[acb-diabetics] newsletter deadline reminder

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

Here is an article from "Diabetic News" Jan. edition.  It pretty well covers
type 1 diabetes.  What do you think about using it for the next newsletter?



A Day in My Life With Insulin-Dependent Diabetes
 

Meagan Esler
 

Jan 1, 2012 






Meagan Esler 


What's it really like to have type 1 diabetes?  Every morning I start the
day with a finger prick and two insulin injections.  It doesn't matter if I
don't feel like it.  It doesn't matter if I'm tired.  There is simply no
room for pre-coffee dosage errors, excuses, or whining.   Some mornings are
good and some are bad, based upon my blood glucose reading. Its level varies
greatly depending on whether my liver has released large stores of glucose
during the dawn hours.
 
I wish the difficulty ended there, but we are just getting started.  After
taking my shots, eating a healthy breakfast, and (hopefully) fitting in some
exercise, I head to work.  A short while later, depending on my next finger
prick, I decide whether a snack or a shot is in order.
 
Lunch cannot take place until another finger prick and careful carbohydrate
calculations determine the amount of insulin I must inject to keep my blood
sugar stable.  It doesn't matter that math was far from my best subject in
school.  I must perform accurate calculations to figure out the proper
amount of insulin to take based on the carbohydrates in my food.
 
When I'm dealing with low blood sugar, I get confused, sweaty, and shaky. I
need fast-acting sugary snacks or juice immediately, even if I'm not hungry,
to bring my blood sugar levels back up to a safe level.  I carry glucose
with me and in my car at all times, and juice boxes fill a spot in the
refrigerator at work.  
 
When I'm dealing with high blood sugar, I need yet another shot based on a
sliding scale.  It's not just food that affects my blood sugars.  So many
things influence blood glucose levels, including hormones, physical
activity, stress, and illness.
 
At dinner time, I check my blood glucose again, take another injection, eat,
and wait.  I need to allow two hours between dinner and bedtime for my last
blood glucose check and my final shot of the day.  It doesn't matter that I
might be tempted to fall asleep on the couch and have my contact lenses be
my only worry.  For the rest of my life, the worry will be about my blood
sugar.  My blood sugar at bedtime must be high enough to ensure that I will
not end up unconscious and have a seizure in my sleep.  At the same time, it
must be low enough to keep me healthy and avoid complications.
 
Diabetes feels a little like rocket science at times.  When I hear people
judging how a person with diabetes takes care of herself, I want to
challenge them to walk in our shoes for a while.  It isn't easy.  People
with diabetes never get a day off.  We take care of ourselves, even when we
are moody, tired, busy, sick, or stressed.  Our lives depend on it.
 
We all have obstacles in life to deal with.  Our obstacle may be diabetes,
but we do what we have to each day. Diabetes will not stop us.
 
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Categories: Accurate Calculations, Blood Glucose Reading, Carbohydrate
Calculations, Carbohydrates , Diabetes, Finger Prick, Glucose, Healthy
Breakfast, High Blood Sugar, Insulin Injections, Liver, Obstacles in Life,
Snack, Type 1 Diabetes

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-----Original Message-----
From: acb-diabetics-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-diabetics-bounces at acb.org]
On Behalf Of Barbara Mattson
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2011 1:50 PM
To: Discussion list for diabetics and/or ACB issues
Subject: [acb-diabetics] newsletter deadline reminder

The deadline for Dia News submissions is February 1, 2012.

Barbara Mattson
Editor, Dia News
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