The most amazing Dexcom set up I have seen for parents of Diabetic kids. This is AMAZING!

I wanted to share this with you parents of diabetic kids on Dexcom, its from the Dexcom group on facebook. When you push the remote control button it turns the power cord on, therefore turning the screen on so you can see the number without going into the childs room to read it. If your room is too far to read your childs dex due to distance this system is amazing! Then you just push the button again to turn the power cord off so the next time you push it, the screen turns on again. 

The Amazon pic is the remote controlled cord from Amazon she uses.   Here is the link to the remote on amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Woods-32555-Outdoor-Control-Converter/dp/B001Q9EFUK

The white thing is a Motorola Video baby monitor with sound. You have the viewer in your room and it is wireless or can leave it plugged in too. I have this monitor for my baby. It is great. This set up is awesome!  Like this:  http://www.motorola.com/us/other-baby-monitors-1/MBP33-Wireless-Video-Baby-Monitor/95184.html

 Credit to Jennifer Macias on facebook, I did not come up with this myself.  Just sharing her amazing idea!

 

 

Joe, you rock!!

 

So remember when I posted about my former Dexcom rep not sticking to his word on referrals and a free sensor in return?  My former rep owed me two and my current rep one and today my current rep mailed me three sensors for all my hard work and getting three people I know on the Dexcom system.  So this post is for Joe my Dexcom rep, thank you for being a stand up guy and getting me my three sensors!  So this is a major huge THANK YOU to Joe and Dexcom!   

AFFORDABLE? Healthcare where are you?

SO after 1.5 months of TRYING to apply for health coverage for my husband and daughter on healthcare.gov I just deleted our application and started over.  It took me maybe 10 minutes and then BOOM......DENIED a tax credit!


HAHAHA this is GREAT!  Stupid, its stupid.  We are below the income of a family of three that all the websites say and DENIED!  We have paid $19,000 in medical bills this year and I we were denied.  That's fabulous, I cant think of a better way to start out my Friday.


Called our insurance agent and PRAYING to GOD she can find us a cheaper plan. 


Our current plan will be $600/mo for my husband and baby!  REALLY?!   That is not affordable.  I have no way of paying that, no way.


I am trying so very hard to give it to God and trust in him.  Something has got to work out to be cheaper.  IT HAS TO!

Joey Bra Give-Away WINNER!!

The Joey Bra Sport winner is Elizabeth Colon

Joey Bra will be contacting you to get your mailing address and size.  Elizabeth please be sure to let me know how that bra works out for you and leave a comment on here, if you could!  I am very anxious to hear!  Thanks for entering!!

My PortaPocket still rocks

Just wanted to say I am still using my PortaPocket EVERY SINGLE DAY on my ankle and loving it.  It doesnt flop, it doesnt hurt and it is out of my pants pockets.  I love having my pockets to use for things other than medical devices and AND no one know I even have a pump on me!  I love this! 


www.portapocket.com

6950

6950 page views since August 5th.  Holy smokes, thats crazy.  I hope I have helped someone some where.

Last week I helped another type 1 by showing them the Levemir prescription assistance program.  This made me feel great, I helped another Diabetic. 

Last week another friend went on the Dexcom because of me yapping about it all the time.

Last week I think I helped re-inspire a type 1 to use their new G4 Dexcom because it is so much better than the sevenplus. 

Last week a fellow type 1 in my facebook group told me that I inspired them, this was pretty cool.  I dont hear that all that much, well never really.

Joining twitter was probably the best decision I have made in a long time, there are a TON of Diabetics on there, in case you didnt know, and they have weekly chats to help us keep each other inspired.

Diabetes takes a TON of self inspiration.  It is a long arduous path, its hard and it never lets up.

I had an eat the fridge low last night, well my husband was there to help me stop thank GOD!  I had 2 juice boxes, a bite of banana and a roll of ritz crackers.  Yeah, AWESOME accomplishment.  Jeeze, DEXTER (dexcom) woke me up screaming I was 250.  Grand.  

Anyways onward to my paperwork mountain at work.

Oh and I had my thyroid scan today.  Its looking like thyroiditis.  Anyone here with experience with that and treatment please message me.  I was really expecting Graves disease again for the third time.  I hope to have exact dx by Friday and GET MEDS!! I am going to be bald soon if my hair doesnt stop falling out!!! 

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!!

Sorry I have been a little MIA lately, we are preparing for a big open house at my dads dealership (where I have worked for 18 years) this Saturday, 65 years in business and his birthday!   I have a ton of stuff to get done still and its 3pm!  AHHH!


I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of great food, family, a ton of extra insulin, and temporary basil settings!


More importantly be thankful for your insulin and if are able to donate to IFL, Insulin for Life, please do.  Kerri's blog struck a cord with me today.  Check it out here:  http://sixuntilme.com/wp/2013/11/27/much-thanks-insulin-for-life/

I just realized something

Both of my brothers and I were diagnosed with type 1 within a year and I have no idea how my mom didnt lose her mind.

My dog was dx in March with type 1 and it has been incredibly stressful. How do you survive all three kids being diagnosed?

So I just wanted to say how much I appreciate my mom and how well she stayed in one piece.  I have no idea how she did it. My dad tried to help but he did the best he could.

I cant imagine trying to get an 11, 14 and 19 year olds to check their blood sugar, count carbs, checking for lows at night and paying for all those supplies and insulin.

New faster insulin hurry up and get to the market

My endo said that a new faster acting and faster ending insulin is being developed. Which one is that, do you guys know?

I need this insulin. Humalog and Novolog just dont work fast enough and they last too long in my system.

I am so sick of lows. My endo said I am just super sensitive to insulin, as in activity and the newer faster one will really help me.

Hurry up already.

13 years of crazy stupid lows is enough.

Im so ready to be done with low after low.

