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Guest Post – Sarah Jane

Chris Stocker

Today’s guest post is from Sarah Jane who lives in southern Missouri with her parents and two younger brothers, two dogs, and one cat. She is currently studying dietetics at Missouri State University. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1998 at 11 years old.

Blog address: http://sajabla.wordpress.com

Serendipitous

Sarahndipity. That’s the name of the site where I blog. It’s a play on my name and the word serendipity. Sometimes when I tell people about my blog, they ask me what the title has to do with being a type 1 diabetic. I guess at first glance, it doesn’t seem to make sense.

This is the definition of the word serendipity:

n. The faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.

I certainly didn’t seek diabetes. If I had to pick a disease to live with for the rest of my life, diabetes wouldn’t be on the top of my list simply because of the time and the energy it takes up. But diabetes has brought me some valuable and agreeable things.

Somehow diabetes manages to put life into perspective. You hear of people just going through the motions of life, never really being happy until they are diagnosed with some horrible cancer or disease and then they begin living life to the fullest. At some point in your life you discover that life is finite, that it will someday end. I discovered that at 11 years old when my doctor told me that I could die from kidney failure if I didn’t take care of myself.

Not that I encourage fear as an effective way to get a person with diabetes to manage their blood sugars. It didn’t work too well for me because it took me ten years to really understand what it takes to manage diabetes. I probably didn’t understand that this disease could kill me until I was in college. But now I know that life does in fact end, and while I can’t place a number on when this disease or some other disease or an accident or simple old age will take me, I know that I have to life for today because at some point it will all end. It makes my life feel more meaningful. I watch sunsets and take pictures of flowers and try to spend quality time with the people I love.

So if you’re reading this and you have diabetes, you probably know what I’m talking about and I hope you do the same. If you are reading this and you are lucky enough to be perfectly healthy, I would encourage you to embrace your life and find what makes you happy. It may be as simple as smelling roses, but, although it sounds cliché, let me tell you, it’s worth it.

Guest Post – Christopher Snider

Chris Stocker 4 Comments

Today’s guest post is from Christopher Snider from A Consequence of Hypoglycemia.

There’s a strange kind of fear or apprehension that overcomes me when it comes to a guest post. Granted, I’m sure most of the people reading this are remotely aware of who I am. When I think about the nature of this or any other post I’ve written it still amazes me that I’m doing this. Opening up was never easy for me growing up, probably due to a lack of opportunity but it’s not like I was really looking to share my feelings with everyone. But then I spent a couple days in the hospital. Then I tried to manage all of this on my own. Then I found Twitter. And the rest, they say, is history.

When it comes to the Diabetes Online Community, I see us all as a very close family of strangers. We’re a list of avatars and unique aliases. We’re 140 character moments of wisdom. We’re 1000-word posts of inspiration. We’re a photo album of blood glucose meters and continuous glucose monitors. We’re the tangled pump tubing and the overflowing sharps containers. We’re a 24/7 pick-me-up. We’re this, and so much more. And it amazes me.

It’s this family of strangers that knows exactly what you’re going through. We are around during those days that are impossibly unreasonable as well as the days when everything is going right and you feel like hugging the world. I know it’s the shared bond we have in dealing with this disease that brings us together. Now that I think about it, it’s a hell of a common interest to bring together a group of strangers (and their families). Do coin collectors send each other little knitted socks for their newborn child? Do MythBusters superfans make music videos together? Do people with peanut allergies rally behind causes like we do? I’m not saying that we’re the best around…actually, that’s exactly what I’m saying.

I can’t speak to other communities, but you all make the day-to-day grind of this disease infinitely more manageable. Just look around and see the retweets, the guest posts, the blog post comments, the twitter chat participation, and even the podcast appearances. Even though I’ll wont meet all of you, I know that you’ll be there for me just as I’ll be there for you. As I review this post I can’t help but notice how cheesy it reads, but I don’t care. Even if we didn’t sign up for this, and I’m pretty sure none of us did, we are family.

~Assuming I didn’t scare you off, you can check out my blog, A Consequence of Hypoglycemia, for other posts, podcasts, editorials and whatever else I find to contribute to the madness.

