As a teenager, school is a big part of my life but as a Type One Diabetic teenager; school AND diabetes are BOTH a big part of my life. I always have to find time for the both of them. Diabetes gets in the way of school sometimes, but then again school can get in the way of Diabetes. Obviously, your health is a priority, you can always catch up on school work, but it's hard to "catch-up" on Diabetes.
I thought I would write a blog about how I survive school with diabetes. It's hard to find the balance a lot of the time, but making the most of the situation is key.
Obviously, this is in no way intended to be medical advice and of course everyone needs to collaborate with their diabetes team and school to stay safe at school with Diabetes and everyone has a different way of dealing with Diabetes and has a different routine.
This is just my personal experience of school and diabetes and how I dealt with it. Everyone is different.
Survival tip #1
Blood sugar mishap in class?
Don't be afraid to ask to leave the classroom. You are in control of Diabetes and no one can tell you that you don't have the right to leave the room. I was always afraid to put my hand up in class to go down to the office; I didn't want people asking questions. But, so what? Now, I just do it because obviously, my health is my first priority. If you miss work, get your friends to write down what you did in class so you can catch up some other time. That way, you don't miss out on too much learning.
Survival tip #2
People asking questions?
At school I get this a lot. I get asked a lot of questions about my diabetes; honestly? It gets pretty overwhelming a lot of the time. I still answer them, but I just don't go into too much depth! Answer their questions in the simplest way possible. Most of the time I find that doing this they just say "ahh" and sometimes get completely baffled by my answer and have no other questions to ask.
Survival tip #3
Diabetes tiring you out?
Diabetes is a really tiring disease to deal with. That puts a lot of strain on the person with diabetes and can make them feel pretty exhausted. I find that I get tired a lot. One reason being the crazy coaster ride that my blood sugars go on all day; or the constant finger pricking. For this; just go to bed early and eat breakfast in the morning. Eating breakfast and giving your insulin means no mid-day high blood sugars or low blood sugars (if you get the dose right!) and just the general energy that people get from their breakfast!
Survival tip #4
Running out of supplies during the school day?
Make sure that you give a bag or a box of extra supplies into your school office. I have been replenishing my supplies at school ever since I was diagnosed. In my bag I have:
-Extra test strips
-Two cartridges and a vial of insulin (In the Fridge)
-An insulin pen
-Extra pump cannula
-Extra resevoirs
-Extra batteries for my pump and my glucose meter
and extra glucose tablets and emergency glucogel
All of these supplies are vital to your every day survival with diabetes and running out of any one of them can prove to be rather catastrophic. Diabetes can be unpredictable a lot of the time; so on the unfortunate chance that something goes wrong with your insulin or pump site, most of the time your parents can't drop in to give you extra supplies because of work. So day-to-day life with diabetes at school very much depends on the cooperation with you, the teachers and your Diabetes.
Survival tip #5
P.E class
Diabetes has a big effect on blood sugars; most of the time it will send them crashing down and you find yourself having a hypo and needing to sit out of class and miss all the fun. The way I try to avoid a hypo is to test my blood sugars before a PE lesson, if they are lower than 8 then I just eat a glucotab or two and then go ahead to do my PE lesson; if they are too high then I give insulin and wait it out until they are at a safer level; then during my PE lesson I test my blood sugars every half an hour or so to make sure I'm not dropping or going too high. That way, I can enjoy my PE lesson with all of my friends!
Survival tip #6
School trips
I'm in Year 11 now and Year 10 and 11 are the years in which students study for their GCSE's so school trips are out of the question now because we are all too focused on our serious work. However, I have had Diabetes since the beginning of Year 8 and I missed activities week because I was in hospital having just been diagnosed with Type One. However, I have been on one or two school trips after that and it is vital that when you go on school trips you have extras of all your supplies and extra snacks for hypos. I always made sure that the adults coming on the trip knew about my diabetes.
For example when I went to the London Dungeons there was a sign saying 'No food or drink inside the dungeons' obviously, this was possibly going to be an issue in the event of a low blood sugar and so I had to ask my year leader what I should do just in case and so she made sure that there would be a fire exit somewhere that I could go out of in case I went low so I could eat my snack.
Or when I went on my Duke of Edinburgh expedition. If you go on the Duke of Edinburgh expedition you have to carry a rather large bag. So to reduce the work-load for me, my teacher let me carry a smaller rucksack than the abnormally large camper bags so that I didn't go low all the time. It is safe to say that my rucksack mostly consisted of snacks and drinks. My big camper bag with my sleeping bag and tent in it stayed in the bag of the teacher's car! And because this was an overnight camping trip; I made sure that I was allowed to have my phone on me to keep in contact with my parents and teacher at all times when we were off doing the 6 mile walk.
So, those were the six survival tips that I have for Diabetes at school. This is my own experience and are the things that I have come across in my school life with Type One Diabetes. Thankfully I have never experienced bullying for my Diabetes or anything of the sort and I am grateful to have supportive family and a group of friends who always have my back at school when it comes to my Diabetes. It is important to know that the staff at school are there to help you out with Diabetes whenever you need help and so don't be afraid to ask them for help at anytime.
Remember, your health is your priority and if you ever have troubles at school with teachers and Diabetes, then tell your diabetes team because every child with Diabetes deserves the highest level of care they can achieve at school to ensure that they can enjoy and live as normal a school life as they can.
It is your Diabetes, your choice. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Twenty Questions
I'm really bored so I've decided to do a Question and Answer blog post. I gathered up some questions from people and now I'm going to answer them because, like I said; I'm bored.
1. What are your biggest challenges with Diabetes?
-Well, I would say that my biggest challenge with Diabetes is the mental side of it all. I used to struggle a great deal with getting my blood sugars well controlled and I didn't have any drive to test my blood sugars or give my insulin. I just found it really difficult and last year was the worst year that I have had Diabetes-wise. I mean, 2012 was also a pretty stressful year. Year 10 exams, confirmation, our kitty got really ill and then he died (RIP Smudgie<3) the threat of the end of the world...ha ha I'm kidding I wasn't stressed over the last one! And other stressful stuff that I know happened but I can't think of right now. Yeah, it just drove me mad and sometimes it still does- but I seemed to of learned to cope with it a bit more now.
2. How well controlled is your diabetes on a scale of 1-10?
-Hmm...about six, maybe seven. It probably used to be terrible, probably about a four or a five...
3. Is there anyone else in your family who has Type One Diabetes?
-Nope. I am the only one!
4. How is life so far dealing with Diabetes?
-Life living with diabetes is, different. It's hard and it's stressful and it can be painful too. But, I deal with it. by talking to my diabetic friends (especially my Par-Par who is my best diabetic friend<3 oh and I like talking to Tara too) and by writing this blog and Twitter, and especially with the amazing support of my family and even my non-diabetic friends. I know that I am tougher than diabetes. Even though I know I will have good days and bad days, I will still stand tall and not let diabetes bring me down.
5. How do you think Diabetes will be cured?
-That's a tough one! Erm, I'm not sure to be honest. This new little bionic organ thing that the scientists have got going on looks pretty promising at the moment. But, I'm really not sure. Who knows!
6. How do you feel about having a twin sister who isn't Diabetic?
- As some of you may know, I have a non-diabetic twin sister. Sometimes, it gets frustrating. I get jealous because she doesn't have to worry about all of the stuff I have to worry about. While she is sleeping at night I'm up at 3am testing my blood sugar, she goes downstairs and starts eating before me because I have to check my blood sugars, my sister can take part in PE with out needing to stop and take glucose tablets; she can live her life not worrying about Diabetes and the dangerous blood sugars and the threat of complications. Occasionally she has this deluded idea that my parents love me more because I have Diabetes; which isn't true; they love us equally. Yeah, having a non-diabetic twin is hard, but she still looks out for me which is all that matters.
7. Has diabetes stopped you from accomplishing anything?
- Nope. And it never will.
8. What are your top four hobbies?
- My top four hobbies, would be...Blogging, hanging out with friends, drawing and taking pictures.
9. What is your dream job?
- My dream job used to be to be a pediatrician, but now I want to do something to do with Theatre, or being on stage. I love performing and being on TV a lot when I was younger just made me realise that I love to act. Either that, or I want to do something to do with Diabetes advocacy or something of the sort.
10. Who is your role model?
- My role model is my mum. My mum is my role model because she beat breast cancer a few years ago and she managed to get herself back up again to become a successful personal trainer and she is the best mum anyone could ask for. My mum and my dad have both been there for me all my life; diabetes related or not and I couldn't ask for better parents. My mum is my inspiration and my rock.
11. If you had a million pounds how would you spend it?
- If I had a million pounds I would share a lot of it between my parents and my family; then I would give some to Diabetes UK, JDRF and Cancer Research UK; then keep a bit for myself.
12. What is one of your favourite quotes?
- I have a couple of favourite quotes. One would be 'You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have left" this quote really helped me to stay positive with Diabetes over the years and has taught me to stay strong no matter what. The second one is 'The biggest gift a patient with diabetes could ever receive is a way to make diabetes itself the road. To find meaning in living with diabetes' I just love this quote because I am trying to find meaning in living with diabetes, I am using it to educate others on the disease, and be an advocate for it and to learn from it.
13. What is your main goal in life?
- To be successful and to live a long and healthy life.
14. Your dream holiday?
- My dream holiday would have to be to go to Hawaii or Australia with all of my family. I think Hawaii is really pretty and I just generally really like Australia. I like watching 'Bondi Beach' so I would love to visit there! ha ha.
15. Your biggest dream?
- My biggest dream is to raise loads and loads of awareness for Type One Diabetes and get it fully recognised and understood by everyone.
16. Do you eat healthy?
- Hmm...I don't live off vegetables and fruit. However, I do really like fruit and I have grown to really enjoy more vegetables. My mum is really good at making sure that we all eat healthy and I love salad and like I said I enjoy fruits and vegetables so that isn't a problem at all. I do have a sweet tooth for chocolate though, as do most people. ha ha. But I really don't eat chocolate and sweets an awful lot but when they're around, so am I! he he. I have a weakness for bread, I love bread. But we have mostly brown bread in the house so that isn't too bad either. My favourite food is pasta, nothing like pizza or chips or kebab. I've also never had a kebab and don't really want to eat one either if I'm honest. I can't stand things that are too fatty or greasy.
17. Do you play an instrument?
- No I do not. I have attempted to play instruments in the past but never quite managed to get the hang of it. Me and my sister and a couple of our other friends went to recorder lessons in Primary school, we went for a while but then we got bored and quit. I went to a guitar lesson, a couple of years ago I think it was, and I just couldn't manage to do it so I never went back to that either. ha ha. Instruments just aren't the one for me!
18. Your favourite TV series?
- Oh jeez don't even get me started on TV. I watch a lot of TV. I like...Casualty, New Girl, Animal ER, Bondi Rescue, Sun, sea and A&E, World's strictest parents, Britain's Got Talent, 24 hours in A&E, Alan Carr: chatty man, Dynamo: The magician, Derren Brown, The Jonathan Ross Show, Eastenders, You've been framed and I think there is more but I probably just can't remember them.
19. What is your favourite colour?
- I have more than one favourite colour, I like purple, blue, coral, navy blue and sometimes I really like the colour green.
20. How long have you been Type One Diabetic? Are you on a pump or injections?
- I will have been a Type One Diabetic for four years in June this year. I was diagnosed age eleven in June 2009. I was on five injections a day of Novorapid before meals and snacks and for corrections, and Levemir before bedtime and in the morning. I then got my insulin pump on June 14th 2011 and I use Novorapid insulin, the same as before. I love my pump. It is a purple medtronic insulin pump.
Okay. There you have it guys! Sorry it was so long. But yeah I hope you enjoyed reading it. Goodnight!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
1. What are your biggest challenges with Diabetes?
-Well, I would say that my biggest challenge with Diabetes is the mental side of it all. I used to struggle a great deal with getting my blood sugars well controlled and I didn't have any drive to test my blood sugars or give my insulin. I just found it really difficult and last year was the worst year that I have had Diabetes-wise. I mean, 2012 was also a pretty stressful year. Year 10 exams, confirmation, our kitty got really ill and then he died (RIP Smudgie<3) the threat of the end of the world...ha ha I'm kidding I wasn't stressed over the last one! And other stressful stuff that I know happened but I can't think of right now. Yeah, it just drove me mad and sometimes it still does- but I seemed to of learned to cope with it a bit more now.
2. How well controlled is your diabetes on a scale of 1-10?
-Hmm...about six, maybe seven. It probably used to be terrible, probably about a four or a five...
3. Is there anyone else in your family who has Type One Diabetes?
-Nope. I am the only one!
4. How is life so far dealing with Diabetes?
-Life living with diabetes is, different. It's hard and it's stressful and it can be painful too. But, I deal with it. by talking to my diabetic friends (especially my Par-Par who is my best diabetic friend<3 oh and I like talking to Tara too) and by writing this blog and Twitter, and especially with the amazing support of my family and even my non-diabetic friends. I know that I am tougher than diabetes. Even though I know I will have good days and bad days, I will still stand tall and not let diabetes bring me down.
5. How do you think Diabetes will be cured?
-That's a tough one! Erm, I'm not sure to be honest. This new little bionic organ thing that the scientists have got going on looks pretty promising at the moment. But, I'm really not sure. Who knows!
6. How do you feel about having a twin sister who isn't Diabetic?
- As some of you may know, I have a non-diabetic twin sister. Sometimes, it gets frustrating. I get jealous because she doesn't have to worry about all of the stuff I have to worry about. While she is sleeping at night I'm up at 3am testing my blood sugar, she goes downstairs and starts eating before me because I have to check my blood sugars, my sister can take part in PE with out needing to stop and take glucose tablets; she can live her life not worrying about Diabetes and the dangerous blood sugars and the threat of complications. Occasionally she has this deluded idea that my parents love me more because I have Diabetes; which isn't true; they love us equally. Yeah, having a non-diabetic twin is hard, but she still looks out for me which is all that matters.
