Diabetes Social Media Burnout 2015

Today is Diabetes Social Media Burnout blog day...

As many of our faithful BLUE-tiful readers know we haven't been much of a presence on Social Media lately. It doesn't mean that any of us are any less passionate than we were back when the Blue Heel Society made its debut...it just means we are busy living. Life has happened to all four of us (Tony, Diane, Thomas and myself) and diabetes is still in the forefront. We might not be posting or blogging as much but we are living it just like you do day in and day out.

Personally I belong to several DOC groups and fortunately I am far too busy to keep up with them. This is good and bad. I try to stay away from drama...ain't nobody got time for that! And whether it's meant to be posted as drama or just types out that way so much is lost in typing. There isn't any emotional inflection no matter any many emoji's you put into a post. I will sometimes see the after effects of a post and wonder what happened but keep scrolling. The bad part is I sometimes miss out on the cool new technology posts or "cure" updates. Maybe I see them a few days later and share them on my personal page and forget to share with our Blue Heel Society friends. Truthfully it gets a little overwhelming with all the diabetes things that are posted throughout social media and the newsletters my inbox is overflowing with and I try very hard not to share too much information with you and flood your timeline. Like I said...it's good and bad.

What I still LOVE to do is talking with newly diagnosed families or adults. That's what brought me to the DOC in the first place...was to feel welcome and part of a family that gets "it". To me, this will never go away nor will I ever get burnt out. My goal of spreading a little bit of hope in a valley of darkness is still the fire in my belly and why I keep doing what I'm doing. Because, our family is still growing and we need to stand together and be there for each other. No judgement...just acceptance and understanding.

Day 13 and 14: The Perfect Comeback and "I feel best when..." #HAWMC

Sorry about a double post today. I was in Columbus, Ohio with Jackson last night and today storming the Capital advocating for hemophilia with the Ohio Bleeding Disorder Council. It was a jammed packed evening and day that was wonderful but I'll save that for another post.

Day 13: The Perfect Comeback: I have many comebacks...what can I tell you; I am a smart ass. Sometimes the comebacks actually come out of mouth and other times I'm left speechless and the comeback comes out hours later and I kick myself for not having been witty enough at the time to spew it out. One happened not that long ago. We live in a quaint Village in a home that was built in the late 1880's; wood siding, metal roof, wrap around porch...I just love it. In 2005 we decided that we needed to paint our house. I wanted bold colors because...really?! Why not?! My hubby, gawd love him, thought he could power wash the old paint off in a weekend and paint the following week. I knew better. Imagine his surprise when the high pressure hose was NOT taking off the paint. So we scrapped...and scrapped...and scrapped some more. The weekend we started this project was the first week of June and hotter than hell. Not two days into this project our then 4 year old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Talk about a life changing whirl wind time. That was also 5 days in the hospital learning how to keep our daughter alive. We muddled through that summer and the following summer and got the house about 85-90% done. Life got crazy. Jackson was born and when he entered Pre-School we also refinanced our house. One of the conditions was to finish the 10-15% of painting that we didn't get done. No problem. I could do that while Jackson was at school. Well, little did I know how much our lack of painting the one side of our detached garage angered our neighbor. One of the days I was finishing up the painting he comes out and says, "well, it's about time you finished this side of the garage!" To which I looked right at him and said, "well, the year we started painting our daughter was diagnosed with Type 1, later our son was born with a bleeding disorder and our eldest daughter was diagnosed Type 1. So excuse me if I was busy keeping my kids alive with their chronic illness instead of painting the garage!" Needless to say he fumbled with some incoherent words and walked away.

Day 14: "I feel best when..." when I come up with timely, witty comebacks!! Ha!! No, really, I feel best when my kids are happy, I have a refrigerator full of food (and medicine!!) and my biggest supporter, my hubby, by my side. Sappy? Yes...but it's true!

I thought I had a picture of the front of our house...but this is the side...you get the idea!

