Showing posts with label Type 1 Diabetes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Type 1 Diabetes. Show all posts
Monday, December 8, 2014
Annoying Questions/Comments Diabetics Hear
Since I have been a diabetic for a while now, I get asked a lot of the same questions and hear a lot of the same comments repeatedly. Watch here to find out what the top most annoying questions and comments are to me!
Saturday, December 6, 2014
How I Was Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes
I don't think I've made a post yet about how I was diagnosed with diabetes so I decided to explain my story in a video. In this video I talk about how old I was when I was diagnosed, and some of the things that I went through that led to my diagnosis.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Weight Loss with Type 1 Diabetes
Losing weight is difficult for anyone. Losing weight when you're a type 1 Diabetic can be especially difficult. All type 1 diabetics are on insulin (and some type 2's). I have found that the more insulin you take, the more weight you gain.
About a year ago, I was getting between 80 and 100 units of insulin a day. That's a lot! Part of why I was getting so much insulin was because I was eating a lot of carbs so I had to make sure I was taking enough insulin to control a stable blood sugar after I ate those carbs.
Looking back now, I can't believe how much I could eat! I would go to McDonald's and order a Big Mac and Fries and finish it with no problem. I was eating fast food all the time, and I was always eating Little Debbie cakes (I mentioned in a previous post that Little Debbie was my bitch!), and other sweets.
About a year ago, I started to cut back on what I ate. I stopped eating so much junk and fast food. That stuff causes you take a lot of insulin and it's so unhealthy not just for diabetics but for anyone! I cut down on portion sizes, and I started to snack on fruits and vegetables instead of cupcakes and cookies.
Fruits and veggies have a lot lower carb count than junk food! The lower the carb count, the lower the amount of insulin you will have to take! Now, don't get me wrong. I still cheat and eat cookies and other junk occasionally but it's not near as much as it use to be!
Not only did I change my diet, but I joined a gym too! I started going to the gym a few times a week. Going to the gym and exercising is so much easier when you go with a friend. I went with one of my best friends and we would start off on the bike. We would talk so much that we would lose track of time so we would easily be on the bike for 30-45 minutes. Then, we would switch to another cardio machine and work out on that for another 30 minutes or so.
Exercising and doing a lot of activity can be such a pain if you have diabetes! The more active you are, the lower your blood sugar is going to be. I was getting so frustrated with going to the gym because I couldn't keep my blood sugar in a normal range while working out.
At the beginning of a workout, my blood sugar will be at a good level. After only minutes of working out, my blood sugar will drop. I have to stop and sit down for a few minutes to drink some juice or eat a granola bar. What's the point of working out if you're just going to have to eat halfway through?! It can be very frustrating, but you have to figure out what works for you. Does your blood sugar need to start off at a higher level before a workout? Do you need to eat a bigger snack before you hit the gym? I'm still trying to figure out what works for me!
If you use an insulin pump, you might have to suspend your insulin delivery while you work out or you might have to set a temporary basal rate a couple hours before you plan on going to the gym. There's a lot to think about when you're a diabetic looking to get more exercise!
At my heaviest, I weighed 175 lbs. I am now almost 40 lbs lighter weighing 136 lbs! If I can do it, anyone can do it!
Before losing weight, and after!
Looking back now, I can't believe how much I could eat! I would go to McDonald's and order a Big Mac and Fries and finish it with no problem. I was eating fast food all the time, and I was always eating Little Debbie cakes (I mentioned in a previous post that Little Debbie was my bitch!), and other sweets.
About a year ago, I started to cut back on what I ate. I stopped eating so much junk and fast food. That stuff causes you take a lot of insulin and it's so unhealthy not just for diabetics but for anyone! I cut down on portion sizes, and I started to snack on fruits and vegetables instead of cupcakes and cookies.
Fruits and veggies have a lot lower carb count than junk food! The lower the carb count, the lower the amount of insulin you will have to take! Now, don't get me wrong. I still cheat and eat cookies and other junk occasionally but it's not near as much as it use to be!
Not only did I change my diet, but I joined a gym too! I started going to the gym a few times a week. Going to the gym and exercising is so much easier when you go with a friend. I went with one of my best friends and we would start off on the bike. We would talk so much that we would lose track of time so we would easily be on the bike for 30-45 minutes. Then, we would switch to another cardio machine and work out on that for another 30 minutes or so.
Exercising and doing a lot of activity can be such a pain if you have diabetes! The more active you are, the lower your blood sugar is going to be. I was getting so frustrated with going to the gym because I couldn't keep my blood sugar in a normal range while working out.
At the beginning of a workout, my blood sugar will be at a good level. After only minutes of working out, my blood sugar will drop. I have to stop and sit down for a few minutes to drink some juice or eat a granola bar. What's the point of working out if you're just going to have to eat halfway through?! It can be very frustrating, but you have to figure out what works for you. Does your blood sugar need to start off at a higher level before a workout? Do you need to eat a bigger snack before you hit the gym? I'm still trying to figure out what works for me!
If you use an insulin pump, you might have to suspend your insulin delivery while you work out or you might have to set a temporary basal rate a couple hours before you plan on going to the gym. There's a lot to think about when you're a diabetic looking to get more exercise!
At my heaviest, I weighed 175 lbs. I am now almost 40 lbs lighter weighing 136 lbs! If I can do it, anyone can do it!
Before losing weight, and after!
Thursday, November 20, 2014
What's your normal blood sugar?
