicated to handle. Just handle the promptly and take it easy while your body gets back to where it needs to be.
No matter where you are, though, it's important to take the time to take care of yourself and your blood sugar. Not only can a low blood sugar be unpleasant and make it hard to focus, they can be dangerous. No one wants to pass out because of a low, so it's important to take care of low blood sugars promptly.
The first thing to do is check(obviously.) It's helpful to know just how low you are or if you're low at all. It's the weirdest thing, but sometimes your body makes you feel like you're low when you're actually not. In addition to this, it's also helpful to have a record of lows so your doctor can help you see a pattern and fix whatever is causing the lows.
After you check, you're just going to sit tight and eat or drink something to bring your blood sugar up. Glucose tabs, juice, milk- any of these will do. What you want to keep in mind while treating lows is that you want to choose something that has fast acting sugar and not a lot of fat. The sugar will bring it up quickly whereas the fat will cause it to rise slowly. While you're waiting for your blood sugar to come back up to normal, just take it easy and rest for a few minutes. Moving around will only slow down your blood sugar as it rises and most of the time, you probably aren't going to feel great. Lows can cause you to feel weak and shaky, so there's nothing wrong with just sitting down for a minute!
So that's my advice. Although they're extremely annoying, lows aren't too complicated to handle. Just handle the promptly and take it easy while your body gets back to where it needs to be.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
The Importance of Being Prepared
I'm just going to start out this post by saying that I meant to do this post a while ago(and by a while ago, I mean a week ago...oops.) But, you know, other things got in the way and I just kind of forgot. Nonetheless, here it is!
Last week I was reminded of the importance of being prepared as a diabetic. While at school, I somehow managed to rip out my infusion set when I stood up to go to the bathroom during class(super embarrassing and I still don't know how I managed to do it.... hahahaha). After doing this, I had to call my mom to have her bring me a new infusion set to put it and it hit me that I really needed to start carrying around an extra infusion set in case this were to happen again. The feeling of needing to be prepared was only furthered when my mom brought up the point that next year when I'm away at college I won't be able to call her if something like that happens. I'll only be about thirty minutes away from home, but still, I she's right. I do need to be prepared and carry extras around with me. And so do you! If you've bee a diabetic for any amount of time or even just know one, you know that there's just always going be things you have to carry around with you everywhere you go. That's just a fact of life for diabetics. But, rather than denying this and not being prepared, it's best to just embrace it and go along with it. So, since this incident with my infusion set, I've had at least an extra set in my backpack and I keep meaning to get a little "diabetic emergency kit" type thing put together, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet(oops...get with it, Megan!)
In this post, along with telling you/reminding you that being prepared is important, I thought I'd share my idea for my little bag with you guys! I plan to get a little makeup bag thing or something of the sort that can easily be grabbed and thrown from one bag to another with ease. In this bag, I plan to keep:
Last week I was reminded of the importance of being prepared as a diabetic. While at school, I somehow managed to rip out my infusion set when I stood up to go to the bathroom during class(super embarrassing and I still don't know how I managed to do it.... hahahaha). After doing this, I had to call my mom to have her bring me a new infusion set to put it and it hit me that I really needed to start carrying around an extra infusion set in case this were to happen again. The feeling of needing to be prepared was only furthered when my mom brought up the point that next year when I'm away at college I won't be able to call her if something like that happens. I'll only be about thirty minutes away from home, but still, I she's right. I do need to be prepared and carry extras around with me. And so do you! If you've bee a diabetic for any amount of time or even just know one, you know that there's just always going be things you have to carry around with you everywhere you go. That's just a fact of life for diabetics. But, rather than denying this and not being prepared, it's best to just embrace it and go along with it. So, since this incident with my infusion set, I've had at least an extra set in my backpack and I keep meaning to get a little "diabetic emergency kit" type thing put together, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet(oops...get with it, Megan!)
