Larissa and Bailey

Larissa: The sweet, red headed young mom that came to church 13 years ago. Larissa with a tiny newborn girl and 2 year old little boy (who called me his girlfriend by the way for SEVERAL years, but lets not embarrass that NOW 15 year old!). 

Larissa: The type one diabetic that showed me her pump site one time. I remember thinking something crazy about how she changed her site... and I can't exactly remember what I thought but something like she had a thing that stayed in her all the time and she had to tap into it every three days? Like a port? I would later chuckle at the irony of this ignorance. 

Larissa: The first person I called after I left the Drs office with my type one diagnosis close to 8 years after we had met. She cried with me as I tried to explain everything to her through my tears and, "I'm okay I'm just scared".

Larissa: The only person outside of family that I let come see me in the hospital. She brought a stuffed horse and cards with hand drawn pictures from her babies. 

Larissa: The PANCREAS TRANSPLANT SURVIVOR and THRIVER who does not take insulin anymore, but continues to deal with the repercussions of being type one for 30 years before God gave her a new pancreas. 

Bailey: The girl I followed on Instagram when I discovered the massive type one community. She was type one and lived close (I didn't realize how close at the time) and didn't know anyone else with type one. 

Larissa: The oh so considerate and sweet person who I was unaware also followed Bailey. She contacted her (or the other way around) and said hey! we all have something in common, lets get together!

Bailey: The girl who relates to me on a personal level that many cannot. The girl who pulls her checker out before meals, injects insulin the same way I do, and FAWNS with me over Myabetic bags.

Bailey: The girl who offers her extra supply of Humolog when she knows I don't have insurance. The girl that gets and makes diabetes jokes and understands my lingo. The girl who I see barely once a year (but hopefully that will change soon). 

I love you both so much. Your support means the world, your company is precious. There is nothing like being with people who battle with, and for you. So shout out to my friends. My friends who understand. My friends who love to eat carbs with me (YAS queens!). My friends who buy me awesome Christmas presents. My friends who make me feel less alone on this journey. 

Ya'll are the BEST. 

 Bailey

Larissa

A Bloody Mess

The title pretty much sums up my day yesterday. I'm not going to lie- it was kinda a rough day diabetes-wise.
*Disclaimer* This post contains girl-stuff and a lovely little pic of my bloody back (per a failed dexcom sensor), so to all you dudes out there- might wanna skip this one.
Okay so, first: That smoothie I drank night before last? I majorly over-bolused for it and ended up with a low that dropped from 66 to 53, even after I treated. I was a little freaked out by that, ended up eating half the kitchen, and had a high BG from 12-4am (in the 200s) according to my dex. *Insert non-paid promotion here* That dex was a life-saver. I would've went to bed with a BG of 106 (what my glucometer read) if I hadn't seen the arrow pointing straight down on my receiver.
So, needless to say, it was a bit of a rough night. Morning dawned with a good BG and I headed out to school. I stopped by work to grab a biscuit, which shot my BG up to the 200's and left it there until lunch time (around lunch time I discovered mother nature had left me her present for the month-possibly the cause of those higher BGs). I took extra insulin for lunch and was still high until I accidentally ripped off my receiver (which still had two more days) and had to change my dexcom site.

Now you see that picture? And where that little girl's transmitter is?

Yeah that didn't really work out for me. Maybe because my skin is thinner there because of stretch-marks from that rapid growth spurt (more like weight gain) of my preteen years. 

So I ripped that site out after I realized the little window had filled up with blood. Ouch. And I wasted a dex transmitter which makes me sad, because I only have three more.

Theeeeen last night the site where I did my Lantus injection bled and I was just like...

Oh well! After all, that's life, right? 

My day diabetes-aside was fine. I got to have lunch with my parents and actually clocked out of work on time. Plus- everyday with Jesus is a good day!

 So don't think I'm trying to be a negative Nancy- just trynna keep it real. 

~Realistic T1D

Dexcom & Smoothies

Absence makes the heart grow fonder... right?

Goodness, sorry for being so MIA, my life has been full lately with school, work, friends and family.

I had a super good day today. Not with my BG's (although that was my fault) but I just had a great attitude all day. The weather here was low seventies, and I was soaking it in after a cold dry winter.

