Goodbye Summer!

Hello!

I just wanted to update everyone on how I'm doing!
I had my endo appointment at the beginning of July and am doing GREAT! My doctor didn't have to make many changes except for a better way to manage my pump while at work. I've finally worked up the courage to keep the basal rate at around 80% and the lowest I've gone with that was about 80. yay! My A1c has finally started going down too! I'm down to about 7.8! woooo! That's way better than the 9.something or other I had only about a year ago!

On Thursday, I'll be attending the Circle of Life Camp For Children with Diabetes as a counselor! I'll be working with 8-12 year olds! I'm sooooo excited! I've never been to a diabetes camp before and can't wait to see what the experience is like! I get a little nervous once I start reading the things to pack though...
It says you don't have to bring a meter, no syringes, no insulin, and absolutely no food. Not even low food! They're providing everything for us. It's scary because I ALWAYS carry my meter and low food! ahhh! I've never been to a place where the majority of people are diabetic just like me. It's definatley going to be a new and exciting experience!

I can't believe this summer is almost over! In 13 days I'll be heading back to Keene! Once I'm back, I'm planning on doing a lot more blogging! I feel like I've completely neglected it this summer. =[

I can't wait to let everyone know how camp goes!

I'm Back!

I haven't posted anything for over a month! ahhh! But don't worry, I've been keeping myself busy!

Working at the retirment home has gotten a lot better....they've finally stopped pestering me about my medical ID bracelet. My boss found out I was a nutrition major and actually approached me about helping out at the resident's farmer's market wanting me to provide education materials about nutrition and diseases....especially about diabetes! I was really excited, but the farmer's market got cancelled as they couldn't get enough farmers to participate. Oh well.

I also have a newly diagnosed diabetic living with me.....my mom. She's a nurse at a long-term care facility. One day, she decided to test her BG with one of their glucometers just for fun...her fasting glucose was 285. ahhh! After that she started testing with one of my old meters and she continually hovered in the 200s. Well, I guess she hasn't been formally diagnosed yet, but we're pretty positive that she's a type 2 diabetic. She's meeting with her doctor tomorrow so I'll keep eveyrone posted!


On June 13th, my sister and I participated in the Tour de Cure! We ended up doing the 50K...which was a bit ambitious for two girls who did literally NO training all summer. Well, we took our bikes out once in May.....but not for 30 miles. I ended up finishing the ride with no lows! Yay!
My sister had quite a different experience. She has a bad knee....she messed it up swimming breastroke. I lost her within the first 3 minutes. When I got to the first rest stop, I waiting 15 minutes for her...she never came. I tried calling her...my mom had her phone! ahhhhh! So I just continued the ride.
I guess my mom got a call from a random number......my sister was at a nail salon! What?! I guess she accidently started following the 100 mile route. We she realized this she basically said screw it, saw a nail salon, and sat in there for two hours until someone came to pick her up. LOL. That's Christi for ya!
Well, we ended up raising more money than we thought we would! I can't wait to do it again next year!



There's Christi and I before the ride! Being diabetic, I got a snazzy shirt, bandana, and bracelet. =]

I have my 3 month endo checkup tomorrow and am anxious to see how it goes. I've been having much tighter control with my numbers, so hopefully my A1c has gone down some!

Oh, and here's a fun pic. I went to a dairy farm with my mom and sister a few weeks ago and saw a bunch of cows with what looked like Dexcom sensors, so I took a pic for all to see. They're for the farmers to tell if any of the cows have been trying to mate. I guess the sensor breaks off or cracks or something....but I'm just going to pretend that the cow is a diabetic just like me. =]


Happy hump day everyone!

Work.

My teeth are FINALLY feeling better. A little sore...but nothing too terrible.
Now, I'm back to work. ahhhh. Work always does me in blood sugar-wise. I'm a waitress/dietary aide at a retirement home. I've been working there for 3 years and have tried everything to get my blood sugars within range without going low and too high. I run around like a crazy person in this place! It's so hard to figure out how to handle my pump while I'm working. Yesterday was my first day back with the dexcom and it worked WONDERS! I caught every low and came home around 125. It was so happy.

