I've been working from home for about a month now, and so far so good! I love not having the stress of getting me and Baby Girl to the office every day, and not having to worry about getting everything done at home--I'm already there! Of course, the laundry still isn't doing itself (darn!), but I feel more on top of things at home since I moved my work there. These days, I get up whenever the little boss does (which never seems to be very late!), check my emails, and do whatever needs to be done, whether it's a CAD drawing or the dishes. The funny thing is, I figured being at home would give me some time to catch up on all the shows I've missed while working, but my DVR is still just as full as when I was going to the office! There is always something that needs to be done...
I was hoping (and still am!) that the reduction in stress from this change will help me bring my blood sugars back into the range I like them. The first couple of weeks, my average dropped about 10 points or so, but it's leveled out again since then. I had my first appointment with my endocrinologist since October last week, which is crazy since I'm supposed to see him every four months! Due to an unexpected snowstorm when my appointment was originally scheduled, they had to push it back a month or so. I didn't realize it had been a whole six months since I'd seen him! Anyway, there isn't much to report as far as the actual appointment goes, though there never really is anything to say about that part! Then there's the lab work...
Last time I saw my endo, my A1c had gone up from 5.5% to 6.4%. Back then, I was pleasantly surprised because I was expecting it to be quite a bit higher since I'd been running a higher-than-normal average to eliminate lows as much as possible with all of my Chiari stuff going on. This time, after all of the work I've put into getting my numbers back down where I want them, I was hoping for an even lower number. Suffice to say, that wasn't the case. I got my results in the mail last Saturday, and was very upset to see my A1c was 6.6%. That's right, it went UP. I was literally in tears out of pure frustration. It seems like no matter what I do, I can't get everything back on track. I don't know if it's hormones, my crazy body, or just something I'm doing wrong, but I just can't seem to fix my blood sugars or lose the weight I've been trying to get off for the past year. You have no idea how incredibly maddening it is to try and try and try, and not see any results. I started walking again a few weeks ago, and have been trying to eat healthier as well. I think I've done fairly well, and yet I've GAINED a couple of pounds. Seriously? As hard as it's been for me to lose the last 10 lbs, I NEVER have trouble maintaining my weight. I don't think it could be muscle, either, because I'm not lifting weights or anything-just walking. I know they say not to weigh yourself all the time, but I've weighed myself pretty much every day the past several years because it helps keep me on track...most of the time.
Needless to say, I'm pretty discouraged right now. I'm trying to lower my blood sugars and lose weight, and my numbers and weight are going up instead. When I think of all the effort I've put into both things, I just want to scream...and give up. I don't have many of these "poor pitiful me" moments, but I think even the most optimistic of us go through those phases at some point. It's very hard to give and give and give, only to see nothing in return. It may be character-building, but it's not fun.
The night before last, I reworked my basal/bolus rates on my pump AGAIN in hopes that I can straighten things out. This time I re-read Gary Sheiner's "Think Like A Pancreas" to see if I could find anything in there that would help me. The one thing that jumped out is the timing of boluses...My after meal numbers are the worst offenders in my blood sugar control mission, and with all the craziness that comes along with being a mom, I sometimes don't bolus until the end of a meal-especially if my blood sugar is on the lower side of normal to begin with. Obviously, that doesn't work so well. I've never actually forgotten a bolus, but since the peak from insulin should coincide with the peak in blood sugar from your food intake, timing is huge. I'm going to make a conscious effort to stay on top of it and bolus right before or at the start of a meal. Hopefully between that and my new basal rates, my numbers will get better. I don't know what I'm going to have to do if they don't!
Showing posts with label Books/Resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books/Resources. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Happy New Year! (2012 Summary; The APP & SDP)
It's a new year again, and what a big year 2012 was for us! I could go into more detail, but I think it can all be summed up in one simple sentence: We became parents! Everyone talks about how parenthood changes your life, but you truly don't understand it completely until you're a parent yourself...even when you're pregnant you can't fully comprehend what it's like to go night after night (after night, after night) without good (or even decent) sleep, or on the flip side, the amazing, indescribable joy that comes from the simplest things, like when your baby smiles or laughs.
It was also a year filled with new challenges in regards to my diabetes management routine. In the two and a half years since I was diagnosed, I don't think I've ever had such a hard time controlling my blood sugars-- aside from the first couple of weeks that I was pregnant. The biggest change for me has been a new-found fear of lows...even when I was pregnant, lows weren't really that big of a deal. If I were given the choice, I'd have picked a low over a high any day. Now that there's a little person whose safety is very literally completely dependent on my being able to take care of her, though, I have a very different view of things. I was extremely cautious about lows shortly after our baby was born, but it wasn't until my first experience with glucagon and what turned out to be a Chiari-related scare in Target that I became terrified of them.
My biggest fear is that I'll be giving my baby girl a bath or driving down the road with her and have a debilitating low. Either of those cases would be horrible, and they're not something I like to think about...but I have to. I have to because I have to think about them in order to prevent them. I don't get my sweet baby ready for her bath until I check my blood sugar, and I'm very careful while driving too. For the most part, I haven't had very many bad lows because I've been intentionally running slightly higher than I'm used to to avoid them.
As a result of that, though, I've had way more highs than I'm used to, and I hate it. I hate it because I'm a perfectionist to the core and want my numbers to be normal(ish). I told my husband we'd wait until our little one was at least a year old before thinking about another baby, but at this point I'm not comfortable enough with my ability to control my blood sugars like I did during my first pregnancy to take that step yet. I want to give our next baby the same chance at a good, healthy life as I did with our first, end of story. I don't know when I'll be ready, but I do know that it won't be until I get a better handle on things d-wise.
I've made a lot of changes to my insulin routine over the past few months in an effort to gain better control, but it's been hit or miss. What works one week (or day) may not the next, and any change in my routine causes a major overhaul to my insulin needs as well. I started exercising consistently a couple of months ago, but the week before Christmas our baby girl had an ear infection and I couldn't work out. Then there were the Christmas holidays, and since my husband was home (he's been working a few states away), I wanted to spend as much time possible as a family. Since then, I just haven't taken the time to exercise. I need to get started again because I KNOW I feel better when I'm consistently working out, but it's so hard to get back into the habit! I can also tell a big difference in my blood sugars then, although it makes preventing lows a little more complicated =)
Last year there were a lot of successes in the diabetes technology world too. The Artificial Pancreas Project is making good progress, and looks like a very promising treatment method for T1D. I know it's still going to be a while before it's available to the general public, but it's hard not to get excited about it! Here's what I posted on my Facebook page about the APP:
I think a lot about what my life would be like without T1D. Of course I know what it was like before (I was only diagnosed a little over two years ago), but I'm talking about now. Now that I have a daughter who needs me, and whom I love more than anything else in the world. It would be so awesome to not have to calculate carbs, or think about how everything else (sleep--or lack thereof, exercise, illness) will affect my blood sugar. It's a constant balancing act, and it always seems to tip to one side or the other. I would love to be able to have normal blood sugars again without thinking about it all. It's the "what if" that a lot of people with T1D don't like to fantasize about, because they don't want to get their hopes up that a cure will be found in their lifetime. I, however, have faith that even if a true cure is a long way off, new research developments will at least make our lives better. And as Chuck Eichten says in his book "The Book of Better: Life With Diabetes Can't Be Perfect. Make It Better", any amount of better is better. Perfection isn't attainable (although that's something I've yet to take to heart!), but better is. The Artificial Panreas Project isn't a cure, but it will mean a better life for those of us with T1D.
On a similar note, Congress recently renewed the SDP (Special Diabetes Project), which means that millions in essential funding will be available for diabetes research. According to the JDRF, "The SDP provides nearly 35 percent of the publicly-funded T1D research at the National Institute of Health (NIH)." This is HUGE. The JDRF works incredibly hard to obtain private funding, but private donors alone can't fund all the research that needs to be done, and the SDP covers some of that gap. Why is that so important? Because a cure could be waiting to be found in that gap. If the funding isn't there, the research doesn't get done. If the research isn't done, no progress can be made. If research progress is at a stand still, we don't get any closer to finding a cure. THAT is why it's so important.
Hopefully 2013 will bring some amazing new developments in diabetes treatment and technology, and better lives for all of us living with this disease!
It was also a year filled with new challenges in regards to my diabetes management routine. In the two and a half years since I was diagnosed, I don't think I've ever had such a hard time controlling my blood sugars-- aside from the first couple of weeks that I was pregnant. The biggest change for me has been a new-found fear of lows...even when I was pregnant, lows weren't really that big of a deal. If I were given the choice, I'd have picked a low over a high any day. Now that there's a little person whose safety is very literally completely dependent on my being able to take care of her, though, I have a very different view of things. I was extremely cautious about lows shortly after our baby was born, but it wasn't until my first experience with glucagon and what turned out to be a Chiari-related scare in Target that I became terrified of them.
My biggest fear is that I'll be giving my baby girl a bath or driving down the road with her and have a debilitating low. Either of those cases would be horrible, and they're not something I like to think about...but I have to. I have to because I have to think about them in order to prevent them. I don't get my sweet baby ready for her bath until I check my blood sugar, and I'm very careful while driving too. For the most part, I haven't had very many bad lows because I've been intentionally running slightly higher than I'm used to to avoid them.
As a result of that, though, I've had way more highs than I'm used to, and I hate it. I hate it because I'm a perfectionist to the core and want my numbers to be normal(ish). I told my husband we'd wait until our little one was at least a year old before thinking about another baby, but at this point I'm not comfortable enough with my ability to control my blood sugars like I did during my first pregnancy to take that step yet. I want to give our next baby the same chance at a good, healthy life as I did with our first, end of story. I don't know when I'll be ready, but I do know that it won't be until I get a better handle on things d-wise.
I've made a lot of changes to my insulin routine over the past few months in an effort to gain better control, but it's been hit or miss. What works one week (or day) may not the next, and any change in my routine causes a major overhaul to my insulin needs as well. I started exercising consistently a couple of months ago, but the week before Christmas our baby girl had an ear infection and I couldn't work out. Then there were the Christmas holidays, and since my husband was home (he's been working a few states away), I wanted to spend as much time possible as a family. Since then, I just haven't taken the time to exercise. I need to get started again because I KNOW I feel better when I'm consistently working out, but it's so hard to get back into the habit! I can also tell a big difference in my blood sugars then, although it makes preventing lows a little more complicated =)
Last year there were a lot of successes in the diabetes technology world too. The Artificial Pancreas Project is making good progress, and looks like a very promising treatment method for T1D. I know it's still going to be a while before it's available to the general public, but it's hard not to get excited about it! Here's what I posted on my Facebook page about the APP:
It's not a cure, but it will make our lives better and easier...a little more normal. Normalcy is something you take for granted until it's gone.THIS is what we're all working for. As Jeffrey Brewer (JDRF President and CEO) says, "Less until none." Less needles, less complications, less highs and lows. Those are the things that T1D steals from us. You often hear about the time diabetes takes from your life, but most of the time it's discussed in terms of the years lost at the end. The reality of living with this disease means that you lose seconds, minutes, and hours; everyday moments (like sleep, when you're waiting for your blood sugar to stabilize before bed) and priceless ones that you can't get back. I don't even want to think about all the precious time I've missed with my daughter, being forced to tell her to "wait just a little bit" while I check my blood sugar, fix my basal rate, or change my pump site. It's so, so hard to put the needs of my diabetes before hers, but in the end I know it's what I have to do...the whole "put your oxygen mask on before assisting others" thing. Not doing it isn't an option, because I refuse to let diabetes steal anything else from my life or hers.
I think a lot about what my life would be like without T1D. Of course I know what it was like before (I was only diagnosed a little over two years ago), but I'm talking about now. Now that I have a daughter who needs me, and whom I love more than anything else in the world. It would be so awesome to not have to calculate carbs, or think about how everything else (sleep--or lack thereof, exercise, illness) will affect my blood sugar. It's a constant balancing act, and it always seems to tip to one side or the other. I would love to be able to have normal blood sugars again without thinking about it all. It's the "what if" that a lot of people with T1D don't like to fantasize about, because they don't want to get their hopes up that a cure will be found in their lifetime. I, however, have faith that even if a true cure is a long way off, new research developments will at least make our lives better. And as Chuck Eichten says in his book "The Book of Better: Life With Diabetes Can't Be Perfect. Make It Better", any amount of better is better. Perfection isn't attainable (although that's something I've yet to take to heart!), but better is. The Artificial Panreas Project isn't a cure, but it will mean a better life for those of us with T1D.
