Search Results for: a day without diabetes

A Day Without Diabetes, Revisited

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A day without diabetes…it’ll happen, one day. Who knows when. But until that happy time, it’s fun to think about what a day without diabetes would look like for me. Originally, I dreamed up a diabetes-free day 5 years ago (which you can read about here); while what I wrote then is still pretty much 100% true for me now, I think it’s more enjoyable to think about the bigger picture rather than get into the nitty-gritty details – though I definitely wouldn’t say no to any of the specifications I got into my previous post!

What does the bigger picture look like? In a word, bliss. In a list, something like this:

  • Eat whatever the hell I want without repercussions
  • Exercise in any form without my blood sugar levels stopping me
  • Enjoy the silence created by no beeping or alarming devices
  • Embrace a device-free body
  • Evade needles of all shapes and sizes, excess medications, and tiny blood droplets that won’t stain my clothing because they aren’t there
  • Experience peace of mind in knowing that my decisions for the day would not be sway in any form by diabetes

I think it’s that last bullet point that resonates with me more than any of the others – “experience peace of mind”. While I can certainly attain that even while actively managing my diabetes, it’s not quite the same because there’s always a part of me, even if it’s tinier than a speck of dust, that will worry about diabetes. I can’t ever seem to get rid of it. But I could if I were to ever experience a day without diabetes.

That’s why I remain hopeful, if not naively optimistic, that I’ll get to experience one – and many others, to boot, if I want to get really enthusiastic about it – in my lifetime.

Wishful Thinking: A Day Without Diabetes

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I’ve heard the following phrase for just about my entire life:

“There will be a cure for diabetes in the next five years, just wait!”

Uh, I’m still waiting over here. Where’s the aforementioned cure? *Taps foot impatiently*

Screen Shot 2018-03-01 at 9.35.35 PM
It’s fun to fantasize about life with diabetes, especially when you look at the numbers like this.

Oooookay, while I sit here and wait for another 20 years of diabetes to come and go, I’ll daydream. Ooh! I’ll daydream about a day without diabetes. What would it look like for me? I have some ideas…

  • In the morning: I’d wake up feeling incredibly well-rested. That’s because I’d sleep through the night without my CGM going off. After rolling out of bed with a head of perfectly-mussed hair (this is MY fantasy here, so just go with it), I’d head down into the kitchen to indulge in a ginormous cinnamon bun slathered in cream cheese frosting for my breakfast. I’d savor every bite and relish in not having to poke myself with needles multiple times in order to eat the tasty treat.
  • In the afternoon: After actually enjoying a workout at the gym (cue my Anna from Frozen singing voice) for the first time in foreverrrrrr, I’d probably treat myself to a massage/spa day. But a shower first because a masseuse should never have to deal with a smelly and stinky person. You know what would be awesome about that experience? I wouldn’t be worried about my blood sugar all throughout it and I could just appreciate the act of self-care. And for lunch? I’m not a TOTAL junk food junkie – I’d eat a healthy, balanced lunch that day. Perhaps a smoothie bowl laden with fabulous fructose-filled fruits that WOULDN’T spike me? Maybe a massive salad topped with carb-y croutons? The possibilities are endless.
  • In the evening: The day would wind down with a sense of accomplishment, because I would’ve been able to run errands without a single diabetes-related complication slowing me down. I’d glam myself up for a night on the town in which I’d consume one or four cocktails, free from wild swings due to alcohol’s effects on blood sugar. And then I’d run into Kit Harrington (Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, A.K.A. an extraordinary man) and he’d sweep me off my feet and we’d take off into a sunset sans diabetes.

Okay, yeah, I’m definitely stretching my imagination as I picture a couple parts of this day…but it sure is fun to think about life without diabetes.

A Passive Aggressive Email to My Diabetes

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Ah, emails. They’re an effective way to communicate with colleagues, but just like text messages or any other written bit of information, it’s almost always impossible to gauge the tone of an email; thereby, making it really easy to misconstrue the meaning behind some of them.

