Blood, Sweat and Heels....A look back at 2013

So, I rarely if ever have the opportunity to blog. Long story, but it has been almost an impossibility for me to share any of my feelings or weirdness online for a very long time. That has finally been changed and I am free to roam about the devil webs....so to speak...blog...er, whatever....

When we conceptualized Blue Heel Society, it was something I couldn't get out of my head. I slept, shopped, talked NON stop about what this little *whatever this is* and what it meant to me. It was my way of doing something about my situation. My child was going to live his life with diabetes, and I couldn't stop that. I couldn't fix it. I was determined to not be destroyed by guilt or blame. I'll let you know how that works out....HA! I want to say thank you to the people who make this happen......

Let us talk about 2013...in short, what a freaking long year. So much to say....I'll try and be brief.....or at least not boring.....maybe.

Jen Loving. Jen, I simply cannot blog, write, speak, draw, or sign what an amazing inspirational person you are to me. I watch you and your family shine with light divine. The character, the dedication, the impossible wit, the smiles, the education, the effort, all of it, you do so well, seamless. YOU are Blue Heel Society personified. I am blessed beyond description to have you post naughty threads on my Facebook wall. I love you.

Thomas Moore. Tom,  Words like dedicated and brave fail to offer up adequate descriptions of just who you are. Sweet, shy, humble, gracious, tenacious, you have gifted me with a friendship that is to be envied. I wish you nothing shy of the brightest star for you to reach. You battled cancer, diabetes, moving, kids, grandkids, the loss of a beloved family patriarch, and yet remained as committed to stomping out myths and misconceptions about diabetes and for that, and so much more, I love you.

Luminaries. These dedicated men and women take diabetes by the test strips and CHANGE what people know, think they know, and in doing so, make our little world a better place. I wish each of you, and your families to find love and compassion, friendship and fellowship in the new year. May you each feel my unwavering support, love and friendship.

DOC. With you, I simply cannot fail. My child owes his life to you. I am honored and humbled at your support.

Last, but not least. Tony Cervati.

Tony, when I first met you ( albeit virtually, not in real life) in 2010, I remembered hanging up the phone that morning, feeling like I had just spoken to my best friend. I remember thinking that every word you uttered to me was being burned into my soul to carry forever. Your words were like weapons and you gave me an arsenal to fight off the grief and shame, and the fear. You gave me hope. Our friendship was and is the most valuable thing I was ever given, after my kiddo got the 'betes.  As our friendship grew, and we talked more, well, who knew?? Apparently everyone online, and in real life.....I fell in love with you, fell completely head over heels....in love, and never looked back....

Guess what folks? He put a ring on it....and now I am Mrs. Type 1 Rider. Best day of my life.

Thank you Tony, for seeing me in a flattering light, for standing by my side, for wanting to walk my mile, with me, beside me. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you.


And to my mother, Judy, bless your heart. You still take my calls. Thank you.

Love and kisses,

Mrs. Anthony (Diane) Cervati

Burnout...the Caregiver episode

Everyone talks about burnout and it's always in regards to the diabetic and their burnout. Never have I ever thought about burnout as a caregiver. I mean, I just do what needs to be done kinda like fixing dinner. You just do it (unless you eat out all the time---lucky you!) But when I was at the CWD: Focus on Technology Conference earlier this month I attended a session about burnout. I thought it was how to get through burnout with your diabetic kid but it turned into burnout for the caregiver. Duh! Novel concept. I'm so worried about my kids that I don't think about myself. And how many of us do that. Put ourselves last? I know I sure do.

I do know that on the rare occasion I get a moment to myself I feel instantly better; almost renewed. Especially if I get a run in...which I haven't been able to do in months. The hour I give myself to not think about anything or sometimes I am able to save all the worlds problems in an hour run only to rush off to the next thing I have to take care of. It's amazing on what even a few minutes you allow yourself to have can do for you. Now with the holidays upon us I feel pulled in a million different directions. I'm trying to enjoy the moment but some days its just hard.

The other topic that came up was our spouses. What...who? Oh, yea, I have this amazing guy I've been married to for almost 20 years and I forget about him sometimes. He is always so supportive of me and all my crazy volunteer functions and events I do and hardly ever complains. He just lets me do my thing. But I know when I've gone a little over the edge and I've had enough I start to snap at him. Poor guy. Spouse time is important. It's nice to be able to have an adult conversation withOUT interruption or sometimes we just sit and enjoy the silence. It just so happened his favorite band was coming into town and coming to a local venue we practically lived at while we were dating. I made arrangements for a surprise date night. I bought the tickets and surprised him the day of the event. He was so happy. We felt like young kids again! I know we won't be able to go out on date nights all the time but even if we can go get a cup of coffee and get away for just 30 minutes it will help.

So my challenge to you is this...find YOU time. Whether that's a get-a-way, movie night, lunch date, locking the bathroom door for 10 minutes of privacy...whatever it is...FIND IT! Then if you want, feel free to post, share or inspire others to do the same! Good luck!

So it's been a while...I was going gung ho in November trying to write posts that could be shared with people who maybe just didn't get diabetes...trying to educate just one person. It was going well, World Diabetes Day was fantastic here in Cincinnati and the next day I took my girls in for their 3 month check up. Both visits went well. Changes to basal and sensitivity were made. But I have one who is in the throngs of teenage stuff. Add diabetes. And well...if you have a teenager and you're reading this I know your shaking your head and giving me a gentle pat on the back. For those who don't have one yet. Enjoy it...it comes too fast. I want to share that visit with you but really need to find the right words. So I will save that for another post. Don't worry...all is good...I promise! What I DO want to share with you was the CWD: Focus on Technology Conference that was here in Cincy at the beginning of December.

The morning kicked off with keynote speaker: Dr. Jeremy Pettus who has Type 1 diabetes himself; diagnosed at the age of 16. He shared his diabetes background and the important piece he made sure we walked away with was that even he STILL has bad days. No matter how hard we try, as caregivers, there are still going to be bad days. We all know D has a mind of its own and that doesn't change when our kids grow up, move out and have careers.

The second session I attended was Advanced Pumping Concepts with Gary Scheiner, MS, CDE. I've heard him speak before and he is a fountain of knowledge. My head was literally spinning after his session. Even with 8 1/2 years in and pumping 6 of those years, there is ALWAYS something new to learn.

The next session was Dealing with Diabetes Burnout with Jill Weissberg-Benchell, PhD, CDE and Korey Hood, PhD who was also Type 1. I went into this session thinking I would get some tips on how to work through burnout...(see opening paragraph...teenager!!!). But it turned into burnout for the caregiver. Whether that was the original intention or not it was eye opening. We struggle, or at least I do. I won't show it unless I'm VERY tired. But the frustration, jealousy, resentment of this stupid disease is felt by all of us. In our family, I know my husband is the one that suffers. Meaning, I'm so busy worrying about the kids and their needs that I put our marriage on the back burner. It made me realize how much of a wonderful man I married. Who is supportive in everything and doesn't mind being put last. (I decided to schedule a surprise date night a few weeks later and we BOTH loved it!!) This topic is really its own separate blog post. So I'll save it for a future edition.

