|
It's official. The first case of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been confirmed in South Africa - and it is on our doorstep here in our hometown, Pietermaritzburg. We certainly don't want to jump on the mania band wagon but we do feel like a little bit of preparedness towards preventing the contraction of this virus pivotal. For a Type 1 Diabetic who's immune system is already compromised this virus could wreck more havoc than we would like. Type 1 Diabetics are at greater risk of complications when exposed to viral infections like the flu or pneumonia, and it will be no different with COVID-19. The same flu-prevention protocols are applicable: washing your hands regularly, covering coughs and sneezes with tissues, sneezing into elbow crevices, etc. You have take advice from where it comes from and who am I to share with you anything but what I have learned from our own personal experiences? If I could offer one additional preventative measure you could implement today it would be to go out and buy any one of the Nexa Shield products and start using it. Although I myself am not a Type 1 Diabetic, I have a preexisting condition that makes me more susceptible to respiratory infections and after three weeks of not being able to shake one, a GP recommended I start using the Nexa FluShield spray. It basically provides the nasal cavity with a powdered film lining that prevents anything from penetrating that barrier. They have several variations on the market including for allergies, kids and travelling. Ultimately they're the same product in different packaging and they work wonders. I learned about this product on Tuesday this week and started using it straight away in sheer desperation to get rid of this cough. Within the first day I noticed my symptoms becoming clearer. At the time of the appointment with the GP he suggested taking this as a precautionary against the Coronavirus and it being suitable for someone like Harrison, our Type 1 Diabetic 4 year old son to take too. I believe Nexa is available in most pharmacies, including Dischem. Click here to visit their website to find out more. This is not a paid post at all - just sharing because I wish I had known about this stuff sooner and I am definitely getting Harrison started on it today! 
0 Comments
If I could recommend any episode to listen to as a starting point it would be this one! They do so well to explain, in conversational English, so much about Glucagon, when it works, when it doesn't - and then the intricacies involved in going low... boy there are many... but we knew that already didn't we? It's still worth a listen! I implore you to do so. Here's a quick link, make a cuppa tea, put your feet up and listen in.
I know I only have a 4 year old but the question of alcohol in the mix when he is older has always popped into my brain only to be brushed off by our endo when prompted: "let's worry about that when the time comes". Fair enough but having heard this podcast touch on some guidelines for people with T1D who would like to drink socially has made me feel a little less anxious knowing how to be prepared. For parents with older kids nearer the drinking age, this might be a good one for you to listen to. Aside from the drinking they speak about various other variables affecting lows, and also the efficacy of the Glucagon pen as the tool to get BG levels back up in different situations. 
 First things first - here's a hearty Type One Warrior "Happy New Year!" to you and your wonderful families! We hope that 2020 is going to be a great year despite all the highs and lows that accompany life with Type One Diabetes! Sorry (not sorry) about the delay but we've been living it up in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains for the past week with very little cell reception! In our family, at the start of every year we pick a word or theme to live by for the upcoming year. We've never really exercised this for our little Type One Warrior endeavours but this year we decided we should give it a bash and perhaps provide ourselves a platform that has more direction... We mulled over this for a few days and decided on a theme that might sound simple, but in actuality is all encompassing and can mean so many things. Our theme for 2020 is "pursuing normalcy". You might be sitting there thinking we've gone out of our way and over extended ourselves by choosing a goal that is far too easy and simple but if you really have a good think about it, normal can mean so many different things and needs a bit of decision making in a way - deciding what is normal for us? Rowan and I discussed ten goals, each with their own set of micro goals that will ultimately serve as our measure in our pursuit of normalcy this year. We've listed them below. Pursuing normalcy : 10 goals for 2020 Normal for us, this year, is all encompassing. We want to spend more time outdoors, we want to have tighter control over Harrison's blood glucose trends, we want to focus on creating more Type One Warrior friendly meals, we want Type One Warrior to grow as a community, we'd love to meet more Type 1 kids, and help more families affected by Type 1... there is just so much - and we want this all to be our normal! This is in no particular order but here is our list of 10 goals we'd like to achieve this year! Goal 1 : Improving Harrison's time-in-range and ultimately achieving an HBA1C of 6.5% or lower. Last year was all about the pump for us, and getting used to using this amazing device in the day-to-day management of Harrison's levels. For those who are not sure what a pump is, in brief, it is a small insulin-delivery device that is attached to Harrison's body and delivers the insulin that his body needs. We use it in tandem with a constant-glucose-monitor device so the full set up is like a replacement pancreas - since his no longer works. We have Harrison hooked up to the Medtronic Minimed 640G. It is an incredible system and is quite a change from having to have given 6 to 7 injections daily to now only having to change the pump site every 3 days. Ok, back to the goal. The HBA1C is an indicator of how well you manage your Type 1 Diabetes, involving everything from what you eat, what your corresponding boluses (insulin doses) are, sick treatment, activity levels, stress levels, even the weather. We speak about time-in-range and this really refers to the healthy blood glucose level range we would like to keep Harrison in for as much time as possible. In our family this range is between 4 and 10 mmol/L. Harrison is only 4 years old and this range will become narrower as he gets older. Because he couldn't possibly manage this all by himself, we, as his parents, are laying the foundation for a tighter control that is only going to benefit him and the decisions he makes as he grows older. Goal 2 : Contributing more to our Type One Warrior Pantry. I seemed to achieve a lot of things during my maternity leave last year including collaborating with Fran Steart, a registered dietitian with a keen interest in Type 1 Diabetes and creating our Type One Warrior Pantry. When I headed back to work it all but fizzled out and this year we plan to get it up and running again - this time with more direction and purpose. My goal is to contribute at least 2 Type One Warrior friendly recipes a month. Goal 3 : Getting outdoors. Along with wanting to spend more time outdoors this year, we want to become more active outdoors. So - while we would love to laze the day away in a garden chair as much as the next set of parents with two busy kids, we want to be more present with them outdoors. So more family walks and learning about nature together. In the pipeline here are lists and lists of cool outdoor activities which we will definitely be sharing because let's be honest - we could all do with a little inspiration, especially after a long week at work. Goal 4, 5 and 6 : (4) We would like to grow Type One Warrior as a community and as a by-product hopefully (5) meet more families with Type 1 kids, and (6) be able to help more families affected by Type 1 Diabetes. Part and parcel with goals 4, 5 and 6 is goal 7 : We would love to organise a camping trip with a few Type One Warrior families. Goal 8 : More adventure. This year we are all about getting our camping game on again. Now that our youngest son is a year old (next week), we are feeling a bit more confident to venture out into the great unknown and experience more of the wild terrain our country has to offer. Camping is definitely going to be a norm in our family - Rowan and I were both raised loving camping and with our kids it will not differ - we hope. Our goal this year is to go on at least 6 camping trips, even if they're very local. The point is to escape from all the tech and gadgets and expose our kids to the outdoors and another way of life outside of working and living just for the weekends. We're very keen to share just how we travel and cope with Type 1 Diabetes as well - to show other Type One Warrior families that it actually is possible! Goal 9 : Less hypos, and less treating with sweets. I suppose this could be lumped in under our first goal of tighter control over Harrison's time-in-range but I think with hypoglycaemia being the more immediately dangerous blood glucose trend requiring fast acting sugar to get his levels back up, it warrants a spot on the list. We tend to reach for sweeties as our go-to pick me up for Harrison when he is going low. Sometimes it's an available fruit or juice box, but more often than not we use wine gums or jelly babies. Goal 10 : Type One Warrior Veggie Patch. Most of you know that we have a veggie patch at home. We have had it for the past 3 years and every year our yield improves a little more. The soil has never been 100% so we have had to make the decision now to actually work this little patch of land a little better in order for it to work better for us. We're dubbing it the Type One Warrior Veggie Patch because this is where we love spending a lot of our time as a family, and where we are trying to make a point of having much more available to Harrison to enjoy as a snack on a whim: like pulling up a carrot, or picking off some sugar snap peas or white currant tomatoes to snack on. Have you set some goals this year...?