On a similar note, Congress recently renewed the SDP (Special Diabetes Project), which means that millions in essential funding will be available for diabetes research. According to the JDRF, "The SDP provides nearly 35 percent of the publicly-funded T1D research at the National Institute of Health (NIH)." This is HUGE. The JDRF works incredibly hard to obtain private funding, but private donors alone can't fund all the research that needs to be done, and the SDP covers some of that gap. Why is that so important? Because a cure could be waiting to be found in that gap. If the funding isn't there, the research doesn't get done. If the research isn't done, no progress can be made. If research progress is at a stand still, we don't get any closer to finding a cure. THAT is why it's so important.
Hopefully 2013 will bring some amazing new developments in diabetes treatment and technology, and better lives for all of us living with this disease!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Making Your (Diabetes) Life Better
Back in November, I got an email from a person in marketing at Random House about Chuck Eichten's "The Book of Better: Life With Diabetes Can't Be Perfect. Make It Better." He said he'd like to send me a review copy to check out in hopes of getting the word out about it in the diabetes community after coming across my blog. Needless to say, I was thrilled...Not only do I LOVE books; I also love learning more about how I can make living with this disease a little easier. I was also amazed and honored to know there are actually people out there reading what I write! When I started this blog in November 2010 (a couple of short months after my diagnosis), I did so for some much-needed catharsis...I just wanted to let it all out, regardless of if anyone ended up reading it or not. I figured that if they did, maybe I could help someone else as other d-bloggers have helped me, because it always helps to know that you're not alone in dealing with everything that comes with T1.
Anyway, I promised him I'd read the book as soon as possible, but that since I was pregnant with our first child and dealing with the whole diabetes + pregnancy whirlwind, it would probably be a while before I'd be able to. Fast-forward seven months later, and I was finally able to finish it! It was a fast, easy read; it just took a while to get through it reading it in five-minute chunks while the baby slept (which wasn't very often in the first couple of months!).
The thing that stands out the most about this book is its approach to diabetes. Most books on the subject come off as very clinical--they're straightforward and informative, but dry and impersonal. This book is neither of those things, but still manages to be direct and educational. Not only that; it's filled with funny cartoons, charts, and interesting text, so it easily keeps your attention. Its tone is conversational, so it feels like Mr. Eichten (who has lived with T1 for over 35 years) is standing face-to-face with you, telling you about the ups and downs he's experienced firsthand with the disease. He somehow simultaneously remains nonjudgmental and still holds you accountable for managing your illness, which makes you take him seriously...and since he's been through it all, it's easy to take his advice.
This book covers almost every aspect of diabetes, from its most basic facts to dealing with its toll (physical, mental, and emotional) on your everyday life. At 288 pages, it's much shorter than most other books on the subject while still managing to be fairly comprehensive in its breadth. Each of the 12 chapters deals with a specific aspect of diabetes management, from diet and exercise to treatment options. Eichten makes it no secret that he believes the insulin pump is the superior choice for managing T1 and for some T2s, which I like. It would be very hard to argue that the pump is not the best, most technologically advanced option for dealing with this disease for the people who fit the bill for using it (because let's face it, some people just aren't cut out for dealing with a pump).
On first read, I was more than a little irritated by Eichten's portrayal of T2 as something that can "go away" (see lengthy discussion on that here); however, when I read over it again, I realized he said that through losing weight, you can make the symptoms of T2 go away. Important distinction there, because as many of us have discussed over and over again in the d-community, there is no cure for diabetes, no matter which type you're talking about. We all have to answer to the general public so often when they inform us of the "new miracle cure(s)" they heard of for diabetes, so anything that remotely reads as reference to "weight loss as a diabetes cure" immediately puts me on edge. Maybe it's because of the time that I had a stranger tell me at a restaurant that "they've found a cure for that"...the "cure" she was referring to? Gastric bypass surgery. Yes, despite the fact that I was already at a healthy weight, gastric bypass would make my diabetes go away. It's so hard to explain to people that no, that won't make my pancreas function; that they're probably referring to Type 2, in which case it's still not "cured"...in my eyes at least, symptom-free (for the present at least) does not equal "cured." It may be a battle of semantics, but it's important to me. Why? Because the impression that there's already a cure out there hurts diabetes research funding that could lead to a real cure!
That little glitch aside (and really, I'm not sure I can even call it a glitch since I misread it), I think this book is pretty great, if for no other reason than the fact that it motivates you to shoot for better-not perfection. Often, we feel like other people (doctors, family, friends, etc.) expect perfection from us when it comes to managing our disease...or if you're like me, that pressure can also come from yourself. When we try to hold ourselves to such an impossible standard and inevitably end up falling short, it's hard to stay motivated to keep trying...and often, we end up throwing in the towel completely after trying so hard (and failing) to be perfect. If instead we just try to better ourselves-by any amount-we can benefit from a sense of accomplishment that leads us to keep striving for better. It's hard to see how anything bad could come from this approach, especially because it's one that sets you up for sure success instead of the inevitable failure of expecting perfection from yourself!
Bottom line, I love the message of this book. I can see it being extremely helpful for anyone who is in a D-rut, lacking motivation to manage their disease effectively. As the marketing person who sent me the book said, there's something in it for everyone-T1, T2; young, old; newly diagnosed or someone who has lived with the disease for decades. I'd recommend it to anyone as a quick, easy read that's entertaining in spite of being about a disease that's not funny in the least!
Anyway, I promised him I'd read the book as soon as possible, but that since I was pregnant with our first child and dealing with the whole diabetes + pregnancy whirlwind, it would probably be a while before I'd be able to. Fast-forward seven months later, and I was finally able to finish it! It was a fast, easy read; it just took a while to get through it reading it in five-minute chunks while the baby slept (which wasn't very often in the first couple of months!).
The thing that stands out the most about this book is its approach to diabetes. Most books on the subject come off as very clinical--they're straightforward and informative, but dry and impersonal. This book is neither of those things, but still manages to be direct and educational. Not only that; it's filled with funny cartoons, charts, and interesting text, so it easily keeps your attention. Its tone is conversational, so it feels like Mr. Eichten (who has lived with T1 for over 35 years) is standing face-to-face with you, telling you about the ups and downs he's experienced firsthand with the disease. He somehow simultaneously remains nonjudgmental and still holds you accountable for managing your illness, which makes you take him seriously...and since he's been through it all, it's easy to take his advice.
This book covers almost every aspect of diabetes, from its most basic facts to dealing with its toll (physical, mental, and emotional) on your everyday life. At 288 pages, it's much shorter than most other books on the subject while still managing to be fairly comprehensive in its breadth. Each of the 12 chapters deals with a specific aspect of diabetes management, from diet and exercise to treatment options. Eichten makes it no secret that he believes the insulin pump is the superior choice for managing T1 and for some T2s, which I like. It would be very hard to argue that the pump is not the best, most technologically advanced option for dealing with this disease for the people who fit the bill for using it (because let's face it, some people just aren't cut out for dealing with a pump).
On first read, I was more than a little irritated by Eichten's portrayal of T2 as something that can "go away" (see lengthy discussion on that here); however, when I read over it again, I realized he said that through losing weight, you can make the symptoms of T2 go away. Important distinction there, because as many of us have discussed over and over again in the d-community, there is no cure for diabetes, no matter which type you're talking about. We all have to answer to the general public so often when they inform us of the "new miracle cure(s)" they heard of for diabetes, so anything that remotely reads as reference to "weight loss as a diabetes cure" immediately puts me on edge. Maybe it's because of the time that I had a stranger tell me at a restaurant that "they've found a cure for that"...the "cure" she was referring to? Gastric bypass surgery. Yes, despite the fact that I was already at a healthy weight, gastric bypass would make my diabetes go away. It's so hard to explain to people that no, that won't make my pancreas function; that they're probably referring to Type 2, in which case it's still not "cured"...in my eyes at least, symptom-free (for the present at least) does not equal "cured." It may be a battle of semantics, but it's important to me. Why? Because the impression that there's already a cure out there hurts diabetes research funding that could lead to a real cure!
That little glitch aside (and really, I'm not sure I can even call it a glitch since I misread it), I think this book is pretty great, if for no other reason than the fact that it motivates you to shoot for better-not perfection. Often, we feel like other people (doctors, family, friends, etc.) expect perfection from us when it comes to managing our disease...or if you're like me, that pressure can also come from yourself. When we try to hold ourselves to such an impossible standard and inevitably end up falling short, it's hard to stay motivated to keep trying...and often, we end up throwing in the towel completely after trying so hard (and failing) to be perfect. If instead we just try to better ourselves-by any amount-we can benefit from a sense of accomplishment that leads us to keep striving for better. It's hard to see how anything bad could come from this approach, especially because it's one that sets you up for sure success instead of the inevitable failure of expecting perfection from yourself!
Bottom line, I love the message of this book. I can see it being extremely helpful for anyone who is in a D-rut, lacking motivation to manage their disease effectively. As the marketing person who sent me the book said, there's something in it for everyone-T1, T2; young, old; newly diagnosed or someone who has lived with the disease for decades. I'd recommend it to anyone as a quick, easy read that's entertaining in spite of being about a disease that's not funny in the least!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Low Places
As with everything else in my very type-A life, I began thinking about what my life as a parent with diabetes would be like long before I was even pregnant. True to my need-to-know-everything-about-anything-that-affects-me form, I read a book on the subject last year
(When You're a Parent With Diabetes: A Real Life Guide to Staying Healthy While Raising a Family by Kathryn Gregorio Palmer). It's a great book with tons of tips for managing your disease in the context of parenting, and I highly recommend it. Of course, no matter how much reading you do, nothing ever really prepares you for reality quite like...well, reality.
I knew theoretically that there would be times when my diabetes got in the way of parenting to the point that I'd sometimes have to put taking care of my disease before taking care of my child (the whole "putting on your own oxygen mask before trying to save your children" thing); however, I never imagined how bad this would actually suck in practice. Before when I had a low, even a bad one, it wasn't much cause for concern. I'd treat it, wait a bit, and go on with my life. Now, though, there's another little person who is completely dependent on me to think about. When I have a low, I have to drop what I'm doing with her to treat it, which usually means leaving her there to cry on her own for what in reality is only a minute or two but in my world seems like an eternity. Probably the suckiest time that this happens is when I've just sat down and have everything situated to feed her, only to have to leave our comfy home base (aka, the recliner) to find something with sugar as quickly as possible so she doesn't break into one of those gut-wrenching, inconsolably angry crying jags. Ordinarily, getting up from a chair wouldn't be a big deal; however, when you're (severely) sleep deprived and are trying your best to satisfy a crying baby, it's an entirely different story.
I've also been letting my numbers run slightly higher than normal, especially at night, because now the fear of the low you don't wake up from has an entirely new dimension. Our poor baby would undoubtedly go hungry until morning, because although the hubby helps me as much as he can when he's home, he just doesn't wake up at night. The first two nights in the hospital, he woke at her every cry...now, sometimes I think it'd take a freight train to wake him up! One of our first weeks at home, I remember having a pretty bad low during the night. I turned the lamp above our bed on and went to get some glucose tablets, then came back to our bedroom to wait it out. 15 minutes later, my blood sugar still hadn't risen much, so I grabbed some orange juice from the fridge in the kitchen and crossed my fingers. My blood sugar was back in the normal range after that, but I was hit with the realization that (a) my hubby (aka, the slumbering log in bed next to me) didn't even know I was up and (b) the baby wasn't going to be much help if I passed out.
Since then, I've made sure to keep a close eye on my numbers before bed, and set temporary basal rates if necessary to keep me hovering above 100. Of course, this inevitably leads to slightly higher numbers first thing in the morning; however, at this point I'd much rather run a bit higher on average than to risk the danger of a horrible low at night...there's just too much at stake now!
When I was pregnant, I had to keep a super close eye on my diabetes because it very directly affected the baby growing inside me. Thanks to the hormonal changes that come with pregnancy, it was very difficult to keep my numbers in a tight range. I figured it would be a lot easier after the baby was born, and in a way it is...because my hormones have returned to normal, I no longer have to take massive amounts of insulin to cover my carbs at meals, and my patterns are a lot more predictable. However, the fact that my baby is no longer directly affected by highs (but just as much by lows) makes me a lot more laid-back when it comes to my blood sugars than I was before. Don't be mistaken; highs still frustrate me and I'm still concerned with keeping my average in a reasonable range; but at this point, I'm more concerned with the lows than the highs. Once I get a better handle on the parenting thing, I know I'll return to my perfectionist style of diabetes management...for now, though, I'm okay with good enough.
