Juvenation

Is this What Burn Out Feels Like?

ajax — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 05:56:19 GMT

Hey. I'm having a hard time. I was diagnosed a year and a half ago, and I've done well. I have pretty solid control. I test often, wear a pump and a CGM, and obsess over numbers a little too much.

Recently, I keep getting scared. For some reason, complications are looming in my mind and won't leave me alone. I went rock climbing today and scraped up my knees, and just couldn't keep from thinking about how a scrape that small could lead to me losing a leg later.

I know that good control is the key, and that i just have to keep working, but something has shifted in the way i deal with the disease recently and i've started thinking of complications as inevitable. Which I know they aren't. I am an EMT, and see people all the time who have dealt with and are dealing with those complications, whose lives have been ravaged by them. I keep testing and correcting and trying to eat well, and I guess that's all I can do. It just feels so hard.

Troubles Lately...

timr25 — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:01:45 GMT

Hi-

I am a new member here. This seems to be a great site for help and giving help. I have helped many deal with their diabetes over the last 16 years. Now i need some help...

Here's my issue right now. Exercise is such an important area in my life but lately my blood sugar is causing me trouble. Ideally, i workout in the afternoon riding my bike without my pump, i try to have my BS around 150, when i finish, it will be around 80. But when i work out in the morning, like lifting weights, i wake up with my BS at 80, eat a small bfast, then go to the gym without my pump. So i am without insulin for about an hour, and when i am finished, my BS is 300. So the next day, same story with the morning workout, this time i wear my pump, BS after the workout is 300...so the lack of insulin isn't the issue.

I am so confused. Why does this only happen in the mornings? Has anyone had this issue. To eliminate this issue lately, i am not working out in the mornings, but i would like to

My BS is under control all other times, my last A1C was 5.3

Anyone that could give me some insight would be great

Thanks

Tim

Surprise... She's not checking her BG.... Denial

Frank Willson — Sun, 30 May 2010 05:28:56 GMT

My wife and I are flabbergasted after a conversation with our 14 year old T1. She has impressed us in so many ways with how she's handled diabetes since her diagnosis 16 months ago.

Tonight I asked to see her glucometers and she instantly started crying.

We've asked her day in and day out what her number was and trusted her to give us an honest answer. Tonight we found out that she was lying. She hadn't measured her BG in 6 days! She wasn't lying because she is a bad kid but because she is scared and was in denial about her disease.

We forced her to do a BG tonight in front of us and she was at 506! Luckily she had no keytones but it scared us to death.

She absolutely refuses to engage with support groups online or in town. I think she would benefit from talking to others that are dealing with the same problems but can't find a way to get her engaged.

If you're someone dealing with T1 and have some suggestions, we're all ears. We will now check all of her BG's personally but want to do so in a way that doesn't alienate her.

I'm terrified!!

emabear — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:48:08 GMT

I'm new to this site and I am the mother of my type 1 diabetic 7 year old who was diagnosed 2 days before Christmas. So far there have been no complication with this disease, but I am finding it really hard to control her glucose numbers. This has turned our lives for a loop but we try everyday to see past the scary stuff. I still stop and wonder why her, but she is a strong willed child and out of my 5 kids she will have handled this the best.

Her doctors say she is still in the honeymoon phase so I am thinking this is why I can't get a handle on the ideal numbers. Mondays lunch was 18mmol/324mg, Tuesday lunch was 16mmol/288mg and a scary thought... todays lunch was 1.5mmol/27mg. So my questions is this, how low does someone have to go or what is the lowest someone has tested before they go into shock or worse, a seizure.

I'm completely terrified of what happened today at school. My daughter called me because she was scared, and so was I. Her teacher forgot to stay with her for the test so she left the classroom and went to her sisters, which was a walk equivalent to half of a city block. I was mortified when I heard this. Since its the beginning of the school year and new parent was supervising the class for lunch and let her go. I can't get it out of my head what could have happened. I'm furious about it and wonder how safe my daughter really is at school.

I hate that she has to go through this for the rest of her life! We don't know anyone else that is type 1, so we don't have anyone to talk to about it. We have family members that are type 2 and it is frustrating because they are older and must have different information that is not updated because they all think well she just can't eat sugar or they say she will be fine if she eats this cake I made it with splenda. Its tiring telling people that its not about the sugar its about the carbs and scheduled eating times.

UGH!!

Some reassurance please!!

Sandra

pump and prom dresses?

Allie =) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:51:25 GMT

okay so last year for both prom and homecoming i wore dresses that werent so hugging to the body and i could hide my pump

altough this year my back is cut kinda low and its kind low in the front

it also hugs the body more then my recent dresses.

any suggestions on how to hide my pump??

From 9.2 to 6.9 in 3 months!