|
 |  |
Marco's journey
At the age of four, Marco started on the pump. This made a huge difference in his Diabetes Management. He was very sporty from a young age and played rugby, hockey and started cycling at the age of 9.
School tours and camps were always challenging but Marco's parents managed to send him on every camp. Either mom or dad joined the camp, staying in a nearby guesthouse or hiding between teachers.
When Marco started highschool he decided to concentrate on his hockey and cycling. He played in the A side for his school every year and formed part of the school's mountain bike team that has won the Spur Highschool MTB National Series for 3 years running. Marco was the only Type One Diabetic cyclist at the Nationals and finished int he Top 10 in his age category every year.
At the age of four, Marco started on the pump. This made a huge difference in his Diabetes Management. He was very sporty from a young age and played rugby, hockey and started cycling at the age of 9.
School tours and camps were always challenging but Marco's parents managed to send him on every camp. Either mom or dad joined the camp, staying in a nearby guesthouse or hiding between teachers.
When Marco started highschool he decided to concentrate on his hockey and cycling. He played in the A side for his school every year and formed part of the school's mountain bike team that has won the Spur Highschool MTB National Series for 3 years running. Marco was the only Type One Diabetic cyclist at the Nationals and finished int he Top 10 in his age category every year.
 |  |
"In 2016 we were made aware of Team Novo Nordisk, a pro cycling team in the USA that consisted of only Type One Diabetic cyclists. Marco was invited to join their Talent ID Camp at the Georgia University in Athens, Georgia in 2017. He was the first South African cyclist to be invited and really made a big impression in the USA."
Roll on February 2018, and we were informed that Marco had made the Junior Team of cyclists from around the globe to race in Belgium, Canada and USA under the banner of Team Type 1 Foundation, a feeding team for Team Novo Nordisk Pro Cycling. He will be travelling abroad in April and July of this year for Junior Tours against the top Junior cyclists the world has to offer. This racing can be described as one level below Junior World Champs.
Marco has just returned from Belgium and Holland where he played several hockey tournaments. He was one of two Type 1 Diabetics from his school that went on tour and everything went well. Marco managed his BG levels well and has no issues. Naturally he hated the Diabetic diet someone ordered for him on his flight - that being the worst part of the tour.
He's back in Belgium from 25 April until 22 May competing in the World Class Junior Cycling Tours and Races. There are 8 to 10 races that he will be competing in as part of the Type 1 Foundation Junior Cycling Team. Only 8 Type 1 cyclists from around the world are selected, Marco being the first South African ever.
Roll on February 2018, and we were informed that Marco had made the Junior Team of cyclists from around the globe to race in Belgium, Canada and USA under the banner of Team Type 1 Foundation, a feeding team for Team Novo Nordisk Pro Cycling. He will be travelling abroad in April and July of this year for Junior Tours against the top Junior cyclists the world has to offer. This racing can be described as one level below Junior World Champs.
Marco has just returned from Belgium and Holland where he played several hockey tournaments. He was one of two Type 1 Diabetics from his school that went on tour and everything went well. Marco managed his BG levels well and has no issues. Naturally he hated the Diabetic diet someone ordered for him on his flight - that being the worst part of the tour.
He's back in Belgium from 25 April until 22 May competing in the World Class Junior Cycling Tours and Races. There are 8 to 10 races that he will be competing in as part of the Type 1 Foundation Junior Cycling Team. Only 8 Type 1 cyclists from around the world are selected, Marco being the first South African ever.
 |  |  |
One difficult thing Marco has had to overcome being Type 1 Diabetic: Having to eat selectively, and not whatever he wants when he wants.
Favourite hypo snack: Doritos - the blue packet!
Positive message for other Type One Warriors: Life with T1D just needs more discipline. You are able to do ANYTHING you want and don't have to stand back for anyone or anything! Take life by the horns and make a difference. Diabetes is not something you chose, Diabetes chose you.
Best part about being a Type 1: Being able to have snacks during class when your BG levels are low.
One thing Marco would love non-diabetics to know about Type 1 Diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes is not caused by eating sweets. People threaten their kids with Diabetes when they eat sweets and that is VERY wrong. T1D is also not transferable.
For newly diagnosed families, Marco has this to say:
"I have been living with Diabetes basically my whole life, from the age of 22 months, so you're going to be fine. Don't let life get you down and live like the warrior you were chosen to be. To the parents I would like to say, take it day by day. Your child has a full life ahead of him/her. Nothing you did wrong caused Diabetes, so team up and manage it."
You can follow Marco on his instagram here!
Favourite hypo snack: Doritos - the blue packet!
Positive message for other Type One Warriors: Life with T1D just needs more discipline. You are able to do ANYTHING you want and don't have to stand back for anyone or anything! Take life by the horns and make a difference. Diabetes is not something you chose, Diabetes chose you.
Best part about being a Type 1: Being able to have snacks during class when your BG levels are low.
One thing Marco would love non-diabetics to know about Type 1 Diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes is not caused by eating sweets. People threaten their kids with Diabetes when they eat sweets and that is VERY wrong. T1D is also not transferable.
For newly diagnosed families, Marco has this to say:
"I have been living with Diabetes basically my whole life, from the age of 22 months, so you're going to be fine. Don't let life get you down and live like the warrior you were chosen to be. To the parents I would like to say, take it day by day. Your child has a full life ahead of him/her. Nothing you did wrong caused Diabetes, so team up and manage it."
You can follow Marco on his instagram here!
Everyone knows that when a T1D is sick, their sugar levels are affected hugely. Either you're fighting ridiculous lows, or the total inverse, sky-high hypers that are tough as nails to get down! So this flu Harrison has caught has us fighting more highs than lows and a new problem that we're facing compared, to other sensors we've inserted, are false readings on Harrison's CGM.
