Sweet and Sour- The Type 1 Diabetes Rollercoaster

So I've had a shocker of a day, thanks to a mishap in one of my exams. This time, it wasn't because of a high or low blood sugar, but because of a lack of communication, issues with diabetic provisions for exams and quite frankly, sheer stupidity. I'm not going into the ins and outs of the situation, but there's going to be a lot of paperwork :P It's times like this where I think how much easier everything would be if I didn't have diabetes. All of the hassle and the bother the school has to go do, plus double the bother I have to deal with when they get things wrong is insane. It's almost like you're a burden on the school, it's all too hard. It'd be nice to have something easy, to be a normal student sitting a normal exam with normal teen pressures during the hsc. But enough of the whinging, diabetes has given me a lot (maybe not quite a much as it has taken) but still, I'm a better person.  But like any normal person,...

so now I'm one of THOSE bloggers, you know the ones 'I'll update on Thursday' Yup... sorry It's been a while :/ Unfortunately, I'm doing this little thing called the HSC and it's successfully eating my life. However with my chemistry exam over and done with I have a little time (who am I kidding, this is purely procrastination in order to avoid studying English). Sure, I don’t expect everyone on the face of the Earth to know about Type 1 diabetes, but sometimes people come out with the most ridiculous and insulting things that it makes me wonder, where the heck did they get THAT from?!  For now, here’s the top 10 list of the most ridiculous, not to mention common,  things people have said to me after I've uttered the words ‘I’m a type 1 diabetic.’ 10) Oh you’re a diabetic? My grandmother/aunt/grandfather/uncle died from that… oh… sorry. 9) You know you can cure that? Good diet and exercise does the trick, that’s been cured for years! 8) Oh...

So I don't really know if anyone will see this, but hopefully this survey can get out :) I'm currently completing my HSC (the highest secondary qualification in NSW, Australia) and as a part of this I am conducting research into how the media presents diabetes. Blog readers (it seems I have a few), I need your help! If you are a diabetic, please follow this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q2D2GNV If you are a non diabetic and haven't completed this survey (either in paper or digital format), please follow this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QCMC95X Thank you! Back to regular posts on Thursday :)

Phew, blog week has been pretty demanding so I'm looking forward to getting back to my style of posts! Now I'm meant to link the blogs I've stumbled across thanks to diabetes blog week, and they're pretty amazing! 1) k2 at http://diabetesaliciousness.blogspot.com She's brilliant, there aren't any other words for how amazing her sense of humour is. As always reading her posts has made me smile. 2) Meri at ourdiabeticlife.com is inspirational and gives me a bit of a look into what it must be like to be a mum of a diabetic.  Now that this blog week is over, I thought I'd share todays diabetes drama! RD presents: that time I accidentally OD'd on insulin ... so this happened last night! So it was 10.30 and time for my blood sugar check. I'd been the perfect student, totally prepared for todays exams and heading to bed early. But no, I made one mistake. Typing my blood sugar into my insulin pump, I sat with bleary, glazed eyes attem...

The title is pretty self explanatory today! Now, I'm not artistic, seriously, there isn't one artistic bone in my body. So when I saw this I cringed. But in the spirit of blog week here you go- my attempt at art without actually doing anything artistic! (To the non-diabetics out there, the blue circle is the symbol of diabetes, mine is made up of insulin pump infusion sets. The t1d of course is for type 1 diabetes and is skillfully (not) crafted out of blood sugar test strips)

Well this is REALLY late but here goes ' Just like  in the movie , today we’re doing a swap. If you could switch chronic diseases, which one would you choose to deal with instead of diabetes? And while we’re considering other chronic conditions, do you think your participation in the DOC has affected how you treat friends and acquaintances with other medical conditions' Switching chronic conditions....  Simply put, I wouldn't. Honestly, I am so lucky to only have diabetes when I have heard of and witnessed far worse. Yes, I have to manage my blood sugar, carbohydrates an insulin, but I'm living a relatively normal life free of pain, for that I am grateful. I think it's important to take a step back sometimes, and realise that things aren't so terrible, and that chronic illness can make you a stronger person in the long run. Is it a perfect life? No. But my life is what I make of it, if I dwell on the bad of course it won't be brilliant! How has the...