Stephanie Martin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:58:51 GMT

Well i am very excited to tell all that i got my a1c down to 6.9! And you know it wasnt really that hard i just had to do what i should have been doing all along! I got the lab results from my family doctor so i cant wait to hear what my endo says. 3 months ago he was telling me that something was just gonna have to change and maybe i needed counseling but i did it on my own. i havent been under 8 since my son was born so almost 5 years! Being on this site has really helped a lot!! I love reading everyones posts and feeling like a part of a group of diabetics!

In the day to day of diabetes, one thing that legit grosses me out is...

Ideen — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:24:05 GMT

When you're testing your blood sugar...you poke your finger and squeeze your finger to get the blood out and blood comes out from two (or more) different holes in your finger from old testing sites.

It always creeps me out.

I'm not the only one this happens to, right?

Sarah's a new pumper!

Michelle — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:03:39 GMT

I just had to share that Sarah started on the Animas Ping yesterday morning. She's been looking forward to this day pretty much since her diagnosis, which was about 5.5 months ago. I am so proud of her. She's taking so much responsibility for her diabetes, but still asking for help/advice and sharing everything with me. We had a great time yesterday after she attached to her pump. We ran errands, went shopping, and had sushi for dinner - with no stopping for shots! The whole time she stayed well within her nice range, between about 130-160. Not bad for the first day!

She went to bed at 135. It took us a minute to figure out that it would probably be best to clip the pump to her pajama shorts in the front (as she tends to roll around a lot on her sides and back while she sleeps - my older daughter calls her a sleeping ninja because she's so wild) and I sent an alarm for 2am at which point she was still at a happy 114. The pump was still perfectly attached in the morning.

She went to school today proud as can be of her new pump (which she has named Seymour), and totally ready to take on the day and any questions from her classmates. I can't wait to hear all about it tonight.

Just had to share. This is such a big moment for her! :-)

If insulin gets hot is it okay to use?

Nicole — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:08:13 GMT

I'm sure this has been asked but I'm too tired to look...

I normally keep my insulin in the fridge, but when I go somewhere I throw it in my purse and take it with me.

There has been a few times when my insulin has gotten very hot. I have never noticed a difference, but does anybody know if it's safe to take it once it has reached a certain temperature?

Low... a lot

Mal — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:29:05 GMT

So... I'm 17 and I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes almost 2 months ago. I'm still in the honeymoon stage, so I'm taking very low doses of insulin, 1-2 units of humalog 5 times a day, and 2 units of lantus once nightly. I'm pretty good at controlling my blood sugar, but lately I've been low... like, a lot. The past week, during the day, my BG has been in the 80s and 70s before meals, and at night it's been in the 60s pretty frequently. Because of these lows, I've reduced my insulin to 0.5 to 2 units of humalog, depending on the meal, and 1 unit of lantus. School just started this week and I have a conditioning class (lifting weights and running) and cross country practice every day after school, so I reduce my insulin before lunch and my snack after school. I was wondering if my low BG was from increased activity during school, or maybe something else, possibly relating to the honeymoon stage. Just wondering. :)

OmniPod or Ping?

Cesar — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:40:43 GMT

From people who have had both... which one is better? I have the Omnipod now but which is better? OneTouch Ping or the Omnipod? Thanks!

I'm here to listen....

Ryan — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:41:53 GMT

You know, a lot of times when i feel down about my diabetes, i have no one to talk to. Whether it is about bad numbers, a bad A1C or maybe just not sure about my life. I realize now that not many people out there or atleast close to you know exactly what is going on, or what to say to you on your questions. So here is the deal. If you want or need someone to talk to....don't hesitate to message me. I may not have the exact answers that you are looking for, but if i don't i know people who do. I am here to listen to you, to help you get your problems off your chest so you can breath easier and to know that you have someone to talk to.

So please, don't hesitate to message me. I am always available and always ready to listen!

What was your last Blood sugar.

Chris. — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:01:44 GMT

Since I really got serious about my diabetes and started actually testing, fiqured I would start one of those forum games.

So what was your last blood sugar? Mine was 195.

Ketones?

Janna — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:09:50 GMT

I'm pretty mad at my mom right now. She has neglected to get kenostix for over 3 years, and tonight i need them. I really don't need them often, but I have no access to anything to know if i have ketones or not. I feel like crap and i've been high since about noon today.

We are all putting up our own fight..

Hannah Mixer — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:02:39 GMT

"Whatever comes our way..

Whatever battle we have raging inside of us,

We always have a choice,

It's the choices who make us who we are,

And we can always choose to do whats right."

No matter what were living with the same dieses and now that the government isn't funding for research to find a cure.. It's up to us to raise the money. No one really know's what were living with.. So maybe it's time for us to step up to the plate an let our dieses be known. It's not just something that spread threw old people. It affects the young two.

anyone else have this happen? I am deleting my profile (trying!)

kneazle_lady — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:11:14 GMT

Question:

I am trying to delete my profile, but I want to ask this question as I struggle to find the way to do it. I intend to come back on here in a safer venue.

