Category Archives: Community

48 Things About Me.

January 16, 2013Community, FunStacey D.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? A couple of weeks ago. I think.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Most of the time.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Honey maple turkey.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I’d like to think so 😉
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? I do.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes and they are gigantic!
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Part of me wants to, the other part isn’t so sure.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I rarely eat cereal but I do like Banana nut Cheerios.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yup.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Not always.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Plain ol’ vanilla.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their hair.
15. RED OR PINK? Pink.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My laziness likes to take over sometimes.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Daddy 😦
18. WHAT IS THE TECHNIQUE THAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE MOST? Being more outspoken.
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Veggie miso soup.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Myself and my office mate typing.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Pink Sugar perfume, Twisted peppermint lotion or soap, sandalwood vanilla.
24. HOW IMPORTANT ARE YOUR POLITICAL VIEWS TO YOU? I hate politics.
25. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE? Mountain hideaway.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football or hockey.
27. HAIR COLOR? Red.
28. EYE COLOR? Hazel.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Salads (honestly!), guacamole, hummus, cheese, pizza, bacon, yogurt.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Hunger Games.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black, white, pink.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Neither. Spring or autumn.
35. FAVORITE DESSERT? Creme brulee.
36. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO? Cardio.
37. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION? Computer.
38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Just finished Breakthrough last night so must find a new book.
39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? At work, pictures of my niece + nephew. I don’t have a mouse pad at home.
40. FAVORITE SOUND? A baby’s laugh.
41. FAVORITE GENRE OF MUSIC? If I had to pick one, I’d go with what is considered pop.
42. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? I’d say approximately 2,200 miles to Costa Rica.
43. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Is retweeting a talent? 😉
44. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Brooklyn, NY.
45. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW? Queens, NY.
46. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE? The outside is brick.
47. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR? Silver.
48. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING 48 QUESTIONS? I always like these sort of things 🙂

Thanks to Cherise for starting this meme over at DSMA. It’s a great idea for us all to get to know each other better, in a non-diabetes sense!

New Good Reads.

January 7, 2013Advocacy, CommunityStacey D.

When I was growing up with diabetes, there weren’t many books around that I knew of on the topic. These days, I’m happy to say there are more book resources available to people with diabetes and their loved ones. And some of them are even written by people I know and respect.

I wanted to share some recent books that are out there. The first is Ginger Vieira’s new book Emotional Eating with Diabetes. I read her first book Your Diabetes Science Experiment and loved it. I’ve also worked a bit with Ginger on my own eating and exercise habits and love how Ginger works with each person on what fits their individual needs and lifestyles. If anyone can help you create a positive attitude about food, it’s Ginger.

The second is Diabetes Do’s & How To’s by Riva Greenberg. Riva is a well respected member of the diabetes community, being diagnosed with T1D in 1972. (And a great travel mate 🙂 ) She contributes to the Huffington Post regularly as well as the author of 50 Diabetes Myths that Can Ruin Your Life and The ABC’s of Loving Yourself with Diabetes. With her new book, Riva strives to guide people with their diabetes self care, avoiding common confusion and feeling overwhelmed.

Living with diabetes myself, I don’t get the viewpoint of being a care giver for someone with diabetes. It has its own challenges and thinking back, I’d never really known what my parents felt as I grew up. Fortunately, there are many parents of children with diabetes in the community and I learn all the time about what that is like. One book that is currently available is Kids First Diabetes Second by Leighann Calentine. It explores the many challenges surrounding raising a child with T1D. Leighann’s insight on taking care of her daughter has been valuable to me, seeing diabetes through her eyes.

A book that is available for pre-order is Life is Short, Laundry is Eternal by Scott Benner. Scott shares his story of keeping a positive attitude, despite his daughter’s T1D diagnosis, and his experience of being a stay at home Dad. Scott is a really funny guy and I do admire his outlook on things so I am certain this will be a good read.

Year in Review. A Tad Late.

January 4, 2013Community, Fun, HolidaysStacey D.

Technically, the year is still new right? And 2012 not that far away? Good. I’m getting a late jump start on the year in review meme that was circulating earlier in the week 🙂

January – “Since I know that many of you have been keeping an interest in my OmniPod trial (which I greatly appreciate by the way), I thought it fair to share with you my decision.”

February – “I have made two rather major changes to my diabetes management recently.”

March – “When I was at the JDRF Research Summit last month, the main focus of the presenters was the progress, current efforts and complexity of finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.”

April – “If you know me, you will be well aware of my interest in new things that come out.”

May – “Vacation. I think everyone needs one once in a while for the sake of their mental health.”

June – “One of the things about living with diabetes is that there are a lot of medication and supplies needed on daily basis.”

July – “I got home tonight from my first ever Roche Social Media Summit in Indianapolis.”

August – “Wordless Wednesday.”

September – “Wow. When you haven’t cried in a while and something sets you off, it’s kind of hard to stop.”

October – “My last A1c about 6 weeks ago was not only one of my lowest ever but also close to a 1% drop in 3 months.”

November – “When Dexcom announced their new G4 continuous glucose monitoring system last month, I was ecstatic. And anxious to get mine.”

