That Stupid Pancreas!

I was at my friend's house yesterday, and I was wearing this shirt: My friend's older sister (who didn't know that I have Type 1) read my shirt and was really confused. This made me realize that a lot of the things some of my diabetic friends and myself say about our supplies and condition is probably confusing to people who don't know that we have Type 1. So, to help the general public understand what we are talking about, this week's post is a key to help decipher our diabetes slang. 1. D-bag = diabetes bag When I say diabetes bag, I'm referring to the bag I take everywhere with me that carries all of my diabetes supplies like my sugar tablets and insulin and test strips and stuff. 2.  Diaversary = diabetes anniversary Your diaversary is the anniversary of the day you were diagnosed with Type 1. 3. Diabesties = diabetic friends Friends you make who have Type 1 as well as you! 4. Poker = not a card game When a T1Diabeti...

You know those moments where you just overcame something HUGE and imaginary fireworks explode and victory music blasts out of invisible speakers and you're jumping around celebrating your own awesomeness? Or when you're about to try something that you've never done before and you're sort of nervous but you're mostly ready to kick butt? Or you've hit rock bottom and you're ready to pick yourself back up and keep fighting? All of those moments are really important because they help shape who you are, who you want to be. 🎜♫🎜 Whenever I have one of those kinds of moments, I listen to music. Words can affect people a lot more than one would think; they can have a very profound positive effect. Singing and listening to music is a good way to express yourself and the way you are feeling, and it can also get you pumped up (pun intended) for things you need strength for. This is a list of the songs I listen to when I've done something awesome and am cel...

Do you do multiple daily injections of insulin to cover your food? That sort of seems like a trick question, because we all do that or did that at one point in our diabetic careers. I know I used to. I did it for nine months before getting my Omnipod insulin pump. It's not something we can stop doing whenever we feel like it because it would have fatal consequences. I think we can all agree that it sucks supremely. But is there something we can do to make it a little less... I don't know... stingy?  One thing that I remember from my nine months of MDI (multiple daily injections) is what the needles felt like to me. Everyone is different, but for me the needles stung for roughly seven seconds and then I was fine. There are plenty of reasons that injections can sting, and there are plenty of ways that you can help prevent it. 1. Try to Use Injection Sites With More Fat When you inject insulin into your body, it's supposed to be absorbed by the tissue in the inj...