(When You're a Parent With Diabetes: A Real Life Guide to Staying Healthy While Raising a Family by Kathryn Gregorio Palmer). It's a great book with tons of tips for managing your disease in the context of parenting, and I highly recommend it. Of course, no matter how much reading you do, nothing ever really prepares you for reality quite like...well, reality.
I knew theoretically that there would be times when my diabetes got in the way of parenting to the point that I'd sometimes have to put taking care of my disease before taking care of my child (the whole "putting on your own oxygen mask before trying to save your children" thing); however, I never imagined how bad this would actually suck in practice. Before when I had a low, even a bad one, it wasn't much cause for concern. I'd treat it, wait a bit, and go on with my life. Now, though, there's another little person who is completely dependent on me to think about. When I have a low, I have to drop what I'm doing with her to treat it, which usually means leaving her there to cry on her own for what in reality is only a minute or two but in my world seems like an eternity. Probably the suckiest time that this happens is when I've just sat down and have everything situated to feed her, only to have to leave our comfy home base (aka, the recliner) to find something with sugar as quickly as possible so she doesn't break into one of those gut-wrenching, inconsolably angry crying jags. Ordinarily, getting up from a chair wouldn't be a big deal; however, when you're (severely) sleep deprived and are trying your best to satisfy a crying baby, it's an entirely different story.
I've also been letting my numbers run slightly higher than normal, especially at night, because now the fear of the low you don't wake up from has an entirely new dimension. Our poor baby would undoubtedly go hungry until morning, because although the hubby helps me as much as he can when he's home, he just doesn't wake up at night. The first two nights in the hospital, he woke at her every cry...now, sometimes I think it'd take a freight train to wake him up! One of our first weeks at home, I remember having a pretty bad low during the night. I turned the lamp above our bed on and went to get some glucose tablets, then came back to our bedroom to wait it out. 15 minutes later, my blood sugar still hadn't risen much, so I grabbed some orange juice from the fridge in the kitchen and crossed my fingers. My blood sugar was back in the normal range after that, but I was hit with the realization that (a) my hubby (aka, the slumbering log in bed next to me) didn't even know I was up and (b) the baby wasn't going to be much help if I passed out.
Since then, I've made sure to keep a close eye on my numbers before bed, and set temporary basal rates if necessary to keep me hovering above 100. Of course, this inevitably leads to slightly higher numbers first thing in the morning; however, at this point I'd much rather run a bit higher on average than to risk the danger of a horrible low at night...there's just too much at stake now!
When I was pregnant, I had to keep a super close eye on my diabetes because it very directly affected the baby growing inside me. Thanks to the hormonal changes that come with pregnancy, it was very difficult to keep my numbers in a tight range. I figured it would be a lot easier after the baby was born, and in a way it is...because my hormones have returned to normal, I no longer have to take massive amounts of insulin to cover my carbs at meals, and my patterns are a lot more predictable. However, the fact that my baby is no longer directly affected by highs (but just as much by lows) makes me a lot more laid-back when it comes to my blood sugars than I was before. Don't be mistaken; highs still frustrate me and I'm still concerned with keeping my average in a reasonable range; but at this point, I'm more concerned with the lows than the highs. Once I get a better handle on the parenting thing, I know I'll return to my perfectionist style of diabetes management...for now, though, I'm okay with good enough.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Basal Rates, Artificial Pancreata, and D-Judgment
Oh, how quickly time seems to get away from me these days...I intend to write a blog post, then other things come up, and before you know it it's been another two weeks since I last posted! I have to say, I really admire those in the DOC who are able to consistently update their blogs on a daily basis. Between managing diabetes (which, of course, is another full-time job) and life in general, I have a hard time keeping up with mine at times. Sometimes I wonder how I'm going to manage it all once the baby is here, but I know it'll work out...somehow!
At least life according to the D-monster has been better lately. I was getting frustrated with my numbers and my apparent inability to control them despite all of my effort, so I finally (FINALLY!) took a step back to evaluate the situation. Duh. My basal rate patterns didn't make sense at all, and it took me a couple of months to figure that little piece of information out! I suppose with everything going on, I was just increasing the rates themselves over time without looking at how my overall pattern was functioning (not well, by the way). The day that I realized this, I decided to start from square one and recalculate everything based on the total daily dose of insulin I'd been using. To do so, I had to pull out my trusty "Think Like a Pancreas" book by Gary Scheiner and review how to calculate all of the basal/bolus rates and ratios. With a little math (which I always enjoy--seriously, because I'm a nerd), I had a basal/bolus pattern that was a little more sane looking:
It had been so long since I'd done such a complete overhaul that I was a little worried about highs and lows the next day, but everything worked out surprisingly well. It's amazing what a little perspective can do...I was just metaphorically kicking myself for not doing it sooner! My numbers have been much more even, and I haven't had near as many out-of-range results as I was having before. Not that they were horrible before; it's just that I'm kind of a perfectionist and like for all of them to be as close to "normal" as possible--is that so much to ask?!
In other D-news, how about that Artificial Pancreas Project?! I'm so excited that the FDA has started the process that will hopefully lead to approval in a timely fashion. It's such a major step in the right direction for those of us living with T1, and although it's not a cure, it does represent a major advancement in treatment technology. For more on what this means for us, please read this article: Interpreting the FDA Guidance for the Artificial Pancreas
This morning I got a blog update from Jacquie Wojcik at Typical Type 1 in my email, and it was an awesome one. You can read the full post here, but the general gist of the post was about how judgmental people without diabetes can be at times. If you deal with this disease, no matter the type, you've no doubt encountered it at some point--if not more frequently. Even when people don't make rude comments or say anything out loud, sometimes you can feel their judgment anyway. It can make eating in public a psychologically difficult experience, because you know that if you split a dessert with your lunch buddy, there will probably be somebody who is thinking, "She has diabetes, she shouldn't be eating that!" It's not that I mind talking about my disease or correcting misconceptions when people are genuinely interested; it's the ones that try to impress their diabetes "knowledge" and horror stories upon you that can be irritating at times.
I like to think I generally have a good, positive attitude and outlook on life, but even that can be challenged when dealing with this type of thing on a regular basis. I've thought before about printing some of these diabetes etiquette cards for people who don't have diabetes to keep on hand for such situations, but I don't know how well received or effective that would be. Instead, the action I've taken is one I'm super comfortable with: I wrote. I mentioned it in my last post, but for American Diabetes Month I wrote an article for our local newspaper about the myths and misconceptions surrounding the disease so that maybe-just maybe-it will reach those that need to know these things. Like I've said before, even though it's hard, I can deal with the negativity...it's the kiddos who live with diabetes that I worry about. Life with this disease is hard enough without having to defend yourself and your decisions all the time. We already have to micromanage ourselves, so it's no fun when others try to do it for us as well. Like one person in the comments said of Jacquie's post, "It’s amazing how much more people care about/watch what I eat since I was diagnosed Type 1. They didn’t give a crap about what was on my plate before." So very true. The not-so-nice part of me sometimes wants to ask these people, "So just because you don't have diabetes, it's okay for you to eat that third piece of cake?!" But I don't, because I could never actually say that to anyone, no matter how rude they've been to me. In the end, I have to realize that there are some people who just don't get it. I can try to change their perceptions, but sometimes their ideas are so long-held and concrete that there's not much anyone could do or say to fix the situation. So instead, I just try to do the best I can and educate the ones who are willing to learn.
At least life according to the D-monster has been better lately. I was getting frustrated with my numbers and my apparent inability to control them despite all of my effort, so I finally (FINALLY!) took a step back to evaluate the situation. Duh. My basal rate patterns didn't make sense at all, and it took me a couple of months to figure that little piece of information out! I suppose with everything going on, I was just increasing the rates themselves over time without looking at how my overall pattern was functioning (not well, by the way). The day that I realized this, I decided to start from square one and recalculate everything based on the total daily dose of insulin I'd been using. To do so, I had to pull out my trusty "Think Like a Pancreas" book by Gary Scheiner and review how to calculate all of the basal/bolus rates and ratios. With a little math (which I always enjoy--seriously, because I'm a nerd), I had a basal/bolus pattern that was a little more sane looking:
 |
| Before |
 |
| After |
It had been so long since I'd done such a complete overhaul that I was a little worried about highs and lows the next day, but everything worked out surprisingly well. It's amazing what a little perspective can do...I was just metaphorically kicking myself for not doing it sooner! My numbers have been much more even, and I haven't had near as many out-of-range results as I was having before. Not that they were horrible before; it's just that I'm kind of a perfectionist and like for all of them to be as close to "normal" as possible--is that so much to ask?!
In other D-news, how about that Artificial Pancreas Project?! I'm so excited that the FDA has started the process that will hopefully lead to approval in a timely fashion. It's such a major step in the right direction for those of us living with T1, and although it's not a cure, it does represent a major advancement in treatment technology. For more on what this means for us, please read this article: Interpreting the FDA Guidance for the Artificial Pancreas
This morning I got a blog update from Jacquie Wojcik at Typical Type 1 in my email, and it was an awesome one. You can read the full post here, but the general gist of the post was about how judgmental people without diabetes can be at times. If you deal with this disease, no matter the type, you've no doubt encountered it at some point--if not more frequently. Even when people don't make rude comments or say anything out loud, sometimes you can feel their judgment anyway. It can make eating in public a psychologically difficult experience, because you know that if you split a dessert with your lunch buddy, there will probably be somebody who is thinking, "She has diabetes, she shouldn't be eating that!" It's not that I mind talking about my disease or correcting misconceptions when people are genuinely interested; it's the ones that try to impress their diabetes "knowledge" and horror stories upon you that can be irritating at times.
I like to think I generally have a good, positive attitude and outlook on life, but even that can be challenged when dealing with this type of thing on a regular basis. I've thought before about printing some of these diabetes etiquette cards for people who don't have diabetes to keep on hand for such situations, but I don't know how well received or effective that would be. Instead, the action I've taken is one I'm super comfortable with: I wrote. I mentioned it in my last post, but for American Diabetes Month I wrote an article for our local newspaper about the myths and misconceptions surrounding the disease so that maybe-just maybe-it will reach those that need to know these things. Like I've said before, even though it's hard, I can deal with the negativity...it's the kiddos who live with diabetes that I worry about. Life with this disease is hard enough without having to defend yourself and your decisions all the time. We already have to micromanage ourselves, so it's no fun when others try to do it for us as well. Like one person in the comments said of Jacquie's post, "It’s amazing how much more people care about/watch what I eat since I was diagnosed Type 1. They didn’t give a crap about what was on my plate before." So very true. The not-so-nice part of me sometimes wants to ask these people, "So just because you don't have diabetes, it's okay for you to eat that third piece of cake?!" But I don't, because I could never actually say that to anyone, no matter how rude they've been to me. In the end, I have to realize that there are some people who just don't get it. I can try to change their perceptions, but sometimes their ideas are so long-held and concrete that there's not much anyone could do or say to fix the situation. So instead, I just try to do the best I can and educate the ones who are willing to learn.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Update Time!
I honestly can't believe it's been so long since I last posted! Suffice it to say, it's been an incredibly busy one, especially because it's American Diabetes Month...It seems like I've had something diabetes-related to do since the beginning of November. I'm not complaining, though--I am a very willing participant in all of the awareness activities I've done, and truly believe that all of our efforts are making a difference for the people who benefit from them!
I was contacted last month by Laura from Extreme Southern Couponing. She has a 9 year old daughter who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two years ago, so she was putting together guest posts to feature on her blog throughout the month of November. She had come across my blog and asked me to share my story with her readers. Many of you already know most of the details of my diagnosis and journey thus far with T1, but if you're interested you can read it on her site here.
On November 15th, I had an OB appointment and ultrasound in Amarillo, so my mom, sister, and I met my aunt and cousin at Beef O'Brady's for their second "Dining for Diabetes" fundraiser. They donated a portion of their ticket sales that night to the JDRF, so we got to eat some good food for an awesome cause! I also got to meet the Branch Manager for the Panhandle JDRF in person, as well as some of the other board members. They are all incredibly nice, welcoming people, and I can't wait to work with them.
The next day, the article I wrote for the local paper on diabetes awareness was published. I was incredibly excited to see it happen, because it's something I've wanted to do for a while. I decided to focus on the myths related to diabetes, because there are so many misconceptions surrounding the disease. For those of us living with it, having to clear up these myths on a regular basis adds to an already challenging life, so my hope was that by reaching people in our community on a larger scale, things would be a little easier for people with diabetes--especially the kids and young adults who have to deal with it. It turned out to be a long article, so I'll save it for another post!
