Sometimes Diabetes Plays Nicely

Diabetes is a fickle beast.  Sometimes it plays nice, and sometimes it doesn't.  Thankfully, diabetes played pretty nicely on our trip to D.C.

Travel usually throws my blood sugars way off, so I came prepared.  Plenty of glucose tabs, as well as extra insulin and syringes.  You never know.

Flying stresses me out and I forgot to sent a temp basal, so I was stuck in the upper 200s for most of our journey to D.C.  Once we arrived and I was no longer stressed (and the corrections FINALLY kicked in) things were looking more normal.

Overall, I am amazed at how on target my blood sugars were during our trip.  I had highs and lows of course, but not really any more than usual.  Which was surprising.  My daily routine was completely out the window.  We were eating out for every meal.  And I was indulging in foods I couldn't get at home, SWAGing my heart out.  I was on vacation, damn it!

So why did things go so well on the diabetes front?  Walking.  I walked my ass off.  We didn't have a rental car.  Our hotel was within a couple miles of most of the monuments and museums.  We did use the Metro, but it can only get you so close.  So we walked.  A lot.  On two of the days, we walked about 28,000 steps.  Thirteen miles!  Yikes!

From our hotel to the Washington Monument, to the World War II Memorial, to the Korean and Vietnam memorials, the Lincoln Memorial, MLK, FDR, and Jefferson.  Not to mention the museums.  Quite a hike, but more than worth every step.

World War II memorial.

Eleanor Roosevelt.  Amazing woman.

Lincoln.  Need I say more?

I was worried about lows, but only had a few.  I bolused quite conservatively and had snacks, and it all seemed to balance out.  A little planning, a whole lotta luck, and I couldn't have been happier.

So thank you diabetes, for playing nicely.  It'd be lovely if you'd do that more often.

Flying With Diabetes Can Be an Adventure

I'm back!

And this time I actually went somewhere.  This year, instead of going to Friends For Life, Josh and I decided to take a vacation for just the two of us.  We haven't done that since our honeymoon.  Skipping FFL wasn't an easy decision.  And I know I'll be quite sad during that week when I see all the tweets and pictures of so many friends having fun.

But it was the right decision.  We spent an entire amazing week in Washington, D.C.  And we had SO MUCH FUN!  Josh and I are both big museum people.  We made it to four of the Smithsonian museums, and as many monuments and memorials we could squeeze in.

Thanks Dayle for taking this shot!

Couldn't resist.

I have a number of diabetes related stories to share from the trip.  A cupcake run with Chris and Dayle, the Air and Space Museum with Brian, and several diabetes in the wild encounters.

The stories will be forthcoming.  But I wanted to start with the TSA.  Because of my pump and cgm, I request a pat down when flying rather than going through the scanners.  Usually this is not a big deal.  On the way to D.C., I did have a first.  The nice lady wanted to see my Dexcom sensor.

I usually wear sensors on my thighs.  I have good accuracy luck there.  And I had jeans on.  So in order for her to see it, we had to go into a private screening room with a second female agent.  Both agents were incredibly professional.  They were just doing their jobs.  I however, was completely flustered and embarrassed.  And surprised.  Usually when I have a pat down, I tell the agent, "This bump here is my pump site, and this pump here is my continuous glucose monitor sensor." And usually that's fine.  This time, she felt she needed to see the sensor.

I get it.  I'm not mad.  By the time the flight took off, I'd had time to process and the flustered feelings passed.  From now on when I fly, I'll know that they might ask to see the sensor.

When we flew out of D.C. to come home, I was expecting security to be tight.  I got another pat down from another very professional agent.  She didn't ask to see my sensor.

I did tell the agent by the x-ray machiene that I had insulin and diabetes supplies in my carry on bag.  They were fine with all of that.  The liquids and needles passed the x-ray screening with flying colors.

What did they send through x-ray three times before clearing it?  My flat iron.  For my hair.  I found this incredibly ironic.  And also hilarious.

Flying with diabetes can be an adventure.

Robots

So my church will be having vacation bible school soon.  And they are collecting supplies.  Like you do.

Boxes are being collected for the kids to make robots.

Some lucky kid will make a really kick ass robot with my sensor and set boxes.  This makes me happy.

The Language of Chronic Illness

"Just like in the movie, today we’re doing a swap. If you could switch chronic diseases, which one would you choose to deal with instead of diabetes? And while we’re considering other chronic conditions, do you think your participation in the DOC has affected how you treat friends and acquaintances with other medical conditions? (Thanks to Jane of Jane K. Dickinson, RN, PhD, CDE and Bob of T Minus Two for this topic suggestion.)"

I can't pretend to know what it's like to live with any chronic condition other than Type 1 Diabetes.  I really can't.

But what I can do is empathize with anyone living with any chronic condition.  As different as it might be from diabetes, there are still some things that are the same.

