Snapshots of the inner workings of the purse of a diabetic

Saturday snapshots - Saturday 5/14: Today is the only day I’ve brought back a fun topic from last year.  Inspired by the Diabetes 365 project, let’s snap a few more d-related pictures and share them again.  Post as many or as few as you’d like.  Be creative!  Feel free to blog your thoughts on or explanations of your pictures.  Or leave out the written words and let the pictures speak for themselves.

When I think about taking pictures of myself and putting them on my blog, I feel like this:

Me? Really? Yeah... About that...

So I'm going to show you guys what diabetic supplies and necessities I carry in my purse on a daily basis.

Clockwise from top left:

One Touch Ultramini (Pink meter in case with strips and poker thing)
In case there is also a couple of dollars for emergency low juice purchases or emergency high water purchases, extra lancet or two. Attached to case is a glucose tablet key chain. Sometimes I will just grab this and go with it for super quick trips. I've managed to be able to use this as a wallet in those cases. Also in this case are used test strips.

Prescription for new glasses.
My last eye visit was a couple of months ago and I still haven't found acceptable glasses worth me spending my money.

Emergency pump supplies
The white and pink bag usually contains what I'd need for an emergency insulin pump change. There is an infusion set, reservoir (not pictured), insulin and the thing that helps me insert the new site (the blue thing). I also have a sealed needle in there, just in case. Oh! And an unopened canister of test strips.

Rogue test strip.

Low savers
In the blue/purple and white bag (Target freebie... what what!), I keep glucose tabs (two tubes) and various snacks. It looks like, right now, I have a Clif Bar (White Chocolate Macadamia... Yum!), a granola bar and some fruit snacks. While the snacks may vary, I always have the tubes of glucose tablets.

Hand sanitizer.
I need it more than I think.

I just noticed that my extra batteries are missing from the picture. I need to double check if they are just loose in the purse or if I need to replace them.

Everything put away waiting to be put back in the purse.

Just imagine what I'd have to pack for a vacation that lasts more than a day or so in medical supplies alone! I miss being able to use a small purse.

Well, that's about it for my snapshot Saturday for D-Blog week! While this was fun, I doubt that I'd do it more than every so often. But, alas, I enjoyed showing you some of what I carry in my large purse. I also have a book at any given time! I love books.

This girl is such a nerd.

Life with Diabetes isn't ALL bad

Awesome things - Friday 5/13: In February the #dsma blog carnival challenged us to write about the most awesome thing we’d done DESPITE diabetes.  Today let’s put a twist on that topic and focus on the good things diabetes has brought us.  What awesome thing have you (or your child) done BECAUSE of diabetes?  After all, like my blog header says, life with diabetes isn’t all bad!

 If you've read my blog the last few days, you'd probably think life with diabetes is completely horrible. While it's definitely not all rainbows and unicorns, it's also not all bad.

For example, diabetes has taught me not to take things (and people) for granted. I've come so close to dying more than once because of diabetes, but I didn't. (obviously) Without those unfortunate reminders of my mortality, it probably would be like most other twenty-somethings out there, thinking I could live forever. I know I can't. Like I said, I've been close to it before and it is not fun. So I try to not live with regrets. I help out people to the best of my ability. I tell people when they've done a good job. I never go to sleep or say goodbye without telling my husband that I love him, even though it annoys him too no end (Seriously, T. Why?). I will tell you that I think you are awesome. You may doubt it, but you are awesome to me. I'm not going to die (hopefully, not any time soon!) without all of the wonderful people in my life knowing how much I appreciate them.

It is hard at times to find the positivity in hard situations. Diabetes (while being a pain in my fill-in-the blank) showed me to not take things for granted. Our heartbreaking miscarriage has taught me to appreciate a baby even more when we are finally blessed with one. God does things for a reason.

10 things I hate about Diabeetus

Ten things I hate about you, Diabetes - Thursday 5/12: Having a positive attitude is important . . . but let’s face it, diabetes isn’t all sunshine and roses (or glitter and unicorns, for that matter).  So today let’s vent by listing ten things about diabetes that we hate.  Make them funny, make them sarcastic, make them serious, make them anything you want them to be!!

1. Dealing with doctors and stubborn insurance companies

2. Amount of supplies I need at any given time to survive. Don't even get me started on traveling with said supplies!

3. Juice boxes or glucose tablets to treat a low with freshly brushed teeth. Think OJ and toothpaste combo.

4. Fear of long term complications

5. Fear of not waking up.

6. Fear of complications to my unborn children (if complications don't prevent them to begin with)

7. All of the planning. I'd like to be spontaneous too.

8. Workouts that equal a low blood sugar that requires food with calories equal or greater than calories burned to bring it up and keep up. Almost defeats the purpose, no?

9. Not being able to enjoy the luxuriousness of certain fabrics because my finger tips are too rough and calloused, causing them to catch. Same thing with stroking the skin of a newborn baby. :(

10. You took away my pizza, ice cream, Italian food and certain other favorites, diabetes. Sure, I can still eat them if I choose to, but it's such a hassle and usually makes me feel bad for hours afterward. It's easier sometimes to just say I don't like it...

Diabetes bloopers

Diabetes bloopers - Wednesday 5/11: Whether you or your loved one are newly diagnosed or have been dealing with diabetes for a while, you probably realize that things can (and will) go wrong.  But sometimes the things that go wrong aren’t stressful - instead sometimes they are downright funny!  Go ahead and share your Diabetes Blooper - your “I can’t believe I did that" moment - your big “D-oh” - and let’s all have a good laugh together!!