Day 6 #HAWMC: World Health Day

Today is World Health Day and I am to share with you how diet and nutrition changed after diagnosis. When my middle daughter was 4 years old and we were in the hospital learning how to care for her new diagnosis of T1D we were given the option of bolusing before or after meals. Thinking about her being 4 and a somewhat picky eater I opted for the bolusing after meals. I never wanted food to be a fight meaning I didn't want to have to force her to finish her meal because I had just bolused for the full meal nor did I want to give her smarties or some fast acting carbs instead of her eating her healthy meal. Bottom line I didn't want food to control us. Almost 10 years later she will only bolus before meals if she knows she will eat all of her meal and it ends up being about 1-2 meals a day that she knows she will finish. The others she will bolus immediately after she is done eating. I know it isn't the best as the insulin is behind in working but it works for her. Also, I have never restricted food. She can eat whatever she wants. Both of my T1D girls can. When my middle daughter was younger I may have delayed when she could have a treat but she always was able to get it. So what do I mean by delay? Let's say her blood glucose had been on the higher side throughout the day and we've been pumping insulin in her and have switched out her pump site but for whatever reason her BG wasn't cooperating I would push the water and carb free snacks (if she was hungry) to get her BG down but then when she was in range she was allowed to have her treat. As she has gotten older she makes these choices by herself. She realizes how she feels like total crap when her BG is higher and having a 1/2 cup of ice cream isn't make her feel any better until she is in a good range. My thought is I never wanted her to feel ashamed of eating or sneak food because I restricted it. She's educated enough by living with diabetes for almost 10 years that she knows what to eat and when to delay a higher carb treat. So in our house our kids can have their cake and eat it too with a nice bolus...we call that #bolusworthy. I usually have a nice selection of fruits, veggies and proteins in the house...although not at the moment...I need to go to the grocery! My kids are also very active and exercise is important to them....even if it's just walking around college campus...my kids are always moving. It takes a good balance of nutrition and exercise to help achieve good BG numbers, HOWEVER, you all know that sometimes it just doesn't matter and you will still have funky numbers. But eating right and exercising never hurt anyone!! I am by no means a doctor or dietitian but it works for our family...do what's best for yours!

Day 5 #HAWMC: Breaking News

Day 5 #HAWMC: Breaking News

Happy Easter everyone!! Today's challenge is just that...a challenge. I have to share with you my greatest accomplishments in the last 5 years. Meaning I have to brag on myself for this post; which is sooo NOT me! My positive attitude with a realistic approach is something that I can brag on though. I'm not rainbows, sunshine and pots of gold everyday or any day for that matter as I feel that is just annoyingly gross; at least to me. What I am, is upbeat and a take it all in stride type of gal. I live by the "it could always be worse" which helps me get through the rough patches and makes me grateful for the craziness in my life. I often get asked "how I do it all" and honestly I'm not entirely sure. I kick in to beast mode and just do what needs to be done without a second thought. I also have a great support team that is there for me if I need them. I could share personal accomplishments but really, they are shared accomplishments; be it shared with my hubby, kids, family or community. So, I'll end here...enjoy your Easter!! I'm about to go enjoy some great family time at the Cincinnati Zoo!

