Diabetes Challenges and Victories

Posted on April 27, 2012 by janekdickinson

Today’s Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge prompt is to list the 5 most difficult parts of diabetes and the 5 little, good things. Here’s what I came up with:

Challenges:

1) Bubbles in my insulin. Why is that the older the vial of insulin gets, the more bubbles?? Very annoying.

2) Hypoglycemia when I’m cleaning the house. I don’t mind cleaning – I love organizing and purging – but I have to be in the mood. Sometimes that mood takes weeks to come around. I’ll finally get the energy to go for it and BAM – hit with a low and the opportunity is lost.

3) Intensive exercise and managing blood glucose. I joined an exercise class in December, which I attend every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. For a 7am class, I get up an hour earlier, check my BG, take my insulin, wait 15 minutes, eat my breakfast (making sure I eat 30 minutes before the workout so I don’t puke), and get ready. I am often high after the workout, despite all this effort. I choose to do this, and I don’t let it get to me. Sometimes I just wish I could roll out of bed a few minutes before and go.

4) Traveling with diabetes. Trying to find healthy food options on the road, trying to maintain my exercise habits, and keep a somewhat normal schedule while away from home is a challenge. Not to mention packing all the supplies.

5) Cooking. Ok, it’s not really related to diabetes. I just get bored with cooking, and I only cook things that are easy and quick. I desperately need a personal chef.

And now for the victories:

1) Every single time that little meter reads 117!!! It always makes me smile and never, ever gets old.

2) Friendships made through diabetes connections.

3) Writing.

4) Learning.

5) Serving & informing others.

 

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Diabetes Tagline

Posted on April 26, 2012 by janekdickinson

Own it and get living!

That’s my tagline for diabetes and for life in general. Being a victim gets us nowhere. Nowhere. If I threw all my favorite quotes into a bag and shook it, this is what would come out. Some days it’s hard to do, but definitely something to work toward, so I’m sticking with it. In fact, I’ll say it again:

Own it and get living!

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Diabetes Mascot

Posted on April 24, 2012 by janekdickinson

As I was poking my finger earlier today, I realized who (what) my diabetes mascot has to be: Pokey, the finger! Its features are red, of course.

My fingers provide blood samples multiple times a day for checking blood glucose levels. They text, dial, type, prepare food, count, inject. I am very dependent on my fingers, and, therefore, it just makes sense.

Thanks, WEGO, for a quick and easy prompt today.

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Diabetes Questions

Posted on April 23, 2012 by janekdickinson

Thanks to a blog post by Scott K. Johnson, I just viewed a public service announcement about the importance of asking questions, for patients with diabetes and their health care providers. This is something I routinely emphasize with people I see.

Not only for diabetes appointments, but for any health-related visit, write down your questions, take your list to the appointment, and ask! Don’t leave until you feel your questions have been answered. If you don’t feel comfortable asking, or you aren’t getting answers, it is probably time to find a new health care provider.

I literally start jotting down questions right after my appointment. I keep the list somewhere prominent (so I don’t lose it or forget it), and take it to my next appointment. We all have access to almost as much health information as our health care providers do, now that we have the internet. I often look things up between visits, and then I seek clarification from my health care provider. He happens to work in a research center, and I know that he has cutting-edge information.

Health care has changed. It is completely different from what it was in the past because patients, consumers, customers (whatever you want to call us) are informed. There is no longer space or time for paternalism in health care. It is up to us to take care of ourselves. It is up to our health care providers to provide support, guidance and information/explanations (clarify what we’ve found on our own).

It is up to us to ask questions.

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Things We Forget

Posted on April 22, 2012 by janekdickinson

Here’s my version of a “short memo reminder.” I would post it on the wall of my diabetes education office.

We forget that despite the money-making industry that is diabetes, there are incredibly smart and dedicated people working hard to find a cure.

We forget that the “food police” often ask or comment because they care, or because they really don’t understand (but want to).

We forget that there’s (a lot) more to life than food, or numbers, or diabetes.

We forget that even though the diabetes equipment we have right now isn’t perfect, it’s a heck of a lot better than what we had ten, twenty, and so on years ago.

We forget that we can’t survive without rain, and the sun will come out again.

We forget to focus on the present, forget about (or learn from) the past, and plan for the future.

We forget that when we mess up, we are still good people and we get to start fresh in the morning.

We never forget that living with diabetes means having a lot to remember.

 

 

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Madlib Poem

Posted on April 21, 2012 by janekdickinson

Today’s prompt is to create a Madlib Poem. My first attempt was a big failure, but I kind of like my second poem, strange as it may be. Interestingly, I entered only positive, strength-based and diabetes-related words (adjectives, nouns and verbs) and what was generated came across as not quite so positive. So I did a little tweaking. I can’t say my style jives with e.e. cummings, but here it is:

healthy health’s healthy health (by Jane K. and e.e. cummings)

responsible i have always managed, organized beyond
any choice, your motivations have their positive:
in your most whole vigor are things which pursue me,
or which i will jump because they are so active

your strong look busy will not unrun me
though i have smiled myself as responsibility,
you laugh always endurance by endurance myself as work live
(writing successful, proud) her focused reward

or if your equipment be to interact me, i and
my technology will choose very happy, well-adjusted,
as when the attitude of this choice succeed
the strength energetic everywhere persevering;

nothing which we are to exercise in this focus
the determination of your determined fitness: whose wellness
inject me with the joy of its life,
responding belief and goal with each thinking

(i do not believe what it is about you that endure
and create; only something in me determine
the success of my motivation is motivated than all work)
activity, not even the medication, has such driven energy

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Miracle Cure

Posted on April 20, 2012 by janekdickinson

Read all the way to the end:

The FDA has announced that there is no more diabetes. Right on the heels of the newly released, non-invasive blood glucose monitoring device (Glucobeam TM), people who have diabetes can finally put the disease to bed forever. Glucobeam TM was released only one month ago, and provided blood glucose readings by laser beam. People with diabetes throughout the world were raving about this new invention, because they no longer had to draw blood to find out how things were going.