I *think* that covers everything diabetes-month related thus far, but I could be missing something. I was reading "Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies? The Surprising Science of Pregnancy" a few nights ago, and it said that a woman's brain shrinks by 4-6% during the nine months of pregnancy in order to build the baby's brain (at least according to one theory)...my husband says I'm definitely on the 6% end of the range! Either way, my brain power has been somewhat diminished for the past several months...it's a strange feeling, being in a constant fog. Then there are the days that I'm convinced I'm losing it, like the day I posted this on Facebook:
My sister also had her baby a month ago after she developed preeclampsia and had to have a c-section at 34 weeks. Her baby is still in the NICU-she had some breathing problems in the beginning and digestive issues after that, but she's stabilized and is doing better. She just has to meet all of her milestones before they'll let her go home! My relationship with my sister has been better since her baby was born, and I'm glad that we've been able to put most of the anguish of the past several months behind us. The selfish part of me still finds it hard that everything is revolving around her and her baby at this point, but that's just because everyone is so focused on all of that that I sometimes forget we're having a baby soon. I hear about it so often that I sometimes think of our little one by her baby's name, and that frustrates me!
It's also been hard having my parents gone so often, because it leaves me to take care of the office by myself--something that isn't out of the ordinary, but that can be incredibly stressful at times...and right now, I need to start slowing down rather than taking on more than my share. We don't have much longer until she'll be here, and we still have so much to do! I know it will all get finished, but it's still hard sitting at the office when I know there's so much I could be doing at home. Hopefully I'll have enough time off in the end to get a few things done that I haven't been able to work on, like the quilt that I started over a year ago...The quilting part is not far from being finished, and then I have to bind it, but I never have a solid chunk of time to get it done.
Then I still need to get in touch with a pediatrician, work on my birth plan (/wish list), and about a million other things to prepare for the actual labor and delivery part of things...I try to not let it all stress me out, but sometimes the amount of things I have left to do hits me like a ton of bricks--or at least with the force with which our little girl kicks me sometimes! Oh-speaking of her kicks, my hubby finally got to feel her kick for the first time about a week ago...I'd been able to feel it from the outside for about a month, but she never would cooperate when he was around!
Well, I think that pretty much covers what's happened over the past few weeks, so I guess I better get back to work!
I was contacted last month by Laura from Extreme Southern Couponing. She has a 9 year old daughter who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two years ago, so she was putting together guest posts to feature on her blog throughout the month of November. She had come across my blog and asked me to share my story with her readers. Many of you already know most of the details of my diagnosis and journey thus far with T1, but if you're interested you can read it on her site here.
On November 15th, I had an OB appointment and ultrasound in Amarillo, so my mom, sister, and I met my aunt and cousin at Beef O'Brady's for their second "Dining for Diabetes" fundraiser. They donated a portion of their ticket sales that night to the JDRF, so we got to eat some good food for an awesome cause! I also got to meet the Branch Manager for the Panhandle JDRF in person, as well as some of the other board members. They are all incredibly nice, welcoming people, and I can't wait to work with them.
The next day, the article I wrote for the local paper on diabetes awareness was published. I was incredibly excited to see it happen, because it's something I've wanted to do for a while. I decided to focus on the myths related to diabetes, because there are so many misconceptions surrounding the disease. For those of us living with it, having to clear up these myths on a regular basis adds to an already challenging life, so my hope was that by reaching people in our community on a larger scale, things would be a little easier for people with diabetes--especially the kids and young adults who have to deal with it. It turned out to be a long article, so I'll save it for another post!
I *think* that covers everything diabetes-month related thus far, but I could be missing something. I was reading "Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies? The Surprising Science of Pregnancy" a few nights ago, and it said that a woman's brain shrinks by 4-6% during the nine months of pregnancy in order to build the baby's brain (at least according to one theory)...my husband says I'm definitely on the 6% end of the range! Either way, my brain power has been somewhat diminished for the past several months...it's a strange feeling, being in a constant fog. Then there are the days that I'm convinced I'm losing it, like the day I posted this on Facebook:
I've come to the conclusion that I'm losing my mind! I had to call Mom to ask her a question, but when I dialed her number on my cell phone, the office phone started ringing, so I had to hang up on her. I then picked up the office phone, and no one was there, so I tried Mom's number again. About that time, the office phone started ringing again, so I had to hang up to answer it...And once again, there was nobody there. This went on about five times and I was starting to get extremely frustrated before I realized that *I* was actually calling the office instead of Mom's cell phone number and hanging up on MYSELF. I think I need a break...♥The diminished mental status and achy hips and back, though, I can deal with. They're constant reminders that my body is on a higher level of functioning right now to make sure our baby gets everything it needs, and I'm completely okay with that. When I had my ultrasound on the 15th, I was nervous once again--though not quite as nervous as I was before our first big one in September. I suppose the worry that everything is developing as it should never quite goes away, but I'm glad that things were still on track with our little one! She's in the 60th percentile even though I'm measuring smaller, and although she was breech, everything else was where it should be. As it is in diabetes, "normal" is an amazing thing when it comes to your baby's development! I'm just hoping she decides to head south sometime in the next 9-10 weeks...=)
My sister also had her baby a month ago after she developed preeclampsia and had to have a c-section at 34 weeks. Her baby is still in the NICU-she had some breathing problems in the beginning and digestive issues after that, but she's stabilized and is doing better. She just has to meet all of her milestones before they'll let her go home! My relationship with my sister has been better since her baby was born, and I'm glad that we've been able to put most of the anguish of the past several months behind us. The selfish part of me still finds it hard that everything is revolving around her and her baby at this point, but that's just because everyone is so focused on all of that that I sometimes forget we're having a baby soon. I hear about it so often that I sometimes think of our little one by her baby's name, and that frustrates me!
It's also been hard having my parents gone so often, because it leaves me to take care of the office by myself--something that isn't out of the ordinary, but that can be incredibly stressful at times...and right now, I need to start slowing down rather than taking on more than my share. We don't have much longer until she'll be here, and we still have so much to do! I know it will all get finished, but it's still hard sitting at the office when I know there's so much I could be doing at home. Hopefully I'll have enough time off in the end to get a few things done that I haven't been able to work on, like the quilt that I started over a year ago...The quilting part is not far from being finished, and then I have to bind it, but I never have a solid chunk of time to get it done.
Then I still need to get in touch with a pediatrician, work on my birth plan (/wish list), and about a million other things to prepare for the actual labor and delivery part of things...I try to not let it all stress me out, but sometimes the amount of things I have left to do hits me like a ton of bricks--or at least with the force with which our little girl kicks me sometimes! Oh-speaking of her kicks, my hubby finally got to feel her kick for the first time about a week ago...I'd been able to feel it from the outside for about a month, but she never would cooperate when he was around!
Well, I think that pretty much covers what's happened over the past few weeks, so I guess I better get back to work!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Diabetes Article in Health Magazine--Another Setback
I was initially excited when I saw an article in the November 2011 issue of Health magazine about diabetes—after all, November is American Diabetes Month! However, once I started actually reading the article, I was appalled. Not only was it filled with misinformation and incorrect but rampant diabetes stereotypes, it was completely insensitive. No wonder people like the woman in the article are “embarrassed” to let others know they have diabetes! What disappoints me the most is to see such a great opportunity for public education and awareness turned into such a misrepresentation of the disease…a misrepresentation that people with diabetes, like myself, have to fight every day to correct.
I was diagnosed last year with type 1 diabetes. My younger sister also has type 1, and my dad (along with a lot of my extended family) has type 2. When I was diagnosed, I made it a point to learn as much as I could about the disease, and have read countless books on the subject. I also keep up with diabetes news and research and follow others’ diabetes blogs on a daily basis in addition to hosting my own. In addition, I was recently appointed as a board member for the local branch of the JDRF. Even though it’s not my paying job, diabetes advocacy is incredibly important to me. The biggest problem I encounter, however, is not that people don’t know about the disease; it’s that what they think they know is usually incorrect—and usually, it’s due to years of exposure to myths and half-truths about the disease, thanks at least in part to media publications such as this one that further reinforce its falsehoods.
Although it is true that being overweight or obese is a risk factor for developing diabetes (at least for type 2, that is), it isn’t the be all and end all of the disease. First of all, not everyone with diabetes is overweight. Type 1 diabetes develops irrespective of weight or health status, and there are many people with type 2 who are of normal weight. Furthermore, what many sources neglect to point out is that you have to have the genetic predisposition and other risk factors to develop the disease—therefore, not all people who are overweight will develop diabetes. Secondly, losing weight is not a magical “cure” for the disease. I have a real problem with people using the word “reverse” in relation to the disease, because “reversing” diabetes is simply not possible. Remission is a better word, because it at least acknowledges that if you gain the weight back, change your activity level, or become ill, the symptoms of the disease will return. What is most important to note, however, that even in symptom “remission,” the disease is still very much there. Diabetes is a progressive disease, and insulin resistance (the main disease mechanism of type 2 diabetes) increases with age. Even those who are initially able to completely manage their diabetes with weight loss might eventually have to pursue more aggressive treatment options as the natural progress of the disease occurs. Failing to recognize this is simply dangerous, because it leads people to believe that once their disease is well-managed, it will never be a problem for them again. I truly believe that this leads a lot of people with type 2 diabetes to not get the proper care and treatment that they need, because they then fail to give their disease the attention it requires. Therefore, to call weight loss a “groundbreaking new way” to treat diabetes is not only ignorant (weight loss has been used as a part of treatment plans for type 2 diabetes for years), it is also incredibly irresponsible—and to call the woman in the article a “former diabetic” only serves to reinforce this dangerous fallacy.
Articles like this one are responsible for supporting incorrect and negative ideas about diabetes that those of us living with the disease are forced to combat on a daily basis. The statement that “Most people with type 2 diabetes could actually reverse it if they lose enough weight” is especially harmful, because it bolsters the notion that diabetes is a “fat, lazy person’s” disease that could be controlled if only they would work hard enough. This stereotype is not only hurtful and extremely insensitive; it also has the potential for damaging fundraising efforts…after all, why contribute to diabetes research if it’s something people can “cure” themselves if only they’d work hard enough? For those of us with type 1, especially children, this typecast is particularly harmful. Many people do not understand the differences between the two types of diabetes, and all of these ideas could lead to dangerous non-management of the disease. There is also a growing problem among adolescents with type 1 in which patients will purposefully withhold insulin in order to lose weight. This leads to dangerously high blood sugars that force the breakdown of muscle and fat, but can also cause diabetic ketoacidosis and other complications.
These are the reasons I felt compelled to write such a lengthy, detailed letter...a letter that was too long to actually send to the editor, of course! Articles on disease awareness (especially in major publications) are wonderful, but only if they contain accurate information. In the future, I beg all magazines to please keep this in mind when undertaking such ventures! Diabetes awareness and education is achieved one person at a time, but so are harmful setbacks. I hope that from now on, all publications will make an effort to be part of the former.
For those of you who are interested in reading the article in its entirety, it begins on page 95 of the November 2011 issue of Health. I couldn't find it online, otherwise I would have linked to it here!
For those of you who are interested in reading the article in its entirety, it begins on page 95 of the November 2011 issue of Health. I couldn't find it online, otherwise I would have linked to it here!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Resources for Diabetes & Pregnancy
Holy crapola, I just changed my pump site and it hurt like crazy! I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that I was wingin' it, trying to insert the site without using a mirror at work...not a great idea unless you're amazingly coordinated, by the way! What I thought was my upper hip actually ended up being closer to my lower back, where there isn't a whole lot of fat for that lovely needle to come to rest in. Luckily, the sting is subsiding. I've had plenty of sites that are completely painless, but every now and then I get one that hurts enough to make me cuss...like today!
Painful site change aside, I'm so glad it's Friday! We have a wedding to go to tomorrow evening (yay, it's finally here!), but other than that I'm planning on using the rest of the weekend for some much-needed rest...and laundry, of course. I started writing a post last Friday, and never got around to finishing it...that's how busy my week has been! I had a doctor's appointment (OB) on Tuesday, and everything was fine. Normal blood pressure, average weight gain (maybe 4-5 lbs total so far, at 14 weeks), and baby's heartbeat sounded great! Next visit they'll draw blood for the multiple marker screening test that checks for Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and Neural Tube Defects, among other things. It's completely optional from my OB's standpoint, but according to the source I just read, it is recommended for women with diabetes who use insulin (among other high-risk pregnancies), although it doesn't explain specifically why. I haven't discussed the test with my husband yet, but I would imagine that we'll go ahead and do it. For me, knowledge is power and I would rather know early on about potential problems (or twins-omg!).