One problem I have run into at work is with my supervisors. They always seem to forget that I have diabetes and use a pump to manage it...aka they think it's a cell phone, which are forbidden during work. Last summer was the first time they noticed it. Usually I have the tubing tucked into my pants, but it snuck out with all my running around. My boss saw it and told me I needed to start taping it to my skin. Uhhhh. NO.
Then on Tuesday, one of my supervisors told me I needed to take off my medical ID bracelet! I WAS HEATED! That's the second time this summer they've called me out on the medical ID bracelet. It's so embarrassing too. They argue with me (in front of everyone) that if the health inspectors came in and saw me wearing it, they would get a fine. UGHHHHHHH!!!!!! Well, anyways, I'm not taking it off and they can continue to bother me about it. =]

Wisdom Teeth

I have had the WORST two weeks of my life!
I got my wisdom teeth out on the 14th. My oral surgeon warned me that I probably wouldn't be in much on Saturday or Sunday, but Monday and Tuesday might be pretty painful. Well, he was right...but the pain continued to Wednesday....Thursday I was in complete agony. I left work early and went to see him. No dry socket, no infection, allllll muscular. I was in so so so much pain and he gave me a prescription for MOTRIN! MOTRIN! I'd been taking motrin...wayy too much motrin, for a week! I couldn't believe it!
Well, Friday I went to my cottage and rested all day. I barely talked to anyone in order to rest my jaw. I was feeling pretty good later that night so I decided to join some friends at the Cheesecake Factory in hopes that the pain really did subside. By the end of my meal, the pain was back! UGH!
I went home, flushed my sockets, took some motrin and benedril and passed out. When I woke up on Saturday morning....the pain was probably the worst pain I've ever experienced. I just fell on the floor and cried. My mom made me some scrambled eggs and I had a piece of bread...it was all I could chew. After breakfast, I felt like I was going to PUKE. My mom tested my blood sugar and it was a whopping 400! Great. I called out of work and attempted to sleep off the pain. My mom managed to talk the oral surgeon into prescribing me some vicodin and soma, so once I got those into my system I passed out and felt a little better. I've been taking those ever since with little relief. I just sleep all day. It's awful.
The worst part is my oral surgeon is in Europe for the week with no one to cover him! I talked to him on the phone yesterday and he told me that he doesn't think it has anything to do with the wisdom teeth and that I'm probably grinding my teeth at night. Maybe I am, but I've never had this problem until I got my wisdom teeth out. Ughhhh. Whatever the problem is, I hope it gets better within the next couple of days!

Diabetes Snapshots

My lifelines!



This has lots of great recipes and tips for people living with diabetes.




My friend's leg and mine! That was back in the day when I sported an Animas.

Exercise

Exercise has always been a pretty big part of my life. I've dabbled in various sports...basketball, softball, soccer, gymnastics, track and field. The two sports I loved the most were swimming and tennis. I was on a swim team for years and I played tennis for my high school. So, yeah, I never really had a problem getting exercise...until I got to college. I didn't have any commitments to teams, so it was a little hard to get into the habit of visiting the gym on a regular basis.
Then I realized how AWFUL I felt without physical activity and got moving. I now go to the gym everyday! I feel soooo much better too. The one problem I have is figuring out a good blood sugar to work out with. Lately I'm finding that if it's not in the mid 200s, I get low really fast. I just don't know if this is a safe number. Does anyone have any suggestions of what to do about this??? My Dr. tells me to just bolus for half of my dinner, but even this causes me to go low!

To carb or not to carb....

FOOD=LIFE
I love it....so much. I love nutrition and dietetics. I love tasting new and different foods. I love it all. =]

I personally do not have a low carb diet. In fact, when I was first diagnosed, the doctors had me eating 90-100 carbs at noon everyday! That was so difficult at times! I don't eat that many carbs anymore, but I still have quite a bit. Though, there are rules I've set for myself. For the most part, I really only eat whole grains. I limit refined and processed ones as much as I possibly can. These spike my blood sugar very, very quickly. I also try to make everything pretty high fiber...I'm kind of obsessed with fiber. Maybe it was all the GI problems I had at the end of high school......yeah. I'll stop there before I gross anyone out.
But honestly, the meds the doctors gave me didn't really help that much. It's all about the diet!
I try to incorporate proteins and fats into every meal as well. These help to keep my blood sugar steady without so many spikes.