Day 3 #HAWMC: Good Samaritan

Random acts of kindness...who doesn't love them? Especially if you're in the line at Starbucks and someone pays for your coffee ahead of you!! But in the diabetes world it can be life changing. I have had two D mom's at two different times help us out. Both of my girls are on Medtronic pumps but my middle daughter is on the CGM as well. When MySentry came out it was all the rage and totally out of our budget. When you have two T1D kids and a hemophiliac son non-essential diabetes supplies are just that...non-essential. A year went by and I had a friend whose daughter hated her CGM and was taking a break. She offered to let me borrow her MySentry. I LOVED it!! Being able to see my daughter's blood sugar at home and not nag her was life changing! I was able to move the baby monitor out of her bedroom as it was no longer needed to hear the beeps of the CGM. She felt free! It was awesome! We were fortunate enough to use it for quite a while before my friend needed it back again for her daughter. We were sad to see it go but man, we loved it while we had it. Then about a year ago another friend messaged me that her daughter had changed pumps and CGM's and asked if we wanted the MySentry will some additional diabetes supplies. Uh...YES, PLEASE!! We were back in business! MySentry plugged in; baby monitor out of the room. It was such a blessing! The pure wonderment of not having one but two friends at different times offer us the use of their MySentry without a single hesitation and with no strings attached. I am humbled to know these ladies. In their honor I have paid it forward tenfold. I am happy to help with extra diabetes supplies whenever I can. I know how precious these supplies are and how costly they can be. So thank you to my two beautifully selfless D mom's and thank you, readers, if you are ever able to pay it forward.

Blue Heel Society in 2014

I canNOT believe that we are just a day away from 2015!! This past year has flown by. We've been a little quieter this year than in years past but each of us (Diane, Tony, Thomas and myself) have been fighting the good fight right along with you. This year Blue Heel Society turned 4 years old!! We launched our eMag on Flipboard and have tried to keep you up to date on all things diabetes related in news, sports, healthcare, insurance, new gadgets, blog posts and all kinds of interesting topics. You can always flip back through the eMag to see what you've missed!

On a personal level, our Co-Founders, Diane and Tony, celebrated their 1 year wedding anniversary AND are contributors to Suite D by Omnipod, Ask Tony and Diane, video segments. I love watching these segments to get their dual perspectives of being both a T1D and being parents of  T1D kids.

Thomas had a rough go with some skin cancer and managed to kick it's ass and thus celebrated an "all clear" test result. He is slowly getting into the swing of things again as he recovers and re-energizes as he sifts through the mounds of diabetes resources to bring you some awesome content to read. Oh!! And he and his Favorite Diabetic welcomed another grandchild to the Moore family just last month!

As for myself, I took on a more active role at our local diabetes non-profit doing what I love to do, Outreach! I was able to meet Tom Brobson, the Artificial Pancreas clinical participant (you may have seen the JDRF video that shows Tom eating an ice cream sundae and his blood sugars are completely flat lined!) and hold the AP in my hand!! I also traveled to Washington DC this year and met past JDRF CEO, Jeffrey Brewer.

So, what does BHS have in store for you in 2015?! I'm not sure! For me, I'm helping to plan a big Type Once Nation Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio, March 15th...so if you are in the area come check us out! We have Moira McCarthy Stanford, Derek Rapp, Sean Busby, Sierra Sandison (Miss Idaho) and Mackenzie Bart (Miss Ohio) all coming into town to speak about T1D and I'm SO excited and of course will be blogging all about this!!

We would like to thank each of YOU for following us, reading our stories, liking our posts and thinking of us anytime you come across a pair of blue shoes!! You have always been supportive of all we do and we love you for it!! Let's celebrate 2014 (good or bad) and strap on some blue heels (or shoes) and strut ourselves into 2015!! We've never looked so fabulous!

#DBlogWeek Day 4: Mantras and More

We have a few mantras that get us through the hard times. They are nothing special and I'm sure many of you use them too.

My girls like to use: Stay Strong.

It's simple. Easy. To the point.

In fact, Evelyn usually signs off on her blog, the diabetes monster, ~ Stay Strong.

She loves that mantra so much she has it tattooed on her back shoulder blade.

It works for her. It helps her through the tough times.

The other mantra is: Just keep swimming.

My other daughter, Nora, likes this one.

And isn't it true. Don't we all...just keep swimming?

Especially when it comes to diabetes. When blood sugars are wonky, your tired, everything just seems so muddled...you just keep swimming.

We sometimes throw in a "it is what it is". Just to mix it up a bit. That hold true as well. You take the day you're given, good BG's, bad BG's and in the end: it is what it is.

These mantras may sound cliche and at face value they are. But when you put meaning behind them and who is behind that meaning is when they become special.