Speaking of knowledge, before I was pregnant there were very few (dependable) resources available regarding diabetes and pregnancy. As soon as I was diagnosed last August, I made it my personal mission to find as much information as possible on the subject, because it was the thing that most concerned me at the time (especially being a woman of 22 at the time, diagnosed on our 7-month wedding "anniversary"). Unfortunately, I only found three books, one of which was (and still is) out of print. Here's the rundown:
101 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy with Diabetes by Patricia Bazel Geil , Laura Hieronymus , & Laura B. Hieronymous
This book, published by the ADA in 2003, is no longer available from retailers-but you can still find used copies on Amazon (or from other used-book sellers) like I did. It is in a question-and-answer format and has some decent tips on the three different types of diabetes (1, 2, & Gestational) as they relate to various issues in pregnancy. Each question and answer are marked with the specific types of diabetes they apply to. It's pretty straightforward, but doesn't give much information beyond the bare basics that a lot of us probably already know from our medical professionals and personal research online (only from reputable sources, of course). It would be a good place to start, though, if you're building your diabetes/pregnancy knowledge from the ground up.
Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby by Cheryl Alkon
For me, this was the Holy Grail of diabetes and pregnancy books. It was current, published just four months before I was diagnosed, and full of information from women who had been through it all-and sometimes, that's the most valuable advice to have. Cheryl's book was a Godsend because it shows that while pregnancy with preexisting diabetes is challenging, it is definitely doable. It provides in-depth information starting at preconception, on through pregnancy, and then to life as a mom with diabetes. The most amazing thing about this book is its friendly, conversational, between-girlfriends tone. While other books on diabetes and pregnancy can be dry and sometimes dictatorial, Cheryl's guide provides accurate information and advice without being overbearing...in fact, it's just the opposite: encouraging-which is something that women with diabetes often don't encounter, especially when it comes to pregnancy. We've all heard the horror stories, the discouragement from those around us (and even some medical professionals), so this book is a light at the end of the tunnel for those of us who don't live with our heads in the sand, and yet still believe that we can have a relatively normal pregnancy as a woman with diabetes as long as we take the proper precautions and manage our diabetes correctly.
When You're a Parent With Diabetes: A Real Life Guide to Staying Healthy While Raising a Family by Kathryn Gregorio Palmer
As I explained before, the idea of pregnancy with diabetes was something that weighed heavily on my mind when I was diagnosed. Once I was reassured that it was possible for me to have a healthy pregnancy and baby (as long as I went about things the right way), I started to think about what life would be like as a parent with diabetes. The idea of managing pregnancy with diabetes is overwhelming enough, but thinking about taking care of an infant while still trying to effectively take care of yourself and your disease is downright scary at times. Enter this book, published in 2006. Written by a mother with type 1 diabetes, this book covers everything from pregnancy through talking to your older kids about your disease. Most importantly, it gives some wonderful tips on dealing with diabetes while you're trying to raise a family, right down to details like where to keep your juice/candy/other low treatments so your kids don't accidentally eat/drink them all, remembering to check your blood sugar in the chaos of daily family life, and explaining to your children what to do in an emergency. This book, like Cheryl's, is credible because it's written by someone who has been there, and helpful because it's encouraging and informative.
I decided to review the existing books on diabetes and pregnancy because the ADA just came out with its new, updated guide on the subject in June:
Diabetes and Pregnancy: A Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy for Women with Type 1, Type 2, or Gestational Diabetes by David A. Sacks
Upon finding out about its existence, I immediately downloaded this book to my Nook, excited to finally have some more information on diabetes and pregnancy. What I found, though, is that it is elementary in its approach, offering nothing more than the information you get from your doctor or online from credible sources. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was disappointed when I found that all of this information was just a repeat of what I already knew on a most basic level. It starts off with the whole "What is Diabetes?" discussion, the types of diabetes and their management, and goes on to explain the effects of diabetes on pregnancy, blah, blah, blah. Maybe I'm being a little too critical, but I was looking for some new, useful information-not a review of what you can find in almost any current pregnancy or diabetes guide. I suppose that, as with their tip book above, this book by the ADA would be good for someone newly diagnosed; however, if you're like me and have been reading as much as possible on the subject for a while, you'll probably find the content to be fairly useless in terms of application. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm over half-way through it and haven't learned anything new. Cheryl and Kathryn's books remain the most useful and comprehensive books on diabetes and pregancy/parenting available, at least in my eyes!
Other than books, there are some great blogs by women with diabetes who have been through the rollercoasters of pregnancy and parenting with diabetes. I enjoy reading them because it helps to know that there are people who have been through the same challenges you're going through, and came out on the other side with a healthy baby. My favorites are Kerri Morrone Sparling's, sixuntilme, and Cheryl Alkon's, Managing the Sweetness Within.
Painful site change aside, I'm so glad it's Friday! We have a wedding to go to tomorrow evening (yay, it's finally here!), but other than that I'm planning on using the rest of the weekend for some much-needed rest...and laundry, of course. I started writing a post last Friday, and never got around to finishing it...that's how busy my week has been! I had a doctor's appointment (OB) on Tuesday, and everything was fine. Normal blood pressure, average weight gain (maybe 4-5 lbs total so far, at 14 weeks), and baby's heartbeat sounded great! Next visit they'll draw blood for the multiple marker screening test that checks for Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and Neural Tube Defects, among other things. It's completely optional from my OB's standpoint, but according to the source I just read, it is recommended for women with diabetes who use insulin (among other high-risk pregnancies), although it doesn't explain specifically why. I haven't discussed the test with my husband yet, but I would imagine that we'll go ahead and do it. For me, knowledge is power and I would rather know early on about potential problems (or twins-omg!).
Speaking of knowledge, before I was pregnant there were very few (dependable) resources available regarding diabetes and pregnancy. As soon as I was diagnosed last August, I made it my personal mission to find as much information as possible on the subject, because it was the thing that most concerned me at the time (especially being a woman of 22 at the time, diagnosed on our 7-month wedding "anniversary"). Unfortunately, I only found three books, one of which was (and still is) out of print. Here's the rundown:
101 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy with Diabetes by Patricia Bazel Geil , Laura Hieronymus , & Laura B. Hieronymous
This book, published by the ADA in 2003, is no longer available from retailers-but you can still find used copies on Amazon (or from other used-book sellers) like I did. It is in a question-and-answer format and has some decent tips on the three different types of diabetes (1, 2, & Gestational) as they relate to various issues in pregnancy. Each question and answer are marked with the specific types of diabetes they apply to. It's pretty straightforward, but doesn't give much information beyond the bare basics that a lot of us probably already know from our medical professionals and personal research online (only from reputable sources, of course). It would be a good place to start, though, if you're building your diabetes/pregnancy knowledge from the ground up.
Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby by Cheryl Alkon
For me, this was the Holy Grail of diabetes and pregnancy books. It was current, published just four months before I was diagnosed, and full of information from women who had been through it all-and sometimes, that's the most valuable advice to have. Cheryl's book was a Godsend because it shows that while pregnancy with preexisting diabetes is challenging, it is definitely doable. It provides in-depth information starting at preconception, on through pregnancy, and then to life as a mom with diabetes. The most amazing thing about this book is its friendly, conversational, between-girlfriends tone. While other books on diabetes and pregnancy can be dry and sometimes dictatorial, Cheryl's guide provides accurate information and advice without being overbearing...in fact, it's just the opposite: encouraging-which is something that women with diabetes often don't encounter, especially when it comes to pregnancy. We've all heard the horror stories, the discouragement from those around us (and even some medical professionals), so this book is a light at the end of the tunnel for those of us who don't live with our heads in the sand, and yet still believe that we can have a relatively normal pregnancy as a woman with diabetes as long as we take the proper precautions and manage our diabetes correctly.
When You're a Parent With Diabetes: A Real Life Guide to Staying Healthy While Raising a Family by Kathryn Gregorio Palmer
As I explained before, the idea of pregnancy with diabetes was something that weighed heavily on my mind when I was diagnosed. Once I was reassured that it was possible for me to have a healthy pregnancy and baby (as long as I went about things the right way), I started to think about what life would be like as a parent with diabetes. The idea of managing pregnancy with diabetes is overwhelming enough, but thinking about taking care of an infant while still trying to effectively take care of yourself and your disease is downright scary at times. Enter this book, published in 2006. Written by a mother with type 1 diabetes, this book covers everything from pregnancy through talking to your older kids about your disease. Most importantly, it gives some wonderful tips on dealing with diabetes while you're trying to raise a family, right down to details like where to keep your juice/candy/other low treatments so your kids don't accidentally eat/drink them all, remembering to check your blood sugar in the chaos of daily family life, and explaining to your children what to do in an emergency. This book, like Cheryl's, is credible because it's written by someone who has been there, and helpful because it's encouraging and informative.
I decided to review the existing books on diabetes and pregnancy because the ADA just came out with its new, updated guide on the subject in June:
Diabetes and Pregnancy: A Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy for Women with Type 1, Type 2, or Gestational Diabetes by David A. Sacks
Upon finding out about its existence, I immediately downloaded this book to my Nook, excited to finally have some more information on diabetes and pregnancy. What I found, though, is that it is elementary in its approach, offering nothing more than the information you get from your doctor or online from credible sources. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was disappointed when I found that all of this information was just a repeat of what I already knew on a most basic level. It starts off with the whole "What is Diabetes?" discussion, the types of diabetes and their management, and goes on to explain the effects of diabetes on pregnancy, blah, blah, blah. Maybe I'm being a little too critical, but I was looking for some new, useful information-not a review of what you can find in almost any current pregnancy or diabetes guide. I suppose that, as with their tip book above, this book by the ADA would be good for someone newly diagnosed; however, if you're like me and have been reading as much as possible on the subject for a while, you'll probably find the content to be fairly useless in terms of application. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm over half-way through it and haven't learned anything new. Cheryl and Kathryn's books remain the most useful and comprehensive books on diabetes and pregancy/parenting available, at least in my eyes!
Other than books, there are some great blogs by women with diabetes who have been through the rollercoasters of pregnancy and parenting with diabetes. I enjoy reading them because it helps to know that there are people who have been through the same challenges you're going through, and came out on the other side with a healthy baby. My favorites are Kerri Morrone Sparling's, sixuntilme, and Cheryl Alkon's, Managing the Sweetness Within.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Diabetes Blogging: The Good, The Amazing, and The Reality
Yesterday I posted about the anxiety I've been feeling in regards to using my Medtronic CGM once it comes in due to the horrific reports of blood and pain I came across in the diabetes web community.
Exhibit A:
But then I came across Too Sweet, a blog written by the mother of a beautiful little girl with Type 1 diabetes, and saw that she had good things to say about the MM CGM. As far as the pain factor, her post "Well, at least she'll never know the difference." shows that it's just part of the countless uncomfortable (and many times painful) things we do to keep our diabetes under control. After reading several of Amy's posts, I realized how lucky I am to have the luxury of dealing with this as an adult. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to have to deal with diabetes in childhood, both for the child and the parent. While I'm not looking forward to blasting that monster of a needle into my body, I now see that it's doable. After all, if a brave little five-year-old girl can handle it, surely I can!
One thing I've learned in the past five months since my diagnosis is that the diabetes community is wonderful. They stick together, offer encouragement and support, help each other through the inevitable storms of this disease, and praise one another's successes. It reminds me of the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13, 4-8:
So, in conclusion, I want to thank the amazing d-bloggers I've looked to for information, support, and endless wisdom over the past five months, whether they know it or not. Their knowledge, kindness, and sense of humor have gotten me through many days of doubt and feeling alone with this disease, and for that I am incredibly grateful.
--Kerri @ sixuntilme
--Lyrehca @ Managing the Sweetness Within
--Lisa @ Lisa From Scratch
--Amy (& Emma) @ Too Sweet
--Everyone on tudiabetes
Exhibit A:
"The only thing about the Medtronic CGM that absolutely crushes my soul is that hollow spear you insert it with, the thing Medtronic calls a "needle". A needle is what is on the end of my Symlin pen or perhaps my infusion set. They should describe it accurately, like this:
'A large, hollow, very sharp nail that enters with the grace of an angry bee's stinger and provides an additional 5 to 10 seconds of throbbing, intense pain.'"
--Jason, tudiabetes forum memberExhibit B:
Another tudiabetes forum member suggested that Medtronic redesign their transmitter and sensors to not be so awkward and bulky, and to not have a needle "with its own zip code".And another poster compared it to being shot. Yay.
