A Good Support System: House of Cards

   This is me and Alex, my cat (or, before my brothers freak out, I should say, my FAMILY'S cat). You've seen pictures of her on the blog before, I'm sure. There's also a tiny Canadian flag in the background, some post cards on the wall that my grandmother gave me (Hi, Grandma! Now you're famous! Well, sort of.), and a yellow board of birthday messages that my friends gave me way back in February 2020 before this whole COVID mess really started impacting life in Canada! (*sigh* those were the days...)

   Why are you looking at this picture right now? Because when you think about it, it actually segues well into what I wanted to talk about for this post! This picture only shows a small part of one corner of my room, and even that small part only exists as it does now because lots of different people contributed to it! My grandmother gave me the post cards (and the Canadian flag too, actually), my friends (hi guys!) gave me my birthday board, and Alex provided... well, herself. But either way, this was a team effort. Several people (and one cat) helped to make it the fun and relaxing space it is. And this is important because that's what a support system does! It helps make life better and easier and more enjoyable by contributing however it can! In this post, I want to talk about what a good support system looks like in Diabetes Land and how it can be helpful and, well, supportive!

   So, first thing's first, what does a support system consist of in Diabetes Land? Well, in my version of Diabetes Land, it consists of people, devices, and me. And Alex, too. She's awesome. But moving on.

   People are a super important part of my support system. My people are accepting, they're understanding, they're supportive, and I can always tell how much they care about me and what I'm going through. I've got people in my family, people who are my friends, people in my diabetes team, other type ones that I've met through working with JDRF Canada and in the waiting room at my hospital. I'm lucky that I have a lot of people. People who understand that they don't understand what it's like, which, as any type one knows, is a really important and big thing. People who try to understand what they can about type one and what it takes to manage it and live with it always, through research and reading and asking questions and letting me explain things and getting involved. People who accept me and support me and love me, especially my parents, family, and best friends. 

   I know I'm really lucky. I know that not all type ones have as many people in their corner as I do. But that's part of why I really love working with JDRF, doing things like advocating for government funding for advanced glucose monitoring technologies and raising awareness for type one diabetes to promote public acceptance and support - I'm always in your corner. I always want to fight for you. You've gotta find the people who will really come through for you, who will really support you and be there. Sometimes you've gotta do some searching to find those people. It's definitely not fair when that's the case. It's not like you asked for type one. Or like you can get rid of it. Some people just don't understand that, and they don't listen when you try to explain. But those people aren't your people. Your people will fight alongside you. They'll fight for you when you can't fight for yourself. You've got people somewhere, waiting for you, you've just got to find each other. And even if it doesn't seem like it now, it will happen as it's meant to. It just will.

   A few pictures of my favourite people:

  Oh wait, that's Alex. Hold on, let's try again.

   Uh nooo, still Alex...

   You know what, never mind. Let's move on. Next up is tech! Oh boy, this is gonna have a lot of big words in it... quick refresher if you're new to Diabetes Land, click here to learn about the basics of CGMs (continuous glucose monitors), here to learn about FGMs (flash glucose monitors), and here to learn about DIY closed Looping using Omnipod and RileyLink! Now that we're all caught up, let's get technical!

   I'm not gonna go into too much detail about the mechanics and specifics on how all of these devices work, but I will tell you how these devices have helped me. And I will also tell you now that you should talk to your endo and your diabetes team before making any huge changes to your diabetes care plan. Always make rational informed choices when it concerns your health!

   

   Using an insulin pump has made my life so much easier and care-free and overall much less needle-y. It made it easier to have relatively flat numbers, it freed me up to eat more when I wanted (I used to take a needle before a meal, eat what I dosed for, but sometimes still be hungry after, and in those cases I would just stay hungry and not eat more because I didn't want to have to take another needle), it made calculating doses sooo much easier because my PDM literally did it for me, and it greatly reduced my daily total of injections for boluses. I one hundred percent recommend pumping. There are lots of different kinds that work in different ways and are different sizes and whatnot, some have tubes and some don't (like my kind of pump, Omnipod, doesn't have tubes). There's a type of insulin pump for almost every situation. I love love love mine!