Guest Post – Crystal Lane

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Today’s guest post is from Crystal Lane from Randomly capitalizeD.  She wrote a nice poem for today’s post

Break

So close yet so far
It’s within my reach
If I want to take it
But it feels like a dare
One I am not sure
I’m willing to take
Challenges abound
Constant change
Progressive movement
It’s stealth with it’s alluring
temptation of relief
After so long and
so many invitations
It all seems elusive
Want it is a given
Need it feels it must be
Yet the idea, the thought
puts me back in place
To reality I go
With a fake smile
and an attitude
I trudge through another day
Wondering if a true break
will always be out of reach

———

Diabetes, whatever the type, does not allow for a break. We are constantly managing. We are always aware and alert. Always. It’s consuming and overwhelming. It’s maddening and depressing.
Just for one day, 24 hours, I would Love to not think twice. I would love to just Be. Be me. Not have to worry or think or wonder or be aware. Just be me.
As much as I think about it I still ponder…. who am I really? My Type 1 Diabetes does not define me, never has. It is simply a part of my life. I manage it. It lurks, it yells, it does whatever the hell it wants while I constantly try to keep up.
And all the time I wonder. What would it be like? Would I feel like me? What would others see that maybe I would not?
It’s a delusion of sorts. It allures, it tempts. That elusive break from it all can be deadly. We all know this. We have seen it, heard about it. It’s scary. So does Diabetes scare us into trudging along this path none of us chose?
Maybe. It’s all about perspective, I think. We have a choice of where we place our energy, our anger and even our triumphs.
So even if a “real” break (relative, of course) is to never be I can tell you all, without a doubt, that a darn good break is just being around good people. Even if via email or chat or phone. Their presence is a relief. It allows you to release your frustrations. It allows you to vent, yell, scream. It allows you to laugh, to cry. It allows you to talk and more importantly to listen.
We are all here for one another in this community, in one form or another. We all cannot be there for everyone at all times, that is impossible. But always in the background, we get it, we do understand and we are ready to listen. Always ready to pump our fists in the air at the injustice of our pancreas. Broken Pancreases Unite.

Guest Post – Cara from Country Girl Diabetic

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Today’s guest post is brought to you by Cara from Every Day Every Minute Every Hour – Country Girl Diabetic

Words of Wisdom

When I was a child, I didn’t know any other Type 1 diabetics. Then, it was still called Juvenile diabetes. Insulin pumps were so rare, I didn’t know they existed until I was in high school. Blood sugar meters were HUGE. And testing took over a minute. If I remember correctly, it took over 2 minutes to complete the process with my first meter. I grew up when we didn’t go to the doctor very often. Our training was minimal. And we just did the basics of care. We counted exchanges instead of carbs and had no clue how to use a sliding scale for insulin and had never heard of insulin to carb ratio.
Things have changed so much since I was diagnosed in 1986. Treatment is better. Stronger. More efficient. And now, we have the wonders of the internet, which has led us to each other. With that comes some great responsibility for those of you raising children with diabetes. So, coming from a kid with diabetes who grew up, I have some tips for you.

1.)    Sometimes, it’s okay to forget to test before a meal. Not always. But sometimes.
2.)    Sometimes there’s a birthday party at school. Blood sugar is 200. Give the insulin and eat the cake anyway. The memories are more important than that one number.
3.)    Sometimes the joys of being a kid make remembering that you have diabetes difficult. Don’t be upset if your child forgets to eat or test. Deal with it and gently remind them for next time.
4.)    Every number is just that. A number. Sometimes they will be high. Sometimes they will be low. But a LOT of diabetics grew up with less than stellar blood sugars and we are fine. (Not that it means not to take care of your child. But don’t be quite so OCD.)
5.)    Don’t be afraid to let another adult have some control. Your child can’t always be by your side. Just be sure it’s a responsible adult. 😉
6.)    Most of all, remember that you child is a child first. Not a diabetic. Be sure to let them get on with the experience of being a kid. It’ll be worth it to them (and you) in the long run.

To Drink or Not to Drink When You’re High

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

Yesterday I wrote a post about things that I do when my blood sugar goes really high, over 400.  I received some comments and some tweets about my own way of handling this situation, especially # 4 which was don’t drink water.  A lot of people had said that they do the exact opposite and drink as much water as possible to flush all the ketones out.  I have heard that as well, so I am not going to try and dispute those that said that.  I was twice told otherwise, but that doesn’t mean that is the correct answer either.

