This 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…
It’s Complicated.
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Complications, SUM in Other PlacesLooking in the Windows.
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Complications, Healthcare, Real Life DiabetesFollowing through on these eye doctor appointments at Joslin’s eye clinic usually means carving out 5+ hours in the day. Even though Rhode Island is assumed to have a short commute to Boston proper, with traffic it can take two hours to get into the city. Which means that for a 1.30 pm appointment, we had to leave the house…
What A High Blood Sugar Feels Like.
Blood Sugars, Diabetes Advocacy, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesThe American Diabetes Association cites the following symptoms as indicative of high blood sugar: High blood glucose [Editor’s note: Duh] High levels of sugar in the urine Frequent urination Increased thirst And if high blood sugar goes untreated? “Hyperglycemia can be a serious problem if you don’t treat it, so it’s important to treat as soon as you detect it….
Filling Back Up.
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Complications, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesIt whispered in my ear two January’s ago, when a low blood sugar came too close to becoming terrifying as I felt the whoosh of that bullet go by. I’d never felt anything like that before, that aftermath of fear and numbness. Then I marked twenty six years with type 1 diabetes, and I just wanted to outrun this disease,…
You Want to Try Again?
Diabetes Community, Diabetes Complications, Diabetic Mommy, Real Life Diabetes“You want to try again?” “Yep.” http://youtu.be/KxRadetesYU (Thanks for your comments and emails yesterday. The support found in these kinds of patient communities help so many of us to keep trying … again and again and again. Thanks for what you’ve done for me, and what you do for so many. Now go outside and roll down a hill,…
A few weeks ago, I was diagnosed with macular edema. It’s a complication you can’t see, one that I can’t see until I can’t see. Sophisticated computer equipment and camera technology have afforded me the opportunity to find out early, giving me the chance to track this issue closely and opt for aggressive treatment options (laser surgery, medicated eye drops,…