In this post, along with telling you/reminding you that being prepared is important, I thought I'd share my idea for my little bag with you guys! I plan to get a little makeup bag thing or something of the sort that can easily be grabbed and thrown from one bag to another with ease. In this bag, I plan to keep:
- an extra infusion set
- glucose tabs
- extra test strips
- extra pump/meter batteries
- band aids
- snacks for lows
Friday, February 27, 2015
Diabetes and Standardized/AP testing
This post will apply mostly to those of you in high school(sorry to those of you who no longer fall into this category!) If you're in high school, you know how annoying standardized testing like the ACT and SAT can be, not to mention stressful, without adding diabetes into the mix. But, since you can't just stop being diabetic on the days that you have to take these so it's important to be prepared. Sadly, I didn't know that diabetics could get "special treatment" I guess you would say when taking the ACT and SAT, but now that I know, I want to makes sure everyone else who might need this knows. I'm not exactly sure what special privileges you get, but I believe it's just extra time to complete the test and the right to have your testing material, food to treat lows, water, etc. To get this extra time and rights, you must send in the request 7 weeks in advance, as it can take a while for your request to be approved. You can find the information about this at https://sat.collegeboard.org/register/for-students-with-disabilities for the SAT and at http://www.actstudent.org/regist/disab/ for the ACT. In addition to being able to do this for standardized testing, you can also do this for AP testing. The extra time/rights are the same as the ones for the SAT since both the SAT and AP testing are through college board, and you also must send the request in seven weeks in advance so that there is time for your request to be approved. You can find the information about this at https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/takingtheexam/testing-accommodations. If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask me and I will do my best to answer them! I hope this helps those of you who will have to take theses tests!
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Bad Diabetic Habits
Today's going to be a honest blog post. Every diabetic has their bad habits when it comes to diabetes, and I definitely have several of my own. So, I thought that since I'm snowed in and have another day off of school I'd share some of my bad diabetic habits with you guys. Here they are:
1. Never changing my lancet.
I feel like this is a habit that almost every diabetic has. You're diagnosed, they tell you to be careful to only use lancets once to avoid infections, and you follow that ruler religiously... for a while. Then you get lazy about it. "Reusing it won't hurt me," you tell yourself. So you reuse your lancet twice, which turns into ten times, which turns into using the same lancet for three months... it's a downward spiral. I'm so guilty of this it's not even funny. But, I changed my lancet today, so that counts for something, right?2. Being lazy about counting carbs.
This is another thing that when you're first diagnosed you do to the t. You look at labels, and if there's not a label, you look it up online... then you start having to guess carbs because there's no label or information about carbs online. And, at least for me, you just start guessing almost all the time. You tell yourself, "This has about this many carbs and this has this many..." and it just turns into a bad habit that you struggle to break. But, never fear, you can indeed break it!
3. Never logging anything.
When I was first diagnosed (I feel like that's how all of my sentences have started...) I kept logs of EVERYTHING. I wrote down when I checked my blood sugar, what my blood sugar was, what ate, how many carbs were in it, how much insulin I gave myself... you get the point. I logged a lot of things. Then I got lazy. I was diagnosed when I was eight, and as a kid, writing all that stuff was never fun and I definitely didn't like it. As I got older, I got lazier and lazier about it and eventually quit doing it altogether. There's nothing wrong with not logging blood sugars and carb intakes, but it definitely helps. If you have a high or low blood sugar, you can look back at your log and figure out what might have caused it a lot easier than if you don't log anything.
4. Poking the same finger every time I check.
This isn't a horrible habit, but it definitely leads to some nasty looking fingers and probably some scar tissue. It's just so easy to do! For me at least, I tend to really like poking my middle and ring fingers because they don't hurt as badly as my index finger and I've never been a fan of poking my pinky and I'm honestly not sure I've ever poked my thumb. Along with these preferences, I tend to like to poke these fingers on my right hand, although I'm not sure why.
5. Wiping blood on everything.
This one sounds really gross, but lets be honest, we all have gross diabetic habits. After I check, I'll wipe my finger off on my meter case, on my pants(oops), on my shirts if it's black or I don't care about it. It's gross, but who actually carries alcohol wipes around with them? And it's just a meter case or my pants or a shirt. It's not the end of the world. :)
Well, there you have it. Now you've heard about a few of my bad diabetic habits and maybe you even have some of the same ones yourself!
