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…]
Packing for D-Camp: Tips, Tricks, and What to Bring
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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The 24 Hour Plan: Teaching your T1D Child to Care for their Diabetes
Non-compliance. It’s a word we hear a lot in the world of T1D. But what does it mean? How can we teach our children to take care of their T1D? Whether it’s not testing blood sugar, not counting carbs, or not giving insulin, not taking care of diabetes can be dangerous. So what can we as parents do to help guide our children to care for their diabetes without becoming overbearing and nagging? Let me introduce you to the 24 hour plan.
[Read more…]When I am Sad, Just let me Grieve
Chin up. Tomorrow is a new day. It could be worse. At least it’s not cancer. [Read more…]
The Blame Game: Confession of a T1D Mom
When he came home from school, I was waiting to look at his meter. I had received a text from the school saying that he had a very high blood sugar level around lunchtime. I couldn’t think off the top of my head why that would have happened. The pump site was fine, his insulin was good, he didn’t have anything out of the ordinary in his lunch. His blood sugar was in range at 10:00 for recess, up to 21.4 by lunchtime (about 385mg/dL), and back down to normal range at 2:00 after his insulin and lunch. So, what had happened? [Read more…]
The Cost of Living with a Chronic Illness that no one Cares About
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…]
T1D and the Unexpected: The Murphy’s Law of the Medical World
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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Mama of a Child with Type 1 Diabetes: This is for You
Islet Cell Transplants and T1D – What’s around the Corner
I attended a type 1 diabetes event last week. The event was put on by Diabetes Canada and the keynote speaker was a researcher from Vancouver, BC. She discussed what is happening around the world in regards to islet cell transplants. I found her talk extremely interesting, so I decided to share a summary of the evening with you.
“Diabetes in a Cup”: the Diabetes Joke Dilemma
Imagine for a moment, you and I are at the beach. We go swimming in the ocean. We’re having a great time splashing and laughing. All of a sudden, I scream. We get out of the water and you see red marks on my leg. I’ve been stung by a jellyfish! Quick, what would you do? (Stay with me here… we’ll talk about diabetes in a cup jokes in a moment).
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