We made plans to go to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland before we had left for our trip, so I knew I’d be a little bit jet-lagged and a little bit moody about missing the kids, but I was excited to see this “wonder of the world,” where geothermal hot springs pool to create a steamy, cyan-colored bath. When you…
Blue Lagoonabetes
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Community, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, TravelingI’m not brave. … and man do I hate admitting that. But I’m not. I’ve known this for a long time but I realized it again two weeks ago when I was at the Connected in Motion/Beyond Type 1 SoCal Slipstream event. There were people there who will pick up and run 10 miles without giving it too much thought. Or…
Rewind: These Boots Were Made for Talking
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Community, Psychosocial Support(I’m traveling this week, with limited access and desire to visit the Internet, but while I’m on an adventure, I’m rewinding the blog to showcase some older posts. So don’t freak out if you see some older post about being pregnant or whatever because giiiiiiirl I am not pregnant.) At the airport two weeks ago, I was coming home from…
Two chance diabetes encounters while traveling two weeks ago. This conversation took place in the lobby of our hotel in Bar Harbor, Maine: “Excuse me? Is that your bag?” The lady in the hotel lobby pointed at my tote bag, the one that said Children with Diabetes on it, the yellow smiley face grinning out at her. “It is,” I…
Everyone involved with Connected in Motion impresses me; their sense of adventure coupled with their ability to jam diabetes into those adventures is something I draw inspiration from. (Come on … go look at their social media feeds and tell me you don’t want to be part of something that explores this kind of landscape.) Their community is centered around…
A few weeks ago, we were in Venice and I almost walked right into the canal because I saw a lady with an insulin pump on her waist and a CGM sensor on her arm, speaking Italian to the shopkeeper and casually wearing her pancreas on her hip. The flurried rush of emotions – excitement, understanding, the urge to shout “one…
Over on the Tandem website, there’s a new bit about traveling with diabetes (that I helped craft up), and that went live this morning. You can read more here: But it made me think about my travel experiences this past weekend (I was in Seattle for the ConnecT1D retreat – more on that in a few days, as I’m waiting…
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…
Skipping gluten was once classified as a preference, but the last few weeks have shown me – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that gluten is not “guten” for my gut. It feels good, figuring out what was causing so much chaos, and I feel more human, and much healthier. So all that “oooh, so healthy!!” stuff aside, going…
Most of the time, I make sure I know two phrases whenever I’m traveling abroad – “I have type 1 diabetes,” and “Where is the bathroom?” – because … because. Diabetes might require more planning ahead when it comes to travel, but it can be done, and Sarah from Coffee & Insulin is proving that with every stamp in her…
Every time I travel, I go through the same routine to prepare for the trip: The night before, my suitcase is packed. My medical bag, a bright orange packing cube that I bought probably while hypoglycemic at Target, houses all of my medical supplies: bottle of insulin, insulin pen, infusion sets for pump site changes, pump cartridges, Toughpad for CGM…
Missed Manners.
Blood Sugars, Diabetes Advocacy, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, Robot Life, TravelingSo this popped up as a Q&A in a recent Miss Manners column: “DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a businessman who frequently flies both domestically and internationally. I also happen to be an insulin-dependent diabetic. I currently do my glucose testing in my seat. It does involve using a lancet device to get a drop of blood to test, but…
Last week, we were at the airport to travel to Marco Island for the CWD Family Weekend. And we were NOT traveling light, by any stretch. Chris and I had our suitcases, our laptops, and my diabetes supplies (infusion sets, insulin, test strips, glucose tabs, etc) stashed in a carry on. Oh, and we also had that giggly baby BSparl,…