I think every diabetic has their own "normal" blood sugar but it's not always healthy. Sometimes when your blood sugar is in the normal range, you don't feel good. I think that's what is happening to me. I feel the best when my blood sugar is between 150-250 and that is not good!
I admit that I don't take care of myself like I should. I shouldn't say I do this all the time but I go through phases. I can go days, weeks, and even months where I am very on top of things. When my CGM is telling me my blood sugar is over 200-250, I do a correction and I'm very good about counting carbs instead of just guessing. But then I start slacking. I honestly just don't care sometimes that my blood sugar is over 200 so I don't do a correction. I might eat a cookie or 2 and not give myself insulin for it or I might just give myself part of the insulin I'm supposed to take. Because of doing this, my body has gotten use to having a high blood sugar.
For the last couple of weeks, I have been waking up in the morning with a blood sugar over 200. I am very aware of the reason. I like to get up in the middle of the night for snacks and like I said before I don't bolus (give myself insulin through my insulin pump), or I don't bolus for everything I eat. So, last night when I had a snack, I counted carbs and bolused like I'm supposed to. When I woke up this morning, I had a great blood sugar of 120! BUT I didn't feel good. I didn't have any energy. I felt like I had to eat something to get it higher so I would feel good again. I did eat and I bolused the correct amount. After that, I did some cleaning and ran a couple errands. After I sat down, I didn't feel good again. I checked my blood sugar and it was 89. It was on the lower side but it's right where it's supposed to be before a meal. What I'm trying to get at is that when you let your blood sugar stay on the higher side, your body gets use to it and your body thinks that's where it's supposed to be. THIS IS NOT GOOD! I am well aware of this.
Why do I let this happen? Because sometimes I just want to feel like a regular person. I want to be able to eat without pulling out my gadgets to test my blood sugar and give myself insulin. I don't want to have to worry about my blood sugar going low when I'm out and about living my life. Diabetes sucks ass! It's a full time job plus a few part time jobs put together. There are no breaks or days off. I know I'm just putting myself at risk for complications down the road. With that being said, I need to get myself back on track. I go to my endocrinologist next week and I'm sure he's going to have a field day with me. I'm not looking forward to it at all.
I admit that I don't take care of myself like I should. I shouldn't say I do this all the time but I go through phases. I can go days, weeks, and even months where I am very on top of things. When my CGM is telling me my blood sugar is over 200-250, I do a correction and I'm very good about counting carbs instead of just guessing. But then I start slacking. I honestly just don't care sometimes that my blood sugar is over 200 so I don't do a correction. I might eat a cookie or 2 and not give myself insulin for it or I might just give myself part of the insulin I'm supposed to take. Because of doing this, my body has gotten use to having a high blood sugar.
For the last couple of weeks, I have been waking up in the morning with a blood sugar over 200. I am very aware of the reason. I like to get up in the middle of the night for snacks and like I said before I don't bolus (give myself insulin through my insulin pump), or I don't bolus for everything I eat. So, last night when I had a snack, I counted carbs and bolused like I'm supposed to. When I woke up this morning, I had a great blood sugar of 120! BUT I didn't feel good. I didn't have any energy. I felt like I had to eat something to get it higher so I would feel good again. I did eat and I bolused the correct amount. After that, I did some cleaning and ran a couple errands. After I sat down, I didn't feel good again. I checked my blood sugar and it was 89. It was on the lower side but it's right where it's supposed to be before a meal. What I'm trying to get at is that when you let your blood sugar stay on the higher side, your body gets use to it and your body thinks that's where it's supposed to be. THIS IS NOT GOOD! I am well aware of this.
Why do I let this happen? Because sometimes I just want to feel like a regular person. I want to be able to eat without pulling out my gadgets to test my blood sugar and give myself insulin. I don't want to have to worry about my blood sugar going low when I'm out and about living my life. Diabetes sucks ass! It's a full time job plus a few part time jobs put together. There are no breaks or days off. I know I'm just putting myself at risk for complications down the road. With that being said, I need to get myself back on track. I go to my endocrinologist next week and I'm sure he's going to have a field day with me. I'm not looking forward to it at all.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Dear Diabetes
Dear Diabetes,
I just thought I would write you letter explaining how I really feel about you. We definitely have a love hate relationship. I think the only reason I love you is because over the years, you have made me a stronger person.
I hate you because you are the reason I will never live a "normal" life. There are so many things in life that are supposed to be simple but because of you they are difficult for me. You have made living for me very expensive.
Because of you there is always at least one minute in every day when I don't feel good (it's usually several minutes). I hate you for entering the lives of little innocent children. No one should have to give themselves needles just to stay alive but it's harder for kids because they don't understand why this happened to them. They just want to be like their friends but instead their time with friends is spent trying to explain their disease. If one day you decide to enter the lives of my children you better look out because that's just one more reason I have to fight like hell!
Sincerely,
Katie
I just thought I would write you letter explaining how I really feel about you. We definitely have a love hate relationship. I think the only reason I love you is because over the years, you have made me a stronger person.
I hate you because you are the reason I will never live a "normal" life. There are so many things in life that are supposed to be simple but because of you they are difficult for me. You have made living for me very expensive.
Because of you there is always at least one minute in every day when I don't feel good (it's usually several minutes). I hate you for entering the lives of little innocent children. No one should have to give themselves needles just to stay alive but it's harder for kids because they don't understand why this happened to them. They just want to be like their friends but instead their time with friends is spent trying to explain their disease. If one day you decide to enter the lives of my children you better look out because that's just one more reason I have to fight like hell!
Sincerely,
Katie
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