Diabetes Blog Week: Freaky Friday

Today's Topic: Just like in the movie, today we're doing a swap. If you could switch chronic diseases, which one would you chose to deal with instead of diabetes? And while you're considering chronic conditions, do you think your participation in the DOC has affected how you treat friends and acquaintances with other medical conditions?

I've had people say to me before "Well, at least you don't have cancer." Yeah, it's true, I don't have cancer. I'm thankful for that. But that doesn't mean I'm thankful I have diabetes. All chronic diseases suck, to say the least. They all (or almost all) require constant care. They never go away. We can't change it, but we have to live with it. I wouldn't want to trade my disease for another. Especially now- think about how much more information I'd have to learn. I still barely have diabetes down, I don't have time to add another disease. I can control my diabetes. I have to work really really hard, 24/7/365. But I can control it.
As for the second part of the prompt, it hasn't really changed. The DOC has taught me about more diseases and what they mean and what they are. Anybody that is affected by a disease knows I'm always here to talk. I'll probably understand more than some people. But I've always been open to talk to anyone, even before I had diabetes.
To sum this up: I wouldn't trade diabetes for another disease and my participation in the DOC hasn't really changed how I treat other people with chronic conditions.

Diabetes Blog Week: Memories

Today's Topic: Today we’re going to share our most memorable diabetes day. You can take this anywhere.... your or your loved one's diagnosis, a bad low, a bad high, a big success, any day that you’d like to share.

I was diagnosed with diabetes during my sixth grade year of middle school. I took a few weeks off and when it came time to go back, I was nervous. I had spent the past few weeks barely leaving my mom's side and now I would be away from her for most of the day. A few days before I was to return to school the principle called my mom. He told her that the school nurse, the one we'd met with and the one I was already somewhat comfortable with, would not be a school for the rest of the year. He husband was in an accident and she was taking a leave of absence. He assured my mom that the substitute nurse was just as great as the regular one. My mom asked me if I would mind if she, and the school nurse, if I wanted her to, could come talk to my class when I got back. She just wanted them to be aware and know that diabetes was something they should be afraid of- I'm still me. I agreed, because I knew by that point most of my friends and people in my class knew about my diagnoses, even though I told my twin brother not to tell anyone. Somehow, everyone found out.

The day I was going back to school, I woke up bright and early. I started out with a positive attitude. That is, until I checked my blood sugar and it was in the 300's. My mom said it was probably because I was nervous and we treated and off to school I went (with my mom in tow). When we got there I saw all my friends, caught up, and everything was going great. And then... I couldn't get my locker open. I was at the wrong locker and I didn't remember my combination. I ended up crying about it because some kid made a joke along the lines of "It must be the diabetes..." I finally got over that and it was time for my mom to talk to my class. It was going well until a kid raised his hand and asked if it was contagious. Another asked if I was going to die. And another asked why I was still going to school. And another asked... you get the point. That made me upset too. I just got back and already everyone was treating me differently. They didn't even give me a chance to show them that I was still the same person or to teach them about diabetes. They had already made up their mind.

First period went okay after my mom left. But then I started feeling low. The bell rang to go to second and I went to the nurse- the substitute. I walked in behind another kid and my grade and she asked him if he had a note from a teacher, or if he'd been to his next class yet. When he said no she said "Well, then you can't be here, and same for you" I didn't know what to do. I quietly said "I think my blood sugar is low." She looked at me, with a somewhat confused look on her face and said "Are you Brea?" Yep, that's me. After that we got everything worked out. For some reason, I still think of it as a painful experience.

Next comes lunch. I knew I was going to be late because I had to go to the nurse so I asked a friend to save a seat for me. I went to the nurse and everything was good. I head to lunch and... what? No seat for me? My friend told me she tried but she couldn't. She offered to share her seat with me and try harder the next day. I accepted, not knowing where else to sit. That's when one of the teachers- the mean, grumpy, old one- came over and said- no, yelled- that we couldn't share a seat, it was against the rules. I started crying right then and there. Finally, the other teacher- the nice, young one who had a son I was friends with- came over and explained to Mr. Grumpy that it was okay, it was my first day back. They let me share a seat that day, and let my friend save me a seat from then on. I am forever grateful for that teacher and that she actually understood the situation.

Needless to say, that day was rather interesting. It wasn't the worst day, but certainly not the best. I never want to go back and relive it. It's one of those days that I remember every detail of, no matter if I want to or not.