7. Has diabetes stopped you from accomplishing anything?
- Nope. And it never will.
8. What are your top four hobbies?
- My top four hobbies, would be...Blogging, hanging out with friends, drawing and taking pictures.
9. What is your dream job?
- My dream job used to be to be a pediatrician, but now I want to do something to do with Theatre, or being on stage. I love performing and being on TV a lot when I was younger just made me realise that I love to act. Either that, or I want to do something to do with Diabetes advocacy or something of the sort.
10. Who is your role model?
- My role model is my mum. My mum is my role model because she beat breast cancer a few years ago and she managed to get herself back up again to become a successful personal trainer and she is the best mum anyone could ask for. My mum and my dad have both been there for me all my life; diabetes related or not and I couldn't ask for better parents. My mum is my inspiration and my rock.
11. If you had a million pounds how would you spend it?
- If I had a million pounds I would share a lot of it between my parents and my family; then I would give some to Diabetes UK, JDRF and Cancer Research UK; then keep a bit for myself.
12. What is one of your favourite quotes?
- I have a couple of favourite quotes. One would be 'You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have left" this quote really helped me to stay positive with Diabetes over the years and has taught me to stay strong no matter what. The second one is 'The biggest gift a patient with diabetes could ever receive is a way to make diabetes itself the road. To find meaning in living with diabetes' I just love this quote because I am trying to find meaning in living with diabetes, I am using it to educate others on the disease, and be an advocate for it and to learn from it.
13. What is your main goal in life?
- To be successful and to live a long and healthy life.
14. Your dream holiday?
- My dream holiday would have to be to go to Hawaii or Australia with all of my family. I think Hawaii is really pretty and I just generally really like Australia. I like watching 'Bondi Beach' so I would love to visit there! ha ha.
15. Your biggest dream?
- My biggest dream is to raise loads and loads of awareness for Type One Diabetes and get it fully recognised and understood by everyone.
16. Do you eat healthy?
- Hmm...I don't live off vegetables and fruit. However, I do really like fruit and I have grown to really enjoy more vegetables. My mum is really good at making sure that we all eat healthy and I love salad and like I said I enjoy fruits and vegetables so that isn't a problem at all. I do have a sweet tooth for chocolate though, as do most people. ha ha. But I really don't eat chocolate and sweets an awful lot but when they're around, so am I! he he. I have a weakness for bread, I love bread. But we have mostly brown bread in the house so that isn't too bad either. My favourite food is pasta, nothing like pizza or chips or kebab. I've also never had a kebab and don't really want to eat one either if I'm honest. I can't stand things that are too fatty or greasy.
17. Do you play an instrument?
- No I do not. I have attempted to play instruments in the past but never quite managed to get the hang of it. Me and my sister and a couple of our other friends went to recorder lessons in Primary school, we went for a while but then we got bored and quit. I went to a guitar lesson, a couple of years ago I think it was, and I just couldn't manage to do it so I never went back to that either. ha ha. Instruments just aren't the one for me!
18. Your favourite TV series?
- Oh jeez don't even get me started on TV. I watch a lot of TV. I like...Casualty, New Girl, Animal ER, Bondi Rescue, Sun, sea and A&E, World's strictest parents, Britain's Got Talent, 24 hours in A&E, Alan Carr: chatty man, Dynamo: The magician, Derren Brown, The Jonathan Ross Show, Eastenders, You've been framed and I think there is more but I probably just can't remember them.
19. What is your favourite colour?
- I have more than one favourite colour, I like purple, blue, coral, navy blue and sometimes I really like the colour green.
20. How long have you been Type One Diabetic? Are you on a pump or injections?
- I will have been a Type One Diabetic for four years in June this year. I was diagnosed age eleven in June 2009. I was on five injections a day of Novorapid before meals and snacks and for corrections, and Levemir before bedtime and in the morning. I then got my insulin pump on June 14th 2011 and I use Novorapid insulin, the same as before. I love my pump. It is a purple medtronic insulin pump.
Okay. There you have it guys! Sorry it was so long. But yeah I hope you enjoyed reading it. Goodnight!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Frustrated about school
So, because all of us, the drama students have finished our drama GCSE; our drama lessons are now devoted to revision for the rest of our subjects. Anyway, on Thursday I was chilling in Drama doing my History revision when someone came to the drama room with a note. My drama teacher said "Oh, Ellie you have to go and see the head of English at 3:25"
My heart skipped a beat.
What. My heart was actually pounding. I never get called to see teachers, I have a boring school life, nothing ever goes on! All I could think was "oh jeez, what's wrong, what have I done, oh my life, kill me now, I don't want to go" Evidently, I had to go, and so I did.
I hesitantly walked up the stairs to the English office; heart still pounding. I went upstairs to find all of my friends gathered at the lockers "I have to go to the English Office!" My friends started shrieking and saying that a couple of other people had been called up too. Okay...so I wasn't the only one; I suppose I'm not in this alone then. Right?
I had already decided that I definitely was not going in first, someone else was going to have to take the plunge. Ok, someone went in. We all sat on the floor outside the English office, contemplating what could be wrong with our English work...The first girl came out...CRYING?! What. We all started to worry a bit more now; this was our English GCSE here, it is safe to say we were all freaking out a little bit. I didn't find out why the girl from my English class was crying, but I guess I would soon find out...
"Shall all three of us go in together?" Me, and two other girls from my class were the last three left to find out what on earth was going on here. We all trailed into the English office, one by one, the head of English gave us a friendly smile before questioning us in what seemed to be like an FBI interrogation. She didn't do it in a mean way, it's just there were lots of questions and some unsure answers. The teacher asked one of the other girls first "You might be wondering why I've called you in here. No worries. I just need to ask you girls a few questions about your work" uh-oh. What is it?! Come on tell us. The suspense was killing me.
"Do you know why there is no date on your work?" My friend replied, wide-eyed "Um, I don't know. I don't usually write the dates on my work" The teacher accepted her reply and believed her thank goodness. After all, she wasn't lying. The teacher then asked "Are you 100% sure that you've done this controlled assessment at home?" - "Yes." After a few more questions, she was free to go. It was just me and the other girl left..."I'm just going to ask you girls similar questions" and so she did, and the same questions were asked to the other girl. She replied with similar answers and she was ticked off the list too.
Now it was my turn.
The problem with my work wasn't the dates, nor was it if I had done my Controlled Assessment at home. The teacher skimmed through my folder of English work, turned round and said to me "Sorry to have to tell you this, but we are missing one of your Controlled Assessments from Year 10" My heart sunk. I was in shock. How could they lose my work?! I replied "what? Are you sure!?" She was very sure. I couldn't believe it.
Our English teacher seemed to have track-record for losing bits of student's work.
The head of English said "What's going to have to happen now is, is that you will have to redo your Controlled Assessment, however it will be a different question. Could you come back and see me tomorrow at break time" I nodded in disbelief and walked out of the room, in complete silence. I was fuming. Chocking back my tears I told my friends. They were just as mortified as I was.
I worked hard on that assessment and it stressed me out a lot; only for them to turn around, almost two years later and tell me that they have lost it. The first time I did that Controlled Assessment was early Year 10, in 2011. Nearly two years later, with just 2 months left of Year 11 - it has been lost.
Now, I'm stressing this weekend because I have to redo this controlled assessment on Monday morning, with just two days to prepare for it because I only found out yesterday, on Friday. Because I have to do this controlled assessment straight after assembly on Monday morning, I am now going to miss most of my biology lesson; to prepare for the Biology GCSE exam...that we will be sitting in three weeks.
Yep. School is going great right now. I still have no idea what to write for this assessment either, and it's Saturday. I have one day left.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Thursday, 25 April 2013
The new "normal"
June 2009; as soon as I went up to the Children's ward one of the first things the nurses said to me was "Don't worry, pretty soon all of this will become routine to you" and I thought "what? how?" I wondered how all of the injections and the finger pricking, along with the constant worry and 24/ commitment could ever be considered normal. How could it ever become a regular part of my daily routine? But soon enough, it did.
I walked into that Hospital a normal 11 year old girl, I came out with a bag-load of supplies and an in-curable chronic illness. I didn't realise how much my life could change in the blink of an eye. I remember once, a few weeks after my diagnosis and I was talking to my mum and I said:
''I never even imagined that I would ever have an in-curable condition, you see it on the TV and in films happening to other people; but you don't imagine it to ever be yourself" and it's true. People walk around feeling invincible to everything, just taking life for granted and on the unfortunate chance something does happen; it hits you like a ton of bricks. Then again, there is no way anyone could prepare themselves for something like that anyway.
When I was diagnosed with Type One, the quote "you never know what you've got until it's gone" couldn't of had any more of a meaning to me. My life was normal, I was just a normal girl, doing regular stuff and cruising through my life with out a care in the world. Then Type One Diabetes came along and took my carefree childhood away. And at that moment, nothing was normal. The needles were alien to me, I had to learn how to test my blood sugar and give insulin, I didn't know the symptoms of a high or low blood sugar, how would I?
On the day that I left the hospital I was quizzed one more time on all things diabetes. I just about knew them and I had absolutely no idea how I was going to look after myself with Type One Diabetes. Everything was so different. My life just felt, weird. It was like I was caught in a bubble momentarily and everyone was getting on with their lives around me and I literally felt like my world had stopped temporarily. Only because the diagnosis was such massive thing to try and take in.
When I went back to school even my friends seemed different to me, I felt distant from them even though I had only been away for about a week. But because my life wasn't quite the same it all just felt a bit strange. I walked into school for the first time after being diagnosed along side my mum and I walked past my friends as they all sat on the floor, eating their lunch as they normally would.
And I wasn't? I was on the way to the school office to give in my supplies that were going to be the very thing keeping me alive every single day.
But now, nearly four years on, I have realised that what the nurses told me on the very first day I was diagnosed was right. Strangely enough, all the needles and the pricking and the worry and 24/7 commitment has become the new "normal" It is my life now and there unfortunately is nothing I can do to change it. Diabetes has become my new regularity, it is something I have learnt to live with.
However, just because I have learnt to deal with it, and it may be "normal" it isn't the same normal as a non-diabetic person. it is a weird, mucked up normal and it is a normal, as I know it, with Type One Diabetes.
I walked into that Hospital a normal 11 year old girl, I came out with a bag-load of supplies and an in-curable chronic illness. I didn't realise how much my life could change in the blink of an eye. I remember once, a few weeks after my diagnosis and I was talking to my mum and I said:
''I never even imagined that I would ever have an in-curable condition, you see it on the TV and in films happening to other people; but you don't imagine it to ever be yourself" and it's true. People walk around feeling invincible to everything, just taking life for granted and on the unfortunate chance something does happen; it hits you like a ton of bricks. Then again, there is no way anyone could prepare themselves for something like that anyway.
When I was diagnosed with Type One, the quote "you never know what you've got until it's gone" couldn't of had any more of a meaning to me. My life was normal, I was just a normal girl, doing regular stuff and cruising through my life with out a care in the world. Then Type One Diabetes came along and took my carefree childhood away. And at that moment, nothing was normal. The needles were alien to me, I had to learn how to test my blood sugar and give insulin, I didn't know the symptoms of a high or low blood sugar, how would I?
On the day that I left the hospital I was quizzed one more time on all things diabetes. I just about knew them and I had absolutely no idea how I was going to look after myself with Type One Diabetes. Everything was so different. My life just felt, weird. It was like I was caught in a bubble momentarily and everyone was getting on with their lives around me and I literally felt like my world had stopped temporarily. Only because the diagnosis was such massive thing to try and take in.
When I went back to school even my friends seemed different to me, I felt distant from them even though I had only been away for about a week. But because my life wasn't quite the same it all just felt a bit strange. I walked into school for the first time after being diagnosed along side my mum and I walked past my friends as they all sat on the floor, eating their lunch as they normally would.
And I wasn't? I was on the way to the school office to give in my supplies that were going to be the very thing keeping me alive every single day.
But now, nearly four years on, I have realised that what the nurses told me on the very first day I was diagnosed was right. Strangely enough, all the needles and the pricking and the worry and 24/7 commitment has become the new "normal" It is my life now and there unfortunately is nothing I can do to change it. Diabetes has become my new regularity, it is something I have learnt to live with.
However, just because I have learnt to deal with it, and it may be "normal" it isn't the same normal as a non-diabetic person. it is a weird, mucked up normal and it is a normal, as I know it, with Type One Diabetes.
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
What not to say to a Diabetic
As a Type One Diabetic for four years this June; one thing I have learnt is that people really do not know a lot about this disease. There are so many misconceptions and assumptions regarding Type One Diabetes and I thought I would just give you a little heads-up on what you probably shouldn't say to a Type One Diabetic.
"You can't eat sugar, right?"
Okay, I deal with this a lot at school. The issue here is that people like to make assumptions even when they don't really know much about Type One Diabetes. Having Type One Diabetes is not, not being able to eat sugar. I can eat sugar, all a Diabetic needs to do is take insulin for it. It's simple as that. Yeah sugar can affect my blood sugar levels but I can still eat it. The only difference is that a non-diabetic's pancreas has got it covered, mine doesn't.
"But, you aren't fat?"
Babies have Type One Diabetes, they're not overweight? I have Type One Diabetes and I'm not overweight?! This one irritates me. Of course I don't expect people to know everything about Type One Diabetes (I would love them to) but I just want people to know the difference between Type One and Type Two. Immediately when I say I have Diabetes this question is most probably the first one to come out of their mouths. Type One Diabetes is not caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. End of. No one gets Type One Diabetes because they are fat, and even though Type Two is linked to an unhealthy lifestyle, many are genetically predisposed anyway. But Type One is not caused by being overweight.