My favorite snacks include:
-Apples with peanut butter
-Triscuts and cheese
-Greek yogurt with honey
-Tortilla chips with guacamole (mmmmm yum)
-carrots, carrots, carrots.

Oh, and I love seeing how many ways I can incorporate vegetables into different meals. I get all my recipes from "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food." This is the coolest cookbook ever! Today I made pancakes with beets and ricotta cheese in them or "pink pancakes." They were soooooo good!

My Biggest Supporter!

Since I was diagnosed in June, 2004, there's been one person by my side through it all....

MY MOMMY!

Without her support and guidance, I don't know where I would be.
She was there to comfort me when we received the diagnosis, got up at all hours of the night to test my blood sugar, gave me my injections, orders my supplies (yeah, I'm almost 20, I should probably start doing that on my own)....and puts up with with high/low crankiness. I know I don't always show my appreciation, but I hope she knows how much I love and cherish the support she's given me through the years. I LOVE YOU MOM!

Me, Mom, and my little sister Christi....she's pretty great too.

I should probably thank her for being there for me too! She's
taken the time to learn about diabetes and what caring for it
entails...and I LOVE that. Thanks Christi!

MAKING THE LOW GO!

I HATE being low. I went through almost a year where I didn't bolus for food, only corrected the high afterward because of my fear. Yeah, this brought my A1c wayyyyyy up.
When I do get low, it's so hard to "wait it out." I Just want to keep eating and eating so I can feel better, but then I get really high.....and really tired.


When I'm on-the-go, my favorite way to treat lows is glucose tabs. My favorite flavors are fruit punch and watermelon. They're kind of like giant smarties...only chalkier. I also like starbursts for my on-the-go-lows! They bring me back to my childhood when I used to eat packs andpacks! yummmmmmm!

Now that I'm home, my new favorite is orange blossom honey. I just take a spoonful or two and I'm good.

When I'm not too too low, but I know I'm going to be low later, I like to have something with carbohydrates and protein. Good snacks for this scenario include a glass of milk or a banana and peanut butter. These get my blood sugar up and keep it steady until my next meal.

A Day in the Life....With Diabetes

Life with diabetes requires at least SOME routine....something that's really hard to have when you're in college! Everyday is different....classes get out early, friends want to eat earlier or later, things come up...I honestly don't know how I'd manage diabetes in college without a pump. Kudos for those that can! I'm going to give an example of my usual Tuesday/Thursday school day because that's about as routine as it gets for me!

6am- Test blood sugar. If it's high, correct!

8:30am- Get up, ready, test my blood sugar...and grab my coffee mug!

9:15am- Go to the dining hall with my friends. Usually I try to stick with an egg white omelet (YUM), toast, and fruit. I also really like Kashi Go Lean! Crunch, but I have the WORST time bolusing for that! No matter what I do, I skyrocket into the 300s and crash into the 60s hours later! UGH!
Oh, and I get my first cup of coffee for the day =]

10am- Go back to my room or to the library. I usually catch up on some studying....and facebook of course =]

11am- Test my blood sugar and correct if necessary.

11:45am- I head over to my 12pm class (Cell and Microbial Biology). On Thursdays, this class has a lab, which for some reason reeks havoc on my blood sugar. These labs don't allow for much time, so I get really stressed....and my blood sugar plummets, making me VERY cranky.

1pm- Test my blood sugar. If it's a Thursday and I'm in the low 100s, I'll usually have a couple glucose tabs to hold me over until lunch.

1:45pm- Lunch! I test my blood sugar again and make my way around the dining hall to find some food. I love the vegan station in my dining hall, so I usually get food from here! I try my best to correctly measure and count the carbs, but this can get pretty tricky without measuring cups and scales. Ugh.

2:30pm- Time to grab my next cup of coffee

3pm- Test my blood sugar....since I usually don't count my lunch carbs with complete accuracy, so this usually means a correction.

4pm-5:45pm- My next class!

5:45pm- Test my blood sugar and go to dinner. I make sure to bolus for about half the food I'm eating so I can go to the gym after dinner.

7:30pm- Test my blood sugar. I like it to be about 180- low 200s in order to do some cardio without crashing. At the end of my workout, I'm usually anywhere from 90-100. Wonderful!

