All posts by Stacey D.

Portable Pancreas Girl Giveaway.

July 15, 2013Community, Education, Events, FunStacey D.

A couple of weeks ago, I turned to my friends and readers to help me choose a new medical alert bracelet from Lauren’s Hope. The winner of the “contest” was the Olivia and I received it from the team over there a few days later.

This bracelet is absolutely beautiful. Purple and grey are my favorite colors so this is perfect for me! It’s a pretty, dainty style but not too much for every day wear. I thought maybe I wouldn’t like the three strands but I actually do. It’s quite comfortable. I’ve been wearing it every day since I received it and I see no signs of that yet.

Now for the surprise. The team over at Lauren’s Hope would like to offer an opportunity for you guys as readers, to get your own medical alert! There are three ways you can participate. 1) leave a comment on this particular blog post 2) tweet about this giveaway using the hashtags #ppggiveaway and #laurenshope 3) leave a comment on my share of this post on Facebook (for my friends). At 5pm on Thursday July 18th, I will randomly select a winner of a $50 gift certificate to use at Lauren’s Hope for your choice of a medical alert accessory.

The winner will be announced here on Friday, July 19th. If you happen to not be the winner, you can still get 10% off a purchase using the coupon code FAN.

Good luck!!! 🙂

Pump It Up.

July 11, 2013BG, Education, Fitness, FunStacey D.

I have always struggled with maintaining an exercise regimen. I’ve tried gyms and never stick with it so wind up cancelling my membership. I do my best working out at home so I have tried numerous workout programs. My generous hubby got me an elliptical a few years ago which did get some good use but not consistently. I liked the Biggest Loser Challenge game for the Wii for a while and Zumba for Xbox Kinect. Those didn’t last either. I even did a Kettlenetics program for a short time. I worked with Ginger for a bit and worked on some routines that she gave me. I didn’t mind them but wasn’t something I really enjoyed doing either (sorry G!!) . For some reason I never stay motivated enough to keep up with something. That is until recently.

Working with Ginger, I learned how your body and BG are affected differently from different types of exercise. Ultimately weight training or intervals are better for losing weight as well as for managing BG. (I will not pretend to be the expert and get into all the details here! 😉 ) I’ve heard about programs like P90X and Insanity, that they are difficult but result provoking. For some reason though, I never had any interest in trying them. However, my fellow T1D friend Jen, posted a few times about a fitness program called Les Mills Pump on Facebook and it got me intrigued. I chatted a little with her about it and figured I’d give it a try. Well, I love it! It’s a 90 day program consisting of eight different workout DVD’s of lighter weight training at high repetitions. It comes with a schedule that you should adhere to that I don’t exactly follow but have been working out 4-5 days a week which is a HUGE improvement for me. Along with that program I am also alternating some HIIT spin workouts on my newer spin bike courtesy again of my generous hubby 🙂 Although the program is suited for 90 days, I can see this as something I’ll stick with much longer than that.

Have I noticed any weight loss yet? Not exactly. But I am hoping to see a difference in my body soon. I am not only doing this to lose weight. My BG have been fabulous (for the most part of course – it is diabetes we are talking about here) and I feel great. More important is that I actually look forward to working out when I get home from work or on the weekends and it doesn’t feel so much like a chore anymore! I truly find motivation from others. Their posts. Their pictures. Their stories. I hope that this pushes a little motivation your way if you are in need of some!

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(image credit goes to the internet for these)

**I do not have any relations with Beach Body or Nintendo or Microsoft nor do they have any idea I even wrote this post. I do not work for Ginger or Jen but am lucky to be friends with them from the diabetes community. I would however recommend getting to know both of them 🙂 Thank you to both of them for sharing their knowledge and motivation with others. It is greatly appreciated. And also a thank you to my husband for always being supportive of my overall health and encouraging me to do things that will keep me healthy.**

Talking with a True Inspiration.

