Healthy Activity

Posted on April 25, 2013 by janekdickinson

I’ve learned a lot from several health activists, and today I get to highlight one. Unfortunately, I can’t send you to her page, because she is no longer blogging there, and I’m sad about that. Kathy is an inspiration to me because she stays positive through adversity. She has a great sense of humor and from what I could tell while she was blogging, a pretty straight-forward approach to life and health. I never read anything that sounded negative or complaining. She clearly handles the things life throws at her with strength and class. And she’s been through a lot. Thanks for your blog, Kathy. While I completely respect (and appreciate) your decision to stop blogging about your health, I will miss you.

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No interest in pinterest

Posted on April 24, 2013 by janekdickinson

No offense to Pinterest or those who love it, but I’m not pinterested. I find it overwhelming enough to keep up with blogging, facebook, twitter and the diabetes social networks I follow.

With diabetes I don’t have the option to pick and choose which tasks I’m interested in. Correction: I do get to choose which ones I’m interested in (none, really), but if I want to be healthy, it’s a good idea for me to choose all of them. And those would be the following: making healthy choices (most of the time), checking blood glucose levels, taking insulin (that one is particularly important since I have type 1 diabetes), and exercising. There are several others as well.

I get a strange kind of thrill when I choose not to do certain health-related things. For instance, when I was pregnant I didn’t do all the genetic testing and I didn’t have an ultrasound and I didn’t find out what sex the babies were. I figured I had just about every other intervention going on, so I opted out where possible. I also found it fun that I didn’t have to get tested for gestational diabetes (no glucola for me, yay).

So today I am not pinning anything to any boards. And that feels good!

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Ideal tracker

Posted on April 23, 2013 by janekdickinson

Today’s prompt is to write about which device, application, program, etc. I wish helped to track my health. I really wish there were a blood glucose monitoring device that didn’t require poking/drawing blood. It would be like an oxygen saturation monitor, where I put my finger over a red light and it gives a (BG) reading. It would be small enough to easily carry around, and 100% accurate. In other words, it would be non-invasive, accurate, and portable. I could get a reading whenever I want, so  it would be just as effective as continuous glucose monitoring. Sounds good to me!

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Something simple

Posted on April 23, 2013 by janekdickinson

Today’s prompt is to write about something ordinary that’s inspiring to me, something simple, perhaps overlooked, that fuels my activism. I just love to write, and I hope to use my love of writing to share thoughts and ideas for living well with diabetes. It’s as simple as that.

I’m all about living well with diabetes today. And tomorrow. I don’t spend time worrying about what I did yesterday. I use the tools that are available to me and make the most of them (well, admittedly I don’t use them all and I’m ok with that. In fact, for some things I say, “call me when it’s perfect,” and I haven’t seen perfection yet). Writing about my experiences with diabetes – both personal and professional – helps me figure out where my role is in all of this. I guess I’m still working on establishing how I can make a difference for people with diabetes. Once I do, maybe I’ll consider myself a true activist.

In the meantime I especially hope to help those who are new to diabetes see that it’s manageable; that they can do this; that having a positive attitude helps; and that there is an amazing support system available to them.

That’s it.

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A Day Late…

Posted on April 22, 2013 by janekdickinson

Yesterday’s prompt was about adversity. Do I bloom best in adversity? As far as diabetes goes, I’d have to say no. I think of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) as adversity in managing diabetes. And when I’m low I have a tendency to overeat (over treat) and then feel gross. So, no, adversity does not help me manage my diabetes more effectively. Another example is when I’m away from my routine and home. I have the diabetes management thing down pretty well when I’m in my usual location and routine. But when I’m traveling, or my routine is interrupted, it’s always more challenging. This week is one of those times! Blogging on a schedule is also more challenging while away from home, which is why this post is a day late.

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Diabetes Burnout

Posted on April 20, 2013 by janekdickinson

Write about burnout.

The truth is, when I get burnt out on the daily tasks of diabetes management, I just tend to back off a little. I still exercise and “check and correct” (bring down elevated blood glucose levels when they occur), but I don’t pay as much attention to my food choices. I am not actually conscious of being burnt out very often, but when I’m asked to think about it (like today) I guess it does happen pretty routinely. What I don’t do is let it get me down. I don’t beat myself up for it. I know that in a matter of days I’ll be back on track.

I am, however, getting burnt out on blogging every day! We’ll see if I make it through this month! Yikes!

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Vintage Jane

Posted on April 19, 2013 by janekdickinson

I’m struggling with posting today. While terrorists are being hunted down and people are being killed and injured, it doesn’t seem relevant to post a vintage photo of myself, which is today’s HAWMC prompt.

Nurse CrispThe photo was taken when I was in 7th or 8th grade. I played a nurse in a school play, and I borrowed a “vintage” nursing uniform from a friend’s mom and an even more “vintage” nursing cap from a neighbor. Diabetes-wise, I don’t remember much from that time period. It was a way of life and not a big deal. I do remember being low while taking a science test in 7th grade, and one 7th grade substitute teacher giving me a hard time for eating my snack in class. But otherwise, it was business (life) as usual.

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I take it back…

Posted on April 18, 2013 by janekdickinson

Today I’m supposed to write about a time I lashed out at someone because of frustration from my diabetes. Although I’m sure I did my share of lashing out as an adolescent, I don’t remember it being about diabetes. The one thing I would take back, however, is the time I told my grandfather that I didn’t want him to give me my shot.

My grandfather loved to give me my insulin injections. He would tell me about how he gave his three daughters (my mother and two aunts) their allergy shots when they were kids. He would pinch my arm with gusto and poke the needle in fast. It made him feel important – like he had a role in my health. Even though we never really talked about my diabetes, he always had a sugar-free chocolate bar for me and some diet soda in the basement refrigerator. He cared in an unspoken way.

At some point I hit an age where I just had to be completely independent (in EVERYTHING). And that one day, when Grandpa went to give me shot, I told him no. He tried to act like it didn’t bother him, but I could tell he was hurt. And I would take that back if I could. I would let him give me my shot every day if I could. In fact, I don’t know if he ever gave me my shot again after that. That is definitely something I regret.

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Wordle Wednesday

Posted on April 17, 2013 by janekdickinson

Wordle: PWD April 17

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3 truths and 1 lie

Posted on April 16, 2013 by janekdickinson

Today’s prompt is to write three truths and one lie about myself – you have to figure out which is which:

I am related to Emily Dickinson.

I love spinach.

I love my iPhone.

I yawn when my blood glucose is low.

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