10pm- Test my blood sugar and have a small snack (apple and peanut butter)

10:30pm- Shower. Every other day I change my pump site and insulin cartridge.

12am- Test my blood sugar before bed. My roomate and I like to watch a movie, or at least part of one while falling asleep...probably not the best habit. =]

So, that's the day in the life of one collegiate diabetic. Who knows what in store for my summer schedule. This year, I'm part time dietary aide at a retirement center/ part time landscape contractor assistant for my dad. Both require a lot of walking and lifting......thank God I have my Dexcom! He's working wonders and I feel so much safer! I'll continue to let everyone know how he's working out in the future!
Can't wait to see everyone's posts for Diabetes Blog Week! Happy Monday!

Climbing a Mountain!

This past weekend, I went hiking with a bunch of people from Hall Council! This is a group of people from a few of the different residence halls that put together activities throughout the year. We decided it would be fun to have one last get together as a group and climb Mount Monadnack!

I've hiked this mountain before back in September, but this time I was so, so nervous. I kept thinking my blood sugar was going to get really low and I wouldn't be able to keep up with everyone. On Friday, I went to Target and bought $15 worth of food for this hike....a day hike. lol. I was popping starburst the whole way up! Well, I made it to the top safe and sound....and my blood sugar was a wonderful 137! No low!

Climibing Mount Monadnock made me realize how far I've come. When I got diagnosed almost 6 years ago, I was hesitant to do the simplest things in fear that my blood sugar would go low. Even going to get a hair cut was scary for me! What if I got low while the woman was cuttng my hair??!?!?! I couldn't give myself shots and could barely do finger pricks. Well, now I can give shots, change my pump sites, I know the carb count of almost anything edible, I know what makes me low and what makes me high....I've come so far!

Happy Monday everyone!!! I only have 3 more days of exams....then it's summer!!!

Pictures taken from T.J. O.

My future roomies and I at the summet!

The whole group!

DEXCOM!!

Well, the semester is coming to an end and it's very bitter-sweet. I'm going to miss my friends from school so much this summer, but it will be nice to have a break from the work and have a steady income again. It's also going to give me lots and lots of quality time with my new DEXCOM! I can't even describe how excited I am about this. I really don't want to get my hopes up, but I think this might help me gain better control over my blood sugars.

I've been talking to DexCom and Medtronic reps for weeks now about the pros and cons of each system and have always come up with more pros than cons for DexCom. The only con I can think of is having a whole seperate system to carry around, but I always have my purse on my anyways. Another thing I love about the DexCom is the customer service I've recieved so far. The reps have been so informative and kind. They even started texting me instead of making so many calls because it's more convenient for me with classes and all. I hope they continue to be this supportive if I ever have any problems! After I made my final decision to get the DexCom, insurance approved me and it will be at my house Friday! I'm very optimistic about this system and will keep everyone up-to-date with how it's working for me!

I'm also excited that I MIGHT be a counselor at Camp Carefree in NH this summer! I haven't gotten the job yet, but I had my first interview on Sunday and I think it went okay. They haven't had any nutrition-focused counselors for a number of years and said they would love have some once again. Hopefully I gain some experience in working with other diabetics this summer through this camp!

EXPO!

Today I went to the Connecticut Diabetes Expo!

I had a great time! I met other diabetics, learned about new products, and got lots of free stuff!

One thing that's always bothered me was the fact that I can't give blood. This is something I've always wanted to be able to do in order to save other's lives. Well, there was a Yale New Haven Hospital Clinical Research table set up at the expo. I walked up to the table and asked what they were all about. They told me they were looking for people with autoimmune diseases to give blood for one of their doctors to use in his research. (He's researching different genes that are involved with these diseases). I participated and am really happy with my decision. This is almost like donating blood to the American Red Cross...almost. Because I participated in this clinical research, I could be helping this doctor find something new about diabetes that was never before known. This could bring us one step closer to a cure and save millions of lives! WOO!

I also registered for the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure! I'm so so so excited about this. I used to participate in the JDRF's Walk to Cure Diabetes every year, but haven't been able to since I started college. The Tour de Cure is in June...so I can! yay!

