My 2018 Year in Review

2018 came with a lot of changes in my life.

Bye-Bye Pump

The first one started with deciding to give up pumping and go back to MDI. This also meant that I was going to start using Dexcom as my CGM of choice. 12 months later and I do not regret this decision. Dexcom has been amazing, and I absolutely love the choice that I made to switch to Dexcom.

Fiasp

In March, I was able to get my hands on free samples of Fiasp. I wrote about my feelings on Fiasp, but to summarize, I loved it. The faster acting insulin really did help decrease the spikes that I have after meals.

Advocating My Way

During 2018, I was attacked personally because of the way that I decide to advocate. If I didn’t advocate the way a certain group of people wanted me to advocate, they would attack me (and many others that I know). So, I wrote an article about why I will advocate my way, and you can advocate your way. We all have different ways of advocating, or doing anything really. So, I felt that I needed to write a post explaining that my way works for me, and everybody can advocate whatever way they feel like, as long as it is effective and not putting others down at the same time.

Unhealthy Relationship with Food

I’ve had a very unhealthy relationship with food for a long time. 2018 was the year that I finally decided to write about it and open up about it a little more. It’s always been easy to hide behind the blog or Twitter handle and not show people how overweight that I am. But, coming out from behind the blog and being in more videos, it was something that I needed to attack head on. So, I write about my unhealthy relationship to food and received amazing support from the diabetes community.

Moving Across Country

2018 also brought on a major change in my life, moving back to Pennsylvania where I was born and raised. This was a huge decision that was made and it had a very big impact on my health. The stress that was related to this move was beyond the levels of stress that I normally deal with.

Choosing a New Endo

Part of these stress issues were related to having to choose a new endo after being with mine for nearly 11 years. I had the greatest relationship that you could possibly have with an endo office, and now I had to move on to someone new. Fast forward from then until just a few days ago, it was a rocky start, but I was able to have a discussion with my endo (on the phone at 7:30 pm on a Friday), and we came to a mutual understanding that I will use his guidance, see him every 90 days, but I get to make the final decisions. That’s exactly the way that I want to manage my diabetes.

Novo Nordisk Social Media Summit

In May, I attended the Novo Nordisk Social Media Summit on Insulin Pricing. Remember the attacks I mentioned above? Well, they were nothing compared to the attacks that I received after attending this event. The event helped me understand the pricing complexity a little more and although I have been called a pharmaceutical shill, I know that I expressed my thoughts to Novo Nordisk about the importance of lowering the costs and what are they going to do because we can’t continue on this path that we have been going down.

Time to Sleep

2018 was also the year that I decided that I needed to give up the stay up until 2 am and wake up at 7 am and start all over again lifestyle. I was constantly tired, I was drinking way too much caffeine, and honestly, I’m just getting older. I can’t hustle like I used to. So, I decided that I was going to invest in a good bed and get better sleep, and wow, did that change my life.

Adventures and Trips

2018 was also filled with a lot of adventures and trips. Since moving back to PA, we decided that we were going to do as many activities in the spring, summer and fall as possible. I wrote about many of these adventures and how they effected my BG levels. After all, this blog is called the Life of a Diabetic.

Giveaways

2018 saw it’s fair share of giveaways as well. I had giveaways with mySugr, Real Good Pizza, Myabetic, Mike Lawson’s Open Up Your Bag book, and many more. The good news here? 2019 will be filled with even more giveaways. There will be at least one giveaway a month! So, be sure to sign up for the newsletter (bottom of this post), like the Facebook page and follow me on Instagram.

Getting to Know Diabetes

One of the most successful things that I started in 2018 was my Getting to Know Diabetes: The Interview Series. This interview series asks the same questions to some of the coolest, nicest, and most respected people in the diabetes, and ones that have not really been featured on this blog before.

Omnipod

Last, but not least, on this last day of 2018, I am starting a new journey in 2019. That journey is the fact that I am once again giving up MDI and going back on an insulin pump. That’s right, I am in the process of having an RX signed to begin using the Omnipod insulin pump.

Lots of posts to come in 2019.