Some, but not all.

In those other scenarios, it’s obvious what the sender was intending to convey if the email is peppered with particular language that is best characterized as passive aggressive. This language is polite and direct, but maybe said with a little bit of an attitude depending on the context. And almost everyone is guilty of sending an email with passive aggressive language within it, myself included.

There’s scarcely been a single time in which I actually wanted to come across as aggressive, or worse, disrespectful. But by the same token, it can be difficult to mask frustration when something was clearly conveyed in a prior communication or when you’re seeking feedback that nobody is providing to you.

So as I contemplated passive aggressive emails, and the phrases that typically comprise them, it dawned on me that there is definitely an email recipient that I’d love to send a fully charged, passive aggressive communication to…and that is, of course, my diabetes. Without further ado, here’s what I’d say in it:

Dear diabetes,

I wanted to circle back and ask you for an update. Sorry to bother you again, but I’m looking for feedback on how I could improve our working relationship.

As per my last email to you, I want to work smarter, not harder with you. As we discussed, your disruptions throughout my day affect more than just my productivity; moreover, they make it difficult for me to maintain a positive attitude. We both have a shared goal to maintain in-range blood sugars and in order to make that happen, I want to better understand your approach. What kinds of changes, if any, do you need me to make so I can help you thrive? Please advise. I’d be happy to escalate this issue to management, but in order to use time and resources more effectively, I wanted to follow up with you again first.

In order to maintain clarity, it’s important for you to reply at your earliest convenience. This is just my friendly reminder to you that I’d greatly appreciate your input or suggestions. Should you need further clarification, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thanks in advance,

Molly

Oooh, just merely crafting that pretend email made my fingertips tingle with the sarcasm as I typed. I’m not sure I’ve ever written something that was so clearly dripping with frustration and scorn, but I gotta say, it felt kinda nice.

And genuinely, I would greatly appreciate getting some type of response from my diabetes. It’s not like I’m going through burnout right now, but there have been some truly head-scratching moments in my life with diabetes lately that make me go “whyyyyyyyyyyy thoughhhhhhhhhh” in my most whiny tone of voice. Its unpredictability can get a little old, and I just want to know what I could or should be doing differently in order to handle it better.

Guess I’ll just have to find some solace in at least capturing my feelings here, and knowing that the periods of unpredictability will come and go, just as my blood sugar will rise and lower.

Diabetes Representation Matters

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I’ve never really sat and thought about the power of seeing diabetes represented in media. Mostly, if diabetes is ever seen or mentioned in a TV show or podcast, it’s the butt of the joke, or portrayed with the slightest (or extreme, there’s no in-between) inaccuracies.

I guess the only time that I ever really considered it is when I weighed my experience filming a Dexcom G6 commercial (which you can read about here or watch here) against the knowledge that some other diabetes companies don’t have people who actually live with diabetes in their commercials; instead, they hire actors. I was – and still am – beyond grateful that Dexcom chose me and other people living with diabetes to be part of the G6 marketing campaign. It made me feel seen and heard, and perhaps inspired my mild irritation over the fact that other companies have chosen actors to appear in their ads. Actors can certainly pretend to know what it’s like to wear our devices or deal with diabetes 24/7, but the stark reality is that they have no clue – and let me tell you, it’s a lot more difficult than these commercials filled with smiling, happy people portray.

Anyways…the concept of diabetes representation mattering in a variety of contexts was driven home to me when I agreed to participate in a social media campaign for my pole fitness studio. All I knew was that the owner was going to film my very full level 1 class one night, and I had no idea if I’d actually appear in any of the footage selected for the Facebook/Instagram ads. Admittedly, I didn’t really care either way because I was just focused on learning the climbs, spins, and poses taught to us that evening, so I gave my permission to appear in the ads without a second thought. Imagine my surprise when, weeks later, I noticed a 3-second clip of myself climbing woven into one of the ads!