 If you follow me on Insta, you know that my transplant friend loaned me her CGM. I am on week two with it, and, in contrast to the inaccuracy the first couple days I used it, it has been almost spot on this week. I run level all through the night (I'm talkin perfect- 90's) and haven't had it alert me to a low yet! I actually still have yet to experience a night time low- Thank you Jesus! So back to the CGM. I'm learning just how bad of a carb counter I am... When I have exact carb info (right off a box) I raise to around 130, then level out to 100's or 90's, but when I'm guessing....shew momma. I've hit 200's a couple times this week. The reason my BGs were off today? Well there are a couple.
Reason #1) I ate a quinoa bar for breakfast and its like oatmeal- Spikes my BG, then drops below 70 a couple hours later. I know now (thanks to some info from fellow type ones- Yay community!) that I should've had a spoonful of PB or some other protein to prevent that spike and drop.
Reason #2) Reason two is that I made some bad decisions. I ate some trail mix during class and later drank some of a starbuck's frappechino without blousing....... We are just going to leave that at "Do better next time", K?

Even with a funky BG day, I've been a happy girl. My room is clean and half of my laundry is clean and put away (yes, only half. Don't act like your perfect). And I am done with all my major assignments in all 3 of my classes! Now to just tackle finals!

I've been kinda interested in smoothies lately, but discovered I cant handle the ones that contain banana... I just cant do it. Its already such a mushy fruit...mushing it up more in a smoothie...just...bad idea.

So tonight I made my own smoothie concoction (instead of following a recipe)...

• Frozen strawberries
• Fresh blueberries
• Plain greek yogurt
• Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• Honey
• Vanilla extract

I don't have any measurements, I just threw stuff in. And guess what? Its good! Hurrah!
I bloused 46 carbs, we will see how my BG handles it.
***UPDATE*** Ended up with super bad low right before bed. I'll probably cut that carb count in half next time!!!

I hope to do a Dexcom review pretty soon, and tell yall all about the JDRF women of type one conference I attended last weekend. So hopefully there will be more to come! Stay tuned!

~Slacking T1D

P.S. This weeks resolution? No sweets. And no meals over 45 carbs. That one skirt just isn't fitting right.... ya know what I mean?
P.P.S My Lantus alarm just rang for the third time...should probably add "Take Lantus on time" to the above resolutions...

Miss Independent

I am obnoxiously independent.

“Did you bolus for that?”

“Should you really be eating that?”

“Have you checked your sugar?”

“What was it?”

All these questions, and the looks of reproof that generally accompany them, bug the snot out of me. This is my body, my disease, let me deal with it. I don’t mind the occasional, “How has your sugar been lately?” or kind comments or questions in regards to how I’ve been feeling, but I hate to be bossed around by certain people. Honestly it only bothers me when it’s my family nagging, or my close friends making an insensitive joke when I eat ice cream. Like, really? Could you not?

Then I realized, Kelby, you are just ignorant. Ignorant to the fact that those questions, comments and concerns, although sometimes not expressed with tact, are the results of genuine concern for your well-being.

Now, I’m not saying this makes all those comments valid, and that there aren’t some things better left unsaid. For example, if you’re going to tease someone for eating sweets, the last person you should do that to is a type 1 diabetic. I don’t mind good natured jokes, and I often engage in them myself, but sometimes it’s not appropriate. The best way to know is to ask the diabetic themselves: “Hey, does this statement bother you?” “Is it okay to talk about this?” If it’s me, you don’t need to worry about asking, I’ll tell you myself if something bothers me, but not everyone is that open, so just ask. Be sensitive.

On the opposite side of that is your family. I don’t know about you- but my family loves me. A lot. They just want me to stay alive and be healthy. Sure, I can’t stand it when my mom looks over my shoulder while I’m checking my BG, and yeah, it can be annoying when my sisters ask if I’ve checked my sugar, but most of the time, it’s just because they really want to be involved in my life, in my battle with this disease. I shouldn’t close them out because they are the people I need the most.

Okay, so, you know how mentioned that phase I went through where I was forgetting and/or just not checking my BG before bedtime? A dangerous habit to say the least. I don’t have a CGM, so the only way to insure I don’t have nighttime lows, is to check my BG immediately before bed.  I came to the conclusion that not doing this could be life-threatening, and it was a habit I really needed to fix. So I asked my mom to remind me, before she went to bed, to check my BG.

The point of this post? Sometimes it’s good to eat a little humble pie, admit when you need help, and accept those aggravating comments a little more readily.