Monday, February 16, 2015
Multiple Daily Injections vs. Insulin Pump Therapy
Multiple Daily Injections
Basically, Multiple Daily Injections is just a bigger way to say shots. When using multiple daily injection as a way to take the insulin you need, you'll probably be on anywhere from 3 to 6 shots a day. Younger children tend to be on more shots than adults, simply because they may need snacks throughout the day to help stabilize their blood sugars, which results in the need for more insulin(which results in more shots) to cover their food intake. Adults, however, usually can get by with 3-4 shots a day, depending on the severity of their diabetes. During my about 9 years using Multiple Daily Injections to treat my diabetes, I was on everywhere from 4 to 6 shots a day. With Multiple Daily Injections, you'll be on two different types of insulin: a short acting insulin(I was on Novolog) and a long acting insulin(I was on Lantus). You'll take the short acting insulin to cover the carbs you eat at meal and snack times, as well as to correct any high blood sugars you have. Short acting insulin generally stays in your system for about two to three hours and takes about fifteen minutes to start working. In addition to using short acting insulin to cover food and correct hyperglycemia, you'll use a long acting insulin to help stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day. You'll take long acting insulin once a day, usually at nighttime, and you'll usually take a larger dose of long acting insulin than you will of short acting insulin since it will be in your system all day long. The long acting insulin will act as background insulin, always in your system to help regulate your blood glucose. Long acting insulin stays in your system for twenty-four hours and usually takes about an hour or two to start working.Insulin Pump Therapy
With insulin pump therapy, unlike Multiple Daily Injections, you will only be on one type of insulin: short acting insulin(I'm still using Novolog for this.) Rather than injecting short acting insulin multiple times a day to cover food and high blood sugars and injecting long acting insulin once a day, you will be hooked up to a small, beeper like machine that will give you short acting insulin continuously throughout the day(this is called your basal insulin) in the place of a long acting insulin and you will simply test your blood sugar, enter the amount of carbs, and give yourself insulin for food or correcting your blood sugar with the press of a few buttons.I know being hooked up to a machine might sound scary or unpleasant, but it really isn't. This is what my insulin pump looks like:
And this is what goes inside me:
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Unlike many people think, there's no needle that stays inside you all the time. Using an insertion device, you'll use a needle to insert a tiny rubber tube(shown above) into your body, then you will remove the needle, leaving only the rubber tube(called a cannula). The cannula will be connected by a tube thinner than a piece of spaghetti to your pump, and the pump will send insulin through the tube, into the cannula, and into your body. You will leave each cannula in your body for about two to three days, and then you will put a new one in, which is super easy to do and takes about ten minutes or so.
There are several different brands of pumps. The pump I use is called the Animas One Touch Ping, but other popular and well known pumps include the Medtronic Minimed Revel(Here's a picture:
)
and the Omnipod(Here's a picture of this pump as well:
)
There is no one pump that is right for every diabetic, so when choosing a pump, talk to your doctor about which pump might be best for you, and in the long run, don't worry too much about it! Most pumps do the same thing and they're kinda like cars: you choose the one that has the most feature that you like or feel will be beneficial to you.
Pros and Cons
Multiple Daily Injections and insulin pump therapy both have their pros and cons. These will be different for each individual person, but I'll share some of my personal pros and cons for each of these treatment methods.
Multiple Daily Injections
Pros:
- No tubing to get tangled on doorknobs and rip off(not that that's ever happened to me... just kidding, it totally has.)
- No pump to have to have pockets to put in or to ruin outifts(however, if all else fails, stick it in your bra, ladies. Sorry guys, I can't really help y'all out.)
- Less chance of developing ketones with high blood sugars because of long acting insulin always being present
Cons:
- Lots of needles(Multiple shots a day isn't fun, not going to lie)
- Lots of bruises(needles are sharp and human skin is tender and delicate)
- Takes more time at meal time(Having to take the time to draw up a shot before eating a meal can get a little annoying)
Insulin Pump Therapy
Pros:
- Fewer needles(Changing your cannula and infusion set every three days is so much better than taking 3-4 shots everyday)
- More freedom(It's easier to adjust your meal times and have a more flexible schedule with a pump than it is on shots)
- Less math(Your pump will do a lot of the math for you. If you're like me and math isn't exactly your forte, this is a big plus)
Cons:
- You always have something connected to you(With the exception of when you're showering, your pump is always going to be connected to you. To me, this isn't a big deal, but some people don't enjoy the feeling of always having a machine and cannula inside them. It's different for everyone, and you're the only one who can decide if this is a drawback to using an insulin pump for you or not.)
- Higher risk of developing ketones(Since you won't have a long acting insulin in your system at all times, ketones can develop easier than when you do have that long acting insulin to act as a back up net. However, don't let this scare you. Ketones can definitely still be avoided with proper management.
In the end, the decision is yours. Multiple Daily Injections and insulin pump therapy both treat Type One Diabetes the same way if used with proper care and management. If you have questions about either type of treatment, ask a doctor, a nurse, or ask me! I'm always happy to answer any questions you may have and I hope this blog helps you in making your decision.
How Diabetes Works
For my first official diabetes related post, I decided to explain what causes diabetes. Although the exact cause behind diabetes is still unknown, it is known that Type One Diabetes is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system gets confused and thinks that the beta cells, the insulin producing cells in the pancreas, are a harmful invader and destroys them. Although we known that diabetes results from the immune system becoming confused, we still don't know what triggers the body to attack itself like this. We do, however, know that there are genetic and environmental triggers. I'll do my best to explain these triggers, but science isn't my strong suit, so I apologize if this is super confusing and unhelpful. While Type One Diabetes isn't as genetic as Type Two Diabetes, it is still genetic to an extent. There are many different genes associated with diabetes, the strongest being IDDM1, which is located in MHC Class II region on chromosome 6. The chances of a child developing Type One Diabetes is about 10% if the father has it, about 10% if a sibling has it, about 4% if the mother has type 1 diabetes and was aged 25 or younger when the child was born, and about 1% if the mother was over 25 years old when the child was born.
