So, I subscribe to Kayla's Life Notes blog...you can follow her here. Kayla was dx'd 3 years ago and her latest blog post shares her Top 10 things she has learned about diabetes. She challenges us, the readers, to come up with our Top 10. So I'll try my best not to duplicate too many of her Top 10 items.
Jen's Top 10 diabetes things:
(all things diabetes I've learned in the past 7 years)
(all things diabetes I've learned in the past 7 years)
10. SWAGging...I can SWAG like nobody's business. Around Christmas time I started second guessing my SWAG. I tend to bake my famous Chocolate Chip Cookies a lot in the fall and had never really figured out what the carb count officially was. So I asked for a Food Scale for Christmas. I know...so glam!! But I really wanted one. So I bake my cookies...figure and input all the data in the scale and Darn it!! I SWAGged correctly!! Actually I was excited about my super SWAG power and bummed that I didn't really need the scale to figure out carb counts!! ( however, I still use it for other things!!)
9. Importance of carb counts at restaurants!! We ate at Max 'n Erma's one night and ordered their chocolate chip cookies (not as good as mine but no mess for me). That was before the invention of apps...not in my Calorie King book, couldn't find it on-line and had the staff running around looking for it. Well, the waitress gets antsy and says "it's okay honey, you don't need the carb count on those. They would not work with any diet". Of course I'm looking at her like she is crazy and say "YES, I do need the carb count! My daughter is a diabetic!" It would be great if EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE you eat was accessible for carb counts!!
8. Be prepared!! In the course of 7 years we have left the diabetes kit behind, sweat off insulin sites to only have syringes, dropped the vial of insulin on the floor at Target shattering into pieces, not had test strips, etc.etc.etc...I now carry a special medical pack with EVERYTHING in it! Site change? No problem! Let's change it here! I have skittles, insulin, band-aids, reservoirs, site changes, numbing cream, scissors, Medi-pore tape, tegaderm, Sharpie marker and test strips.You name it I've got it in this "medical bag". You should carry one too!!
7. The DOC!! I've said it before...the DOC is great!! I'm a little late to all this because when Nora was dx'd in 2005 we had a great support group locally. It wasn't until I started Facebooking that I found these wonderful blogs and the DOC. I'm up late at night fighting highs/lows...guess whose there?!?! Yep! You are with ((hugs)), encouraging words and follow ups in the morning. It is THE best community EVER!!
6. Get Involved! For me, I was became involved with our local JDRF chapter days within diagnosis. I'm the type of person that can't just sit around and worry or play the "what if" game. I called the chapter the second day Nora was diagnosed (which was in June) by September we had a walk team organized and started our letter writing campaign. I needed to feel like I was DOING something! Plus I met some great people who had Type 1 connections. I know this is not for everyone. Just get involved with a diabetes organization!! Volunteer to stuff envelopes, make phone calls, etc. Whatever you can do...it's well worth it!
5. Advocacy. I had always signed up to get info about advocacy but I gotta tell ya...I'm the least political person. So I'd get these e-mails saying call your Senators/Reps and let them know how you feel about "insert diabetes topic here". They made it so easy...they even gave me a script to read. But I didn't do it. Really?? Their office probably gets thousands of phone calls a day. Blah!! But then I volunteered to go visit with these Senators/Reps in person!! Even crazier! I figured if they could meet me in person and meet my daughter then they could at least put a name with diabetes. I LOVE it!! My daughter does too! It's VERY rewarding and it's a great government lesson for Nora! Plus I'm laying the ground work showing her that you CAN make a difference!
4. Awareness. No shocker here! I can spread some diabetes awareness everywhere I go, in blue shoes, of course!! It's easy and I have no problem talking to anyone (obviously!!) about diabetes and how it affects our family but most importantly our daughter! Dispelling myths day by day!
3. Mentoring. This is so important to newly diagnosed families. I'll never forget mine. We don't see each other often these days but I'll never forget those first few months of dealing with all this! Not that you have to move in with the newly diagnosed but just letting them know you are there is all you need to do!
