I know I am not the only one that instantly thinks diabetes when something --- anything is wrong with a non-D kiddo.

I'm embarrassed to tell you that I sometimes sneak in and check the girls' bg when they are sleeping.  Please tell me I'm not the only one?!?!

Lately my daughter, Emma has been acting different.  I can't quite put my finger on it.  A little lethargic, she moves slowly, she's lost the skip in her step ---- she's got no bounce.  Her face always looks just a little sad and her eyes have dark circles around them.  For about a week she complained of a tummy ache without any vomiting or diarrhea but she does seem a little green.  Halloween night she was just ho-hum and kind of tagged along towards the back and was the 1st one ready to call it a night.  Today she got home from her Y-Princess camp out with her daddy and again was just ho-hum.  Jim said she was pretty lethargic and lackadaisical the entire trip which just broke my heart.  I know how much they were both looking forward to this trip. Her school work is suffering and I feel like I am always 'on' her.

Today it hit me!

Holy CRAP. She has diabetes.  This is it.  I just know it.  Tummy ache, change in demeanor, tired, lethargic.
She has Ducking Fiabetes!!!

Longest 5 seconds ever . . .











Ok, she doesn't have diabetes.

Now I'm still left wondering what is wrong with my sweet little thing.  :(


Keep calm and keep plugging along . . .

Clearly . . .  I favor taking pictures of Nate's CGM when he is having good BG days.  
A few bad tossed in the mix for your viewing pleasure.  






This one was taken this morning at wake up time . . . he was actually holding it up pretending it was his mouth because I have an app for that on my phone.  You know the one that has the funny mouths with mustaches and beards . . . yea that one!  He was doing that with his CGM.  It was funny!!  




And here he is with the real app (sorry for the poor quality pic --- they can't all be winners) . . . 






Continuous Glucose & Mustache Madness!! 

I was going to go with the prompt today but it's actually 11:45 PM on Friday night and I'm tired.  I got through 1/2 of my post and changed my mind when I saw this picture on my phone . . . 







Diabetes is often called an invisible disease which I understand because when Nate looks like this . . . 






all you see is a precious little 3-year old boy.  Most people would never know that he has diabetes or anything else for that matter.  This is the little boy that I want you to see but please don't forget the little boy that I see at home has 2 life saving medical devices attached to him at all times.  His insulin pump infuses a life-saving and potentially fatal man-made insulin through his little body.  If his pump malfunctions it quickly becomes a life or death situation. 









Diabetes Awareness Month means a lot to me because Diabetes is NOT invisible to me. 

Today I am going to use the #NHBPM prompt just because I think it's funny.  


What happens after you press “publish.” Write about your post-blog-writing process. Do you immediately tweet a link? Email it to everyone? Re-read it for spelling errors?


Why is that funny?  I don't know I guess because when I 1st started this blog when I hit publish I would always go back and look for errors and I swear I would ALWAYS find them.  Then I couldn't get them corrected fast enough.  It was like a race to try and get my errors fixed before anyone would see them.  Inevitably, my mom would always see the post before I could fix it and she would email me to let me know!!  Thanks, Mom!


Oh my my my how things have changed.  Nowadays I don't even go back and read it.  Mistakes?  Ehhhhh . . . whatever.  When I do actually get a chance to sit down and blog it's usually very late and I try to get some sleep afterwards!


A few things that have not changed at all . . . 


I am still honest and transparent on this blog so if you want glitter and unicorns go elsewhere.  I'm a super happy person but I don't usually mince words or sugar coat the BS.  


I still blog about Nate's diabetes and now I've added some posts about my Sweet Sophie and her struggles with Ulcerative Colitis.


I LOVE comments!!!!!!  I miss the days of 15 - 20 comments per post.  
Hey people ---- comments = love says Meri!!  
I know - I know . . . everyone is busy these days.  I am too.  I get it.  Just sayin'!!


I'm busy too.  I wish I had more time to comment on all of the wonderful posts being written.






That is all.  


Oh yea and it's Friday ---- are you wearing blue for diabetes awareness?  










This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

JDRF went there!  They posted a full size ad in the Washington Post and the NY Times with the following:

                                         www.jdrf.org


I don't know about the rest of the world but the diabetes online community certainly took notice!  


Wow!


What are your feelings on that ad?  I've seen some really mixed responses on Facebook, CWD and Twitter.  


Not that you asked but here is my opinion ---- 


It is what it is.  This is my life.  The people that are closest to me in real life still ask me why I'm so tired all of the time, why I still check Nate throughout the night, and why I check his BS so frequently.  Well, friends ---- 1 in 20.  That is why.