A CGM is a device that is attached to Harrison. There is a little filament embedded in the interstitial fluid under the skin that gives us a "constant glucose reading". Harrison has the Medtronic Gaurdian Connect. These little sensors don't last forever. We insert a new one every 6 days. These devices cost a premium and they are not 100% accurate all the time. The boxes all come with a warning that you're not to treat based on sensor readings output by the CGM - that you need to perform a blood glucose test to make a treatment decision.
If you look at the graph above you'll note all the little blood drops. These blood drops indicate blood tests that we have physically done and then input into the sensor for calibration purposes. The blue line is what the sensor reading is. Every single time a coconut the variance between what the blood test result is, and what the sensor is saying, is vastly different. He was running much higher than what the sensor was saying.
I shared this on our social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook and a very awesome lady, Vivian Lee Levin, shared an article with me that some medications seem to have this effect on sensor readings. Here's the article! Might I add we were hours away from possibly removing the sensor, even though it had only been inserted two days prior. We were convinced we had a dud but then Vivian shared this article with me.
We haven't changed anything from the usual medication we give him when fluey, but I decided to have a look at some of the ingredients in the meds to see if it might be a possibility. So if you read the article mentioned above, they indicate that "acetaminophen can falsely elevate sensor glucose readings". In our case the inverse is happening but the fact remains that medication affects sensor reading and as I have learned with Harrison, he often has the opposite to the adverse effects of meds. For example, Allergex is meant to make people drowsy - not Harrison. He get's restless and hyperactive.
So, we've been giving him Corenza C syrup for kids. It is sugar free but contains paracetamol, a p-aminophenol derivative. Making it part of the family of drugs that seems to affect sugar levels. Paracetamol is in A LOT of medication.
I have to note that we've used Corenza C often for flu but it has never had this effect before. But maybe there are environments (his body) that are sometimes more sensitive than others to these sorts of effects.
The below excerpt from the article sums the effect up nicely:
If you look at the graph above you'll note all the little blood drops. These blood drops indicate blood tests that we have physically done and then input into the sensor for calibration purposes. The blue line is what the sensor reading is. Every single time a coconut the variance between what the blood test result is, and what the sensor is saying, is vastly different. He was running much higher than what the sensor was saying.
I shared this on our social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook and a very awesome lady, Vivian Lee Levin, shared an article with me that some medications seem to have this effect on sensor readings. Here's the article! Might I add we were hours away from possibly removing the sensor, even though it had only been inserted two days prior. We were convinced we had a dud but then Vivian shared this article with me.
We haven't changed anything from the usual medication we give him when fluey, but I decided to have a look at some of the ingredients in the meds to see if it might be a possibility. So if you read the article mentioned above, they indicate that "acetaminophen can falsely elevate sensor glucose readings". In our case the inverse is happening but the fact remains that medication affects sensor reading and as I have learned with Harrison, he often has the opposite to the adverse effects of meds. For example, Allergex is meant to make people drowsy - not Harrison. He get's restless and hyperactive.
So, we've been giving him Corenza C syrup for kids. It is sugar free but contains paracetamol, a p-aminophenol derivative. Making it part of the family of drugs that seems to affect sugar levels. Paracetamol is in A LOT of medication.
I have to note that we've used Corenza C often for flu but it has never had this effect before. But maybe there are environments (his body) that are sometimes more sensitive than others to these sorts of effects.
The below excerpt from the article sums the effect up nicely:
"It's very important that the effect of acetaminophen on CGM — and its magnitude — be known, especially as CGM technology is being used increasingly by patients. Also, with artificial-pancreas technology rapidly advancing and with the potential for insulin dosing based on CGM instead of only with meter glucose, this is an important topic," Dr Maahs told Medscape Medical News.
The 40 subjects had a mean age 28.5 years and HbA1c 7.3%. They all used the Dexcom system.
After taking 1000 mg of acetaminophen, the subjects performed finger-stick blood glucose checks at 30 minutes and 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours. There were significant differences between the CGM and meter readings (P < .01) for the entire 8-hour period. The greatest mean difference was 61 mg/dL, occurring at 2 hours, but there was a wide range of individual variation.
The phenomenon would be expected to affect the CGM's reporting of blood glucose trends as well as individual readings. "The impact of acetaminophen is greatest at approximately 2 hours, with a diminishing effect over 8 hours, so acetaminophen could have an effect on glycemic trends as its effect peaks and wanes," Dr Maahs told Medscape Medical News.
Newer technology is being developed to further limit or eliminate this effect. "Until those technologies are available, this is an important issue for patients and clinicians to be aware of," he said, adding, "This should not discourage CGM use but rather inform and educate people. In fact, our study group is an advocate of CGM use for people with type 1 diabetes."
We're only 16 months in, but it feels like a lifetime of Type 1 Diabetes already! If you come to think of it, Harrison has lived with Type 1 Diabetes longer than he has lived without it. Diagnosed at 11 months old, we have navigated many frustrations with brave faces and worried hearts - from fussy eating after bolusing (injecting for meals to cover the impending blood sugar spike), to our first hypoglycaemic seizure (from his blood sugars dropping too low), to teething sugar spikes, to fighting tummy bugs in hospital on glucose drips!
Often normal toddler ailments, like fussy eating and teething, even a little tummy bug, are shrugged off by parents of non-diabetic children as normal, but as I am sure most Type 1 parents would agree - throw small things like these in the mix of already unpredictable sugar levels and you're set for amplified nights of no sleep, extra bolusing, extra finger pricks, extra midnight snacking - the works! The game is never over, there is never a winner, it's all about balance.
I often get asked in passing "How's Harrison?", "How are you guys coping?" - these are easy enough to answer although I often feel my answer is always the same because in passing you can't really get down to the nitty gritty of how it all is actually going! I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, that they really want to know - the truth of the matter is that Type 1 Diabetes is our new normal so for me to say it's all going well, I do in fact mean it is. It's hard, but it's our life now, we have no choice. Suck it up and LIVE!
From the outside looking in, a normal day in our life involves a host of life-saving decisions and actions that parents of children without Type 1 Diabetes might not necessarily have to worry about. These aren't really questions that can be answered in passing so the short and sweet of it is that we are making it work and we are surviving.
Since Harrison was born we have never reflected on our lives as much as we do now, and especially so after Harrison was diagnosed. Paired with life events of losing friends long before their time we have realised that our lives are meant to be lived! We have made some promises to ourselves and one of them is every chance we get we are going camping. We love camping and always dreamed we would bring our children up with the same love for the outdoors and for camping. Diabetes MUST NOT change dreams like these and I think all too often it does for some.
I am not one of those people who happens to be extra positive and happy 24/7. Every glass in the world shattered for us when we heard the words "Your son is Type 1 Diabetic" and for a long time after we heard them we struggled to process this news. We cried. A lot. We blamed ourselves. We blamed others. We sat in silence a lot. We hugged Harrison every chance we got. We gave him plenty of kisses. We basically smothered him! Grief overcame us but at some point we had to force ourselves to find something positive! We took so much solace from the fact that our son fought with all his might and the entire time that he fought he wore his cheerful smile. He was weak, couldn't walk, barely babbled, but he smiled for us all the time!
