This was part of my daughter’s school work* last week: What about the thing that I am certain will happen today? I will have a rough blood sugar roller coaster. – nope. That’s not a certainty. Today’s been pretty mellow, to be honest. The temperature will be exactly 72 degrees and sunny today – nope. I live in New England….
Dino Days
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, RelationshipsBeing diagnosed with diabetes as a child twists time, making me feel like I’m not terribly old but that my diabetes is ancient and withered. Looking back at an online journal that chronicles almost half my life with diabetes paints me as a digital dinosaur, one whose story and community has evolved in response to time, technology, and ability. The…
Your mama so awesome that she dragged measuring cups and a tiny scale to restaurants so she could accurately carb count your food. Your mama so awesome that she hand-fed you graham crackers while you had a logic-defying low on the kitchen floor. Your mama so awesome she woke up in the middle of the night to check your blood…
Dear little man, So … monthly letters? I’ve kind of fallen off the wagon in terms of keeping up with those. But I have a good excuse: you. Kid, you are busy. You don’t sit still. You like moving. You laugh loudly and then run off while simultaneously escaping from your shirt and shoes (how do you do that?). And…
Before I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I started wetting the bed. I was six years old. We didn’t know to check for diabetes. I wasn’t exhibiting any other symptoms. But on a somewhat regular basis, my mother was changing my sheets and I was turning my pajamas into soggy bottoms. “What do we do? What should we do?”…
The One About Steel Magnolias
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetic Mommy, Infertility and Pregnancy, Real Life DiabetesI 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…
That’s Not My Pancreas!
Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Poetry, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesMy home is awash with children’s books, and I keep making the diabetes versions in my head. It’s a hard habit to break. Which brings me to today’s post, a parody of the “That’s Not My …” series of books that have taken over the little Guy’s bookshelf. This one is called “That’s Not My Pancreas!!” …
In the course of my experiences as an advocate for diabetes, I’ve had people ask me what my parents did to help me become a well-adjusted adult with diabetes. And after I stop laughing at the clearly loose definition of the phrase “well-adjusted,” I realize that I have the support of my friends and family to thank for my diabetes…
“Instead of mints, we’d get glucose tabs.”
Blood Sugars, Diabetes and Family, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesBEEP! BEEP! BEEP! “Mom, is your blood sugar low?” I checked my pump and saw the Dexcom low alarm flagging me at 64 mg/dL and dropping. “Yeah, I am.” “But we just had breakfast?” My daughter knows that I take insulin for the food I eat, and couldn’t reconcile why I’d be low after breakfast. “We did, but I forgot to…
I read a post on Facebook this morning about a mom who spent a few hours by her kid’s bedside, monitoring a low blood sugar and keeping the snacks at the ready. I thought about my own mom, who carried the bulk of the diabetes burden so that I didn’t have to, and how life felt normal because she made…
Do You Hate Diabetes?
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Mental Health, Psychosocial SupportI asked some friends on Facebook if they hated diabetes, and the answers* were as varied as the folks responding: “I hate it, the hassle, and the complications but I do not hate the growth amd strength I’ve achieved or the family I’ve gained because of it.” “I don’t hate it as a thing but it does annoy me. At…