#DBlogWeek day 3: What Brings Me Down

Ugh...I try not to get myself in that hole but I'll do it for the sake of blogging.

What brings me down is my 13 year old struggling.

Struggling to be a "normal" 13 year old.

Wanting to go be wild and carefree but has to bring her ball and chain (pump and supplies) with her everywhere she goes.

Seeing how she gets down on herself because she is different.

Looking in her eyes and knowing that she is scared. Scared of what diabetes can do.

Knowing that she is wise beyond her years.

Having to deal with shit that no 13 year old should have to deal with.

Coming to terms that no matter how much I blog, advocate and submerge myself in the D world...I have NO idea what it's like.

Hugging her tight when she is crying that diabetes sucks and she hates it and doesn't want to deal with it anymore.

Watching her sacked out on the couch because her BG is high, she has ketones and her body is tired.

Suffering from high blood sugars but not wanting to wake me at 5am because she wants me to sleep.

You know me...I can't end on a downer.

What lifts me up is:

Her smile.

Her laughter.

Her "thank you" after I treat her low at 3am.

Her kindness.

Her soft heart for others.

Her friendship to others newly diagnosed.

Her tenacity to NEVER GIVE UP!

Her willingness to let me nag her when needed and even when it isn't needed.

Her hugs.

Her love.

Wordless Wednesday #HAWMC Day 30!!

Insulin is NOT a cure. Insulin IS life. 

This is not any ordinary water droplet. 

This is insulin.

What keeps my diabetic daughters ALIVE.

Day 27 #HAWMC: Book Report

Today is a hard one...I've been putting it off...just like a kid in school waits till the last minute to read and write the dreaded Book Report! I love reading. I have let myself slide though. I try and read at night but my eyelids just get too heavy and then I end up re-reading the same page or two each night since I end up falling asleep. Today the post is to share my favorite book and how it can tie into my health/life. I have several favorite books, especially from the high school years. Black Boy by Richard Wright, the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand to name a few. However, I don't remember much about these stories other than I liked them. I can't write any parallels to these stories and my life.

Maybe that's just it...

Maybe I'm too busy living life. As much as I love reading, and if I find that spare moment, I feel guilty reading because there are surely a thousand other things I should be doing. It makes me a little sad, really. It is something I love to do and yet it gets buried under the other things I need to do. When my eldest was in high school and was reading the classics I read with her. It helped her to be able to talk the book over with someone and it was a bonus for me to re-read these wonderful books! I need to start doing this with my 7th grader. I need to do a lot of things...

like go read a book!

Two posts today! #HAWMC Day 25 and 26

Hey all! I'm combining posts today as I was no where near my computer yesterday to blog. Day just got away from me...it happens.

Day 25: Fitness Friday: What do I do to stay fit?

I started running, regularly, 3 years ago. When I first started I'd swear like a sailor. I hated it. However, I found the more I did it the more I was able to just be. My mind was clear. I even got to the point when things were just too stressful that I knew I needed to get out and run. It didn't have to be miles and miles. Just enough to de-stress. I wouldn't say I run to stay fit. I've come to enjoy it and I love working out with weights too. I find it a necessity for my sanity. My hubby is even on board with running. He's in the "I hate running" phase but I've signed him up for some 5k's and 10k's this spring. Today he finished his first (in a looongg time) 5k without stopping. I'm incredibly proud of him! This is something we can go do together and spend time de-stressing...or staying fit, however you choose to look at it.

MSRun 5k finish!

Day 26: Word Cloud: Love making these! Thanks to www.wordle.net for allowing us the creativity to create a diabetes wordle! 

Wordless Wednesday #HAWMC

I know this is Wordless Wednesday but you also know I can't be wordless!! Today is my 20th Wedding Anniversary and today I celebrate with my husband. He is my rock. Our wedding rings (center picture) represent where it all began and where it still is today. We have three beautiful kids; all with chronic illnesses. If it were not for his support I wouldn't be half the woman I am now. Thank you JoJo for 20 years. I love you.

