Sweetnd Truth: There's more to me than what you see...

Back for the third year, let’s show everyone what life with diabetes looks like!  With a nod to the  Diabetes 365 project , let’s grab our cameras again and share some more d-related pictures.  Post as many or as few as you’d like.  Feel free to blog your thoughts on or explanations of your pictures, or leave out the written words and let the pictures speak for themselves." My life with Type 1 Diabetes through photos... What I have to do every 3 days..                             And sometimes my kitty likes to play with my pump while I am changing infusion sites.                                                                      Patience is key when it comes to diabetes. The joy that comes...

Today let’s borrow a topic from a  #dsma chat held last September .  The tweet asked “What is one thing you would tell someone that doesn’t have diabetes about living with diabetes?”.  Let’s do a little advocating and post what we wish people knew about diabetes.  Have more than one thing you wish people knew?  Go ahead and tell us everything. The first and most important thing that I would let people know is that it's a lot harder than it looks.  People on the outside only see a sliver of what it is like.  There are only certain places where I can truly show and express my feelings with this difficult disease (like at home).   For example, no one knows the battle I have been having for weeks with low and high blood sugars in the morning.  Sure, I may have mentioned it to you in conversation...but, you weren't there when I had to deal with those shaky, sweaty lows that later turned into pounding-headache, thirst-quenching highs! I just wan...

Prompt: "Today let’s tackle an idea inspired by Bennet of Your Diabetes May Vary.  Tell us what your Fantasy Diabetes Device would be?  Think of your dream blood glucose checker, delivery system for insulin or other meds, magic carb counter, etc etc etc.  The sky is the limit – what would you love to see?" After reading some other posts, and loving some ideas--especially the one about a cupcake that could lower my blood sugar with every bite! (Thanks for that one, Kerri!), it occurred to me that it was going to be hard to narrow this one down.   Other than the obvious (a working pancreas!), I'd love to have some kind of "sugar" that could stream into my system when I'm having a low.  Sometimes, I just do not want to eat.   Then, there are times when your body craves that sugar and I eat too much of it, resulting in a high blood sugar!   It could give you the perfect amount to bring you back up, but not make you too high.  This seems like a simp...

Prompt: Yesterday we gave ourselves and our loved ones a big pat on the back for one thing we are great at.  Today let’s look at the flip-side.  We probably all have one thing we could try to do better.  Why not make today the day we start working on it.  No judgments, no scolding, just sharing one small thing we can improve so the DOC can cheer us on! I'm a perfectionist.  So being diagnosed with diabetes--a completely imperfect disease did not mesh well with me.  I feel as though there's a lot in which I can improve on with this disease.  I try hard, but let's face it, you usually don't see perfect and diabetes in the same sentence! What do I want to improve on? Being more open about my disease.  I'm so afraid of being judged and of people thinking "how can she do this or that with diabetes?" I fear the criticism.  I feel as though I need to "prove" myself before I let people know this deep, dark secret about me.  And that's ...

Prompt: 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! " Today, for Diabetes Blog Week, we're asked to share one thing we're great at in relation to diabetes.  It can be a stressful, frustrating, wanting-to-give-up-all-the-time kind of disease.  However, the one thing that I am constantly great at is testing my blood sugar.  My doctors look at my fingers and say, "Your poor little fingers look so sore!"  If my sensor tells me my blood sugar is too high or too low, I test.  But, I don't stop there...

The first website I turned to when I felt lost and scared at the beginning of my diagnosis was Kerri Morrone Sparling's blog, sixuntilme.com.  There I found this amazing, young woman who I felt that I could relate to.  Thank you, Kerri, for being a friend and supporter with your words and advice on life with diabetes.   Another strong, young woman named Sysy Morales created the blog, thegirlsguidetodiabetes.com.  She has helped me realize the importance of eating healthy and exercise.  Ginger Vieira just recently helped me by giving me advice/feedback about my insulin dosage.  Her website, living-in-progress.com is inspiring when it comes to health/exercise. So thank you to these women and MANY others in the online community that has helped support and encourage me in ways they probably were never even aware!