My Kid Will Never Be A Soldier (Thank God)

Joining the military is quite the process. Let's focus on the medical piece of it, for just a minute. This is my stab at infusing Diabetes Awareness Month and Veteran's Day. I googled "Can people with diabetes join the military" and came up with this information. Not only can you not have diabetes, you can't have: gastritis, anal fissures, artificial openings (wtf), anemia, braces, gout, hyperthyroidism (I have this), endometriosis, hermaphroditism, scurvy, missing thumbs or big toes, the list goes on and on. I can't make this shit up people, that's why I attached the link. I was really looking for a yes or no answer, what I got was so much more entertaining.

Okay. Why am I glad my baby will never be a soldier/sailor/airman? There's the obvious reason. There's a war going on people! I already worry about her every second of every day, the last thing I need is for her to go off to war. The second reason, probably the bigger reason: I know what goes on when 18-year-old kids join the military! I know what happens when 18-year-old girls join the military. I was one of them! I'm not going to go into detail, not too much anyway, but there are a LOT of men in the military. In fact, there are more than twice as many men that women. Also, when you're 18 and in the military some rules just don't seem to apply like they do in the civilian world. I was stationed at Ft. Polk Louisiana right out of high school (after basic and AIT). We could go to the bars in town or on base and get trashed! Just like the "old" folks. We could buy alcohol on base, as though we were old enough to drink. In fact, I can't think of anything the 21 and older soldiers were doing that we were ever excluded from.

Don't get me wrong, we had fun! (Don't worry ya'll. I'm not going to call you out or go into detail.) We built friendships and formed our own family units that will last a lifetime. I abso-freaking-lutely loved my experience in the military. It's just not something I want for DJ. I can't imagine how my mother must have worried about me. I'm also not completely crazy; I know DJ will make similar mistakes and have similar experiences. I guess I will have to take some solace in knowing she won't be adding the element of potential danger to the mix.

Everybody Makes Mistakes

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I can be a FREAK when it comes to DJ, diabetes and the combination of the two. As crazy as I can get, as perfect as I try to be, even I make some diabetes mistakes.

*Had to call DJ out of class in the 1st grade to give her insulin shot that she should have gotten at breakfast.
*Went to a friends house 30 minutes away, settled in for dinner and realized the insulin was still at home in the fridge.
*Waited until the last minute to buy insulin only to remember that Kaiser pharmacies close early and spending an hour on the phone with baby-daddy trying to get insulin from Walgreen's.
*Paid three times as much for one bottle of said insulin than I would for 90 days worth at Kaiser.
*Too much insulin coupled with not enough food.
*Forgetting to add insulin to DJ's pump before bedtime, causing the pump alarm to go off in the middle of the night. Incessantly.
*Detaching the empty pump from DJ's body and shoving it under the mattress to shut it up.
*Removing the pump from under the mattress and putting it in the kitchen drawer to finally silence it.
*Every time we go to sushi I forget to have DJ take insulin. Do you know how many carbs are in sushi?

This is just what I could think of on the spot. I'm sure there are so many more mistakes I've made on this diabetes journey. I feel better knowing I'm not the only one. Thankfully I've made friends with some other amazing women who have the same kinds of things. When I do something really stupid I just shoot a message to one of my fellow t1d moms and before I know it they have me laughing at myself.

Dia-wuh???

Diabulimia is a term I came across a few years ago when researching complications of diabetes. For me, knowing the possible complications of diabetes helps me to freak out a lot less than being in the dark. Fear of the unknown and all that. In order to understand the seriousness of diabulimia it's important to understand exactly how diabetes works.

This is the way insulin works. When we eat anything with carbohydrates our bodies beta cells produce insulin. This insulin turns the glucose in our body into energy. You might be surprised at what foods contain carbs; it's not just breads and pastas. Fruits, vegetables (peas & corn especially), milk, yogurt, sports drinks (gatorade), juice, regular soda, nuts, ice cream, beans, soups all have varying amounts of carbohydrates. There is a misconception that people with diabetes eat too much sugar or should not have sugar. Diabetics, like anyone else, need carbs. Also, like anyone else they should try to eat more healthy carbs than unhealthy carbs.

