Wednesday, September 8, 2010

A Diabetes Meme (Thanks, Kerri!)

Having a lazy day and still thinking big starry-eyed thoughts of a new job, it seems like a lovely day for a meme instead of a full-on blog post.  Thankfully, Kerri came to the rescue this morning with her diabetes meme, so here are my answers:  

What type of diabetes do you have:  Type 1 

When were you diagnosed:  Sometime after July 4, 1990.  Talking to my mother recently, we realized neither of us remembers the exact date.  We both remember that my grandparents had gone on their usual summer fishing trip to Canada, and that they came back when they got the news, so it means it was sometime after the 4th of July. 

What's your current blood sugar:  My last test was 106 mg/dl, about two-and-a-half hours ago.  An hour and a half before that I was 78 mg/dl, and of course, I ended up feeling equally low for both, even though a 106 shouldn't phase me.  Ugh.

What kind of meter do you use:  One Touch Ultra Mini, although recently I got to play with a Bayer Contour USB.  More on that  hopefully sometime this week.

How many times a day do you test your blood sugar:  I strive for five, but four has been the daily goal lately.  Say what you will about that, but I am trying to rebuild good testing habits after a serious case of burnout.

What's a "high" number for you:  I tend to run high a lot, hence the re-evaluation of my current management, but I'd say anything over 250 mg/dl, I really feel the highs.

What's do you consider "low":  I usually correct for anything lower than 85 mg/dl, because that's when I start feeling bad.

What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater:  I'll usually drink whatever regular juice we have around the house, but on the run, I usually chomp some glucose tabs.  I prefer orange or grape, but I've been known to enjoy the fruit punch kind as well.  They are kind of like giant Smarties.  I've given some to non-diabetic friends to prove it.

Describe your dream endo:  Compassionate, attentive, non-judgmental, easy to reach by phone.  Preferably one whose office remembers to make reminder calls so you don't miss appointments.  (Glaring at my current endo's office staff here...)

What's your biggest diabetes achievement:  Becoming more involved in advocating for people with diabetes.  I was so proud of myself for conceiving and operating an information table at World Diabetes Day in Philadelphia last year, even if it ended up not being located in the most visible area. 

What's your biggest diabetes-related fear:  It's really the big 3 that are one big fear: blindness, kidney failure and the potential to die young.  I try to always keep it light, but let's face it, diabetes has the potential to be pretty damned scary.

Who's on your support team:  My husband, my family, an amazing couple of CDEs, and my wonderful beloved friends. 

Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime:  I don't know.  The old adage I've always heard is "but we'll be cured in 10 years."  I've been diabetic for 20, and there's still no cure.  They also promised us glucose tests that are non-invasive.  I'd love to see a CGMS that doesn't require such constant calibration and is highly accurate.  The best hopes I have right now are for some kind of closed loop system, something that makes regulating your own diabetes easier, with less math and guessing.

What is a "cure" to you:  A cure could be a fully functional pancreas, or something that works just as well as a fully functional pancreas.  I'm already relatively cybernetic as it is, so what's one more machine to fix me?

The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is:  "Should you be eating that?" "You must have the really bad kind if you need a pump."  "So-and-so had a pump and she was a brittle diabetic, too." (I'm not.)  "Oh, you poor thing."  (Don't pity me.  I'm just trying to live my life!)

What is the most common misconception about diabetes:  That diabetics can't eat any sugar at all, ever, or we'll go into sugar shock and DIE.

If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be:  "What kind of lazy ass retires after only 8 years of working?!"

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:46 PM

    This was a lot of fun to complete and totally exactly what I'd rather do today instead of my dishes! I'm interested to see what others say!

    my answers= http://heybabyquepaso.tumblr.com/#1087916679

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  2. you are super funny! really enjoyed this post!! I was diagnosed almost a year ago(oct) can't believe its been a year. But anyways- I look fwd to reading more!!

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  3. Good article! Thank you so much for sharing this post.Your views truly open my mind.

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