When I first saw it, I was a little embarrassed because I’m just naturally self-conscious and my form looked off in the video. But as days went by and it popped up every now and then on my social media feeds, I grew accustomed to it and let my inhibitions fade away. Any lingering anxieties over my appearance, though, turned into a burst of confidence and pride when this comment on the ad caught my eye one day:

Love that you feature someone with an insulin pump!

It’s funny how 9 words written by a total stranger on the Internet made me feel so good. It really serves as proof that representation does make a difference in defeating diabetes stigma and giving a normally invisible chronic illness greater visibility.

Thank you, random person who commented on this ad, for reinforcing that almost-forgotten notion for me.

Four Signs of Diabetes in the Summertime

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This blog post was originally published on Hugging the Cactus on June 19, 2020. I’m sharing it again today because truth be told, I needed to hype myself up a bit about having my diabetes devices be a lot more visible during the summer months. As I’ve gotten older I’ve grown less comfortable having them on display, but it’s inevitable when I’m wearing short sleeves, shorts, or a bathing suit. Read on to learn about the other things that make diabetes a little less invisible in the summertime…

Sun’s out, guns pumps out, amirite guys?

The summertime season is in full swing, and now that it’s here I’m thinking of the various ways my diabetes is more pronounced in the warmer weather. It’s much more visible, leading to many more questions, but what are the cues that give it away to others? I thought of four…

Visible sites. Shorts-and-t-shirts weather makes it much harder to place pods or CGM sensors in discrete locations. And if I’m going to the beach? There’s no way that I can even attempt to hide my devices. That’s probably why I make them even more obvious with…

…Pump and sensor art. I’ve written about Pump Peelz and GrifGrips in the past – they make adhesives and skins that are specially designed to fit pods, PDMs, pumps, meters, and more. The products they make are truly little works of art for diabetes devices, and I like to make sure all of mine are decked out in the summer months so I can show off tech that’s not only functional, but also stylish.I’m looking forward to donning my best beach-y Pump Peelz on what I hope will be many trips to the beach this summer.

It’s tough to “hide” diabetes in the summer when short sleeves and tank tops become wardrobe staples.

Gadget tan lines. Or if you’re like me, it’s more like sunburn lines. That’s because each summer, without fail, I somehow manage to neglect the space around my pod or my sensor, so when it’s time to remove it, there’s a huge red circle around the perimeter of where the device was situated. Maybe this year I’ll actually learn my lesson and take the time to apply sunscreen properly so I can avoid the very not-cute sunburn circles.

Travel coolers. This is probably the least obvious sign of diabetes in the summertime, but to those in the know, coolers meant to protect insulin are pretty recognizable compared to regular coolers. Whether it’s a Frio cooling pouch or another brand of insulin cooler, people with diabetes tend to carry these throughout the summer months in order to prevent insulin from spoiling due to heat exposure.

10,000 Steps a Day to Keep Blood Sugars at Bay?

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Without a doubt, insulin injections are primarily responsible for keeping my blood sugar levels in range.

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t also consider how movement factors into the equation.

Yup, gettin’ steppin’ is key in helping me maintain tighter control over my blood sugars. If my levels start spiking after a meal or a snack – and I didn’t pre-bolus my insulin – then I start walking for as little as 15 minutes as a surefire means of getting my number back down. If I need to get up during my workday for a quick stretch and blood sugar level-set, I start stepping. If my blood sugar is higher than I’d like it to be before I go to sleep at night, then you guessed it: I get those steps in, whether it’s just marching in place or literally doing laps around my tiny condo.

I don’t always get 80,000+ steps per week, but when I do, it’s a terrific feeling!

All this movement not only means that I hit my daily step goal of 10,000 steps, but it has also obviously proven successful in helping me deal with high blood sugars (the kinda, sorta high ones and the really, super-duper high ones). In the case of the latter, I’ve found that coupling a dose of insulin with 10-20 minutes of movement is really effective in bringing me back within range in about 45 minutes, whereas I might have to wait an hour or more if I rely on the insulin alone. That shows how powerful – and so stinkin’ simple – it is to get those 10,000 steps in on a given day.