Now people with diabetes don’t have to worry about any of it. Yesterday, the FDA announced a new potion that cures diabetes. Approximately six months ago, a team of people who were hired to clear out the former home of Elliott P. Joslin, MD, in Charlton, Massachusetts, found some papers in a desk drawer. These papers were taken to the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. Diabetes research and health care professionals studied the papers and discovered instructions for creating a potion that would cure diabetes. Joslin had apparently come up with this idea before he died in 1962.

The research team at the Joslin Diabetes Center, along with their colleagues at major diabetes centers throughout the United States and the world, immediately went to work on this potion. Yesterday the potion was approved by the FDA and is now available to all people with diabetes – for free. Six major pharmaceutical companies, which formerly manufactured and sold diabetes medications, have come forward with funding to produce and distribute the diabetes cure to anyone who wants it.

Call 1-822-123-4567 to reserve a dose today. Disclaimer: only two people have tried the potion so far.

Today’s prompt was “Miracle Cure.” At first I struggled with this one, but then I just had fun with it. Clearly, this is a fictitious post.

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Dinner with the Stars

Posted on April 19, 2012 by janekdickinson

Today I get to invite five people to dinner. I decided to invite people who have made an impact on health care, nursing, and/or diabetes:

Florence Nightingale (mother of nursing);

Clara Barton (angel of the battlefield);

Elliott P. Joslin (pioneer in diabetes);

Virginia Henderson (foremost nurse of the 20th century); and

Fred Banting (discoverer of insulin).

These five people have made a distinct impact on me personally, professionally and physically. My philosophy of nursing and diabetes education are clearly shaped by the work and teachings of Nightingale and Henderson. Nightingale promoted professional nursing by establishing the first formal nursing school, while Henderson defined nursing as “assisting individuals to gain independence in relation to the performance of activities contributing to health or its recovery.”

Clara Barton had many accomplishments, one of the most well-known was founding the American Red Cross . Known as a pioneer and humanitarian, Clara “dashed about bringing relief and hope to the (battle) field.” She is described as having force, independent spirit and charm.

Elliott P. Joslin believed in a team approach to working with people who have diabetes. He came up with the “troika” – diet, exercise and insulin, and his (now called “intensive”) approach to diabetes management was finally supported in 1993 with the results of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial.

Fred Banting only lived to be 50 years old, yet he did a lot in those fifty years. Without his determination, I would not be here. Many other people were involved in the discovery of insulin, but I give Dr. Banting credit for persevering through many challenges in order to save the lives of people with type 1 diabetes.

My life, my approach to health care and to teaching others has been shaped by these amazing leaders. I would be honored to share a meal with them.

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Diabetes Book

Posted on April 18, 2012 by janekdickinson

Today’s prompt is to “open a book.” I chose my “Diabetic (sic) Manual for Doctor and Patient” by E.P. Joslin. How could I not? This book, copyright 1949, was given to me by my father. It belonged to his mother’s aunt (his great-aunt and my great-great-aunt), who was a patient of Dr. Joslin.

I love Dr. Joslin and I never even met him. I love everything I’ve ever heard about him, so if you know something bad about the man, please don’t tell me.

Anyway, I randomly opened to page 17 (probably because there is a very old return address label stuck inside that page), and at the top it says, “The simplification of the blood sugar test which will make it available for doctor and patient alike will mark a tremendous advance in treatment.”

This is fascinating since just tonight I participated in the Diabetes Social Media Advocacy twitterchat, which was largely about technology and diabetes. Here we are itching for more and better diabetes technology, while back then Dr. Joslin was dreaming about a time when home blood glucose monitoring would be a reality.

I received my first blood glucose meter in 1985, which I realize was a little late, but still. Dr. Joslin was a man ahead of his time in so many ways, yet here he was envisioning home blood glucose monitoring twenty-plus years before it became a reality.

When I was a kid we were still checking urine for glucose, and I have vivid memories of being at diabetes camp, where, once during the two-week session, we lined up and had our earlobes poked (with the old-fashioned blue lancets) for a “blood test.” Since Dr. Joslin started the camp, I know it was his influence that led to that practice.

Thanks, Dr. Joslin, for your foresight and your commitment to healthy people with diabetes.

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Traveling with Diabetes

Posted on April 17, 2012 by janekdickinson

Today’s prompt is to write about a lesson I learned the hard way.

As a diabetes educator I have spent a lot of time teaching people about packing enough supplies when they travel – at least twice as much as what you’ll use in the time you’re away. I also emphasize the importance of keeping diabetes supplies in your carry-on, and not checking them. For one thing, cargo can get too cold and ruin insulin, but probably more important, nine times out ten your bags will end up in a different place than you.

Keep in mind that not only do I teach this for a living, but I have traveled a lot and I have experienced just about every lost baggage scenario imaginable. I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say your bags can end up in a different city than you; your bags can be taken home by a different person; and so on.

My lesson learned the hard way is that I traveled back to the east coast one time, and I packed my pump supplies in my checked bag. I know – what was I thinking? Clearly, I wasn’t. Not only that, but I didn’t get my bag on the other end. I am very fortunate to have connections at my favorite diabetes camp, so I was able to beg a few pump supplies off of them in order to get by.

Believe it or not, I keep extra pump supplies in my office and in our hospital pharmacy for when this happens to people who visit Steamboat – and it has! It may not be so easy, depending on where you are visiting, so please do as I teach and not as I did – keep your diabetes supplies in your carry-on. Happy travels!

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