The afternoon session was Puberty and Adolescence: Mind and Body. This was also a good topic. Yes, I was a teenager...(it wasn't THAT long ago) but dealing with all the puberty issues, peers, mean girls, teenage crap on top of diabetes just sucks. It's easy to look at those years now and realize all that stuff doesn't matter but it does matter to them...especially since they are dealing with it right now. I've tried to be more supportive when stories/issues are shared with me. To let her know I'm here and listening and care.

Then evening session was Parents of Teens Discussion Group. This was one of THE best sessions. It has changed my approach on how I act and respond. What made this session even better was that two out of three speakers had Type 1 (Natalie Bellini, BSN, RN, CDE and Marissa Town, BSN, RN). They shared how the tone of how you ask what your kids blood sugar is or how you react to a blood sugar reading translates to feelings of failure or hostility. An

d that is totally true. How many times have I said, "What's your blood sugar?" and as nice as I try and say it, it comes out demanding. Or the reaction to a blood sugar over 300, "What did you do?" as if it is my daughters fault. So I have tried to ask nicely when I ask for their blood sugars. I wait patiently. Receive the number (NO reaction), thank them and move on. It has seemed to work.

I want to wrap up as this has become quite lengthy and if you're still here reading...thank you for your time! I have much more to share...like how I met some DOC peeps (and we all know how awesome that is!!) So I'll sign off for now and try not to be away for too long!

What I Want You To Know

Hi,

You are reading this because you are or have a love one who has diabetes. You may be reading this because a friend or family member sent this to you. You may be reading this because you are bored. Whatever the reason...I have your attention. November is Diabetes Awareness Month. If you fall into the category of not knowing about this disease; count yourself lucky. Please indulge the diabetes community this one month to post facts, dispel myths and give you a glimpse of what it's like to fight diabetes 365/24/7. My hope is that we are able to educate at least one person who can be a champion in diabetes awareness.

These are some things I would like you to know:

1. NO ONE causes themselves to get diabetes. I don't care what Type.

2. Eating sugar does not cause diabetes.

3. Diabetes canNOT be reversed or outgrown.

4. Diet DOES help all types of diabetes...but doesn't diet help us all? Diabetes or not?

5. Diabetes is not "One Size Fits All". Every diabetic is different. Believe me, I know. Having two Type 1 daughters who eat the same thing and blood sugars do two different things.

6. Diabetics can eat anything they want in moderation and you can too! They just need some insulin or a pill to help cover the food they eat.

7. Diabetes has a mind of its own. Seriously.

8. Diabetes is a chronic illness and can be life threatening at any given time.

9.People with diabetes and caregivers welcome questions not judgement.

10. Diabetes can strike anyone, of any age, of any race, at any time.

I could go on but I want you to let these settle in. The next time you hear "oh, I have diabetes" or "oh, Little Suzy was just diagnosed" stop and think about some of these facts and know that it wasn't their fault.

Thank you.

This Ain't Your Granny's Diabetes

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month! For some of us, so are the rest of the 11 months out of the year.  For me, this is one month I get excited about. I like to try and educate at least one person to the world of diabetes. To give them a glimpse into our family life. To dispel myths.

This was my first introduction into diabetes:

ahh! Yes, Wilfred Brimley. And good heavens, man! It's pronounced: Di-a-be-tes... So as a kid I thought old people got it.

If this is your perception of what diabetes is...erase your memory, bleach your eyes out...do anything that will get rid of what you think diabetes is.

Wilfred Brimley is just ONE face of diabetes.

There are so many others. Faces that are young, old and in between.

This ain't your Granny's diabetes.

Diabetes IS...

for Type 1 diabetes (T1D) it is an autoimmune disease. The pancreas no longer makes insulin and therefore blood glucose cannot enter the cells to be used for energy. T1D patients did NOTHING to cause them to get diabetes.

for Type 2 diabetes (T2D) either the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body is unable to  use insulin correctly. There is a big genetic component to T2D. It's not just for the obese. If that were the case everyone who was considered obese would be diagnosed as Type 2. There are plenty of fit, thin people being diagnosed with Type 2.

For both types there is NO CURE. I don't care what you read on the cover of Women's Daily as you are waiting in line in the checkout at the grocery store. Diabetes canNOT be reversed, grown out of or disappear when eating salad.  Diabetes is a serious disease...no matter the type.

What I would like you to know is both types suck. Who wants to have to worry about taking blood sugars, taking insulin shots or pills everyday...sometimes several times a day. If you or your loved one live diabetes you know what I'm talking about...if you received this because a love one or friend shared it with you please take the time to educate yourself about diabetes.  I encourage you to ask questions. Help us dispel the myths about diabetes. Help us raise awareness for diabetes.

Destination ME

Our friend Hallie, from the Princess and the Pump, has made a declaration of ME time. You can read about it here and join in for some ME time. Our lives are SO consumed by diabetes. We are so worried about carb counting, insulin bolusing, site changes, insurance coverage, Dr. appointments...the list goes on and on that we hardly take time for ourselves.

I have joined Hallie and some other wonderful people in her Destination ME challenge. You can read about my challenges here as I am posting in my other blog: Captain Jackson's Hemophilia Adventures. This week I have decided to start running again...well I walked more than I ran today. BUT I found ME time! It doesn't have to be physical. You can find ME time reading a book, learning to knit, painting...what ever. The goal is to find time for YOU. I found an hour today but I may only find 30 mins tomorrow. I have already thought of other things I want to do to find me time. I want to paint a canvas for our newly remodeled bathroom. I want to read some books. I want to go shopping for some cute fall BLUE shoes. I want to learn to knit...but that requires patience...and I'm not there yet! I'm thinking ahead of finding ways to find time for me and in doing so I know I'll feel better about myself. I'll be a better mom...not so on the edge.

So I encourage you to join Destination ME!! You can join via Hallie's blog page, you can comment below or comment on our FB page. We would love to know what you are planning for your ME time as we would like to cheer you on!!

Good luck and Happy Me time!

DiabetesCare.net Beta Test

For those whom participated in the Beta test of the DiabetesCare.net App, please make sure and visit and take the Survey as a follow up to the Beta test. 

Also, they are looking for two people to also conduct an Interview for a followup. If you participated and would like to be considered for the Interview, please send an email  indicating your interest for the Up Close story on the tracker.