July 5, 2013Advocacy, Community, Dexcom, Education, Fitness, Fun, OmniPodStacey D.

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kris Freeman. If you are not familiar with who he is, I hope I can help with introducing a great person in the diabetes community. Kris is a professional American cross-country skier. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at 19 years old.

Kris Freeman

(image credit: Lilly Diabetes)

Kris has been partnering with Eli Lilly since 2002 for advocacy. He wants to teach others “don’t let go of dreams because of diagnosis”. This year he will be the guest of honor at 10 diabetes camps across the country in conjunction with the Lilly Camp Care Package program. Kris feels that in a setting such as diabetes camps, people with diabetes can draw together for support and be more mentally equipped to handle the day to day challenges. I could not agree more with him. I have never attended diabetes camp but I have attended other events or just meet ups and have made so many friends along the way. My attitude or my outlook would not be where it is today without that support, that’s for sure.

I’ve been working out more than usual recently. By that I mean 4-5 times a week for 30-45 minutes. And I felt so accomplished for this. Until I spoke with Kris that is! A basic day for Kris would include about 4 hours of some sort of training. A 2 hour roller ski, an 8 mile run, 2 mile swim. Then when he is training for the Olympics (which are coming up in a few months!) that is taken to a whole other level. He does 100 mile bike rides, 5km road races. Six days a week with only one off day a week. Whoa. Now I’m not a professional athlete but that kind of workout schedule still impresses the hell out of me.

Kris is a fellow OmniPodder and Dexcom user. I could imagine that being an athlete like himself, wearing the pod vs. a conventional insulin pump would be much more practical and easy. I asked him what his favorite site was for the pods and believe it or not, it’s his pecs! Beside his triceps, that is where he most wears his pods. He never takes a Dexcom break and likes that he can be more discreet, able to check his BG with a glance at the Dexcom instead of having to do a fingerstick among his non diabetic peers. I think we can all appreciate that!

In addition to using modern technology and heavy duty sports training to manage his BG, he also is a big believer in a high glycemic diet. He is always thinking about his blood sugar. I sit on my butt all day for work and think about my BG constantly so I can only imagine that being as active as he is would make me think about it even more. A rhythmic diet full of fruits and vegetables, high in protein for breakfast and high in carbs for dinner is what he finds works best for him.

One thing Kris said resonated with me very much. He said that diabetes doesn’t go away but learning about it makes it easier. After living with T1D for 31 and a half years, I myself am still learning. And I have to agree that the more you know and understand, the easier it can be to deal with. After being told to forget about his Olympic goals after diagnosis and dealing with road bumps along the way, it never even occurred to Kris to give up. That is what makes him stand out. What makes him a true inspiration.

Thank you so much Kris for taking time to speak with me. It was a pleasure hearing from someone as inspiring as you. And best wishes for your upcoming endeavor in the winter Olympics!

Wordless Wednesday.

June 26, 2013Advocacy, FunStacey D.

Ashamed American.

June 25, 2013Emotions, FamilyStacey D.

This isn’t really diabetes related. But it’s about a huge part of my life – my twin sister. Many of you may know that her house in Staten Island, NY was ruined by Hurricane Sandy back in October of last year. Her and my brother in law have been through absolute hell since then, trying to get their house repaired so they can move back. Sadly, that is not feasible and they are trying to work out an alternative plan. I actually wrote this some time ago and forgot about it. It came up while talking with her over this past weekend and I thought I’d put it out there.

Imagine living in a country where you pay a decent amount of money each year toward government provided services.

Imagine paying for insurance every month, year after year, to cover your home and belongings in the event of a disaster.

Imagine living in a flood prone area and paying extra in insurance to protect your home and belongings in the event of a flood.

Now imagine surviving a major flood resulting from a super storm with a house, the one that is covered by both flood and home insurance and state and city taxes, that is almost completely destroyed. You would think your house could be rebuilt with the coverage you’ve been paying for, right?