But then I came across Too Sweet, a blog written by the mother of a beautiful little girl with Type 1 diabetes, and saw that she had good things to say about the MM CGM. As far as the pain factor, her post "Well, at least she'll never know the difference." shows that it's just part of the countless uncomfortable (and many times painful) things we do to keep our diabetes under control. After reading several of Amy's posts, I realized how lucky I am to have the luxury of dealing with this as an adult. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to have to deal with diabetes in childhood, both for the child and the parent. While I'm not looking forward to blasting that monster of a needle into my body, I now see that it's doable. After all, if a brave little five-year-old girl can handle it, surely I can!
One thing I've learned in the past five months since my diagnosis is that the diabetes community is wonderful. They stick together, offer encouragement and support, help each other through the inevitable storms of this disease, and praise one another's successes. It reminds me of the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13, 4-8:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.The diabetes community is a loving one if there ever was one. It's a club that no one wants to belong to (I don't know about you, but I sure didn't sign up for this!), but once you find yourself a member, you see that it's one that won't let you down. Diabetes bloggers provide an endless source of information for newbies like me, and are truly an inspiration for all of us. They are proof that this disease is a manageable (albeit annoying, uncomfortable, and inconvenient) one, and that it is possible to live well with it. Anytime I have a question related to diabetes, whether it's related to medical advice or everyday living with the disease, I know that I can find what I need online. Yes, at times it's scary, but sometimes reality is too. At the end of the day, all we can do is our best and hope that it's enough.
8 Love never fails.
So, in conclusion, I want to thank the amazing d-bloggers I've looked to for information, support, and endless wisdom over the past five months, whether they know it or not. Their knowledge, kindness, and sense of humor have gotten me through many days of doubt and feeling alone with this disease, and for that I am incredibly grateful.
--Kerri @ sixuntilme
--Lyrehca @ Managing the Sweetness Within
--Lisa @ Lisa From Scratch
--Amy (& Emma) @ Too Sweet
--Everyone on tudiabetes
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Heated Debate: Does Diabetes Ever "Go Away"?
I subscribe to feeds/email updates on several blogs that I regularly follow. On Tuesday, I received one from "Keeper of the Home, Naturally Inspired Living for the Christian Homemaker" with a post from a guest blogger entitled "What is 'Real' Health?" http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/01/what-is-real-health.html Although the basic tenants of the author's message were good (eating and living healthier to achieve better health), I took issue with her including diabetes on her "Signs of Not So Good Health" in the article. It was not the fact that she was suggesting that a better lifestyle would make you healthier that angered me (in fact, I agree 100% on that one); rather, it was her argument that losing weight and improving diet & exercise habits would make Type 2 diabetes go away.
Here is my response:
From the post's writer:
And finally, my reply to that piece of information:
I hope I wasn't too harsh in my responses, but it truly does irritate me when people who know very little about diabetes try to impress their "knowledge" upon me. Not only that, but as I said in my replies, portraying personal opinions (which in this case, are simply myths and anecdotal evidence) as scientific fact not only has the potential to harm those who need to closely monitor their disease, it also reinforces the misconceptions about diabetes that those of us who deal with it on a daily basis fight to correct.
It's like the time that a lady told my mom that her preacher used lemon juice to lower his blood sugars, and that my sister and I should keep a bottle of it nearby in case we have highs. It's in those cases that usually I shake my head and say "okay," while in reality I'm thinking, "Seriously, lady? My pancreas doesn't work. It doesn't produce insulin any longer. Lemon juice will not do diddly squat to reduce my numbers..."
The reason this "advice," though I'm sure well-meaning, angers people with diabetes is because it minimizes the effort it takes to truly control the disease. Those who don't have to deal with the several times a day (or sometimes hourly) finger sticks; oral meds with not-so-fun side effects (I'm talking about you, metformin!); injecting insulin into our abdomen, thighs, arms, or butt; constant worrying about where your blood glucose numbers are at, whether they'll lead to long-term complications, and hoping your insurance will cover all the numerous doctors visits, testing supplies, medications, and medical devices it entails, simply can't understand what it takes to make sure that this disease stays well-controlled and simultaneously trying to not let it take over your life. I know I didn't until I was diagnosed. Not until you've walked a mile in my shoes...
Furthermore, as sixuntilme pointed out in her similar blog post (which I highly recommend reading if you're interested in the subject http://www.blogher.com/there-no-cure-diabetes), the argument that weight loss is a "cure" for diabetes simply perpetuates the myth and the thinking that those of us who have the disease simply aren't working hard enough to keep it in check. This thinking is not only dangerous, since there are already so many people with diabetes who ignore their disease, but it also diminishes its importance to the point where it may affect funding for research. We need a real cure, and what we're getting instead is a bunch of bologna from people who have no idea what they're talking about. I'm no medical expert, but as soon as I was diagnosed I made it my personal mission to learn as much as I can about the disease so that not only can I properly manage my diabetes life, I can advocate and educate people on it.
This type of media coverage (along with the celebrities' stories on "curing themselves" or "switching from Type 1 to Type 2 by 'weaning themselves off insulin'" [hello, Ms. Halle Berry]) isn't the kind we need. It's people like Kevin Kline and Brett Michaels (who are both careful to keep their public statements on diabetes in line with scientific fact) who are true examples for the diabetes world and ambassadors to the general public. And not to mention my fellow D-life bloggers, Lyrehca, sixuntilme, lisafromscratch, and the TuDiabetes Community, to name a few. They help those of us dealing with diabetes feel like we're not alone (as it often seems) with this disease. Because let's face it, sometimes it feels like it's us against the non-diabetes world and it helps to know there's someone out there, even if they're halfway across the country, who is going through the same things we are.
Here is my response:
I have Type 1 Diabetes. It is not because I'm "unhealthy"; I'm not overweight, I eat right, and I take care of myself. Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease caused by a genetic predisposition paired with an environmental trigger...Not bad health. Unless by bad health you mean an entirely unpreventable genetic predisposition coupled with a similarly inexorable environmental factor. To suggest otherwise is to further reinforce the notion that these diseases are the person’s fault and that a change in diet is going to make them go away. Becoming and staying as healthy as possible isn't going to make Diabetes of any kind "go away". It may become more controllable and something that doesn't require as much daily disruption, but once you’re diagnosed with it, it's always going to be a serious health concern that requires attention. To suggest otherwise is simply irresponsible. There are already too many people that ignore their Diabetes to the further detriment of their health; too many “miracle cures” that encourage people to stray away from the proper management of their disease.
Therefore, to include Diabetes on your "Signs of Not So Good Health" is to misinform the general public and further reinforce the common misconception that all Diabetes is caused by poor health habits, such as eating too many sweets. This gives some people without diabetes a superiority complex that causes them to make people with Diabetes feel like it is THEIR FAULT they developed the disease. It’s so important to point out that you have to have the gene to get Diabetes--you could be 500 lbs and not leave the couch all day, but if you don’t have the gene, you’ll never develop the disease. Yes, the incidence of Type 2 Diabetes is on the rise, and some cases are preventable, especially in those who are overweight or obese. Being diagnosed with Prediabetes in particular allows the person an opportunity to become healthy and prevent the development of Type 2 Diabetes.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for being/becoming as healthy as possible; since being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, I’ve become the healthiest I’ve ever been. Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is a major motivation to take care of yourself as well as possible. HOWEVER, as I’ve already stated, it’s horribly detrimental to misinform both the people affected by these diseases and those who are not because it makes life harder for those of us who have to deal with the day to day challenges that these diseases entail. It’s not something you can “overcome;” it’s only something you can manage as a part of living well. I don't doubt your intentions are good, and the overall message is great, but in the future, please, please, PLEASE review the current medical literature before making claims of this nature, especially since there are many who will take your word as scientific fact.I received this reply from the "Keeper of the Home" site admin/main blogger:
To which I responded:@Ashley, I think that Kate was probably referring more to Type 2 diabetes, which develops later in life. Type 1 diabetes is certainly a serious illness that needs to be properly treated. I do think it's important to mention that it can be managed in many cases through dietary and lifestyle changes, as it sounds like you yourself have done. :)
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/01/what-is-real-health.html#comment-53775, I agree that she is most likely referring to Type 2 rather than Type 1 Diabetes. However, it would have been helpful for her to mention this, as the two Types are very different in their causes and treatment!
I have been making dietary and lifestyle changes, but this only helps to some extent--eventually, most people with Diabetes (of either type) will need insulin to properly control their BG numbers (according to my CDE and the classes I've taken), which in turn prevents complications. And after all, isn't that the most important thing?
I elected to make this switch early on, while I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase of Type 1 (when your body still makes some insulin and numbers are easier to control). I started with diet & exercise, then moved on to Janumet (sitagliptin/metformin) when my numbers were inexplicably high. This was around the time we found that I had slow-onset Type 1 rather than Type 2 Diabetes. My numbers kept rising, so I chose to start insulin therapy recently. I think the end result (lower BG numbers and less risk of complications) is much more important than the form of treatment, be it diet & exercise, oral meds, or insulin. It's also important to point out that the failure of any of these treatments (not including insulin, of course) does not mean the patient is being noncompliant or not making healthy lifestyle choices; sometimes, the current treatment simply isn't enough to properly control the disease. This may seem like a minor distinction, but trust me, when you already feel like it's somehow your "fault" you developed this disease, it means the world to know that some things are truly beyond your control and sometimes will not respond to the changes you're making, however positive.
Again, I agree that dietary and lifestyle changes are very important not only to disease management, but to overall health...But again, this disease usually requires much more than that to be properly managed! =)
From the post's writer:
@Ashley, Yes, I was talking about Type 2. And it's critical to understand that MANY of these cases CAN be completely managed or eliminated. There are plenty of people I've talked to who have! Drew Carey would be the most famous and recent example....
The thing is, in type 2, it's primarily about insulin resistance, often due to obesity. If you can lose weight and get your adrenal glands on track, and your hormones working properly, your body will not be resistant to insulin any longer. This is not true in type 1; but it is true in type 2. Many, many people CAN make changes to be healthier! And many have.
I am also not intending to "blame" anyone for their health; in most cases, diseases developed because there was a lot we did not know. Most people believe they are doing their best because they only have so much information. Doctors often don't tell people the right stuff. Such as, eat lots of grains, fake sugars, and not too much fat! That's a recipe to get sick, but it's what doctors tell you. So it is not anyone's FAULT, I am just saying that regardless of where you are, you can feel good again, you can have hope.
And finally, my reply to that piece of information:
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/01/what-is-real-health.html#comment-53783, Managed, yes. Eliminated, no. Even if, as you suggest, insulin resistance is decreased through weight loss, it doesn’t change the fact that you have diabetes. Your pancreas produces less insulin over time, so even if weight loss fixes the problem in the present, your blood glucose numbers will likely rise again in the future and require attention again. Insulin resistance does not “disappear” in these cases; it is simply much more manageable as your body more efficiently uses the insulin it makes. But what about the cases of Type 2 in which the body doesn’t produce enough insulin in the first place? In these cases, it’s not insulin resistance that is the problem, but insulin deficiency. Many Type 2 patients have some features of both of these problems. Again, as pancreatic function decreases and produces less insulin over time, the symptoms of diabetes will return down the road for many of the patients who are initially able to eliminate them through diet & exercise/weight loss.
I should add that although my sister and I have Type 1 Diabetes, my dad has Type 2. He was able to manage his through diet and exercise alone, which led to a 30 lb weight loss. He no longer has to check his BG several times a day or even several times a week, but he is still careful to watch what he eats and exercise as he should. His endocrinologist, whom he still sees every six months, still considers this Type 2 Diabetes, albeit well controlled. Any diabetes expert will tell you this…Diabetes is a lifelong disease, and although it can definitely be well managed through the lifestyle changes you’re suggesting, it never goes away, and to suggest this is simply dangerous. I’ve read literally a dozen books on the subject over the past five months since my diagnosis, and I keep up with the latest news and research related to it on a daily basis. The best response I can give you is an excerpt from the ADA’s Complete Guide to Diabetes (4th Ed., 2005, pg. 48):
“Despite what you might read in the newspaper or be told by friends or relatives, there really is no such thing as a ‘touch’ of diabetes. What people may be talking about is type 2 diabetes, which often responds well to healthy eating and regular exercise and may not have yet shown any signs of damaging body parts. Or they may be describing gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or pre-diabetes.