In a person with type 1 diabetes, the beta cells (contained in the pancreas) gradually stop producing insulin. With nothing in the system to lower blood sugar, it continues to rise. If left untreated high blood sugar leads to serious complications, one of which is weight loss, and eventually death. Treatment is multiple daily injections of insulin and constant monitoring of glucose levels in the blood. It's a pain the ass, it's uncomfortable for the diabetic and it can be heartbreaking for the family to watch.

Now, what exactly is diabulimia? Diabulimia is when a person reduces or skips insulin doses in order to increase blood sugar and ultimately in order to lose weight quickly. This article can answer your questions about diabulimia. I don't know enough about it to confidently explain the disorder. What I do know is that it scares the hell out of me and that all of us need to be aware of this disorder. Diabulimia is not recognized as a medical disorder. Yet. Hopefully with time and with an increase in awareness we can change that.

Giving the Gift of Funding A Cure

So I am at work today just perusing the internet (if you tell on me I'll deny it) and I came across this really cool website. I'm always on the lookout for something new to advertise diabetes awareness and right now I'm looking for some new shirts for DJ. The queen of the t-shirt! If I find a shirt or two for myself, that would be cool too.

This website has many items you can personalize, which is pretty exciting... to me anyway. They have awareness gear for diabetes, autism, cancer, heart disease, down syndrome; the list goes on and on. So, if you're looking for any personlized awareness gear (and really, who isn't) check this out. I even found a little something for a couple of my fellow t1d moms, if you're reading this I bet you know who you are. I'd post a picture, but I want it to be a surprise.

Absolutely the best part of this is that when I went to check out I was shown how much of my payment is going to awareness. It was about 50%!!! Well, that just made me happier than... looking for a euphemism, all I can come up with are naughty ones... let me just say I was very pleased. Anyway, along with informing me how much is going to a cause it gave me the opportunity to pick a cause from their list. I think this is shear genius and I'm sure I will be hitting up this site again. Soon.

Celebreties With Type 1 Diabetes

In no particular order...

Nick Jonas~Singer (He wrote a song about it. Wanna hear it? Here it goes.)
Gary Hall~Olympic gold medal swimmer
Elliot Yamin~American Idol contestant
Mary Tyler Moore~Actress & JDRF spokes person
Crystal Bowersox~American Idol contestant
Jean Smart~Actress
Dorian Gregory~Actor & Soul Train host (Peace, love & SOUL!)
Bret Michaels~Singer (Cuz his life doesn't suck enough.)
Anne Rice~Author
Damon Dash~CEO and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records
Sonia Sotomayer~First hispanic and third female to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court
Jay Cutler~NFL quarterback
Phife Dog~Singer (A Tribe Called Quest = Can I kick it?)

I'm sure this doesn't even scratch the surface. Diabetes does not care about race, color, gender, economic status. It could strike anyone at anytime. Make sure you know the signs of diabetes and have your children tested at their annual check-ups. If their pediatrician does not normally test, ask them about it. Without treatment, diabetes kills. Remember that insulin is not a cure, it is life support.

***Halle Berry is a moron who claims she went from type 2 to type 1, which is impossible. I only mention her because if you google "celebrities with type 1 diabetes" you will most likely find her.

Type 1 Diabetes 101

I was going through my old blogs and not once have I written about type 1 diabetes. I know, I know. I write about our experiences with type 1 diabetes all the time, but apparently I have not educated you all on what it actually is. I have told you what it's like to live with t1d but not what is going on inside the body of a t1 diabetic.

This video can explain it better than I ever could. I absolutely HEART this video.

I must take my leave now. Going on my very first run with my very beautiful daughter.