The added bonus? It feels good to get all that movement in a day, especially considering I spend 40+ hours a week sitting at a desk for my job. My body, my mind, and my diabetes benefit so greatly from it, and it’s been part of my routine for so long that I know that I can consider my 10,000 steps a day a permanent part of my diabetes management toolkit.

How I Handle my Diabetes Devices and TSA Scrutiny

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Traveling with diabetes is stressful enough. Add concerns over taking medical devices (not to mention insulin and other supplies) through TSA security and it can be a downright nightmare, especially when the TSA does something unexpected – as I wrote about here in my blog post describing my worst-ever TSA experience.

That single traumatic incident aside, my travel record consists of positive TSA encounters, most of which I attribute to me getting accustomed to what I should expect each time I’m at the airport. Here’s what’s worked well for me over the years, which I share with the caveat that this is me simply describing my own experience and what I’m most comfortable with – it will vary among people with diabetes:

  • I have TSA pre-check. Traveling with TSA pre-check means that I spend far less time waiting in line to get my bags and ID checked. Not only do I breeze through to the first security checkpoint, but I also skip the hassle of removing my shoes or my laptop/other possessions from my suitcase, making the whole airport screening process that much smoother and faster. I do believe that, as a person with diabetes, this has helped me deal with the TSA with minimal fuss and without fear of losing any of my diabetes supplies due to removing them from my bags in the hustle and bustle of the security line.
  • I always communicate with at least one TSA agent that I have diabetes and am wearing two medical devices. This may or may not be necessary, but I feel that it’s best to let the agents know what the bumps under my clothing are in case they notice them and demand that I remove them for inspection. More often than not, TSA agents are pretty understanding and more knowledgeable than I would’ve thought about diabetes devices, likely due to the fact that people with diabetes pass through on a daily basis. (Though there was one time that the TSA agent, who had an insulin pump herself, gave me a bit of a tough time about mine – to this day, I still don’t know if she was attempting to be funny with her snide comment about me asking for a pat-down instead of going through the scanners – see below for more).
  • I usually request a pat-down rather than walking through full-body scanners or metal detectors. Now, I know what you’re thinking – it’s safe to go through machines with diabetes devices. I agree with that and have definitely gone through them before. But I’ve found that requesting a pat-down is just easier because sometimes the TSA has not allowed me to go through the full-body scanners due to my medical devices. When I used to stay in line and go through scanners like the majority of people around me, TSA agents would almost always pull me aside afterwards and ask me to touch the devices (over my clothing) so they could swab my hands as part of their safety protocol. This was never a big deal to me as it only took an extra minute or two to conduct, but it also seemed to partly defeat the purpose of stepping through the scanners to begin with. Plus, I’ve always been a little paranoid about subjecting my CGM and pod to the technology in those machines – again, I have no real reason other than vague and infrequent word of mouth over the years about diabetes tech getting “screwed up” by the scanners – so I just stick to what I’ve become comfortable with by opting for a pat-down.

My typical TSA protocol may sound over-the-top or even a little ridiculous, but for a nervous traveler like me who relies on a routine in order to feel as prepared as possible when getting from point A to point B, these are the steps that I take that feel good and keep my head level – and hopefully, the kind of person that makes it easy for the TSA to do their job!

My Top 8 Tips for Traveling with Diabetes

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This blog post was originally published on Hugging the Cactus on June 22, 2022. I’m sharing it again today because I’ve got a trip coming up and definitely need a refresher on best practices that have worked well for me in the past when it comes to traveling with diabetes. Read on for my top tips.

Traveling plus diabetes can equal…a lot of chaos. At least, it does for me when I don’t take the time to properly prepare for a trip.