2. You are stronger than you ever imagined! Who, in the world, ever thinks they can inject their own kid with needles?!?! Let alone, be a full time pancreas/life support for your kid (or yourself)? I remember being mortified that I had to inject my kid multiple times a day. I was going to be the "bad guy". It broke my heart the first few times I did it. Oh, and the Lantus shots!! You would think I was beating my daughter the way she would run away and scream at me...hated it. Unfortunately, she got used to the pokes and injections and so did I. And we BOTH survived! Just as all of you have!
1. You CAN do anything, even WITH diabetes!!! This has been our motto since day 1!! I won't let it stop her from being a kid, playing sports, spending the night, playing with friends, going on trip or flying on planes. Yea, sure, it can beat us up. Making her run high or low. Making her take a break from playing for a minute before she can go up to bat or do her gymnastics floor routine. But she presses on...she will take her D and all its BS and crumble it up into a ball and swing a bat at it. And LIVE...yes, D, Nora lives despite you and does anything she wants even with you rearing your ugly head!!
What's YOUR Top 10?
7. The DOC!! I've said it before...the DOC is great!! I'm a little late to all this because when Nora was dx'd in 2005 we had a great support group locally. It wasn't until I started Facebooking that I found these wonderful blogs and the DOC. I'm up late at night fighting highs/lows...guess whose there?!?! Yep! You are with ((hugs)), encouraging words and follow ups in the morning. It is THE best community EVER!!
6. Get Involved! For me, I was became involved with our local JDRF chapter days within diagnosis. I'm the type of person that can't just sit around and worry or play the "what if" game. I called the chapter the second day Nora was diagnosed (which was in June) by September we had a walk team organized and started our letter writing campaign. I needed to feel like I was DOING something! Plus I met some great people who had Type 1 connections. I know this is not for everyone. Just get involved with a diabetes organization!! Volunteer to stuff envelopes, make phone calls, etc. Whatever you can do...it's well worth it!
5. Advocacy. I had always signed up to get info about advocacy but I gotta tell ya...I'm the least political person. So I'd get these e-mails saying call your Senators/Reps and let them know how you feel about "insert diabetes topic here". They made it so easy...they even gave me a script to read. But I didn't do it. Really?? Their office probably gets thousands of phone calls a day. Blah!! But then I volunteered to go visit with these Senators/Reps in person!! Even crazier! I figured if they could meet me in person and meet my daughter then they could at least put a name with diabetes. I LOVE it!! My daughter does too! It's VERY rewarding and it's a great government lesson for Nora! Plus I'm laying the ground work showing her that you CAN make a difference!
4. Awareness. No shocker here! I can spread some diabetes awareness everywhere I go, in blue shoes, of course!! It's easy and I have no problem talking to anyone (obviously!!) about diabetes and how it affects our family but most importantly our daughter! Dispelling myths day by day!
3. Mentoring. This is so important to newly diagnosed families. I'll never forget mine. We don't see each other often these days but I'll never forget those first few months of dealing with all this! Not that you have to move in with the newly diagnosed but just letting them know you are there is all you need to do!
2. You are stronger than you ever imagined! Who, in the world, ever thinks they can inject their own kid with needles?!?! Let alone, be a full time pancreas/life support for your kid (or yourself)? I remember being mortified that I had to inject my kid multiple times a day. I was going to be the "bad guy". It broke my heart the first few times I did it. Oh, and the Lantus shots!! You would think I was beating my daughter the way she would run away and scream at me...hated it. Unfortunately, she got used to the pokes and injections and so did I. And we BOTH survived! Just as all of you have!
1. You CAN do anything, even WITH diabetes!!! This has been our motto since day 1!! I won't let it stop her from being a kid, playing sports, spending the night, playing with friends, going on trip or flying on planes. Yea, sure, it can beat us up. Making her run high or low. Making her take a break from playing for a minute before she can go up to bat or do her gymnastics floor routine. But she presses on...she will take her D and all its BS and crumble it up into a ball and swing a bat at it. And LIVE...yes, D, Nora lives despite you and does anything she wants even with you rearing your ugly head!!
What's YOUR Top 10?