We are very pleased to also be planning to work with DiabetesCare.Net after the Beta test Project, and you will be hearing more about that in the very near future.

About DiabetesCare.net From the  'About' Page:

Our name says it all - we help you to take care of your, or a loved one or friend's diabetes - and we willhelp!

Use DiabetesCare.net daily as a personal resource to learn, explore, ask questions, interact and share your experiences of living with diabetes, or caring for people with diabetes.

DiabetesCare.net is also your one-stop location to track your health with our free-to-use tools, find others you want to communicate with about your, or a loved one or friend's diabetes, and gain access to healthcare professionals.

Bottom line, DiabetesCare.net, which contains no commercial advertising whatsoever, and therefore that means no bias, just useful information and support, is a friendly and interactive medically-based website offering practical information to take care of your, or a loved one or friend's diabetes. We strive every day to provide you with the resources you need to deal with diabetes so you and/or your loved ones and friends can enjoy the best quality of life.

DiabetesCare.net is a 100% philanthropic project funded by Robert Schwartz, who declares no interest with any other organization related to diabetes.

Tell Congress to Strip Safely!!

In the last month or two you may have noticed people's FB status updates stating "Strip Safely". While I know some of you went there...in the gutter...with thoughts of stripper safety this Strip Safely is about diabetes! It's about the blood glucose strip that you or your love one uses to receive their blood glucose reading.

For those of you who read this blog and don't deal with diabetes daily a blood glucose meter is a hand held device that you insert a little test strip in. You poke your finger with a lancing device; apply the drop of blood to the strip and wait 5 seconds for a blood glucose reading. 

So what's up with the new campaign? (You can read about it here.)

It's about safe, ACCURATE, glucose readings.

Did you know the FDA allows a +/- 20% variance in accuracy? What does this mean? Imagine a thermometer. You insert the thermometer to get an accurate temperature reading. If it reads over 100 you will most likely take some Tylenol, drink fluids and apply a cool compress. If it reads over 103+ you are calling your Doctor with a possible ER visit. IF the FDA allowed a +/- percentage variance with thermometers how would you know how and when to treat a fever? If 103 isn't really 103 how do you know what to do and if you should call a professional?

In comes the test strips. On average diabetics take their blood sugar 6-8 times a day...that's AVERAGE. There are days we test 6-8 times in the span of an hour. Diabetics look at this blood glucose reading and determine how they will treat that number. If it reads a 50, that's low, you will treat with a fast acting carbohydrate. If it reads between 80-120 your golden...you do nothing. And if it reads above 120 you will administer insulin to bring your glucose down.

Now, throw in the fact there is a +/-20% variance. Prime example: last night I was up most of the night battling low blood sugars with Nora. At 10pm she was 120 with no active insulin. This is PERFECT! Just an hour and a half later her MySentry is reading an 82. This is NOT good for Nora. I go upstairs to test and find she is actually in the mid 60's (I know...that's another post for a different day!!) So I give her a juice and set a temp basal (this reduces the amount of ongoing insulin she receives). I go back downstairs and watch the MySentry. It hoovers at 62. I recheck in 15 minutes to find her blood glucose has not budged. It goes on like this for a good hour. Checking, drinking juice, more temp basals, hoovering, checking, juice, slowly creeping up. Finally she reaches 124 set a temp basal and I'm feeling confident she will make it through to the 3am check. Glorious (you can hear the sarcasm dripping as you read that, right?) 3am check comes and she is back down in the 80's!! Repeat above steps. First day of school today and we are up at 6am! I look at the MySentry and it reads 82. Throw some blueberry muffins in the oven and go to check on her and wake her up. Again, 62!!!! Ugh!!

The reason I'm giving you this blow by blow description of how diabetes worked last night is this...since there is an allowable 20% variance in test strips, is a reading of 62 really 62 or is it a 74 or worse...a 50!!! See what I mean? That's a big difference when you are treating a low or even treating a high.

How are we as caregivers, or even as diabetics, be held accountable for diabetes management if there is such a variance? Because I can tell you I would treat a glucose of 74 different than I would a 50. Yet our Endo's are looking at us and wondering why we aren't "controlling" diabetes!

This is how you can help. Make your voice be heard. Write your Congressmen. Let them know this IS important and why. Urge them to send their Health Aides to the Diabetes Technology Society Meeting September 9th. Heck, if your savvy enough...tweet your Congressmen! Here is the link to send your tweet.
You can also join in a twitter-in tonight, Wednesday, 8/21, at 8pm EST. Educate and Advocate. It's up to us to tell Congress we need to Strip Safely!

 

Walk the D Walk...

Friday I ran into WalMart with the hubby and my son. I needed to get a few things for the girls who are away at diabetes camp for the week!!! Woo hoo!! (and yet, here I am, not having to worry about ANYTHING D related and I'm writing this blog...it's a habit...can't help it!) So we parked the car and spotted an ambulance parked by the entrance with it's lights on. No telling what happened...our WalMart is ever so adventurous! We walked in and D smacked us in the face. This gentleman had passed out (but had come to by the time we entered) from a low. How do I know? The paramedics were pricking his finger and applying that little blob of blood on a test strip; asking him if he felt better. Instantly, Joe looked right at me. We don't even need to say a word. I get a little teary eyed and just keep walking. But my D Momma instincts were on high alert. I wanted to go over there and make sure that man was okay.

Isn't that one of our fears?

It is for me anyway. Not being able to help my girls if they go too low. Passing out. Not being able to get enough carbs in them to bring them up. Administering glucagon. Some of you are shaking your heads...you've been there and done that.

A few months ago, my hubby was able to assist an elderly gentleman who had a severe low and about cracked his head open on the floor of the local grocery store. He just happened to walk by this man and his wife and saw the man's legs give out. He was able to catch him. His wife said, "juice" and Joe laid him down on the floor and ran for the OJ aisle. Came back, pried his mouth open and forced OJ down this man's throat. He had called me right after as he was extremely shaken by the incident. I immediately teared up as we both were thinking the same thing...that could happen to our girls.

It's an incident that shakes us to our core. Sure, others could walk in and look at the man pricking his finger and go about there business. Not knowing what happened or caring less. But those of us that walk the D walk know all too well.

Diabetes is REAL.

It's SCARY.

It's LIFE altering.

It's DEADLY.

And since I can't seem to erase the WalMart scene from my head I will focus on my two girls who are having a BLAST at D camp this week. I know they are well cared for. They are surrounded by other diabetics and medical staff that can help if need be but still remembering that D can show it's ugly head when you least expect it.

and what am I still awake for?!?!? No midnight or 3am checks this week baby...off to relax...

Welcome!?!!