"My grandmother had diabetes, she has one leg"
Just because I am a Diabetic it does not mean that I need to know about your grandmother and her amputated leg. I don't really want to hear that seeing as I am Diabetic myself. It's a bit like going up to, I don't know, an airline pilot and saying "My uncle was an airline pilot, he crashed his plane" or telling an Electrician that your friend was electrocuted. There are just times when particular things are better left unsaid; it just irritates me also because there is no point in that statement anyway; it doesn't really go anywhere. It is a bit of a conversation killer if I'm honest.
"Are you going to die if you eat sugar?"
No, no I am not going to die. As I said before, I just take insulin for my food. Besides, it isn't just sugar. If I eat anything I need insulin. I mean. if I don't take my insulin I will be unwell but it isn't like Diabetics are allergic to sugar- I'm not going to put sugar into my mouth and then just drop dead. I just find it annoying when people say "Wait, you can eat that?" Yes, Yes I can eat that.
"No, no sorry I couldn't inject myself"
People people, please. Everyone says that if they aren't diabetic. I probably would have said that before I was diabetic. This one is just plain silly because you could inject yourself if you faced your own mortality if you didn't do it. As a Type One Diabetic I have to inject myself, I don't have a choice - if you lived with Diabetes you wouldn't have a choice either. So, I don't want to hear that you couldn't do it because you have to and you definitely would. Ok, sure it takes some courage at first but it's a life or death situation.
"Ew! Oh dear Jesus, that is so much blood"
I can guarantee that nothing else is going to come out of my fingers after pricking them with a needle, apart from blood. There I am, squeezing blood out of my fingers and all I hear is squealing- honestly? Just look away then or just get over it. I don't think glitter will come from my fingertips.
So there are a few things of which I think you probably just shouldn't do or say when with a Diabetic. All we're doing is trying to live and get on with our lives, the last thing we need is people making assumptions or squealing at what we do everyday just to stay alive.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
p.s I thought I would leave you all with a picture of the sky. I love when the sky looks pretty.
"You can't eat sugar, right?"
Okay, I deal with this a lot at school. The issue here is that people like to make assumptions even when they don't really know much about Type One Diabetes. Having Type One Diabetes is not, not being able to eat sugar. I can eat sugar, all a Diabetic needs to do is take insulin for it. It's simple as that. Yeah sugar can affect my blood sugar levels but I can still eat it. The only difference is that a non-diabetic's pancreas has got it covered, mine doesn't.
"But, you aren't fat?"
Babies have Type One Diabetes, they're not overweight? I have Type One Diabetes and I'm not overweight?! This one irritates me. Of course I don't expect people to know everything about Type One Diabetes (I would love them to) but I just want people to know the difference between Type One and Type Two. Immediately when I say I have Diabetes this question is most probably the first one to come out of their mouths. Type One Diabetes is not caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. End of. No one gets Type One Diabetes because they are fat, and even though Type Two is linked to an unhealthy lifestyle, many are genetically predisposed anyway. But Type One is not caused by being overweight.
"My grandmother had diabetes, she has one leg"
Just because I am a Diabetic it does not mean that I need to know about your grandmother and her amputated leg. I don't really want to hear that seeing as I am Diabetic myself. It's a bit like going up to, I don't know, an airline pilot and saying "My uncle was an airline pilot, he crashed his plane" or telling an Electrician that your friend was electrocuted. There are just times when particular things are better left unsaid; it just irritates me also because there is no point in that statement anyway; it doesn't really go anywhere. It is a bit of a conversation killer if I'm honest.
"Are you going to die if you eat sugar?"
No, no I am not going to die. As I said before, I just take insulin for my food. Besides, it isn't just sugar. If I eat anything I need insulin. I mean. if I don't take my insulin I will be unwell but it isn't like Diabetics are allergic to sugar- I'm not going to put sugar into my mouth and then just drop dead. I just find it annoying when people say "Wait, you can eat that?" Yes, Yes I can eat that.
"No, no sorry I couldn't inject myself"
People people, please. Everyone says that if they aren't diabetic. I probably would have said that before I was diabetic. This one is just plain silly because you could inject yourself if you faced your own mortality if you didn't do it. As a Type One Diabetic I have to inject myself, I don't have a choice - if you lived with Diabetes you wouldn't have a choice either. So, I don't want to hear that you couldn't do it because you have to and you definitely would. Ok, sure it takes some courage at first but it's a life or death situation.
"Ew! Oh dear Jesus, that is so much blood"
I can guarantee that nothing else is going to come out of my fingers after pricking them with a needle, apart from blood. There I am, squeezing blood out of my fingers and all I hear is squealing- honestly? Just look away then or just get over it. I don't think glitter will come from my fingertips.
So there are a few things of which I think you probably just shouldn't do or say when with a Diabetic. All we're doing is trying to live and get on with our lives, the last thing we need is people making assumptions or squealing at what we do everyday just to stay alive.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
p.s I thought I would leave you all with a picture of the sky. I love when the sky looks pretty.
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Goodnight
I have a Biology test in the morning. Yuck.
Oh and I forgot to say!
I got my maths results back on Thursday morning and I got my C!
C is my predicted grade so I don't have to do maths ever again now. My maths lessons can be used for revision for other subjects now. I am so happy. Woo!
Well, Goodnight to all of you out there who read this blog.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Oh and I forgot to say!
I got my maths results back on Thursday morning and I got my C!
C is my predicted grade so I don't have to do maths ever again now. My maths lessons can be used for revision for other subjects now. I am so happy. Woo!
Well, Goodnight to all of you out there who read this blog.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Ellie 1 Diabetes 0
There I was at 1 am last night, battling a blood sugar of 2.7 mmol. It was atrocious. Not only was I exhausted but I was shaking and I was sweating. Sweating when you aren't even hot is not nice! I was almost, uncomfortable in my hypoglycemic self. Laying on my bed, basically feeling like death and all I wanted to do was sleep.
But I couldn't.
No, I couldn't fall asleep or forget that I was having a low blood sugar because that night was yet another pain-staking reminder that I am and always will be a Type One Diabetic.
It was dark in the room and I was resting my head in my arms because I was trembling so much from my blood sugar it was almost hard to keep still. I couldn't see anything in the room, it was just dark in front of my eyes; the only light source came from my blood sugar meter; even that didn't stay illuminated for long. The green glow beamed from underneath the duvet which was crumpled at the end of my bed, the duvet that should have been wrapped around me as I slept.
I wasn't asleep, and when I looked to my left I could see that my sister was. She was fast asleep and I was stuck in the midst of the darkness cramming bread and glucose tablets into my mouth in a desperate attempt to raise my blood sugar. Then I waited.
And I lay there, eyes wide open. Waiting and waiting. Trying not to fall asleep where a coma could find me. And I can't help but wonder, will diabetes win this time? Will I manage to keep my exhaustion at bay so I could get myself through the night?
Finally fifteen minutes rolled around after what felt like an eternity. I pricked my finger and drew out the blood for the third time in an hour. Finally, 6.8 mmol. I could sleep.
Yes I had managed to get my blood sugars up - it seems like it's over now, right? Although the sweating and the shaking are merely a memory. My thoughts stayed. ALL I could think about was "what if I go low again?"
I hate low blood sugars during the night.
I finally fell asleep last night at around 2:30 am.
And I woke up this morning greeted by the sun light streaming in through the gaps in the blind. And I tell you now, I SMILED.
I smiled at the fact that last night was a struggle but I got through it and woke up this morning.
Diabetes didn't win. I won.
But I couldn't.
No, I couldn't fall asleep or forget that I was having a low blood sugar because that night was yet another pain-staking reminder that I am and always will be a Type One Diabetic.
It was dark in the room and I was resting my head in my arms because I was trembling so much from my blood sugar it was almost hard to keep still. I couldn't see anything in the room, it was just dark in front of my eyes; the only light source came from my blood sugar meter; even that didn't stay illuminated for long. The green glow beamed from underneath the duvet which was crumpled at the end of my bed, the duvet that should have been wrapped around me as I slept.
I wasn't asleep, and when I looked to my left I could see that my sister was. She was fast asleep and I was stuck in the midst of the darkness cramming bread and glucose tablets into my mouth in a desperate attempt to raise my blood sugar. Then I waited.
And I lay there, eyes wide open. Waiting and waiting. Trying not to fall asleep where a coma could find me. And I can't help but wonder, will diabetes win this time? Will I manage to keep my exhaustion at bay so I could get myself through the night?
Finally fifteen minutes rolled around after what felt like an eternity. I pricked my finger and drew out the blood for the third time in an hour. Finally, 6.8 mmol. I could sleep.
Yes I had managed to get my blood sugars up - it seems like it's over now, right? Although the sweating and the shaking are merely a memory. My thoughts stayed. ALL I could think about was "what if I go low again?"
I hate low blood sugars during the night.
I finally fell asleep last night at around 2:30 am.
And I woke up this morning greeted by the sun light streaming in through the gaps in the blind. And I tell you now, I SMILED.
I smiled at the fact that last night was a struggle but I got through it and woke up this morning.
Diabetes didn't win. I won.
Understanding
No one understands a diabetic like a diabetic does.
It's just, a fact. Like, there is no way around that sentence.
Do you guys want to know who my closest diabetic friend is?
Her name is Paris; she is sixteen years old, seventeen in July. She has a twin sister called Patrice and her mummy is pregnant with their little sister India and she has two dogs, Pixie and Pearly. She is a Type One Diabetic just like me and we talk literally every day. Tonight we skyped for over three hours.We just never run out of things to talk about. She wants to be a model and her favourite colour is purple and I know that she loves string-beans! But there is just one thing...
She lives over 3,000 miles away from me in Maryland, USA.
But I guess me and Paris being so close just kind of proves how much two diabetics just click. We are just two teenagers, both facing the same struggle with Type One Diabetes and I am so glad to of met Paris because she knows EXACTLY what I go through because she goes through it too.
Tonight when we were on Skype it was so fun; we were showing each other all of our diabetes supplies and our boxes jammed full of the stuff that if we didn't have, we wouldn't even be alive right now. We were comparing glucose tablets and glucogels, simultaneously blood sugar testing and we even tested our twin sisters' blood sugars; Lauren and Patrice. Lauren and Patrice aren't diabetic, Lauren's blood sugar was 6.3 mmol and Patrice's was 6 mmol. BUT, in a shock twist, the diabetic, being me. Has actually beaten the non-diabetics in the battle of the bloods.
My blood sugars came in at a miraculous 5.9 mmol.
Woo; where is my applause?
That is a pretty monumental moment right there, people. For once the diabetic, was not a diabetic. Well, techincally I was but, just for those few minutes; I was not and I was normal. My blood sugars were mingling in with the non-diabetic blood sugars, trying to act all cool and stuff. But obviously, it didn't last so you know...now I'm not normal anymore and I'm back to being a regular diabetic.
Haha, that paragraph must look so weird.
Anyway, I am so happy to of met my Paris! She is kind and she's funny and she is my diabetic best friend. I have never been closer to another diabetic than I have with Paris and she lives all the way in the USA; now that's saying something. I am just so amazed how one disease can bring so many people together and it brought me and Paris together and now neither of us feel completely alone with Diabetes because whenever I am having a tough time I just message Paris and we get talking about everything and anything, diabetes related or not!
This made me reflect on the #DOC too. Just how grateful I am to have such wonderful people on Twitter that I can talk to whenever I need help or just want to chat.
Honestly, if you aren't diabetic I just need to tell you; that, I would not exchange the feeling of fitting in.
Even though a lot of the people I talk to on Twitter are older than me, we still go through exactly the same thing so we all generally understand one another. Some are wiser in diabetes years, others are just starting off. Everyone just...clicks.
I remember when I first found the #DOC and I was just like "woah. There is so many of us!" I felt like a little kid at a playground, so much to look at, so many people to say hi to! That is the power of social media too. I just feel like we all have our own little Twitter world. It's awesome.
Just, thank you to all of you amazing people out there who have been there for me to talk to because some days I feel like I would go insane with out having someone there to talk to who actually really really UNDERSTANDS me.
It's just, a fact. Like, there is no way around that sentence.
Do you guys want to know who my closest diabetic friend is?
Her name is Paris; she is sixteen years old, seventeen in July. She has a twin sister called Patrice and her mummy is pregnant with their little sister India and she has two dogs, Pixie and Pearly. She is a Type One Diabetic just like me and we talk literally every day. Tonight we skyped for over three hours.We just never run out of things to talk about. She wants to be a model and her favourite colour is purple and I know that she loves string-beans! But there is just one thing...
She lives over 3,000 miles away from me in Maryland, USA.
But I guess me and Paris being so close just kind of proves how much two diabetics just click. We are just two teenagers, both facing the same struggle with Type One Diabetes and I am so glad to of met Paris because she knows EXACTLY what I go through because she goes through it too.
Tonight when we were on Skype it was so fun; we were showing each other all of our diabetes supplies and our boxes jammed full of the stuff that if we didn't have, we wouldn't even be alive right now. We were comparing glucose tablets and glucogels, simultaneously blood sugar testing and we even tested our twin sisters' blood sugars; Lauren and Patrice. Lauren and Patrice aren't diabetic, Lauren's blood sugar was 6.3 mmol and Patrice's was 6 mmol. BUT, in a shock twist, the diabetic, being me. Has actually beaten the non-diabetics in the battle of the bloods.
My blood sugars came in at a miraculous 5.9 mmol.
Woo; where is my applause?
That is a pretty monumental moment right there, people. For once the diabetic, was not a diabetic. Well, techincally I was but, just for those few minutes; I was not and I was normal. My blood sugars were mingling in with the non-diabetic blood sugars, trying to act all cool and stuff. But obviously, it didn't last so you know...now I'm not normal anymore and I'm back to being a regular diabetic.