Day 21 #HAWMC Reflection

Today we are asked to reflect on our journey to this day, what are your thoughts and hopes for the future.

Our family has been on this journey since 2005 when Nora was diagnosed on June 13th. I would have never thought my eldest would have shared the same diagnosis 7 years later. The journey has always been rough. New challenges to deal with and diabetes along for the ride. I wasn't always outspoken or a force to be reckoned with...until I had kids and realized they needed a voice that could be heard. Our family has met some incredible people in the Diabetes community locally and even on line through the DOC. Never did I think I would count these people as family. Diabetes has been the worst curse yet biggest blessing to our family. It has shown us how strong we are individually and how strong our bond is as a family. Our journey is on-going.

My hopes for the future are cautiously optimistic. The more I read, hear, see and physically touch the more excited I get for the future. I held the Artificial Pancreas display device in my hand. I've seen prototypes of the beta cell encapsulation.

Is it a cure? No.

Is it advancement? YES! The advancement I've seen since 2005 has been incredible.

Am I impatient? You bet!  But I have hope.

This year is a year that I can really say I'm thinking about what the future holds. Before I have been so wrapped up in the day to day that the future seemed so out of reach but now it doesn't seem so far away. My hope is for a cure but until then my hope is for better medical advancements so that my girls will be healthy enough for a cure.

5 Challenges and 5 Victories...Day 18 #HAWMC

Today is 5 Challenges and 5 Victories of Diabetes.

CHALLENGES:

1. Keeping BG's in range
2. Exercising and the 6 hour delayed low and pre/during exercise spike
3. Living life with D along for the ride and NOT taking the wheel
4. Not obsessing over BG's and the shoulda/woulda/coulda
5. Insurance coverage/upkeep/supply ordering, etc.

VICTORIES:

1. Keeping BG's in range
2. Exercising and NOT seeing the 6 hour delayed low because we tried a different combination of things and we just happened to OWN it like a BOSS!! (at least for one night!)
3. Living life with D along for the ride and NOT taking the wheel
4. Seeing happy kids because I DIDN'T obsess over BG's and let them be kids
5. NOT fighting with insurance/supply order/picking up supplies

As you can see some of the challenges are also the victories. The thing to remember is to keep it all in stride. Easier said than done sometimes and managing two T1D daughters is sometimes just that. But we take each day as a day and know that tomorrow gives us another shot (pun intended) at D again. What challenges/victories do you see?

Day 13: "These are a few of my favorite things" #HAWMC

Just me and the Artificial Pancreas! 

Today I'm going to share my favorite thing and it's not even mine...yet. I had the opportunity to have breakfast with Tom Brobson; the artificial pancreas guy. The artificial pancreas project is funded by JDRF and you can learn about it here. I'm not here to debate organizations, whom to fund and politics. Throw all that out the window. I had breakfast with an artificial pancreas human trial participant. Let that sink in for a minute. To be able to sit across the table from a man who has T1D, participated in a human trial for the artificial pancreas, had tighter control and didn't have to worry about diabetes for 3 days was a dream come true. You can see his video here. My head was spinning with a million questions and inside I was squealing like a little girl. Tom Brobson is like Diabetes Royalty. To hear of his experiences. The excitement in the project. Things that are being worked on. Just truly amazing! And then...to be able to actually hold the artificial pancreas. As one of my friends said, "it was like holding the hope diamond"! Who knew this little smart phone would have such an impact. To see where technology is going and actually hold it and know that my girls could be wearing it!!! No, it's not a cure but I'll take this advancement while they are working on it. 

Closer look of the Artificial Pancreas!! 