Im so ready to be less worried about going low, what will cause me to go low, doing the things I like to do outside without carrying a month supply of juice boxes, glucose tablets and trying to figure out ways to not go low. Having people be unable to understand my situation...Im just so ready to be done with activity induced lows.

Its funny that I talk about lows right now when Im stuck with high blood sugar. Ironic.

Blood sugar on strike....

I do not know what is wrong with me or my tslim but I cannot get my blood sugar to stay down since last night. I changed my set this morning and even took a shot of insulin. Being over 300 for over 12 hours and I feel like total crap.  Now my stomach feels like crap, I have no ketone strips and I have a baby asleep on me who will wake up if I try to move her.

Diabetes you suck.

I guess my blood sugar is on strike against insulin today.

Ive taken so much insulin that Im afraid to run a temp basal and my dex is on its two hour start up since it pooped out after over three weeks.

Why is it when one thing goes wrong they all go wrong.

In this moment I am a slave to my blood sugar. I cant do anything or go anywhere until I get it down and that pisses me off. I need to clean my house but at this point doing that will cause me to rise even more, I need to go to work/my dads car dealership and paint trim but I cant because it feels like maple syrup is pumping through my veins. Patience doesnt exsist when I am this high and I hate it. Come on insulin start working already. 

Today is World Diabetes Day

I am wearing my blue sweater and my blue RoadID band with my new Medic Alert badge.

Today is World Diabetes Day. I have had Type 1 Diabetes since 2000 at age 19. Diabetes doesn't ruin or destroy my life but it makes day to day operations different and sometimes more difficult. Low and high blood sugars can put a small or large damper on normal activity.

My Diabetes isn't the same as any one else's Diabetes, we are all so different. I can't go more than one day without a low blood sugar and some people can go two months without one. That is why we are different. One low blood sugar left unattended to can kill me. One month without insulin will kill me, if I am lucky to make it that long. We all are hoping for a cure someday and hoping to wake up one morning without taking insulin. I am not disabled, my pancreas is disabled so therefore doing the work it is suppose to can be a daunting task at times.

Controlling Diabetes isn't really something you can do, you can manage it but you cant control it. My pancreas is what is suppose to control my blood sugar. You will have highs and lows no matter what type of control you try to get. My Diabetes is always changing, it is never same from one day to the next and then you throw in hormonal monthly changes and it gets even harder. I am not asking for sympathy just understanding about Diabetes and less uneducated comments about how I should manage my Diabetes or how my Diabetes is going to make me go blind someday, I am aware of the possible complications. Telling me about your great Aunt who lost her leg doesn't help me. If you want to help me, ask me how you can help. I am doing the best I can with the tools I have available to me.

JDRF states: Despite significant advances in blood sugar (blood glucose) level monitoring and insulin therapy, people with diabetes still spend significant portions of the day with too high levels of blood glucose, placing them at risk for the development of diabetes complications. However, maintenance of normal blood glucose levels is currently unattainable with today’s tools. Thus, unfortunately within their lifetime, people with diabetes remain at risk for developing diabetes complications.

This is why we as Type 1 Diabetics are really looking for better treatments or a cure and want the world to know that sometimes no matter how hard we try we still end up with complications and the judgmental words and stares don't really do us much good.

 

Birds

A funny story about birds.


The other day I had a customer in my office doing paperwork and I was low so I was eating glucose tablets and I had to excuse myself for eating with them in my office.  The gentlemen said its ok I am Diabetic too!

Anyways to make a long story short we were talking about how you have to eat like a bird to manage your blood sugar and avoid big spikes and to compensate for eating food for lows.

He said yeah, I eat like a bird too.  A big bird!

I thought that was funny anyway.

Representing my diabetes

In my blog postings and feelings I am representing my Diabetes and no ones elses'.  My life with this disease may not be the same as anyone elses'. In my real life, day to day I dont ever hardly speak about it unless I am given the opportunity to help another Diabetic find a good doctor. Or tell them about my life saving insulin pump or dexcom.

These things are not fun, but it isnt terrible. Do I love having all this crap on me. No. But it helps me live better.

My Diabetes, my diabetes can be a bear to control. My lows can be intense and come out of no where. My lows drive me insane. So much so that somedays Id rather run high. Then there are the days when I forget my insulin because my baby is screaming and I go high as a kite. Yeah its my fault but if my pancreas worked I wouldnt have that extra worry and stress and see that ugly number staring back at me. Its not an excuse, its the truth.

I dont feel as though I should be ridiculed for my feelings and thoughts, yet I am. These are my feelings, not anyone elses. I know my postings help other Diabetics not feel so alone. I get your emails.

I dont walk around moping and depressed because of my Diabetes but I do go here to vent and by doing so others dont feel like they feel this way and no one else does, because no one else wants to read what it really feels like somedays. I dont feel like I have a black cloud over my head. Just certain moments in time feel that way. So I vent because of whatever reason.

I know a lot of other Diabetics want to act like all is peachy and perfect but it isnt but I also dont think about that sort of thing 24/7 just certain moments in time.

Ive been called a lot of things in my life and my personality is my personality. Take it or leave it, if you dont like it, dont come back. One thing I can never be called is a liar. I state the truth and thats that. I think sugar coating is stupid and a waste of time.

So when I ask people to share a video of a 7 year old child with Diabetes it shouldnt cause a big war. That 7 year old boys diabetes is a lot like mine. I want a cure and I want a normal life without Diabetes. I guess that is too much to ask or put in front of people. That is how my Diabetes makes me feel. I am like that 7 year old in the way that I hate the stares and the looks like I am some sort of freak. Maybe they dont bother you, but they bother me.

Asking people to show their support for Diabetes Awareness doesnt seem too much to ask does it? 

I just saw the JDRF Gala Video from June and it made me cry.

This video is a much watch.

http://youtu.be/OG7GX8xpbj4

Have tissues ready for the tears.