Haha, that paragraph must look so weird.
Anyway, I am so happy to of met my Paris! She is kind and she's funny and she is my diabetic best friend. I have never been closer to another diabetic than I have with Paris and she lives all the way in the USA; now that's saying something. I am just so amazed how one disease can bring so many people together and it brought me and Paris together and now neither of us feel completely alone with Diabetes because whenever I am having a tough time I just message Paris and we get talking about everything and anything, diabetes related or not!
This made me reflect on the #DOC too. Just how grateful I am to have such wonderful people on Twitter that I can talk to whenever I need help or just want to chat.
Honestly, if you aren't diabetic I just need to tell you; that, I would not exchange the feeling of fitting in.
Even though a lot of the people I talk to on Twitter are older than me, we still go through exactly the same thing so we all generally understand one another. Some are wiser in diabetes years, others are just starting off. Everyone just...clicks.
I remember when I first found the #DOC and I was just like "woah. There is so many of us!" I felt like a little kid at a playground, so much to look at, so many people to say hi to! That is the power of social media too. I just feel like we all have our own little Twitter world. It's awesome.
Just, thank you to all of you amazing people out there who have been there for me to talk to because some days I feel like I would go insane with out having someone there to talk to who actually really really UNDERSTANDS me.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Just a quick update
I'm back!
I just saw that I haven't posted since April 13th. How horrifying. I broke my attempt at trying to do a blog every day. Anyway, here is a quick update on what's been happening in my life. So, on Sunday 14th April my auntie had a birthday party for my little cousin, Ruby. It was her 3rd birthday on Tuesday 9th April but my auntie wanted to have a bigger party for her with all Ruby's family and a few of my auntie's close friends. It was a lot of fun and the place that the party was held at was really cute too, it is a vintage-type tea room which used to be a bank and it still has the original safe in there- it is so interesting! I like vintage things so, I quite like that place. The kids played pass-the-parcel and musical chairs and their ages were from 2- about 5 or 6? I think it was 5 but I'm not too sure. It was really cute as when we played pass-the-parcel they all held it for a couple of seconds and thought it was their turn to open the parcel when it wasn't quite yet and they looked really confused when everyone was like "pass it on! pass it on!" ha ha. Oh, kids.
What else, oh. When we got back home that night I started feeling all shivery and tired and then to make matters worse, I had a low blood sugar of 2.8 mmol which in turn, me get all teary because I felt like utter rubbish. So that was slightly unfortunate for me. Then I fell asleep and a long night of blood sugar testing lay ahead. They went up to 20.2 mmol at one point, and put a high blood sugar with a temperature of 102...You do not get a very happy teenager. I woke up absolutely shattered but on the bright side I woke up at 5.1 mmol, but I still felt really bad. Funnily enough, by the evening, my temperature had gone, and was only very slightly slightly raised. I spent Monday off school and I also spent Tuesday off school because I have been so drained and felt really week all day yesterday and felt like throwing up- I didn't though thank goodness.
Then today, I also spent the day off school because last night, I was graced with two low blood sugars and I was up for about an hour each hypo - so diabetes got in the way, AGAIN. I am so so tired and I also don't have an appetite right now which means my energy levels are even lower, but I will be back to school tomorrow and tomorrow we get our maths results back! Oh MY. I am so scared. If I fail I will cry.
Yeah well my computer is about to die so I need to go.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
I just saw that I haven't posted since April 13th. How horrifying. I broke my attempt at trying to do a blog every day. Anyway, here is a quick update on what's been happening in my life. So, on Sunday 14th April my auntie had a birthday party for my little cousin, Ruby. It was her 3rd birthday on Tuesday 9th April but my auntie wanted to have a bigger party for her with all Ruby's family and a few of my auntie's close friends. It was a lot of fun and the place that the party was held at was really cute too, it is a vintage-type tea room which used to be a bank and it still has the original safe in there- it is so interesting! I like vintage things so, I quite like that place. The kids played pass-the-parcel and musical chairs and their ages were from 2- about 5 or 6? I think it was 5 but I'm not too sure. It was really cute as when we played pass-the-parcel they all held it for a couple of seconds and thought it was their turn to open the parcel when it wasn't quite yet and they looked really confused when everyone was like "pass it on! pass it on!" ha ha. Oh, kids.
What else, oh. When we got back home that night I started feeling all shivery and tired and then to make matters worse, I had a low blood sugar of 2.8 mmol which in turn, me get all teary because I felt like utter rubbish. So that was slightly unfortunate for me. Then I fell asleep and a long night of blood sugar testing lay ahead. They went up to 20.2 mmol at one point, and put a high blood sugar with a temperature of 102...You do not get a very happy teenager. I woke up absolutely shattered but on the bright side I woke up at 5.1 mmol, but I still felt really bad. Funnily enough, by the evening, my temperature had gone, and was only very slightly slightly raised. I spent Monday off school and I also spent Tuesday off school because I have been so drained and felt really week all day yesterday and felt like throwing up- I didn't though thank goodness.
Then today, I also spent the day off school because last night, I was graced with two low blood sugars and I was up for about an hour each hypo - so diabetes got in the way, AGAIN. I am so so tired and I also don't have an appetite right now which means my energy levels are even lower, but I will be back to school tomorrow and tomorrow we get our maths results back! Oh MY. I am so scared. If I fail I will cry.
Yeah well my computer is about to die so I need to go.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Saturday, 13 April 2013
Continuos Glucose Monitor
For the last six days I had been wearing a CGM, or continuous glucose monitor. It is in the shape of a mushroom almost, and it sits on top of my stomach and then there is a small copper tube under the skin. Inserting the sensor is just like inserting my infusion sites, except of course, the routine is a little bit different but in terms of actually inserting the sensor; it is very similar as it comes with an inserter as well. The sensor that I use is the Medtronic one; because I use a Medtronic pump and it sends all the stats from my sensor over to the pump and it comes up as a graph on the screen which I really like. Then it tells me if my blood sugar levels are going up or down and I can catch a low or a high before it happens.
I like wearing the sensor because it gives me a sense of security in terms of knowing what my blood sugars are just by looking at my pump. Sometimes it gets annoying though because it has a bit of a lag time, so it can be a bit slow to catch up, but most of the time it's only a couple of mmol off and sometimes it is spot on. The same number on my glucose meter, showing up on the CGM means it is perfectly bang on the right number. I love seeing that. Also, the alarms can drive me mad, although you can turn them off it is still best to have them on, but they do like to sound at night; or to be calibrated and I wake up in a daze at about 1 am wondering what that monstrous noise is. Turns out my sensor just needs my attention, again.
But that doesn't stop me from wearing the sensor obviously because it doesn't bother me too much. Then I can upload the stats onto my computer and it comes up as a graph for the whole week and this one was actually much much better than the last one which I am so pleased about. I feel like I am back in control of diabetes right now and I really hope that it lasts because I want my bunny, but even after my bunny I want good levels.
Anyway, I have to go now!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
p.s This is in no way intended to be medical advice, this is just my opinion on the senor from my own personal experiences.
I like wearing the sensor because it gives me a sense of security in terms of knowing what my blood sugars are just by looking at my pump. Sometimes it gets annoying though because it has a bit of a lag time, so it can be a bit slow to catch up, but most of the time it's only a couple of mmol off and sometimes it is spot on. The same number on my glucose meter, showing up on the CGM means it is perfectly bang on the right number. I love seeing that. Also, the alarms can drive me mad, although you can turn them off it is still best to have them on, but they do like to sound at night; or to be calibrated and I wake up in a daze at about 1 am wondering what that monstrous noise is. Turns out my sensor just needs my attention, again.
But that doesn't stop me from wearing the sensor obviously because it doesn't bother me too much. Then I can upload the stats onto my computer and it comes up as a graph for the whole week and this one was actually much much better than the last one which I am so pleased about. I feel like I am back in control of diabetes right now and I really hope that it lasts because I want my bunny, but even after my bunny I want good levels.
Anyway, I have to go now!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
p.s This is in no way intended to be medical advice, this is just my opinion on the senor from my own personal experiences.
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Diabetic eye screening & a birthday
This morning at a hideous hour, at 9 am...I had to go to the hospital for my diabetic eye screening test at the Diabetes Center. I mean, I was surprised we even found it to be honest. So my mum drove into the hospital and there we are all scanning the massive blue signs for 'Diabetes center' but it was nowhere to be seen...Mum did a big circle of the hospital grounds and we could not see one sign directing us to the Diabetes Center; bearing in mind we had not been to this 'Diabetes center' before, for the past two times we went to the regular opticians to have it done but they don't do the Retinopathy screening anymore.
We got really fed up after about 10 minutes of driving around so my mum asked the two men guarding the car park or whatever they were doing at that point in their lives. Mum said "excuse me? You don't happen to know where the Diabetes Center is, do you?" - "Oh! That is on the other side of the hospital grounds" OH REALLY. Is it? You'd think they would've told us where it was in the letter, but clearly certain individuals do not find that necessary. Anyway, my mum parked in the car park and we made the trek to the other side of the grounds.
Me and my twin sister found this trek rather hilarious and we were in fits of laughter the whole walk there. Don't ask why. We get in a mood that means we find everything absolutely hilarious. Seeing as our mum is really fit because she is a personal trainer the walk was a piece of cake for her. Then there is me and Lauren...It's safe to say we were rather tired once we actually found it. Then we started joking about how we were going to pass out and then I think we had only been walking for about a minute and we started laughing and pretending we were exhausted and we were like "oh! Mother! How long have we been walking?!" and it was pretty funny. My mum probably thought we were drunk or something!
So we get to the place and we walked in and my mum just said how hard the place is to find and the woman was all "it is sign posted..." WHERE. WHERE is it sign posted? Please do tell me. My mum just didn't even bother fighting the case because well...we were right and we had a struggle finding it. Oh well! The point is, is we made it there in the end and I went into my appointment. Thank goodness I didn't have to have those drops that sting my eyeballs. The guy said that normally young people's eyes are dilated enough to take the picture with out drops. So I was happy I didn't have to suffer the even more blurred vision than I have already and the sensitivity to light. Thought I was going to have to roll out in my sunglasses on a very cloudy and rainy day.
I sat on the chair and I had to put my chin on the chin rest which makes you extend your neck out about three foot in front of you so you can actually reach it. Then there was some sort of disconnection with the machine and he was searching around for this mysterious issue and I saw some sort of stray lead and I informed him that it was disconnected which sped up the process slightly. The eye doctor guy, or whatever he is called was really nice though. You have to stare at this green dot inside the lens before they flash that huge light in your eyes. Honestly, if people think the flash from a regular camera is blinding they haven't seen anything yet...
Then there it was! The image of the back of my eye was presented on the screen. It was so cool to see all the vessels and things. He had a quick look at the screen and he said everything looks absolutely fine! Woo! There were no signs of diabetic eye disease. Even though I know I probably won't get any complications (If I do get them) until many years with diabetes; I have only had it for nearly four years. Even so, waiting for him to tell you the results is still so nerve-wracking. You just think "please don't find anything! Please don't find anything!" and it is highly unlikely there would be anything wrong at this stage but still...You still worry because there is always the threat of complications looming over my head and everyone's head that live with diabetes.
But, we carry on and just try to control our blood sugars the best we can so hopefully we have a chance of maybe not experiencing a time that they do find something.
Anyway, for now. I have no signs of diabetic eye disease and it all looks good. He said someone else will take a look at the results but it should all still be fine and we will get a concluding letter through in the post and then we can book another appointment for next year.
After we left the appointment we went to my auntie's house because today was my little cousin Ruby's third birthday and all the family came over in the evening to have dinner and some tea and cake. I cannot believe she is three already! Time goes by so fast. She got a lovely little Hello Kitty bike and lots of other presents and when we bought it from the shop a couple of days ago my mum and my auntie didn't actually tell her that it was for her birthday; they said it was for next year. Anyway she unwrapped the bike and the first thing she said was "we bought this in the shop the other day" Then my auntie had her cake hidden away in the bedroom as it was a surprise pink butterfly cake and after she had blown out the candles my mum said to her "It was a pretty butterfly, Ruby!" and she goes "I know. I noticed it in the bedroom!" It was so funny! It has proved very hard to surprise little Ruby. She is too smart for us. Ha ha!
I am going to bed on a blood sugar of 6.8 mmol. Woo! I also got a really exciting e-mail today from the local MP's office assistant person, saying that the local MP is going to inform the relevant government minister of my campaign for Diabetes Awareness and that it will all be done in writing; and once he gets a reply he will forward it on to me in the post! Sounds so official! But I may not get a reply until next month or something but he said he will stress to the government the importance of the issue and hopefully that will speed up the reply. I am so happy! Yay for Diabetes Awareness and for the local MP being so supportive!
Goodnight!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
We got really fed up after about 10 minutes of driving around so my mum asked the two men guarding the car park or whatever they were doing at that point in their lives. Mum said "excuse me? You don't happen to know where the Diabetes Center is, do you?" - "Oh! That is on the other side of the hospital grounds" OH REALLY. Is it? You'd think they would've told us where it was in the letter, but clearly certain individuals do not find that necessary. Anyway, my mum parked in the car park and we made the trek to the other side of the grounds.
Me and my twin sister found this trek rather hilarious and we were in fits of laughter the whole walk there. Don't ask why. We get in a mood that means we find everything absolutely hilarious. Seeing as our mum is really fit because she is a personal trainer the walk was a piece of cake for her. Then there is me and Lauren...It's safe to say we were rather tired once we actually found it. Then we started joking about how we were going to pass out and then I think we had only been walking for about a minute and we started laughing and pretending we were exhausted and we were like "oh! Mother! How long have we been walking?!" and it was pretty funny. My mum probably thought we were drunk or something!