Has anyone ever had someone from work or family invade juvenation, hypothesize identity, and act accordingly?

Just curious...

Boarding Pass Encounter

Tom — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:00:24 GMT

I was fortunate to be able to attend the dinner and concert on Thursday evening, that preceded the awarding of the annual Midway American Patriot Award to Lee Iacocca on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum in San Diego Harbor on Sept 2. Iacocca was being honored for four things: 1) designing the Mustang, 2) his revival of the Chrysler Corp, 3) leading the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, and 4) his life-long dedication to finding a cure for diabetes (complications took the life of his first wife). So there were lots of people connected with diabetes there.

On Friday I was standing in line to use one of the two terminals in the lobby of the Manchester Hyatt set up especially for printing boarding passes for the airlines. A mother and her 7-year old daughter were directly in front of me in the line. They went to one of the terminals, and then I went to the other terminal right next to it. After a few seconds the mother turned and spoke to me, to tell me that her daughter had noticed my insulin pump, which was clipped to the belt on my trousers. Then the daughter pulled out her Cozmo to show it to me. (I didn't tell how fortunate she was, to still have a Cozmo. My Cozmo reached the end of its 4.5-year life just one month ago.) We talked some more after we finished getting our boarding passes, and we were joined by Michael Sullivan, of Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. If I recall correctly, the mother and daughter live in Washington, DC, and the daughter already has about five years of experience with diabetes. And of course, they were in San Diego for the ceremonies for Lee Iacocca, too.

Tom Beatson

Contribute to medical research for type 1 diabetes

DEFEND2 — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:30:01 GMT

A clinical research study is being conducted to find out whether an investigational agent can help preserve your body’s ability to make insulin.

You may qualify if you:

· Are 12 to 45 years of age (Canada: 18 to 45 years of age)

· Have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes within the last ten weeks

If you qualify and choose to participate, you will receive an initial consultation, study-related examinations, and investigational agent at no cost to you. Compensation for time and travel may be provided.

To learn more about the DEFEND-2 research study with an investigational agent, please:
-visit ClinicalTrials.gov
-visit our website
-email DEFEND2@ePharmaSolutions.com
-call 1-866-580-3486

"Failure to Launch"

Amanda — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:33:30 GMT

This post has nothing to do with the movie, except that I was watching Failure to Launch yesterday and thinking about how the title encompassed my day Thursday.

I woke up with a bg of 400, waaaay higher than I ever am. I actually had gotten breakfast at the campus dining hall (I'm a freshman at college, finished my 3rd week now), then tested and got the 400. Yikes. Did a correction bolus and dumped the food in the trash can.

After my 8 am class I went straight back to my dorm room and changed the site. When I pulled out the old one, the cannula was bent about halfway its length at a 90-degree angle! This is the first time it ever happened to me.

The rest of the day was rough; in the 300s all day and 2 sites later finally came down into range by bedtime.

My question is, (and I asked the guy I spoke on the phone with from Medtronic too), why doesn't the pump alarm when the cannula is so far bent?

With all the technological advances it seems to me that this should be a given-- the pump should be able to detect a failed site. However I did not receive any alarm whatsoever to warn me of a bg in the 400s!

Since I'm 400 miles away from my home, my mom (who has always helped me before), and my CDE, it was a rough day. Thank goodness for long distance phone calls.

Kudos to all of you who can keep calm during a day like this one. I hope I'll eventually reach that point too.

Preview of the T-1 tiles I am making

Jessica — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:46:27 GMT

cause I know some of you wanted to see them. I still have to pour the resin on them and let them dry before I get them up on etsy. Hopefully by early next week. They really are turning out well tho and bring tears to my eyes for some reason. There are some on there that are not t-1 tiles but I took these as a preview on my facebook fan page so that is why a few other ones are showing too.

How Have Our Parents Dealt With Our Diabetes?

Richard Vaughn — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:02:40 GMT

Those of us who were diagnosed many years ago were "ticking time bombs", but some of us survived and are doing very well now, without serious complications. Most type 1 diabetics had terrible complications back then, and many died. That is why our life expectancy was not good. Two doctors told me in the 1970s that I would probably not survive beyond my 40's. Now I am 70 and very healthy. It seems like a miracle sometimes.

My parents did not have a clue in caring for me. There were no books on the subject that would have helped. The doctors knew nothing that helped, and there were no meters or pumps, etc, available. Test your urine on the stove, poke yourself with the insulin from a pig, and pray to live another day. My mother saw that certain foods made me sick. It was high blood sugar, and it made me feel nauseous. We learned that I should eat small portions of pasta, potatoes, breads and even fruit. It was all trial and error, with no guide to help us. Maybe it was good genes that we survivors possessed, maybe it was the C-peptide in the animal insulin that protected us, there is no way of knowing. Why were some of us spared, and others not?