Life has to carry on! You're going to adapt. It is going to carry on! It will be different. It will be harder. But you will be able to do it!
I have had some friends remark that they could never give their child an injection... perhaps one or two of you feel the same. I can assure you that when faced with a lifetime of injections or the possibility of a life without your child you will man up and step up to the plate! In the beginning they're uncomfortable but after a few weeks they go unnoticed. We opted for 4mm needles on our penfills for Harrison and before ever giving him his first injections ourselves we injected each other to feel what he would feel - in truth we barely felt it.
In the beginning you are bombarded with so much information. Every minute spent in hospital is torture because this world you have been thrown into is so foreign. You're continually being fed information, and then tested on what you learn. Emotionally there is absolutely nobody there for you but yourselves. There's a psychologist in the mix of doctors who oversee you but they are only their to check your mental state before giving the "OK" for you to leave the hospital and deal with this on your own. Emotionally there is a big fat void.
You need to find strength and courage from a place you don't know that you have! 16 months in and sometimes the same applies! With these recollections of the "early days", my strongest recommendation to new T1D families would be to sign up to the community of parents who have been through what you are going through. Type One Warrior is one such place - we encourage you to reach out to us via Facebook messenger or even email. We are preparing a Type One Warrior lifeline and information pack that will help you through these early days. Pop us an email and let us know what you're going through! There is also a fantastic Facebook group called "Kids Powered by Insulin" that is filled with parents ready to impart their words of encouragement when your child is first diagnosed!
Often normal toddler ailments, like fussy eating and teething, even a little tummy bug, are shrugged off by parents of non-diabetic children as normal, but as I am sure most Type 1 parents would agree - throw small things like these in the mix of already unpredictable sugar levels and you're set for amplified nights of no sleep, extra bolusing, extra finger pricks, extra midnight snacking - the works! The game is never over, there is never a winner, it's all about balance.
I often get asked in passing "How's Harrison?", "How are you guys coping?" - these are easy enough to answer although I often feel my answer is always the same because in passing you can't really get down to the nitty gritty of how it all is actually going! I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, that they really want to know - the truth of the matter is that Type 1 Diabetes is our new normal so for me to say it's all going well, I do in fact mean it is. It's hard, but it's our life now, we have no choice. Suck it up and LIVE!
From the outside looking in, a normal day in our life involves a host of life-saving decisions and actions that parents of children without Type 1 Diabetes might not necessarily have to worry about. These aren't really questions that can be answered in passing so the short and sweet of it is that we are making it work and we are surviving.
Since Harrison was born we have never reflected on our lives as much as we do now, and especially so after Harrison was diagnosed. Paired with life events of losing friends long before their time we have realised that our lives are meant to be lived! We have made some promises to ourselves and one of them is every chance we get we are going camping. We love camping and always dreamed we would bring our children up with the same love for the outdoors and for camping. Diabetes MUST NOT change dreams like these and I think all too often it does for some.
I am not one of those people who happens to be extra positive and happy 24/7. Every glass in the world shattered for us when we heard the words "Your son is Type 1 Diabetic" and for a long time after we heard them we struggled to process this news. We cried. A lot. We blamed ourselves. We blamed others. We sat in silence a lot. We hugged Harrison every chance we got. We gave him plenty of kisses. We basically smothered him! Grief overcame us but at some point we had to force ourselves to find something positive! We took so much solace from the fact that our son fought with all his might and the entire time that he fought he wore his cheerful smile. He was weak, couldn't walk, barely babbled, but he smiled for us all the time!
Life has to carry on! You're going to adapt. It is going to carry on! It will be different. It will be harder. But you will be able to do it!
I have had some friends remark that they could never give their child an injection... perhaps one or two of you feel the same. I can assure you that when faced with a lifetime of injections or the possibility of a life without your child you will man up and step up to the plate! In the beginning they're uncomfortable but after a few weeks they go unnoticed. We opted for 4mm needles on our penfills for Harrison and before ever giving him his first injections ourselves we injected each other to feel what he would feel - in truth we barely felt it.
In the beginning you are bombarded with so much information. Every minute spent in hospital is torture because this world you have been thrown into is so foreign. You're continually being fed information, and then tested on what you learn. Emotionally there is absolutely nobody there for you but yourselves. There's a psychologist in the mix of doctors who oversee you but they are only their to check your mental state before giving the "OK" for you to leave the hospital and deal with this on your own. Emotionally there is a big fat void.
You need to find strength and courage from a place you don't know that you have! 16 months in and sometimes the same applies! With these recollections of the "early days", my strongest recommendation to new T1D families would be to sign up to the community of parents who have been through what you are going through. Type One Warrior is one such place - we encourage you to reach out to us via Facebook messenger or even email. We are preparing a Type One Warrior lifeline and information pack that will help you through these early days. Pop us an email and let us know what you're going through! There is also a fantastic Facebook group called "Kids Powered by Insulin" that is filled with parents ready to impart their words of encouragement when your child is first diagnosed!
MedAngel ONE in action. Popped in Harrison's medbox with app running on our phone tracking it's temperature.
Towards the end of last year I stumbled across an Instagram post about the MedAngel ONE Insulin Temperature Sensor. I very quickly got in touch with the Germany-based company and was blown away by how quickly my email was received and replied to. Our new temperature sensors arrived this week, and as luck would have it - it has been the hottest week in months. We experienced first hand the little sensor readings being received by the app on our phone and then alarming to alert us to the temperature rise. We quickly moved our insulin into the fridge for it to cool down for the remainder of the afternoon before needing it again at Harrison's dinnertime bolus and bedtime basal.
A little note scribbled on their app leaflet... Harrison says "Thanks MedAngel".
I think we waited about 4 or 5 weeks for our sensors to arrive, and you can imagine that when it did, we very eagerly ripped open the envelope and sensor box to get going. We then spent about 5 minutes navigating the super easy app... and then spent the rest of the night checking the insulin temperature every few minutes! It felt like the first few hours after a CGM insertion. Of course the novelty wears off because the temperature doesn't fluctuate abnormally in the evenings for us to be aware or take precautions in a hurry.
This past week we have had some incredibly high temperatures and the app has been able to notify us several times of an increase that we were then able to move our insulin into a fridge. Had we not had these in place we'd have lost his basal and bolus cartridges to the spoils of Summer.
Here's our unboxing in pics:
This past week we have had some incredibly high temperatures and the app has been able to notify us several times of an increase that we were then able to move our insulin into a fridge. Had we not had these in place we'd have lost his basal and bolus cartridges to the spoils of Summer.
Here's our unboxing in pics:
A couple instruction on how to do the battery insertion. We got two sensors - it makes sense having two so that you can keep one in your medbox with your penfills as well as one in the fridge to keep track of temperatures here too.