Along with genetic factors, environmental factors also play a part in the development of Type One Diabetes. In studies, when one identical twin had Type One Diabetes, only about 30-50% of the time did the other twin develop the disease. Despite sharing the same genetic makeup, only one twin developed diabetes the majority of the time, which led to the discovery that the environment can trigger the body to develop Type One Diabetes. Although scientists know that the environment plays a part in the development of Type One Diabetes, they have yet to pinpoint how exactly the environment triggers the disease, so sorry that I can't explain that.
Once the immune system has attacked and destroyed the insulin making beta cells in the pancreas, the body no longer produces insulin, which leads to hyperglycemia, or elevated blood sugar. Without insulin, the body cannot break down the food you eat to use for energy, which is why excessive hunger is often one of the early signs of Type One Diabetes. The body cannot use the food you've already given it, so it tells you you're still hungry, probably thinking that more food will help solve the problem. Other signs and symptoms of Type One Diabetes include excessive thirst, excessive urinating, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, fatigue, and weight loss.
If you or someone you love are showing these signs and think that Type One Diabetes may be the cause, please ask your doctor about it and get checked for diabetes. The early you catch diabetes, the less chance you have of finding out after it's caused adverse side affects. Knowing the symptoms and causes of Type One Diabetes can help you watch out for it and catch it if you ever should develop it, so educate yourself, because education is the key to a healthy life.
Along with genetic factors, environmental factors also play a part in the development of Type One Diabetes. In studies, when one identical twin had Type One Diabetes, only about 30-50% of the time did the other twin develop the disease. Despite sharing the same genetic makeup, only one twin developed diabetes the majority of the time, which led to the discovery that the environment can trigger the body to develop Type One Diabetes. Although scientists know that the environment plays a part in the development of Type One Diabetes, they have yet to pinpoint how exactly the environment triggers the disease, so sorry that I can't explain that.
Once the immune system has attacked and destroyed the insulin making beta cells in the pancreas, the body no longer produces insulin, which leads to hyperglycemia, or elevated blood sugar. Without insulin, the body cannot break down the food you eat to use for energy, which is why excessive hunger is often one of the early signs of Type One Diabetes. The body cannot use the food you've already given it, so it tells you you're still hungry, probably thinking that more food will help solve the problem. Other signs and symptoms of Type One Diabetes include excessive thirst, excessive urinating, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, fatigue, and weight loss.
If you or someone you love are showing these signs and think that Type One Diabetes may be the cause, please ask your doctor about it and get checked for diabetes. The early you catch diabetes, the less chance you have of finding out after it's caused adverse side affects. Knowing the symptoms and causes of Type One Diabetes can help you watch out for it and catch it if you ever should develop it, so educate yourself, because education is the key to a healthy life.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Welcome to My Life with Type One Diabetes
I decided that for my first post on this blog I would just give you guys a little bit of an introduction to me and to this blog. My name is Megan, and I've been a Type One Diabetic for almost ten years now. So although I don't know everything there is to know about diabetes, I do know quite a bit and that's why I decided to start this blog. But we'll come back to that in a minute. For now, I'm going to give you a little bit more information about myself. I'm currently a senior in high school and am excited about majoring in Music Education with a concentration on choral music in the fall at college. I have wonderful friends and family who support me and are always there for me, and I'm incredibly thankful for them. Now back to diabetes, you've heard enough about me. As I said, I've been a Type One Diabetic for almost ten years now. I was diagnosed at the age of eight, and was on multiple daily injections for eight- almost nine- years, and am now on an Animas One Touch Ping insulin pump. I decided that I wanted to do something to help other diabetics out, but I didn't know exactly how to do that. I tried a couple different things, such as pen pal programs through JDRF (none of my pen pals ever responded, fyi) and online communities for diabetics, such as TuDiabetes, but, while both of those are wonderful options, neither of them really worked for me. So, fast forward in time several months, and here I am writing this blog. :D I am super excited about this and about being able to share what I've learned in my nine years of being a diabetic as well as learn from my fellow diabetics! I look forward to talking to you guys (and gals!) and if there's ever a certain topic you'd like me to blog about just let me know either at megandianej12@gmail.com or via my twitter for this blog @DarlingBetic12 (https://twitter.com/DarlingBetic12)
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