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  1. Guest Post: Making it Stronger

    Wednesday, 28 July 2010

    Olivejooice is a blog I absolutely adore reading. Read this post, and I'm sure you'll see why. I'm so inspired by this lovely lady's sweet nature and determination. And she runs. My word, if you saw my last vlog, you'll know how rubbish I am at that, so I admire her all the more for it!
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    Friendship. I’ve always been pretty shy and because of it, finding good friends has never been easy for me.
    After I was diagnosed with diabetes, one of the first things I did after calling my mom was text my best friend at the time. Her reaction: That sucks. Mine: Yes, yes it does.
    While learning the ropes of this new disease, I also learned how to navigate my friendships being newly diagnosed (and to this day I’m still learning). Who needs to know? Do I inject myself in front of them, or is that rude? Do I tell them the basics of low blood sugars?

    Which friends need to learn how to give me a glucagon shot? Do I bring it up? Do I pretend it’s not there? Should I eat this cake in front of them? If I refuse the cake, am I giving them the wrong impression of diabetes? Will they think I can never have cake? Is it okay to ask them not to ask me about my blood sugar levels when I test?
    Overall, diabetes doesn’t come up in most of my friendships (outside the D-OC, of course). Of my closest friendships, my childhood best friend doesn’t like to talk about it (I think this is because she worries), another friend has taken a “mother hen” approach and will at times wag her finger at my food choices and try to lecture me on the best way to treat my lows (at one point she said string cheese). Each friend has their own way of dealing with the fact that I have a chronic illness, but the fact is, diabetes doesn’t harm any of my friendships.
    Recently, I learned my best friend (whom I refer to in my blog as Veronica) brought up something she did at my bachelorette party that I didn’t know about. After many hours and many drinks, my group of friends made their way back to the hotel room. I was already there with my friend May (we had the buddy system going on, and I went back earlier than the rest).
    I remember being on the bed, the room spinning. Veronica came over with my contact case and meter in hand. “Take off your contacts and put them in here”
    I obliged.
    “Did you test your blood sugar”
    “Wha? Yeah…I tested when I got here” I peered at her through a half closed eye.
    “Hold out your hand” and with a prick, she tested for me (after a scwabble about my busted meter display, and me explaining that it pinged to my pump and I could see the numbers there).
    What I didn’t know, was that Veronica also set an alarm on her phone to go off after a few hours, so that she could wake up and remind me to test my blood sugar again. I was amazed. How did she even know to do that? I didn’t even remember it.
    Veronica and I hadn’t had the diabetes talk yet, I hadn’t explained low blood sugar with her, I never told her the affects of drinking with diabetes, I never asked her to make sure I was okay blood sugar wise that night. She just did it. When I asked her why, she said that she wasn’t questioning my ability to take care of myself, but that it’s easy to forget about things like that when we are all out having a good time. She wanted to make sure I was okay first hand.
    Diabetes hasn’t harmed any of my relationships…but learning about Veronica’s actions that night, it certainly strengthened ours. She shouldn’t have had to keep an eye on me, but the fact that she did anyway speaks volumes about just how special of a friend she is. She took the time to learn about my disease simply because she wanted to know about it, for me. I love her so much for that!

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    That was a really beautiful post - I think we all need to thank the 'Veronicas' in our lives!

    Posted by Becky at 19:00 | Labels: , | 3 comments |

  2. Tuesday already! Today's guest is Jacquie from Typical Type 1. I love what she said to me when she emailed this across to me. 'Diabetics of the world unite!'. Couldn't put it better myself. So I'll let her take it away with a story of a far off land...

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    "How much do I bolus for a pan-fried fish with the head attached?"

    It was the first time I'd ever asked myself that particular question. Then again, it was also the first time I'd ever been in Greece -- or anywhere outside of the United States, for that matter.

    But there I was, on one of the peninsulas of Halkidiki, surrounded at the dinner table by my husband, his dear Greek friend George, George's mother, father, and wife, Eleni. Oh, and a plate full of fried-crisp whole fish: heads, tails, bones, fins, eyeballs and all.
    We'd been in Europe for almost three weeks, and while I was thoroughly enjoying the adventure, I was also coming down with a debilitating case of homesickness. After all, foreign countries can be . . . pretty foreign. I'd noticed that the streets were home to little herds of stray dogs. Virtually everyone was a heavy smoker. The elevators counted the first floor as "0", and the 2nd floor as "1." And although the friends we stayed with spoke English, most of the conversations around us took place in Greek.