Blood, blood everywhere

I just changed my site. By myself. To some of you, that might seem like no big deal, but to me, it's huge. I've only been back on a pump for about a week and a half, and this was the fourth site change I've had. I was on a pump in previous years, and it took me months before I could change my site myself, my mom always did it for me. This time, I decided I would put my new site in before I took my old one out, just in case I couldn't do it. I put my new one in with no problems at all, hooked it up, primed the cannula, and I was good to go- or so I thought. I took my old one out and BAM, blood everywhere. And by everywhere, I mean it squirted out, ran down my belly, got on my pants and eventually onto the floor. At first I was shocked, I didn't know what to do. I was home alone. I grabbed some tissues and put pressure on it, thinking it would stop bleeding soon. Wrong. It bled- the soak-through-a-tissue-in-seconds kind of bleeding, for at least five straight minutes. I kept thinking "next time I take the tissue off it will have stopped" but it just kept coming! Eventually it stopped, and yes, I survived. I had a pump before and I do not remember ever bleeding this much. Ever. Once the bleeding was down to a minimum I put a band-aid on it and noticed it was hard all over. I called my mom at work and she assured me it was from the bruising, not the insulin. Needless to say, it was quite an experience. I hope it never happens again but for some reason, I'm sure it will. Has anybody else had a similar experience? Am I alone on this one?

Diabetes Blog Week: We, The Undersigned

Today's Topic: Recently various petitions have been circulating the Diabetes Online Community, so today let’s pretend to write our own. Tell us who you would write the petition to – a person, an organization, even an object (animate or inanimate) - get creative!! What are you trying to change and what have you experienced that makes you want this change?
I'm petitioning all TV shows that have diabetic characters. Would it kill you to make it a little more realistic? I once watched a show in which a ten or eleven year old girl got diagnosed with diabetes. They made a whole episode out of it, showed her in the hospital, showed her family supporting her, everything. The unrealistic parts, at least for me, were: She went home after one night in the hospital, and no education (at least none that they showed). Once she got home, there was barely any mention of it. You never heard her mom ask what her blood sugar was, you never saw her give insulin, you never saw any type of care being taken. Yes, in the next episode they had a family dinner, and while there the mom's phone went off, and she excused herself and her daughter because it was time for her insulin. In reality, diabetes takes over your life- especially when you're first diagnosed. You count carbs, are still adjusting insulin, and are checking your blood sugar many times a day. So, do some research, talk to some real life diabetics, and find out what it's actually like to have diabetes. THEN make a character in a movie or TV show have diabetes, but only if it's going to be realistic! 

Diabetes Blog Week: Share and Don't Share

Today's Topic: Often our health care team only sees us for about 15 minutes several times a year, and they might not have a sense of what our lives are really like. Today, let’s pretend our medical team is reading our blogs. What do you wish they could see about your and/or your loved one's daily life with diabetes? On the other hand, what do you hope they don't see?
What I wish they could see:
I'm a teenager and it's not easy. Throw in diabetes and it gets pretty hard to balance. I wish they could see that I didn't check my blood sugar at all that particular day in between 2pm and 9pm because I was busy busy busy with school, studying, and extracurricular things. I didn't ignore it, I didn't didn't do it on purpose, I was just busy. It was a one time thing. When they ask "Do all your friends know you have diabetes?" I want to ask them how easy it'd be for them to bring that up in a conversation- let alone on a date. My friends know I have diabetes, but it's not something I tell people when I first meet them. All those lows and highs you see in the afternoon sometimes after lunch are because I eat lunch from my school and how knows how many carbs are in... what is that? I try my hardest and even look things up, but being off by only 5 grams can still send me way up or way down. But I do try my hardest. I wish they would see that I know my body better than them. If I tell them I'm not going to cover when my blood sugar is 190 and I'm not going to eat it's because I know I'll be low later, not because I don't want to give insulin. I wish they'd see that yep, social situations do influence how I take care of my diabetes but I'm a teenager trying to find myself. I wish they could see that I'm just trying my hardest, even if they don't think it's hard enough.

What I hope they don't see:
I hope they don't see that yes, my mom or siblings still insert my infusion sets for me because some days I just can't do it. This might sound silly, but I hope they don't see how much independence I have. My mom is a single mother and I haven't seen my dad for years. I live at home with my twin brother with 4 other siblings not living at home. My mom works nights. So yeah, I have a lot of independence to eat what I want, do what I want, and take care of my diabetes how I want. Some people might think this is good, but my doctor certainly does not. She thinks my mother should be way more involved than she is. We've tried and failed. I just don't need her. I'm perfectly fine with taking care of myself. I hope they don't see that I don't change my lancet every time I test or use an alcohol wipe every time. I hope they don't see that sometimes when I'm low I eat waaaay too much and forget to cover for the extra. Or that sometimes I drink regular soda because I want to and I can. (of course I give insulin for it) Most of all, I hope they don't see that sometimes diabetes doesn't come first in my life like they think it should. I'm a teenager with lots of things going on. Diabetes is not always number one, but it's a least in the top five and isn't that good enough for right now?