Some people are just nice, and then you find out they also have diabetes and becomes a happy moment of “YES!!!” This is what meeting Danica, aka Diabetic Danica, is like. She’s kind, easy to talk to, and just happens to have amazing hair. Oh, and diabetes. She’s been creating videos that showcase her upbeat, positive take on diabetes since 2011,…
YouTube, Diabetes, and &: An Interview with Diabetic Danica
Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Diabetes VideosMy daughter, running commentary on an episode of Sesame Street that her brother is watching: “Who is that guy?” “ Nick Jonas. He has diabetes, just like mom does.” “Yeah?” “Yeah.” She pauses for a long time, then: “He’s surprisingly into shapes.” You might also like: Pump Peelz Gift Card Winners! Pump Peelz Giveaway: Now with More Superheroes! Pump Peelz Giveaway…
Non-Billable Hours: The Diabetes Stuff That Doesn’t Have Copays
Blood Sugars, Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes Products, Diabetes Videos, Real Life Diabetes, Robot LifeAt first glance, I manage my diabetes using an insulin pump from Tandem Diabetes Care, a continuous glucose monitor from Dexcom, Humalog insulin, and either the mySugr meter kit or a Freestyle one. All of these items require prescriptions and $$$ and involvement from my clinicians. But there’s a number of items that are used regularly to manage my diabetes,…
Non-Medical Switching
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes Online Community, Diabetes Tech, Diabetes Videos, Pumping Insulin, Real Life Diabetes“From the Alliance for Patient Access YouTube page: People with diabetes describe non-medical switching, where an insurer has pushed them to change insulin, pumps, meters or other medical necessities.” Being told to switch medications because the insurance company says so, not because the medical team recommends the switch, is a messed up situation. Clinicians and patients should be making those…
Interview: Brian Nelson-Palmer, T1D Drummer of Fellowcraft.
Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Diabetes Videos, Pumping Insulin, Real Life DiabetesIf you were at the ADA Tour De Cure event at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC last September, you might remember this diabetes rant from the drummer: He’s a group fitness instructor, a public speaker, and has a day job working for the government. And he’s also the drummer for the three-man, DC-based rock band Fellowcraft. Brian Nelson-Palmer is something…
Ten Things About Things.
Diabetes Community, Diabetes Memories, Diabetes Videos, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesI do really hate those “Ten Things About Things” sort of posts, but in this case, I’ve screwed it up even more by intending to write a list of ten things, then realized I only included nine things. Whoops. This spring will mark eleven years of sharing my diabetes story on the Internet, and over the course of the last…
This video is one of the last ones I did for Animas, but it’s one of my favorites because it features some of the friendliest faces in the Diabetes Online Community. Much love to the folks who offered to share their perspectives on the diabetes community, and thanks for being part of the family. If you are up for chiming…
It’s nice to talk with other people who have diabetes. It’s even better to laugh with other people who have diabetes, finding some levity in the diabetes moments that seem like they’re shuttling towards chaos. And a few weeks ago, I had the chance to both talk and laugh (hard) with the Diabetes Dominator herself, Daniele Hargenrader. We talked about…
At the TCOYD / diaTribe forum at ADA last week, Dr. Edelman showed a video that he and Dr. Pettus had put together about the doctor and patient relationship, highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly. It kicked up some serious laughs from the audience because it’s uncomfortably true in many ways. (My favorite line is at 2:38 –…
Slackadaisical.
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Online Community, Diabetes Videos, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesSelf-tracking isn’t limited to the number of steps I take in a day or mapping out the data of my blood sugar trends. In my life, tracking emotional health is important, as it influences my physical health. Yeah, even if I try to pretend it doesn’t. Gripper socks are those socks that have the little bits of plastic on the…
Stress!!!! and Diabetes.
Blood Sugars, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Videos, Real Life Diabetes, TravelingDo your blood sugars respond to food? Of course. How about to insulin? And exercise? A big “hell yes” to those, too. Food, insulin, and exercise have tangible influence on my blood sugar levels. But one influencer that I don’t often take into account is stress … which is a ridiculous variable for me to ignore because stress can make…
Clearly, Go HASHTAGS! This morning I wanted to share two videos that ventured their way into my inbox recently, from folks in the diabetes community who I support whole-heartedly. The first is from Seb, who is STILL running across Canada. What’s your plan for today? Mine is to get some writing done while sitting on my ass on a flight…
So Many Things!
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Memories, Diabetes Online Community, Diabetes Videos, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, The Friday SixA Friday Six on a Wednesday! Because why the hell not. The FitBit obsession. Renza talks about the messaging of diabetes, and what we can do to get it right. Here is some damn sneaky research. Seb is still running. And I’m still supporting the hell out of him, because he’s incredibly dedicated. You can still support him, too. I…
The One About Broken Windows.
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Videos, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesTackling diabetes, one window at a time. (See also: caulk) (And the second part of the CGM in the Cloud write-up will be up on Monday. A long night with a cranky Bird didn’t make for any decent writing. Thanks for your patience!) You might also like: Looking in the Windows. D-Blog Week: Change One Life, Change the World. Guest…
Video: Diabetes Complications.
Diabetes Complications, Diabetes Videos, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesI feel like when people are diagnosed with diabetes-related complications, all of a sudden they feel like they have to hide somewhere and they aren’t allowed to talk about it, so they’re not able to get the support that they need to deal with this new diagnosis. My macular edema diagnosis didn’t mark the end of my life as a…
Looking for something to watch while you have your morning coffee? Here are a few videos to check out: This one is new – a “We Can Do This” video from the You Can Do This Project, centered on type 1 diabetes and celiac disease: This one is a quick promo for the Diabetes Hope Conference, taking place digitally on…