I was asked to write a Welcome letter (of sorts) to be included in a JDRF brochure that will be placed in the waiting rooms of our local Children's Hospital Endo/Diabetes Center, as well as, adult Endo offices. This brochure introduces the reader to JDRF and the new Mentor program. Before I started writing I had to stop and think. I didn't want to be so upbeat that I was channeling my inner cheerleader (yes, back in middle school) and welcoming them to diabetes. It's not like they won the lottery....whoo-hoo!! Welcome to diabetes!! Glad to meet you!! Truth be told I DO get excited when I meet another diabetic family...(maybe a little too excited). I get the urge to want to give them all my years of experience in one conversation. 

Which is ridiculous. 

I know. 

Maybe I need to go to a D-Mom Anonymous meeting...   

One the other hand,  I didn't want to be all Emo (never was) and pull the diabetes sucks, it's a horrible disease, you'll never sleep again, you'll be able to recite the carb count in every food item better than the Calorie King app, whoa is me, etc., etc. 

I needed to find a gentler approach. 

An "I know how and what you are feeling but it'll be okay".

So this is what I came up with: 

 First of all, I want to let you know, you are NOT alone. I know you may be confused, scared, angry or uncertain and please know it is okay to feel this way. You see, I know how you feel.  Our daughter, Nora, was diagnosed at age 4 with Type 1 Diabetes in 2005. Then in 2012, we received a second T1D diagnosis; our eldest daughter, Evelyn, just 5 days before her 18^th birthday. The first call I made in the hospital back in 2005 was to JDRF. I needed to connect with someone who had been through what I was going through. I was contacted by a Mentor when we arrived home. Even though I hadn’t grasped diabetes fully, my Mentor was there for me with any questions or concerns I had. We signed up for our first Walk to Cure event in the Fall of 2005. It was from then on that JDRF became an extension of our family. I have met some wonderful families with children living with T1D. I have met some amazing adults that have been living with T1D for years. My daughters have met other diabetics their age who have become lifelong friends. And we’ve met them all through JDRF. I know you may be feeling overwhelmed right now and this may all be too much. I respect that. Just know, when your ready, there is a whole diabetic community that is out there ready to welcome you with open arms. Please feel free to contact the JDRF office with question, concerns or just to find someone who gets what you are going through.

Just know, I was shaking my blue pom poms as I was writing this :) 

She NAILED it!

A few weeks ago Nora and I applied to be Team A1C Champions for Sanofi. It's a program that provides speakers to organizations or programs that deal with diabetes. Both Nora and I filled out a separate, 3 page resume of sorts. Asking us why we wanted to do this, our background, speaking experience, etc. We filled it out and I emailed it in. The next day we were contacted for our first of three interviews. 

I was a little nervous...not for me, as I can speak diabetes in my sleep. I was nervous for Nora. Beyond telling her what I thought they would ask her she was left on her own. And man, did she NAIL it. I know, I know, yes, she has been dealing with D for 8 years now but just to hear how optimistic and full of hope she was when she answered her questions truly floored me. I know she is an awesome young lady who has had to grow up before her years but I couldn't have scripted better answers for her. There were even a couple of questions that flustered me but she was able to answer with no pause at all. Truly a proud Momma moment. 

Two days later we had our second interview. This was a little more clinical and harder, I thought anyway. But again, she NAILED it. 

This week we had our third and final interview via Skype. That was fun! More of the same questions and Nora answered like a pro...well, technically, she is. The bummer to this whole process is we have to wait a year. Why? Because the training they fly us out to attend is the EXACT same week of Diabetes camp!! Oh, the irony!! So, we will wait until next summer for our opportunity to share our A1C story with others. Of course, all of you get to hear all about our stories through our blog posts! 

I'm excited to be involved in something that I live daily but also am passionate about. I'm excited that Nora wants to share her story and make sure other T1D kids don't feel alone. I'm just excited to be able to give hope to all who live with or take care of loved ones with diabetes. And I'm proud that what I'm trying to instill in my kids is sinking in...and I know this by how they treat others, as well as, speak on their behalf. Proud Momma here, proud Momma! 

Got glucagon?

I'm not sure if you got a chance to read a blog post from Diabetes 24-7 but you can read it here. In a nutshell it's every diabetics nightmare...it's MY nightmare, as a caregiver.

I've got glucagon.

Luckily, knock on wood, I've never needed to use it (unless we had to administer mini glucagon to raise blood sugars to get rid of ketones). I carry one with me should I ever need to use it. I keep the expired ones. I open them up. I "play" with them. I go over the instructions. I mix the glucagon. I fill the syringe. I get familiar with it. Because I know I won't be in a good mind set to go over those instructions in case of an emergency. I'm not gonna lie. Glucagon is scary. The red box looks scary. The needle looks scary. But I want to be able to use it with confidence.

The article reminds people to fill their glucagon prescription. Do you have one? Do you know how to use it?

It also shares this really cool app (let's face it...we are totally app crazy) from Lilly on how to use the Glucagon. You can download it here. (It's only available for iPhone devices as for now)

This app is great in case you don't have an expired glucagon to practice on. Once you practice on the app it will ask you if you would like to set a reminder for 3 months out to do another practice. Of course you can practice as much as you want. You can add your kits and expiration date and set up a reminder to refill. I'm not getting paid to endorse this app. I like it because I can make a scary, intimidating red glucagon box into a confidence builder. And I want to share this with you...download it, use it and gain your own confidence!

Keep, Toss, Shred...

Now that school is out I feel the need to purge.

I can't believe the mounds of paper. Paper is EVERYWHERE. It's multiplying like bunnies!!

We were given a "new to us" desk...it was originally intended to go into our son's room but it didn't work out in there so I'm putting it to good use.

And now I'm organized!! I was before (in my own sick way) but now I LOOK organized!!

Everything has a place and a home and I just feel ahhh...peaceful. Relaxed. Organized. Inspired.

Here is the favorite part of my desk...

The top shelf...my HOPE...my Blue...my inspiration!!

You may be thinking...is Jen really blogging about her new desk?!?! Well...yes and no. I have a point here.

As I was going through all the papers. I was sorting what I needed, needed to pitch and needed to shred. I came across the girls Endo appointment papers. The ones that have their A1C results, next appointment scheduled, changes to insulin, etc. I've kept everyone for the past couple of years for Nora.

Why was I holding on to these?!?! I keep the most recent one handy in case of pump malfunction so I have the settings written down. But I guess I hadn't thrown the other handouts out before replacing it with the current one. I put in the toss pile. But then got a little worried...am I going to need these? Should I keep them? Frame the good ones?

Yep...I just went there.

It's paper for crying out loud!! I tossed it...well, I shredded it since it had our info on it. Will I want to look back at an appointment from January of 2008? Nope. It was a day out of the year. A blimp in Nora's diabetes care. Does it hold memories? No. It's a document stating that we went to the Endo that day. It doesn't tell me what I ate for dinner that night. It doesn't tell me how Nora's blood sugar ran that day. It's a piece of paper that reminds me of what I know already.

