A weekend review.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did. It was tiring and slightly stressful, but I made it through. I spent all of Friday evening working on the front of 12 t-shirts for my JDRF walk team members. Procrastination is one of my terrible habits. I was up until 1AM working on them, and I'm still paying for that lack of sleep. I woke up early Saturday to clean the kitchen floor, vacuum, and set up for the party. We were expecting about 6-7 of my friends, but unfortunately only 4 could make it. We had a great time chatting about the boys we are friends with and their lack of social ability. We watched Juno for the millionth time. I told them about my blog and that I would be meeting 2 people who also blog about diabetes at the walk. They thought it was so cool that I actually have a bit of a following. I didn't give them the blog address because I'm not that vocal about having Type 1 Diabetes in my everyday life, but who knows maybe they'll find it some day. I like to let people into this side of my life very slowly. We finished almost all of the shirts, and I was left with the responsibility of completing the ones that we didn't get to. Sunday I worked on the remaining ones and now I have 3 left. It was a very productive weekend!

You can check out the pictures in my JDRF Walk Flickr Set.

This week is going to pass by very quickly. On Friday we're going to New Jersey for my cousin's first communion, and we'll return late Saturday so we can make it to the walk on Sunday. Who knows when I'll have time to blog between school work and last minute prep for the weekend.
Have a good week!

Withdrawal.

I'm hooked. On the Diabetes OC!

I spent the entire day away from my computer and I missed you guys! You see it's very unusual for me to miss reading everyone's blogs. My school program is web-based, so I'm always online and I happen to pop by Diabetes Daily frequently to check out the blogs. But I decided to take the day off and accompany my sister around town.

Unfortunately I'll be bowing out again for the weekend because I have a lot to do! Tomorrow I'm hosting a party for the members of my JDRF walk team to personalize their team t-shirts. I have to tidy up the house, finish the painting the team name on the front of the shirts, figure out food, and pray that it doesn't rain because I want to work on the shirts outside. Oh and did I mention my mom is out of town so she isn't here to help me out with any of this?! Oy responsibility! With the walk only a week away I'm trying to round up my straggling donors and figure out if I will be able to reach my goal. I'm also supposed to be meeting the wonderful Jill and Naomi at the walk, but because this is my first one I have no idea how exactly that will work out (suggestions are welcome). Anywho I'm just checking in to say happy Friday and have a good weekend!

I think I love you....

From Allison
The rules: Make a list of your loves. The only catch? You can’t include a single person you know on your list. No “I love the way my husband laughs” or “I love hearing my little girl call for me.” It’ll be tough, I know. But this particular little exercise is about stripping away everyone who defines you and figuring out what you (not his partner; not their mother/daughter/sister/friend) love.

I love documentaries and the little glimpse into someone else’s world they provide.
I love movie trailers with catchy lines.
I love crying while sitting out in the rain, it’s so cleansing.
I love to buy notebooks, but I never write in them.
I love photography, capturing something beautiful and saving it forever.
I love singing even though I’m always off key.
I love watching movies over and over.
I love reading books, but I can never read them twice.
I love to be honest and sometimes it’s brutal.
I love to dance even though I can’t at all.
I love waking up with one of my dogs begging to get on my bed, picking him up and snuggling for a few extra minutes before I start my day.
I love that I can parallel park with ease.
I love the smell of banana cake.
I love hair dye, and the new identity it can create.
I love shoes, all styles and colors.
I love green eyes, and I wish I had them.
I love freckles.
I love my tiny hands.
I love my claddagh ring, and what it means to me.
I love swimming, the lightness and ease of being in the water.
I love shampoo and conditioner smells.
I love being in rooms with no lights on.
I love the sun.
I love white finger nail polish.
I love orange tic tacs.
I love the fact that I can’t play any card games except for go fish.
I love that I suck at spelling out loud.
I love that I have a list of names for my future children.
I love butterflies and ladybugs.
I love paper crafts and jewelry making.
I love intelligent conversation.
I love the opportunity to share.

