How incredibly dangerous the stomach flu can be with t1d.

I have sat and thought about this blog post over and over while writing it in my head without putting it into actual text many times. I don't want to come across as ungrateful for my knowledge of type 1 diabetes (aka t1d) or ungrateful that my child has a disease she can, God willing, live a long lifetime with.  I do, however, feel it is necessary to share just how dangerous a stomach/gastrointestinal virus can be with t1d.  

My little warrior had a crazy day, which I blogged about on April 8th.  Well unbeknownst to me she was coming down the the stomach virus/flu as we all tend to call it.  She woke up at 430am on Saturday, actually made it downstairs and puked.  Then puked a few more times.  Then her blood sugar started falling.  After lots of crying and begging her to eat some smarties, just like glucose tablets, she ate a few and her blood sugar came up a bit.  Incredibly scary moments.

Honeymoon phase

My little warrior's pancreas is working overtime lately.  She has had only basal insulin all day, not a single bolus.  Honeymoon phase is insane and insanely frustrating! The other day her pump site somehow managed to get near a blood vessel, which I had no idea about until her bolus sent her crashing into the 50's then of course her dinner hit full force since the insulin was in and out so fast so then she shot to the 300's.  I love insulin pumps except for when crap like that happens.  I only knew that was the issue after pulling the site the next day and the cannula was full of blood.  Go figure.  Somedays I really feel like pulling all my hair out and just crying until my tears dry up but I know that won't accomplish a damn thing.  So I pull myself out of it and say this is just another day in the life of type 1 diabetes=just do the best you can do for today and tomorrow is a new day, start fresh.  After years of managing my own type 1 diabetes and now my little kid's diabetes I am not sure how I will have any sanity left by the time she moves out some day....then my worry will shift to worrying about her because she is not in my care anymore.  For the love of God PLEASE someone cure type 1 Diabetes before my baby moves out.   I wish there was a way to navigate the honeymoon phase but there is not and there is no way to even know or guess what it is going to do. I wish this disease was easier to manage and not like a total crap shoot most days.

Fitbit Versa 3 mechanical issue

I have had my Fitbit Versa 3 since November 2020.  It broke last night with a known issue.  I contacted Fitbit via their lovely chat feature within the app and told them the side button had stopped working.  They told me this issue is not something that can be fixed with troubleshooting.  Ah, it's a known mechanical failure of this watch.  I'm out of their warranty period by 4 months. My $200.00 watch was only good for 16 months.  Awesome.  So they sent me a measly discount via my email to buy a new one.  So glad I'm a loyal fitbit user.  For whatever reason I bought the Square Trade warranty when I got the watch, it was 45.00 and Square Trade deductible was 30.00...so I'm not really sure it was worth it but a new Versa 3 is now down to 179.00 go figure. So now I will wait for my watch to arrive so I can continue to be able to monitor my blood sugar and most importantly my little warrior's blood sugar with the ease of looking at my wrist and have it vibrate when she or I go above or below the limits I have set up. 

Insulin price cap and links to help you get your insulin.

"US pharmaceutical companies and insulin manufacturers react to proposed legislation that would cap insulin costs and prevent significant rises in the costs of prescription drugs."

https://diatribe.org/president-biden-supports-35-price-cap-insulin-state-union-address/?omhide=true&utm_source=diaTribe&utm_campaign=49480fc8ca-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_3_7_2022_15_34&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_22467a8528-49480fc8ca-15519791

"Here’s more information on how to get insulin at lower cost:

• How to Get Diabetes Drugs for Free

• Novo Nordisk: People who need help paying for their medicines can access these programs at www.novocare.com

• Sanofi: Commercially insured people are eligible for co-pay assistance programs for Adlyxin, Apidra, Lantus, Soliqua 100/33, and Toujeo. 

  • Uninsured people are eligible for the Insulin Valyou Savings Program

  • You may be able to access medications for free through the Sanofi Patient Connection program

• Lilly: Anyone who is paying more than $35 per monthly prescription of Lilly insulin can call the Lilly Diabetes Solution Center at (833) 808-1234 or visit insulinaffordability.com for more information."

Diabetes stigma and how hurtful it can be.

When I was on insulin shots I faced a lot of really horrible comments, horrible looks and I even once got turned into h.r. for taking a shot in the break room at a really crappy job I had.  They actually suggested I take my shot in the dirty germ infested bathroom!! Seriously.  Assholes. 

What have you had to deal with when taking your insulin shots?  

I have been on an insulin pump now for almost 13 years out of the 21 years I have had type 1 diabetes. I do not ever plan on going back to shots and all of the terrible comments, stares, looks of complete disgust and how much my staying alive was ruining their lives. Their lives.

I'm incredibly grateful for pump technology and now having my little girl on a pump because I really needed to spare her from some of the ugly sides of living with a life long incurable disease as much as I could. She still hates having the pump attached to her nonstop but she is enjoying not needing 10-15 shots a day, there is a lot of snacking when you never stop moving and burning your energy off, and now being able to go back to her normal ability to eat when she is hungry and not have to debate it for another damn shot.  I'm not sorry for saying insulin shots suck royally.  A pump is so much better, more accurate and easier to adjust and not live with the never ending lows from long acting insulin.  I seriously despise long acting insulin.

Don't stare at a person giving themselves an insulin shot, don't say shitty mean comments, put yourself in their shoes- look at the world thru their eyes.  It sucks, it's hard, we hate it...don't make this shit any harder than it needs to be.  Most of us know what we are up against, don't need the hey you can go blind or go into kidney failure or lose a leg or foot thing....yeah....do not need to hear that shit one more time. Seriously.  Especially not about how diabetes killed your family member...that is not helpful ever in any situation.  We know, we have also lost loved ones to this disease and it scares the crap out of us. 

Having my little girl get diagnosed with this damned disease had really ticked me off, made me angry again, lit a fire under me and makes me want to protect her from all the hurt that she has to deal with.  I can deal with this for myself but for her it kills me to my core, smashed my heart and reignited all the pain and suffering I went thru in the beginning. I don't know how to navigate this ship but I'm trying my best and I want to change the way people feel entitled to comment on other people's diseases or conditions in negative ways.