A lot of people post a lot of videos on facebook and watch them and share them on their pages. None of those videos are something that portrays a type one diabetic like this does and I bet no one will share this video. Some people would rather stick their head in the sand and not help get the correct info out about Type 1 Diabetes or toss any support or compassion my way or any type one diabetics way, we often feel like outcasts. I dont want pity, just some support would be nice. Anything Cancer related gets blasted everywhere but not Diabetes. This disease has the potential to take my life every single day. Share this video on your facebook page and I will forever be grateful.

Why cant I remember?

I have been Diabetic since 2000.

Why cant I remember to check my blood sugar before and after meals? I can set ten alarms, silence them and still forget.

I can check my blood sugar, start eating and then forget the number to input into my pump.  I have to get my meter BACK OUT AGAIN and read the number.

Do I have memory loss or what?

Anyone else experience this?

What do you think of new Statin Guidelines for Diabetics?

I was made aware of some news on CNN in a diabetic suppport group today.

What do you all think about it?   Do you feel like these studies are done in an unbiased way?  I just don't feel like I can trust any study on statins, there is such a controversy surrounding them.

I was on them for 13 years due to family history of  high cholesterol.  I went off them to have a child and I have not gone back on them.

My type one grandfather has heart disease but he also smoked.  He passed away in 1987 at a young age, Diabetes testing and control really sucked then.  That is an understatement in itself. 

Do I really need to worry about Heart Disease because I am type 1? 

Has statin use dropped the countries number of deaths related to heart disease or stroke?  Where is that study showing the drop?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/12/health/cholesterol-guidelines/index.html?sr=fb111213cholesterolmeds430p

Read it and tell me what you think about it all?

How many of you are on statins?

Copy of the news report.

(CNN) -- If you're not on medicine to lower your cholesterol yet, you might be soon.

In what's being called a tectonic shift in the way doctors will treat high cholesterol, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology on Tuesday released new treatment guidelines calling for a focus on risk factors rather than just cholesterol levels.

The new guidelines could double the amount of people on medication to lower their cholesterol, experts say.

"This is an enormous shift in policy as it relates to who should be treated for high levels of cholesterol," said Dr. Steven Nissen, chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.

The biggest change from the old guidelines, he says: Ignore the numbers.

"For many years, the goal was to get the 'bad' cholesterol levels -- or LDL levels -- below 100," Nissen said. "Those targets have been completely eliminated in the new guidelines, and the threshold for treatment has been eliminated."

In their place, the guidelines suggest using specific risk factors to determine who should be treated with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, and who should simply make lifestyle changes.

Among the four questions to ask to determine risks: Do you have heart disease? Do you have diabetes (Type 1 or 2)? Do you have a bad cholesterol level more than 190? And is your 10-year risk of a heart attack greater than 7.5%?

According to the new guidelines, if you answered yes to any of those four questions, you should be on a statin. Period.

New drugs could drop cholesterol to extreme lows

For those who do not fit those criteria, the committee behind the new policy says lifestyle and behavior management should be sufficient to help manage high cholesterol.

"The focus for years has been on getting the LDL low," said Dr. Neil Stone, committee chairman.

"Our guidelines are not against that. We're simply saying how you get the LDL low is important. Considering all the possible treatments, we recommend a heart-healthy lifestyle and statin therapy for the best chance of reducing your risk of stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years."

Calculating risks

So how do you and your doctor determine if your 10-year risk of a heart attack is above 7.5% and you should be put on a statin?

A simple calculation, said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, chairman of the committee that developed the equation.

"We were able to generate very robust risk equations for both non-Hispanic white men and women as well as African-American men and women," Lloyd-Jones said. "Those equations factor in age, sex, race, total and HDL ('good') cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels, blood pressure treatment status as well as diabetes and current smoking status."

Each of those factors is assigned a numerical value and can be used to determine individual risk percentage using an online calculator.

The hope, Lloyd-Jones said, is that by doing these calculations, patients can be more informed about their risks when going to see doctors.

"The greatest strength behind these guidelines is that they hit at the heart of prevention -- which is that lifestyle, rather than treating isolated risk factors, is the key to reducing risk of chronic disease," said Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist, an assistant professor of medicine at Emory University, in an e-mail.

"We tend to focus on 'quick fix' answers such as a pill ... whereas the risk reduction from lifestyle changes, such (as) exercise three-four days a week, reduces risk nearly double to that from any one of the medication interventions."

Double the prescriptions

By changing the way doctors evaluate a patient for statin therapy, Nissen said these new guidelines will effectively double the number of Americans eligible for statin therapy, bringing the total to about 72 million.

How to boost your 'good' cholesterol

So does this mean big bucks for the pharmaceutical companies? Nissen said no -- and in fact, it may mean a downturn in their business.

"Now, except for Crestor, they're virtually all generic -- you can get a three-month supply for $10," he said. "So there's really no money to be made with statins anymore."

He goes on to say that while prescriptions for these drugs will increase dramatically, the guidelines all but shunned other cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Zetia, a big moneymaker for Merck & Co.

Aside from the financial aspects of medicating 35 million more Americans, using statins in a much broader population has been controversial.

Some people, such as cancer expert Dr. David Agus, advocate giving everyone older than 45 a statin, due both to cholesterol-lowering properties and potential benefit in reducing cancer.

Others say that with the potential side effects from statin use -- muscle pains and soreness, a potential moderate increase in liver disease and a risk for developing Type 2 diabetes -- they should be used with care.

Nissen, who strongly disagrees with Agus' suggestion on statins, said a measured approach is best.

"If you have a young woman who is otherwise healthy, giving (her) a statin doesn't make any sense at all," Nissen said. "I do believe the evidence is solid that if you have risk, that statins are enormously beneficial."

Other recommendations

In addition to the guidelines on evaluating cholesterol risk, the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology released two other sets of guidelines relating to overall heart health.

