Mindfulness and diabetes go hand in hand. The actual definition = a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. Your mind is a powerful tool and one I hope you use in your daily diabetes management.
It has been an incredibly busy two weeks so I decided to spend my first day off deep cleaning my home. Happy Sunday to me. I have a confession, cleaning makes me happy and I know the rest of my week will be more productive because everything is in it’s place.
I kicked off my cleaning spree around 10:30am and even put on gym shorts and running shoes. I wanted to be on my game for this day long adventure. At around 2pm I realized I had about 412 projects going and most of them were about 64% complete. Bed is stripped and sheets are in the dryer, shower is ready to scrub and dust bunnies are begging for mercy. Unless the bunnies can pay rent, I am evicting them and their friends.
At some point around 2:45 it dawns on me that I’m not completing anything. DING, DING, DING… this sounds like low blood sugar. (more…)
You would think with 30 years of diabetes under my belt I would have a pretty good handle on this disease, but I’m still amazed by how my blood sugar affects my body. A recent middle of the night low reminded me of an interesting conversation I had years ago.
Barbara, my former high school teacher and recently diagnosed adult Type 1, was kind enough to attend an outdoor event I was hosting. She sat down next to me as I was suffering a serious low blood sugar (sweaty, not able to put together a complete thought, etc.). We cursed how the serious lows seem to pop up at the most inopportune times. She has a dry sense of humor, which I totally appreciate, and made a comment that only women living with T1D could understand – “Menopause will be nothing – you experience the equivalent of an unbearable hot flash with any major low blood sugar.” Good to know!! This inspired me to to compare the symptoms of menopause (Healthline.com) and diabetes.
Similarities:
Hot Flashes – Hot flashes can be a sudden feeling of heat either in the upper portion of your body or all over. Your face and neck might turn red, and you may feel sweaty or flushed. The intensity of a hot flash can range from mild to very strong, even waking you from sleep.
Every T1D has woken up in a pool of sweat or even worse – had a sweatfest during a social event.
I came across an article, The Truth About the Ice Bucket Challenge by VOX.com, that sparked a bit of anger. As someone in the non-profit world, charitable gifts are a HUGE component to the success of your organization or cause, and in my industry we have to be transparent as to what the donation will be used for (capital improvements, programming, general operation expenses, etc). The recent ALS challenge and the statistics from this article brought that gut wrenching question to the surface – where is this money going? Will it focus on finding a cure or just advancing methods/medications to treat the disease. Both are very important, but my blood begins to boil knowing that a few companies actually benefit from the focus being on medications instead of a cure. (more…)
Since my diagnosis date, I only recall a handful of occasions when I’ve actually addressed my thoughts about having diabetes. I’ve allowed my anger to surface when an uncomfortable situation personally or professionally reared it’s head. I knew it was 100% this damn disease – BUT I never shared my inner thoughts and consumed myself with anxiety and hate. I’ve always been amazed that my physicians could break down the chemistry of my very being (carb ratios, correction factor, etc), but my mental state was never even brought up. No one ever told me it was okay to be angry!
As an adult, I choose to address the dark rooted fears and feelings of utter universal defeat. I had allowed the negative thoughts and energy to fester, effecting every part of my life. One day when I have the courage, I’ll write about the moments that broke me and allowed me cry in the dark – wondering… WHY ME? The Diabetes Daily Grind has fueled my desire to address my feelings. I hope our stories will help you reach a new level of self acceptance.
When the negative thoughts try to creep in, I do my best to face them by practicing the following: (more…)
We recently came across an article by Healthline.com that had us both laughing and crying. CLICK HERE to read the article. It is so nice to know that others get it and can join us in laughing about the daily struggles of living with this disease.
We are particularly fond of the following:
#2 – You have an entire drawer, dresser or, or closet devoted to diabetes supplies.
#7 – Your fingers appear to spell something in braille.
#10 – You should test your blood sugar six times a day, but insurance only approved you for one strip a week.
#17 – You find used test strips in your refrigerator, but don’t know how they got there.
#29 – To lick or to wipe? That is the question. (I never knew that licking was an option until I met Ryan).
The Grind has created a few additions to this list. Hope you enjoy. (more…)
I’ve been pool side or in the ocean for a good part of the summer. Life is good. Last weekend, I was hanging with my women’s group (think book club with no books) in one of their pools and after four hours of sun bathing, fruit and cocktails, we moved to the hot tub. As most PWDs know, the hot tub is a taboo area in our world. I love the bubbly hot water and can’t help myself. While relaxing the muscles in somewhat steamy water, I happened to notice my wrinkly digits. They’re never pretty, but my tips seemed to be more frightening than the others. Upon close inspection, we realized my calloused fingers were not from working in the yard or weight lifting…. it was a war zone of finger pricks!
Viacyte, a San Diego based regenerative health/drug company, set off ripples of hope and relief in the diabetes community. We’ve been dreaming of drinking coffee without blood sugar spikes, running an hour without being low for the next hour, and not having to smother my pump’s low battery alarm during meetings.
Here’s a quick review of the announcement—Viacyte is moving forward with an application, to the FDA, to initiate Phase I/II clinical trials in Type 1 diabetes patients. They’re testing safety and efficacy of an implantable device that secretes insulin through enclosed stem cells, turned to pancreatic beta cells, effectively removing the need for diabetics to take insulin. Found on Viacyte’s website, here’s their grandiose take on the product’s possibilities:
“In short, ViaCyte’s VC-01 combination product has the potential to transform the way diabetes care is managed. The product could be a virtual cure for type 1 diabetes and an important new therapy for insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes.”
The DDG has officially embarked on our first road trip. We set out for Emerald Isle, North Carolina somewhat early last Sunday. Ryan’s car was packed to the rooftop with Amber’s ridiculous luggage (ample amount of clothing and shoes for any social situation) and Ryan’s athletic crap (bike, camping gear, etc.) The one thing that both DDG’ers combined their efforts on included groceries, LOTS of groceries. We packed fresh fruit & veggies, nuts, trail mix, blue corn chips, salsa, hummus, some weird vegan stuff , cashew butter, good beer and red wine. North Carolina here we come!!! (more…)
Diabetes folks are frequently asked, “Does that hurt?” after we prick our fingers. Well… yes and no. Once you’ve stuck yourself 87,000 times (a figure calculated by the high school Algebra class I taught in 2013-14), the pain of the stick can be coolly dismissed by a simple “I’m used to it”. When the pain exits the familiar experience and enters the realm of pain experienced when the nurses test my sugar, that’s when I usually switch lancets. (more…)