Bags of Hope

What a busy year it's been! I don't know about you but here in Ohio we have been plagued with White Death to the point of so many days off school my kids are doing Blizzard Bags. Which is really a punishment to me. But...anyways. Then there was the stomach virus that attacked my middle daughter. Her blood sugar runs beautifully the first couple of days when she is in full blown sickness mode. It's crazy. Then ketones show up and then it's me pushing fluids or the ole, "if you don't drink and flush these ketones out we will be going to the ER for an IV!!!" This usually does the trick but this virus was nasty. She was out of commission for 4 days and really wasn't back to her normal self until a week later. Oh, and did I mention she had try-outs for an AAU basketball team during this time? Yep. She nailed it. I have no idea how she was able to do it and score well but she did! Props to her! Thought my other two kids dodged the virus bullet but then coming home from Akron after attending a funeral it started with my eldest...in the car...fun times. Same deal with her...blood sugars running great. Darn ketones show up and hard to get rid of. Three days later she was weak but okay. Just as she was on the mend...virus shows up in my son. Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as bad, although it wiped him out for a good 3 days. But for him I didn't have to worry about ketones and blood sugars. Which was weird. But I was glad for the break.

So all the while this fun is occurring I'm trying to get some hours in at our local JDRF office in. We have a huge T1D Expo to plan and secure vendors and speakers for break-out sessions and Bags of Hope to log and send out. The weekend our Expo was scheduled we had to reschedule due to the blasted White Death. But this gave me time to catch up on the ever growing pile of Bags of Hope. If you're not familiar with these bags they are book bags filled with diabetes books for kids, a Calorie King, glucose meter, log books, and Rufus the diabetes bear. We mail these bags to all newly diagnosed kids in the Cincy/TriState area. Along in doing this I also record the names and info from the family. It breaks my heart. As I'm recording their age my heart sinks and I feel like I've been punched in the gut. Nora was 4 when she was diagnosed so any 4 year old I record I just stop and pause. Any age below that I just shake my head...they are just babies!! Any age above that I think of all the ages Nora was and what she was involved with in school and sports. The teenagers really get to me as Nora is now 13 and it's such a sucky age anyway. Wanting to be "normal"...trying to fit in. And then a kids been diagnosed with diabetes and it just sucks.

I've been there. Through most of those ages. You've been there. And it hurts.

It's not a fun job in recording the newly diagnosed. I want to wrap my arms around these families and give them a big hug and let them know that they aren't alone. It gets...not better, but normal. It will be okay. In sending those Bags of Hope out I do feel like I'm sending them Hope. It may be just a box full of stuff but it's what they do with the information in that box that gives them Hope. If it's asking for a Mentor or calling the office to sign up to volunteer...that's hope.

It gave me hope. It's almost been 9 years since I called JDRF while Nora was in her second day at the hospital with this new diagnosis. I called and requested this Bag of Hope. And we've never looked back. We've pushed forward to help others. To offer them hope. So while it's a job that needs to be done and something I dread doing because it means D got another one of our loved ones; I do the job happily to send them a Bag of Hope.

Nora's Poem

This trimester my daughter, Nora, is writing poetry. Their first assignment was a free for all...write whatever. She's 13. In the 7th grade. It sucks. And she has diabetes. 

Here is her poem: 

I felt really ill one day.
So, my parents took me away.
I was in the emergency room,
It had a very odd fume.

When my family arrived,
We hoped I was still alive.
My Mom checked me in,
So, I could go to my room then.

I was scared of the needles,
They stung like a beetle.
I was in such doom,
My heart went BOOM BOOM BOOM!

I was only year four,
I wanted to walk out the door.
My life turned into a mess,
But I gave no fuss.

I had to stay hydrated so I drank from my cup,
And I dared to give up.
In my hospital bed I would lay,
The only thing I could do was pray.

I thought my life had ended,
But my family's faith hadn't ended.
The doctor's told me to what I could only cope,
All I gave was my great hope.

I still have a fear,
I pray for just a cure.
God wouldn't let me give up,
So I chose to get up.

I stayed brave,
For I was saved.
As long as the wait,
There is still always strength.

I had been diagnosed with a deathly disease,
Called Type 1 diabetes.
I still had my friends,
I knew it was not the end.

~Nora

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.