One report gives guidelines for eating a heart-healthy diet, including reducing saturated and trans fats as well as limiting sodium to 2,400 milligrams per day -- 30% less than the average American consumes on a daily basis.

Cholesterol levels: What numbers should you aim for?

The other report dealt with treatment guidelines for physicians on managing weight loss in their patients. They include a call to create individualized weight loss plans and recommend counseling with a dietitian or other certified weight loss professional for at least six months.

That report also goes on to suggest that doctors should begin offering bariatric surgery as a potentially viable option to improve health for patients with a body mass index over 40, or those with a BMI over 35 and other complicating factors.

PortaPocket you rock my diabetic world!

Thank you Kendra Kroll owner of PortaPocket!

So the owner of PortaPocket sent me some of her products to try. I got the small and medium sized pockets and 12 and 18 inch bands.

I am the kind of person who wants to reclaim her pants pocket for things other than Diabetic junk.

Sometimes the pockets in my work pants are too small or they just dont exsist. So I use my ankles. 

Call me weird but it works and after about 3 days you dont notice it at all anymore.  Plus when I use my ankles you would have no idea I had a pump on me. 

I also wear my dexcom on my ankles sometimes. I have a tally gear case and I like because it protects Dex from water and dropping it.  I need more options sometimes though.

<<===This is the small pocket on a  12" band held on with velcro.  The velcro makes it easy to unattach from your leg.  It holds my t:slim pump very well!

This would also work to carry your testing supplies and glucose tablets. 

Use your legs as pockets!

I dont even feel this on my ankle at all.

<=====This is the medium pocket and 18" band on my thigh, outside of my pants because I dont feel like flashing you all and scaring you with my chicken legs!  It is a slide on pocket that is held on firmly with two straps on the back of the pocket.  It holds my t:slim or Dexcom very well!






These would also be good for women who wear dresses or skirts. I do not wear either so I cant really test it out, but so far when I put it on it is secure. No slipping down and flopping around.

Us Diabetics need options.

The t:slim is on my other ankle here in this pic under my pant leg.




Check out her website www.portapocket.com and use the discount code I have for this month of November.

What does National Diabetes Awareness Month mean to you?

National Diabetes Awareness Month to me means helping the rest of the world understand my disease.  There are so many misconceptions and so much incorrect information out there.  As a Diabetic my hope is to help get the correct information out there for the general public.

• I have type 1 Diabetes and that means my pancreas doesn't work and never will again without a cure.  
• The treatment for type 1 Diabetes is insulin.  I will die without insulin from a bottle.
• Insulin has to be bought with a prescription from a doctor. 
• You cannot buy Humalog or Novolog insulin without seeing a doctor.  Humalog is what is in my insulin pump.
• Without insurance coverage this insulin is VERY expensive and currently the manufacturer programs to help the uninsured also have income guidelines and these guidelines still leave a lot of people unable to afford their insulin.
• Type 1 Diabetes is not curable.  Websites are constantly spewing cures for Diabetes.  No supplement, Diet or anything else will cure me. 
• Taking insulin and being Diabetic means that my blood sugar levels fluctuate and these fluctuations cause damage to my body and its internal parts.  Kind of like running an engine with too little oil, it does damage over time.
• High blood sugar levels can lead to complications later on in life and some of these complications may come even with good control of your blood sugar.
• Low blood sugar can lead to seizures, coma and death.
• We were not meant to do the work our pancreas does, it is not an exact science.
• Diabetes is different for every single person, there is no one size fits all treatment plan available.  I cannot pick the plan I want out of a book and stick to it and expect it to work. 
• Endocrinologist (the specialists we see for Diabetes) are not all created equal.  I have seen as Endo that used a plan based out of the 50's, I have seen an Endo fresh out of college and wanted me to be perfect (which is not possible) and I have seen an Endo that tried to give me advice on my own life and health and yet was 100 pounds over weight.  
• I wish that it wasn't so HARD to find a good doctor.
• Diabetes is hard, we cannot do or make any decisions without first thinking of our Diabetes and controlling it. 
• Diabetes is a job we didn't apply for and don't get vacations from.
• Diabetes is on our minds 24/7 365 days per year.
• Checking our blood sugar is not fun, we do not enjoy poking our fingers with needles.
• Type 1 Diabetes is not brought on or caused by the person enduring it, it happens because our bodies killed off the cell that make insulin in our pancreas. 
• I didnt eat too much sugar as a kid.
• We check our blood sugar by poking our finger and this number that pops up on our screen of our blood glucose meter is the amount of glucose in our blood stream. 
• LOW BLOOD SUGAR MEANS WE NEED FOOD 
• HIGH BLOOD SUGAR MEANS WE NEED TO TAKE MORE INSULIN
• When someone with Diabetes says they need something with sugar, they mean right now not in 5 minutes.

Life With Diabetes: What to Know From Diabetic Bloggers

http://www.recallcenter.com/life-diabetes-diabetic-bloggers-want-know/

November is National Diabetes Month and here at The American Recall Center, we wanted to do our part in helping to raise awareness.

One lucky winner will get a JoeyBra FREE read how to enter. -Contest Ended.

JoeyBra has agreed to do a Holiday Giveaway for you, readers of my Blog!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• Please enter your info into the drawing in the box above 
• The info you entered  is sent directly to JoeyBra, not me, I do not know who you are, your email or anything else.  =D

JoeyBra will give away one JoeyBra Sport to one lucky Diabetic to use to hold their pump, CGM, iPod, cell phone or whatever you choose.

I personally would love this sport bra for sleeping in, as I currently wear my pump in a sports bra at night to keep it near my ears so I hear alarms and to keep from getting tangled in my tubing.  The one thing I dont like about it being in my sports bra at night is that it flops around and sometimes comes out in my sleep.