I've written about this before, especially in regard to a couple books written by Richard M. Cohen.

I have Type 1 Diabetes.  That's the chronic condition I live with.  I know the ins and outs, the frustrations and joys.  The things that it's impossible to know unless you live with T1D.  That's what makes the Diabetes Online Community so magical.  Talking with people who have the same chronic condition is a powerful thing.

In high school, I had the amazing opportunity to serve on the Teen Advisory Board at my local children's hospital.  I will always be grateful for that experience.  It was the first time I learned that chronic illness of any kind has a common language.

There were five or six of us on the board with T1D.  But the board represented the entire hospital.  There were several teenagers living with cancer.  A girl living with Chron's disease.  A boy with Cystic Fibrosis.  And I'm sure there were others--it was a long time ago.

The hospital was a familiar environment for all of us.  That's why we were there.  And I didn't feel alone.  These other kids spoke my language.  The language of chronic illness.

If you live with or love someone with a chronic illness, than you know the language.  The hospital visits and doctor's appointments.  Dealing with health insurance companies.  Trying to figure out how to pay for what insurance doesn't cover.  Finding the right doctor.  Finding the right medications.  Dealing with medication side effects.  Adjusting to new/worsening/changing symptoms.  Worrying about the future.  Worrying about loved ones.  Dealing with the psychological and emotional consequences of chronic illness.  Taking care of a chronic condition day after day, while still having a life.  Trying to hold onto your sanity.

Since high school, I've met other people living with different chronic conditions.  Rheumatoid Arthritis, hypothyroidism, bipolar disorder, clinical depression.  And I'm very close to some amazing people living with Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and chronic migraines.

I cannot know what it's like to live with any of these conditions.  But if you live with any chronic illness, we do share a common language.  There is much that is the same.  And we need one another to make it through.

"The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places." - Ernest Hemingway

A Victory

"We don’t always realize it, but each one of us had come a long way since diabetes first came into our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s been 5 weeks, 5 years or 50 years, you’ve done something outstanding diabetes-wise. So today let’s share the greatest accomplishment you've made in terms of dealing with your (or your loved one’s) diabetes. No accomplishment is too big or too small - think about self-acceptance, something you’ve mastered (pump / exercise / diet / etc.), making a tough care decision (finding a new endo or support group / choosing to use or not use a technology / etc.). (Thanks to Hilary of Rainie and Me for this topic suggestion.)"

What have I accomplished? Quite a bit.  I made it through a series of low blood sugar seizures.  I got an insulin pump.  Went to Italy with my high school choir.  I transitioned from my pediatric endo to an adult endo.  I went to college.  Spent three weeks in Great Britian.  Graduated college.  Fell in love and got married.  Have a job I love.  Spent years struggling with depression, anxiety, and binge eating.  Was finally able to ask for help and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

There are a lot of things I am proud of.  But most of all, I agree with Kim.  The biggest accomplishment for all of us living with any kind of diabetes is to simply live our lives.  To keep putting one foot in front of the other.  To go after what we want in spite of diabetes, and to not let it stop us.

We choose how we live our lives.  Diabetes doesn't.  That in and of itself is a victory.

A Huge Gift

"Today we’re going to share our most memorable diabetes day. You can take this anywhere.... your or your loved one's diagnosis, a bad low, a bad high, a big success, any day that you’d like to share. (Thanks to Jasmine of Silver-Lined for this topic suggestion.)"

"MEMORY! ALL ALONE IN THE MOONLIGHT...."

Am I the only one singing?  Yes?  Ok, I'll stop then.

There are a lot of memories I have that involve diabetes.  But all of them pale in comparison to a huge gift diabetes has given me.

Friends.  These friends I met only because they all have diabetes.  Nothing this disease throws at me will ever compare to this.

Photo courtesy of C

Photo courtesy of George

Photo courtesy of Kerri

*I know not all these pics are mine. If I owe you a photo credit, please let me know!*

My Answer Doesn't Change

"Back by popular demand, let's revisit this prompt from last year! Tell us what your fantasy diabetes device would be? Think of your dream blood glucose checker, delivery system for insulin or other meds, magic carb counter, etc etc etc. The sky is the limit – what would you love to see?"

I don't have any ideas for a petition, so I'm using a wildcard prompt.  Forgive me, for I'm going to be repeating myself.

When anyone asks me what my dream diabetes device is, my answer doesn't change: an artificial pancreas.  A system that uses continuous glucose monitoring to manage my blood sugars without me having to do it.  I'm fine with still checking my bgs to calibrate the device.  But I want the AP to do the rest.  To automatically adjust basal insulin when needed.  To bolus the necessary insulin for whatever I'm eating without me having to figure it out.  To have glucagon or some other method to raise my blood sugar when it drops too low.

This is what I want.  Ok, so what I'd really love in a cure, but since I don't foresee that happening anytime soon, I want an artificial pancreas.  More than I can convey with words.