    I might have succumbed to my homesickness if it wasn't for one amazing coincidence: Eleni, my husband's best friend's wife, has Type 1 diabetes -- and an insulin pump. See, I'm one of those dorks who will run shamelessly up to a complete stranger -- smile on face and pump in hand -- if I even see a hint of transparent plastic tubing peeking from his or her waistband. It's why I feel an instant connection to each and every D-OC'er, no matter where they're from or how old they are or even how long they've been living with diabetes. I can't help it. 

    From what I knew, Eleni was a little more reserved about her T1 status. She, too, had lived with the disease for well over a decade, so the ins and outs were old hat. She and her husband had just had their first child, and hers was a pregnancy without complications. Here was someone living the kind of diabetic life I'd always hoped for -- only on the other side of the world and without as many pets. Although she insisted that she could barely carry on a conversation in English, Eleni spoke the language better than some of my friends do. She explained to me what it was like trying to feed a baby when your blood sugar's in the 50's, and how her husband jokingly tossed a candy bar her way any time she started to get grumpy. Thinking back, I wish I'd asked her how to say "My blood sugar's low" in Greek.
    That final evening of our stay in Halkidiki, I was pretty much ready to go home. I was upstairs, changing into the last clean outfit I had in my suitcase and borrowing Eleni's hairdryer before our dinner of fried fish. (I was dying for some Chick-Fil-A.) The doors between our two bedrooms were both open, and just as I was ready to head downstairs, I heard the noise that's the same in every language: "Ka-CHUNK!" 

    Of course, it was Eleni's infusion set inserter. I looked over and saw her in the familiar position: shirt pulled up to expose the site on her belly, neck craned as she looked down to smooth the edges of the site with with an alcohol swab. She glanced up, we smiled quietly at each other, and I descended the stairs to take my seat at the dinner table.
    I haven't talked to Eleni much since we left Greece, but I hope to see her again in the near future -- either on our side of the pond or hers. Meeting her was one of the highlights of my trip. 

    Out loud, "How much do I bolus for a pan-fried fish with the head attached?" is a question that doesn't make much sense when I'm among English-speaking friends in the States. But across the table from Eleni, at that moment, asking it made me feel right at home.


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    OK, now I totally want to go to Greece - makes my current trip to Harrogate sound positively mundane (which it is....)

    Posted by Becky at 19:00 | Labels: , | 8 comments |

  3. Kelly Kunik is awesome. There is no way around it.She's sweet, funny, and loves pirates as much as I do. She's also a kick ass diazon, who I respect as much as I like. So I was so pleased that she agreed to join in this week's line up of guests. I love this post, because it's so completely true. 

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    Diabetes Has Made Me Many Things

    Diabetes has made me many things, most of them good.
    Diabetes has made me AWARE. I pay attention to others and myself and by paying attention I’ve prevented myself from being hurt – and have prevented others from being hurt.

    Diabetes has made me TOUGH. There are days when diabetes has “put me through the wringer,” and yet I’m still here. WHY? Because diabetes has made me pull myself up by my bootstraps, dust myself off, and continue on with life.

    Diabetes has made me GENTLE. Yes, gentle in the sense that I understand what it’s like to not feel good, so I’m gentle with others who are having a bad day.

    Diabetes has made me GRATEFUL for all of life’s blessings, big and small. I’m grateful for Drs Banting & Best and their great brains.

    Diabetes has made me APPRECIATIVE. I appreciate the little things like; correctly bolusing for an unknown food, finding unopened infusion sets in old hand bags, and uber appreciative of a darn near empty insulin reservoir that didn’t crap out completely until I made it home from work.

    Diabetes has made me see the FUNNY. I can laugh at infusion sets gone awry, unexpected interrogations by the “Diabetes Police,” and pump batteries needing to be changed at the most inopportune of times. There’s more funny moments in a diabetes life, but the above will do for now.

    Diabetes has given me the gift of a BULL SHIT FILTER - a wonderful mechanism in the brain that allows PWDs (people with diabetes) to see through the bullshit that life throws our way and focus on what’s really important.

