Tuesday, May 8, 2012
GRADUATION!
I am now a college graduate!!
This is me and some of my friends before graduation!
Hard to believe that I am done with my time at Keene State. I'm spending my final post-grad week in Keene with the good friends I've made before I go home to Connecticut. It' so bitter-sweet to be leaving this place.
The graduation ceremony was a bit stressful in terms of managing my diabetes.
The graduates had to line up for the ceremony at 11:30am...the ceremony did not start until 1. This is prime lunch time for me, so I was super nervous that I would either be low during the ceremony. I was also a bit nervous that I could be high and have to get up and pee.
I ended up wearing my "thigh-thing" under my dress for not only my pump, but starbursts, mints, and peanut butter crackers. I also carried a bottle of water into the ceremony with me (the ceremony was a total of 3 hours!). Thank god I brought those peanut butter crackers into the ceremony with me. I didn't have my meter on me, but I could feel my blood sugar starting to drop. I thought it would be best to treat it with real food as opposed to candy because I wasn't actually low...I just needed to eat something. Although I felt weird whipping snacks out of the garter belt under my dress, I was so thankful to be able to stabilize my dropping blood sugar!
Other than that, graduation was fantastic! My mom, dad, and I went out for dinner after the ceremony. I got my favorite meat (leg of lamb) with mint pesto, sauteed kale, and pureed parsnips! It was so amazing!
I'm now ready to enter the "real world"....well I hope so!!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Hello!
These past couple of months have been very exciting! I'm happy to announce that I was accepted into the New York Presbyterian Hospital Dietetic Internship! Four years of hard work have finally paid off and I am one step closer to becoming a certified diabetes educator. I could not be more excited.
I will start the 11 month, clinical internship in September. The hospital provides housing right across the street from the hospital for a VERY reasonable price. It is going to be such an awesome experience to live in the city! AHH!
Until September, I will be working as a dietary aide/wait staff at the retirement home, working at the Circle of Life Camp (a diabetes camp), and working towards earning a childhood and adolescent weight management certification.
I'm graduating from Keene on Saturday and moving home the following Saturday. It is so bitter-sweet. I have made some great friends and learned so much about myself in Keene. It's surreal to be leaving New Hampshire and moving to New York City. While home this summer, I'm really hoping to be a more active blogger! Once I start my internship, I will keep everyone up-to-date on all my experiences as well.
In terms of diabetes, I have my next endo appointment later this month and am anxious to see what my A1c is. My BGs have been great for the most part. I hope I can continue to keep my numbers under control during my busy internship!
Hope all is well in the DOC! I can't wait to be more active in it once again!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
What's on my Plate Day
Hey everyone!
March is National Nutrition Month and USDA partners have announced that today is "What's on my Plate?" Day.
For those of you who don't know, there is no more food pyramid. The USDA came out with a plate called, "MyPlate."
Learn more at: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Changing the food pyramid to a plate is a fantastic idea. Now people are able to get a good visual of what exactly their plate should look like.
Today, people are encouraged to take a picture of their healthy plate and post it on the USDA's Flikr photo page: http://www.flickr.com/groups/choosemyplate
I'm going to post a picture of my plate on here....carbohydrate count included.
Here's a picture of my dinner plate!
A chicken and vegetable stir fry served over brown rice!
I bolused for about 25g carbohydrates.
What does your plate look like....and how many carbohydrates were in it?
March is National Nutrition Month and USDA partners have announced that today is "What's on my Plate?" Day.
For those of you who don't know, there is no more food pyramid. The USDA came out with a plate called, "MyPlate."
Learn more at: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Changing the food pyramid to a plate is a fantastic idea. Now people are able to get a good visual of what exactly their plate should look like.
Today, people are encouraged to take a picture of their healthy plate and post it on the USDA's Flikr photo page: http://www.flickr.com/groups/choosemyplate
I'm going to post a picture of my plate on here....carbohydrate count included.
Here's a picture of my dinner plate!
A chicken and vegetable stir fry served over brown rice!
I bolused for about 25g carbohydrates.
What does your plate look like....and how many carbohydrates were in it?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
A New Friend
Current blood sugar: 236- guess I underestimated that banana I had for breakfast!
This past weekend, I went home to work on a case study and visit one of my best friends at school. She had a bunch of people over her apartment that night to celebrate a roommate's birthday. One person in particular really stuck out to me....mostly because I noticed he had something clipped to his hip and there seemed to be some tubing flapping around. I GOT WAY TOO EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
I ran up to him and said, "You have diabetes. Don't you?!"
He confirmed and unclipped the pump from his pocket. I did the same. INSTANT BONDING.
I honestly have not met many other diabetics my age...just a few other counselors I met while working at a diabetes camp. It was so great to be able to talk to someone who knew exactly what I was going through.
We talked for hours about experiences with evil doorknobs (if you wear a pump, you know exactly what I'm talking about), what glucometers we use, favorite low snacks, recent A1cs, our diagnosis stories, among otheer things. I hope that we can keep in contact!