However, I’m happy to say that my most recent trip to New Orleans was remarkably mayhem-free, thanks to the steps I took in the couple of weeks leading up to the trip (all that covid nonsense aside). In fact, it went so smoothly for me that I decided now would be a great time to document what I did that helped me travel with minimal stress but maximum organization, before I forget everything I did! So here’s what worked for me:

  1. Making a list. Roughly two weeks prior to my trip, I physically wrote out a list of every single item – related and unrelated to my diabetes – that I’d need to pack for my trip. As I packed little by little in that span of time, I checked off items when I added them to my suitcase. It was satisfying to see the number of items dwindle so that by the morning of my trip, I only had a few things left to pack and I wasn’t worried about forgetting anything major.
  2. Having extra snacks on hand. A few days before my trip, I went to the grocery store and bought snacks. Like, a bunch of them. A few boxes of granola bars, some fruit snacks, things that were generally easy to transport and wouldn’t melt in any condition. This ensured that I would have food on hand at all times for any scenario, whether it be a low blood sugar or simply staving off hunger.
  3. Optimizing organization. One of my favorite “tricks” when it comes to packing is utilizing storage cubes! Some people might find them totally unnecessary, but for me, they equate instant organization. When they’re filled completely, they become little rectangles with handles attached to them, so packing my suitcase with the filled cubes is almost like planning a game of Tetris – except it’s even more satisfying because I know I’m doing myself a favor by sorting clothing items away from medical supplies, and keeping things like charging cables separate from my toiletries.
  4. Storing insulin properly. The last thing that I pack for any trip is my insulin. It’s literally the final thing I slip into my backpack before locking up my house. This is to help keep it cold for as long as possible, but then to also prolong the cold temperature of my insulin storage pouch. It does a pretty good job of keeping insulin cool, but on a longer travel day where I’m logging a couple hours of ground transportation, a couple hours of airport waiting, and a few more hours of actually air time, it does lose some of its effectiveness as the ice packs slowly melt. So I like doing what I can to keep the ice packs as cold as possible for as long as possible.
  5. Wandering the airport to keep blood sugar at bay. This might be the one element of my last trip that I would’ve liked to change, because I didn’t have as much time as I would’ve liked to pace around the airport before boarding my flights. I have used this strategy effectively in the past, though – my blood sugar and my restless body have both benefited from a few extra steps prior to a flight.
  6. Keeping all supplies within reach. Any diabetes supply, whether it was as sensitive as my insulin or as mundane as a back-up vial of test strips, stayed secure in my “personal item” – the bag that you can bring on a plane that doesn’t have to be stored in the overhead storage bin, it can actually go under the seat in front of you. For me, it’s not worth running the risk of needing any type of supply in the middle of a flight, only to be unable to reach it because it’s tucked away in storage (or worse, a checked bag that you can’t access at all). Knowing that I can get anything I might need, at any time, goes a long way in curbing my anxiety.
  7. Eating consistent meals. In my humble opinion, I actually think the options at airports are pretty decent these days and that makes it relatively easy to find an option that will work at any given mealtime. For example, I got a Starbucks breakfast sandwich the morning of my trip that helped my blood sugars stay steady, and on my trip back home I found a Caesar salad that was lighter on carbs to eat for lunch, which didn’t spike my already-slightly-high blood sugar further. I was tempted to skip those two particular meals because I was running short on time, but I’m glad I ultimately made eating a priority because I do think it made my numbers more stable.
  8. Staying hydrated. Last but certainly not least, I always have a bottle of water on hand when traveling. Always! I make it a mission to down at least one full bottle before going through security (that way I don’t have to waste it by chucking it), and then one of my first tasks post-security is to find either a water bottle refill station (most airports have these now and they’re awesome) or a store selling water bottles. It’s important to stay hydrated everyday, not just travel days, but there’s something about the stress of travel that makes me extra keen to keep drinking water. Plus, high blood sugars are already a nuisance to deal with – without water, they’d be even more insufferable and tricky to deal with when also trying to get from point A to point B!

So those are the things that I did to make this last round of travel go so well. What about you? Do you do anything special to prep for a trip that wasn’t featured on my list? Let me know in the comments!