' We don’t always realize it, but each one of us had come a long way since diabetes first came into our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s been 5 weeks, 5 years or 50 years, you’ve done something outstanding diabetes-wise. So today let’s share the greatest accomplishment you've made in terms of dealing with your (or your loved one’s) diabetes. No accomplishment is too big or too small - think about self-acceptance, something you’ve mastered (pump / exercise / diet / etc.), making a tough care decision (finding a new endo or support group / choosing to use or not use a technology / etc.).' My accomplishment would have to be going on my very first diabetes camp.  It was a frosty morning in Newcastle as we waited for the bus to take us up to Queensland (I'd never been before!). I looked around and didn't know a single person, but we all shared something in common, our type 1 diabetes. I soon made a friend, happens pretty quickly when you're stuck on a bus for ho...

On to day 3 and to quote bittersweetdiabetes.com ' Today we’re going to share our most memorable diabetes day. You can take this anywhere.... your or your loved one's diagnosis, a bad low, a bad high, a big success, any day that you’d like to share.' My most memorable diabetes day? There's so many, but I guess the most memorable is probably the saddest and the most difficult, the day of my diagnosis. We received a phone call in the early hours of the morning of May 5th 2010 from pathology, telling us that my blood sugar was WAY out of range at 40mmol/L. However, instead of directing us to the emergency department asap, we were told to wait until morning and not to wake me. Looking back on that, it's a bit of a miracle I made it through the night. The sense of fear I felt, you can't really explain. I spent the morning questioning what I could've done wrong to have diabetes (after some googling of symptoms it was my first guess). I thought I had ty...

'Recently various petitions have been circulating the Diabetes Online Community, so today let’s pretend to write our own . Tell us who you would write the petition to – a person, an organization, even an object (animate or inanimate) - get creative!! What are you trying to change and what have you experienced that makes you want this change?' A petition: To the know-it-all celebrity TV hosts Dear celebrity know-it-all, I RD, am writing this petition in order to put a stop to your reckless antics. You prance around as though you know far more about my diabetes than I do, which by your obviously flawed logic, isn’t remotely correct. You assume that I have brought my diabetes on myself. You assume that I can cure my diabetes by eating well and jogging around the block every day. You assume that everything is my fault. If you could take a moment to get off your moral high horse, I’ll happily correct you. But you don’t, because you’re right. You’re ALWAYS right. ...

So I just found out about D Blog Week and signed up, though I will be running a little late (just a day :) ) Day 1:  Often our health care team only sees us for about 15 minutes several times a year, and they might not have a sense of what our lives are really like. Today, let’s pretend our medical team is reading our blogs. What do you wish they could see about your and/or your loved one's daily life with diabetes? On the other hand, what do you hope they don't see My health care team? It's pretty amazing. I'm lucky enough to be constantly supported by diabetic educators, dietitians, counsellors and of course my endocrinologist who really is one of the best in his field. They know so much about my diabetes, but sometimes you have to wonder, what do they actually know about me, the person? I wish they could see the support I constantly have around me, and how much their guidance has influenced me. I wish they could see how their lessons have helped me manage day t...

This really is one of the most common questions I get, so I figured I’d explain all of my little machines in a blog post :) 1) This is a fingerpricker. There are many different types of fingerpricker, from various companies using different kinds of technology. Basically, this little machine makes a tonne of noise in quiet rooms, but has the useful advantage of checking my blood sugar. It’s pretty simple, click the pen looking thing on your finger, place the blood on the machine tip and boom, there’s your blood sugar (if only mine was always as nice as 5.8, at last check it was hovering at 16) (dooyoo.co.uk) 2) These are insulin pens, no, they don’t also function as a pen (seriously, people have asked). Attached to the top is a needle used to inject insulin (note- it's clear and smells terrible for those that have asked) into the stomach, or for some people, arms and legs. You basically need to work out your blood sugar, and then take a bit of a guess (with some guid...