That night made me realize how valuable diabetes camp is for children. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 13 and never went to camp until I was a counselor years later. Going to camp allows children with diabetes to connect with other diabetics who are dealing with the same struggles they are. It's awesome if they keep in contact with these people throughout their lives. If you or your child have not experienced camp...I strongly suggest it. It is so awesome for these kids to be able to connect with other diabetics!
I am so, so excited to return to camp this summer!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
A Series of Unfortunate Events
I got my blood work done after my last appointment and it wasn't so bad after all....6.1! yayyy!
I've also stopped dropping so low at night. I've been mainly waking up in the 80s! I love starting my day in the 80s!
Well, that's my good news.
You know how they say bad things come in threes? IT'S TRUE.
My friends and I usually joke that I have something called "The Karen Curse." I seem to run into a lot of bad luck. I'm honestly starting to think that I just let life's little events ruin my day. I don't think I'm going to joke about this anymore. It's just not a good way to live life. I'm not cursed...I just need to stop dwelling on the little things.
These past couple of weeks I really have let the little things get the best of me.
I got back to school all ready to start my last semester of college. I went back a bit early to work at an after school program. Within the first week of being back, my throat started to feel kind of funky. The next day...it felt like little hamsters were jabbing their tiny teeth into my throat! After a few days of denial, I decided it was time to go to the doctors There, it was confirmed that I indeed had strep throat! YUCK.
That following Sunday, my computer got a virus. I took it to staples and paid $100 to have it removed. They told me it would be done by Thursday....Wednesday night they called me and said that my hard drive had anywhere from 6 days-6 months to live. =[ Either I needed to buy a new computer or have the hard drive replaced. This isn't really the best time for this to happen....I'm a broke college student. My parents and I decided to just have the hard drive replaced. It's been working OK thus far ***knock on wood***
That same week, some immature idiot decided to hack my facebook and post obscene messages all over my friends' walls. NICE.
That was my bad luck in threes. From now on, I'm not going to let bad luck run my life. Instead, I'm going to take a deep breath and move on. ,Today, I woke up high and realized it was because I ripped my tubing out in my sleep. I would usually let this ruin my day...but I'm determined not to. Today is going to be a good day!
I've also stopped dropping so low at night. I've been mainly waking up in the 80s! I love starting my day in the 80s!
Well, that's my good news.
You know how they say bad things come in threes? IT'S TRUE.
My friends and I usually joke that I have something called "The Karen Curse." I seem to run into a lot of bad luck. I'm honestly starting to think that I just let life's little events ruin my day. I don't think I'm going to joke about this anymore. It's just not a good way to live life. I'm not cursed...I just need to stop dwelling on the little things.
These past couple of weeks I really have let the little things get the best of me.
I got back to school all ready to start my last semester of college. I went back a bit early to work at an after school program. Within the first week of being back, my throat started to feel kind of funky. The next day...it felt like little hamsters were jabbing their tiny teeth into my throat! After a few days of denial, I decided it was time to go to the doctors There, it was confirmed that I indeed had strep throat! YUCK.
That following Sunday, my computer got a virus. I took it to staples and paid $100 to have it removed. They told me it would be done by Thursday....Wednesday night they called me and said that my hard drive had anywhere from 6 days-6 months to live. =[ Either I needed to buy a new computer or have the hard drive replaced. This isn't really the best time for this to happen....I'm a broke college student. My parents and I decided to just have the hard drive replaced. It's been working OK thus far ***knock on wood***
That same week, some immature idiot decided to hack my facebook and post obscene messages all over my friends' walls. NICE.
That was my bad luck in threes. From now on, I'm not going to let bad luck run my life. Instead, I'm going to take a deep breath and move on. ,Today, I woke up high and realized it was because I ripped my tubing out in my sleep. I would usually let this ruin my day...but I'm determined not to. Today is going to be a good day!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
3 Month Endo Appt
Today I had my 3 month endo appointment. My doctor was not too happy with me.
First strike: Didn't have time to get my blood work done before my appointment. I guess I should have done it while I was at school. I was just so busy that I completely forgot. Hence, we had no A1c to go off of.
Second strike: My morning numbers. After downloading my glucometer's history...she discovered that I have been waking up in the 60s almost every morning. For the next week, I'm going to have to wake up at 1 or 2am and try to figure out if it's my basal rate or my correction that needs to be changed.
Third strike: I lost my medical alert bracelet....again.
On top of everything, I've gained 8 pounds since July. This is mainly because I have not been able to go to the gym as much as I normally do.
I think this appointment has shown me that my health always comes first. I still test 8-10 times a day, but I just haven't been eating as well, exercising as much, or documenting my numbers. I can't perform at my best unless I take care of myself first. Next semester, my goal is to make my health the number one priority. I will only live one life...might as well try and make it as healthy a life as possible!
First strike: Didn't have time to get my blood work done before my appointment. I guess I should have done it while I was at school. I was just so busy that I completely forgot. Hence, we had no A1c to go off of.
Second strike: My morning numbers. After downloading my glucometer's history...she discovered that I have been waking up in the 60s almost every morning. For the next week, I'm going to have to wake up at 1 or 2am and try to figure out if it's my basal rate or my correction that needs to be changed.