First things first - download the MedAngel ONE app. It's available for both Android and iPhone which is great!
|
Once installed, the registration and set up process is pretty straight forward. If you don't have one already you will need to create an account quick.
|
You then pair the sensor with your app - make sure your bluetooth is on. You'll assign your sensor to storage or carrying depending on where you are going to be keeping it. And if you are lucky enough to have two - yes - you can track two separate sensors on the app.
|
You will need to choose from a list of insulin's preprogrammed into the app. I suspect if yours isn't listed there is a way to add it. We logged both our novarapid and levimir penfill insulins on here so as soon as we hit done we were flying!
|
In a couple weeks we will share some more about this nifty little gadget. Aside from proving itself useful in this heat, we were thrilled to see that it can store temperature data for up to 7 days in the absence of the app. How cool?
MedAngel Co is offering FREE SHIPPING when you use our coupon code: TYPEONEWARRIOR
Click through to place your order here. And don't forget to use TYPEONEWARRIOR at checkout so that you get free shipping - Thanks MedAngel Co for being so awesome to us South Africans who very rarely benefit from worldwide tech advances first with the rest of the world, especially with regards to beneficial Diabetes related care.
MedAngel Co is offering FREE SHIPPING when you use our coupon code: TYPEONEWARRIOR
Click through to place your order here. And don't forget to use TYPEONEWARRIOR at checkout so that you get free shipping - Thanks MedAngel Co for being so awesome to us South Africans who very rarely benefit from worldwide tech advances first with the rest of the world, especially with regards to beneficial Diabetes related care.
Below is a link shared on our insta showing how the cool little app alerted us to the temp going too high! If you don't follow us on instagram yet, make sure that you do! We are @typeonewarrior.co.za - or simply click through here and you can hit follow on our profile!
Before we head off on our big road trip to Port Elizabeth with our toddler and our Keto pup, we thought we would share a quick update and maybe give a bit more insight into Keto's training and what it will mean for us having a Diabetic Alert Dog when he starts alerting to Harrison's highs and lows. Posts about Keto's training can be found under D.A.D. 101 - the abbreviation DAD obviously means Diabetic Alert Dog.
What is a Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD)?
Simply put, a DAD is a dog that has been trained to alert for scent changes in the saliva of a Diabetic that are markers for a high or low blood glucose level. How he will alert depends on what we train him to do when he picks up on these scents. We are considering a high alert to be a nudge with his nose on our person, and a low to be a physical raising of the paw and prodding us with it - like a "hey you" prod.
In the context of our home, and the relationship that we have with dogs, Keto is going to be filling several roles. He is a companion for Harrison first and foremost. We are investing hugely into positively reinforcing good interaction between both Keto and Harrison. It's funny... Right now I am reading two books consecutively: Training your Diabetic Alert Dog by Rita Martinez & Susan M Barns, as well as New Toddler Taming by Dr Christopher Green. How apt that this is all happening at the same time! Training a Diabetic Alert Dog and Taming a Toddler! We believe there is a lot of value in the bond between doggie and kiddie and a lot can be learned from these relationships.
Simply put, a DAD is a dog that has been trained to alert for scent changes in the saliva of a Diabetic that are markers for a high or low blood glucose level. How he will alert depends on what we train him to do when he picks up on these scents. We are considering a high alert to be a nudge with his nose on our person, and a low to be a physical raising of the paw and prodding us with it - like a "hey you" prod.
In the context of our home, and the relationship that we have with dogs, Keto is going to be filling several roles. He is a companion for Harrison first and foremost. We are investing hugely into positively reinforcing good interaction between both Keto and Harrison. It's funny... Right now I am reading two books consecutively: Training your Diabetic Alert Dog by Rita Martinez & Susan M Barns, as well as New Toddler Taming by Dr Christopher Green. How apt that this is all happening at the same time! Training a Diabetic Alert Dog and Taming a Toddler! We believe there is a lot of value in the bond between doggie and kiddie and a lot can be learned from these relationships.
Why would we want a DAD for Harrison?
It goes without saying that whilst technology is so advanced there are still downfalls particularly with regards to an affordable Constant Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device that is 100% accurate, 100% of the time. That is unheard of. Harrison is also very young still (now 2 years old) and not yet fully able to let us know when he starts feeling a "high" or "low" glucose level coming on. CGM's are also not usually quick enough to alert in time to take action to curb the high or low without feeling the pressure of rushed treating.
Having a DAD will mean we have tighter control over these fluctuations in glucose levels which will inevitably promote a healthy and long life with fewer negative implications of Diabetes over a long period of time.
Without having to go into too much detail, the crux is that a well trained DAD will alert to a rapid fluctuation well before the CGM picks up the downward or upward trend. Time is of the essence in glucose control, especially in the "low glucose" realm. Hypoglycaemia can put patients at immediate risk of seizures and even comas. If not treated in time by quickly giving a dose of sugar, or in more dangerous situations the Glucagon pen, it may not end well. With a dog alerting to the trend, a patient can quickly test and administer the necessary glucose to curb it dropping out of the safe zone.
It goes without saying that whilst technology is so advanced there are still downfalls particularly with regards to an affordable Constant Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device that is 100% accurate, 100% of the time. That is unheard of. Harrison is also very young still (now 2 years old) and not yet fully able to let us know when he starts feeling a "high" or "low" glucose level coming on. CGM's are also not usually quick enough to alert in time to take action to curb the high or low without feeling the pressure of rushed treating.
Having a DAD will mean we have tighter control over these fluctuations in glucose levels which will inevitably promote a healthy and long life with fewer negative implications of Diabetes over a long period of time.
Without having to go into too much detail, the crux is that a well trained DAD will alert to a rapid fluctuation well before the CGM picks up the downward or upward trend. Time is of the essence in glucose control, especially in the "low glucose" realm. Hypoglycaemia can put patients at immediate risk of seizures and even comas. If not treated in time by quickly giving a dose of sugar, or in more dangerous situations the Glucagon pen, it may not end well. With a dog alerting to the trend, a patient can quickly test and administer the necessary glucose to curb it dropping out of the safe zone.
What we have accomplished so far?
Keto is 17 weeks old and has recently graduated from Puppy Classes with Adrienne's Puppy School based here in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal where we live. He was a star pupil and has an exciting little future ahead of him. He has been enrolled in obedience classes for next year and over the next few weeks we will be introducing a clicker into his training which will make the reinforcement of correct behavior easier especially as we start exposing him to new environments and of course, scent training and alerting for these scents.
Where we are heading?
As mentioned above we are going to commence scent training in the next few weeks with Keto. Things likely happen a lot slower in our home as we are training him ourselves with regards to the Diabetic Alerting at the same time as raising a toddler and of course working full time. Every morsel of time is essential so when there is a moment free we are trying our darnedest to get this right.
Keto is 17 weeks old and has recently graduated from Puppy Classes with Adrienne's Puppy School based here in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal where we live. He was a star pupil and has an exciting little future ahead of him. He has been enrolled in obedience classes for next year and over the next few weeks we will be introducing a clicker into his training which will make the reinforcement of correct behavior easier especially as we start exposing him to new environments and of course, scent training and alerting for these scents.