Think again. In the US, NYC and NJ no less, there are thousands of families who have homes and businesses ruined from Hurricane Sandy. It has been just about 8 months since the storm and not one thing in terms of recovery has changed. The red tape that President Obama claimed would not play a role in the recovery from Sandy, is all over the place. Insurance companies are not paying for total damages, sometimes nothing at all. Banks are withholding insurance checks from clients. Mortgage companies are penalizing homeowners for not being able to pay mortgages on a home that is unlivable. And even padlocking those homes illegally. It is a disgrace that this is how our state, city and government officials are allowing the recovery efforts to go. I am ashamed to live in a city, state and country where this kind of thing happens and its citizens are allowed to suffer like this.

Help me Choose. Please :-)

June 19, 2013Community, Events, FunStacey D.

Medical alert bracelets. They are certainly not what they were 30 years ago when I was a child first diagnosed. Or even 10 – 15 years ago as an adult, veteran person with diabetes. Lucky for us that are in need of some form of medical identification, there are organizations like Lauren’s Hope that offer such a wide variety of ID’s that are actually quite nice looking. Pretty, if you will, for the ladies.

I have been wearing the same Lauren’s Hope medical alert bracelet for probably about 2 years or more now. It’s been with me through showers, getting tattoos, illness, workouts, daily commuting, sleeping, in Costa Rica, Barbados, North Carolina, Indianapolis, Boston. I love it and get a lot of compliments on it. Fortunately, I have never needed to use it other than to point it out to a TSA agent in a foreign country. But I like the peace of mind it gives me that the information is there should I need it. However I tend to get bored with my accessories and like to have a variety. Lucky for me my friends over at Lauren’s Hope are offering to provide me with a new one so that I can try it out and review it for my readers! But I need your help. I cannot decide. They have so many to choose from, that fit my taste even, that I was hoping you could all vote for the one you like best. Once I receive the chosen bracelet, I will put up a product review for all of you. And there may even be a surprise for you later on!

Below are the three bracelets that I like. Please leave a comment here on this post with your choice. All comments must be received by this Friday, June 21st at 3pm EST. I appreciate your help! And if you haven’t already, take a look at what Lauren’s Hope has to offer. I’m pretty sure you’ll find something you like 🙂

Shades of Silver

Olivia

Eye Candy

*Please note that although I am receiving a product from Lauren’s Hope at no charge, I am not being paid otherwise. The opinions of their products and services are my own. I think it’s unlikely but if I happen to dislike the bracelet I receive, I will be honest about it and include that as part of my product review.

New and Improved.

June 8, 2013Education, Insulin pumps, OmniPodStacey D.

So it has been almost 3 weeks and a full box of pods since I have been using the new OmniPod system and thought I’d get a review out there for those who may be interested. The first users that I know of were Melissa and Sarah that provided reviews as well. I did start with a failed pod on my first try. And I admit I was a bit concerned after that happened. However it must have been a fluke since the rest have worked just fine.

The biggest difference, in my opinion, are the pods. They are significantly smaller, thinner and lighter as advertised to be. Are they still somewhat bulky? Sure. You cannot compare it to an infusion set. However, compared to the original pods, there is a noticeable difference.

Keep in mind that the original pods never bothered me in terms of getting in the way or showing through clothes. But who doesn’t want a smaller, lighter pod to wear? There is a new pink insert on the top of the pod that should be noticeable if the cannula is inserted properly. They also changed the cannula color to light blue to be more visible after being inserted. I however, find the blue cannula to be no more visible than the clear on the original pods since they also changed the housing edge of the pod to black. Maybe it’s my vision but also not a big deal.

The PDM also went through a makeover. It looks different on first glance since it’s black and not blue. Other than that, it’s the same size with the same buttons on the front to operate it. Nothing new to learn there. There were many additional confirmation screens added to various functions of the PDM. The main one you will notice immediately is the PDM ID screen.

