Every day. Wake up. Make sure child is breathing. Check blood sugar. Count carbs. Give insulin. Rinse, repeat… until bedtime. Yes, we do other things that “normal” people do. Yes, we live our lives. No, we don’t let type 1 diabetes control us. But after a while, this life can become exhausting. [Read more…]

When you think about T1D, it doesn’t often conjure up positive emotions. There is a lot of work and stress associated with the disease. Sometimes it gets overwhelming. There are so many aspects to learn about and it’s extremely involved. But there are some hidden treasures in the T1D world whose purpose is to help and brighten up your experience. Let me introduce you to one of them: The Insulin Gang Travelling Bears.

A notice came through my mail slot today. “You are invited”… a potluck, a neighborhood BBQ. My neighbors are celebrating. You see, we live in a townhouse complex. We’ve lived in this place for almost 3 years now. There used to be a small (and I mean SMALL) playground area, but it was closed off almost immediately after we moved in because the structure was not safe. So, after a while of no access to a play area, some neighbors got together and worked on a community garden, picnic, and play area. It’s finally done, and everyone wants to celebrate and enjoy the rewards their hard work has earned. Sounds pretty nice, doesn’t it? Yet all I could think when reading the notice was… ugh. [Read more…]

Caregiver burnout. It’s very common for parents of type 1 diabetic children. We spend so much time planning, counting, worrying, that we often forget to take care of ourselves. It gets so bad that self-care can seem like an impossible hurdle, like you’ll never be able to care for both yourself and your child with T1D.
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We had a family dinner recently. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins… you get the idea. After the kids had gone to bed, the adults started chatting. Someone brought up the topic of my son and his T1D. We mentioned that he’d been having a hard time coping lately. As we explained that he is getting increasingly frustrated by his diabetes, someone decided to say, “Well, I’d just tell him to get over it.”

Diabetes has become a part of our lives. Most of the time, it is a nuisance at the most. White noise in the background that we have gotten used to and don’t really notice anymore. But there are other times, times of unexplained highs or lows, times of sites ripping out, times of beeps and alarms. At those times, diabetes annoys me, it makes me mad. [Read more…]

D-camp is almost here! This being our second year at d-camp, I thought I’d share some tips I’ve learned.
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Chin up. Tomorrow is a new day. It could be worse. At least it’s not cancer.  [Read more…]

We recently had a Provincial election here in British Columbia. Here, insulin pumps are covered up to age 25. Prior to the election, at the all-candidates meeting on disability and accessibility, someone brought up the topic of removing the age cap on insulin pump coverage. One of the candidates responded by saying that their party is more focused on prevention of diseases like diabetes. Palm… meet face. [Read more…]

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. This could be a mantra of those living with T1D and their caregivers. You have to learn to “expect the unexpected” when T1D enters your life. Have to get to an important meeting? Too bad, low blood sugar strikes! Sending your T1 kid to their first sleepover? You can bet that will be the time Dex stops working. Had perfect blood sugars yesterday? Eat the same things today and… well, you get the point.
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