December – “On Christmas eve 31 years ago, my life changed forever. And my family’s.”

Happy Friday everyone! I hope the new year is off to a good start so far!

Goodbye 2012.

December 30, 2012Community, Events, HolidaysStacey D.

I want to thank all of my readers for sharing The Girl with the Portable Pancreas with me. I truly appreciate your reading and feedback. This past year has been a tough one for so many of my family and friends. So it is with wishes for health, happiness and good fortune for all of you that I say goodbye to 2012. I hope the new year is a good one. ~Stacey

End of the year. Already?

December 18, 2012A1c, Community, Endocrinologists, OmniPodStacey D.

So I’ve had a bit of a blogging hiatus, with a few things going on for me personally. Luckily not all of it bad as we welcomed my nephew into the world last Sunday 🙂 Frank Micheal was a bit early and came very fast but he is doing well so far which I am extremely thankful for. My sister, brother in law, big brother and sister are settling into their new “normal”.

Things on the diabetes front are going pretty well. I had another appointment with my endo last week, with a consecutive A1c under 7%. I posted after my last appointment, I was spending some time figuring out if my good A1c was a fluke or the result of hard work on my part. But it appears that it was not in fact a fluke and something that I can hopefully hold onto. As I will ring in my 31st year with T1D next week, this is music to my ears.

You may have seen some recent pictures I’ve posted on Twitter or Instagram of BG readings with a Bayer Contour Next Link meter. Even though I don’t currently use a Medtronic insulin pump for the meter to link to, I purchased the meter and like it. I have an older Contour Link meter but wasn’t too happy with its accuracy. Having tried this new one out that uses Bayer’s new Next text strips, I find its accuracy running along the lines with the Verio IQ and Accu-chek Nano. It supposedly is compatible with the Diasend software but I am currently having issues getting it to work on my MacBook.

Big news in the diabetes community came last week when Insulet announced that their new generation of the OmniPod insulin pump system was approved by the FDA! Being an OmniPodd-er I was ecstatic hearing this. I’ve been using the pods for 10 months now and have become extremely accustomed to using a pump that is tubeless. However, since the pod itself is bigger and more bulkier than a typical infusion set, my concern about real estate reared its ugly head. Having a one third smaller, one quarter lighter pod to wear will be a fantastic upgrade for pod users. And it still holds the same 200 units of insulin! Here are a few snapshots of the new system.

(images were provided by a communications consultancy firm, on behalf of Insulet)

The new PDM also has some enhancements, although it looks pretty similar. To check out some more detailed recaps of the new product from Insulet, read what Scott, Diabetes Mine and Rachel had to say. I guess we will have to wait a couple of months to get our hands on this new insulin pump!

As the holidays and end of 2012 approach, I hope that each and every one of you have happiness and health to share with your loved ones. I for one am hoping that 2013 brings more happy times than its predecessor, especially in the tri-state area.

World Diabetes Day 2012.

November 14, 2012Advocacy, Community, Education, EventsStacey D.

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 59 years after insulin was discovered. And here we are just about 31 years later and although the tools to oversee one’s glucose levels have improved significantly, we still rely on insulin to live. Without insulin, the rest is useless.

So on this day, World Diabetes Day 2012, I say thank you to Banting and Best. I owe you both my life, literally. Oh and happy birthday Sir Frederick Grant Banting! 🙂

I’m going to try and pass by the Empire State Building tonight to see it lit up in blue. Let’s hope it’s not a big fat fail like last year!

Advocacy(less).

November 3, 2012Advocacy, Community, EventsStacey D.

November has begun and it is Diabetes Awareness month. This is the time that diabetes advocacy takes on a whole new meaning. Diabetes education and awareness is extremely important. In fact, it is critical in order to get the resources we need to live long, healthy lives. This is when my voice is supposed to be the loudest.

But my heart is just not in it this year. I do feel like I am failing as a diabetes advocate. But with the loss that surrounds me from Hurricane Sandy, I can’t seem to focus. I wasn’t directly affected by destruction. But my twin sister was. And so, so, so many other people. I will never forget the desperation and terror in her voice when she called me fearing for her and her family’s lives when the water from the beach started approaching their house. It was the longest moments of my life waiting to hear from her again. I will never forget the news stories of neighborhoods close by, just gone. I will never forget the sight of her neighborhood or her house from the destruction. I will certainly never forget the compassion and generosity of friends, family and complete strangers to her and others.

I know it will get better. And I’m hoping in a couple of weeks when things calm down a bit, I can focus again. Until then, please don’t mind the absence of my advocate voice. I’m there in spirit and commend all of my diabetes community friends for all their efforts. My heart is just someplace else right now.

Mixed Emotions.

October 31, 2012Community, Emotions, FamilyStacey D.

As most of the world knows, Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast with a vengeance on Monday. Joe and I were extremely fortunate that there was no damage to our apartment building or car and we never even lost power. It was mostly my nerves that took a beating. However I have been watching the news, pretty much nonstop, the past 3 days and I cannot say the same for many, many people. As many pictures and video clips as I have seen or as many stories as I have heard I cannot wrap my head around the force of the water and wind from this storm. The damage is just catastrophic. I don’t think anyone can remember a time when the NYC schools were closed for a whole week due to weather related conditions. The last time the New York Stock Exchange was closed for two consecutive days relating to weather was in 1888. Was the transit system ever inoperable this long before? I’m not sure.

