As a type 1 diabetic, one of the things you have to do every day, multiple times a day, is check your blood sugar. It gives you much-needed information that you’ll use to manage your diabetes. It will tell you if you need insulin or glucose and approximately how much you might need. But what do you do if your meter says “HI” instead of displaying a number?
[Read more…]Recent Posts
To the Mom who Commented on my Son’s “Giant bag of Skittles”
We were at our local playground. As we are almost every day, multiple times a day. My 3 kids were playing tag with some neighbor kids. As they do almost every day, multiple times a day. And my son had his d-bag hanging off his shoulder. As he does all the time, everywhere. He started going low from all of the running around. As he sometimes does, when he is more active than usual. So, out came the bag of Skittles to treat his low. I saw her. I knew a comment was coming before she even opened her mouth. “Hey girls, look at that giant bag of Skittles that boy has. You should go make friends with him!” [Read more…]
What’s in your D-bag? The Complete list of Supplies for your Pancreas in a Bag
No, not that d-bag. In the world of T1D, a “d-bag” is your diabetes supply bag. It’s kind of like a go-bag for diabetes. Because, well, your pancreas isn’t pulling its weight. You need to bring supplies with you everywhere to make up for it. But, which things should you pack? Are you packing too much? Too little? Are you missing something important? Do you really need all that stuff whenever you go anywhere? And what the heck are you supposed to use to carry it all?
[Read more…]Saturday CGM: Compression Lows and a Failed Basal Test
Urgent low alert!! Thanks Dexter. It’s always great to wake up to beeping and red dots and the dreaded LOW on my phone. As I crawl out of bed yet again, to check on a low that is probably not even real, I can’t help but wonder why no one told me about compression lows when we started using a CGM. [Read more…]
Saturday CGM: T1D Roller Coaster. What goes up? What goes Down?
Last weekend was our youngest son’s 5th birthday party. We went to an indoor play place, had pizza and ice cream cake, and lots of fun with friends. All of this and more could send our older son’s blood sugar levels into a roller coaster of massive spikes and dips. We can throw our hands up and go along with the ride. Or, we can learn more and try our best to tame the roller coaster. [Read more…]
Who was Patient JL? Can we Talk about who He Wasn’t?
If you’ve been around T1D long enough, or done much research on it, you’ve probably seen this image before. Most likely, you have seen it somewhere and it says it’s a picture of Leonard Thompson, the first person to get an insulin injection. It’s on diabetes websites and diabetes blogs. Over and over the image is associated with Leonard Thompson. In fact, if you Google his name, more images of this little boy will come up than the actual Leonard Thompson. Despite what you’ve seen and been told, Thompson is not the person in these pictures. [Read more…]
Leonard Thompson and the First Successful Insulin Dose
On January 11th each year, the DOC gets flooded with posts about the first insulin dose administered to a human. I see post after post with an “on this day in history” vibe. And, I consider sharing one of those posts. But, I always decide against it. Because, well, it’s not really the anniversary of the first successful insulin injection.
[Read more…]T1D Facebook Pages to Follow this Diabetes Awareness Month
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. You live with T1D in your home. It’s a part of your life 24/7. But you have no idea what to do to raise awareness about T1D. What should you say? Do you even want to share personal experiences about T1D? Don’t worry! These Facebook pages have you covered with a post a day that you can share wherever you like!!
[Read more…]How We’re Transitioning to Independent T1D Care with Dexcom G6
As I sit here, drinking my tea, typing on my computer, my T1D son is playing down the street at a friend’s house. We live in a newly developed neighbourhood, so we’re new to the area, and his friend is too. I haven’t met the parents. He rode his bike down to their house and they like to play on a trampoline in the backyard. He just ate a pancake brunch, with regular syrup and whipped cream, so he has quite a bit of insulin on board. Most T1 parents are probably feeling their anxiety creep up just reading this. But I’m not anxious. I’m not worried. I’m sitting here, sipping my tea, perfectly calm about the whole thing. [Read more…]
Today, “At Least it’s Not Cancer” has a Different Meaning for Me
A little girl in my community passed away today. Not the T1D community, in my city. I never met her or her family, but they are very well known in our area. Everyone followed their story, including me, and I can’t help but see parallels between their family and ours. [Read more…]