Being thankful, excited and inspired!

Day 5 WEGO challenge is:

"Write a list of 3 things that you're thankful for/excited about or inspired by"

I think I'll do ALL three instead of just one or the other! (I'm such the over achiever!!)

3 Things I'm thankful for:
1. Insulin

2. Family

3. Insurance

3 Things I'm excited about:
1. November...after all it is National Diabetes Awareness Month!! I'm looking forward to all the events our local JDRF chapter has lined up this month!

2. Wednesday, 11/7, is the day Evelyn gets hooked up to her pink Medtronic Revel pump!!

3. the Future...many exciting things are happening here at the Blue Heel Society and I've got some things in the works...it's exciting to see where these things will lead us!

3 Things that inspire me:
1. My kids. If it weren't for them I wouldn't be doing any of this!

2. YOU the DOC (diabetes online community). The support and love you show all of us is just a big warm fuzzy bear hug!!

3. The color BLUE...corney? Maybe, but when I see blue I see possibilities!!

What about YOU?

What are you thankful for/excited about/inspired by?

Warning: Full Disclosure!

Day 4 of the WEGO National Health Blog Post Month Challenge asks: 

"How do you decide what to share? Why do/don't you share?"

I'm pretty much a no holds back, talk about everything type of gal. What would you learn if I kept how I felt about diabetes to myself? Why would I bother writing? How could I help even just one of you if I filtered myself? I like to think of myself as a realist. The glass isn't half empty or full...it's got water in it...what difference does it make? And that's how I approach most things in life. My kids have chronic illnesses. I deal with the here and now. I feel it's so much easier to deal with life that way. Don't get me wrong, I prepare for the future but I don't dream too long about what a cure looks like. I mean...I'll listen to the research. I'll see where it's going and what's on the horizon. But I don't have that dream of being pushed ever so gently on a tree swing, by my husband, in a frilly dress with lush green grass, blue skies, perfect weather and have PERFECT children running barefoot without a care in the world as sweet happy music plays in the background. In my world...the record needle scratches to a halt (oh dear gawd...some of you may not even know what a record is!!) Dogs bark, kids running around yelling, homework getting done, dinner on the stove, emails to send/reply, blood sugars to check, site changes to be done, insulin supplies to reorder, meetings to make, blogs to write and advocacy to be done. I deal with NOW. I hope that my full disclosure helps some one. Even if it's just knowing that there are other families dealing with craziness. 

That is why I disclose everything. Well...

ALMOST everything. 

I won't disclose my financials. Just know we are not independently wealthy nor are we destitute. We struggle, I'm sure, like most of you who take care of chronically ill children. 

When you read a blog post from me...it's really Me. 

The good, the bad, and the ugly...

A Convo with Our Endo...

Day 3 WEGO National Health Blog Post Month Challenge:

"Post about a conversation with your Doctor"

That's easy...today we had Nora's three month check up! She's been running higher, in the 200's, however, we are in full swing puberty. Some days we make zero adjustments others we run temp basals all evening. Of course, I was interested in her A1C (the three month average of blood sugars...basically, the diabetic/caregiver report card. For those of you that have been following our blog for a while you know I don't stress over this number. Because it's just that...a number. I don't beat myself up over it. I take the knowledge I gain the day of the check up and do the best I can.

We have a wonderful Children's hospital here in Cincinnati and we love our Endo! It's the first Doctor that readily admits that we know more than she does about Nora's diabetes. She listens to our concerns and talks to us and helps us come to a plan of action. The other thing about her that I love is she really talks to Nora. This is huge...how wonderful for Nora to go into HER Doctor appointment and participate in HER care. PLUS our Endo goes to Diabetes Camp every year...how cool is that?!? She is just an all around awesome person who happens to be Nora's Endo! 

It's a teaching hospital so it's not uncommon to have multiple doctors or students in our room. Today we had a Med Student, second day on the job. She was a neat lady. She talked to Nora, asked her questions about the pump and CGM and talked girly stuff. If she chooses to walk the Endo path I think she would be fantastic! Anyway, when our Endo came in she looked at all the graphs from the CGM read out asked us what we thought and we stumped her! It was kinda funny...she was at a loss as to what to do (and not in a bad way). She was leary of tweaking numbers too much as to cause too many lows/highs. She finally made peace with herself and after getting our gut feeling on the situation decides she isn't going to change a thing. She's happy with Nora and her diabetes and how she is dealing with all of it. 

Goal: keep doing a good job! 

