Cyber Monday is more my thing than Black Friday. I don’t enjoy fighting crowds at stores and I definitely try to keep things light and minimal when shopping for the holidays, so the clickity-clack, tippity tap kind of shopping is preferred. So in honor of Cyber Monday, I’m using my digital platform to sell copies of my paperback book, Balancing…
It’s Complicated.
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Complications, SUM in Other PlacesThis month, in the most recent edition of The PLAID Journal, I contributed a piece about the complicated questions we get about diabetes, and how our answers are just as complicated. “Is diabetes hard? Yes. And no. There are times when I get mired in some of the tougher moments of diabetes, blowing up balloons by the dozen for a…
My advice when it comes to patient advocacy? “Remember the voice that doesn’t have the chance to raise itself.” Talking about patients, storytelling, and our responsibility as “advocates” with the team at Patients and Purpose. You might also like: These Boots Were Made For Talking. Type 1 Origins: Talking Comic Books with Partha Kar. Talking About Diabetes Burnout. Talking About…
After a long hiatus, I’m back at diaTribe and explaining where the hell I disappeared to: “Diabetes is the dog I don’t like but I still have to be kind to. It barks and occasionally pees on the floor (or worse), it has chewed up at least ten of my shoes, and it jumps up and freaks out whenever the…
Until a few months ago, I didn’t know much about the peer-to-peer support and family connection accomplished by ConnecT1D. It wasn’t until Susan Horst reached out to me to see if I was available to visit for their ConnecT1D retreat that I was thrown into their world of the powerhouse diabetes outreach taking place in the Pacific Northwest. Susan Horst, project manager…
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…
My inbox was not properly maintained while my daughter was on school vacation last week (but let’s be honest – when is it ever properly maintained?), but I’m taking a crack at catching up. I wanted to share a few bits and pieces that were interesting to me, and might be of interest to you. First, this: Okay. Now links:…
The team at Disney’s T1D Everyday Magic asked for some meme’ry from some folks in the community. Here’s mine. (And you know how I feel about cupcakes.) Check out the rest, and for more T1D Memes, there’s a whole awesome site. 🙂 You might also like: Cupcakes for PWD? Yes. No. MAYBE. Spongebob Memes Diabetes Reality, Reframed. When Sleep Becomes…
How is “going back to school” like “going to the endo?” I’m learning more about life’s parallels every day. New column up over at Animas: It reminded me of going to the pediatric endocrinologist’s office when I was a little kid, sitting in the waiting room with my mother. After checking in with the receptionist, my mom and I would…
Awkward Discussions About Sharing CGM Data.
Dexcom, Diabetes Online Community, Psychosocial Support, SUM in Other PlacesSharing CGM data is personal. It’s intimate. And it can be awkward to explain why you would want someone to see your numbers. Or, even more awkwardly, why you wouldn’t. Dr. Polonsky and I put the question of CGM sharing groundrules out a few weeks ago and received some excellent feedback from the community, and over the last few weeks,…
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…
Panel: Challenges in Healthcare Leadership.
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, SUM in Other PlacesYesterday, I took part in a panel discussion at the Executive Master of Healthcare Leadership Class of 2017 Convocation at Brown University (say that three times fast … I sure as hell can’t) and part of our discussion was about leadership in the healthcare space. My fellow panelists were folks who were employed in the healthcare arena (Michael Hudson, EVP…
“What frustrates you most as someone living with diabetes when eating out or attending an event that isn’t necessarily friendly to your dietary needs? How do you overcome those challenges?” Diabetes makes food an out-of-the-gate loaded topic. Food isn’t ever simply nourishment. When I look at a plate of food, I see it as a math problem with a dozen…
Running the Gamut of Emotions.
Diabetes and Emotions, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, SUM in Other PlacesIn my diabetes life, emotions are right up there with insulin and food as influencers of blood sugar management. And I wish it wasn’t so, because stress and excitement are hard to “plan.” (Replace those actual quotation marks with finger quotes, because they fit the bill a bit better.) And the emotions that come up as a result of diabetes…
The Emerging Diabetes Online Community.
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Psychosocial Support, SUM in Other PlacesI’m really proud of this paper, The Emerging Diabetes Online Community, written with Marisa Hilliard, Jeff Hitchcock, Tamara Oser, and Korey Hood, about the diabetes online community and the importance of peer-to-peer support between patients on the Internet. The official abstract: “Diabetes self-management is complex and demanding, and isolation and burnout are common experiences. The Internet provides opportunities for people…
Diabetes Connections, with Stacey Simms.
Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Podcast, Psychosocial Support, SUM in Other PlacesThere’s a new podcast on the … block? On the radio? The Internet. It’s definitely on the Internet. And it’s brought to our community by one of our own – Stacey Simms, mom of a child with type 1 diabetes and a professional broadcast journalist. In her new podcast, Diabetes Connections, Stacey is bringing those two passions together to inform…