Where we are heading?
As mentioned above we are going to commence scent training in the next few weeks with Keto. Things likely happen a lot slower in our home as we are training him ourselves with regards to the Diabetic Alerting at the same time as raising a toddler and of course working full time. Every morsel of time is essential so when there is a moment free we are trying our darnedest to get this right.
I am hopeful that this will become a regular feature on our Type One Warrior page. A warrior feature that proves, above all else, that type one diabetes does not discriminate. It affects all races, all ages, all genders and all socio-economic backgrounds. The more stories we read the more we learn about the disease and how different every single person’s journey is.
Sarah Munro is a 27-year old mom. She was one of the first friends who came to our side when Harrison was diagnosed over a year ago. Sarah has been fighting Type 1 Diabetes along with a few subsequent ailments for 17 years.
Sarah Munro is a 27-year old mom. She was one of the first friends who came to our side when Harrison was diagnosed over a year ago. Sarah has been fighting Type 1 Diabetes along with a few subsequent ailments for 17 years.
Photograph: CT Photography
Last A1C score: 6.8
Lived with T1D for: 17 years
My diagnosis story
I was really sick. The previous year I had been diagnosed with bronchitis and from there I had started losing a lot of weight. I was 10 years old and looked like a rake. I remember going to see a friend of mine's gran in hospital one day and the lady lying next to her had diabetes. I didn't know anything about diabetes at the time but my friend told me that she was dying. Around the same time, my mom got really worried about my weight loss and took me to the doctor. He sent me off for blood tests and we went home.
I'll never forget that phone call at home: I answered the phone and it was the doctor. He asked to speak to my mom. We had another phone in my parents bedroom and she went there to talk to him. She started crying, and when she got off the phone she came and told me that I had diabetes and I needed to get to hospital.
I remember thinking about that elderly lady lying in hospital and I just started crying saying 'I don't want to die'. My blood glucose level was at 39, a non diabetic's ideal blood glucose level ranges from 4-6mmol/L.
I have a huge needle phobia so learning to inject myself and check my own sugars was a huge battle for me.
Dealing with Type 1 Diabetes in public as a child and teen
I have never necessarily been ashamed of being a Type 1 Diabetic, I’ve just never advertised it. When I was diagnosed the teacher at my school educated the class about diabetes. The friends I had were really supportive and most of these friends ended up attending the same high school as me so that adjustment was easy.
I met a friend on one of the diabetic camps and he would openly inject himself at the dinner table even through his jeans. I preferred to go away from people (usually the bathroom) to inject myself, but that was more because I was so afraid of people bumping me while I was injecting.
The most difficult thing to overcome being diagnosed a Type 1 Diabetic
Shew! I have found each phase of life has had such a different battle. Initially learning how to inject was tough. In hospital they taught me with a needle and an orange. Going back to school was also tough as I had missed a lot and trying to catch up was very stressful.
The pre-teen years were tough as we were still in the learning phase and adjusting medication. During my time of facing how to inject myself despite my fear, I went through what is known as the "honeymoon period'. This is when your pancreas kicks in a little and gives its last couple of squirts of insulin. Because my body was producing small amounts of insulin, the amount of insulin needed via injection was greatly reduced. I was starting to have hypos (episode of hypoglycaemia where your body has too little glucose going to the brain) but the doctor encouraged my mom to continue trying to get me used to injecting even if it was half a unit, or none at all.
My teen years were terrible. Hormones caused many issues for my sugars, often ending me up in DKA in hospital, and twice in a coma. With the added stress of exams and what to study or where to study - it was all just such a mess. Varsity was another challenge: the extra independence came with extra responsibility. Going out for drinks with friends wasn't as simple as just choosing what drink to have or whose house to have pre-drinks at. Clubbing, cocktails, shooters lead to late night/early morning burgers or feasts at the local clubs hotdog stand.
The next challenge was when I was pregnant. I had a terrible pregnancy. I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia at 12 weeks and soon after I was diagnosed with hyper-emesis gravadium. My kidneys very quickly started showing signs of deterioration and I was battling terribly with my eyesight. My HbA1c was the best it has ever been in a long time when I was pregnant because of how disciplined I was - I had a strong motivation to be healthy. My baby was born at 26 weeks and this is the only time I have ever been grateful for my Diabetes. Diabetic women are known to have larger babies due to the excess sugar which in turn, makes the baby secrete extra insulin which then increases the fat deposits in the baby. My baby boy was only 300gms over the usual weight of a 26 week gestation baby, but any NICU mom will tell you that 300gms is a LOT!
To date, the most difficult thing I am facing and have not yet overcome, is that I will not be able to carry another child. Diabetes is an auto-immune disease, thus resulting in patients being prone to more auto-immune diseases. My blood results are showing that I may have Lupus and this together with the Diabetes makes it far too great a risk to be pregnant.
Using a pump and how it’s changed my life, for better and for worse
I switched over to a Roche Accu-Chek Spirit Combo in 2013. I was originally on a different pump but I found the features and customer support for the Roche pump far outweighed the other brand. Having a pump is great! I was on 5 injections a day, so for someone who is needle phobic this is just awesome! The trickiest part is planning where on my body to wear the pump when I want to wear something without pockets, or for a day at the beach.
How I control my Diabetes
I must admit that I go through phases of control. I get demotivated really easily when it comes to strict control over my blood sugar levels. Life also gets crazy busy with a child, and so often the first thing that goes out the window is self-care, but he is also my biggest motivator for keeping and staying healthy.
My symptoms of hyperglycaemic or hypoglycaemic episodes
When my sugar goes too high I'll often get a headache along with increased thirst, fatigue, blurred vision and I find it difficult to concentrate.
When my blood sugar goes too low, I start sweating and get shaky and weak. My vision gets blurry as well and I also get a headache along with dizziness. I feel like my heart is racing and I get a feeling of anxiety and nervousness. This is also when I get grumpy and very moody or irritable. My hubby knows to just give me fruit juice and a snack.
My treatment for lows: usually a small box of fruit juice and then some pro vitas with cheese on works well for me.
Some of the other implications with Type 1 Diabetes
While I was pregnant, the blood vessels at the back of my eyes burst. I couldn't tell the difference between green and blue or pink and orange. If I lay down and suddenly got up I could see the blood floating around in my eyes and once it had settled there would be tiny black patches where I just couldn't see.
Other autoimmune diseases
I have tested positive on an ANA test. An ANA test detects antinuclear antibodies in your blood. Antibodies help you fight infection, but antinuclear antibodies attack your body's own tissues. Your body basically starts attacking itself. My main symptoms are that I am frequently tired, and my muscles and joints are sore.
Positive message for other Type One Warriors
I have to quote AA Milne here: 'Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think'.