    Diabetes has given me a COMMUNITY and has surrounded me with others who live daily with diabetes (or have family members that do) who speak the language of diabetes without uttering the d-word. 
    They welcome me with open arms and hearts and allow me to do the same. And my COMMUNITY continually teaches and always makes me feel loved.
     I consider them family and will love and protect them to the best of my ability. 
    Diabetes has helped make me. 

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    Thank you so much for that, Kelly! If you haven't been following her blog already, where have you been? I insist that you go there now. Go on, I'll even link it for you. There you go....no excuse!

    Posted by Becky at 19:00 | Labels: , | 3 comments |

  4. Guest Post: The Ink That Speaks

    Sunday, 25 July 2010

    Chris is brand new on the DOC scene, and I'm thrilled to have her posting today. Her blog, Canadian D-gal, is a really worth a read. I'm also really looking forward to trying her recipe from the first batch of D-Feast recipes!

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    I was diagnosed with diabetes in the summer of 2002 at the age of 22.  Before diagnosis I was a regular adventure seeker.  My hobbies included rock climbing, scuba diving, Mountain biking, Snow boarding, backpacking… the list goes on (AND ON).  None of these things stopped upon diagnosis.  Just the preparations became harder.  Suddenly it was more than just throwing on my shoes and going for a run.

    I am not one for jewelry; I find it annoying and cumbersome.  I once owned a Medic-Alert ID bracelet that looked like a sports band.  The bracelet didn’t last long before I just stopped wearing it because it bothered me.  Over the years I have continued to be just as active in the outdoors as ever but have never really stopped to think about the repercussions if something did “HAPPEN”.  I am with people sometimes but more often than not I do these things alone.  And anyone that knows me well knows I am constantly pushing my limits and biting off more than I can chew.  Often barely making it home some days.  I've been known to make a phone call or two because I've ridden my bike too far and can't make it back.  I can’t count how many times I had to walk the rest of the run, or stop on the side of the road during a ride.  Sure I can go everywhere with my cell phone but that is not always trustworthy.

    I have never uttered the words “WHAT IF?”  What IF something happened? What IF I wasn’t able to speak? I've never asked that question because I was terrified to come to terms with the reality that something could easily happen.  I’ve managed to go 8 years without running into an emergency situation that I couldn’t handle.  With my lifestyle and stubbornness, that surprises me.  However, putting myself out there almost every day in compromising situations I feel like I’m a walking talking emergency waiting to happen.   Maybe I’ve done well for myself over the years but I’ve come close, on a few occasions.    I’ve got to stop going along waiting for something bad to happen to give me a reason to look out for myself.  After all, I’m usually alone and there is nobody there to look out for me but me.  I’ve got to stop giving myself the benefit of the doubt and DO something proactive.   

    I thought about medic alert jewelry but I just couldn’t bring myself to actually wear any of it.  I thought about those shoe ID tags but I do so many different things I’d have to move it around from running shoe to cycling shoe to roller blade to hiking boot, or buy many of them.  It didn’t seem like the right thing.   A Tattoo seemed like the right decision for me.  NOT only do I never have to worry about breaking it or loosing it. I don’t have to wear jewelry!  It’s there through all the running, bouncing, spinning, sweating, swimming etc.  It will never fall off or get damaged or scratched.   It’s clear and legible and obvious and PERMANENT!  No matter where I go, or what I do, it will always speak for me when maybe I can’t.   So I researched and designed it for a long time and this past Saturday I had it done and I love it!  It has a recognizable medic-alert logo with the red symbol.  It also has the blue universal ring to symbolize diabetes.  And in clear text it says DIABETES TYPE 1.  

    More important than anything else, diabetes is life-long.  Unfortunately it’s not going away any time soon and THAT, my friends, is the ugly truth about it.  My tattoo is more than medic alert, This will speak for me for the rest of my life.  



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    I love this post, because it shows how different we all are, and how we make life with D work for us. I myself would never get a tattoo, but I think Chris' is clean and tasteful, and if I ever were to get one, it would probably be something rather like this!

    Posted by Becky at 19:00 | Labels: , | 0 comments |

  5. Guest Post: Normal

    Saturday, 24 July 2010

    I'm thrilled to be kicking off this Guest Post Week with a post from the unbelievably lovely Cara, from Every Day, Every Hour, Every Minute. She's a kindred spirit in terms of her love for cupcakes, baking and musical theatre. One day we will HAVE to see a show together - maybe when she wins the UK lottery, as so many spam emails keep telling her she has!
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    Normal. That word can be totally overrated at times. What is it? What is normal? My normal could be very different from your normal. Our normal could be vastly different from the normal of a movie star or a politician.