The ad honestly didn't scare me.  I'm not going to bed tonight any more worried than I was last night.  I've known the risks of type 1 for a while and although I certainly don't dwell on them they are always there.


I say kudos to JDRF for being bold today!  I do not think they were trying to scare the T1 community --- I honestly believe they were trying to wake up the rest of the world.  The world that thinks that diabetes is no big deal.  The world that doesn't know any of the complications from T1 diabetes.  Most importantly I believe they were sending a loud and clear message to the FDA because they have the ability to hold back progress or move it forward and bring life saving technology to the United States. 


So I say be bold JDRF ----  let the FDA know they can save the lives of those with Type 1 Diabetes.  




Be Bold.




1 in 20.




From Jeffrey Brewer

Estimates of the number of people with T1D who die from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) range from 2% - 10%. Therefore, 1 in 20, or 5% is a conservative estimate roughly in the middle of this range. 

Specifically, several publications by Philip E. Cryer, MD on hypoglycemia[1],[2],[3] cite estimates of death due to hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes. Older estimates were that 2% to 4%[4],[5],[6] of patients with type 1 diabetes die from hypoglycemia and more recent estimates are that 6%[7], 7%[8], or 10%[9] of those with type 1 diabetes die from hypoglycemia. 

[1] Cryer PE. The barrier of hypoglycemia in diabetes. Diabetes 2008;57(12):3169?76.
[2] Cryer, PE. Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2010. 39(3): 641-654.
[3] Cryer PE. Death during Intensive Glycemic Therapy of Diabetes: Mechanisms and Implications. Am J Med 2011 124(11):993-996.
[4] Deckert T, Poulsen JE, Larsen M. Prognosis of diabetics with diabetes onset before the age of thirty-one. I. Survival, causes of death, and complications. Diabetologia. 1978;14:363-370.
[5] Tunbridge WMG. Factors contributing to deaths of diabetics under fifty years of age. Lancet. 1981;2:569-572.
[6] Laing SP, Swerdlow AJ, Slater SD, et al. The British Diabetic Association Cohort Study, I: all-cause mortality in patients with insulintreated diabetes mellitus. Diabet Med. 1999;16:459-465.
[7] Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study Research Group. Long-term effect of diabetes and its treatment on cognitive function. N Engl J Med 2007;356(18):1842?52. 
[8] Feltbower RG, Bodansky HJ, Patterson CC, et al. Acute complications and drug misuse are important causes of death for children and young adults with type 1 diabetes: results from the Yorkshire Register of diabetes in children and young adults. Diabetes Care 2008;31(5):922?6.
[9] Skrivarhaug T, Bangstad HJ, Stene LC, et al. Long-term mortality in a nationwide cohort of childhood-onset type 1 diabetic patients in Norway. Diabetologia 2006;49(2):298?305.




Keep calm and advocate on . . . 

Yea - I know . . . totally not as cute as






Work with me people ---- the pancreas is no tata but it's a damn fine organ . . . when it works properly!!


This month I am going to post everyday for Diabetes Awareness month by participating in National Health Blog Posting Month sponsored by WEGO Health. 







Wish we me luck, cheer me on, and support diabetes awareness!  
There is so much going on this month ---- tons of things for you to do


(Totally not going to lie --- I copied and pasted most of this from Meri and Hallie --- thanks, ladies!)
BLUE FRIDAYS: This one is easy. Wear blue on Friday in support of D awareness. Blue Fridays is an initiative to bring attention to World Diabetes Day and to advocate and bring awareness for diabetes and the people living with it. Diabetes is more than a national issue; it's a world epidemic. This year Cherise from DSMA want to rally the diabetes community to celebrate World Diabetes Day and Diabetes Awareness Month by asking people to wear blue every Friday during the Month of November and on World Diabetes Day (November 14). Please help spread the word. You can "like" the facebook page HERE.

WDD POSTCARD EXCHANGE:  This awesome idea was thought up by LeAnn Thill, author and artist of The Butter Compartment!  ClickHERE to get involved.

D BLOG DAY:  You don't have to be a blogger to get in on this fun!  This year Gina of The Diabetes Resource is asking you to make a scrapbook page!  For more information, click HERE.

THE BIG BLUE TEST:  The BIG BLUE TEST is a diabetes awareness program started by the non-profit Diabetes Hand Foundation, that takes place every November leading up to World Diabetes Day on november 14th.  The campaign reinforces the importance of excercise managing diabetes.  People with diabetes are encouraged to do the Big Blue Test any day between November 1st and November 14th by testing their blood sugar, getting active, testing again, and sharing the results online at bigbluetest.org.  We all test blood sugar.