When it comes to diabetes, there are a lot of generalizations that go for everybody, however there are a lot of things that are completely different between each person.  For instance, some people are fine with eating pizza, I can’t eat pizza without going over 350 blood sugar levels.  So this is where I am going to give my MTV version of their Jackass disclaimer, don’t try this at home.  This works for me, and that’s the bottom line, it may not be good for you to do it or for a friend or family member to do it.

Only two more days until vacation, so if you have a guest post, please send it to me asap so I can get it scheduled.

4 Steps to Fixing a High Blood Sugar

Chris Stocker 4 Comments

Over the last 48 hours I have had some of the best blood sugars that I have had in a long time.  It all started with an extreme high on Sunday night.  My glucose meter was reading, “HI” we all know what that means.  No, not, “Oh shit, what do I do now”.  It means that my blood sugar was over 500.  What do you do when you get in that situation?  Or maybe if you are lucky enough, you haven’t been faced with this situation.  I have unfortunately been faced with this situation several times.  First and foremost, you can’t panic, it will come down if you treat it properly.  Here are the 4 steps that I go through when I see a sugar that high.

Step 1 – Don’t Panic

This is a very important step.  If you panic and freak out right away, then you are going to have a hard time bringing this high blood sugar down.  Most of the time when you stress out and freak out this way, your blood sugar will go higher, but for some people it is different. Take a deep breathe and take care of what you need to in order to get that sugar down.  I highly recommend that you have a plan together with your doctor for when something like this happens.

Step 2 – Inject Emergency Insulin

Emergency insulin to me comes in one of two forms.  I try to keep an emergency insulin pen at my house or whenever I travel.  If I doo have the insulin pen, I will just draw up the units and inject the insulin.  If I don’t have a pen, then I will take a syringe and draw insulin directly into the syringe and inject it.  Either way, I get insulin into my body in another form that from the pump.  Why do you may ask?  Have you ever seen how long it takes 25 units of insulin to get into your body compared to a pen or syringe?  The insulin gets into my body 100 times faster and can get to work a lot quicker.

Step 3 – Change Site

There is a good chance that the reason my blood sugar is high is because I have a bad set.  This isn’t always 100% the problem, but most of the time it is.  Once I get that site taking out, I will insert a new site on the opposite of my stomach and then go for a walk if I can, or just lay down and relax

Step 4 – Don’t Drink Anything

I obviously become extremely thirsty when my sugar is that high, that is one of the reasons that I knew my sugar was so high to begin with.  The more I pee, the more sugar that is going through my system, and I don’t want that.  So the less I drink, the less I am going to urinate, the better.  It is tough to try and not drink something, but you have to try hard, it is better for you.

These are my 4 steps on fixing my high blood sugar, but this is not going to be the best way for you, so don’t try what works for me.  Find out what works for you.

Have a great day eveeryone.

Life of a Diabetic Has Been Busy

Chris Stocker 2 Comments

The life of this diabetic has been crazy busy over the last few days.  This new work schedule is finely starting to feel normal, and I must admit, I actually like the schedule.  Let’s take a look at how my new day goes:

7:00 a.m. – Alarm goes off

7:15 a.m. – I actually wake up

7:15 a.m. – test blood sugar

7:20 a.m. – coffee, breakfast, shower

8:00 a.m. – hitting the road for my commute

8:45 a.m. – get to work and test sugar again to see how breakfast was holding up

11:00 a.m. – test sugar to see if correction was good

12:30 p.m. – test sugar because it is lunch time soon

2:30 p.m. – test sugar to see how good my bolus was

5:30 p.m. – test sugar once more because I am getting ready to leave at 6 to drive home

7:00 p.m. get home from work and go for a quick walk

7:30 p.m. – get home from walk, start to cook, eat and cleanup dinner

9:00 p.m. log into blog, check out comments, attempt to respond to twitter comments

10:00 p.m. – check sugar

12:30 a.m – laying in bed trying to fall asleep to start the same thing over the next day.