She has diabetes. She lives with diabetes. And we will be back in three months at a certain time to live it all over again.

And I'm off...to go fill up the desk drawers with some organized papers and check some blood sugars...

Walk A Day In My Shoes...

In light of recent events I felt the need to get this off my chest. Most of you understand what it's like to walk a day in my shoes because you are...and this post is not intended for you. This post is for the person who thinks, "it's only diabetes...it CAN'T be that hard". This post is for the well meaning people who really, truly care about us (me, you, the diabetes community) and WANT to know what it's like. This post is for those that think they care but sure don't show it or get it, for that matter.

A Day in My Shoes....

Midnight:

• Check Blood sugar
• Treat based on blood sugar reading: anything above 150 give insulin, anything below 90 treat with juice or smarties or whatever sugary substance you can force down your SLEEPING kids throat. NOW, factor in a two hour basketball practice that she just came home from 3 hours ago. Factor in how stressed she was because she has a final tomorrow. Factor in she is 12...and in puberty...knowing all that do you still treat with insulin or with sugar? Quick...gotta decide something!! 

1AM-3AM:

• Crap! You can't sleep because your worried about all the above. Did you do the right thing? Did you give too much insulin...even though the pump says you should give xxx amount. Is she low, even though you just treated her but a few hours ago?!? 
• Worrying your kid will DIE from a low blood sugar. You read right, DIE. It happens.
• You have this nagging feeling or a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) alarms and you go check your blissfully sleeping child and find their little finger prick it, wait for the blood sugar reading and either give yourself a high five because you guessed right, YES, I said guessed because diabetes is NOT an exact science, or beat yourself up because you treated with too much or too little of the above mentioned items.

3AM-6AM:

• Refer to Midnight and 1AM-3AM

6AM-8AM:

• You might as well get up...your not sleeping anyway and if you finally DID drift off to sleep the school alarm is screaming at you to do so! 

8AM-3PM:

• You will possibly field 1-10 phone calls from the school nurse. It's a call about being low and continues to be low. Or the call is about being high and she feels like crap and her head is spinning and her tummy hurts but she has to feel better because she is missing part of her testing right now. 

3PM-6PM:

• School ends and a blood sugar check reveals she is low. Treat and send her to the carpool pick up. Deal with the low all the way home.
• She walks in the house and raids the refrigerator because she is low and just wants to eat to feel better. OR she is high and feels sick, can't eat, can't do school work and just needs to chill. 
• Get homework done if blood sugar is in range.
• Sports practice/Girl Scouts/Tutoring/whatever event your kid is in...pack up a diabetes emergency kit because insulin sites can sweat off or get kinked, glucagon in case she has a severe low, juice boxes, smarties, skittles, peanut butter crackers...just pack up your pantry...you might need to treat a low!! Oh, yea, did you pack up her practice gear?! Water bottle?! 

6PM-9PM:

•  Fix dinner but she won't eat until after she is home from practice...so figure out carbs and adjust based on activity. Did she practice hard or was it an easy lesson? Did she run low/high during practice.
• Homework and dealing with melt downs because she doesn't understand something but it's really because her blood sugar is out of range. 

9PM-12AM:

• Get a shower and get ready for bed. 
• Gotta stop everything because she is low/high and not feeling well. 
• I have to pack her lunch because our school lunch doesn't have carb counts and really, would she eat it?! Count out and weigh, chips, cookies, sandwich, drink, fruit. Write down on a little piece of paper and include in her lunch sack. 
• Check blood sugar. 

REPEAT ALL THE ABOVE EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!!! 

Are you exhausted yet from just READING this?! Think about actually LIVING this. Factor in stress, colds, the flu, puberty...there is no rhyme or reason to diabetes. This is ONLY the day to day maintenance of living with diabetes. I have this times two. I have TWO daughters with Type 1. I have a son with a bleeding disorder. I haven't even touched on the hours I spend fighting with insurance companies for coverage on medicine that keeps them alive. Or the every 3 month Endo visits I have to take my girls to. Or the fact I worry every time they leave my care that they will die. 

I don't want your pity. I just want you to know; it's not JUST diabetes. It's serious. It's life threatening hourly. It's REAL. 

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. 

Thank you for walking a day in my shoes. 

DiabetesCare.net presents the 'MyCare DiabetesTracker App' invitation for Beta Testing

UPDATE - Although the Beta Testing is 'officially' closed now, the GREAT folks at DiabetesCare.net has allowed us a couple more testing slots. More info below:

Part of the Blue Heel Society’s Mission includes locating the very best Tools And Resources to share with our Bluetiful peeps...of course for FREE!

Another critical part of our Mission over the course of our one and one half years around, is to locate and align ourselves with the very best Strategic Partners we can find, while always  (hopefully!) maintaining our integrity, and ensuring these Partners have same minded goals and messages that we do.

We are very happy to introduce to you, the great folks at DiabetesCare.net. They are still accepting requests to be a part of a Beta test of an upcoming app (MyCare DiabetesTracker),  that we are confident will ROCK things quite nicely. Here are just some of the things that the ‘MyCare Diabetes Tracker’ will do:

• Manage your diabetes anytime on any device

• Track blood glucose, weight, medication, activity, & more

• Incredibly intuitive meal building, planning, and analysis

• Fully featured and FREE to use

Of course we all know this is not the first App that does some of the above, but we are quite confident it will be like no other app available now. DiabetesCare.net is a powerhouse when it comes to offering truly BEST for all of us affected by diabetes, always for FREE!

You will hear us talk often about DiabetesCare.net, as we are just tickled BLUE about our [growing] relationship with them. We truly hope you will be a part of something even bigger to come, and join in this Beta testing with us.

Please send your Name & Email address to us HERE, and stay tuned to the great things DiabetesCare.net has planned for us during & after testing. We are VERY excited :)

MySentry...MyReview

My dear, dear friend, Sandi, is a fellow D Momma and her daughter decided to go back to injections for a while. She has the Medtronic pump, CGM and MySentry. For those of you who don't know what the MySentry is...well, it's heaven in a box. Ok...maybe not heaven in a box but it's at least piece of mind in a box. It is a monitor screen that is plugged in to a room (my bedroom) and it is the exact screen that is on my daughters pump. I can tell if she is low, high, in range. How much battery life she has left. How much insulin is in her pump. How many hours until her next blood sugar check and how many days she has left on her CGM sensor. Like I said....heaven! And Sandi is letting us try it out!! I cannot even express my gratitude to her in allowing us to do this.