You must set a name and color for that screen and this will come up every time you turn the PDM on or enter a test strip for a BG test. It can be a small pain in the rear to do this constantly but I have gotten mostly used to it. I did not see the need for a safety feature like this however after viewing the training video, I can understand the need for it in say families that have multiple pod users.

There is a reminder an hour and a half after a new pod is activated to test your BG.

The IOB (insulin on board) calculation has not only changed but is also now visible on the status screen, something I am extremely happy with. There are times when this information is invaluable and one should not have to scroll through various menus or screens to find it. Readily available – the way it should be.

In the original system, IOB was calculated only with correction boluses. With the new system, when the suggested bolus calculator is turned on, it will account for both correction and meal boluses for insulin on board.

There are also two new screens during the pod change process. One showing more explicitly how to remove the pod’s needle cap and one showing how to properly apply the new pod.

There is a new vibration mode for alerts. I have most of the alerts/reminders turned off so the beeping of the PDM was never a bother to me. But I still appreciate having this new option. The functionality of the new PDM is not totally different. And I think that can be a good thing for many. Mainly a few new steps to get accustomed to, which I have already.

Overall I think the changes made by Insulet to the OmniPod system were good ones. And I look forward to more positive changes to their system in the future. Although hopefully the next ones will not take so long for us to see.

*Please note that since I am a current user of the OmniPod, I have not yet been upgraded by Insulet but instead purchased the new PDM out of pocket from a diabetes supply distributor. I expect to still be officially transitioned at some point.

An Amazing Weekend.

May 31, 2013Advocacy, Community, Education, Emotions, Events, Fun, TravelingStacey D.

I am way overdue in posting this. I finally had some downtime (see also: being sick. again.) and figured it was about time I wrote about my time at the Diabetes Sisters Weekend for Women conference at the beginning of this month. This was my third year attending and you can find my posts about previous years here and here.

Like the past conferences, I had a wonderful time. I don’t think you can find any more solidarity than being surrounded by about 100 other women with diabetes. It doesn’t get much better than that 🙂 There were sessions about learning to love exercise from the fabulous Ginger Vieira, how to ignite your diabetes power from the legendary Riva Greenberg, information on dietary supplements and how they affect or do not affect diabetes, the down low on diabetes technology from Amy Tenderich of Diabetes Mine, unlocking the secrets of a long, happy life with diabetes, creating better relationships marriages which was a very open, intimate conversation with the likes of Kerri Sparling. Our keynote speaker for the weekend was Mother Love. I admit, I didn’t know much about her before meeting her there. But let me tell you, she is one funny woman. She also brought to light for all of us how it is important for us to take care of ourselves. Something that all of the attendees were doing by attending the conference! There was also the annual Orange Will walk to start the day on Saturday. It’s always nice to see a group of people walking for a cause.

Something new this year were offsite field trips – one option was a tour of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Teaching Farm in Raleigh and the other option was the Novo Nordisk insulin manufacturing facility in Clayton. I opted for the Novo Nordisk plant and was so glad I did! It was phenomenal to see how they manufacture something like insulin, that is a life saving medication used by so many people. Talk about a high standard of sterility! It gave me a new appreciation for the people who take their job very seriously to give us that life juice 😉

I honestly think the most valuable thing about this conference is the relationships that are built. The friendships that are made. The deep camaraderie that is felt. The entire weekend concentrates on how to make you better. How to make your life as a woman with diabetes more manageable. How to help you feel less alone. And living with diabetes, who doesn’t need that?

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In case you missed the conference in Raleigh, or live closer to the west coast, there is also a conference coming up in October in San Francisco. Check it out for more details.

Day Seven of Diabetes Blog Week, 2013.

May 19, 2013Advocacy, Community, Events, FunStacey D.

So it’s officially the last day of Diabetes Blog Week. I tried really hard to keep up every day but got a bit lost toward the end, resulting in missing two days of posts. Thank you so much Karen for organizing this event, getting us to put our thinking caps on!