    To me, normal is getting up every day and living my life with diabetes. Testing, blousing, counting carbs. Quarterly doctors visits, yearly eye doctor visits, and always carrying around a juice box and all the things for an emergency pump site change. All of this is part of my life other than the standard work, friends, and church.

    Even within our diabetes community, our “normal” can be very different. Each of us lives every day with different expectations of ourselves and our diabetes. My high or low marker may be totally different from yours. I have a friend who has diabetes who would be thrilled with my A1c results from the past couple of times. I, however, would like a lower number. Her normal is different from mine. It doesn’t make either of us “right,” it just makes us different.

    Some of us like a low-carb diet. Others don’t. Some of us have to deal with things other than diabetes like celiac or asperger syndrome. Some of us pump, some of us don’t. Some use CGMS. Some don’t.

    One of the best things about the D-OC is that, for the most part, we accept each other for what “normal” may mean to each individual person. We congratulate each other for a “good “ A1c number, while that same number for the next person may be a disappointment and that person needs encouragement and a “better luck next time”.

    Individuality in diabetes is just like individuality in any other part of life. It isn’t always about what’s “right” or “wrong” or “good” or “bad”. It is just about what makes you, you. Finding your comfortable place and striving for it.

    This community is about the support that we give each other and the support we get in return. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s that I need support in my journey. Especially support in this journey of life with diabetes.

    So, D-OC, I encourage you to find your normal and embrace it. And understand that it isn’t always about a number, or a test result. It’s about finding where you are comfortable and healthy and shooting for that goal. And knowing that when it comes right down to it, you can always turn on your computer or your iPhone and find a whole community of people who have their own normal and support you in finding yours. 

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    Thanks for that post, Cara! You make a really, really good point! 

    Posted by Becky at 19:00 | Labels: , , | 2 comments |

  6. D-Feast Friday - Shortbread

    Friday, 23 July 2010

    So, inspired by all the others out there in the DOC posting amazing recipes for D-Feast Friday, I thought I would get in on the action, and share with you my recipe for shortbread. I make it with Splenda, and to be honest, it's such a butter heavy recipe, you don't need a lot of sugar in it. However, it is totally not endorsed as healthy eating!

    Ingredients:

    • 250g butter (you could use margarine, but butter gives a better texture)
    • If you wanted to do straight sugar, you want 140g of caster sugar. However, I use 40g caster sugar, and 8 tablespoons of Splenda, and it works fine 
    •  300g sifted plain flour
    • 1 egg yolk 1 tsp vanilla essence 
    • 2 tsp allspice.
    • Optional, but some 70% dark chocolate. Lindt works well
    Preheat the over to 180 degrees centigrade.
    1. Cream the butter and sugar/Splenda until the butter is nice and soft. Stir in the egg yolk
    2. Gently stir in the flour, vanilla essence and allspice. It gets pretty difficult about half way through adding the flour, but keep with it!
    3. It should form a firm dough ball. You might need to flour your hands and get them in there to get it all together
    4. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour, and roll out the dough
    5. Use a 6mm cutter and start cutting shapes. It should make 20-25 biscuits
    6. Place them on a greased baking tray, or one lined with greaseproof paper (my preferred method - you'll see why later)
    7. When your trays are full, place on a centre shelf for about 15 minutes, until gently golden
    8. Leave them to cool on a wire cooling rack. If you've used greaseproof paper, leave it underneath
    9. Once they're cool, melt your chocolate over a pan of water, and drizzle 'artistically' over the biscuits, and leave to set
    If you store them in an airtight tin, they'll last for ages!


    So that's my contribution! Now, I'm going to be away all this coming week, so I'll be handing proceedings over to a lovely group of guest posters! Thank you so much to everyone who has written for me - I can't wait to share what you've come up with. 
    Training wise, I think this coming week's lifting, carrying (and a bit of swimming) won't be a slack-off!

    Posted by Becky at 23:41 | Labels: , | 2 comments |

  7. So I decided to try running in the 'real world'. I made a vlog. Hopefully Episode 2 will be coming later this week. Apologies again for the weird helicopter sound over parts of the audio. One day I will work out why it does that, I swear!



    Posted by Becky at 21:07 | Labels: , , , , , | 4 comments |