MySentry---and yep! She is high :( 

The day I brought it home Nora was so excited. She knew this meant the baby monitor was moving on out of her room...she said she felt free! It has to be so liberating for her. I plugged that sucker in and I stalked her CGM. I stalk it all day long (if she's home). I'm even known to say, "hey Nora! Guess what? Your blood sugar is xxx". Yea, I know...total dweeb BUT it's soooo cool!! I can sleep better knowing that I won't sleep through the alarms. I sleep better knowing what her blood sugar is and how she is trending. I love the fact I don't have to nag her about what her blood sugar is, when has she taken it and if she was in range during school. I love that she can be in her room with her friends and I don't have to worry about what her BG is or remember to turn the monitor back up after they fall asleep during their sleep over. It's just freakin' awesome!

I stalk her CGM so much I want to take it a step further. I want it on my iPhone. I want to see what she is every minute of every day. It would be awesome to text her and say "hey, your 215...you should double check and correct if needed". I could look at trends as they are happening not when I download the data. I know the technology is there and they are working on being iPhone compatible. I am not known for my patience but that's what I'm going to have to be...

Life WITHOUT diabetes...the caregivers perspective

Our good friend, Ginger Vieira, shares vlog's weekly about different diabetes topics. She's a great source of knowledge when it comes to D as she was dx'd T1D at the age of 13. She's a Diabetes Coach, freelance writer and holds records in powerlifting. She's written books too and she's just an awesome role model. I enjoy watching her vlog's and her Life WITHOUT diabetes really stuck with me. You can view it below:

So it got me thinking...I had lots of time to think as I've been painting our downstairs bathroom (FINALLY)...long story...ANYWAY...

In our family we are coming up on some LIVE-a-versary's. Nora's is 6-13-05 and Evy's is 6-1-12. We are 8 years in with dealing with diabetes. It's hard to remember what life was like before D entered uninvited. If D was suddenly cured...like tomorrow...it would feel weird NOT to do the following:

• Have my phone attached to me...what if I miss a call from school? 
• Pack lunch with a carb count
• Count carbs
• Look at nutritional labels
• SWAG...I even find myself doing this for the NON-D kid in the house
• Worry about playing sports and a low
• Standardized testing and if Nora is low/high
• Getting to know not only our Endo but the staff by name and their family!
• Knowing Children's Hospital's parking garage by heart
• SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT
• Worrying if my daughter's will make it through the night while at a sleepover
• Nagging about taking blood sugars/bolusing/site changes
• TRAVELING MINUS ONE BAG that is designated as the medical supply bag
• Knowing the Kroger pharmacy staff
• Talking to the school Nurse daily...sometimes more
• Worrying about activity, colds, stress, menstrual cycles, mood swings and how it affects D
• Walking out the door without saying "you have low supplies?"
• Carrying a smaller purse that doesn't have glucagon, pump supplies, batteries, alcohol swabs and smarties
• Having a kitchen cabinet that actually has plates and kitchen products NOT D supplies stocked
• Sending my kid on a school field trip without signing my life away on a medical information form
• Worry about my kids emotional and physical well being
• Worry about the complications 
• worry...worry...worry

It looks like a worry a lot...I do...but I try not to let it show. I try to stay upbeat, positive and encouraging. I would hate my worry to rub off on my girls and stop them from doing something. (Unless it's something they shouldn't be doing!) I can't imagine life without worry...or if the biggest thing I had to worry about was their overbite. Pffft...overbites ain't nothing compared to D!

I'm sure you can add your own ideas to the list above.  When diabetes is cured I'll be more than happy to feel weird about NOT worrying about these things but I know I will anyway. Until then...

Honoring our Veterans

We are the Home Of The Free Because of of the BRAVE

NEW Guest post from Doctor Jen Nash - Diabetes: "What Do Emotions Have to do With It?"

Diabetes: What Do Emotions Have to do With It?

Life with diabetes can be hard work. Diabetes has been likened to a job — not just any job, but one in which you have to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, with no holiday, no praise, and no pay. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't stay working in a role like that for very long! However, individuals with diabetes don't have the option of walking out or giving up; they have to keep 'working', day in and day out, for the rest of their lives.

None of us can do anything in life that requires effort over a sustained period without getting support and respite — and diabetes is exactly the same. There are wide ranges of emotional factors that can impact the well-being of someone with diabetes — some of which affect people with type 1 or type 2 only, but many of which affect individuals with either type.

Dealing with Diagnosis

The diagnosis of diabetes is a life event that has been likened to the experience of grief. In the same way as it is natural to grieve for a lost loved one, being given a diagnosis of diabetes can trigger a grieving for one's lost health. It is common to live life as if we are invincible, rarely considering our health or mortality. This dramatically changes when you are diagnosed with diabetes: you are suddenly acutely aware your life is not without limits. You now have to rely on regular medication, frequent visits to a medical setting, and a team of doctors and nurses to keep yourself well. By becoming aware of the different stages of grief and recognising the stage of the process that you may be in, you can manage the potential challenges better.

Depression and Low Mood

Psychological research has demonstrated that low mood and depression are very prevalent among people with diabetes; in fact, studies have demonstrated that depression is approximately twice as common in people with diabetes as in people who are in good physical health. Life has its challenges for all of us, with or without diabetes, and experiencing the whole range of high and low moods is part of the human condition. However, coping with a demanding condition like diabetes is an extra stressor to contend with, and it is very common to struggle with low mood at times.

Guilt, Shame and Self-Blame

Feelings of guilt, shame, and self-blame can be experienced by people diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. For individuals with type 1 or 2 diabetes there can be the shame of being 'different' by virtue of having this health problem to contend with. For those with type 1, injecting and blood testing in public can be experienced as embarrassing and something they would rather hide than engage in openly. People with type 2 diabetes may experience these emotions because they may have been aware they needed to make changes to their health and lifestyle, and they feel regret they didn't act on this awareness in time to prevent diagnosis.

Fear and Anxiety

Fear and anxiety affect many people with diabetes. They can be divided into two categories: fear about factors in the here and now, and fear of the future. Fear in the here and now may be anxiety over hypoglycaemia, fear of needles, or simply the daily anxiety about the changes that diabetes causes in life. In terms of fear of the future, many people worry about the long-term complications and how they may have an impact in the years to come.

Using Food to Cope with Emotions

For many people, both with and without diabetes, food can offer more than just fuel for the body. From birth, food is intimately linked to feeling safe and secure in the world, and in adulthood food can become a shortcut to dealing with difficult emotions. Many people go their whole lifetime using food in this way to a greater or lesser extent, and often without causing much harm. However, individuals with diabetes need to be more mindful of the role food plays in their lives, and that using food to cope with their emotions can cause problems.

Communicating with Health Professionals

Developing a good working relationship with your healthcare team can go a long way towards making you feeling supported in your journey of managing diabetes. However, it's common for people to avoid going to their health appointments completely, or to feel a range of difficult emotions when they do go. Exploring the various ways you may be relating (or not) to your healthcare team can help you see these relationships in a more helpful light.