There will always be challenges and obstacles that you need to face - but how you approach them and overcome them is what will define you and set you apart from others. Cands refers to those that are diagnosed with Type1 Diabetes as 'Type One Warriors', and I believe that that is because warriors don't get to rest - it's a 24 hour daily challenge. But with proper training (knowledge) and proper weapons (our team of doctors, dietitians, etc), and the correct armour (our medication) warriors come out victorious!
Lived with T1D for: 17 years
My diagnosis story
I was really sick. The previous year I had been diagnosed with bronchitis and from there I had started losing a lot of weight. I was 10 years old and looked like a rake. I remember going to see a friend of mine's gran in hospital one day and the lady lying next to her had diabetes. I didn't know anything about diabetes at the time but my friend told me that she was dying. Around the same time, my mom got really worried about my weight loss and took me to the doctor. He sent me off for blood tests and we went home.
I'll never forget that phone call at home: I answered the phone and it was the doctor. He asked to speak to my mom. We had another phone in my parents bedroom and she went there to talk to him. She started crying, and when she got off the phone she came and told me that I had diabetes and I needed to get to hospital.
I remember thinking about that elderly lady lying in hospital and I just started crying saying 'I don't want to die'. My blood glucose level was at 39, a non diabetic's ideal blood glucose level ranges from 4-6mmol/L.
I have a huge needle phobia so learning to inject myself and check my own sugars was a huge battle for me.
Dealing with Type 1 Diabetes in public as a child and teen
I have never necessarily been ashamed of being a Type 1 Diabetic, I’ve just never advertised it. When I was diagnosed the teacher at my school educated the class about diabetes. The friends I had were really supportive and most of these friends ended up attending the same high school as me so that adjustment was easy.
I met a friend on one of the diabetic camps and he would openly inject himself at the dinner table even through his jeans. I preferred to go away from people (usually the bathroom) to inject myself, but that was more because I was so afraid of people bumping me while I was injecting.
The most difficult thing to overcome being diagnosed a Type 1 Diabetic
Shew! I have found each phase of life has had such a different battle. Initially learning how to inject was tough. In hospital they taught me with a needle and an orange. Going back to school was also tough as I had missed a lot and trying to catch up was very stressful.
The pre-teen years were tough as we were still in the learning phase and adjusting medication. During my time of facing how to inject myself despite my fear, I went through what is known as the "honeymoon period'. This is when your pancreas kicks in a little and gives its last couple of squirts of insulin. Because my body was producing small amounts of insulin, the amount of insulin needed via injection was greatly reduced. I was starting to have hypos (episode of hypoglycaemia where your body has too little glucose going to the brain) but the doctor encouraged my mom to continue trying to get me used to injecting even if it was half a unit, or none at all.
My teen years were terrible. Hormones caused many issues for my sugars, often ending me up in DKA in hospital, and twice in a coma. With the added stress of exams and what to study or where to study - it was all just such a mess. Varsity was another challenge: the extra independence came with extra responsibility. Going out for drinks with friends wasn't as simple as just choosing what drink to have or whose house to have pre-drinks at. Clubbing, cocktails, shooters lead to late night/early morning burgers or feasts at the local clubs hotdog stand.
The next challenge was when I was pregnant. I had a terrible pregnancy. I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia at 12 weeks and soon after I was diagnosed with hyper-emesis gravadium. My kidneys very quickly started showing signs of deterioration and I was battling terribly with my eyesight. My HbA1c was the best it has ever been in a long time when I was pregnant because of how disciplined I was - I had a strong motivation to be healthy. My baby was born at 26 weeks and this is the only time I have ever been grateful for my Diabetes. Diabetic women are known to have larger babies due to the excess sugar which in turn, makes the baby secrete extra insulin which then increases the fat deposits in the baby. My baby boy was only 300gms over the usual weight of a 26 week gestation baby, but any NICU mom will tell you that 300gms is a LOT!
To date, the most difficult thing I am facing and have not yet overcome, is that I will not be able to carry another child. Diabetes is an auto-immune disease, thus resulting in patients being prone to more auto-immune diseases. My blood results are showing that I may have Lupus and this together with the Diabetes makes it far too great a risk to be pregnant.
Using a pump and how it’s changed my life, for better and for worse
I switched over to a Roche Accu-Chek Spirit Combo in 2013. I was originally on a different pump but I found the features and customer support for the Roche pump far outweighed the other brand. Having a pump is great! I was on 5 injections a day, so for someone who is needle phobic this is just awesome! The trickiest part is planning where on my body to wear the pump when I want to wear something without pockets, or for a day at the beach.
How I control my Diabetes
I must admit that I go through phases of control. I get demotivated really easily when it comes to strict control over my blood sugar levels. Life also gets crazy busy with a child, and so often the first thing that goes out the window is self-care, but he is also my biggest motivator for keeping and staying healthy.
My symptoms of hyperglycaemic or hypoglycaemic episodes
When my sugar goes too high I'll often get a headache along with increased thirst, fatigue, blurred vision and I find it difficult to concentrate.
When my blood sugar goes too low, I start sweating and get shaky and weak. My vision gets blurry as well and I also get a headache along with dizziness. I feel like my heart is racing and I get a feeling of anxiety and nervousness. This is also when I get grumpy and very moody or irritable. My hubby knows to just give me fruit juice and a snack.
My treatment for lows: usually a small box of fruit juice and then some pro vitas with cheese on works well for me.
Some of the other implications with Type 1 Diabetes
While I was pregnant, the blood vessels at the back of my eyes burst. I couldn't tell the difference between green and blue or pink and orange. If I lay down and suddenly got up I could see the blood floating around in my eyes and once it had settled there would be tiny black patches where I just couldn't see.
Other autoimmune diseases
I have tested positive on an ANA test. An ANA test detects antinuclear antibodies in your blood. Antibodies help you fight infection, but antinuclear antibodies attack your body's own tissues. Your body basically starts attacking itself. My main symptoms are that I am frequently tired, and my muscles and joints are sore.
Positive message for other Type One Warriors
I have to quote AA Milne here: 'Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think'.
There will always be challenges and obstacles that you need to face - but how you approach them and overcome them is what will define you and set you apart from others. Cands refers to those that are diagnosed with Type1 Diabetes as 'Type One Warriors', and I believe that that is because warriors don't get to rest - it's a 24 hour daily challenge. But with proper training (knowledge) and proper weapons (our team of doctors, dietitians, etc), and the correct armour (our medication) warriors come out victorious!
Photograph: Julia Reese
My treatment regime
I have a Dexcom that continuously monitors my blood sugar. So every morning I wake up and look at my phone to see where my blood sugar is sitting. I then bolus according to what it is and what I'm going to be eating for breakfast. Lunch time is pretty much the same - check sugar, attempt to carbcount, bolus for the meal and eat. Throughout the day I check my phone to see what my blood sugar is doing. If my levels go out of range, my phone will alert me and I adjust accordingly.
The toughest part is the evenings for me. Having a little toddler to entertain, cook for, feed, bath and get into bed often sees my blood sugars taking a little dip. Paired with low blood sugar symptoms of irritability, anxiety, weakness and shakiness - it's just not fun. It's then supper time for us if we haven't eaten with our boy, and same routine as during the day. Then before I go to bed I give a little injection of some medication that helps prevent the extreme swing of lows and highs. If I wake up during the night I will often check my phone to see what my blood sugars are doing.