There is not one time throughout the day that I hate that busy schedule.  I absolutely love it.  Living a schedule like this with type 1 diabetes or any disease in that matter can start to wear on your health if you are not taking care of yourself properly.  I try to force myself to test my blood sugar during these times because I know that I will forget to do it.  I set the alarm on my pump now, I have never used that alarm before in my life.  I think it might annoy my co-workers, but nobody has said anything yet.  They are all usually listening to music anyway, so I don’t think they even notice.

Tonight I am going to be up later because I have a lot of other things to take care of, lots and lots of e-mails I haven’t responded to in almost 3-4 days.  So if you e-mailed me, sorry I will get to it tonight, promise.

Time for that energy drink.

Have a great Friday tomorrow everybody.

5 Tips When Starting a New Job with Diabetes

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

Working for two straight days, I’m definitely not used to this.  I haven’t worked over 16 hours in a two day period in a very long time.  This makes managing and planning things out for my diabetes a lot more important.  For the past 9 months, I have been on my own schedule.  When I was consulting with Volvo, I was making my own hours and when I worked from home I obviously made my own hours.  I haven’t worked a salary job since I worked for that joke of a diabetes, well it’s actually like a pet store now, but that’s besides the fact.  I love my new job, it is effin’ awesome if I must say.  The people are awesome, the office is cool, and I love doing what I do, so how can you argue with that?

I haven’t had many diabetes talks with people yet.  I mentioned it to several people and they at least knew what diabetes was, not sure if they knew all the ins and outs, but I didn’t get into any of that.  I decided to make a list of my 4 tips for going to work with diabetes.

  1. Be Prepared – being prepared has to do with several things.  Make sure you have candy or glucose tabs to eat just in case your blood sugar goes low. Also, I work 45 minutes from home, so going home to insert a new infusion set is just not going to happen, so bring along an extra vial of test strips and an extra set, reservoir, and insulin.
  2. Take time to test – I work an office job, meaning that I sit at my computer for pretty much 7 hours a day.  From time to time I need to take a break to get a fresh start, so why not test my blood sugar?  While at work, I test every 2 hours, so 4 times while I am there.  This helps me prevent any lows before meetings or drive home.
  3. Take a walk – once again, if you are sitting down all day, take a 5 minute walk.  This will help circulate the blood through your body because you know as a diabetic, we have some issues with blood flow, don’t know if you have heard that yet.
  4. Let people know – Don’t be afraid to let people know that you have diabetes.  Wouldn’t your rather somebody in the office know what to do in case your blood sugar goes low?  Or would you rather keep quiet and then if something happens, nobody knows what the hell to do?

Have a great day everybody!

Life of a Diabetic Weekend Recap Vol 6

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

Wow, what a long day it has been so far today.  Today was the first day of starting my new job as an SEO Specialist for a large ad agency firm.  Let’s rewind and get to the recap of the weekend however.  Friday night was a nice dinner with Amanda at Carolina coal fire pizza in Delray.  After that we enjoyed some amazing Rita’s Italian Ice as well.  So, let’s take a guess at what my blood sugar did after that night?  You guessed it, went over 400 at one point.  I never eat pizza anymore, but I just said screw it, I’m going to enjoy it tonight.

Saturday was a very, very, very long day.  It started at 7 a.m. with getting ready to go to the Red Bull FlugTag down in Miami.  If you don’t know what this event is, you have probably seen commercials on tv for it before.  It was where people create these large “flying” machines, run full speed off of a 30 foot platform and see who can fly the furthest….get it, Red Bull “gives you wings”.  It was about 100 degrees that day, with no shade, so it was so hot and just so damn irritable.  Once we got home from that it was Amanda’s uncle’s 50th birthday party, so time to get the bathing suit on and head over for some beer, food, and pool.  Well, my site fell off in the pool at about 9:30, and we didn’t go home until about 10:30.  My blood sugar was not that high once I got home, it was about 275.  The way I looked at it was that my pump was going to be disconnected anyway because I was swimming, so what did it make a difference that it fell out?

Yesterday was another day of swimming at Amanda’s house because it was just so freakin’ hot.  After that we went to Olive Garden.  Then it was back home to relax and get ready for the first day of work.

So, that leads to today.  Up at 7 a.m. to have coffee and get ready and didn’t get home until 7.  Went for a nice walk, ate dinner and here it is, almost 9 p.m. and my day is finally over.

Time to get to bed soon and do it all over again.