A Day in the Life…

Below is a typical day in my type 1 diabetic life. Might be a little weird, but that’s who I am so… yeah.

5:30am – at some point in the night pump unclipped from my pajama pants and I am now wrapped like a mental patient in my tubing. Sooo tired and soooo mad I have to untangle myself. Just. Want. To. Go. Back. To. Sleep. I should really order a shorter tubing on my next supply order. (Note: I’ve been telling myself this for years and have yet to do it….I just love my procrastination ways…)

 

7:11am – alarm goes off (bleh) roll out of bed, disconnect from pump so I can bathe before an amazing work day filled with numbers and binder clips.

 

7:30am – pump still disconnected and it beeps informing that it is in “SUSPEND” mode and I need to reconnect. “Yeah, yeah… I hear ya. Chill.” Yes, I talk to my pump. I can do what I want, ok? We have a connection. He saves my life on a daily basis.

 

10:ish am – Feeling super irritable. Complain to my work neighbor and then hear the pump beeping at me

Me – “You rang?”

Pumpys – “SUSPEND”

….Yep, while I DID connect after showering I forgot to take it off “SUSPEND” mode…this means I haven’t been receiving any insulin for 2.5-3 hours. “Son of a!”

 

3 min after 10:ish am – Unsuspend, dig through my purse for blood sugar machine… find everything but machine. “Where are you, you little rat?” Ah! It is found buried beneath some fabric. I have one test strip left (mental note: get more glucose strips next time I’m home). Blood sugar is super high. Give myself appropriate insulin.

 

11:30 am – Didn’t eat breakfast and am hungry and contemplating lunch while having a mental conversation with myself.

I – “Do you feel like you still have a high blood sugar?”

Me -“I don’t know”

I -“Why don’t you check your blood sugar and find out?”

Me -“Why don’t YOU check YOUR blood sugar and find out? Geez. Get off my back already.”

I -“Brat.”

 

12:15pm – Blood sugar back to normal so I eat lunch and try to figure out my carb intake and give appropriate insulin amount. Not really sure on carbs so I guess and error on a higher insulin intake.

 

12:50pm  – Trying to rush out of my house so I won’t be late getting back to work when I realize I need more test strips. Run back in house and scour for the random place I tossed them after going to the pharmacy previously…

 

12:55 pm – “Found you, you little blood suckers! Going to be late now. Thanks, alatte…”

 

1:30ish pm – Go back to the copy machine to make a copy and brush my side where the pump is and thereby knocking it off my pants. Arms are full and I let the pump dangle to my side until I set my stuff down. Then  I swing it up into my hands with the tubing in a fascinating magical way. (Sometimes I like to swing the tubing around when the clip unclips itself from me. You gotta see it to believe it.)

 

 

2:30 pm – Feeling a little loopy, “drunkish,” and confused – Sure fire signals that my blood sugar is low. Check blood sugar and I am low.

I  – “Why did you have to error on giving more instead of less insulin at lunch?”

Me – “Why do you have to be such a buttface all the time? Mistakes happen.”

I – “Whatevs. I need sugar, please.”

 

3:00 pm – Thinking about my decision to consciously remember my daily thoughts so I can blog them. Riveting stuff! Or not…. Haha.

 

4:12 pm – Pump beeps at me.

Me – “What now?!?!?”

Pumpys – “Low Resevoir”

Me – “Already? Feels like I just changed you. Dang it. Can you wait til I get home?”

(I hate changing my pump site…I don’t know why…It only takes 5 min or so every 3-4 days, but I still  hate doing it.)

 

5:15 pm – Gather my pump supplies and go about the site change. No biggie til I go to insert it. This always takes some courage for me. I scrunch my face up, working up my nerves to click the button that shoots the needle with tiny tube in me. Press the button….“Son of a! That one hurt!”

I – “It didn’t hurt that bad, you’re being a drama queen.”