Yesterday

I think we can all agree that yesterday was very successful.
I know that I laughed, cried, and most of all felt like I would never be alone with this disease.
I could hear our chorus of voices, and I hope that many others out there did as well.
Thank you all!
For stopping by to read what I had to say.
For the wonderful comments and compliment.
For standing up and raising your voice.
The D-OC is SPECTACULAR!

The Few, The Forgotten, The Type 1’s.

Today is Raise Your Voice for Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Day

First some facts:

Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease. There is absolutely no way to prevent it. There are no bad habits or lifestyle choices to blame. No one knows exactly why each case is caused. There can be families full of Type 1 Diabetics or families like mine where I stand alone. No special diets, miracle pills, or insane exercise routines will regenerate the insulin producing cells that were killed by our immune systems. Insulin is a hormone that would naturally, in a person without Type 1 Diabetes, allow the body to accept the glucose in food to provide energy; it also constantly stabilizes blood sugar. Because we (people with Type 1) don’t have those insulin producing cells anymore, we must inject or pump insulin. To do this we use a complicated system of numbers matching every gram of carbohydrate we eat and our current blood glucose numbers to units of insulin. But you have to always keep in mind your activity level, daily stress, and the different affect each type of food has on your body. It’s a challenge, and one false move can mean disaster. If the balance isn’t just right, it can mean hypoglycemia (blood glucose goes too low) and a possible 911 call or hyperglycemia (blood glucose goes too high) and the possibility of future complications, like amputation or kidney disease.

Now some feelings:

Although the onset of Type 1 Diabetes is usually (some Type 1’s are diagnosed much later in life) during childhood, it is not only a childhood disease. We don’t trade in our meters, pumps, insulin, and syringes for voter registration cards on our 18^th birthdays. The majority of us have taken this disease through many phases of our lives. Our first day of school, our high school graduations, our first jobs, our weddings, and sadly it will eventually accompany us to our funerals if a cure is not found.

I think I speak for the majority of Type 1’s when I say that we feel like second class People with Diabetes. The term Diabetes gets tossed around very freely and 99% of the time the term Type 2 Diabetes should be used. Think about what you’ve heard on TV lately.

Statements like:

“Obesity causes Diabetes.”

“With the help of such and such diet pill/plan I’ve cured my Diabetes.”

“Lower your risk for Diabetes”.

The fact is the media chooses to use these incorrect phrases for the simple fact that Type 2 Diabetes is the more common disease, but that doesn’t make it right. These statements make it harder for each and every person with Type 1 Diabetes to rise above the stigma of the “Diabetes” label. We did not cause this disease, and really many people with Type 2 Diabetes haven’t done anything to “cause” their disease either. We can’t just lose weight to make it go away. Popping a special pill won’t give us control. Type 1 Diabetes is life long.

If you don’t have Type 1 Diabetes or know someone with it, think about it like this:

I have had this disease for almost 12 years, since the age of 5. Name one thing that you have been dealing with for 11 plus years or since the age of 5 that requires constant attention that you never choose to commit to… I can’t think of many other things except for other health related issues. I can’t quit this disease like I quit the T-ball team when I was 6. I can’t cut it off like I did with my hair last year when it was driving me insane. I can’t divorce Type 1 Diabetes.

I don’t want sympathy.

I don’t want pity.

I want understanding.

I want people to become more educated and aware that there is more than just “Diabetes”.

How can you become more aware or spread awareness?

Visit The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) website.

Make a Donation to help find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

Read a complete overview of what Type 1 Diabetes including a list of symptoms.

Donate to my personal JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes fund raising goal.

Peak into the lives of people documenting living one year with Diabetes (of all types) through photographs.

Check out how other bloggers are raising their voices.

Go thank Kerri for organizing this for us!