I really went to the expo to learn more about different CGMs. I've been going back and forth between the minimed sensor and the Dexcom. I was hoping that by going to the expo, I would be able to make a decision....but now I'm just even more confused about which one I should get! Since I'm already on a minimed pump, it seems like it makes more sense to get the minimed sensor. I would allow me to have everything under one system.....

There's just something I like about the Dexcom more....

I recently talked to a Dexcom rep. who's also on a minimed pump. She said she started with the minimed sensor, but was really disappointed with the results she was getting. She said the numbers her glucometer were giving her and the patterns the sensor was showing her just weren't adding up!

I have NO idea what to do! Does anyone have any experience with either of these systems????

I really think that by using a CGM, I'll be able to get my A1c back down to a 6.0-7.0 again!

If you've never been to one of these expos, I strongly recommend attending one! It's so informative and there are all sorts of free screenings...eyes, bones, feet, kidneys, heart...everything! This was a great experience!

I WILL NOT Die of Diabetes......

OK....this is my second post of the day, but something just came up that REALLY bothered me. I was talking with some of my friends about a man who had diabetes. That's when one of my friends said, "He died of diabetes."
I responded with, "You don't die of diabetes. You die of diabetes-related complications."
They then told me they didn't agree, blah blah blah. They said that you wouldn't have those complications if you didn't have diabetes to begin with.
Well, I see what they're saying, but a lot of the complications diabetics get, other people without diabetes can get too! Let's see...high blood pressure, heart disease, eye complications, skin complications....you don't need diabetes to get those!!!
I guess the reason I got so upset was because that was like them telling me I was going to die from my diabetes....which I'm determined not to happen! I do everything I can to prevent these complications from occuring! I test my blood sugar 8-10 times a day, I went on an insulin pump so I could better manage it, I count my carbohydrates, exercise, and hopefully am getting the dexcom! That's like saying all the work I do to prevent complications is just a waste!!! UGH!
I love my friends, but I just wish they could understand where I'm coming from when I get so agree at statements like that.

A Rollercoaster of Emotions

Lately, I've been an emotional mess.
My blood sugars are all over the place...and just when I thought they were stabalizing!
They're high, low, high, higher, low again. All of this is making me exhausted and cranky. I feel so bad about it too! I've been in such a bad mood for the past week, pretty much everything and everyone is annoying me at this point. Usually stress makes my blood sugars go crazy...and the semester is coming to an end.....so that's probably it. I just want to go home! At home, I eat regular meals, I have measuring cups, scales.....my mom. Everything that helps me keep it under control.
I've been working on getting a Dexcom CGM, so hopefully I'll get that soon. After reading everyone's blogs, it seems like that can really help. It would be nice to be able to see what direction my blood sugar's going in.....maybe then I could see how much I need to eat for a low.....because lately I've been treating them wayyyyy to much and my blood sugar skyrockets soon afterwards.
Well, enough venting and feeling sorry for myself.
Happy Monday.....Happy Week!

Food Baby?

Yeah. It happens after almost every meal I ingest. It's not not cute like a baby either....it's EMBARRASSING!


Here's a picture of what I'm dealing with:
Yeah. It literally looks like I'm pregnant! WHAT?!?!
I think I'm sensitive to garlic...which is in pretty much everything.
I guess it's a little funny....but sometimes....ugh. At least it's not painful.
So here's to everyone who has their own little food baby! Congrats!

Busy busy busy.

I've been so busy with school I haven't even had time to write anything in days!

Well, this was quite the frustrating week for me. I kept THE MOST detailed food and blood sugar diary everrrrrr and after a week, I faxed it to my doctor. I guess she passed it on to my nurse, who passed it on to a dietician......and finally an entire week and a half later, I got an email with all the necessary adjustments. They've been working great....but it just annoys me how long it took to get an answer! I know that the office is probably very busy, but I feel like crap! I try to adjust things on my own, but I can only do so much. I don't want to make too many changes on my own without the help of a medical professional....it's kinda scary. My biggest problem is my fasting numbers- they're alway pretty high when I wake up, like in the 200s. I'm too afraid to make changes to my nightime basal rates...what happens if I get low in the middle of the night?!?!? Well, at least I finally got the changes and my wake up numbers have been much, much better. Now it's time to work on some insulin to carb ratios and I should be good now that I'm at a steady weight.