Me – “You are right. It may not have hurt too bad but it still stung more than usual…like a monster size bee with evil plans of world domination and it’s going to…”

I – “Yeah, well stop with the exaggeration and deal with it.”

Me – “Whatevs. I was just getting into my story, Party Pooper.”

 

6:00pm – eat supper and figure insulin intake.

 

8:44 pm – Stomach hurts. Is it my blood sugar or am I getting sick?

 

9:00 pm – check blood sugar. It’s fine. Not sure why I felt bad. An unsolved mystery. Call  Matlock. (<—–That was dumb, but I’m going to keep the writing anyway since I thought it)

 

12:44 am – After numerous YouTube videos I decide I should go to bed. Get in bed and sigh…soooo nice…can’t wait to sleep and sleep and sleeeeppppp. Turn to the side and “Ouch” Pump clip is on my hip. Adjust it to my front so it won’t disrupt my precious sleep. (During day pump is clipped to my side, during sleep I move it to my front.)

 

3:30 am – Wake up with a “not right” feeling. Pretty sure I’m low, but check my blood sugar to confirm. Yep.

I stumble like  a drunken sailor into the kitchen to dig around for some sort of sugar intake. End up choosing a spoonful of peanut butter for protein and a juice box for carbs. Carbs raise blood sugar quickly, protein stays in system longer to ensure I won’t go low again in the night.

 

3:45 am – Can’t fall back asleep. Work will come all too soon. I wish I could quit you,  Diabetes.

 

 

That’s about a typical day in my type 1 diabetic life. Sometimes it’s annoying, but for the most part my thoughts and the things I do involving diabetes are second nature to me. I had many more diabetes thoughts throughout the day, but because it is so second nature and a part of me it is difficult to pluck them out of my memory for this post. Just know…I am awesome. 🙂

Mythbusters: Emily Style

Ah…myths of the type 1 diabetes. Something we diabetics deal with on occasion when well-doers try to scold us whenever they see us with a grain of sugar in our little diabetic hands.

“Are you supposed to be eating that?” – Said with a  “you’re going to die” type of look.

Today I would like to bust some Type 1 Diabetic myths in the face. Emily style.

Myth #1: Can’t eat sugar.

Fact: We can eat anything non-diabetic (normals) can. Granted it wouldn’t be wise to eat 10 candy-bars in one sitting, but then again normals shouldn’t do that either. The beauty of an insulin pump is that I can eat what I want when I want and give myself insulin to counteract it. It’s not a matter of “can I eat that?” but “Is it worth it?” Certain foods affect a diabetics blood sugar differently, and those certain foods vary on the person. I know there are foods that will raise me higher than other foods, and I need to decide if I want to use up more insulin to handle it or make a different choice.

Myth #2: Obesity and/or too much sugar cause type 1 diabetes

Fact: This has nothing to do with type 1 diabetes, but can be a trigger for type 2. This doesn’t always trigger type 2, family history plays a big role. If type 2 runs in your family, you should pay attention, talk to your doctor, and take steps to help prevent getting the disease later in life. Watch yourselves. As for type 1, well, who knows if you will get it. It’s like a tiny evil leprechaun that will break into your home in the middle of the night and stab your pancreas until it dies. 

Myth #3: Insulin is the cure.

Fact: Insulin lets me live another day so I can kick around and do weird things, but it is not a cure. There is no cure. Yet. Please feel free to go to your local Walgreen’s this month and donate to JDRF so they can continue research to find a cure. 🙂

Myth #4: Only kids get Type 1

Fact: While usually the pancreas destruction happens as a young cone, it can actually happen at any age….but usually as a child or young adult. You think because you’re an adult you can ward off the evil pancreas killing leprechaun? You’re wrong. You must be vigilant always. (I hope no one reading this really believes there is an evil pancreas murdering leprechaun. If you do, I suggest you seek a mental health professional. ASAP.)

Peace out, my peeps. I do believe I am done writing for the evening. If there is a suspected myth you would like me to bust in the face, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do.