One day, out of nowhere, you get a diagnosis of T1D. You’re thrown into a world of sliding scales, carb counting, insulin injections, “free” snacks. You’re terrified of stacking insulin and all of the things that come with type 1 diabetes. You chug along, learning as you go. You start to get the hang of it. Things are falling into place. Yet, when you have questions, ones that have nothing to do with pumping, people tell you that you “need to get a pump”. So… what if you don’t want one? [Read more…]
Comparing your T1D to Other People’s T1D
Type 1 diabetes is an interesting disease. Different people have different targets and ranges for their blood glucose numbers. An A1C of 7 might be fantastic for one person while it’s disappointing for another. People sharing and talking about their “wins” and difficulties can cause feelings of superiority or failure in others. That’s why comparing your T1D journey with someone else’s can be a dangerous game to play.
[Read more…]Carb Counting 101: Understanding Nutrition Labels
When type 1 diabetes enters our lives, we have to re-learn how to do a lot of things. What we eat is no longer measured by the calorie count. We need to train our brains to focus on carb counting. Carbohydrates, something we’ve never paid much attention to on nutrition labels, are now the first thing (and sometimes the only thing) we look at. But what exactly are we looking for?
[Read more…]Why People with T1D Count Carbs
My son’s first-grade class was having a party for the ten billionth time that month. I was available to help out with crafts, games, and keeping the kids somewhat contained during the festivities, so I volunteered to join the celebration. Of course, there was a table full of snacks. I quickly went to check out what was being served to see how tricky it would be to carb count. As I was looking at food labels, another mom came up to me. She asked me, “So, what do you do with the labels? Why do you need to count carbs?”
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