 It's not really a blooper so much as a pain in the neck moment.

After I test my blood sugar, I usually stick my used test strip in a pocket of my meter's case to throw away later. Needless to say, the strips tend to gather a long time before I clean the pocket out. Well, one time, I was walking around a semi nice store with my husband and I started feeling low. (here comes mistake one) I decide that I can test my blood sugar (BS) while walking around with my husband. This is a feat that I can pull off normally, but not so much if I'm low. My BS was 47, much too low. Especially much too low to be trying to balance a meter and case while testing BS without much pause in walking. Especially if this meter's case had a pocket that needed to be emptied of used test strips. You see where this is going. My clumsy low hands fumbled the case, accidentally dumping used strips all over the floor of this somewhat nice store. And, when I went to try to pick up the (what seemed like) hundreds of strips, my shaky low fingers had a lot of difficultly picking up those teeny tiny strips. I guarantee some got left behind. I somehow leave a trail anyways.

As I was just reading this, it's making me wonder where my husband was during this. He was in there with me, so I wonder if I was so focused on the situation that I blocked his presence out or if he had gone to the bathroom or something during my fiasco. Huh.

Let's have some fun!

I’ve got a fun little quiz (found somewhere on the internet) for all of you to see how well you know me!  The person to answer the most questions correct will win a chance to the very first guest post on my blog or will receive a surprise in the mail.  It will be up to the winner to pick which one they would like to do.  

The only thing you have to do is answer all 10 of the questions below (with your best answers) in a comment!  Also, please make sure you leave a way for me to contact you, if you are the winner of the contest.

1. My middle name:

2. One of my two favorite Christian songs: (extra points if you know both)

3. My favorite animal:

4. My favorite season:

5. My eye color:

6. My favorite nail polish color:

7. My favorite flower:

8. Two main things that I want to do in my life:

9. My favorite southern food:

10. Where do I want to travel someday:

*********************

The contest ends next Tuesday at 12:00pm. (EST)

I can’t wait to read your responses!! Have fun!

Letter Writing Day

Letter writing day - Tuesday 5/10: In February the Wego Blog Carnival asked participants to write letters to their condition.  You can write a letter to diabetes if you’d like, but we can also take it one step further.  How about writing a letter to a fictional (or not so fictional) endocrinologist telling the doctor what you love (or not) about them.  How about a letter to a pretend (or again, not so pretend) meter or pump company telling them of the device of your dreams?  Maybe you’d like to write a letter to your child with diabetes.  Or a letter from your adult self to the d-child you were.  Whomever you choose as a recipient, today is the day to tell them what you are feeling.

 Dear little Beth,

Yeah. Having diabetes sucks. Yeah. You are having to grow up pretty quick. Yeah. You are going to feel different from your friends and family. But you know what? There WILL come a day when you eagerly tell people about your life with diabetes. There will come a time when you won't be embarrassed about being different and you embrace your uniqueness. Please, little Beth, don't wait too long. Please take your insulin, even though it may hurt. Please check your blood sugar, even though it is a "hassle". Please don't ignore that you have diabetes so you fit in more. Please try to be open to making more friends with diabetes. They will be your support.

If you don't, there will be a day that you wonder if your past decisions are the cause of your current heartache and you won't have any way to change it. So please please please. Pretty please. Pretty please with a cherry on top. Please don't ignore diabetes to fit in better or for your own comfort and ease. Your future is counting on you.

I love you, little Beth, even if you don't.
"Adult" Beth

PS  Don't worry about what those other people think. The people who matter will love you for who you are.

PPS  If there is a chance of rain, wear a raincoat.

Admiring our differences

Diabetes Blog Week Day 1: We are all diabetes bloggers, but we come from many different perspectives.  Last year, Diabetes Blog Week opened my eyes to all of the different kinds of blogs (and bloggers) out there – Type 1s, Type 2s, LADAs, parents of kids with diabetes, spouses of adults with diabetes and so on.  Today let’s talk about how great it is to learn from the perspectives of those unlike us!  Have you learned new things from your T2 friends?  Are D-Parents your heroes?  Do LADA blogs give you insight to another diagnosis story?  Do T1s who’ve lived well with diabetes since childhood give you hope?  Pick a type of blogger who is different from you and tell us why they inspire you - why you admire them - why it’s great that we are all the same but different!!

 I have no idea how the D-Parents (parents of a diabetic) do it. I mean, I know how I feel at any given time and I generally know what I need to do to make myself feel better. D-Parents who are taking care of sometimes very young children? Wow. How do you guys even know what to do? Hospital education only goes so far. Most of diabetes (in my opinion) is knowing how you are feeling. Sure, blood sugar tests are good for knowing the exact(ish) number you are at, but I know how I feel in between tests. You don't know how your children feel. I know if I feel crummy and won't really feel like consuming much food (or consuming a lot of food!). You d-parents out there have to just guess. You guys don't know if your child is refusing to eat because of the d or because of being a kid. I understand that certain things have to be done or else I will die. How do you guys get your kids to understand that while giving them as normal of a childhood as possible? You guys must have a sixth sense for diabetes knowledge and understanding for your child.

I think you d-parents are total rock stars. :)

Happy...

Mother's Day.

While I think it's great to celebrate all of the wonderful mothers out there, part of me hurts. It's hard to forget that I should be celebrating that I would soon be a mother. I should be largely pregnant at this point. I should be.

But I'm not. And it's hard.