 

I would also like this for the times I go for a walk and don't have big enough pockets or no pockets.  This bra would also be really nice to carry around glucose tablets since they are flat and would not stick out.
 

 

JoeyBra states:

What fits in a JoeyBra?

• The JoeyBra Fashion can store a phone, credit card, spare cash ID, key, or any other small item.
• The JoeyBra Sport can store a phone, ID, credit card, key, or other small items.

What should I do if the bra doesn't fit?

• Simply exchange it for the right size by following our instructions for returns.

How do I return my JoeyBra?

• Please see the Returns page.

 

Why would I want a JoeyBra?

• Do you frequently travel, run, or attend events where a purse isn’t convenient? The JoeyBra allows you to carry your valuables with you while you are on the go. JoeyBra aims to provide a secure, discrete, and fashionable solution.

How many pockets does the JoeyBra have?

• Fashion bra: two pockets
• Sports Bra: two zippered pockets

Do I have to worry about my items getting wet?

• The Sports Bra pockets are lined with a water-resistant liner that will protect your items from sweat & water damage.

How water-resistant is the sports bra pocket?

• The pocket endures normal conditions of sweat or harsh weather. We do not recommend submerging the pocket in water when electronics are inside. JoeyBra is not liable for any items that undergo water damage.

 
JoeyBra will be doing the drawing to be assured a randomly selected winner will be chosen.  The winner will be announced on December 2nd and that person will then send their contact info to JoeyBra and they will mail it to you direct.


So please like my page and leave me a comment as to how this bra would help you, or tweet my @T1DWarrior  and tell me how this would help you also! 

• Like or Tweet
• Diabetic Warrior on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/diabeticwarrior
• Joey Bra on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JoeyBra
• Tweet using my @T1DWarrior or #T1DWarrior
• Tweet using @Joey_Bra or #Joey_Bra

I have been in contact with Mariah and she has been really quite awesome to email back and forth!!

JoeyBra, a Seattle, WA based company, was founded in 2012 by Mariah Gentry and Kyle Bartlow. They first met when they were juniors at the University of Washington. As recent graduates, they are taking on JoeyBra as their full-time focus.

Inspired by UW's vibrant Greek system, JoeyBra was created for women who are constantly on the go and struggle to find a place to put their ID, keys, or phones. JoeyBra allows women to carry their valuables with them no matter where they go or what activities they choose to participate in. Leaving these items at home may not only be inconvenient but it may pose a safety risk. With JoeyBra, women will never have to worry about losing or damaging their valuables again.

For more information or answers to your questions, please feel free to contact us.

My daughter says....

Copyright © 2013 Megan & I Am a Type 1 Diabetic Warrior 2011 - 2013 - All rights reserved.

I could NOT resist!

How do the holidays make you feel?

 

Since becoming a type 1 Diabetic 13 years ago the holidays have changed. 

The holidays are still filled with love, joy and family but they are not the same. A part of me really wishes I could enjoy all the wonderful food and treats like I use to. I would eat that stuff until I was ready to puke.  Now I am partly unable to do that because of Diabetes. If I ate all the junk I wanted to eat my blood sugar would be 600 because no matter what my insulin cannot keep up with all the carbs. Being 600 feels like death, you literally feel like you might die.

• Who wants to feel like they are dying? Raise your hand?!  

Can you guess the carbs in these?  Cookies are a nightmare to figure out, they can all be so very different.

 If you could figure out the carbs in the cookies you make for family gatherings, that would be awesome.  I would for sure give anyone in my family a GIANT hug if they told me the carbs.  I might get teary eyed actually.

 

 

Or how about this? It looks like a whole ton of really yummy food right?  This table looks like a bunch of mathematical equations to me.  It actually makes my head spin thinking about trying to figure it out and figure out if its worth the blood sugar battle to even eat it.

My blood is so full of glucose that it feels like thick syrup pumping through my veins, I can feel my heart beating harder, working harder, it feels like its working so hard it might get worn out.  It feels like you ran a mile but you are sitting at the table trying to fake a smile and act like everything is ok. Then someone asks the dreaded question, do you feel ok, whats your blood sugar! Ugh! Yeah MY blood sugar is crap right now because I ate the SAME junk you just did. Then you get the dreaded look like you arent managing your disease very well.  They have no idea how hard it is to turn down all that awesome holiday food. Then on top of it all you start to get a terrible gut ache and you hope and pray you dont throw up. Then you start rage bolusing insulin on your pump because now you are ticked off about your crap blood sugar. You know in a few hours you may crash and have to eat MORE food to bring your blood sugar back up.

So for the past few years I eat like a bird at holidays, or try my hardest. The death feeling isnt worth it, the looks and the questions aren't worth it.

Id like to see all my non diabetic family members try to eat like a diabetic on the holidays.  Talk about a will power battle in your head.

On the holidays more than any other time of the year I want a dang cure. Im happy to be alive to enjoy another holiday season but I wish I could enjoy it like I use to.

Diabetes forces me to eat healthier and choose less carb loaded foods. So I guess in part my Diabetes helps me stay thin because I know the moment I start eating junk my blood sugar will spike and then I start to gain weight. My weight is a constant battle, just like it is for anyone else on insulin. The more insulin I take the more weight I gain. I wish I didnt have to worry about my weight so much, but just eating all that wonderful food makes me gain weight twice as fast.  Then when I gain weight I take more insulin and then I gain more weight. Its a non stop battle.

We not only battle our blood sugar but we battle weight gain every stinking day. 

These battles are all such private battles, no one sees them from the outside, even though it is going on inside our head.

Diabetes is exhausting and no one knows what we go through.  People who get other more visible diseases get a lot more sympathy and empathy than Diabetics get. We are fighting a battle every single moment of every single day. 

Every single moment.

Every single day.