~Still learning T1D

Death by Holidays (goodbye honeymoon phase)

Alright, I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m stressed out, super busy, or on vacation, I get a little lax in my management if you know what I mean. Finals week, Thanksgiving, and Christmas vacation are all perfect examples of this. Finals week was, well, stressful. And when I’m stressed out, I like to eat. I mean, who doesn’t love a good a candy bar when you’re on the brink of mental collapse? (Okay, that may have been a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean) When I say “lax in management” I don’t mean that I completely stop taking insulin or ignore a bad BG reading. It means that I snack more than I should, don’t check as often as I need to, and fail to stay within my normal carb range. I try to shoot for around 45-60 carbs meal. Well obviously, that goal is not even realistic on Thanksgiving.

Let’s start with Thanksgiving. Lots of food, right? Want a general idea of HOW MUCH food? I took nine units of insulin to account for my loaded down plate. At a bolus ratio of 1-15, that means it was about 135 carbs. Post-Thanksgiving meal, my tummy was NOT happy with me. As a diabetic, I rarely eat until I am stuffed. And this was the first time since the beginning of this year (my diagnosis) that I had really gorged. And oh boy did I pay for it! The stomach cramps that night that followed were NOT pleasant. I can’t remember if I checked my BG before bed or not. Forgetting to check my BG before bed was a bad phase for a while (more on that later). So after Thanksgiving I seemed to be having difficulties staying in range. So I monitored my carb intake, insulin dosage, and BG’s closely for a couple days then decided to bump up my bolus rate. So I started doing a unit to every 12 carbs instead of 15. I also upped my daily injected of Lantus from 5 to 7 units.

So that was Thanksgiving. Now on to Christmas.

Pretty much same story, different holiday. Poor control, snacks, too many carbs, too much food in general, ect, ect. This past week I was out of state visiting a friend before school starts back. All week I kept seeing a reoccurring high post-prandial (after meal) BG. So, I upped my intake again, and tried 1-9 for a couple meals, with results still above my preference. Another bump down, and I seem to be back on level ground with a 1-7 ratio.

Now I’m wondering if I might need to give Lantus another bump up, considering I went to bed last night with a BG of 113, and woke up with a 130.

I said all that to say this: Honeymoon period is obviously either over, or in fast decline, and I can’t help but wonder if I was responsible. Did all that over-eating, inconsistent snacking, and irresponsible management finally send my pancreas over the edge? It’s a question worth asking, but I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to admit all of the above to my endo next week. He’s bound to notice those highs and missing bedtime BG’s. Good thing he is a super nice guy.

 ~Regretful T1D

Type 1 Diabetics Be Like...

We've all been there...You sit down to dinner with a newly acquired friend, work colleague, or your significant others family. *Click* you hit the button and your lancet produces a drop of blood. Immediate gasps, exclamations, and nervous ticks erupt. "Ouch!" *Cringe* "Do you do that every day?!" *Shakes head in pity*

We've all been there.

Like the time I injected insulin in front of a kid at work who gripped his stomach dramatically and jumped about three feet backwards.

Or my brother-in-laws little brother who starts freaking out every time I pull out my insulin pen. "Aw man I cant watch- but I have to! Ahhh man. Geez. Mmm" he proceeds to make grotesque exclamations as if he were watching the 77th Hunger Games unfold.

Lets be honest, sometimes its fun to flip people out, make them think we are tough.

Other times peoples concern/open revulsion is just annoying.

Like the following comments:

Annoying Person: "Does that hurt?" Me (wants to say): No of course not, it feels like a tiny needle massage. Me (actually says): "Yeah, most of the time".

Annoying Person (again. See what I mean?): "I could never do that!" Me (wants to say) : Na your right, you'd probably die. Me (actually says): "You could if you had to".

Kudos to all those T1Ds out there who bravely "Impale" themselves daily without a flinch.

But more kudos to those who aren't afraid to admit it hurts sometimes.

Who are we kidding? We are all stinking awesome.

~Kelby, T1D (a.k.a. Human Pincushion)

Merry Christmas!

Featuring my FAVORITE festive drink! SO happy they have this in Diet! Its seasonal so grab it while you can! Yummy!

Another Season favorite is my wrapping paper this year! (Dollar Tree is my fav!)

Lastly, coming up on the blog this week I'm going to talk about juice boxes and why you should use them to treat a low. Fun Times :D

So Merry Christmas! I'm just gonna sit here and stare at these presents in torture until the rest of my fam shows up to open them with me. Ughhh

~Impatient TID