High fives all around and a see you in three months. I can deal with that. She knows I can tweak on my own and gets that. Like I said before, she knows we are the professionals here. And I feel blessed knowing I don't need to go into my kids Endo office and fight to be heard, or feel guilty because of how her diabetes is or isn't being cared for or feel rushed. We are cared for, praised and loved. And what could be better than that?

(and for those with inquiring minds...7.7 was her A1C...down .1...and that my friends, I'll take all day long!!)

Weird things....

Today's challenge from WEGO's National Health Blog Post Month is:

"Write about the weirdest thing about your health":

What's normal about diabetes?? But let's assume that we don't know much about diabetes. Let's pretend we are outsiders...oooh playtime!! 

When you tell someone that you/your child/spouse/loved one/whomever has diabetes what kind of reaction do you get? Usually it's the "oh, is that the bad kind?" or the "my Grandma lost her leg because of diabetes." I could go on but you all know them all already! So what's weird about that? Nothing...but then everything! 

First weird thing about D is that Diabetes covers both Type 1, Type 2, LADA and Gestational. All types require different treatments. Yet they are all put under this umbrella of Diabetes. Then their are the myths that swarm like mosquitoes about each type of D. It then becomes our duty (if you so feel inclined) to re-educate the misinformed but usually well meaning stranger/family member about your particular type that affects you. So if you are reading this post and know nothing of diabetes, or even if you THINK you know, please, PLEASE, when you are asking about diabetes, ASSUME nothing!!! Instead, ASK them about it. Don't feel the need to interject your lost limb Grandma. Just...LISTEN!! 

Second weird thing about D is that Diabetes is not one size fits all. Even within the same Type of diabetes. For example, I have TWO Type 1 diabetic daughters. They both can have the same amount of breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack but they both have different insulin ratios. These ratios are the amount of insulin given per carbs eaten. They can both react differently, meaning one can go high or one can go low, even after eating the same thing. They have different insulin sensitivities and different target blood sugars. It's the same disease yet they are completely different and why Diabetes is weird! 

T1D day...

This is an extra, impromptu post. I can't help myself....I just am full of blogs running around in my head. Lucky you, you get to read my insanity!! :)

Today is T1D day. The day that kicks off National Diabetes Awareness Month. I signed up to do the JDRF T1D challenge. You sign up and receive several texts throughout the day reminding you to check your blood sugar, stay upbeat, that you are running high or low and what to do. Let me just tell you it was a pain in the ass!!

It woke me up to tell me I needed to make sure I packed all my diabetes supplies for the day.

Then it text me a pep talk.

Then it told me I had eaten breakfast two hours earlier, need to check my blood sugar and I was running high.

Next, I was hungry, had to eat an apple, count carbs and bolus for eating and figure out what I'm having for lunch.

My fingers are sore from testing, it tells me, and try using my thumb.

Lunchtime. Time to test, count carbs eat, bolus, I'm high again!

Now it's 90 minutes since I ate and I'm feeling low; need to grab some OJ to bring blood sugar back up.

I'm feeling sluggish and emotionally spent from my earlier low. Stay positive!

It's been 2 hours since my low blood sugar. Need to test again. Yay! It's right where it should be!

I'm home. But now I'm going to go on a 2 mile run. Take necessary precautions.

Blood sugar is good!! I consumed extra carbs during my run to prevent a low!

It's almost dinner, check BG, what am I eating and how much, oh, and remember, I just went for a run!

I had a great dinner and bolus.

Crap, now my  insulin vial is almost empty and I need to reorder supplies.

I skipped dessert and want some cake or ice cream...should I or not?

Okay...I honestly don't know how grown-up T1's do it. One of these text messages was during a conference call I was on. The other times I was at work.

 I couldn't be bothered.

Wait, what?!?!

Yep, I felt like it was nagging me!!

I felt like how my girls must feel when I nag them to do all the things above. UGH!! Granted, it's only a blimp on their/your diabetic life but WOW...D is really a pain!!

And on a somewhat different, yet related, note...I was planning on borrowing one of the girls meters...we have like 5 spare...but I had a  friend today post on his fb wall that he is fighting insurance to cover an increase of test strips for his diabetic wife. What's the increase? From 50 to 150...for the MONTH!! This infuriates me!!! 150 test strips...we go through that in 2 weeks..more if blood sugars aren't in range. How could I "play/borrow" my kids test strips when my friend can't even get a proper amount for his wife to test for the month?! I couldn't. So I didn't. I will cherish the 300 x 2 I get for both my girls each month knowing that there are MANY diabetics without proper test strips, insulin and supplies to take care of their diabetes. Knowing that we need to make a difference. I need to make a difference. To help people, in our own community, get the things they need to live.

Will you?