How often do you think about the food you are putting into your mouth and worry what it will do to your blood sugar, if are you are not diabetic, you never worry about these things.

If you have family members that are Diabetic and you want to help them out at a family potluck or gathering and you bring a prepared meal, you could shock the crap out of them and tell them how many total carbs are in the food you prepared.  It will help them sort of figure out the carbs in their serving.   Or you could use a sugar substitute in the food your prepare, but be sure you tell them that is it is not real sugar or we will take too much insulin. 

If the food you are making has flour in it you could tell us how many cups of flour.

If the food you are making has any type of sugar in it you could tell us how many cups of sugar.

All these things help us figure out the carbs and then figure out the insulin we need to cover those carbs.  

We CAN eat anything we want really, but the figuring of the carbs is where it gets tricky.

World Diabetes Day is fast approaching!

November 14th is almost here!! Have you changed your facebook picture, made your facebook friends more aware of Diabetes, posted facts about whichever type of Diabetes you have? Lets make the world more aware of Diabetes and help dispell all the incorrect information out there.

Hey Dexcom can you make this right? I got stiffed.

Ok so way back in December 2011 I started on the Dexcom.  I had a rep named Tim at the time because my Endo was an Illinois doctor.  Tim promised me a complimentary sensor for referring patients to him, of course, after my wheeler dealer car salesperson personality asked for one. 

I switched to an Iowa doctor last June 2012.  So I have a new rep named Joe.  Joe is great! 

So I referred two customers to Dexcom and pretty much talked them into getting the Dexcom. My cousin David and Uncle Mike.  I emailed Tim to let him know that I referred them and he said he could no longer fullfill that promise, he stiffed me.  So yeah I am a little bit ticked off.  I also referred a couple people online in Facebook Diabetic groups. 

Dexcom?  Wanna mail me my two sensors?

I mean really?  It is two sensors. I could ask for two boxes.

TWO SENSORS?

You have my address on file, please send it to my work address not home.

I'm starting to think I should work for Dexcom part time, but I doubt that is even a possibility.  I would love to go into doctors offices and show them the system and get them to prescribe it to their Diabetic Patients.  Too bad I have no college degree at all so they think I am not a qualified candidate.  =(   I cant even begin to tell you how many people in my rural area I have told about the Dexcom and told them how amazing it is.

TWO SENSORS?  Seriously. 

I am on twitter!

So I just started a twitter account.  Its foreign to me still so give me a bit to catch on.

https://twitter.com/T1DWarrior

Did you remember to change the time on your pump/cgm/meter?

 

Directions to change the time on your t:slim pump

Set the time on your Dexcom

http://www.dexcom.com/faq/setting-your-device-dexcom-g4-platinum-tutorial

http://youtu.be/2OBxDSxxBRI

My flashlight

Dexcom. You are my flashlight.

Dexcom is my light I carry through the long dark tunnel of Diabetes.

Dexcom is my one little bit of hope I have for better treatments and an artificial pancreas ( pump cmg combo that self regulates, like the one the University of VA is working on ).

Dexcom is like my left hand, I am left handed, I couldnt function without it.

Dexcom is the thing that screams at me after Ive forgotten my insulin....hey you, yeah you human being, your bg is spiking, double arrows up, you forgot your insulin.

Dexcom is the thing I cannot function without, take my pump but not Dex.

Dexcom is the thing that helps me make better food choices because it keeps me responsible for my blood sugar. If I eat some junk food, I have to realize that Dex will see it and yell at me for it. I try my hardest to keep Dex from screaming at me.

Dexcom helps me figure out what foods do what to me and how fast. This is priceless information, for me or any type one diabetic.

Dexcom saves my life at night when I go low and dont wake up to realize it.  It wakes me up, I keep in in my pillow case under my head.

Dexcom keeps me able to care for my child when I am home alone with her.

Dexcom lets me know when my cleaning fiasco makes me drop so fast I dont notice.

Dexcom lets me know when my yard working crazy self is crashing and too busy to notice.

Dexcom. You are my flashlight.

How becoming a diabetic ruins any modesty

A few funny stories ( now funny ) about insulin pump mishaps.

At a play with my family. My mom and I take a potty break along with 200 other women. I do my business and ripped my site out off my butt in the freakin bathroom! Yuck! So luckily I have my purse and the spare set I always carry. So I have to exit my tuna can stall and put a new set on my side/hip/butt in front of 50 women staring at me like I have three heads. Yeah not awesome. Its funny now though. I wonder what they thought I was doing.

Leaving my cousins rehearsal dinner in another city, 5 hours away, my aunt and cousin in the back of my husbands truck. Im the dd as I was pg and just as I sit down to drive my infusion set stabs me in the leg so bad that I have to jump out of the truck, whip my pants off and yank that dang thing out of my leg. Yep, pants came down and all, in a public parking lot. It was probably the worst a set has stabbed me. Mustve hit a nerve because it felt like a knife in my leg. Luckily again, I had my spare set with me and changed it at my aunts house.

So to make a long story short, you always need to have spare everything with you at all times when you wear a pump. It has saved me many times. None of the other times were as funny though.

Injection site rotation is so important

This is for those of you on multiple daily shots. I am no longer on shots, Im on a tslim pump, but I wish someone would have shared this info with me in 2000.

Rotation, rotation, rotation....please be sure you are using a wide area of injection sites no matter how bad it hurts.

I am living proof of what happens where your p.o.s. endo doesnt give you good advice or make sure you are doing what you are suppose to.  My current endo is not the pos endo, he is awesome. 

I have scar tissue on my stomach, hard lumpy nasty bumps under my skin that will never go away on their own. I hate said scar tissue. I think I actually hate it more than being diabetic. Seriously. It bothers me that much.

Someday when we know for sure we are done having children I hope to save enough money to have a tummy tuck. I want it gone. It prohibits me from wearing many cute shirts. It inhibits me from ever wanting to wear a swimming suit. It inhibits me from doing a lot of things.