AITA: Diabetes Edition

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If you aren’t familiar with the acronym AITA, then let me break it down for you: It stands for “am I the asshole”?

It stems from Reddit, which is basically a ginormous discussion thread website. It provides a forum for people to post stories in which they’re unsure whether they’ve acted like, well, an asshole. Then other folks who see the initial post can chime in with their opinion on whether they think yes, the OP (original poster) did act selfishly/foolishly/asshole-ly or no, the OP acted in accordance with what they would have done, had they been in that person’s shoes. It can be a wildly entertaining guilty pleasure to fall down the rabbit hole of these discussion threads and deduce for oneself if a perfect stranger on the Internet did indeed act like an asshole in a given situation or not.

I found myself immersed in one of these AITA threads that my cousin sent me because, of course, it had to do with diabetes. Long story short, the OP wondered AITA for moving their roommate’s insulin out of the way, causing said roommate to panic and be forced to resort to an emergency insulin supply because they were unable to locate what had been stored in the refrigerator. Now, in just that context alone, I would’ve said that the OP wasn’t an a-hole because they probably just didn’t know any better, but as I scrolled further along in the thread I discovered that they thought it was fine to do and that diabetics were fine in historical times when there was no refrigeration. And he took his ignorance a step further by posting a comment about how he didn’t know what the big deal was about taking a vial of “sugar water” – yes, that’s what he called insulin – out of the fridge.

That’s when I immediately realized, yep, the OP can wear the AITA crown with certainty. This whole anecdote might come across as a teensy weensy blip in the universe of Internet discussion threads, but to me, it stands out as a perfect example that even people who are closest to those living with T1D can get such a significant detail about it so, incredibly wrong. And it’s proof that we’ve got a long way to go in terms of educating the world on the importance and purpose of insulin, apparently, even though stories about it have hit so many headlines in recent years.

TL;DR (another Reddit acronym meaning too long; didn’t read): Let’s get it straight, now, that insulin is a life-saving medication that needs to be stored properly in order for it to be used – and IMHO (in my humble opinion), never take it away from a person living with diabetes without asking them about it first.

A Diabetes First

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Forget “a diabetes first” as the title for this blog post – “a first” would suffice. That’s because I experienced *drumroll please* my very first stomach bug this past weekend! (At least, the first one that I can remember; most certainly, the first of my adulthood.)

I don’t know how I caught it and honestly, as I sit here and write this, it’s taking the very little energy I have to summarize what I dealt with over the weekend. But here’s the short version: I was out shopping with my partner on Friday evening. On our drive home, I grew increasingly nauseous and essentially bolted it to the bathroom when we made it home. I won’t cover all the gory details here, but basically, I was pretty ill for many hours. Food and drink quickly became out of the question for me, and even though my stomach was churning relentlessly, I still had enough mental bandwidth to check my blood sugar every so often to make sure it wasn’t climbing or falling.

Much to my relief, my blood sugar was the only thing that remained stable all weekend long. As I fought through waves of nausea, I was grateful that I didn’t have any insulin on board as an additional factor to contend with. It seemed like my diabetes knew I was going through enough, so the least it could do was play nice while my body dealt with the bug as best as it could.

I’ve slowly reintroduced foods into my diet today – I never would’ve thought I’d be so simultaneously excited and nervous to eat saltine crackers, rice, or plain chicken – and I’m still amazed at how my diabetes seems to be cooperating as I continue to recover. Granted, this could be because I’m eating very simple carbohydrates and not many at one time, but still. I’m appreciative of the fact that I can rest up without worrying as much about my blood sugar levels.

Don’t get me wrong, though…as nice as it was to have approximately 48 hours of in-range blood sugars (above 80 and below 150 on my own Dexcom graph), I definitely wouldn’t trade them in favor for a stomach bug. I’d much rather put in a little more effort on my own to obtain in-range readings than have to go through that whole ordeal again.