In my food science class last night, we each made a homemade cake with chocolate frosting and an apple galette. They were both AMAZING....but sent my blood sugars through the roof. I really wish we could learn how to do some sugar-free cooking in this class! Every sugar-free recipe I've tried always turns out like crap. NASTY. Does anyone know of any good sugar-free cookbooks??? or maybe some better non-nutritive sweeteners I can use???? I'm really interested in doing some sugar-free baking when I go home this summer!

This is pretty much how my galette turned out----> AMAZING!

Snack Time!

Snacks have become a part of my everyday life....i NEED to have an afternoon snack and an evening snack. It's a must. Now that I'm on a pump, I might not actually NEED a snack, but that's just the way I feel. After being on NPH and regular insulin for that one year, I was so trained to having snacks, I can't even break the habit. Even so, sometimes I do need snacks to prevent blood sugar lows.
The reason I'm talking about this is because of a discussion I had with my roomate today. She went home last night and just got back this afternoon around 5:00. She was telling me she want to go to dinner soon because she was starving....she got up at 11:00am and only had coffee, a muffin, and an orange all day. I was in complete shock. If I ate that, my blood sugar would be soooo sooo low and I'd be uncomfortable and starving! Usually, I forget that I even have diabetes...I feel relatively normal. It's times like this when I realize how much planning I do everyday without even noticing. If I have an early breakfast, I always make sure I have some type of mid-morning snack. If I'm going to the gym, I make sure to only bolus half my meal. If I leave my house or room at school, I always make sure to have my meter and glucose tablets. These are things most diabetics probably start doing automatically out of habit, but once you stop to think.....IT'S SO MUCH! I can't even believe I remember to do some of it!!
Anyways, the fact that my roomate ate so little without any thought behind it shocked me. I can't even remember being able to do that. I'm not trying to feel bad for myself or anything....I'm just totally surprised at how accustomed I've atually become to this disease. Wow.
Besides that, I just got the result of my last A1c....8.7! Yeah, that's still really high...but it's down from 9.7 and my blood sugar's have been pretty good lately. I've been really good about accurate carb counting and bolusing. My next appointment's in June....hopefully I can get it down to a last 8.0 or 7.7!

FOOD

Yesterday I was reading Scott Johnson's blog from dlife about diabetes and eating disorders. This is a topic that really hit home for me because I understand the preoccupation a lot of diabetics have with food.

Scott said, "I grew up using Regular and NPH insulin. These two types of insulin had some pretty nasty and awkwardly timed peaks that forced me to eat at certain times of the day, rather than when I was hungry."

I have the same problem...I was only on multiple injections like this for a year, but I feel like it really messed up my hunger instincts. I still feel as if I always have to eat snacks, even when I'm not hungry. I remember having to eat 80-90gram of carbohydrates at lunchtime that first year....that's a lot of food! I still feel like I have to eat that much food! It's so hard!

Another problem I have is knowing so much about everything I'm putting into my mouth. I'm constantly looking at nutrition labels, so I see everything fact about the food- the calories, the fat, the sodium........it's enough to make you crazy. Once you know so much about the food you were planning on eating, it almost makes you not want to eat it anymore. Thankfully, as I'm learning more and more about nutrition in my nutrition classes, I haven't really been having this problem as often. I'm eating mainly healthy foods now as opposed to processed junk.

The fact that diabetics are so capable of developing eating disorders scares me! Food is such a large part of diabetes management and shouldn't become an unhealthy habit. Although this is a scary topic, I'm happy that it's finally being talked about. Hopefully we can find a way to help diabetics, specifically teenage girls, better deal with it!

It's been one of those days.....

