That Stupid Pancreas!

Good afternoon! If you didn't know, I starting using an Omnipod insulin pump last Wednesday! Don't know what an insulin pump is? Don't worry, I didn't know what they were when I was first diagnosed either. If you click  here , you will find my very detailed post about what an insulin pump is and how it works! Moving on; having an Omnipod has been great! This post is to highlight my favourite things about it so far. 1. The Insertion Inserting the Omnipod is really rather simple. You press a couple of buttons and BAM! the cannula is inserted, and you don't even feel it go in.  2. The Peace of Mind I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has sat in a chair for hours on end trying to calculate an insulin dose while my food sits on the table getting cold. When so many things effect insulin dosing, how can you not spend a long time deciding on a final number? But with an Omnipod, all you have to do is type your blood sugar number ...

Good afternoon! This week's post is about the process of getting an insulin pump! First of all, let's make sure that we know what an insulin pump is! A pump is a handy little machine that does all of your insulin calculations and injections for you.  You use a needle to inject a cannula that stays in your body.  You also receive a PDM (personal diabetes manager) that you use to connect to the injection site.  You use the PDM to enter information about your blood sugar level and the food you are about to eat, and it calculates how much insulin to give you.  Insulin flows through the cannula and into your bloodstream, so no more MDI (multiple daily injections) for you! If you want a more detailed description, click  here  to read my post about insulin pumps! Moving on, there is a long list of steps that you must take to get an insulin pump. This post is an outline of those steps and how they might make you feel, based on my ...

Happy World Diabetes Day! This is my first World Diabetes Day living with T1D (Type 1 Diabetes), and boy is life ever different! This was me a couple of months before my diagnosis in January of 2017 If you told me at the time that this picture was taken, "Hey Anne, at this time next year you will be living with a life-threatening disease that will change the path of your future and your very existence. You will be giving yourself up to 5 needles every day, impersonating a pancreas, and eating candy to survive!" , I would have said, "You're crazy!" But now, that is my reality, and it still surprises me sometimes. And yet, in spite of this life-altering disease, our lives can still be great. In fact, they can even be better. I know that you're probably thinking, what does she mean, better? Diabetes SUCKS! How can it possibly make life better?! But that is not what I'm trying to say at all. What I'm saying is that having to deal w...

Good afternoon, friends! I'm going to tell you a little story, a story that almost all Type 1 Diabetics out there can relate to. I'm sure that this has happened to you at least once. Or something similar, anyways. Once I was at the mall with my mom, when we passed a crepe and ice cream place that we'd never been to before. Crepes are really thin pancakes that taste heavenly, and I've only ever had them once so naturally I wanted to taste one! We waited patiently in line, then when we got up to the counter I asked politely for a nutrition guide. The woman working there said she was sorry, but they didn't have a nutrition guide. I didn't want to make a stink about it, so I got a scoop of ice cream instead of a crepe and estimated a carb count. The ice cream was delicious, but my point is that it would have nice if there was a nutrition guide to refer to. Yes, most restaurants have nutrition information available online. But that's not very conven...