Toast to the Weekend — Halloween #diabetes #halloween #ketoacidosis pic.twitter.com/470NYBgVqu
— Diabetes Daily Grind (@DiabetesGrind) October 31, 2014
Monthly Archives: October 2014
What Is The Dawn Phenomenon?
If you have diabetes, you know the Dawn Phenomenon. Perhaps you haven’t been mindful of its occurrence, unconsciously adjusted for its presence, or have just thrown your hands up in the air in frustration. Before we get into the research behind its existence–close to 200 research articles have been published on this–let’s look at how this usually evolves in a diabetic day. Continue reading
Tuesday Topic: How Much Does Our Blood Sugar Matter?
Yes. It matters. It runs us. We live that number. We feel that number. We basically are that number.
Could something else matter more thought? I think so. Have we been deceived the whole time? Not exactly. To explain, I’ll use a situation: Continue reading
Surviving A Conference
Last week was a busy one with tours of the new gallery and the Oklahoma Arts Conference in town. Blood sugars and stress levels were all over the map, making my attention span and ability to rally each day rather tough. For the first time, I actually took a mental health day midweek, but more so to get my diabetes under control by focusing on my mind and my body.
Final day of the conference kicks off at 8am and the first session is an important one so I’m sure to be up extra early, eat a hearty breakfast and pack plenty of snacks so I don’t crash while engaging in conversation. Two sessions later and my stomach is growling, I’ve consumed as much coffee as humanly possible and head into lunch. I scarf down the spinach salad and eagerly await the main course before a fellow arts friend warns me of the vegetarian options. She is a fan of the DDG and knows that I constantly bitch about the lack of low carb options in a buffet or conference setting. Word on the street, the lunch option for vegetarians was pasta and grilled potatoes. NO THANK YOU! Continue reading
Feed Your Kale Addiction – Recipe #2
As most of you know via a previous post, Kale Chips, I have a slight addiction to this leafy green. I came across a fellow blog, COOKIE and Kate, who seem to share my love for all things kale. This blog has a number of kale recipes I plan to try out, but Feta Fiesta Kale Salad is top on the list. Take a moment to check out the recipes on their blog and shoot me some feedback.
This recipe yields four medium-sized salads.
INGREDIENTS Continue reading
Toast to the Weekend
Toast to the Weekend — Diabetes Lotion? pic.twitter.com/86iCVGpvEw
— Diabetes Daily Grind (@DiabetesGrind) October 24, 2014
What My First 72 Hours of CGM Was Like
It takes insulin awhile to get going.
With the CGM alongside, I now understand the speed at which insulin operates. Yesterday evening, my glucose trended up towards 200. I corrected with a unit of insulin. At the moment, I was attempting to study, which invariably leads to a search for any excuse not to study. Insert CGM. I kept looking to see if the insulin was working. It didn’t initially. Fifteen minutes later, I could see the readings crest and begin trending downwards. This is the indicator to stop giving insulin unless you enjoy being low, or well… crazy. Continue reading
Tuesday Topic: Bret Michaels on Having the Strength to Battle a Lifelong Disease
I’m not going to lie, I was never really a Poison fan when all of my friends were plastering their bedroom walls with posters of Bret Michaels and fellow bandmates. I may not understand his style of music, but I can relate to his positive attitude about living with Type 1 diabetes. In this Oprah LifeClass clip, he hits the nail on the head with choosing to get busy living or get busy dying. Attitude is everything and some days are better than others.
In a previous post, Backlash of a Constant Adrenaline Low Blood Sugar, I share my recent discovery of how adrenaline and cortisol can make your blood sugar your worst enemy. I can’t imagine what Bret has gone through as a Rock Star Continue reading
Backlash of a Constant Adrenaline Low Blood Sugar
The past couple of months have been an absolute whirlwind of events leading up to the Grand Opening of my baby, Dreamer Concepts: A Community Art Space. My close friends and family, for the most part, know how to handle me in times of utter chaos by subtlety bringing or offering to bring me food. I often refuse for some odd reason because I’m kind of a meal planning nazi, but after hearing the the word, “hangry” more than once I throw in the towel and allow others to help me.
This new adventure brought on something I had never consciously recognized until meeting Ryan Fightmaster. In a conversation earlier in the week, I mentioned I didn’t have to give a single unit of insulin throughout the day while still consuming plenty of food (fruit, veggies, protein and a few carbs here and there). I immediately think of my hormones. I won’t freak you out by talking about my period, but this is a huge factor as to when my blood sugar starts to go crazy. I contribute the constant low to the insane amount of adrenaline and not taking a moment to actually slow my mind or body down for more than 4 minutes. I literally ate while walking around delegating tasks.
Fast forward 48 hours – Continue reading
My Life Changes Tomorrow – 3 Reasons Why
For the past 12 years or so, my diabetes management has been monotonous–test sugar, bolus, change out site, be pissed at canula kink, go high, go low, eat the whole kitchen, etc. It all changes tomorrow. That’s probably a bit dramatic to be honest but who doesn’t like exaggeration?
The newest Minimed 530G with Enlite technology arrives on my doorstep tomorrow. With it comes the ability to know my blood sugar anytime, just by looking at my pump. Before I ramble on about how great this is, I’ll organize the excitement/apprehension into three thoughts: Continue reading