If you want to read all the great posts for all the topics (ya know if you have quite a few hours on your hands!) check out this link: Diabetes Blog Week 2013

I’m actually going to go back a day to Day Six’s topic.

This year Diabetes Art moves up from the Wildcard choices as we all channel our creativity with art in the broadest sense. Do some “traditional” art like drawing, painting, collage or any other craft you enjoy. Or look to the literary arts and perhaps write a d-poem or share and discuss a favorite quote. Groove to some musical arts by sharing a song that inspires you diabetes-wise, reworking some song lyrics with a d-twist, or even writing your own song. Don’t forget dramatic arts too, perhaps you can create a diabetes reality show or play. These are just a starting point today – there are no right or wrong ways to get creative!

Now I don’t consider myself very creative. I’d say that my favorite form of art is photography. So many photographs are quite beautiful to take in. I think a picture can tell a story without the terminology. It can evoke emotions unlike words sometimes. And they can portray a wonderful moment in time that you always want to remember.

One of the greatest things about the diabetes online community is that it comes to real life at times. Those times that I get to spend, in person, with my diabetes friends is invaluable to me. The support and and camaraderie from everyone out there helps me keep my head straight a lot of the time. And whenever I can relish those relationships offline, it is always a good time to remember. The pictures below are from the Diabetes Sisters Weekend for Women conference that I attended two weeks ago. The first is of all the women who attended and bonded that weekend. The second is of all the attendees who were able to make a visit to the Novo Nordisk plant to see where insulin is manufactured. These moments for me, are always etched in my heart.

Weekend for Women.

Novo Nordisk Plant.

(photo credit goes to Diabetes Sisters)

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Another order of business that I have been meaning to mention here. Sanofi is supporting the Diabetes Hands Foundation – when this documentary reaches 10,000 views, they will double their initial $10,000 sponsorship. It’s a great documentary and I’m hoping you’ll take a few minutes to watch yourself.

Strength in Numbers.

Day Four of Diabetes Blog Week, 2013.

May 17, 2013Advocacy, Community, Complications, Education, Events, MilestonesStacey D.

A day behind but here is my post for day four of Diabetes Blog Week.

We don’t always realize it, but each one of us had come a long way since diabetes first came into our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s been 5 weeks, 5 years or 50 years, you’ve done something outstanding diabetes-wise. So today let’s share the greatest accomplishment you’ve made in terms of dealing with your (or your loved one’s) diabetes. No accomplishment is too big or too small – think about self-acceptance, something you’ve mastered (pump / exercise / diet / etc.), making a tough care decision (finding a new endo or support group / choosing to use or not use a technology / etc.).

I’ve given this topic some thought over the past few days. So much has changed over the past 31 years, mostly for the better, with accomplishments along the way. I found it hard to pick just one thing. The first thing that came to mind was my more recent A1c track record of being under 7%. Then there is my retinopathy not progressing over the past 18 months. Or walking about 3 miles with excruciating pain in your legs and numbness in your feet from neuropathy seems like quite an accomplishment at the moment. Even exercising 4 times in one week can seem like something to be proud of for me. There are even the graphs of 24 hour no hitters on my Dexcom. I certainly celebrate all of those!

What I came to realize is that all of these things together is what my accomplishment truly is. Living with diabetes for 11,452 days and doing pretty well. Going through the motion of checking BG, dosing insulin, counting carbs multiple times a day, every single day. Forcing juice down my throat when I feel like I’m going to puke to keep myself alive. Moving along with my day when my blood sugar is high and all I want to do is drink, pee or sleep. Keeping up with routine endocrinologist appointments. CDE appointments. Eye doctor appointments. All the other diabetes health related appointments. Picking up prescriptions every few weeks or month. Keeping tabs on insurance coverage for said appointments and prescriptions. And doing all these things for so long without losing my mind. Even finding happiness between the lines. Not to mention making tons of great friends along the way. This is what I have accomplished and it feels pretty darn good.