All I know is that my emotions are completely torn. On one hand I am forever grateful today. Not only am I grateful that I still have a roof over my head with food and electricity and my husband by my side. I am thankful that my sister, brother in law, niece and nephew are alive and unharmed. Then on the other hand I am heartbroken for all the people who are dealing with such tremendous losses. Houses that have exploded and burned. Neighborhoods still under water. Buildings collapsed. People still missing. Lives lost. Things will not be “normal” in the tri-state area for quite some time. I can only pray for those who are struggling and are forced to rebuild their entire lives. And heed the reminder to hold dear those people and things that we have and love.

Faces of Diabetes.

October 22, 2012Advocacy, Community, Education, EventsStacey D.

November is right around the corner. Which is Diabetes Awareness Month. In other words, a very busy month for diabetes advocates and organizations everywhere. There will be movements and efforts throughout the month, especially on World Diabetes Day, to promote education on the facts of diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association, launched a social initiative a couple of weeks ago to illustrate what a day in the life of diabetes means to you. I like initiatives like this a lot. It gives diabetes a face (or in this case, many faces) It shows the world that as grueling as diabetes can be, we can look just like anyone else. It gives it life. It shows strength. And hope. To help spread this initiative, the ADA will create a larger-than-life outdoor projection of the photos in Washington D.C. on World Diabetes Day. That is pretty cool. Also, for every photo uploaded to the Association’s Facebook page, CVS pharmacy will donate $1 to the Association, up to $25,000.

Please visit the Facebook page for the A Day in the Life of Diabetes campaign. Take a look at what diabetes means to tons of people. And upload your own pictures! (if you search by name, you should see two of my own entries 😉 )

No D Day.

October 1, 2012Community, Emotions, Events, Family, Fitness, FunStacey D.

Today is No D Day. A day set aside each year for the d*&$%#@!* online community to take time off from speaking of, blogging, tweeting or Facebooking about d*&$%#@!*. I’m all for it so thanks G for coming up with the idea! What I’m going to focus on today is the things I love 🙂

Number one, my husband. I am reminded daily (yes even when I am cleaning up after him constantly) of how blessed I am to have a husband that treats me with respect, consideration, love and affection. We will be celebrating our 10^th wedding anniversary next year and I honestly love him more now than I did then. He is the most mild mannered, patient person I think I have ever known. He always seems to try and motivate me to do things when I am lacking. (see: all the time) His heart is as big as the world and I know I can count on him for anything. We share something very special and for that I am eternally grateful.

Number two, my sister. Being an identical twin, you share a special bond with your sibling that is scientifically proven to begin in the womb. Although I see my sister nowhere near as much as I would like, we communicate frequently each day via phone calls, texts, emails, etc. We have never had a serious fight. Ever. And with us being so close, I feel as if my niece and nephew are a special part of me as well. And with a new baby on the way, I couldn’t be more excited. Probably more than she is 😉

Number three, food. I admit it. I love food. Of all different varieties. My newest crazes are Pumpkin coffee and Müller Greek yogurt. I tried Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte and fell in love. The stuff is absolutely delicious! I thought Dunkin’s pumpkin coffee would taste a lot different since they’re lacking the “spice” but it’s actually just as good. And a bit better nutritiously, even if only a smidge. I tried the Müller Greek yogurt for the first time yesterday and love it. I had the caramelized almond and strawberry flavors. Both very, very yummy.

Number four, exercise. One would think that if I love exercise, I would do it all the time right? Well I unfortunately struggle with this. However when I do exercise, whether it be a run on my elliptical, some Zumba-ing, a bike ride or the few times I go to the gym, it makes me quite happy. It feels wonderful to sweat out all your frustrations. To push yourself when you feel like quitting sooner. Knowing that you are helping your body work better is a huge plus too. Now I just have to embed that in my brain somewhere so I can remember the next time I don’t feel like working out!

Number five, technology. I’m not even certain how I became so obsessed with technology. But I’ll be the first to admit that I am. If I’ve had a device for more than 6 months, that seems like a long time to me! My newest toy is the Kindle Fire HD 7”. I like that it’s lighter and smaller to carry around with me than the iPad but the screen on this one is fantastic. My next toy may very well be an upgrade to the iPhone 5 however I think I have some time to decide since it seems none of the stores in my area have them in stock!

Number six, nature. Whether it be sunsets in the Caribbean or beautiful greenery in Boston Common or the autumn color of trees in NYC, I love it all. Whatever kind of trip we take, I enjoy finding the greatest scenery for pictures. And then when I look back at them, I think wow, that view was really before my own eyes. The earth has much to offer for us to appreciate.

I could seriously go on and on about things I love. There is a lot in my life that I am happy with and sometimes I need to remind myself of this when times get tough. I hope you can take a moment and think of the things you love and make you happy too 😀