My parents would not allow me to participate in gym in school, they limited me in many ways, and thought I should not go to college. I was so "brittle" and they saw me have many hypos and seizures. They had no confidence in my ability to lead a normal life. I developed a persecution complex and had very little confidence in myself.

I defied their authority and went to college for 6 years, married and had two kids, became a college professor and led a normal life, accomplishing almost everything I wanted to do. Every step of the way I doubted that I would be successful in my attempts. I hesitated, but I forged ahead, with good results. That lack of self confidence will always be part of me. Even when I am successful at something, I feel I should have done better, and am somewhat disappointed in myself. I think that my parents' lack of confidence in me made me this way. I do not blame them though. I would probably have done the same thing, if I was in their shoes. They had no guide or advice to help them and they did the best they could. I loved my parents very much. They have both passed on, and I remember their love and kindness. I have no ill feelings or resentment of any kind. Time marches on, I want to see how long I can survive without complications.

There are many adult diabetics here on Juve, what do the rest of you have to say about your parents and their dealing with your diabetes?

Better Late Than Never: Tomorrow is Diabetes Art Day!

Kim — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:55:08 GMT

Sorry it never occurred to me to post anything about this until NOW, but in case anyone wants to do an art project really quickly... Lee Ann Thill from The Butter Compartment (a diabetes blog), who is also an art therapist by trade, has designated September 1st as Diabetes Art Day! From her website:

If you would like to participate, between now and September 1st, I’m asking you to break out of your linguistic comfort zone, bust out some art materials, and make a piece of artwork – painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, an installation piece, a mixed media something or other, or whatever you can imagine. I’m sure most of you don’t consider yourselves artists, but I think that you are, and just haven’t discovered it yet. Then, once your masterpiece is complete, post it on September 1st. If you want to get your family involved, maybe each of you can create something, or you can even do a group art project. The possibilities are endless if you use your imagination!

When September 1st comes around, if you want to say something about it – what it was like to make it, if it turned out the way you expected, what it means to you – then go for it, but if you just want to post a picture of it, and let it speak for itself, the magic of art is that words are optional. If you don’t have a blog, and still want to participate, post it on one of the diabetes online communities.

Diabetes online communities... that's us, Juvenation!! Post a blog about it, upload the picture to your profile, whatever you want to do. I'm working on my project right now, and will be posting it to both my website (Texting My Pancreas) and Juvenation sometime tomorrow.

I'd love to see what everyone comes up with.

My daughter is "back"!

Karen — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:21:38 GMT

Hello, everyone! My first post, so here goes...my then 15 yr old daughter Sarah was diagnosed 3/15/10, and just this week, I feel that she is her "old" self. (well, besides having the dreaded D!) The last 5+ months have been tough, both physically and emotionally. But now she seems to have more energy and feels better.

She hasn't felt well for soooo long. Pre-diagnosis, she was tired to the point of falling asleep each day after school. The pediatrician would assure me that she was a teen, and they stay up late! Then the excessive thirst, blamed on a recent sinus infection. I knew better, but didn't want to believe it. Then the weight loss. At that point, I insisted on bloodwork, even though the nurse warned me that insurance may not cover it, and maybe I should wait until her annual checkup in JULY!! Needless to say, she was diagnosed within a couple of days, as soon as her bloodwork came back. She has done VERY well, and I am so proud of her stepping up to take care of herself. She is 16 now and driving. UGH! I have been told, by her, that I "hover" too much, and that she is 16 and will be on her own soon, anyway! (dread) She rolls her eyes when she sees I'm on this site. She says I need to relax. I try, but its so hard. Sometimes, it hits me, and I can't believe that she has diabetes! It just takes my breath away. I can't make it better for her, and I think that's the hardest part. But I let her take care of herself, (she's very private), and I just keep her log book for her and make sure she takes her Lantus at night. (she forgot once on a sleepover!) And of course I'm always here if she needs me. Other than that, she's on her own, which makes her happy, and our compromise has worked so far.

Thanks for letting me tell our story, and THANK YOU to all of you on this site. You have no idea how many posts I've read, and it helps to know there are many, many people out there that are doing just fine! :)

What month was your diagnosis?

Terry — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:46:21 GMT

My daughter was diagnosed May 20th.

We met a girl a few blocks over diagnosed on May 20th.

A girl at my daughter's diabetes camp today told us she was diagnosed May 19th.

A small sample but is there something behind this coincidence?

Ahhhh.. The joys of a fresh infusion set.

Courtney — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:04:06 GMT

Don't you love the feeling of throwing out your days old infusion set and putting a clean fresh one on?

To me, it's like getting in a nice warm bed with freshly washed sheets just after a shower.