So if you are like I was for 8 years, insulin injections burned me like a son of a gun, new spots burned even more, it sucked. I wish someone like myself would have told me, hey you know if you keep using your stomach you are going to get this terrible lumpy scar tissue and you will hate it forever, I would have toughed out the stupid burning pain.

Im on a pump now and it doesnt burn me, it was such a huge relief going on a pump.  I also learned that I cant wear my pump on my stomach at all. I put an infusion site in my stomach and within 1 hour Im ready to rip my skin off. Crazy right?

So I wear my pump infusion sets on my sides, hips, lower back, and sides of my butt. So far arms are a no go, they also burn within one day.

I dont know what the freakin deal is, I have met maybe two other people who also cannot wear their sets on their stomach, on a facebook diabetic group.  TWO people. Makes you feel like such a freak when you only know two other people with your same problem.

So anyone out there using only their stomach, I just want you to know that it can and will cause you to get scar tissue.  We all form it differently but most the time, once its there, its there for good.

Burnout and how I muddle through it

We all have periods of time when we are in burnout mode. Right?

It sucks, there is no lying about that.

Some days I just want to eat something without figuring the carbs, so I guess.  Some days I dont want to know just how bad that guess was, so I dont check my blood sugar. I dont want that crappy number staring back at me. We all do it, we all get it.

Its rounding the curve out of burnout that is so hard. Getting back on track can be like trying to walk through a corn maze without ever getting lost.

So what helps you get out of burnout mode?  Share your tricks and tips with me.

For me to get out of burnout I have to think of my life in 30 years, my family, my own expectations, and all the other people I have helped.  What good will I be to anyone later on in life if I am in kidney failure? I want to help others with Diabetes and how can I do that if I am the worst example of a Diabetic. I dont want to be a bad Diabetic, but the long hard battle gets really exhausting.

I have other type 1s tell me things like, wow I didnt know I could get my strips cheaper, or I didnt know we had such a good CDE 15 minutes away in a nearby city.  Showing people my Dexcom. They are amazed. I didnt invent the Dexcom but sometimes you would think I did, no one has heard of it. These are the things that keep me going, keep me sharing information and trying to help others. My friend and cde Calli may need to clone herself soon I am referring her so much. :-)

Talking to or emailing companies that make things for us Diabetics and getting you discount codes. Shoot I didnt even think it would work and holy crap it did! I am shocked!

On a side note, thank you Nathan from tandem diabetes again, for reinspiring me to blog again.

All these companies with awesome people are really inspiring me. Now if only we can get Humalog and Novolog to be cheaper, that would be amazing. 

These are the things and the people that help me stay on track. Its not easy, every day has its own problems, issues and battles but if I can help you by sharing my take on things, I have accomplished something.

Let me know if those discount codes have helped you save some money! Id love to hear from you. :-)

Keep on keeping on!

Halloween, my birthday, candy tempations, my daughters first Halloween.....

Today has many labels for me.

1. My birthday
2. Halloween candy torturous temptations
3. My daughters first Halloween
4. Carb carbs carbs
5. Finishing up an awesome project
6. Discount codes for you, yeah YOU reading this!  =D

Halloween can still be fun when you are Diabetic.  It just takes a lot more work and strength to not eat a bunch of junk. 

Its my birthday, I am a year older and another year without any Diabetic related complications.  This is such an awesome accomplishment!  I try my hardest to keep my disease in check and I am so proud to say that so far I have kept away any complications.

My daughters first Halloween is today, she is still a baby but its an exciting first milestone.  I am so excited to show people her costume! 

Last night I performed a bathroom surgery on my foot (Mollys term) and got a stupid ingrown toe nail out of my toe.  Bad toe nail.  I dont know why my toe nail has to misbehave.  I had a few fellow Diabetics tell me I should probably see a podiatrist.  I am not stoked about that.  Just thinking about them cutting part of my nail off makes me want to puke.  Yeah I can darn near dig to china in my foot and many other things I shouldn't have done but cutting my nail off, yuck, makes me want to puke.  Weird right?  So far my feet are ok, but what if in the future I dont feel that nail growing into my toe, yeah that would result in some major problems.  So I suppose I should go to the foot doctor.  Yeesh.

Today I put the finishing touches on some AWESOME EXCITING upcoming news I have to share with you all.  No, I am not pregnant! LOL!

I am so freakin excited about this news, I am very nearly ready to burst at the seems to tell you all.

I got a couple more discount codes from companies to help you all save money.  I am all about helping other Diabetics.  There are too many of us out there that still need help and it really bothers me.

I would love to go to school to become a CDE, but that is so not happening.  I really love my current job working with my dad.  

I talked to the owner of PortaPocket ™, she is awesome and is going to write something up about her company for me to share with you all.  I am getting some of her stuff to try and tell you all about since you know I love to wear my pump and dexcom reciever on my ankle.  Dude I need my pockets to use as pockets and my bra to use as well, my bra.  So other options are a must for me!

Ok so that is enough rambling for one day.

Leave me a comment or two, would ya.  Yeah I am still begging. 

Diabetes etiquette

http://bloodpressureanswered.com/diabetes-etiquette-for-people-who-dont-have-diabetes/

Check out this article. We are not alone in how we feel.

Decoding Halloween

Hope this helps all of you who eat Halloween candy!! We all know the torture!

To my best friend Lyndsay

Totally non diabetes related post, sorry. Lyndsay thanks for the card! You are the best friend a person could ever have!  I figured Id post it on here and you would see it! You did use the correct address. LOL!

Pump/CGM gear and accessory websites with discounts!

Hey just a quick note.  Did you guys see the tab I have for pump and CGM gear and accessories?

I have contacted a few of these companies and gotten discount codes for the readers of my blog.

