dLife - Complications

Gluten Free or Gluten Phobic?

Brenda Bell — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 12:54:22 +0000

In the process of gathering my recycling, I learned that this past Thursday, September 13, was National Celiac Awareness Day. While I do not myself have celiac disease, it's a common enough condition amongst people with diabetes — and another one of our "invisible illnesses" — that it's worth taking some time to talk about gluten-free foods and gluten-free diets.

Silent Killers

Brenda Bell — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:05:16 +0000

"But you don't look sick!" is the typical response to people living with asthma, MS, arthritis, and so on. These, like celiac and diabetes, are considered "invisible illnesses" because — at least in most, or early, cases — they don't come with the external signs and visible symptoms that announce to the world, "My body is less than perfect. You may treat me as a leper."

This post is not about that.

Rather, this is about those conditions that are so invisible that they don't even have symptoms by which they can be diagnosed, unless your medical team performs frequent, specific screenings. Conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, many types of heart disease, certain types of liver disease, early-stage cancer... and for too many of us, type 2 diabetes.

We Will Hold On Hope

Carey Potash — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 14:21:23 +0000

Our team, Charlie's Angels, is getting set for its 9thJDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. With the incredible generosity of so many people, our team has raised more than $150,000 for type 1 diabetes research. For those of you who have been with us since the beginning and those of you recently joining our fight, we are extremely grateful for your support.

Living on the Playground

Lindsey Guerin — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:34:21 +0000

There's an endless possibility of metaphors for life with diabetes. Rollercoasters have to be my favorite; the ups and downs and twists and turns couldn't be more suited than a rollercoaster. But another one of my favorites is the merry-go-round.

Diabetes is a never ending circle. Sometimes diabetes spins madly out of control so quickly that it makes you dizzy. The world starts to tilt and you have to steady yourself before you fall down. It's like riding the merry-go-round forever. You never get the option to stop; you just have to keep going and going.

Keeping the Wagon Straight

Lindsey Guerin — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 23:24:31 +0000

Every now and again, I fall off the wagon. My averages shoot up and my control goes out the window. Right now, my 90 day average is at 171, which is up from the 159 average that I was seeing in early June. The thing is that I can pinpoint exactly where the 12 point jump is happening. It's because I fell off the wagon again.

When I get overwhelmed and stressed, I clam up in a sense. I just become stagnant, treading water and waiting for the tide to pass. I don't push forward except with what I have to and I let go of things that don't seem vital. For instance, I eat more and workout less. Working out isn't a priority when my body is fatigued from the stress and fighting to stay afloat with food.

Doctor Complex

Carey Potash — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:58:59 +0000

I received some tough love from a reader of my blog recently. It touched on an important topic and one that is definitely worthy of discussion.

The blog post was titled Life is Hard. I spoke of a very rough battle we had with ketones in late June that began after Charlie developed a nasty cold. The level of ketones fluctuated and lasted for about four days.

"If your BG is very high, and you are spilling ketones AND you are vomiting, GET TO AN ER! Call an ambulance if you have to, because this CAN quickly become a life-threatening situation. It's not just the ketones--though ketones will poison your brain and organs--it's the ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE that can kill a person in DKA--literally."

Life is Hard

Carey Potash — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:45:22 +0000

The "Life is Good" brand is a nice idea. A super smiley stick figure that is simply happy to be alive. So optimistic. So positive. So blessed at the life that he has been given.

We have spent the last four or five days battling ketones like we never have before. What began as just a common cold turned into a sleep-deprived, ketone-spilling, sugar-spiking nightmare.

The first couple days of the cold brought with it severely high blood sugars that we had much difficulty reigning in despite raising temporary basal levels as high as 50% for several hours at a time. Day three started at 4:30 am - with Charlie kneeling above the toilet and dry-heaving from what turned out to be large levels of ketones. Sugars were erratic. Coming down nicely one moment and then shooting up like a rocket the next.

Another 7 Pounds To Go

Lindsey Guerin — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:47:14 +0000

This past month or so has been hard on my weight. I was having a lot of lows that bumped me up the two pounds that I'd lost recently and it just seems like my diabetes is out to get my waistline. I'm working out, watching what I eat, and trying to just stay healthy overall but the scale won't budge.

So when I tried on my bridesmaid's dress for the first time yesterday (the wedding is in mid-July), I wasn't surprised that the dress still didn't quite zip. Back in early March, I'd ordered it a half size or so too small knowing that I was losing weight (I'd lost about 10 pounds up to that point). I didn't want to get the dress altered if I lost too much and it was a size too big. But now I'm in the opposite place.

Relief with Results

Lindsey Guerin — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:43:07 +0000

I sat in the waiting room at the endocrinologist's office this morning anxious for what my latest results would be. My last A1c in February was 8.1%, which was down from 9.3% in October last year. I knew what my averages were stacking up to, but I didn't know if I was missing something. Diabetes can be so variable, you know?

The nurse did all the usual including a download of my meter and Dexcom and then the doctor came in. She's straightforward, but she's descriptive too. One of the first things she said today was "It's hard work, isn't it?" I said, "Yes, it's incredibly hard."

The Stress Free Toolbox

Lindsey Guerin — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 01:03:25 +0000

Everyday I work in a high stress environment. I hear child abuse stories constantly. I see parent's that lose the rights to their own children because of their actions or lack of. I walk into homes that are poverty stricken, lifeless, and broken.

And then I come home. To my refuge in a mostly quiet apartment with an awesome view of downtown where everything is mine, just where I left it. Whatever I need or want is generally within arm's length. There's food in the fridge, there's warm water and air conditioning, it's mostly clean (someone COULD come do the dishes though). It's my safe haven.

But this apartment and quiet space isn't really what gets me through each day as I work on child abuse cases. It isn't what gets me through dark times with my type 1 diabetes and other health issues. It isn't the strength when I feel like I can't go any further.

There's an army for that.