The reality is that diabetes is a serious, life-long disease. Describing someone as having a touch of diabetes is like saying a woman is ‘a little bit pregnant’—it just isn’t true because both are ‘yes or no’ conditions.
Once diagnosed, diabetes doesn’t go away, although there may be times in your life when it’s easier to manage. If this happens, you may be tempted to think your diabetes is cured, but don’t forget that there will also be frustrating periods when nothing you do seems to help keep blood glucose levels where you want them. Aging, weight gain, an injury that makes it harder to get regular exercise, or a gradual slowdown of insulin production all make diabetes harder to manage. When these things happen, you’ll need to adjust your diabetes therapy to match your body’s new needs.”
Again, managed. Not eliminated. This may seem like a minor distinction, but I think it's important to differentiate between being asymptomatic and being cured. Yes, weight reduction often does decrease the symptoms of diabetes and can make it more manageable, even leading to a decrease or elimination of treatment in some cases, but the disease is still there. If that person goes back to their unhealthy habits or gains the weight back, the symptoms of the disease will return, as the will in many cases simply due to aging and a decline in insulin production. To suggest that diabetes is "cured" in these cases is irresponsible because it causes those who should be monitoring their disease (even if they are symptom free at the time) to not give it the proper attention, which could lead to complications. If they didn't realize that they needed to begin treatment again and their blood glucose levels are rising (which in many cases doesn’t lead to obvious symptoms), it is doing damage to their organs in the meanwhile.
I am also well aware of the example of Drew Carey "curing" himself of Type 2 Diabetes with weight loss, but as you can see from the online diabetes community, his statements have angered many of us who have to live with this disease. He had the opportunity to educate the public on diabetes, and instead contributed further to misinformation. Please read this blog post written by sixuntilme, a well-known and respected diabetes blogger and person with diabetes. She explains the whole "weight loss/diet & exercise as a cure for Type 2 diabetes" thing wonderfully. http://www.blogher.com/there-no-cure-diabetes
It's your choice if you would rather believe anecdotal "evidence" or hearsay over scientific fact and medical expertise, but please take care when you express these opinions as fact in the public arena...As sixuntilme points out, it really does make life harder for those of us dealing with this disease because it minimizes its seriousness and further contributes to the wide array of misinformation and myths surrounding it.
I hope I wasn't too harsh in my responses, but it truly does irritate me when people who know very little about diabetes try to impress their "knowledge" upon me. Not only that, but as I said in my replies, portraying personal opinions (which in this case, are simply myths and anecdotal evidence) as scientific fact not only has the potential to harm those who need to closely monitor their disease, it also reinforces the misconceptions about diabetes that those of us who deal with it on a daily basis fight to correct.
It's like the time that a lady told my mom that her preacher used lemon juice to lower his blood sugars, and that my sister and I should keep a bottle of it nearby in case we have highs. It's in those cases that usually I shake my head and say "okay," while in reality I'm thinking, "Seriously, lady? My pancreas doesn't work. It doesn't produce insulin any longer. Lemon juice will not do diddly squat to reduce my numbers..."
The reason this "advice," though I'm sure well-meaning, angers people with diabetes is because it minimizes the effort it takes to truly control the disease. Those who don't have to deal with the several times a day (or sometimes hourly) finger sticks; oral meds with not-so-fun side effects (I'm talking about you, metformin!); injecting insulin into our abdomen, thighs, arms, or butt; constant worrying about where your blood glucose numbers are at, whether they'll lead to long-term complications, and hoping your insurance will cover all the numerous doctors visits, testing supplies, medications, and medical devices it entails, simply can't understand what it takes to make sure that this disease stays well-controlled and simultaneously trying to not let it take over your life. I know I didn't until I was diagnosed. Not until you've walked a mile in my shoes...
Furthermore, as sixuntilme pointed out in her similar blog post (which I highly recommend reading if you're interested in the subject http://www.blogher.com/there-no-cure-diabetes), the argument that weight loss is a "cure" for diabetes simply perpetuates the myth and the thinking that those of us who have the disease simply aren't working hard enough to keep it in check. This thinking is not only dangerous, since there are already so many people with diabetes who ignore their disease, but it also diminishes its importance to the point where it may affect funding for research. We need a real cure, and what we're getting instead is a bunch of bologna from people who have no idea what they're talking about. I'm no medical expert, but as soon as I was diagnosed I made it my personal mission to learn as much as I can about the disease so that not only can I properly manage my diabetes life, I can advocate and educate people on it.
This type of media coverage (along with the celebrities' stories on "curing themselves" or "switching from Type 1 to Type 2 by 'weaning themselves off insulin'" [hello, Ms. Halle Berry]) isn't the kind we need. It's people like Kevin Kline and Brett Michaels (who are both careful to keep their public statements on diabetes in line with scientific fact) who are true examples for the diabetes world and ambassadors to the general public. And not to mention my fellow D-life bloggers, Lyrehca, sixuntilme, lisafromscratch, and the TuDiabetes Community, to name a few. They help those of us dealing with diabetes feel like we're not alone (as it often seems) with this disease. Because let's face it, sometimes it feels like it's us against the non-diabetes world and it helps to know there's someone out there, even if they're halfway across the country, who is going through the same things we are.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Changes...And My Fear of Them
After a couple months of the same blog design, I decided to finally change it; however, I inadvertently saved it without first noting the location of my old design, so it may be lost forever...
Nevertheless, the last couple of days have been better than preceding weeks, at least in regards to my BG control. I think I was probably right in my thinking that some part of my high numbers was due to stress, and since I've relaxed after my appointment last Wednesday, my numbers have been better. My postprandial following lunch yesterday was 125 after a solid four carbs (the amount my dietitian recommended, but that I've hesitated to take in due to highs), and was 98 last night after my three carbs at supper (+ a glass of Chianti)...I should have had one more carb with that meal, but the way things have been going--it was 180 after yesterday's breakfast and 220 following lunch on Sunday--I've been keeping my carb intake on the conservative side.
I don't care how many times I've had to check my BG over the past four and a half months (488 times, plus however many I've had this week, to be exact), every time is like waiting for major test results for me. Those five seconds before the "beep" and the reading are torturous...I tend to hold my breath and hope, hope, hope that my numbers are within range, even as futile a venture as hoping could be in this situation. If fervently hoping could control BG, my numbers would be perfectly within normal range 24/7!
On that note, how horrible is it that I can't just enjoy my good numbers when they happen?! Just now, my postprandial was 110 after three carbs @ lunch, and I anxiously awaited a pig to fly by the window. In all seriousness, though, when I do have good numbers consistently over a short amount of time, I get unduly suspicious of my good luck, my BG meter, what's to come, or all of the above. I can't just bask in the goodness of normalcy because I'm so afraid that it won't last if I actually acknowledge it. I guess that's part of learning how to live with this disease on a day to day (or hour to hour) basis.
As many of you know, I'm going for insulin training this Friday, and I'm genuinely excited...And, of course, just a little nervous. I suppose I'm not like most people in that I asked my doctor to switch me to insulin, whereas many PWD (People/Person With Diabetes), especially those with Type 2, fear the needle to the point where they'd rather stay on oral meds even when insulin would be more effective in controlling their disease. As I said, I'm not like most people. I'm the type of person who likes to know everything about anything that is going to have a significant impact on my life; i.e., diabetes. I can't just ignore it or blindly trust in the medical system to be looking out for my best interests. I don't doubt the expertise or good intentions of my wonderful endocrinologist, but I also like to know what's going on when it comes to my body. After all, I'm the one who has to live in it, and it's the only one I've got! Therefore, I have countless books on the subject (most of which I've already read or at least thoroughly skimmed) and would like to consider myself well informed on many aspects of the disease.
One thing I don't know much about yet, however, is insulin. Hence, I ordered two books on the subject yesterday:
Using Insulin, Everything You Need for Success with Insulin
Think Like a Pancreas: A User's Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin
I hope that they come in soon so I can at least glean some knowledge on insulin use before my appointment on Friday. I already downloaded A Practical Guide to Insulin Pump Therapy for Pregnancy by James Bernasko, MD, on my Barnes & Noble nook yesterday, and I'm partway through it. Maybe I'm jumping the gun a little by reading up on pump therapy during pregnancy when (a) I haven't even started insulin shots yet, yet alone the pump; and (b) it's still going to be a while before my husband and I are ready for a baby. Oh well...Just part of my Type A personality, I suppose. Knowledge makes me feel more comfortable with things (like diabetes) that I have little to no control over...And I say that meaning that I can't change the fact that I have diabetes, just the way that I manage it. And I happen to deal with things by learning as much as I can about them waaay in advance, so that when the time comes, I know (sort of) what to expect. And in this case, I'm planning on going on the pump ASAP because (a) our insurance year switches over on March 1st; and (b) I have no idea when we'll be ready to start a family, so (no surprise here) I want to be prepared...As my husband says, he may be ready today or five years from now!
On that subject, I'm also knee-deep in books on pregnancy, much to my husband's suspicion. I've already had to reiterate several times my need for knowledge, but he's convinced I'm cooking up a plan of some sort to force him into having a baby--despite the fact that I would never, ever do something of the sort. I just truly feel more prepared when I at least know the basics of things that might happen or will happen in the future, no matter how distant.
Nevertheless, the last couple of days have been better than preceding weeks, at least in regards to my BG control. I think I was probably right in my thinking that some part of my high numbers was due to stress, and since I've relaxed after my appointment last Wednesday, my numbers have been better. My postprandial following lunch yesterday was 125 after a solid four carbs (the amount my dietitian recommended, but that I've hesitated to take in due to highs), and was 98 last night after my three carbs at supper (+ a glass of Chianti)...I should have had one more carb with that meal, but the way things have been going--it was 180 after yesterday's breakfast and 220 following lunch on Sunday--I've been keeping my carb intake on the conservative side.
I don't care how many times I've had to check my BG over the past four and a half months (488 times, plus however many I've had this week, to be exact), every time is like waiting for major test results for me. Those five seconds before the "beep" and the reading are torturous...I tend to hold my breath and hope, hope, hope that my numbers are within range, even as futile a venture as hoping could be in this situation. If fervently hoping could control BG, my numbers would be perfectly within normal range 24/7!
On that note, how horrible is it that I can't just enjoy my good numbers when they happen?! Just now, my postprandial was 110 after three carbs @ lunch, and I anxiously awaited a pig to fly by the window. In all seriousness, though, when I do have good numbers consistently over a short amount of time, I get unduly suspicious of my good luck, my BG meter, what's to come, or all of the above. I can't just bask in the goodness of normalcy because I'm so afraid that it won't last if I actually acknowledge it. I guess that's part of learning how to live with this disease on a day to day (or hour to hour) basis.
As many of you know, I'm going for insulin training this Friday, and I'm genuinely excited...And, of course, just a little nervous. I suppose I'm not like most people in that I asked my doctor to switch me to insulin, whereas many PWD (People/Person With Diabetes), especially those with Type 2, fear the needle to the point where they'd rather stay on oral meds even when insulin would be more effective in controlling their disease. As I said, I'm not like most people. I'm the type of person who likes to know everything about anything that is going to have a significant impact on my life; i.e., diabetes. I can't just ignore it or blindly trust in the medical system to be looking out for my best interests. I don't doubt the expertise or good intentions of my wonderful endocrinologist, but I also like to know what's going on when it comes to my body. After all, I'm the one who has to live in it, and it's the only one I've got! Therefore, I have countless books on the subject (most of which I've already read or at least thoroughly skimmed) and would like to consider myself well informed on many aspects of the disease.
One thing I don't know much about yet, however, is insulin. Hence, I ordered two books on the subject yesterday:
I hope that they come in soon so I can at least glean some knowledge on insulin use before my appointment on Friday. I already downloaded A Practical Guide to Insulin Pump Therapy for Pregnancy by James Bernasko, MD, on my Barnes & Noble nook yesterday, and I'm partway through it. Maybe I'm jumping the gun a little by reading up on pump therapy during pregnancy when (a) I haven't even started insulin shots yet, yet alone the pump; and (b) it's still going to be a while before my husband and I are ready for a baby. Oh well...Just part of my Type A personality, I suppose. Knowledge makes me feel more comfortable with things (like diabetes) that I have little to no control over...And I say that meaning that I can't change the fact that I have diabetes, just the way that I manage it. And I happen to deal with things by learning as much as I can about them waaay in advance, so that when the time comes, I know (sort of) what to expect. And in this case, I'm planning on going on the pump ASAP because (a) our insurance year switches over on March 1st; and (b) I have no idea when we'll be ready to start a family, so (no surprise here) I want to be prepared...As my husband says, he may be ready today or five years from now!