So we get to the place and we walked in and my mum just said how hard the place is to find and the woman was all "it is sign posted..." WHERE. WHERE is it sign posted? Please do tell me. My mum just didn't even bother fighting the case because well...we were right and we had a struggle finding it. Oh well! The point is, is we made it there in the end and I went into my appointment. Thank goodness I didn't have to have those drops that sting my eyeballs. The guy said that normally young people's eyes are dilated enough to take the picture with out drops. So I was happy I didn't have to suffer the even more blurred vision than I have already and the sensitivity to light. Thought I was going to have to roll out in my sunglasses on a very cloudy and rainy day.
I sat on the chair and I had to put my chin on the chin rest which makes you extend your neck out about three foot in front of you so you can actually reach it. Then there was some sort of disconnection with the machine and he was searching around for this mysterious issue and I saw some sort of stray lead and I informed him that it was disconnected which sped up the process slightly. The eye doctor guy, or whatever he is called was really nice though. You have to stare at this green dot inside the lens before they flash that huge light in your eyes. Honestly, if people think the flash from a regular camera is blinding they haven't seen anything yet...
Then there it was! The image of the back of my eye was presented on the screen. It was so cool to see all the vessels and things. He had a quick look at the screen and he said everything looks absolutely fine! Woo! There were no signs of diabetic eye disease. Even though I know I probably won't get any complications (If I do get them) until many years with diabetes; I have only had it for nearly four years. Even so, waiting for him to tell you the results is still so nerve-wracking. You just think "please don't find anything! Please don't find anything!" and it is highly unlikely there would be anything wrong at this stage but still...You still worry because there is always the threat of complications looming over my head and everyone's head that live with diabetes.
But, we carry on and just try to control our blood sugars the best we can so hopefully we have a chance of maybe not experiencing a time that they do find something.
Anyway, for now. I have no signs of diabetic eye disease and it all looks good. He said someone else will take a look at the results but it should all still be fine and we will get a concluding letter through in the post and then we can book another appointment for next year.
After we left the appointment we went to my auntie's house because today was my little cousin Ruby's third birthday and all the family came over in the evening to have dinner and some tea and cake. I cannot believe she is three already! Time goes by so fast. She got a lovely little Hello Kitty bike and lots of other presents and when we bought it from the shop a couple of days ago my mum and my auntie didn't actually tell her that it was for her birthday; they said it was for next year. Anyway she unwrapped the bike and the first thing she said was "we bought this in the shop the other day" Then my auntie had her cake hidden away in the bedroom as it was a surprise pink butterfly cake and after she had blown out the candles my mum said to her "It was a pretty butterfly, Ruby!" and she goes "I know. I noticed it in the bedroom!" It was so funny! It has proved very hard to surprise little Ruby. She is too smart for us. Ha ha!
I am going to bed on a blood sugar of 6.8 mmol. Woo! I also got a really exciting e-mail today from the local MP's office assistant person, saying that the local MP is going to inform the relevant government minister of my campaign for Diabetes Awareness and that it will all be done in writing; and once he gets a reply he will forward it on to me in the post! Sounds so official! But I may not get a reply until next month or something but he said he will stress to the government the importance of the issue and hopefully that will speed up the reply. I am so happy! Yay for Diabetes Awareness and for the local MP being so supportive!
Goodnight!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Monday, 8 April 2013
Newspaper nails
Today me and my sister tried to do 'Newspaper nails'
It is where you cut out some newspaper or parts of a magazine and you put a base coat on your nails; then put the piece of writing over your nails, then get a Q-tip, dip it in water or alcohol and rub it over the piece of newspaper then hold it for 40 seconds, and HOPEFULLY the writing should print onto your nails. Mine kind of failed. Look:
It is where you cut out some newspaper or parts of a magazine and you put a base coat on your nails; then put the piece of writing over your nails, then get a Q-tip, dip it in water or alcohol and rub it over the piece of newspaper then hold it for 40 seconds, and HOPEFULLY the writing should print onto your nails. Mine kind of failed. Look:
I'm going to take it off and redo them later; if I can be bothered to do them, that is. haha.
I woke up with a blood sugar of 4.1 mmol this morning, it's now 12:45 pm and I'm 8.5 mmol. My sister goes "8.5?! Bunny hop backwards" But my mother said I was fine so, HA! These are the best blood sugars I have had for consecutive days in ages. I am so glad. Hm, what else...my local MP still hasn't got back to me on the diabetes awareness things, which I'm really sad about; well he must be really busy so I am not going to pester him! I'm just really eager to get some awareness out there, you see c:
I am so glad that my blog has had over 2,300 views, I never imagined it would get so many c: I'm so happy and really want it to be seen more so please feel free to share it around people! c:
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Still in my pyjamas...awk.
HAHA.
What is my life. I'm still in my pyjamas and it's 14:20pm. It's okay though, only because we had a busy morning cleaning our room rather thoroughly. I'm about to go get dressed now though.
I am still keeping up with my good blood sugars which is amazing, and I found this really awesome quote the other day. I forget who it's by but I don't care I just care about the quote really:
What is my life. I'm still in my pyjamas and it's 14:20pm. It's okay though, only because we had a busy morning cleaning our room rather thoroughly. I'm about to go get dressed now though.
I am still keeping up with my good blood sugars which is amazing, and I found this really awesome quote the other day. I forget who it's by but I don't care I just care about the quote really:
"The biggest gift a patient with diabetes can ever receive is a way to make diabetes itself the road. To find meaning in living with diabetes"
I really love that quote because it is true. Find a way to embrace what you've got and hold onto the good. Don't always focus on the bad. I am trying to do something with my diabetes to help others, to make a difference and you should to :)
(If you're diabetic of course)
;)
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Sheer ignorance
LOOK WHO'S BACK BACK BACK, BACK AGAIN GAIN GAIN, ELLIE'S BACK BACK BACK, TELL YO FRIENDS FRIENDS FRIENDS.
Just thought I'd give you all a more exciting hello this time. Like to mix things up a bit you see.
Any who...ah damn I forgot what I was going to say! Oh yeah! People on Instagram who hash tag Diabetes on a sugary food are one of the most annoying specimens ever to walk this earth. Why, why, would you make a joke out of a chronic illness...it's not funny. It just angers me to see people like "Just made ma self a bowl of diabeetez xoxox" HAHAHAHHAHA NO. No you did not just make yourself a bowl of diabetes. You made yourself a bowl of sugar which at the most will rot your teeth and fur up your arteries.
Most of them would say "Well I don't know about diabetes" If someone does not know something about a disease then the wise idea would be just to not say anything at all and risk offending people. Me and a couple of my friends off of the Type One Teens group on Facebook, Jazzy, Lois and Rebecca; were on Instagram today just creeping on the uneducated fools who are responsible for the travesties. We were all outraged. Diabetes is a serious thing and people don't know that there are two types, and even though type two is associated with a bad diet, it isn't the bad diet itself all together, many are just generally genetically predisposed to developing the condition. When someone hears Diabetes they also think of a fat old person wheeling around in their motor scooter with one leg and a missing eye ball, when there are teenagers like me, Jazzy, Rebecca and Lois living with diabetes every single day; struggling to get through the day with out any slip-ups or bad blood sugars that make us feel like rubbish.
Then there are people out there who are perfectly healthy and lucky enough not to have diabetes making a massive joke out of it all and it is really annoying to see! Diabetes isn't a word just to be thrown around by those who see it as a huge joke just because it is normally and wrongly associated with fat people or those who eat too much sugar. It is just sheer ignorance and people like that on all of these social media websites feed all the misconceptions and it isn't fair on those of us who actually have diabetes and know that that is not what our disease is about.
Rant over. I could say more but if I'm honest, I can't think of it all right now!
Anyway, Goodnight!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
p.s yay for reaching over 2,000 views! Yippeee!
Just thought I'd give you all a more exciting hello this time. Like to mix things up a bit you see.
Any who...ah damn I forgot what I was going to say! Oh yeah! People on Instagram who hash tag Diabetes on a sugary food are one of the most annoying specimens ever to walk this earth. Why, why, would you make a joke out of a chronic illness...it's not funny. It just angers me to see people like "Just made ma self a bowl of diabeetez xoxox" HAHAHAHHAHA NO. No you did not just make yourself a bowl of diabetes. You made yourself a bowl of sugar which at the most will rot your teeth and fur up your arteries.
Most of them would say "Well I don't know about diabetes" If someone does not know something about a disease then the wise idea would be just to not say anything at all and risk offending people. Me and a couple of my friends off of the Type One Teens group on Facebook, Jazzy, Lois and Rebecca; were on Instagram today just creeping on the uneducated fools who are responsible for the travesties. We were all outraged. Diabetes is a serious thing and people don't know that there are two types, and even though type two is associated with a bad diet, it isn't the bad diet itself all together, many are just generally genetically predisposed to developing the condition. When someone hears Diabetes they also think of a fat old person wheeling around in their motor scooter with one leg and a missing eye ball, when there are teenagers like me, Jazzy, Rebecca and Lois living with diabetes every single day; struggling to get through the day with out any slip-ups or bad blood sugars that make us feel like rubbish.
Then there are people out there who are perfectly healthy and lucky enough not to have diabetes making a massive joke out of it all and it is really annoying to see! Diabetes isn't a word just to be thrown around by those who see it as a huge joke just because it is normally and wrongly associated with fat people or those who eat too much sugar. It is just sheer ignorance and people like that on all of these social media websites feed all the misconceptions and it isn't fair on those of us who actually have diabetes and know that that is not what our disease is about.
Rant over. I could say more but if I'm honest, I can't think of it all right now!
Anyway, Goodnight!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
p.s yay for reaching over 2,000 views! Yippeee!
Friday, 5 April 2013
Lesson learnt & cute shops
Today me, my mum and Lauren went over to my auntie's house and we practiced making Rice krispie cakes, yummy! The absence of golden syrup meant they didn't really stick together so when I bit into mine there was a massive rice krispie explosion and they scattered all over the table. It was so unfortunate. Oh well at least it tasted nice! The moral of the story is, don't use maple syrup as an alternative to golden syrup! There is clearly a reason they say golden syrup, as we found out...we learnt our lesson!
What else did we do today...oh! We had to go to the chemist to get another vial of insulin for me, we have to go back and get the rest tomorrow though because they only had one. Hmm...me mum and Lauren also visited a really cute shop today! It was called Love13 and I can safely say...I fell in love c: It was so cute & I now have a lovely new notebook to write my blood sugars in! I have been looking for one for ages. I like it a lot, it has trees on it and I like nature so that's good. Then mum picked up her jeans from Wild Daisy which is also very cute- and well, overall met a few of mum's friends today which was nice c:
The day got off to a gloomy start but it has brightened up a lot now which I am so happy about. I just love sunny evenings; they remind me of Summer and Summer/Spring are my favourite months because it is so sunny. I would say I like Summer better because it is warmer but who can trust the English weather? Plus, there is bees and wasps about and I absolutely hate them with a burning passion. They scare me so much. Why do they need to buzz in your ear?! It makes me go all tingly just thinking about it.
I had a good blood sugar day today as well which is amazing, I love the feeling of having a good blood sugar and I love making my parents proud. I can't describe how happy I feel every time a good blood sugar comes up. It has taken me a long time to get to such a good point in my life with regards to my blood sugar, I have struggled a lot in the past few months to find the motivation to do everything properly being a teenager and all, I have school and friends and hormones and all the other things that seem to want to distract me. But I have got here in the end and it is so wonderful.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
^I always say that because I just love saying it. Sometimes me and my sister say ''Peace&Blessins'" in an American Hillbilly accent and I just sort of took it and changed it to insulin really...
What else did we do today...oh! We had to go to the chemist to get another vial of insulin for me, we have to go back and get the rest tomorrow though because they only had one. Hmm...me mum and Lauren also visited a really cute shop today! It was called Love13 and I can safely say...I fell in love c: It was so cute & I now have a lovely new notebook to write my blood sugars in! I have been looking for one for ages. I like it a lot, it has trees on it and I like nature so that's good. Then mum picked up her jeans from Wild Daisy which is also very cute- and well, overall met a few of mum's friends today which was nice c:
The day got off to a gloomy start but it has brightened up a lot now which I am so happy about. I just love sunny evenings; they remind me of Summer and Summer/Spring are my favourite months because it is so sunny. I would say I like Summer better because it is warmer but who can trust the English weather? Plus, there is bees and wasps about and I absolutely hate them with a burning passion. They scare me so much. Why do they need to buzz in your ear?! It makes me go all tingly just thinking about it.
I had a good blood sugar day today as well which is amazing, I love the feeling of having a good blood sugar and I love making my parents proud. I can't describe how happy I feel every time a good blood sugar comes up. It has taken me a long time to get to such a good point in my life with regards to my blood sugar, I have struggled a lot in the past few months to find the motivation to do everything properly being a teenager and all, I have school and friends and hormones and all the other things that seem to want to distract me. But I have got here in the end and it is so wonderful.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
^I always say that because I just love saying it. Sometimes me and my sister say ''Peace&Blessins'" in an American Hillbilly accent and I just sort of took it and changed it to insulin really...
Thursday, 4 April 2013
I love cats and diabetes awareness
Remember I told you all about the little cat that always comes into our garden? Well it was here today and I think it is so cute. Lauren thinks that the cat looks like the devil because its eyes are really green and it has huge black pupils haha. I find it adorable personally. We don't know what gender the cat is so we just call the cat "it".
I felt sorry for it because earlier today I saw the kitty just sitting on the fence in the snow so when I saw it at the door I went to get some tuna and put it in a bowl for the kitty c: It ate it all and was so cute. I love cats!
