I remember sitting down to watch this movie, not knowing how it ended. “How scary can it be? Julia Roberts has such a big laugh. Mom likes Sally Field. Diabetes in it, too? That’s cool. Let’s make some popcorn.” record scratch Narrator’s voice: Yeah, that was me, around the age of 10. I didn’t know anything about the movie Steel…
The One About Steel Magnolias
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetic Mommy, Infertility and Pregnancy, Real Life DiabetesDiabetes Pregnancy: Now and Then, Part Two.
Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Complications, Diabetes Memories, Diabetic Mommy, Infertility and PregnancyWelcome to the continuation of Laddie’s pregnancy story, showing what pregnancy with type 1 diabetes was like back in 1979 and 1982. Today is a continuation of her story, with details about her sons’ births, the cost of care, and how diabetes did, and didn’t, play a role in bringing her sons into the world. For more about Laddie’s life…
To my Guy, Five months old! (And I’m pretty sure I forgot to write you a letter at the four month mark, so here’s a quick high five for turning four months old a bit back, too.) Five months ago, I was excitedly awaiting your arrival and folding piles of baby clothes. Now, I am greeted by your big, toothless smile…
The scar on my lower abdomen is close to healed, after six weeks of careful care. The incision is evidence of the arrival of my son, the same place my daughter escaped from. The skin above the incision is still swollen from months of pregnancy and oddly puckered due to surgery. It’s not a flat, perfectly sculpted specimen of an abdomen….
… he’s definitely not the Kraken. That nickname will never stick because so far, our littlest friend is mild mannered. He’s more Clark Kent than Kraken. (Mixing my superheroes and myths this morning; feel free to blame the sleep debt and my attempt to repay it with caffeine.) But he’s home, and even though he’s a sweet boy, he’s still…
Yesterday, I was a rotten patient. At this point in my previous pregnancy, I had already been in hospital on bedrest for two weeks, so this whole rolling around on the “outside” while a few days shy of 37 weeks pregnant is new to me. The emotions I felt on bedrest were really volatile and I cried a lot and…
Ten weeks left until the little man arrives, which means I’m in the third trimester and ready to fast forward through the summer. FAST. FORWAAAAAAAAARD!! Swelling. So far, so good. I don’t have any swelling to speak of, which is a far cry from my first pregnancy, when I was in StayPuft mode starting around 28 weeks and stayed there…
“I’m not positive I can make it in for that appointment, since I’m traveling for work for the majority of those weeks. Would it be possible for me to send my device data by email and have you review it for any issues?” Without pausing, my endo said, “Yes, we can do that.” We’ve seen a lot of one another…
A quick-ish update on pregnancy stuff. It’s week 25 and I’m deep into the second trimester, just about ready to launch into the third and final lap on this baby stuff. Warning: I’m feeling uncomfortable and whiny this evening, so read this post through a lens of hopefully-forgiveable waaaaaaaaah. Blood sugars. I have them. And they continue to be weird. I…
I don't think MC Hammer meant this the way I am taking it. #diabeticpregnancy A photo posted by Kerri Sparling (@sixuntilme) on May 21, 2016 at 6:33am PDT Unexpected alignment with an MC Hammer song. You might also like: Silent Infertility. Pumps. If I Knew Then: Insulin Pumps. Six Until You.
Guest Post: Peer Support, and Mending a Broken Heart.
Guest Diabetes Blogger, Infertility and PregnancyAnna Floreen was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of six, and she lives in the Boston area with her husband and their adorable puppy dog. She’s currently working as the Community Outreach Manager for Glu and travels the country speaking at diabetes-related events. A champion for diabetes camps and peer-to-peer support, Anna works tireless to build up the…
We’re a little over 20 weeks into this pregnancy, which means that I’m over halfway done baking (baking? brewing? percolating.) the new little Sparling. The last twenty weeks have been busy: Doctors appointments. There are many of these. We started with the visits to the fertility clinic, where I had a lot of assessment visits and then, once we were…
Healthcare Hamster Wheel.
Healthcare, Infertility and Pregnancy, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesFor the last few years, doctor’s appointments have felt like an exercise in “checking the boxes.” Yeah, I called and made an appointment with my endocrinologist. Yeah, I had my A1C drawn and the result was either given to me that day or a week later by way of calling the clinic. Sure, I get weighed and we download my…
Beets haven’t always been top-of-preference for my palette. I read somewhere that people either love the taste of beets or think they taste like dirt, and I used to be in the latter camp. But these days, beets are most desirable and I am looking for a calendar dedicated entirely to them, preferably wearing suspenders … and only suspenders. Problem is,…
Dear Baby, Six years ago, I gave birth to your sister. It was the most incredible moment of my life, and up until recently, she’s been my top-notch, absolute favorite person in the world. “But wait … now I’ll be your favorite because I’m your first, and my brother will be your favorite because he’s your last,” interrupted Birdy, who…
D-Blog Week: What Brings Me Down … and Then Back Up.
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Complications, Diabetes Online Community, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesDiabetes has made my body broken in ways I don’t readily admit, but I am sometimes forced to acknowledged. People talk about my daughter’s chances of developing the disease and they always give me what they think is a comforting comment – “At least it would be the devil you know,” – but that doesn’t ease my boxed-away fears and…