On that subject, I'm also knee-deep in books on pregnancy, much to my husband's suspicion. I've already had to reiterate several times my need for knowledge, but he's convinced I'm cooking up a plan of some sort to force him into having a baby--despite the fact that I would never, ever do something of the sort. I just truly feel more prepared when I at least know the basics of things that might happen or will happen in the future, no matter how distant.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
The Best Thing
Saturday, November 27
The Best Thing – Yesterday was “Black Friday” when many Americans shopped till they dropped, looking for the best possible gifts. What’s the best diabetes gadget, phone app, book, or other tool you have?
The single best thing that helped me the most when I was first diagnosed was the collection of books I ordered about the various aspects of diabetes. It was over a month between the day I was diagnosed and my first visit to the endocrinologist, so I was on my own for the most part in figuring out how to deal with the disease and all it entails.
I'm the kind of person that likes to know everything about everything. I've always had a hunger for knowledge, and loved most of my classes in school for that reason. Whatever stage of life I'm in at the time, I feel much more comfortable in any situation when I have background information on whatever it is I'm dealing with. I started researching colleges my freshman year of high school, and knew where I was going by the next year. As soon as my husband and I were engaged, I went out and bought bridal magazines and wedding planning books. Finding out I had diabetes was no different--when I was diagnosed, the first thing I did was have some books rush shipped to my door so I could start learning about it!
I've shared this before, but I thought I would include it again since it's pertinent to today's topic. It's an image of all the books on diabetes that I currently have on my book shelf:
The Best Thing – Yesterday was “Black Friday” when many Americans shopped till they dropped, looking for the best possible gifts. What’s the best diabetes gadget, phone app, book, or other tool you have?
The single best thing that helped me the most when I was first diagnosed was the collection of books I ordered about the various aspects of diabetes. It was over a month between the day I was diagnosed and my first visit to the endocrinologist, so I was on my own for the most part in figuring out how to deal with the disease and all it entails.
I'm the kind of person that likes to know everything about everything. I've always had a hunger for knowledge, and loved most of my classes in school for that reason. Whatever stage of life I'm in at the time, I feel much more comfortable in any situation when I have background information on whatever it is I'm dealing with. I started researching colleges my freshman year of high school, and knew where I was going by the next year. As soon as my husband and I were engaged, I went out and bought bridal magazines and wedding planning books. Finding out I had diabetes was no different--when I was diagnosed, the first thing I did was have some books rush shipped to my door so I could start learning about it!
I've shared this before, but I thought I would include it again since it's pertinent to today's topic. It's an image of all the books on diabetes that I currently have on my book shelf:
Amazon.com: 101 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy with Diabetes...
$5.88 - amazon.com
These books are all wonderful in their own right, and provide a wealth of information for anyone who has an interest in finding out more about this disease. After November, I plan to post detailed reviews on each of them to give you a better idea of what each one is about.
$5.88 - amazon.com
These books are all wonderful in their own right, and provide a wealth of information for anyone who has an interest in finding out more about this disease. After November, I plan to post detailed reviews on each of them to give you a better idea of what each one is about.
Other than books, the other best tool I have in dealing with my diabetes is my blood glucose monitor. In fact, it's much more important on a daily basis than the books are, because it lets me know where I'm at and how I'm doing in following the advice I read and hear. I've had my Freestyle Freedom Lite meter for a couple of weeks now, and I adore it. I've only wasted a couple of test strips since I've had it (as apposed to the five or six I sometimes went through at one time to get a reading with my other meters!), which is no small thing when they cost $1+ apiece!
The Bayer USB meter and the software it comes with were also helpful in seeing at what points my blood glucose ran highest, which turned out to be very interesting. I found that I ran higher in the evenings (no surprise there), and my day for highest blood glucose readings was consistently on Thursday, which I thought was very strange...I expected it to be highest on the weekends. I still haven't figured that one out, but the knowledge in and of itself is helpful.
Well, I'm battling a headache after spending the day putting up Christmas decorations, so I'm going to go now, but I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Diabetes Celebrities
WEEK 1: SHARE
Thursday, November 4th
Diabetes Celebrities-From rock stars like Bret Michaels to professional athletes like Jay Cutler, people with diabetes are showing how diabtes hasnot stopped them. Who's your favorite diabetes celebrity?
There are plenty of celebrities that deal with Diabetes, many of whom people are surprised to find out have the disease. Shortly after I was diagnosed, I became curious about that very subject. dLife has a great section on famous people with Diabetes, and provides a short article on that person and how the disease fits into their life.
You can read more about them on the dLife website:
http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/information//inspiration_expert_advice/famous_people/
I'm glad Bret Michaels (Type 1) has been such a vocal proponent of the StopDiabetes movement. I think it helps raise awareness when such a well-known celebrity shares that part of his life with the public...After all, if it can happen to someone famous, it can happen to a "normal" person as well, and people become interested.
I was surprised to find that Halle Berry has Type 1 Diabetes. I don't know why that is, but I'm sure it has to do with the fact that we generally tend to elevate celebrities in our mind as people who are beyond "common" illnesses...Which, obviously, is definitely not the case. Michael J. Fox struggles with Parkinson's Disease; Patrick Swayze and Lance Armstrong, cancer. Their illnesses have all been widely discussed in the media., so why is it that we never hear of celebrities who are affected by diabetes, other than Nick Jonas? (I admire him for being so open and proactive, especially since he gives younger children and teens with diabetes a role model to look up to). Is it because it's such a "commonplace", and generally chronic (rather than acute) disease? I personally think it also has to do with the fact that the seriousness of diabetes is often downplayed, i.e. "He just has to watch his sugar;" or "Oh, she just has to take medicine/insulin, but it's not that big of a deal;" etc. I honestly believe there is an overall lack of understanding of the implications Diabetes has on the lives it affects, and I hope that the StopDiabetes movement and American Diabetes Month will increase awareness on the subject.
Anyway, I chose Halle Berry as my "favorite Diabetes celebrity" because although Ms. Berry's Diabetes and her comments on it have been a subject of debate in the medical world, she's a confident, beautiful woman. She has played in many big movies, including some with pretty intensive action roles. But, more importantly to me, she is also a mom. On March 16, 2008, almost 20 years after she was diagnosed with Diabetes, she gave birth to Nahla Ariela Aubry. One of my main concerns in being diagnosed was whether or not I would be able to have a successful, healthy pregnancy in the future. My endocrinologist assured me that I would be "fine" when the time comes, but it's still a major focus of mine because it motivates me to be as healthy as I can be before we decide to have kids. That I found out about my Diabetes before becoming pregnant is one of the things I've been most thankful for over the last couple of months, because now I'll be prepared to do what I can to lower my risk of complications and birth defects (which, by the way, is about the same as a woman without Diabetes if your numbers are within normal range before conception).
I've recently been reading up on the subject of Diabetes and Pregnancy, and a couple of books have been instrumental in increasing my knowledge and understanding of it. The ADA's "101 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy with Diabetes" by Patti Bazel Geil and Cheryl Alkon's "Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby" are the only books I've found pertaining directly to Diabetes in Pregnancy, as most pregnancy books only provide a small section on Diabetes (usually Gestational), and most Diabetes books only have a small section on pregnancy. I was especially happy to find Cheryl Alkon's book, because it was published in 2010 and is, therefore, up to date on the lates medical knowledge, and is detailed in its scope of information. The ADA's book on the subject is a bit more outdated, but still a good resource in question-and-answer format. I had to buy a used copy on Amazon because a new one wasn't available, so I'm guessing it's probably out of print.
I've been taking prenatal vitamins and folic acid supplements the last few months because their importance is stressed in every book on pregnancy that there is. In his book "Get Ready to Get Pregnant", Michael C. Lu suggests taking them beginning as far in advance as a year before you plan to conceive, and any book will tell you it's a good idea if there's even a possibility that you could become pregnant, because they help to prevent birth defects in those crutial first few weeks of pregnancy (a time when most women aren't even aware they're pregnant, and when the heart, spinal cord, and nervous system are being formed). This is especially important in women with pre-existing Diabetes. My thought is that it definitely can't hurt anything, and at least if we happened to conceive without planning to, our baby would have the best possible chances of normal development.
Thursday, November 4th
Diabetes Celebrities-From rock stars like Bret Michaels to professional athletes like Jay Cutler, people with diabetes are showing how diabtes hasnot stopped them. Who's your favorite diabetes celebrity?
There are plenty of celebrities that deal with Diabetes, many of whom people are surprised to find out have the disease. Shortly after I was diagnosed, I became curious about that very subject. dLife has a great section on famous people with Diabetes, and provides a short article on that person and how the disease fits into their life.
You can read more about them on the dLife website:
http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/information//inspiration_expert_advice/famous_people/
I'm glad Bret Michaels (Type 1) has been such a vocal proponent of the StopDiabetes movement. I think it helps raise awareness when such a well-known celebrity shares that part of his life with the public...After all, if it can happen to someone famous, it can happen to a "normal" person as well, and people become interested.
I was surprised to find that Halle Berry has Type 1 Diabetes. I don't know why that is, but I'm sure it has to do with the fact that we generally tend to elevate celebrities in our mind as people who are beyond "common" illnesses...Which, obviously, is definitely not the case. Michael J. Fox struggles with Parkinson's Disease; Patrick Swayze and Lance Armstrong, cancer. Their illnesses have all been widely discussed in the media., so why is it that we never hear of celebrities who are affected by diabetes, other than Nick Jonas? (I admire him for being so open and proactive, especially since he gives younger children and teens with diabetes a role model to look up to). Is it because it's such a "commonplace", and generally chronic (rather than acute) disease? I personally think it also has to do with the fact that the seriousness of diabetes is often downplayed, i.e. "He just has to watch his sugar;" or "Oh, she just has to take medicine/insulin, but it's not that big of a deal;" etc. I honestly believe there is an overall lack of understanding of the implications Diabetes has on the lives it affects, and I hope that the StopDiabetes movement and American Diabetes Month will increase awareness on the subject.
1870s Long French Jet Drop Earrings, New 14K Wires : Erie Basin...
$485 - eriebasin.com
Drop earrings »
$485 - eriebasin.com
Drop earrings »
Anyway, I chose Halle Berry as my "favorite Diabetes celebrity" because although Ms. Berry's Diabetes and her comments on it have been a subject of debate in the medical world, she's a confident, beautiful woman. She has played in many big movies, including some with pretty intensive action roles. But, more importantly to me, she is also a mom. On March 16, 2008, almost 20 years after she was diagnosed with Diabetes, she gave birth to Nahla Ariela Aubry. One of my main concerns in being diagnosed was whether or not I would be able to have a successful, healthy pregnancy in the future. My endocrinologist assured me that I would be "fine" when the time comes, but it's still a major focus of mine because it motivates me to be as healthy as I can be before we decide to have kids. That I found out about my Diabetes before becoming pregnant is one of the things I've been most thankful for over the last couple of months, because now I'll be prepared to do what I can to lower my risk of complications and birth defects (which, by the way, is about the same as a woman without Diabetes if your numbers are within normal range before conception).
I've recently been reading up on the subject of Diabetes and Pregnancy, and a couple of books have been instrumental in increasing my knowledge and understanding of it. The ADA's "101 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy with Diabetes" by Patti Bazel Geil and Cheryl Alkon's "Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby" are the only books I've found pertaining directly to Diabetes in Pregnancy, as most pregnancy books only provide a small section on Diabetes (usually Gestational), and most Diabetes books only have a small section on pregnancy. I was especially happy to find Cheryl Alkon's book, because it was published in 2010 and is, therefore, up to date on the lates medical knowledge, and is detailed in its scope of information. The ADA's book on the subject is a bit more outdated, but still a good resource in question-and-answer format. I had to buy a used copy on Amazon because a new one wasn't available, so I'm guessing it's probably out of print.
I've been taking prenatal vitamins and folic acid supplements the last few months because their importance is stressed in every book on pregnancy that there is. In his book "Get Ready to Get Pregnant", Michael C. Lu suggests taking them beginning as far in advance as a year before you plan to conceive, and any book will tell you it's a good idea if there's even a possibility that you could become pregnant, because they help to prevent birth defects in those crutial first few weeks of pregnancy (a time when most women aren't even aware they're pregnant, and when the heart, spinal cord, and nervous system are being formed). This is especially important in women with pre-existing Diabetes. My thought is that it definitely can't hurt anything, and at least if we happened to conceive without planning to, our baby would have the best possible chances of normal development.
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