you've met everyone, so it's only fair that i answer the questions i asked all of them to answer (although i've probably answered them in some fashion or another on this blog before). i hope you enjoyed getting to know a few more people who live with diabetes and learned a few more perspectives of what it's like to have this disease.
i'm a manager of marketing, pr and creative design at a non-profit in louisville. my husband and i have been married for almost nine months and we have two ridiculous cats, bella and penny.
what do you wish people without diabetes understood?
that type 1 is not 'the bad kind' and that we get really annoyed when you give us a sad face and act like we have a death sentence. obviously i'm healthy and here talking to you when you're asking me about diabetes. use common sense.
how do you describe the feeling and symptoms of lows and to people who don't have diabetes?
shaky, hot, light headed ... sometimes i get confused or it takes my brain a few seconds longer to process things if it's a low that dropped really fast or is being stubborn and doesn't want to come back up.
what about the feeling and symptoms of highs?
horrible headache, exhausted, totally dry mouth. ugh. they suck and it takes WAY longer to fix highs than lows.
what's your go-to treatment for lows?
juice 'boxes' ... the capri sun-like bags though. or glucose tabs, glucose gels and in the summer, i've been choosing fruit. yum.
what's your meal plan? do you follow a special diet? do you enjoy the same treats that 'everyone else' does?
when i was diagnosed, dr awesome told me that my diet should be one of every healthy person, well balanced - the way everyone should eat. so, i do my best to eat healthy. that's not to say that i don't get mcdonalds or have cupcakes and ice cream. i just don't eat those things every day of my life.
what diabetes myth do you wish would get busted?
type 1 is not 'the bad kind.' i didn't get this because i ate too much candy. i can eat sugar and whatever i want.
what would you tell someone who was just diagnosed with diabetes?
it's hard at first but you'll do just fine. there's a huge community of people with the disease that can help you along the way - don't let it take over, once you get control and have a routine, you'll feel much better.
what's your favorite flavor cupcake?
red velvet with cream cheese frosting. :)
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| penny on the left, bella on the right. she is not that angry. |
what type of diabetes do you have?
type 1
how long have you had it/when were you diagnosed?
how long have you had it/when were you diagnosed?
i was 17; 13 years.
can you tell us a quick summary of your diagnosis story?
long story short, i had a pre-college physical and it was discovered. you can read the whole long version here.
how do you treat it (shots, pump, pen, etc)? do you use any other technologies (CGM, etc)?
i've been using a pump since about six weeks after my diagnosis, so 13 years. i have been using a dexcom for almost two years.
what are some of your daily concerns, worries or considerations?
lows. i don't have them all the time or anything but i always think about them. or being high for loo long because you don't see immediate affects of those. i am always taking my blood sugar into consideration ... whether it's deciding what to eat or if i'm going to exercise, etc. it's always on my mind in some fashion.
can you tell us a quick summary of your diagnosis story?
long story short, i had a pre-college physical and it was discovered. you can read the whole long version here.
how do you treat it (shots, pump, pen, etc)? do you use any other technologies (CGM, etc)?
i've been using a pump since about six weeks after my diagnosis, so 13 years. i have been using a dexcom for almost two years.
what are some of your daily concerns, worries or considerations?
lows. i don't have them all the time or anything but i always think about them. or being high for loo long because you don't see immediate affects of those. i am always taking my blood sugar into consideration ... whether it's deciding what to eat or if i'm going to exercise, etc. it's always on my mind in some fashion.
what do you wish people without diabetes understood?
that type 1 is not 'the bad kind' and that we get really annoyed when you give us a sad face and act like we have a death sentence. obviously i'm healthy and here talking to you when you're asking me about diabetes. use common sense.
how do you describe the feeling and symptoms of lows and to people who don't have diabetes?
shaky, hot, light headed ... sometimes i get confused or it takes my brain a few seconds longer to process things if it's a low that dropped really fast or is being stubborn and doesn't want to come back up.
what about the feeling and symptoms of highs?
horrible headache, exhausted, totally dry mouth. ugh. they suck and it takes WAY longer to fix highs than lows.
what's your go-to treatment for lows?
juice 'boxes' ... the capri sun-like bags though. or glucose tabs, glucose gels and in the summer, i've been choosing fruit. yum.
what's your meal plan? do you follow a special diet? do you enjoy the same treats that 'everyone else' does?
when i was diagnosed, dr awesome told me that my diet should be one of every healthy person, well balanced - the way everyone should eat. so, i do my best to eat healthy. that's not to say that i don't get mcdonalds or have cupcakes and ice cream. i just don't eat those things every day of my life.
what diabetes myth do you wish would get busted?
type 1 is not 'the bad kind.' i didn't get this because i ate too much candy. i can eat sugar and whatever i want.
what would you tell someone who was just diagnosed with diabetes?
it's hard at first but you'll do just fine. there's a huge community of people with the disease that can help you along the way - don't let it take over, once you get control and have a routine, you'll feel much better.
what's your favorite flavor cupcake?
red velvet with cream cheese frosting. :)
Oooh that's one of my favorite cupcake flavors, too! Nice to "meet" you! :)
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