I use both insulin pens and an insulin pump. I originally was only using insulin pens and to get the closest to a 'functioning' pancreas, I found I needed to give 5 injections a day. This consisted of 1 long acting insulin in the morning (this covers me for 12 hours) as well as a quick acting insulin which will cover breakfast. Lunchtime is another quick acting insulin shot. Supper time is also a quick acting shot to cover the meal and then before bed it's one last long acting shot to see me through the night.
Not every day is the same as before - you can eat the exact same food one day as the next and do the exact same activity, but your body will throw in a surprise for you somewhere and you'll find yourself either having to give another shot or trying to correct a low blood sugar reading. I found the pump relieved a lot of this stress for me.
It’s annoying when people say things like “should you be eating that if you’re a Diabetic?”...
Oh my goodness, go and educate yourself please!!! I wish people would spend a little time learning about our disease and stop making silly statements like "should you be eating that?" or "You shouldn't be having that if you're a Diabetic".
Exercise
I don’t exercise. Should I exercise? Absolutely. I went through a phase where I was going to gym 3/4 times a week. Spinning class twice a week. Played tennis twice a week and danced (ballet) twice a week. I was exhausted every night, but my sugars were really well controlled and I got the most amazing sleep. Time is sadly not on my side these days.
Hardest part about being a Type 1 Diabetic
Lack of knowledge and education and lack of willingness to learn about this disease from others. I'm tired of explaining what I'm doing and why or what I'm eating and why. People don't always understand when you get tired - and I mean really tired (diabetic tired). Sometimes, because of the fatigue, I have to postpone get-togethers or change plans at the last minute.
Also, airport security is such a pain. So is trying to keep medication cool.
Best part about being a Type One Diabetic
I’m laughing out loud for this one - the best part for me was probably at school when I was having a low... I got to eat in class! But honestly, I really think the best part has been learning so much more about my body. Learning about this disease and helping others has been rewarding in itself. I've met so many amazing people because of this journey that I'm on.
One thing I’d love non-diabetics to know
The difference between Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes I guess. I always joke and say “my diabetes is nothing like your grandma’s diabetes”.
One thing I’d say to a newly diagnosed warrior
Set yourself goals. One goal can be to learn how to inject yourself, another can be learning to carbcount, another can be inserting a new infusion set for your pump etc. Having goals similar to these really helped me when I was diagnosed. It 'broke down' the trauma of being diagnosed, and each goal I accomplished felt like I was 'beating' it.
My support
My husband, Craig, is amazing. He knows what to do when I'm having a low or high, he knows how to help me correct it as well as what support and encouragement I need. My family is also wonderful. I think my diagnosis hit my parents hard and my mom has especially taken so much time to learn and do her best for me when I was growing up. I remember my mom and dad waking me up at 2am some mornings to see what my sugars were doing. I always woke up so grumpy, but even more so when my sugars were low. They would get me something to eat and while I was eating to get my sugars up my mom would rub my feet for me - instant good mood!
I have a Dexcom that continuously monitors my blood sugar. So every morning I wake up and look at my phone to see where my blood sugar is sitting. I then bolus according to what it is and what I'm going to be eating for breakfast. Lunch time is pretty much the same - check sugar, attempt to carbcount, bolus for the meal and eat. Throughout the day I check my phone to see what my blood sugar is doing. If my levels go out of range, my phone will alert me and I adjust accordingly.
The toughest part is the evenings for me. Having a little toddler to entertain, cook for, feed, bath and get into bed often sees my blood sugars taking a little dip. Paired with low blood sugar symptoms of irritability, anxiety, weakness and shakiness - it's just not fun. It's then supper time for us if we haven't eaten with our boy, and same routine as during the day. Then before I go to bed I give a little injection of some medication that helps prevent the extreme swing of lows and highs. If I wake up during the night I will often check my phone to see what my blood sugars are doing.
I use both insulin pens and an insulin pump. I originally was only using insulin pens and to get the closest to a 'functioning' pancreas, I found I needed to give 5 injections a day. This consisted of 1 long acting insulin in the morning (this covers me for 12 hours) as well as a quick acting insulin which will cover breakfast. Lunchtime is another quick acting insulin shot. Supper time is also a quick acting shot to cover the meal and then before bed it's one last long acting shot to see me through the night.
Not every day is the same as before - you can eat the exact same food one day as the next and do the exact same activity, but your body will throw in a surprise for you somewhere and you'll find yourself either having to give another shot or trying to correct a low blood sugar reading. I found the pump relieved a lot of this stress for me.
It’s annoying when people say things like “should you be eating that if you’re a Diabetic?”...
Oh my goodness, go and educate yourself please!!! I wish people would spend a little time learning about our disease and stop making silly statements like "should you be eating that?" or "You shouldn't be having that if you're a Diabetic".
Exercise
I don’t exercise. Should I exercise? Absolutely. I went through a phase where I was going to gym 3/4 times a week. Spinning class twice a week. Played tennis twice a week and danced (ballet) twice a week. I was exhausted every night, but my sugars were really well controlled and I got the most amazing sleep. Time is sadly not on my side these days.
Hardest part about being a Type 1 Diabetic
Lack of knowledge and education and lack of willingness to learn about this disease from others. I'm tired of explaining what I'm doing and why or what I'm eating and why. People don't always understand when you get tired - and I mean really tired (diabetic tired). Sometimes, because of the fatigue, I have to postpone get-togethers or change plans at the last minute.
Also, airport security is such a pain. So is trying to keep medication cool.
Best part about being a Type One Diabetic
I’m laughing out loud for this one - the best part for me was probably at school when I was having a low... I got to eat in class! But honestly, I really think the best part has been learning so much more about my body. Learning about this disease and helping others has been rewarding in itself. I've met so many amazing people because of this journey that I'm on.
One thing I’d love non-diabetics to know
The difference between Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes I guess. I always joke and say “my diabetes is nothing like your grandma’s diabetes”.
One thing I’d say to a newly diagnosed warrior
Set yourself goals. One goal can be to learn how to inject yourself, another can be learning to carbcount, another can be inserting a new infusion set for your pump etc. Having goals similar to these really helped me when I was diagnosed. It 'broke down' the trauma of being diagnosed, and each goal I accomplished felt like I was 'beating' it.
My support
My husband, Craig, is amazing. He knows what to do when I'm having a low or high, he knows how to help me correct it as well as what support and encouragement I need. My family is also wonderful. I think my diagnosis hit my parents hard and my mom has especially taken so much time to learn and do her best for me when I was growing up. I remember my mom and dad waking me up at 2am some mornings to see what my sugars were doing. I always woke up so grumpy, but even more so when my sugars were low. They would get me something to eat and while I was eating to get my sugars up my mom would rub my feet for me - instant good mood!