Being 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…
Dino Days
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, RelationshipsSo yeah, I tried to restart the Dexcom G6 sensor. And it didn’t work. No offense, Dexcom. I respect your work and I love, love the data from this device. My health is, without fail, better for the introduction of a CGM into my life. But this shit is expensive, and cost is often a deterrent for folks trying to…
Disclosure: I received my Dexcom G6 as part of the initial PR roll out, once it was approved and available. I am also part of the Dexcom Warriors program. But my supplies all go through insurance and my deductible is gross. For more on my disclosures, click here. I wasn’t home when my Dexcom G6 kit arrived at the…
First impressions of the Dexcom G6 on the blog tomorrow, but today it’s all about the old song that I pretended not to know all the words to. Popping Dexcoms in my legs, like active beta No need to calibrate, I’m throwing out mad data Sippin’ coffee in my ride, in my ride, A1C 6? ‘Cause that Dexcom’s on my…
The Diabetic Survivor: Interview with the Artist
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Real Life DiabetesI love when diabetes goes visible. Artistic interpretations of life with diabetes are my favorite, because they have this way of distilling diabetes down to a single image that says so much. I felt that way when I stumbled upon thediabeticsurvivor’s Instagram account, where simple drawings spoke volumes about the emotional baggage of diabetes. I love how his work peels back…
A few months ago, I stumbled upon StayPut Medical and tried one of these overlay tapes out over a Dexcom G5 sensor. And even with a history of wonky adhesive issues and easily irritated skin, this tape helped my sensor hold tight, without issue. Thankful for the free trial sample and eager to share this “simple solution” with you…
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?”…
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…
Victoza for T1D: A Few Weeks In.
Blood Sugars, Diabetes Products, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesI’m on my fourth week of Victoza. Here’s the good, the bad, and the reminder that none of this even remotely resembles medical advice for the love of Loopy. THE GOOD: My numbers have been excellent. Truly excellent. And I’m the last person who is going to post perfect CGM graphs all the live long day because I have always struggled…
A Look at Body Posi Betes
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Complications, Diabetes Online Community, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesA few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Georgie Peters when I was visiting Australia. This woman is a force – a combination of positivity and raw honesty, writing about her lived experience with type 1 diabetes. She’s written here before and today she’s visiting SixUntilMe to talk about her latest social movement of combining body positivity and diabetes….
Visualizing Diabetes
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes Complications, Healthcare, Mental Health, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesLast week, I had the pleasure of connecting with Katie McCurdy through my work at The Patient Revolution, and she and I talked about her health visualization tool, Pictal. (That interview can be found on the Patient Revolution blog.) From the article: “Pictal is a set of worksheets that patients can use to create a health history timeline and show…