DBlog Week Day 2 - One Great Thing

Living with diabetes (or caring for someone who lives with it) sure does take a lot of work, and it’s easy to be hard on ourselves if we aren’t “perfect”. But today it’s time to give ourselves some much deserved credit. Tell us about just one diabetes thing you (or your loved one) does spectacularly! Fasting blood sugar checks, oral meds sorted and ready, something always on hand to treat a low, or anything that you do for diabetes. Nothing is too big or too small to celebrate doing well!

This was the one topic I thought I may swap for a Wild Card... I've kinda hopped off the D-wagon over the past couple of months. I'm still testing and injecting, I just don't have a lot of oomph for it. I've been neglecting my blog as I didn't really know what to say :(

I started thinking about my loved ones and how great & supportive they are, but it's supposed to be about me... aahhh! I then looked at the almost empty bottle of lucozade at the side of my bed, and realised I'd stuck to changing my hypo treatments for the better.

When I got low and the food monster took over, I'd scoff a lot of biscuits/chocolate until I felt normal, which usually meant bouncing back the other way and feeling even worse later on. So after a little blog venting and some really nice comments, I decided to remove temptation from my room completely, and only have lucozade/gluotabs around me.

I also keep one or the other in my handbag (most of the time!) so I don't have to have something slow acting instead.

Must. Resist. Temptation! :D

DBlog Week Day 1 - Find a Friend

It's day 1 of DBlog week! Today's topic is 'Find a Friend' where we can share the blogs we love and introduce ones that you may not have read before. Like many others, I could pick just one :)

I first 'met' Mike on the Diabetes Support Forum, and his was one of the first Diabetes blogs I read around a year after I got diagnosed. I love how articulate Mike is and how he can always write how you're feeling, exactly how you'd like it to be said. He's always incredibly supportive of everyone in the DOC offering advice and support, and has often made my day when I'm feeling blue with just a couple of sentences in a comment box! So go add his blog to your favourites, I guarantee you won't regret it :)

Kate and Emma are joint bloggers at Sugar Rollercoaster (which I discovered a few days ago and wish I had much sooner!). Along with Type 1 Diabetes they also deal with major depressive disorder & hypothyroidism, and anxiety. They both write amazingly honest and inspiring blogs and I can't wait to read many more of them. So go get your virtual butt over there now! :D
These are only a couple of my favourite blogs, there's more on my blogroll and hopefully after today's topic, lots more too!

Third Annual Diabetes Blog Week!

Make your way over to Bitter~Sweet Diabetes to find out about the Third Annual Diabetes Blog Week. It starts on Monday, plus it's really easy to sign up! Karen has also included a list of topics for the week and who has already signed up to take part. You can also read everyone's posts throughout the week and meet lots of new members of the DOC!

If you don't already have a blog, now is the perfect time to start :) You can use Blogger or Word Press to get you started or blogging facilities on some of the larger D-forums.

Thank you so much again for organising this Karen, am very excited and hoping it clears the D-Writers Block :)

Writers Block

Unfortunately I've been suffering from D-blog writers block for the last few weeks, hence the lack of posts :( Not really feeling the D right now, no oomph. So I've done a little Mememe!

What type of diabetes do you have:
Type 1

When were you diagnosed:
August 25th 2009

What’s your current blood sugar:
What kind of meter do you use?
I use the Contour USB

How many times a day do you check your blood sugar:
Around 4-6 depending on whether I've had a low/high during the day.

What’s a “high” number for you:
For me anything above 11mmol, that's when I start getting headache and feeling yucky/grumpy.

What do you consider “low”:
Anything below 4mmol

What’s your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater:
Lucozade Sport as it's super quick after just a mouthful

Describe your dream endo:
My GP actually has T1 so is always incredibly helpful when I go for my reviews, he 'gets' it! He never goes too much into my readings, just how I'm feeling with my D and how I'm getting on. He always makes me feel better and reassures me that I'm doing okay, and not to be too hard on myself.

What’s your biggest diabetes achievement:
Probably getting my HbA1c under 7% after about a year of being in the early 8's!

What’s your biggest diabetes-related fear:
That it'll take my eyesight in the end.

Who’s on your support team:
My family, my angel Aimsy, my GP and the lovely ladies at the Healthy Living Centre :)

Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime:
Think I got more chance of eating candyfloss on the moon!

What is a “cure” to you:
Having a working pancreas, and none of the crap that comes with Diabetes.

The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is:
"Should you be eating that?"
"You can't have one of those, it's got sugar in it"
"Do you have the bad kind of Diabetes?"
"You have Diabetes?.... But you're not fat"

What is the most common misconception about diabetes:
That there's only one type, and it's baaaaaaad. Ugh!

If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be:
Please behave!

DSMA April Blog Carnival - Don't Let Me Fall

This months blog carnival topic is all about support..
Describe your ideal diabetes “support group”? What would you discuss?

Unfortunately I don't have any local support groups in my town, I'd love to have the time to start one as being with other PWD is great :)

Testing together, injecting together (or showing off pumps) is awesome!

If I did have a local group I'd love it to have people with various types of D and diagnosed at various ages. On my PDAC course everyone was very different which made it more interesting for me and I learnt a lot in a short space of time. I'd like to feel welcome and comfortable to be myself, whether I'm loving D at that moment or not.

I'd also like it to not revolve around D completely, I like talking about films, hobbies and other stuff apart from D too! Support groups need to be ''real' just because we live with it doesn't mean we wanna talk about it all the time.

With regards to what I'd discuss, I guess it'd be the problems I've had in the past and fears for the future along with successes (and a good old chunter) too :) I like learning and trying out new things with my D to help and also to possibly help others with their D journey.

This post is my April entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/april-dsma-blog-carnival-2/

Wordless Wednesday - Results

DSMA March Blog Carnival - Out In The Open?

This month's blog carnival asks Does your employer/school/friends know you have diabetes? Why or why not?
I was only diagnosed a couple of years ago so never had to deal with everyone at school wondering what I was doing, or telling me I couldn't eat that. Although I'd have preferred to have had the diagnosis earlier so I could have gotten to grips with D sooner (as much as you can with D!) I'm glad I didn't have the faff of explaining it over and over again.

For me, I find it easier at work to be open about my D. Most people are curious but feel awful asking. I try to encourage questions because I can't stand the wondering looks when I'm finger pricking and feeling the laser beams in the back of my head! I'm quite comfortable testing and injecting at work and in front of people whether I know them or not. The only time when I get a little D-shy is when I have a frock on!

Also if anything were to happen to me, I'd like someone to have a rough idea of what to do/what not to do. I've found that by answering questions it's dispelled a lot of the D myths people hear and read about.

"Ohhhh so you CAN eat sugar?!"
"Umm yeah, have you not seen my face when birthday cake enters the office...??" :P

I can fully understand why many people choose not to disclose their D to friends/colleagues. D isn't just a 3-week thing, you deal with it every second of the day. So having to explain it enough for someone to understand does get a little...eh sometimes. The nearest we'll get to a holiday from D is by just not talking about it for a while.

This post is my March entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/march-dsma-blog-carnival-2/