Six And A Half Years…

October 2nd, 2018.

Six and a half years today.

Six and a half years of blood, sweat and tears, literally.

I have met tons of people who I can go to for anything. Countless lows, highs, and sleepless nights. There are so many people to thank, but one person who has always been by my side. My mom.

Thank you for everything. Sticking by me when I was scared. I know that is kind of your job as a mom, but you are not like any other mom I have met. You want to take my pain away even though you know you can’t but you try to help me in any way you can. Thank you.

Six and half years…

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive through the years and especially since I started sharing my journey. It means so much. ❤

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Dexcom G6

Last week, I started using the Dexcom G6. It is my new favorite thing.

With this new Dexcom, I never have to prick my finger ever again unless I am low or I am feeling symptoms that don’t agree with what my Dexcom is reading. Like before, I can use my iPhone to see what my blood sugar is on the go. With the Dexcom G5, I had to change my site every 7 days. Now, it is every 10 days!

The insertion of the site is so much easier as well. Also, it is smaller than the other Dexcom.

I am very excited to be taking this new step in my life. I cannot wait to see what the next thing the FDA approves.

Stress and T1D

I have not written in a few because I have been very busy. My freshman year of high school has wrapped up and I had a few final exams and two regents exams. Luckily, I did fairly well on all the ones I received back and that has taken a weight off my shoulders.

Having T1D, a lot of things can trigger a high blood sugar level. Stress is a main factor of high blood sugar for me especially around this time of year. All the stress builds up inside me and sometimes I forget that I have more important things to worry about…like checking my blood sugar as many times as I am supposed to.

I try to be the best student I can be and for me that means that I study until my brain can’t hold anymore information. Like I said a few posts ago, no one is the perfect diabetic but everyone tries.

Sorry I haven’t posted lately, I will try to post more often when I get the chance. Happy Summer!!!

My Ideas For the Future of T1D

Having T1D for six years now has really opened my eyes up to the world around me. I have had many ideas about how I can help raise money for JDRF but I want to do something bigger.

Now, when I say bigger, I mean bigger. Bigger than going to the store and donating $20 when they ask if we would like to. Bigger than my Facebook fundraiser. I want to do something bigger like a JDRF One Walk.

I recently wrote a letter to the mayor of my village asking if she would be interested in helping me create a walk in our town. I will be giving that letter to her very soon once we plan out where we would want to have it in town.

I am hoping that everything goes well and we will have it later this year. It would mean a lot if we would could do that and I hope that others can help in joining me with this walk once we plan a date.

Stay tuned to find out more about this walk!

Birthdays and Diabetes

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!!

Since I am now 15 years old, I do not have birthday parties anymore unless I am inviting a few of my friends over to hangout. But, for those who are younger, it may be hard to decide if that piece of cake is worth the high sugars that may come later.

Us diabetics already feel different, so one piece of cake is worth the high. We want to be treated the way everyone else is treated. It is not like we are going to be eating cake every single day. Its a once and a while thing.

Here are some suggestions for parents from nbdiabetes.org :

Also, it is good to know how many carbs are in different types of cake. So, from nbdiabetes.org as well, here are some cake types, serving sizes, and carb counts.

I hope you enjoy! I cannot believe I am already 15. Check my instagram story for updates throughout the day! @meandmylifewithdiabetes

The Yes and No Foods

As I mentioned in my last article, there are foods that are great for diabetics, and some that are not so good too. Today, I will be sharing lists of the Yes and No Foods for T1D’s.

It is important to eat a healthy diet when you have Type 1 Diabetes. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a treat every once a while.

Yes: Some of the Diabetes ‘Super Foods’ include: Beans, Berries, Citrus Fruits, Nuts, Fat-free yogurt and milk, and more.

No: Diabetics should try to stay away from: regular sodas, high carb foods including; pasta, white bread, cookies, etc.

I am not going to lie and say I do not eat the foods that I am not supposed to be. But, as a young girl, who definitely has a sweet tooth, I do indeed eat pasta, rice, and more. I am allowed to eat that kind of things due to my insulin pump. I bolus (give myself insulin), wait about 10-15 minutes, then enjoy!

I am not the best diabetic, but who is? I will continue to try my best and stay away from the NO foods that I enjoy, but it will take time. I hope you enjoyed learning about some yes and no foods for diabetics.

Fundraising For A Cure

For my birthday this year, I have chosen to raise money for Beyond Type 1. I recently wrote about Beyond Type 1 so if you don’t know what it is, check it out!!