Anyway, time for the second part of this blog. I am really excited because my local MP replied to me about raising awareness of diabetes and said he would get round to reading my letter properly and replying and he said he would watch my video too. He promised me he would for definite as it is an important issue :D yay! I am so glad. I am really really excited to hear his reply and I hope that we can do something big to raise awareness for diabetes. It is just, my absolute dream for everyone to know about Type One Diabetes.
I also had an amazing day with my blood sugars today, they never went above 8 mmol! Every time I have a good blood sugar I make my parents do a "bunny hop" because every good blood sugar I have means a lower a1c and one step closer to getting our mini bunnies! Yippee!
I don't have much to say today...I can't believe it snowed earlier. Welcome to Spring! Not.
Well I'm off now to paint my nails- haven't done them in a long time!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Twitter chats, going out and BG bingo
So I took part in a gbdoc chat tonight for the first time in a long time. It was all about alcohol then the adults moved on to well, "other stuff" haha awkward. Yeah we were just talking about the effects of alcohol on the body of diabetics and a couple of them told me their horror stories on when they have gone for a night out but woken up having passed out with paramedics around them! How scary. I guess I have all of that to "look forward to" except not the passing out. The nights out and diabetes part. I am only fifteen so obviously I am not going raging out on the town. It is just for future references.
I know alcohol inhibits the livers production to produce glucose properly so there is an increased risk of dangerous low blood sugars which is scary. A lot of them told me that they always prefer to stay high before drinking alcohol because then they don't have a low blood sugar. I don't know what their medical professionals told them but that is just what they do. Sometimes Diabetes has a bit of DIY expertise required! A lot of the time it can be trial and error. (Please note this is in no way intended to be medical advice! Just telling you a story haha)
I really love talking to all of the diabetics on twitter, they all really make me laugh and are great sources of advice! I love the way I can talk to them about anything and they are all so much more expert on diabetes than I am so they help me out a lot! It is so nice being able to talk to a group of people who completely understand you. I wouldn't change that feeling for the world and couldn't thank the GB doc enough for simply being there and being created! haha!
Diabetes makes it tough to go out on a night out because there is so much to consider. Like where you will carry all of your supplies, if alcohol is involved (for the older diabetics out there!) then you need to consider blood sugar etc. It is just a whirlwind of "are my blood sugars okay?" a lot of the time. Even when I am just out with my friends I am thinking that! God help me when I am older! Haha! Hopefully I will be pro at everything by then! I've only had diabetes for three years so i am still learning; and I think I always will be with type one diabetes. It is all a massive learning curve. and you learn new tips and tricks every single day!
My blood glucose this morning was 6.8 mmol, lunch was 7 mmol or something, I forget. Haha. In between was 7.4 mmol, dinner 6.9 mmol, after dinner 6.6 mmol. We took part in Blood glucose bingo on twitter tonight too! The gbdoc person says a number and who ever's blood glucose is closest wins! So they said "Tonight's number is, 5.1! GO!" so we all test our blood sugars, and post a picture. Whoever is closest wins! Tonight someone was spot on with 5.1 mmol c: I was 5.3 mmol, and another person was close with 5.2 mmol, one was 22.2 mmol, someone else 11.9 haha, it is weird seeing everyone's blood sugar knowing we all just tested at exactly the same time :')
The prize is a big Lenny the Lion, Lenny is a "diabetic lion" and in hospitals they use him to show kids (And sometimes even adults!) where pump sites and injections can go. He is really cute. I have a mini Lenny the Lion. The winner asked for the prize to be donated to the Children's ward of his local hospital which is lovely.
Also, so chuffed with all the views my blog has been getting! I've been getting hundreds every day and my video, (the last time I checked) was up to 388 views! woo! Thanks guys! Okay, i'm off now c:
That is all I have for tonight people! Over and out c:
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
p.s gbdoc - is the Great Britain Online Diabetes Community <3
I know alcohol inhibits the livers production to produce glucose properly so there is an increased risk of dangerous low blood sugars which is scary. A lot of them told me that they always prefer to stay high before drinking alcohol because then they don't have a low blood sugar. I don't know what their medical professionals told them but that is just what they do. Sometimes Diabetes has a bit of DIY expertise required! A lot of the time it can be trial and error. (Please note this is in no way intended to be medical advice! Just telling you a story haha)
I really love talking to all of the diabetics on twitter, they all really make me laugh and are great sources of advice! I love the way I can talk to them about anything and they are all so much more expert on diabetes than I am so they help me out a lot! It is so nice being able to talk to a group of people who completely understand you. I wouldn't change that feeling for the world and couldn't thank the GB doc enough for simply being there and being created! haha!
Diabetes makes it tough to go out on a night out because there is so much to consider. Like where you will carry all of your supplies, if alcohol is involved (for the older diabetics out there!) then you need to consider blood sugar etc. It is just a whirlwind of "are my blood sugars okay?" a lot of the time. Even when I am just out with my friends I am thinking that! God help me when I am older! Haha! Hopefully I will be pro at everything by then! I've only had diabetes for three years so i am still learning; and I think I always will be with type one diabetes. It is all a massive learning curve. and you learn new tips and tricks every single day!
My blood glucose this morning was 6.8 mmol, lunch was 7 mmol or something, I forget. Haha. In between was 7.4 mmol, dinner 6.9 mmol, after dinner 6.6 mmol. We took part in Blood glucose bingo on twitter tonight too! The gbdoc person says a number and who ever's blood glucose is closest wins! So they said "Tonight's number is, 5.1! GO!" so we all test our blood sugars, and post a picture. Whoever is closest wins! Tonight someone was spot on with 5.1 mmol c: I was 5.3 mmol, and another person was close with 5.2 mmol, one was 22.2 mmol, someone else 11.9 haha, it is weird seeing everyone's blood sugar knowing we all just tested at exactly the same time :')
The prize is a big Lenny the Lion, Lenny is a "diabetic lion" and in hospitals they use him to show kids (And sometimes even adults!) where pump sites and injections can go. He is really cute. I have a mini Lenny the Lion. The winner asked for the prize to be donated to the Children's ward of his local hospital which is lovely.
Also, so chuffed with all the views my blog has been getting! I've been getting hundreds every day and my video, (the last time I checked) was up to 388 views! woo! Thanks guys! Okay, i'm off now c:
That is all I have for tonight people! Over and out c:
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
p.s gbdoc - is the Great Britain Online Diabetes Community <3
Diabetes pet hates!
I woke up with a blood sugar of 6.8 mmol yay!
I love it when my pump is all newly changed, like when the insulin is full and when the battery is full - it just makes it look so much nicer! I think I have a bit of OCD when it comes to things like that...like, when I had my old phone when the battery was low it used to turn red at the top of the screen and I thought it looked so ugly and it would drive me crazy - I couldn't let it get to that point, gosh I know I'm so strange...haha! But everyone has their pet hates.
Speaking of pet hates, lets discuss some about the ever-wonderful DIABEET- stop right there. As you may have guessed, there is my number one pet hate. Ok, it is called Diabetes, not Diabeetus. My old nurse used to say "diabeetus" and every time I heard her say it I felt like saying "sorry? diabeetus? no, thats not what I have. I have diabetes though?" I guess sometimes it is just the way people say it but it sounds really old-fashioned and odd when people say "diabeetus" like, where does the "us" come from "tes"? I mean I guess we will never know, but that is a pet hate of mine.
Rollin' on down to number two. Low blood sugar. It is seriously the most frustrating thing, I find it worse than High blood sugar in the sense that as soon as your blood sugar drops under 4 mmol. that's it. You're full swing hypoing. But with high blood sugar, sometimes it can be 9 or 10 and that isn't too bad and doesn't make me feel too bad either. It is when they are like 15, 16, and that's a whole different story. I just really hate the way low blood sugar feels; and I can't really describe it because I feel shaky, but it is a different kind of shaky - as well as having jelly legs I can feel it in my torso, it feels like it is almost quivering and that is when I know I'm low for sure- it is the strangest feeling ever. Then I get light headed and clammy and it is just not nice and it is annoying when I have to stop doing something because of it or when I have to get up in the middle of the night. But oh well, I just eat those disgusting glucose tablets to get it back up i mean, those big chunky blocks of pure sugar don't make me feel sick at all...:')
I really also don't like it when my pump gets caught on door handles and things. When it does that I always imagine a toddler being carried away by their parents but then clinging on to the door frame, I just imagine that my tubing grows hands and just clings on. It is so irritating and then sometimes it pulls my canula right out and I'm just like "seriously!? are you kidding me!?" especially when it happens twice in two days like it did last week.
Another thing I don't like is when people decide to tell me about some sort of herbal "cure" for diabetes. Someone told me about one last week and it was all about drinking more water and exercising and curing diabetes and it was really awkward because my friend commented on it and said "that's type 2 diabetes..." I didn't say anything but I felt bad because the person had good intention. They wished me all the best though so that's okay. I just don't like it when I'm watching videos on YouTube or something and there are all these videos "Cure your diabetes in ten simple steps" and they really generalize diabetes too, they don't say which one they are actually talking about and that makes the misconceptions about Type One so much worse and just feeds people all the wrong information, which makes the life of a type one a bit more frustrating. As not only do we have to deal with the diabetes, we also have to deal with the public sometimes.
I could go on forever talking about my pet hates with diabetes, I mean I just hate diabetes in general but there are specifics that make up the general dislike ;) I have an itchy knee too...that was random.
Last one - drum roll...Test strips! I had a rant about my test strips yesterday but this is a different dislike. I don't like it when they fall on the floor, or when I have to throw them in the bin. I mean let's face it, how many of us REALLY throw the test strip in the bin straight away? I don't. Sometimes I just leave a few in my case which is lazy I know but I just test, pull it out and throw it down - i'm not thinking. Besides, I am pretty sure that most of us diabetics do it. We can't lie ;) They are also the hardest things to pick up off of the floor if they fall. You go to pick one up, it lets you half way, and then just falls again. "Ok you can pick me up...ah no wait actually you can't" - Cheeky test strip.
So I probably have loads more but I don't want this blog to be too long and I can't get this itch off of my knee? So baffling.
Thanks for reading and I may blog later, you never know. I'm just a mystical wizard, no one will ever know...ok that is creepy what am I doing!? gosh I just can't stop talking sometimes!
OK ok I'll stop now. Bye!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
I love it when my pump is all newly changed, like when the insulin is full and when the battery is full - it just makes it look so much nicer! I think I have a bit of OCD when it comes to things like that...like, when I had my old phone when the battery was low it used to turn red at the top of the screen and I thought it looked so ugly and it would drive me crazy - I couldn't let it get to that point, gosh I know I'm so strange...haha! But everyone has their pet hates.
Speaking of pet hates, lets discuss some about the ever-wonderful DIABEET- stop right there. As you may have guessed, there is my number one pet hate. Ok, it is called Diabetes, not Diabeetus. My old nurse used to say "diabeetus" and every time I heard her say it I felt like saying "sorry? diabeetus? no, thats not what I have. I have diabetes though?" I guess sometimes it is just the way people say it but it sounds really old-fashioned and odd when people say "diabeetus" like, where does the "us" come from "tes"? I mean I guess we will never know, but that is a pet hate of mine.
Rollin' on down to number two. Low blood sugar. It is seriously the most frustrating thing, I find it worse than High blood sugar in the sense that as soon as your blood sugar drops under 4 mmol. that's it. You're full swing hypoing. But with high blood sugar, sometimes it can be 9 or 10 and that isn't too bad and doesn't make me feel too bad either. It is when they are like 15, 16, and that's a whole different story. I just really hate the way low blood sugar feels; and I can't really describe it because I feel shaky, but it is a different kind of shaky - as well as having jelly legs I can feel it in my torso, it feels like it is almost quivering and that is when I know I'm low for sure- it is the strangest feeling ever. Then I get light headed and clammy and it is just not nice and it is annoying when I have to stop doing something because of it or when I have to get up in the middle of the night. But oh well, I just eat those disgusting glucose tablets to get it back up i mean, those big chunky blocks of pure sugar don't make me feel sick at all...:')
I really also don't like it when my pump gets caught on door handles and things. When it does that I always imagine a toddler being carried away by their parents but then clinging on to the door frame, I just imagine that my tubing grows hands and just clings on. It is so irritating and then sometimes it pulls my canula right out and I'm just like "seriously!? are you kidding me!?" especially when it happens twice in two days like it did last week.
Another thing I don't like is when people decide to tell me about some sort of herbal "cure" for diabetes. Someone told me about one last week and it was all about drinking more water and exercising and curing diabetes and it was really awkward because my friend commented on it and said "that's type 2 diabetes..." I didn't say anything but I felt bad because the person had good intention. They wished me all the best though so that's okay. I just don't like it when I'm watching videos on YouTube or something and there are all these videos "Cure your diabetes in ten simple steps" and they really generalize diabetes too, they don't say which one they are actually talking about and that makes the misconceptions about Type One so much worse and just feeds people all the wrong information, which makes the life of a type one a bit more frustrating. As not only do we have to deal with the diabetes, we also have to deal with the public sometimes.
I could go on forever talking about my pet hates with diabetes, I mean I just hate diabetes in general but there are specifics that make up the general dislike ;) I have an itchy knee too...that was random.
Last one - drum roll...Test strips! I had a rant about my test strips yesterday but this is a different dislike. I don't like it when they fall on the floor, or when I have to throw them in the bin. I mean let's face it, how many of us REALLY throw the test strip in the bin straight away? I don't. Sometimes I just leave a few in my case which is lazy I know but I just test, pull it out and throw it down - i'm not thinking. Besides, I am pretty sure that most of us diabetics do it. We can't lie ;) They are also the hardest things to pick up off of the floor if they fall. You go to pick one up, it lets you half way, and then just falls again. "Ok you can pick me up...ah no wait actually you can't" - Cheeky test strip.