Fast Food Is Bad

This is such a total DUH statement, right? Fast food is bad for you. Especially for someone with diabetes. Right? DJ definitely should not eat fast food! Ever!

HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU PEOPLE? DJ CAN EAT ANYTHING IN MODERATION!!!

Okay, another duh statement is that nobody should be eating fast food. However we all do it sometimes. I'm sure of it. If you say you never, ever, ever do... I'll say you're lying. If you really insist that you never eat fast food I might believe you, but I am positive we all eat out at some kind of chain restaurant at some point in time. That being said... counting carbs at a restaurant can be a bitch! This little baby has saved lives! Our lives! Many, many times. We have one in the house and one in the car and when we lose it I freak out!

This little book has all the nutrition information for most chain restaurants. It is lovely to be able to order something, open this book and find all the info I need at my finger tips. Guessing carb information usually ends up with extreme highs or lows, so to be able to get the count right and keep on keeping on is a wonderful feeling.

Shout out to Burgerville and McDonald's (yes, I said McDonald's) for putting nutrition information on either the receipt or food packaging. We usually only eat fast food if we are in a hurry and knowing that these two chains provide the information I need in a rush will actually encourage me to choose one of them over another chain.

For today. That is all. I have a warm Subway sandwhich calling my name. I looked it up in the book, it has about 35grams of carbs. Not too shabby.

What Could Be Worse Than Diabetes

I'm a half glass full kind of girl. So, instead of complaining about diabetes, today I'm going to list 10 things that could be worse than having a child with diabetes, my child in particular. In my opinion of course.

10) Water boarding
9) Living in Louisiana (I know, I've done it.)
8) A really bad first date.
7) Unemployment
6) Stupidity/Ignorance/Bigotry/Racism
5) Being pitied
4) Chocolate allergy.
3) Cancer. After the initial shock of DJ's diagnosis wore off I kept thanking God that it's not cancer.
2) Insulin shortages.
1) Not having a child at all.

Wow. Diabetes doesn't seem so bad! Today.

Diabetes Awareness Month

Hey ya'll! Yesterday was the first day of diabetes awareness month! You know I couldn't let it pass without making an opportunity to shed some light on the chronic illness that is diabetes! (*side note: Why is marijuana called chronic?)

Sorry, I got sidetracked.

Signs and symptoms of type 1 & type 2 diabetes:

  Type 1 Diabetes

• Frequent urination
• Unusual thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Extreme fatigue and Irritability

 

Type 2 Diabetes*

• Any of the type 1 symptoms
• Frequent infections
• Blurred vision
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet
• Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections

*Often people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms

If you have any of these symptoms PLEASE get checked out. Diabetes can be devastating if left untreated! If you have a family history of diabetes ask for regular screenings. Testing for diabetes can be done with a simple urine and/or blood test and not all diabetes needs to be treated with injections.

Halloween Aftermath

First of all, DJ was very hesitant on going trick-or-treating last night. Why? She has inherited her mothers insecurities. Poor girl. I just hope she's not well into her 30's before she starts getting over that. Anywho. She went and she had a blast.

When DJ got home last night around 9:00 p.m. she had quite a nice little haul of candy, too bad I hadn't been able to unload the 10lbs or so I have at home, and we promptly began sifting through it to see what "we" got. She said she had one or two pieces while she was out with her friends and wanted candy and apple cider for her snack. Inside I cringed, but I okay'd it. This time. So she found six small pieces and grabbed a too large glass of cider and settled in to eat. Of course she didn't measure the cider so I was guessing at carb count. All I could think about was how this was totally going to mess up her numbers, but I kept my mouth shut.

DJ woke up about 4:00 a.m. and got into my bed. I had her test, like I always do when she wakes up in the middle of the night and she was 179. What the what??? This is a GREAT number btw. I'm happy to say that the halloween aftermath consisted only of her being way too tired this morning and complaining when I made her get out of bed at 7:00 a.m. A whole hour later than usual.

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Diabetes 0