Pic-a-day 5: Advocate

I have been lucky enough the last two years to be a part of the American Diabetes Association Community Walks program, including the inaugural year in 2012.  After being diagnosed I was trying to find programs in my area to meet other people with diabetes but there was nothing in the area.  As I was searching I found the Community Walks program and because of it I have been fortunate enough to meet other people passionate about diabetes, spread awareness, and raise funds for the American Diabetes Association.

Pic-a-day 4: Proud

When it come to being proud I have a lot of things to choose from.  I have a growing son who is smart, inquisitive, funny, and sensitive.  I have fireball of a daughter is all smiles and energy.  I am proud that I am able to provide for them and have the means to manager my diabetes properly and I am proud of the numbers I get when see my doctor every 3 months.  But this lady right here is what I am most proud of:

I picked an amazing woman to take this journey with.  She is a great mother, an amazing wife, and an all around wonderful person.  She is patient, forgiving, loving, and understanding.  I could not get through the bad days without her.

Pic-a-day 3: Snack

I should post a picture today that makes me look like a good, healthy eater.  But I am all out of peas (I really do eat a lot of peas) so you get this instead

I am a sucker for ice cream.  When I first received my diagnosis of type 2 diabetes it was one of the hardest things to give up.  I tried several low carb varieties and just couldn't get past the taste.  The Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom flavors, however, are delicious.  I slowly got back into a more controlled habit of ice cream again and after I got my new diagnosis of type 1 and could regulate it with insulin I felt a little better about it.  I never really was able to see the effect it had on me until I got my Dexcom and found it didn't lead to big spikes and my body handles it pretty well.  Yay me!  If I feel so inclined I can even eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's (which I have been known to do) and have no issues as long as I time the insulin right.  You know, for those times when I run out of peas.

Pic-a-day Nov. 2: Check

I was going to post a picture of the check I write to my doctor every 3 month but that didn't really seem like a good topic.

So instead I am going with.  My Dexcom G4 Platinum.  Which I check about 100 times a day it seems.  I am fairly new to using the Dexcom, having started in August, but it is already hard to remember living without it.  I am still contemplating how I am going to afford the sensors after the beginning of the year when my insurance deductible resets, but I know that it will be very difficult to stop using it.  I read a forum post a few days ago regarding CGMs.  Someone commented saying they did not see why anyone would spend money on one when it had to be calibrated with a meter and the manufacturer says not to make any decisions off the reading but to use it for identifying trends.  Even if all I did was use it to identify trends it would prove invaluable.  Being able to recognize that I don't need as many carbs at breakfast as I do at dinner, or see that my blood sugar is rising or falling prior to bed allows me to adjust my treatment to prevent highs and lows without doing finger prick tests 100 times a day.  That to me makes it worth every penny.

 

Also for the word check.  One of my son's favorite bedtime books is a National Geographic book about sharks.  It explains that sharks take a bite out of their food to taste it and see if it is ok to eat.  Occasionally he likes to make up his own words and read the books to us.  Tonight was one of those nights and for this page he said, "Sharks have to check their blood sugar to see if it is ok to eat."  That kid melts my heart.

To bolus or not to bolus...

Had pizza for dinner even though I knew I shouldn't and I've somehow managed to stay under 160 since.  Now the question is, do I take a bolus before bedtime to insure I don't go high tonight or trust that my number will stay steady and come down?  Damn you pizza!  So delicious but so much trouble!

Pic-A-Day Nov.1- Past

This picture was about 1 week prior to my incorrect diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.  A month after my daughter was born we took a family trip to Colorado to visit my wife's family.  It was a wonderful trip despite having to use the bathroom twice before we boarded our flight, again during the flight, again as soon as we landed, and at every gas station we passed while we were there.  It was during our stay that I became increasingly worried that something was wrong and I did a quick internet search for "frequent urination" which led me to the website for the American Diabetes Association.  I read through the list of symptoms, silently checking them off in my head.  Increased thirst.  Check.  Frequent urination.  Check.  Constant hunger.  Check.  (This one I blamed on my wife's pregnancy.  Sympathy hunger?)  One of the most ironic statements I have ever made came about a week prior to our trip as my brother made the short trip with me to drop my dogs off at our parents house before the we left.  We were discussing his recent change in diet, having to minimize his intake of sodium, to which I said, "If ever I had some sort of health issue where I had to regulate what I ate I would be in trouble.  If I had to stop eating sugar I think I'd just give up and die."  Famous last words anyone?  Upon returning I used my last day of vacation to see the doctor, who then told me that I had diabetes, based on a blood sugar reading over 300.  And so started my journey...

Despite the constant bathroom breaks and life changing diagnosis at the end of it, this was still one of my most memorable trips with my family.  In fact I still contemplate a move to Colorado pretty frequently.

Pic-a-day

I'll be getting a late start because I never got around to digging up pictures today, but I am taking this from Kerri at sixuntilme.com and posting a picture everyday in November for Diabetes Awareness Month.  Stay tuned tomorrow, the topic is "Past".