Dear Mum, If you’re reading this, welcome to my blog! :) I don’t really say it often enough, you are the most fantastic mother imaginable. You couldn’t find a more caring, kind-hearted, intelligent, hilarious person. Your strength is something I’ve always looked up to, and I hope that one day I’ll be able to be as strong as you. You can be tough as nails, but only with good cause. I look up to you immensely for your ability to stand up for yourself and your intelligence. You take such good care of everyone around you with your sweet and caring nature. My diabetes was something you found difficult to come to terms with, but you managed it.  Sometimes I wonder whether I’m the lucky one, being the mother of a diabetic is a difficult title to have but you manage it so well. You got past your anger, sadness, confusion, self-blame and needle phobia (good thing I didn’t inherit that one!!) to help me as much as possible with my diabetes. From yelling out the carbohydrat...

3am- Check my blood sugar if it was drastically out of range (8-12 mmol/L) at 10.30pm. If it’s low it’s time for Nesquik or fruit juice, if it’s high, more blood sugar testing for ketones and water 5.45- Wake up for school, check blood sugar if there were overnight issues 6.30- Check blood sugar and have breakfast, entering my blood sugar level into my insulin pump and calculating the number of carbohydrates I’ll be eating, injecting the insulin as required. Check my pump for battery life and insulin amounts. 7- Leave the house to catch my bus making sure I’ve packed all of my diabetes supplies (testing kits, sugary foods and drinks, back up pump supplies, batteries, back up insulin pens for emergency injections etc.) 8.30- Check my blood sugar at school to see if I need to eat again before class 9- School begins 10.30- Check blood sugar and repeat the breakfast routine. 12.30pm- Check blood sugar and have more insulin if required 1.30- Check blood sugar and r...

Hypos and type 1 diabetes in general can be quite a nuisance, particularly in the school environment. Sometimes, because of low blood sugars launching surprise attacks, I need to eat during class. Teachers at my school are well aware of this, including substitutes, with my face pinned up in every single staffroom in the school (worst photo ever might I add) with big black letters stating DIABETIC. Now, I could take one standpoint one that, I don’t want to be known as ‘the diabetic’ but hey, if it’ll help these people remember then stick the word on my forehead if you have to! As a rule, my teachers are brilliant and incredibly supportive of me and my diabetes. But sometimes well, sometimes you get the idiots that think they know more about it than you do and need to ‘lay down the law’ in their classroom. Obviously you didn’t get the memo, I’m one of the quiet kids, go attack that one in the corner that won’t stop talking during your lessons. One day, we had a new teacher for a ...

What’s a hypo you ask? Hypoglycaemia is when blood sugar levels drop below 4mmol/L. My definition? The source of some pretty intense stories! Hypos are funny little critters, they sneak up on you. Maybe you had too much insulin, maybe you didn’t eat enough carbs, maybe you spent a little too long on that exercise bike (hah who am I kidding, I barely exercise), or maybe just maybe for no reason at all, your levels drop. But then what happens? DISCLAIMER: In all seriousness, hypo’s can cause death. I’m lucky enough to have some fantastic friends that have quite literally saved my life again and again. If you ever do see someone with these symptoms, offer them something sweet to drink like coke or sweetened fruit juice (only if they’re conscious) and seek medical attention. Well, it varies for everyone, but for me, well I’m a ball of fun when my levels of circulating sugar drop and stop reaching my brain. Common symptoms include paleness, dizziness, fruity smelling breath, d...

I am a type 1 diabetic. And this? Well, this is my attempt at making people understand what type 1 is, and what it’s like. This isn’t a tragic story, this isn’t a plot to gain sympathy, and this isn’t about the plight of a teenager trying to find their place in a world of melodrama. Basically- I’m not aiming for Days of Our Lives here. This is just my life, and I’m hoping that by telling my story, maybe it’ll dispel the myths about what diabetes is, maybe it’ll help a diabetic see they’re not alone. Heck, maybe it’ll improve my writing skills and pass English :) I’m pretty average, I go to school, I play piano, hang out with friends, and I happen to have type 1 diabetes. I guess I should make it clear, I may have type 1, but that doesn’t mean that that’s all I am. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Pretty much, scientists don’t know what causes it exactly. In a non-diabetic, you have a fully func...