Family Relationships

Diabetes doesn't only affect the person with the condition. It has the potential to affect the whole family. Just as the person with diabetes can struggle emotionally, those around them can too. Family members can express their concern and worry in a multitude of different ways. Some loved ones may have a tendency to be over-involved with the management of diabetes, which can feel suffocating to the person with the condition. The opposite can also happen, when family members withdraw and seemingly ignore what is going on, leaving the person with diabetes feeling lonely and isolated.

Sexual Difficulties

Difficulties with sexual response are a very common experience for people with diabetes and can affect men and women in differing ways. For individuals with diabetes this can be a further setback: not only do they need to deal with all the other challenges of managing diabetes, now the part of their identity that could be expressed through their sexual relationship is hindered. It can feel like there isn't any part of life that isn't affected by diabetes.

How Does Psychology Help?

So we can see that there are a variety of challenges that can affect the emotional wellbeing of the person with diabetes. Next time I'll be explaining exactly how therapy can help. Look forward to connecting with you then!

Dr. Jen Nash is a Clinical Psychologist chartered with the British Psychological Society. Dr. Jen helps her clients find solutions with simple and highly-effective psychological strategies to gain freedom from the frustration and stress of living with diabetes. To sign up for her free Diabetes Diary, visit www.PositiveDiabetes.com.

Diabetes Art

I LOVE art! I wish I could paint or create everyday. I wish I had a room to do just that. I get lost when I paint. I don't think about anything. Not the growing To-Do list, the carb counting, the finger sticking, the grocery store. I have zero thought. For those of you that know me you are probably laughing because I think a mile a minute and multi-task like no other. However, when I paint I'm transported to a world of quiet. I feel content and peaceful. I normally don't re-post my previous posts but today has been crazy. Our family had a fundraising event for our Hemophiliac son and then a basketball tournament game for my daughter, dinner, down pour (we were eating outside) and a mouth bleed with the Hemo son. It's been a busy day! So I'll re-post a picture I did from Lee Ann Thill's Diabetes Art Day last year and pray you give me some forgiveness and grace for re-posting and I promise myself to paint something soon and post for your enjoyment! Have a great night all!

Freaky Friday

Today our challenge is if we could swap diabetes for another chronic illness which would it be AND has being in the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) changed the way you treat others with different medical conditions.

As many of you know, we deal with another chronic illness in our family. Our son, Jackson, was born with Severe Hemophilia A. This means his blood does not clot. He receives his blood clotting medicine through an IV infusion that we administer twice weekly; sometimes more if he has a bleed. Every fall, bump, scratch, skinned knee is a potential need for his medicine. Oh and the best part of hemophilia (insert sarcasm here) is he can have spontaneous bleeds and internal bleeding. That knot on his head from where he hit it on the table as he was hiding from someone can be a potential risk for him. The fall he took when he was 18 months old and fell on a toy car ending with a hip bleed (internal) that resulted in him not walking required extra infusions. While it's not as everyday hands on as diabetes it certainly can be just as life threatening.

So would I switch diabetes for hemophilia? NO.

Would I switch diabetes for another chronic illness? NO.

Each chronic illness has its own set of rules and different life threatening issues.

I'm sure if you asked a  person with MS, Fibromyalgia, Juvenile Arthritis or any other chronic illness they wouldn't say their illness is a walk in the park.  Nor do I think they would say, "Sure! I'll take T1D instead!"

Part 2: Does being in the DOC change the way I treat others with different medical conditions?

Right around the time Nora was diagnosed my friends son was diagnosed with Autism. She showed me that maybe the kid acting out at the grocery store wasn't ill behaved but maybe he was on sensory overload. She showed me that maybe the kid that doesn't respond when spoken too isn't rude but rather focusing on something else to block out all the other distractions. So I tend to look at people differently. I try to not be quick to judge, to listen and to learn. The answer to the question is yes, if having three kids with chronic illness has taught me nothing else but compassion then so be it. Lesson learned.

Accomplishing Diabetes Big and Small

Today I will share with you one of my smallest accomplishments that will hopefully have a BIG impact.

Empowering my girls.

In our house, we have the motto, "You CAN do ANYTHING."

We don't let D stop us.

Well we try to not let it stop us. High blood sugars and ketones sometimes win out but not too often. Chasing low blood sugars sometimes come in delaying fun (or sleep for this D Momma) but we keep moving forward. I don't want my kids to feel like victims...I want them to feel like kids; that can do anything; and just happen to have diabetes.

Since Nora was little I've taught her to speak up if she is feeling bad. To get up out of her seat and head to the Nurses office REGARDLESS of telling the teacher or not. To ask for help if she needs it. To stand her ground and educate people who question her about diabetes. I'd like to think that this has rubbed off on Evelyn too as she can be very outspoken if she is passionate about something.

I know I won't be around forever to fight their battles.

I want them to be able to do that for themselves.

Memorable Day

Today for the Bitter~Sweet Diabetes Blog Week we are asked to share a memorable diabetes day.

I have several but I'll pick when Nora was diagnosed back in June of 2005; she was 4 years old.

That spring she ended up with walking pneumonia. She didn't sound bad...she was just lying around; not her typical monkey running around self. She was laid up for a couple of days when I took her into the Dr's office when they told me she had walking pneumonia. After about a week or two she seemed to bounce back to her normal self. But then I noticed that her hands would start shaking and she would whine that she was hungry. I didn't think too much of this as I have that exact same issue. It was always in the morning so it made sense that she was hungry. I would feed her breakfast and she would be fine. Then the excessive water drinking started. She would down 20oz bottles of Dasani in 30 seconds flat and ask for more. It was then that it hit me. 1. She would do well in college for beer bong contests or 2. Something is wrong.

So fast forward to the second week of June 2005. I called the Dr's office and asked for an appointment for Nora. I told them all her symptoms and then said I need her tested for Juvenile Diabetes. Here's the thing. I didn't know what Juvenile Diabetes was. Had no clue. The words just came out of my mouth. We have no family history. We had no friends with it. I've never seen it. I didn't know the symptoms. I didn't know squat about diabetes...let alone T1D. Call it divine intervention, a fluke thing...call it I don't know. But as I said those words it was almost an out of body experience. Weird...

That got me an appointment the next day. Urine analysis confirmed sugar in the urine. What did that mean?  Sent us to get a blood draw. Now remember, Nora is 4 years old. She hated to pee in a cup and then she had to give blood. She was NOT a happy camper. I believe in bribery. By the time we stopped off at the mall for said bribery gift and got home a recording was left saying yes, Nora has diabetes and to go down to Children's Hospital where we would be staying for a week.