And finally if you are lurking, feel free to ask questions about Type 1 Diabetes. I'll be happy to answer them.

What I need...

Before I get to the meme that I found via Penny a quick update.

I was pretty successful with the school work goals I mentioned Monday. I was able to consistently work every day except for Thursday when I spent the day out of the house at a doctor's appoint and roaming around town. Wednesday site change slip up set me back a bit, with wacky blood sugars and the icky bloody stuff I hate so much. I spent this morning doing school work, and then headed off to another rugby game. Unfortunately our team lost but they were playing the # 6 team in the country, without their 2 star players who are injured. Two of my friends had to be taken out of the game after being hit pretty badly, but thankfully they will be alright. It was a beautiful day at almost 80 degrees, and I enjoyed being out in the sun. I've even got a bit of a sun burn/tan on my face. I love spring!

And now for the meme: '

Jillian needs to do something besides her all alone, unrelenting mourning.

Really? I'm not mourning anything right now, but I do tend to sulk off by myself when bad things happen.


Jillian needs her tonsils and adenoids out.

No I don't. I hope this isn't a prediction of something in my future.


Jillian needs our prayers.

Well if you're offering I'll take them.


Jillian needs to get her own style and she needs to stop dressing like she's 23 and on the Hills.

I love this one. Um someone was definitely in a great mood when they posted this. I would have to say my style no where near that of the girls on the The Hills. I'm totally a t-shirt and jeans girl with little pops of style (mostly my shoes).

Jillian needs to know that her mind has not caught up with the rest of the country.

I think not. I'm pretty spot on with mainstream America.

Jillian needs the thin runway models.

This has to be about Project Runway, by the way Jillian was my favorite contestant. Anyway I hate to admit this but I'm totally mean when it comes to modeling shows. I don't know why but I love to say that girls who would be considered thin in real life are too fat to be models. I'll sit you know eating my pop corn and yelling at the tv about how fat some girl who weighs about 110 pounds is. I should mention that I am pleasantly plump so I have no room to speak. Do you see what the American media has done to my brain!?!

Jillian needs to boost (steal) something to feel better.

Actually it's quite the opposite. I could never steal, I'd have a panic attack.

Jillian needs to re-read her job description.

I have no job... Unemployed homeschooler...

Jillian needs emergency surgery.

Don't worry. I would totally tell you if I was having surgery. Hopefully I won't ever have to because I hate hospitals!

Jillian needs a little brother like I need a hole in the head.

This one is so true. Little boys are so weird. After a weekend with my cousins age 5 and 8, I never want to know another little boy. Okay I'm only kidding, but seriously I could not stand having to hear about boobs and video games that much. They are just gross.

What A Wednesday.

Before I went to sleep last night I filled a pump insulin cartridge for the site change I knew I would have to do as soon as I woke up this morning.
Well I woke up and found this:
A knot in my tubing.
Accompanied by a 240mg/dL bloodsugar.
After snapping that picture I started my site change routine:
Put the cartridge in the pump.
While the rod was pulling the cartridge back, I IV prepped my new site and unwrapped the new infusion set. Let dry.
Secured the pump cap over the cartridge.
Screwed the old longer tubing from my last site on to the cartridge. (The set I was putting in had short tubing pre-connected inside the inserter.)
Popped the site in my left hip.
Sting!
I pulled the guide needle out and saw a tiny drop of blood. No problem.


I looked down at the tubing that is pre-connected to the site, it was filling with blood. Almost as if I was having blood drawn at the lab.
I steadied myself (have I mentioned my hatred for bleeding?), and got to work yanking the site out using a warm washcloth.
After I had the site out and stopped the bleeding I put some antibiotic cream and a Sesame Street band aid on it.
Then I started the site change process over again.
The next set seemed fine until a few hours later when my blood sugar was sticking around 250.

Thankfully when I started writing this I clocked in at 100 exactly.

What a day!