Check them out!

http://typeonediabeticwarrior.blogspot.com/p/buy-pumpcgm-gear.html

I am still getting a few from other companies, one coming from Porta Pocket soon!! 

Juice and arsenic

Do those of you who drink apple or grape juice when you are low wonder about how much arsenic you are drinking?

I was wondering this today.

I am also wondering if the large amount of apple juice I have ingested in my 13 years of being Diabetic if I should have my blood checked?  Probably way over thinking this but I am just throwing it out there.  Juicy Juice sources its juice from over seas.  This one says its from Chile and sometimes it is Argentina.  Those are the two I think I have seen.

I drink at least 8-10 of these a week and during a weekend house cleaning or yard work or getting my yard ready for Spring/Fall I probably drink 10 in one day.

What do you think?

 

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/arsenic-in-juice 

ACA Subsidy Calculator

What it feels like to be Diabetic

• Doctor appointments
• Lab tests
• Poking my finger at least 10 times a day
• People asking if poking my finger hurts
• It hurts to poke my finger, DUH, its a needle poking my finger, poke yours once
• Some days are great and some are just crap and there is no rhyme or reason to it
• Knowing that some night this disease could kill me
• Fear of dying from Diabetes and not seeing my baby grow up
• Fear of dying from Diabetes and leaving my husband alone to raise our child
• Fear of dying period
• Being bombarded by things and people who think they know how to cure type 1
• Medical bills on top of medical bills that will never stop, ever
• Arguing with pharmacies to use my test stip discount card so I can actually save some money
• Calling my insurance company all the time
• Picking up prescriptions every month
• Worry about future complications
• Fear of future complications
• Family members freaking out when you don't answer the phone
• Family members worrying about me
• Knowing my body isn't healthy and never will be
• Knowing the cure for my disease hasn't happened in over 90 years and isn't coming soon
• Doing things I know will cause my blood sugar to crash, then I have to eat SUGAR
• Eating foods I know will cause my blood sugar to spike
• Eating foods I know people will look at me all crazy like because they THINK I "cannot" eat that
• Seeing the judgement of me on people's faces
• Hearing the judgmental whispers from people
• Knowing no one else gets it unless they have it
• Feeling alone and secluded from normal people
• Feeling like an outcast
• Feeling like no one really cares you are Diabetic
• I dont want to be Diabetic anymore
• It's hard, its a never ending battle
• Diabetes wears me out
• Some days I just want to quit, throw in the damn towel and get a break
• Never getting a break from Diabetes
• I hate knowing my blood sugar is dropping and having a sleeping baby on me and not wanting to move and wake her up, but I have to or I could pass out
• Knowing my Diabetes does limit me sometimes and sometimes I miss out on things because of it and others don't understand
• I can't just jump in my car and go somewhere without planning everything out
• I can't just do anything without making sure I have enough supplies
• I hate that this disease limits me
• I hate that going for a dang walk makes my blood sugar crash
• I hate that doing anything fun or that I enjoy makes my blood sugar drop
• I am sick of low blood sugar
• I am sick of high blood sugar
• I am sick of my blood sugar being on my mind 24/7
• I am sick of trying to figure out how many carbs I am eating
• I am sick of being sick
• I am sick waiting for that ever so elusive cure
• ☑ I just want to be normal 

My life revolves around this bottle

The penalty for not buying health care with the ACA.

Check this chart out to find out if you owe a "fine" if you don't buy health insurance!
http://kff.org/infographic/the-requirement-to-buy-coverage-under-the-affordable-care-act/

Again the calculator to figure out your premium
 http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/ 

Also remember in some state Medicare is expanding coverage to cover people who fall below income limits but are still required to buy health insurance.  

Reason number 1,000,000 I love my Dexcom

Reason number 1,000,000 to love my dexcom cgm.

I just checked my blood sugar because my sensor failed earlier (it was over two weeks old) and I am 78 and had no clue I was going low or near being low.

Bad blood sugar bad. Why wont it just behave?

Oh wait, I have type 1 Diabetes thats why.

:-)

Somebody over estimated their carbs earlier out of pure laziness.

Who the heck wants to freakin weigh or measure out every dang bite of food they eat anyway. Every time. Every meal. Every day.

I got a long freakn way to go, hopefully at least another 50 years or more.

I need to do the math for how many more meals that is.

54,750 more meals that I have to calculate the carbs for if I live to 83 for three meals a day.

Wow.

What about Diabetes advocacy?

http://www.diabetes24-7.com/?p=1747%3Dtrue

This article makes a good point. A diabetes blogger almost passed out behind the President because she was dehydrated but no one asked her about being Diabetic and pregnant or how difficult it is.

I too am so thankful for the new health care reform. I am not slapped with a huge premium because of my diabetes. My premium at my job went down $7,000 SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS, did you read that? Yeah insane.

My husband and daughter will be getting a plan from the new exchange system because we qualify for tax credits on it.

I am anxious to use it when my insurance agent says to give it a shot, after the bugs are fixed.

Covering all people with pre exsisting conditions is fabulous, for those of us with chronic long time incurable diseases.

Diabetes is not a cheap adventure.

This article was well written and I love how low blood sugar was explained.

Did you know that insulin was created just a short 90 years ago?

http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/news/90-years-ago-today-two-canadians-won-the-nobel-prize-for-discovering-insuli

October 25, 1923 The two Canadians who invented insulin won the nobel peace prize for creating insulin. If I was born 100 years ago I wouldnt be alive today at 32 years old. Diabetes is treatable with insulin but not curable.  Its a lifelong battle against your blood sugar and preventing complications like kidney failure, loss of feeling in your feet and loss or partial loss of eye sight because of poor control of blood sugar. My pancreas doesnt work and never will again without a real cure, I keep hoping and praying I will see one in my lifetime, if it wont help me at least prevent it in future generations. So they too dont have to suffer.