Carb Counting Mama

Life with kids and diabetes

You are here: Home / Home

Recent Posts

  • T1D Activity Books for Elementary School Students
  • Oskar Minkowski and a Chance Bet
  • 20+ Struggles of Parents who have a T1D Toddler
  • How to Dose for Pop-Tarts without a BG Spike
  • Bolusing for Bananas

by

The Quick Guide to Trick or Treating with T1D

Your child has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and Halloween is fast approaching. You have been concerned about what to do with all the candy. Should you skip trick or treating entirely? Should you go anyway to allow your child to feel more “normal”?

When you ask more experienced T1 parents how to approach trick or treating with T1D, you are met with an overwhelming, “do what you did before diagnosis. Go trick or treating. Let them be a kid.” But to a parent of a newly diagnosed T1 kiddo, that can be a scary concept. How exactly do you do what you did before while managing T1D?

Here are some tips and tricks that will allow you and your child to enjoy Halloween, even with T1D tagging along.

[Read more…]

by

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…]

by

Stop Giving Medical Advice You’re Not Qualified to Give

I have to tell you about something I saw recently. It was a Facebook page that was claiming that “type 1 diabetes is reversible”. Now, if you go to any trained medical professional, or anyone who has T1D, they will tell you that it is absolutely NOT reversible. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. People need to stop giving medical advice when they have no qualifications. But it doesn’t bother me for the reason you might think. [Read more…]

by

No, it’s not Drugs… it’s Hypoglycemia

As I walked into the store, I saw a lady sitting in a chair. She looked really confused. The employees tending to her seemed annoyed and were trying to get her out of the store. I watched for a moment as she sat there pale and shaking, unable to respond to their questions. They didn’t know what was going on. I looked down and saw an insulin pen in her open purse, and I knew right away what was going on. She was not on drugs, she was experiencing a severe episode of hypoglycemia. [Read more…]

by

Type 1 Diabetes: If you Give a T1D a Slice of Cake

Diabetic. What do you picture when you hear that word? For most people, the word conjures up an image of a middle-aged, overweight person who eats poorly and never exercises. Is that what you saw in your head? Not only is that a poor representation of diabetes, but did you know that there are different kinds of diabetes? Let’s get rid of that unfortunate misconception. There’s a lot more to type 1 diabetes than most people think.

[Read more…]

by

People with T1D are Brave… and I’m a Wimp

When you live with someone who has T1D, you get used to things most people never think about. You may even take for granted how much your T1 really goes through because they seem to take everything in stride. Well, when I had to check my blood sugar the other day, I realized (again) that people with T1D are brave.

[Read more…]

by

The First Diabetes Camp Experience in a Word

I had this post all planned out. I was going to do a mock “interview” with Jordan before and after diabetes camp, showing his expectations compared to what actually happened with his first d-camp experience. But, halfway through the “after” interview, I remembered: I have a 7 year old boy, this won’t work. [Read more…]

by

The Hidden Danger of Kids and Remote Meters

When my son’s blood sugar goes low, we treat it. It comes back into normal range with one or two “doses” of sugar. But this time, it didn’t. It wasn’t because of his diabetes, it was because of something he did. He caused a low that could have given him a seizure. He caused a low that could have put him in a coma. And he did it for one simple reason. [Read more…]

by

Why I will Never Celebrate my Son’s Diaversary

May 9th is my son’s diaversary. If you’re not familiar with that term, it’s the anniversary of the day he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. A diabetes anniversary, if you will. Many people celebrate their or their child’s diaversary. Some people don’t even remember what date their diaversary is. I am painfully aware of what day it is. I will never forget it, and I will never celebrate it.

[Read more…]