That Stupid Pancreas!

Happy New Year, Type 1 Warriors!  I am exactly 31 days away from celebrating my 1 Year Dia-versary. I've learned a lot about Type 1 Diabetes since my diagnosis on January 31, 2017. But I've also uncovered a lot about myself, too.  Strength that I never knew I possessed, or would need to acquire. Bravery to face terrible challenges, every day, with no breaks. Tolerance to deal with nasty comments and false judgements. I realized just how much I love my family and friends. They have comforted me, supported me, and listened to my rants from Day 1, and having their support has made this whole disease easier to navigate. When I think of the day before diagnosis, I remember going about my normal life. Or at least what I thought was normal. Art class, Scouts, and school; yes, those things are normal. Finishing 4 water bottles a day, losing weight without changing my eating habits, and getting up to use the washroom 3 times a night; those things aren't. I remember ...

Twas the night before Christmas And all through the land Type 1's went to dinner With insulin in hand The stockings were hung by the chimney with care In hopes that a pump or a pen might come there D-Warriors were nestled all snug in their beds While visions of glucose-tabs danced in their heads Parents peaked through their fingers and cracks in the door Hoping for sleep, steady levels and more Know not, did they, of D-Warriors sly elves, Who watched them work hard, from high up on shelves They watched and they waited, filled with great cheer. For Christmastime is really here!  Then they heard a loud sound, and so they were quick. To look out the window, and caught a glimpse of St. Nick! And they heard him declare as he flew out of sight, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Thanks for reading this week's post of That Stupid Pancreas! I hope that you have a wonderful holiday, and I will ...

Good afternoon! Christmas is getting closer by the minute, and I can hardly wait! My excitement levels are constantly rising! (as are my blood sugars, but that's a different story!) But Christmas isn't the only thing happening at this time of year. Winter is almost upon us, and with winter comes snow.  When there is snow, we can do lots of outdoor activities like sledding, skating, having snowball fights, skiing, and things like that. But we need to be prepared to do those things diabetes-wise.  First of all, every single activity that I just mentioned is active. When we do activity, our blood sugars usually go down.  And with something as active as sledding or skating, sometimes it goes down too low. But who wants to watch their friends having fun while they're chugging juice boxes? Not anyone I know, that's for sure.  To prevent that from happening, simply have a slow-burning carb snack before you head outside. It sho...

Good afternoon! This weekend, my family and I went on vacation to Niagara Falls for a few days.  Let me tell you, it was AMAZING!!! Because Christmas is coming up, the Festival of Lights was on display, and it was gorgeous! We went walking next to the Falls, we went window-shopping, did some Christmas shopping, and lots of other stuff too. Now when I think vacation, I automatically think  relaxation, family-bonding,  and sleeping in.  I don't think finding restaurants with carb counts,   will my pump stay on in the pool??, and battling lows and highs.  However, those things happen with diabetes, and we can't just leave diabetes behind. Although it would be great if we could :) This week's post is about how to deal with diabetes-related problems while on vacation!!! 1. High Blood Sugars On the first day of my vacation, breakfast sent me up to 20.3 mmol/L (365 mg/dL)!!! We did a correction, but I was feeling high...