Spring break is officially over....and the semester is as hectic as ever.
Today was not the best of days. I can't concentrate on anything, my feet are swollen, and I've been downing water bottle after water bottle all day long.
It all started when I had to get up super early this morning for a two hour drive back to school. I tested my blood sugar around 8am while we were in the car....still fasting....and it was 250. Why? I corrected before I went to bed and it was only 180 then. I managed to get it down to about 130 by noon.......but that's when all hell broke loose.
I went to lunch and asked for the special salad with couscous.....bad, bad decision. The guy scooped probably over a cup of the stuff. I wasn't exactly sure how many carbs were in it.....and I knew I probably shouldn't be eating a whole cup of it, but I just couldn't resist. I definately under-bolused for this tastey meal. By 3:00, my blood sugar was 358......i corrrected....3:45 it was 323. What?! I knew something was wrong when I was literally falling asleep during the discussion....like falling to the side and struggling to keep my head up. I had another class from 4:00-8:00 so I decided it was best to go back to my room, change my site, test for ketones, and hope for the best. Turns out, I DID have ketones. I corrected, drank some water, and walked back to my class, but I felt so sick and I was completely out of it for the rest of the day. On top of all that, for some reason my feet and ankles keep swelling up like giant sausages. It's disgusting. I don't know if this is an allergic reaction or diabetes-related...but it's been happening at least a couple times a week. I don't think I have any foot infections either. I've been checking them and keeping them elevated...but this never seems to help too much.
It's times like this when I can't wait to learn more about this god-awful disease and be able to help others better manage it. What really makes me upset is how hard it is to manage at school. I'm on a different schedule everyday and I can't always accurately measure my food at the dining hall. When I was home for spring break, I was able to keep my numbers within a much better range....but as soon as I get back to school, everything goes down hill! I try my best to balance food, insulin, exercise, sleep, homework, and rest, but it's so complicated! I wish there was an easier way to do this!

Hellooooooooo Spring! =]

Helloooo everyone!
It's been so beautiful out these past couple of days! It's officially spring and I couldn't be any happier!

So I made Rachel's "Greek Spag" on Thursday night and it was so great! It was literally just whole wheat pasta, green olives, black olives, tomato sauce, and feta cheese.
My blood sugars have been great too. I ate that dinner around 8:00 and then tested an hour later...it was an amazing 132! I couldn't believe it. I haven't seen a post-meal number like that in probably a couple of years now! I've been keeping some detailed food and blood sugar diaries and am going to fax them to my nurse next week. Hopefully I can continue to see more numbers like this with some changes in my basal rates!
Last night I went to UCONN to visit my friend Emily. I had a great time....maybe too much fun. The thing I've been struggling with this past year is drinking. I know....diabetics really shouldn't drink but I find it so hard not to. I always thought that peer pressure was stupid and I would never give in, but it's not that easy. Even when I know the consequences, I can't seem to resist the temptation. Luckily, I didn't get too bad last night, but in the past I haven't been so luck. In October, I ended up in the hospital because of a drinking incident at school. It was a mixture of high blood sugar and alcohol that caused me to get so sick. The hospital didn't really do much to help me...just gave me some meds to stop the vomiting, a little insulin, and fluids for the dehydration. I was fortunate and did not suffer any alcohol poisoning, but it was still a scary night.
I don't even know what to do about this. Is there any way for a diabetic to safely consume alcohol? How do you learn to resist temptation and not drink? UGH. This is a behavior I need to change and fast!

My First Post

It's my first post....and I don't even know where to begin.
Well, I've been diabetic for almost six years now. I was an animas pumper from 2005-2009 and have since switched to minimed! I'm loving the minimed pump and am now working on getting a Dexcom CGM. I'm really hoping that a continous glucose monitor will help keep my BGs in a better range. My last A1c was 9.7....ouch!
I'm also a nutrition major at Keene State College and love to eat healthy. Today I got a book called Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld! It's amazing! It contains "Simple secrets to get you kids eating good food." No, I'm not a mom and don't plan on becoming one for a very long time, but I love finding new ways to incorporate vegetables and other healthy foods into my diet! I actually already made one of the recipes:
Scrambled Eggs (with cauliflower)

• 2 large eggs
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup cauliflower puree
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• Pinch of salt
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

All you do is whisk the ingredients together and then cook them like you would normally good scrambled eggs! They were delicious! I ate it with a slice of whole wheat toast and an orange. I pretty much only boluses for the toast and orange and my blood sugar was steady all morning! Usually I suffer very high post-meal BGs...but not with this breakfast! Yay!

I've also been following Rachel Garlinghouse's blog, Sugar, Spice, and More Things Nice. She made a great recipe using whole wheat pasta that I'm making tonight: Greek Spag! I can't wait to try this. It seems really quick and easy....I'll let you know how it goes!