So I probably have loads more but I don't want this blog to be too long and I can't get this itch off of my knee? So baffling.
Thanks for reading and I may blog later, you never know. I'm just a mystical wizard, no one will ever know...ok that is creepy what am I doing!? gosh I just can't stop talking sometimes!
OK ok I'll stop now. Bye!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
In the meantime here is a picture of a sunny day...today is not sunny here in London and it is so depressing. Seriously, where has my sunshine gone?! So I will just feel sad and look at photos of my once sunny garden. lol jk, be happy c:
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Type One Teens
I have had such a fabulous day today sitting at home and talking to all my friends from the Type One Teens group on Facebook c: To name a few...Charlii, Sam, Arrianne, Georgia...etc. It's been such a blast and they all make me laugh so much. We started off talking about one of the girls on there Steph and how she is back in hospital because of diabetes- but then we started talking about sometimes diabetics can spend a lot of time in hospital when diabetes wants to be a brat.
Then Sam piped up and started saying how we need our own room, then we said that we need our own corridor and how we should roll up to the hospital in sunglasses and burst in through the door with two guards on either side and explosions going off behind us haha. I was laughing so much. Then Sam was like "flash our ID and walk in. "I have diabetes" You got a problem with it then give me a working pancreas!" and then I said yeah we should knock them out and take their pancreas and we were all laughing and it was very funny. You had to be there!
I mentioned the fact that I like the song Chocolate by the 1975 and Arrianne was like "but, I dont eat chocolate?" then Sam said "why? you got diabetes or something? ;)" I just love how we can joke around about diabetes with each other, but we know exactly what to say because we understand each other and we all go through the same thing so the jokes are always funny. Earlier Sam said he was 6.2mmols after a 200g packet of Doritos and then claimed he was cured and then I suggested we should all inject pureed diabetes <--that was actually a mistake but I am going to leave it anyway because it made me laugh haha! I mean pureed Doritos) and that just sparked off a massive conversation.
Charlii was talking about her pump being called Theodore and Sam was all "what?" then she goes "yeah Ellie named hers too!" and then I told them my pump was Maurice and my meter was Pedro. Then Arrianne said she wanted to name hers Paddy, as in Paddy Irish. Oh goodness. It was funny. We are still chatting now, my messages are binging away! Now we are imagining there was a game with "zombies" but the zombies were actually people with high or low blood sugar and then you had to guess which were high and which were low and if they were low shoot them with sugar and if they were high shoot them with insulin! haha! Amazing idea, right? ;3
I love all of the Type One Teens! We haven't even met but we get on like a house on fire and it is so amazing that one disease has brought so many young people together. Just through the power of diabetes we all had a wonderful conversation today and hopefully will continue to have many more c:
p.s thankyou to all that read this blog and my video on YT has got 300 views and my blog has had over 1,500! thank you so much guys! Also JDRF and Diabetes UK noticed my video and blog and both shared it c: gbdoc shared it too and they asked me if I wanted to blog for them c: Yay so happy c: Remember to share my blog around for me c: thanks again people c:
Well I'm off now!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Then Sam piped up and started saying how we need our own room, then we said that we need our own corridor and how we should roll up to the hospital in sunglasses and burst in through the door with two guards on either side and explosions going off behind us haha. I was laughing so much. Then Sam was like "flash our ID and walk in. "I have diabetes" You got a problem with it then give me a working pancreas!" and then I said yeah we should knock them out and take their pancreas and we were all laughing and it was very funny. You had to be there!
I mentioned the fact that I like the song Chocolate by the 1975 and Arrianne was like "but, I dont eat chocolate?" then Sam said "why? you got diabetes or something? ;)" I just love how we can joke around about diabetes with each other, but we know exactly what to say because we understand each other and we all go through the same thing so the jokes are always funny. Earlier Sam said he was 6.2mmols after a 200g packet of Doritos and then claimed he was cured and then I suggested we should all inject pureed diabetes <--that was actually a mistake but I am going to leave it anyway because it made me laugh haha! I mean pureed Doritos) and that just sparked off a massive conversation.
Charlii was talking about her pump being called Theodore and Sam was all "what?" then she goes "yeah Ellie named hers too!" and then I told them my pump was Maurice and my meter was Pedro. Then Arrianne said she wanted to name hers Paddy, as in Paddy Irish. Oh goodness. It was funny. We are still chatting now, my messages are binging away! Now we are imagining there was a game with "zombies" but the zombies were actually people with high or low blood sugar and then you had to guess which were high and which were low and if they were low shoot them with sugar and if they were high shoot them with insulin! haha! Amazing idea, right? ;3
I love all of the Type One Teens! We haven't even met but we get on like a house on fire and it is so amazing that one disease has brought so many young people together. Just through the power of diabetes we all had a wonderful conversation today and hopefully will continue to have many more c:
p.s thankyou to all that read this blog and my video on YT has got 300 views and my blog has had over 1,500! thank you so much guys! Also JDRF and Diabetes UK noticed my video and blog and both shared it c: gbdoc shared it too and they asked me if I wanted to blog for them c: Yay so happy c: Remember to share my blog around for me c: thanks again people c:
Well I'm off now!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Sunshine & Test strips
Good morning everyone c:
I am so happy to say that the sun is shining this morning. It honestly puts me in such a good mood having had weeks and weeks of depressing cloud and rain and snow - It is definitely looking a bit more like Spring this morning. Gee, I hope I don't jinx the nice weather. Haha, woops.
Do you know what I hate?
The annoying fact that my test strips only come in little pots of 25. The strips that came with my old meter came with 50 so they lasted way longer than these ones do. I literally only changed the pot for my blood glucose meter last week, and they are all finished. This morning I had just woken up and then I went to have as shower etc. and I came back in to test my blood glucose levels again and I had one precious strip left...so I put it in, handling it with great care and then I pricked and sucked up the blood. 5,4,3,2,1 E-4
UGH?! what?! The stupid thing is is that my meter doesn't tell me straight away if there is not enough blood on the test strip. It just goes ahead and counts down giving me false hope, and THEN tells me. Gosh, we don't have time to waste here, mister meter.
I suppose I should go downstairs now and open a new pot. The pots that are all individually wrapped...two pots of 25 come in one box, sealed rather tight. Then once you finally get into the box made from what seems to be extra-tough cardboard, you are then greeted by two pots almost vacuum packed into some plastic- which takes a day and an age to get off. I hope I never have to attempt to open one of those when I'm low because it would not be happening!
Anyway, there was my little rant about the test strips. They do irritate me.
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I am so happy to say that the sun is shining this morning. It honestly puts me in such a good mood having had weeks and weeks of depressing cloud and rain and snow - It is definitely looking a bit more like Spring this morning. Gee, I hope I don't jinx the nice weather. Haha, woops.
Do you know what I hate?
The annoying fact that my test strips only come in little pots of 25. The strips that came with my old meter came with 50 so they lasted way longer than these ones do. I literally only changed the pot for my blood glucose meter last week, and they are all finished. This morning I had just woken up and then I went to have as shower etc. and I came back in to test my blood glucose levels again and I had one precious strip left...so I put it in, handling it with great care and then I pricked and sucked up the blood. 5,4,3,2,1 E-4
UGH?! what?! The stupid thing is is that my meter doesn't tell me straight away if there is not enough blood on the test strip. It just goes ahead and counts down giving me false hope, and THEN tells me. Gosh, we don't have time to waste here, mister meter.
I suppose I should go downstairs now and open a new pot. The pots that are all individually wrapped...two pots of 25 come in one box, sealed rather tight. Then once you finally get into the box made from what seems to be extra-tough cardboard, you are then greeted by two pots almost vacuum packed into some plastic- which takes a day and an age to get off. I hope I never have to attempt to open one of those when I'm low because it would not be happening!
Anyway, there was my little rant about the test strips. They do irritate me.
.jpg)
Here, I will leave you with a picture of my blood glucose meter and the funny test strips. They are so weird. Look at the way they fit into the meter! The good part is is that they are actually so much better in terms of not touching the little "blood-sucker" part and giving yourself a false reading, the huge white part makes it so much easier to get it out of the pot and those strips are quite thick too so, there is the good side to those strips.
Oh also, the other day I was in science and I went to test my blood sugar and the meter came back telling me I was 2.9 mmol. I was like "what? noo" I mean clearly there was some sort of conspiracy going on there. My friend was like "no test again, if you were 2.9 you wouldn't be so alert" I was like yeah exactly! So I tested again and they were actually 5.6 mmol I think c: I haven't been that low in ages and I didn't feel low so my meter was obviously very confused that day.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Thank you...Diabetes? - Life lessons
After both me and my parents sharing my video out on Facebook I got tons of wonderful feedback and comments on my video. I am truly touched by every single one of those comments and I cannot believe how many people responded to the video on my life with diabetes. I am truly grateful for the kind words regarding my type one diabetes - many people responded telling me to stay strong and that I am an inspiration - it was seriously so touching and heartwarming to read!
I loved seeing all of those wonderful people coming together to watch a video made by me, one fifteen year old diabetic girl, and then they all shared one view, one common opinion on my video: inspirational.
Many people do not truly understand just what Type One Diabetics live with and for those with out diabetes the world of a diabetic is a completely different planet- it is so distant and people couldn't possibly fully understand the mental implications of this disease, of course they can see the physical ones - the injections, bleeding fingers, and for many the devastating complications that come about after many years of the body's battle with diabetes, people see diabetics as they nearly pass out, then people can see them almost fall into a coma a few years down the line. The life of a diabetic is one crazy roller coaster and the support that I have received over the past few years along my journey with Type One Diabetes is just immense.
I could not express my gratitude enough for those who have helped me along the way. In particular my mum and dad. Those two people are just my shining light, they are the ones who have been the beacon of light along my journey with diabetes. My parents worry day and night about me, their daughter who is living with an incurable condition, they check my blood sugar in the middle of the night when I am ill, they have driven me to the hospital at 1am when I have been in a life-threatening condition known as DKA- probably hours away from a coma and they have done so much more.They have and still help me out with diabetes so much and I could not have done it alone. I love them with every inch of my being and to the universe and beyond. I could not thank them enough. My parents are truly my inspiration.
Diabetes is such an impossible task alone and no one should have to face it alone. More so to the point, people should not have to suffer in silence either. I want to speak out on behalf of everyone living with this disease - I want to be the change that I want to see in this world. People need to know just what Diabetes is. Because not only do people with diabetes deal with the disease 24/7 many of us fall victim to ignorance portrayed by the general public with regards to the disease we live with.
"You got it because you had too much sugar didn't you?"
"You're not fat?"
"Diabetes is the person's own fault"
Comments like that just make my blood boil. How people could be so judgmental over a disease they have no idea about? They believe they know it all but they do not. The misconception that diabetes is the person's own fault completely undermines charities like Diabetes UK and JDRF's efforts to find the cure as people would not feel compelled to help out a disease that they assume is the person's own fault. Type one diabetes is no fault of our own.
At this point I would like to thank all of the charities out there who work tirelessly to improve the lives of us living with this condition. With out charities such as DUK and JDRF I do not believe that diabetes would be making so much vast improvement in medical science. Thanks to those people we are one step closer to the cure for Diabetes every single day.
I want to be an advocate for this disease and my dream is to raise tons of awareness for type one diabetes.
It is times like this that I realise diabetes has given me such a new perception on life. I wake up grateful for every single day because every day with diabetes is a struggle to make it through the day with out any slip-ups or dangerous blood sugars. It is a struggle to survive. When diabetes pounced on me three years ago I had no idea what had hit me, a few years down the line I have fully acknowledged my chronic illness and accepted it with the faith that I am strong enough to deal with this and in the hope that there will be a cure, so just keep pushing on and smile through it all.
Despite all of the trials and tribulations diabetes presents, and despite it pushing the harsh reality of devastating complications possibly afflicting those living with it later on in life, it also teaches you lessons along the way that you otherwise would not have learnt. Diabetes teaches you the true meaning of faith and staying strong.
There will be a cure. When there is a cure you can take all that diabetes has taught you - those precious lessons about life will never leave you.
In a way I could almost say, in some odd sense, thank you, diabetes? For all that you have taught me about life.
Type One Diabetes is the condition that teaches you to be brave and just what the words "have faith" actually mean. It teaches you who really loves you and who will be there for you no matter what. It teaches you the true meaning of courage, hope and last but not least it grants you the gift of being able to see the light at the end of what seems to be a very dark tunnel.
I loved seeing all of those wonderful people coming together to watch a video made by me, one fifteen year old diabetic girl, and then they all shared one view, one common opinion on my video: inspirational.
Many people do not truly understand just what Type One Diabetics live with and for those with out diabetes the world of a diabetic is a completely different planet- it is so distant and people couldn't possibly fully understand the mental implications of this disease, of course they can see the physical ones - the injections, bleeding fingers, and for many the devastating complications that come about after many years of the body's battle with diabetes, people see diabetics as they nearly pass out, then people can see them almost fall into a coma a few years down the line. The life of a diabetic is one crazy roller coaster and the support that I have received over the past few years along my journey with Type One Diabetes is just immense.
I could not express my gratitude enough for those who have helped me along the way. In particular my mum and dad. Those two people are just my shining light, they are the ones who have been the beacon of light along my journey with diabetes. My parents worry day and night about me, their daughter who is living with an incurable condition, they check my blood sugar in the middle of the night when I am ill, they have driven me to the hospital at 1am when I have been in a life-threatening condition known as DKA- probably hours away from a coma and they have done so much more.They have and still help me out with diabetes so much and I could not have done it alone. I love them with every inch of my being and to the universe and beyond. I could not thank them enough. My parents are truly my inspiration.
Diabetes is such an impossible task alone and no one should have to face it alone. More so to the point, people should not have to suffer in silence either. I want to speak out on behalf of everyone living with this disease - I want to be the change that I want to see in this world. People need to know just what Diabetes is. Because not only do people with diabetes deal with the disease 24/7 many of us fall victim to ignorance portrayed by the general public with regards to the disease we live with.