My goal is $500 by May 15th. It starts NOW and there is a little over two weeks to reach this goal. Any amount would mean a lot.

Beyond Type 1 means a lot to me because it has shown me that I am not alone. I have met so many people from this community and I want to help others meet people as well!!

Please Donate Here!  It would mean so much to reach this goal for my 15th birthday. Any questions, please feel free to message me on Facebook or on Instagram @meandmylifewithdiabetes.

What is Type 1 Diabetes?

I was looking through my posts and realized I had not talked about what T1D actually is. I was sitting at lunch and someone was asking another student who also has T1D, that if he got it from eating too much sugar. The answer is NO. T1D’s hate when people say they ate too much sugar and that is how they got diabetes. That is not true at all. The boy said something similar to, “It was from a virus that settled in my pancreas and my body started fighting against it, which made my pancreas stop working”.

Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes are two different things. According to JDRF.org, “Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that controls blood-sugar levels” it continues, “T1D develops when the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cella are mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system”. One cannot control if they have T1D. I am sure if we could, no one would have it, but that is not the case.

No, we do did not eat too much sugar. Yes, we can eat sugar, that is how we get our blood sugar up if it is low. A lot of people seem to be confused on what we can and cannot eat (really should not eat, but I have a heck of a sweet tooth if I don’t say so myself). I will write about that in the next post. So be sure to check it out next Saturday.

I hope you learned something about T1D through this article. And remember, its not the sugar that gave us diabetes, it was that virus we had months before we got diagnosed. My virus was the flu.

T1D is Me

In English a few days ago, we had to write down how we describes ourselves. I wrote “I am a diabetic”. Having T1D has impacted my life significantly. It makes me unique, strong, feel independent ! T1D is me and I am very happy to say that.

Since I was diagnosed when I was eight years old, I believe that this autoimmune disease has helped me become mature and brave. I change my pump and dexcom myself, and I have for a while now. I have always checked my own blood sugar too.

For some kids, it is hard to put in a site and check your blood sugar on your own. Trying to explain to your friends how you feel when you’re low or high is extremely hard. But, diabetes is what makes someone distinctive. My parents had to do my shots when I was newly diagnosed but I always prick my finger myself. With every shot or insertion of my pump, I have gotten stronger and braver.

Being diagnosed with a 24/7 disease has taught me a lot. Sitting in English that day really made me think how proud I am to be a unique teen with a lifelong disease.

Burnouts

Burnouts are probably some of the hardest times I have ever been through. I get to the point where I just get so tired of managing my diabetes that I want to give up. The only problem is that diabetes is a 24/7 disease. There are no taking breaks or saying “I’ll come back to that later”. You have to check your blood sugar, correct if it is too high or too low, change your sites, etc.

I had this one time where I was changing my Dexcom site and it started bleeding out of nowhere once the needle went in. I felt a pinch, but it wasn’t the worst pain I had ever felt. I immediately ripped it off, got a wet cloth to wipe the site, and waited a few minutes to change it. I was terrified but I didn’t show it.

Once the site had stopped bleeding, I got a new Dexcom package and a piece of Tegaderm (adhesive tape). I put on the Tegaderm, opened my Dexcom package and put it on where I thought it should go. My mom and I were leaving the house in about a half and hour so I knew I had to do it quickly. I looked down and was about to put it in when a bunch of thoughts were running through my head. “What if it hurts? What if it gets infected? What happens if the needle gets stuck and won’t pull out?”. All of these thoughts that I couldn’t control.

My mom came in and asked if I was ready to go yet. I got so stressed because I wasn’t ready but we had to leave. I freaked out and couldn’t control anything. I started crying but didn’t know why. She sat with me and told me to think of something else. Nothing could get my mind off of the fact that it may bleed again and hurt really bad. I had given up but I knew that I had to change the site.

Now I know some of my diabuddies are probably saying, “Why didn’t you just wait to put it on?”. Not having my Dexcom on gets me very anxious because sometimes I feel like I am fine, but I am very low.

An hour and half went by, I stopped crying and calmed down. I told myself that all of the diabetics that I follow on Instagram do it in less than two seconds. I don’t know how, but they do. I pushed the button in and didn’t feel a thing. For a second I thought it didn’t work, but it did.

Until this day, I still do not know what happened but I knew it was definitely a burnout that I will never forget. I know many people who have gone through them and I know exactly how they feel. Burnouts are horrible and I know that many diabetics and even non-diabetics can relate if they have ever been through a burnout.

If you ever experience a burnout, know that it will be over soon and you can go back to your stress-free, happy life. You are not alone and you can always talk to someone about it.