   CGMs and FGMs work similarly but still have important differences. I've used both, and while FGMs are great and are definitely a step up from constant finger pricking, I one hundred percent prefer continuous glucose monitoring. The alarms that come with CGM, and the fact that CGM is compatible with Loop (that's another story) make it more practical for me. Either way though, advanced glucose monitoring is a LIFE. CHANGER. I'd recommend it a hundred thousand times over. Say goodbye to constant finger pricks and always feeling like a pin cushion. Say hello to constant information about where your numbers are, where they're headed, and how fast they're getting there. Say hello to customizable alarms (with CGM) that alert you if you don't notice you're low or high and will undoubtedly keep you much safer and in range more of the time. This takes such a load off your mind and gives you some space to breathe. It really allows you to be more of a person and less of an acting pancreas. It does so much. Especially with the Dexcom G6, where no daily calibrations are required unless you think the thing is inaccurate! I haven't done a finger poke in months, and I have constant information regarding my numbers! It's amazing!

   And with Looping... I honestly cannot explain how much of a game changer Loop is. I had heard that DIY Looping was working with Medtronic, but I thought Looping with an Omnipod was years and years away. Then, February 2019, I was told that Loop was working with Omnipod. I don't know how long it had been before I heard about it, but the day I found out it was a possibility for me after all was the day I experienced hope I didn't know I could have anymore. Then came the waiting. Eight months of it. Not very long when you compare it to the years I thought I would have to wait if it ever did happen, but so so long when that damn little white box (the RileyLink) was going to give me my life back. All I wanted was a little bit of freedom. And closed Looping with a RileyLink was going to give me that. The kind of freedom I hadn't known in years. From February to around May, we waited for my RileyLink to come. Then it came. But closed Looping was a big big big change to make, one that had an impact on all of my insulin settings and how I was going to go about caring for myself. Starting Looping is definitely the biggest trust exercise I've ever done. Because the RileyLink has a lot of control over your insulin dosage. And if you don't understand exactly how the software works, and you make a mistake, it's game over. That's not a change to make overnight. We spent the whole summer (I say we, really it was my parents, this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for them - see? People in your support system are important! But anyway) researching Loop and RileyLink and learning and asking questions and getting answers and then more questions. My brother and my dad built the app I would need to Loop. I waited and I waited and I tried to be patient but I wasn't. I wanted to do this so badly. It meant everything to me. I started Looping with RileyLink in October 2019, and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I am so thankful that I am able to Loop. It has changed my life in every possible way. If I had to go back to how it was, I don't know how I would handle it. If you can Loop, do it. Do your research and learn about it and when it's safe, do it. You'll thank yourself a billion times. It changes everything. You will not regret it.

   I don't know if that really counts as me telling you how Looping has helped me though, so let's see. Quick version, it automatically checks if it can adjust my insulin settings to accommodate my blood glucose levels every five minutes. Like, if I'm going low, it'll recognize that and automatically pull back on my insulin. And if I'm going high, it'll see that and automatically give me more insulin. So it's super helpful with having steady numbers. And it also works on an app on my phone, so no more carrying around a huge PDM! I already have to carry my phone with me everywhere for CGM, so this isn't anything extra. Except with Looping you have to carry your RileyLink with you everywhere, but a RileyLink is much much smaller than a PDM!

   And our final component of the support system... me!! Because while I'm supported and energized and strengthened and propelled forward by my people and my tech, I also play a big part in keeping me going! Having a good support system doesn't erase my problems or take my diabetes away, but it does give me the strength I need to keep fighting. That's what a support system is for.

   So yeah, I think that's it for now! My main three pieces of advice, I guess, to sum everything up: find your people, get some tech, and take care of yourself. Stay tuned for Part 4 of House of Cards: A Series at some point in the next few weeks! Take care of yourselves!

Till next time, Type 1 Warriors!