"You got it because you had too much sugar didn't you?"
"You're not fat?"
"Diabetes is the person's own fault"
Comments like that just make my blood boil. How people could be so judgmental over a disease they have no idea about? They believe they know it all but they do not. The misconception that diabetes is the person's own fault completely undermines charities like Diabetes UK and JDRF's efforts to find the cure as people would not feel compelled to help out a disease that they assume is the person's own fault. Type one diabetes is no fault of our own.
At this point I would like to thank all of the charities out there who work tirelessly to improve the lives of us living with this condition. With out charities such as DUK and JDRF I do not believe that diabetes would be making so much vast improvement in medical science. Thanks to those people we are one step closer to the cure for Diabetes every single day.
I want to be an advocate for this disease and my dream is to raise tons of awareness for type one diabetes.
It is times like this that I realise diabetes has given me such a new perception on life. I wake up grateful for every single day because every day with diabetes is a struggle to make it through the day with out any slip-ups or dangerous blood sugars. It is a struggle to survive. When diabetes pounced on me three years ago I had no idea what had hit me, a few years down the line I have fully acknowledged my chronic illness and accepted it with the faith that I am strong enough to deal with this and in the hope that there will be a cure, so just keep pushing on and smile through it all.
Despite all of the trials and tribulations diabetes presents, and despite it pushing the harsh reality of devastating complications possibly afflicting those living with it later on in life, it also teaches you lessons along the way that you otherwise would not have learnt. Diabetes teaches you the true meaning of faith and staying strong.
There will be a cure. When there is a cure you can take all that diabetes has taught you - those precious lessons about life will never leave you.
In a way I could almost say, in some odd sense, thank you, diabetes? For all that you have taught me about life.
Type One Diabetes is the condition that teaches you to be brave and just what the words "have faith" actually mean. It teaches you who really loves you and who will be there for you no matter what. It teaches you the true meaning of courage, hope and last but not least it grants you the gift of being able to see the light at the end of what seems to be a very dark tunnel.
Monday, 1 April 2013
Bunnies, incentives & Pizza
Today we went to pizza express for lunch and it was yummy! My blood sugar was more than perfect at 5.6 mmol/100 mg/dl c: So happy. Now i'm 6.4 mmol a few hours later which is fabulous.
Unfortunately my sensor has run out and so it is starting to play up and tell me my blood sugar is higher than it is and so I have a very false graph for the last day or two which is very annoying. It's okay though I have taken it off and will probably put on another one in due course...just gotta let my stomach heal up now because it has left a big fat bruise and is feeling rather sore. The sensor does that sometimes, just as my infusion sites do.
You're probably wondering why on earth my title says 'Bunnies' well, here is the exciting part. My mum has been talking about incentives and so earlier today, I asked her that if I get my hba1c down by my appointment in June then can we get a bunny rabbit? and she agreed! Yay! I have wanted a bunny for ages and my parents would never get a dog and I already have a kitty kat, Fudge. So, why not a rabbit?c: We want a dwarf rabbit too and I am so so excited because i love them! I am really working hard on my blood sugars now and hope that I get a good hba1c so I can get a bunny c: Aaah. I am already thinking of names...custard...? Custard sounds adorable. Comment what names you think are cute c:
I am really really excited for my appointment in June now and want a bunny c:
Yeah there was my quick update. I am so happy that my blog has now reached 1,127 views. I am so amazed :D
Okay well, I may be blogging again later c: In the meantime, see you!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Unfortunately my sensor has run out and so it is starting to play up and tell me my blood sugar is higher than it is and so I have a very false graph for the last day or two which is very annoying. It's okay though I have taken it off and will probably put on another one in due course...just gotta let my stomach heal up now because it has left a big fat bruise and is feeling rather sore. The sensor does that sometimes, just as my infusion sites do.
You're probably wondering why on earth my title says 'Bunnies' well, here is the exciting part. My mum has been talking about incentives and so earlier today, I asked her that if I get my hba1c down by my appointment in June then can we get a bunny rabbit? and she agreed! Yay! I have wanted a bunny for ages and my parents would never get a dog and I already have a kitty kat, Fudge. So, why not a rabbit?c: We want a dwarf rabbit too and I am so so excited because i love them! I am really working hard on my blood sugars now and hope that I get a good hba1c so I can get a bunny c: Aaah. I am already thinking of names...custard...? Custard sounds adorable. Comment what names you think are cute c:
I am really really excited for my appointment in June now and want a bunny c:
Yeah there was my quick update. I am so happy that my blog has now reached 1,127 views. I am so amazed :D
Okay well, I may be blogging again later c: In the meantime, see you!
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Bank holiday Monday
It is bank holiday Monday today as we all know. Bank holidays are always lazy days!
I got a great response on my video and it's really touching seeing everybody's comments! I'm happy to see that people took an interest in my video and like it c: I couldn't ask for anything more than for people just to know exactly what diabetics live with and how frustrating and relentless diabetes can be.
Anyway, my mum didn't really want this to be too much of a lazy day so I think we might be going out for lunch today- but we aren't entirely sure what is actually open. My mum put in Google "Restaurants open in London on Bank Holiday Monday" it's safe to say we had no luck there. Maybe we should have put in Easter Monday, but even then it would've still come up with some sort of irrelevant story regarding an Easter Bunny and a bunch of kids. Well, that's what normally comes up as soon as the word 'Easter' comes into the equation.
I woke up with a blood glucose of 4.6 mmol this morning and my sensor screaming to be calibrated AGAIN. I had the rest of my Easter egg because I was hungry and chocolate is nice.
Hehe! I love Easter. But you do end up feeling slightly sick at the end of it all, and for a diabetic sometimes the end result isn't very good- but it's Easter...it's hard to keep on top of it with loads of food and chocolate around, just there..."eat me!" - "WELL if you insist!" See, it's just hard, kay? :')
I mean considering, my blood sugars have actually been good! That paragraph was for those of us who found ourselves "letting go" slightly yesterday c;
Ok well I need to get ready so, bye!
And I am really really happy about having 933 views on my page. Nearly 1000! Please like and share my blog etc. It really means a lot to me.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
I got a great response on my video and it's really touching seeing everybody's comments! I'm happy to see that people took an interest in my video and like it c: I couldn't ask for anything more than for people just to know exactly what diabetics live with and how frustrating and relentless diabetes can be.
Anyway, my mum didn't really want this to be too much of a lazy day so I think we might be going out for lunch today- but we aren't entirely sure what is actually open. My mum put in Google "Restaurants open in London on Bank Holiday Monday" it's safe to say we had no luck there. Maybe we should have put in Easter Monday, but even then it would've still come up with some sort of irrelevant story regarding an Easter Bunny and a bunch of kids. Well, that's what normally comes up as soon as the word 'Easter' comes into the equation.
I woke up with a blood glucose of 4.6 mmol this morning and my sensor screaming to be calibrated AGAIN. I had the rest of my Easter egg because I was hungry and chocolate is nice.
Hehe! I love Easter. But you do end up feeling slightly sick at the end of it all, and for a diabetic sometimes the end result isn't very good- but it's Easter...it's hard to keep on top of it with loads of food and chocolate around, just there..."eat me!" - "WELL if you insist!" See, it's just hard, kay? :')
I mean considering, my blood sugars have actually been good! That paragraph was for those of us who found ourselves "letting go" slightly yesterday c;
Ok well I need to get ready so, bye!
And I am really really happy about having 933 views on my page. Nearly 1000! Please like and share my blog etc. It really means a lot to me.
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
Pinch, punch, first day of the month
It's April 1st! This year is zooming by super fast.
I just had a really scary thought too, we get or results back from the maths test we did back in March on April 18th.
^ lol why am I even saying "back in March" it was about five minutes ago...
Anyway swiftly moving on.
It's also April Fool's day! Woo. Actually, I don't even care about April Fool's. It's rubbish and I never fool anyone anyway. Probably because I'm shamefully bad at fooling people. I remember one time in class on April Fool's day we had a supply teacher and it was a drama class so we were all just mucking around anyway. But um...yeah the whole class had made a plot to fool the teacher and there was this one girl and she was so crazy and would do anything and she agreed to do it. Anyway the plan was to pretend to faint hahaha oh dear...
We were all ready and set up to proceed with our not-so-creative idea and we all tried to act as natural as possible but it didn't work. The teacher sussed something was up but she didn't quite know what and so the girl went ahead and just full-out dropped on the floor and the teacher turned around and was like "omg" but she got up too quickly and the teacher caught us out. It kinda failed really but the teacher bought it for just a second...
I mean that doesn't really count as an April fool on my behalf seeing as that was a joint team effort. pahahaha.
Speaking of fainting, a girl in my drama class was always talking about how apparently if someone faints in an exam, the whole year get their predicted grades automatically. I don't know why, but yeah. And you know how if my blood sugar goes to low I could faint? It was funny because the girl goes to me "Come on then Ellie, take one for the team!" hahaha it made me laugh because there is a funny side to low blood sugar sometimes and its just the way she said "take one for the team" lol!
Well, that was my blog fo' today y'all. What is it with this hillbilly accent that I keep typing in that I don't even remotely have?!
Oh also I posted my video on Facebook and wrote this along with it:
Got bored the other day c:
I just wanted to make this video because I have been frustrated lately about there not being enough awareness of Type One Diabetes and things & I just wanted to make this video. I want people to be more aware of the disease that I and millions of others live with. Everyday is a battle to survive with diabetes being a 24/7 365 days a year thing.
It will be four years this June since I was diagnosed and I honestly do not know what I would have done with out my family and friends to support me along the way. It's been a long road with diabetes and I still have a long road ahead but I'll still be smiling along the way despite what diabetes throws at me because life could be worse; then again everyone has their challenges in life and mine is evidently, diabetes. I face the reality everyday that I could have complications from diabetes when I'm older but I try my hardest every single day to try and make sure that doesn't happen.
I know that I am stronger than diabetes and so is everybody else who deals with it every single day.
I live in the hope for a cure for Type One Diabetes, the cure that would mean no more pain, no more frustrations, a completely normal life (not just the "diabetes normal") and no more diabetes, not just for me, but for everyone living with this disease.
In the meantime I live every day to the full despite the challenges diabetes presents me with and keep my head held high and so should everybody else dealing with diabetes c:
♥
Three people have commented on it so far c:
1. Ellie this is amazing! Your actually an inspiration! <3(:
2. You (and this) are beautiful <3
3. I never realized how hard coping with diabetes was or what could happen. This is
amazing and so are you! <3
Looks like its raising awareness already! hehe! Anyway,talk to you guys laterr c:
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
I just had a really scary thought too, we get or results back from the maths test we did back in March on April 18th.
^ lol why am I even saying "back in March" it was about five minutes ago...
Anyway swiftly moving on.
It's also April Fool's day! Woo. Actually, I don't even care about April Fool's. It's rubbish and I never fool anyone anyway. Probably because I'm shamefully bad at fooling people. I remember one time in class on April Fool's day we had a supply teacher and it was a drama class so we were all just mucking around anyway. But um...yeah the whole class had made a plot to fool the teacher and there was this one girl and she was so crazy and would do anything and she agreed to do it. Anyway the plan was to pretend to faint hahaha oh dear...
We were all ready and set up to proceed with our not-so-creative idea and we all tried to act as natural as possible but it didn't work. The teacher sussed something was up but she didn't quite know what and so the girl went ahead and just full-out dropped on the floor and the teacher turned around and was like "omg" but she got up too quickly and the teacher caught us out. It kinda failed really but the teacher bought it for just a second...
I mean that doesn't really count as an April fool on my behalf seeing as that was a joint team effort. pahahaha.
Speaking of fainting, a girl in my drama class was always talking about how apparently if someone faints in an exam, the whole year get their predicted grades automatically. I don't know why, but yeah. And you know how if my blood sugar goes to low I could faint? It was funny because the girl goes to me "Come on then Ellie, take one for the team!" hahaha it made me laugh because there is a funny side to low blood sugar sometimes and its just the way she said "take one for the team" lol!
Well, that was my blog fo' today y'all. What is it with this hillbilly accent that I keep typing in that I don't even remotely have?!
Oh also I posted my video on Facebook and wrote this along with it:
Got bored the other day c:
I just wanted to make this video because I have been frustrated lately about there not being enough awareness of Type One Diabetes and things & I just wanted to make this video. I want people to be more aware of the disease that I and millions of others live with. Everyday is a battle to survive with diabetes being a 24/7 365 days a year thing.
It will be four years this June since I was diagnosed and I honestly do not know what I would have done with out my family and friends to support me along the way. It's been a long road with diabetes and I still have a long road ahead but I'll still be smiling along the way despite what diabetes throws at me because life could be worse; then again everyone has their challenges in life and mine is evidently, diabetes. I face the reality everyday that I could have complications from diabetes when I'm older but I try my hardest every single day to try and make sure that doesn't happen.
I know that I am stronger than diabetes and so is everybody else who deals with it every single day.
I live in the hope for a cure for Type One Diabetes, the cure that would mean no more pain, no more frustrations, a completely normal life (not just the "diabetes normal") and no more diabetes, not just for me, but for everyone living with this disease.
In the meantime I live every day to the full despite the challenges diabetes presents me with and keep my head held high and so should everybody else dealing with diabetes c:
♥
Three people have commented on it so far c:
1. Ellie this is amazing! Your actually an inspiration! <3(:
2. You (and this) are beautiful <3
3. I never realized how hard coping with diabetes was or what could happen. This is
amazing and so are you! <3
Looks like its raising awareness already! hehe! Anyway,talk to you guys laterr c:
-Ellie
[Peace&Insulin]
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