Third strike: I lost my medical alert bracelet....again.
On top of everything, I've gained 8 pounds since July. This is mainly because I have not been able to go to the gym as much as I normally do.
I think this appointment has shown me that my health always comes first. I still test 8-10 times a day, but I just haven't been eating as well, exercising as much, or documenting my numbers. I can't perform at my best unless I take care of myself first. Next semester, my goal is to make my health the number one priority. I will only live one life...might as well try and make it as healthy a life as possible!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
1940s Housewife....or No?
Lately I've been thinking about how interesting it would be to live in the 1930s or 40s as a housewife. I just want to see what it's like to live in a simpler time.
Then, I thought about my diabetes.....how the heck would i manage it back then??? My father grew up in the 1950s and has told me many stories about his aunt. She had type 1 diabetes and the way she managed it sounds absolutely horrific...even in the 1950s and 60s! This made me want to do a little research on managing diabetes in the 1930s and 40s.
According to my research, my doctors would not know that I am a type 1 diabetic because the two types were not distinguished until 1936. Although, I would have insulin! Yay!....BUT I would probably be reusing and boiling needles...OUCH. I would also be able to manage my diabetes, to some extent, through dietary interventions....the dietary exchange system!I was surprised to learn that this has been around for so long.
Today, I test my blood glucose at least ten times a day....in the 1930s and 40s I would not have this privilege. The first glucometer was not introduced for use in a doctor's office until 1970. Accu-Check developed the first self-blood glucose monitor in 1983. This means I would most likely be using "dip and read" tests, monitoring my blood glucose levels through my urine. I currently only do this when my blood glucose has been over 250mg/dL for an extended period of time to test for ketones. I would hate to rely on it for daily monitoring!
One of the reasons I enjoy seeing my endocrinologist every three months is because I get to have my HbA1c tested. This gives me a nice "big picture" of my overall blood glucose for the past three months. If I was a 1930s or 40s housewife...I would not have this opportunity. The HbA1c test was not introduced until 1976.
Overall, I can say.....diabetes was not fun in the 1930s and 40s and I would definitely not enjoy managing it during that period! Thank goodness for science is all I have to say. I am so thankful for my tiny glucometers, my lovely insulin pump, my new continuous glucose monitor, single-use (tiny gauge) syringes.....pretty much every aspect of my current regimen......I AM SO THANKFUL. Of course there's always room for improvement...I would love for a nice artificial pancreas or cure sometime in the future...but until then...thank you to all the researchers who have contributed to the field of diabetes research!!
After insulin was introduced for commercial use in the 1920s...this is one of the injection kits that was available.
This was the first glucometer developed by Ames....HUGE.
References:
http://www.defeatdiabetes.org/about_diabetes/text.asp?id=Diabetes_Timeline
http://www.diabetesindia.com/diabetes/history_diabetes5.htm
Then, I thought about my diabetes.....how the heck would i manage it back then??? My father grew up in the 1950s and has told me many stories about his aunt. She had type 1 diabetes and the way she managed it sounds absolutely horrific...even in the 1950s and 60s! This made me want to do a little research on managing diabetes in the 1930s and 40s.
According to my research, my doctors would not know that I am a type 1 diabetic because the two types were not distinguished until 1936. Although, I would have insulin! Yay!....BUT I would probably be reusing and boiling needles...OUCH. I would also be able to manage my diabetes, to some extent, through dietary interventions....the dietary exchange system!I was surprised to learn that this has been around for so long.
Today, I test my blood glucose at least ten times a day....in the 1930s and 40s I would not have this privilege. The first glucometer was not introduced for use in a doctor's office until 1970. Accu-Check developed the first self-blood glucose monitor in 1983. This means I would most likely be using "dip and read" tests, monitoring my blood glucose levels through my urine. I currently only do this when my blood glucose has been over 250mg/dL for an extended period of time to test for ketones. I would hate to rely on it for daily monitoring!
One of the reasons I enjoy seeing my endocrinologist every three months is because I get to have my HbA1c tested. This gives me a nice "big picture" of my overall blood glucose for the past three months. If I was a 1930s or 40s housewife...I would not have this opportunity. The HbA1c test was not introduced until 1976.
Overall, I can say.....diabetes was not fun in the 1930s and 40s and I would definitely not enjoy managing it during that period! Thank goodness for science is all I have to say. I am so thankful for my tiny glucometers, my lovely insulin pump, my new continuous glucose monitor, single-use (tiny gauge) syringes.....pretty much every aspect of my current regimen......I AM SO THANKFUL. Of course there's always room for improvement...I would love for a nice artificial pancreas or cure sometime in the future...but until then...thank you to all the researchers who have contributed to the field of diabetes research!!
After insulin was introduced for commercial use in the 1920s...this is one of the injection kits that was available.
This was the first glucometer developed by Ames....HUGE.
References:
http://www.defeatdiabetes.org/about_diabetes/text.asp?id=Diabetes_Timeline
http://www.diabetesindia.com/diabetes/history_diabetes5.htm
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