I remember that day like it was yesterday and Nora will be celebrating her LIVE-a-versary June 13th with 8 years of T1D.

We the Undersigned and I'm NOT your honey!

So what's up with all these petitions going around the Internet? 

That's my challenge today...write my own. Who would it be to or about and why.

Today I'm writing my petition to the Food Industry. 

Calorie King is great. Restaurant websites are okay. But for D-sake...if you make it, cook it, plate it, serve it...give us a carb count. I don't ask for much. I just ask for ALL menu items to be listed. And nice waitress at Max & Erma's who runs to get the manager when I asked about how many carbs are in their warm, delicious cookies and then come back with a "we can't find the nutritional info and don't worry about it honey...you'll just have to walk it off"... um...I'm NOT your honey and yes I will worry about it...I NEED to give my daughter insulin so that she can eat those cookies because she is a T1D. Look, I can SWAG with the best of 'em. Sometimes I do pretty well others well...not so well. I know that even with the exact carb count stuff happens blood sugars rise and/or fall. But I really would like to know...at least have a fighting chance for good blood sugars. 

So that's my blog challenge petition. What would yours be?

Dear Endo:

Hello all!! Thanks for the little blog rest after participating in the WEGO month long blog last month...whew! It was fun but I needed a break. So thank you for sticking with us!

This week is:

Today we are challenged to come up with what we really could tell our Endo or Diabetes Health Team. This is fitting as I've had both the girls in for their 3 month check ups in the past few days. I'm almost afraid to tell you this...but I LOVE my girls Endo. We didn't have her right at first diagnosis with Nora almost 8 years ago. We've had our share of icky, beat my head against a brick wall CNP's but found their Endo by a fluke and have kept her ever since! 

What I like the most about her is that she actually talks to my kids. She asks them what and how they are doing. She praises them when a job is well done and encourages them when needed. NEVER has she made us feel bad about a non-stellar A1C or harped on us for doing something or not doing something. The girls adore her. I also like that she is aware of how long we've been doing this. So she is courteous with our time. She is aggressive in her treatment but also listens to how I help "manage" the girl's diabetes and takes that into consideration. She is relevant and keeps up to date on new technology. She goes to diabetes camp as one of the Doc's and LOVES it!! She also cares about diabetes globally. She brought the film makers into our city and had a private screening of Life for a Child. She is just awesome...she is how other Endo's should model themselves after! If you ever happen to be in the Cincinnati, Ohio area and need a great Endo at Cincinnati Children's give Dr. Nancy Crimmins a try...I promise you'll love her!! 

HOWEVER, if you don't have the most awesome Endo ever and you DREAD going into yours this is what they should know.

1. Don't harp on the A1C. It's a freaking number...there is enough guilt us D-rents's live with that you don't need to add this on top of it. We consider it our Report Card. Is it not enough we are busting our ass trying to keep the D kid alive? We need encouragement NOT brow beating.

2. Talk to our kids. Ask them how they are doing. Get to know them. I'm not saying go on a family camping trip with them but LEARN something about them. They are kids first. Who just happen to have diabetes. 

3. Encourage, encourage, encourage. In everything.

4. Don't act like you know it all. Yes, you are the one with a MD behind your name but guess what...we do too (not really but we have an honorary MD). We know our kids D better than you do. So give us some credit. 

5. Praise. Even if it's a little victory. Praise it. There are lots of crappy days in dealing with D...we, D-rents try to find the joy in just one little victory. Acknowledge it. 

In closing, I would like you to think about YOUR health care provider. Are they working for you, against you or with you? 

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all you BLUETIFUL D-Mom's a very Happy Mother's Day!!!!

The job you do, and the battles you are forced to wage, on a daily basis do not go unnoticed.

Each of us are inspired by your tremendous efforts, and stand completely in awe of your love, dedication, courage, strength, and determination.

Thank you for EVERYTHING!

Where are your blue shoes??

So...in keeping with my *oh so typical, sad, tired, ghetto, style* blog posts...
WHERE are you keeping those shoes??
Are they out and proud?
Are they tucked neatly in a closet and are you looking at them saying.... WHERE IN TARNATION am I ever gonna wear them?
It doesn't matter....they are there. And we know, I know, how hard it is to banner your battles with Diabetes.
The very fact that you have them, know about what they mean to me...to us...means more than you know.
I don't blog often anymore...more for the fact that I am an idiot, and not so much that I don't need to share my weird personal battles with the interwebs.....my point, and I do have one...is this....
I miss you guys, and I want to hear from you.  Share your Diabetes PRIDE...
We need a banner day, lambs.
Or a paid vacation, all together....with someone else picking up the tab....like....*insert your big Pharma here*
Hi from D. Lo.
And for the record, the kiddos BG is 101.

Type1Rider.org Press Release

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We are very happy to formally announce The Type1Rider Organization Founder/CEO Tony Cervati is one of the featured Chapter contributors in Dr. Bev Adler's NEW Book "My Sweet Life: Successful Men With Diabetes".

 My Sweet Life: Successful Men With Diabetes is a collection of life stories - each chapter written by a highly respected and successful man with diabetes, Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE (Editor) has collected 25 amazing men with diabetes who accomplish amazing things every day. Foreword by Steven V. Edelman, MD.

In this ‘invitation only’ collection of Stories, Tony writes about living his life to the fullest while maintaining as much control over diabetes as possible. In Tony’s Chapter titled ‘Just Keep Choppin' , there is a story about when Tony was just diagnosed where Cervati recalls “My mom was very upset, and, before we left the office for the Paul Kimball Hospital, asked the question "What if kids in school bring in cupcakes for their birthdays?". Dr. Calderone answered matter of factly, "Let him eat cake". It didn't dawn on me until decades later just how wise and encouraging those simple words were.” 

Read (And Share!) the entire Press Release HERE

Normal is Just a Setting on the Dryer

Last night I tuned into a webinar entitled: Normal is Just a Setting on a Dryer hosted by Barb Wagstaff of Diabetesadvocacy.com. It was a good webinar in that it really made me think...what is normal? I had a friend back in high school who would always say, "Why be lamron?" And it just kinda fit me...I didn't want to be normal.

However, this webinar was more specifically about normal and how it relates to diabetes. Which is a whole different story. Barb showed images of a site rotation map, pump tubing, glucose tabs, school books, CGM's and other acronyms and glucose meters.

Yes, this is our normal times two!

Who would've thought I'd be speaking a different language with my girls that my poor hubby can't even pick up on. Counting numbers, using ratios and factoring stress/activity levels. Getting little sleep because you are fighting a low or doing pump site changes in the middle of the night. Scheduling meetings with school, doctors, diabetes chapters and Congressmen to talk about diabetes.

Yet, THIS is what is normal in the Loving household.

Each of us has a different normal...and that's okay.