My favorite Health App/Device/Book is...

Today's prompts for NHBPM are Call BS on something, or review your favorite Health App/Device/Book. 

I can't think of anything to call BS on that I haven't already talked about this month.  Mainly misconceptions and myths.  I've already talked about those here and here.  I am sure there are other things to call BS on, when I think of them I'll save it for another blog post later.

I'll tell you about some of my favorite things that help me and Kortnie all of us take care of Kortnie.

1.  The Calorie King book.  We got one of these at the hospital, it is awesome, it has carb counts (and calorie and fat counts) of all kinds of food.  It has a restaurant section, and it also has specific counts of actual brand name foods, or a general count of something.  It has fruit, vegetables, nuts, baked goods, and drinks.  It also has counts for something like a tablespoon of flour or sugar or what not.  Love this book!  There is also a website http://www.calorieking.com/ where you can type something in and search for it and it will bring back choices for you.  So type in something like Wendys Frosty and it will bring back a bunch of options from small vanilla frosty up to large chocolate frosty with whip cream.  I hear there is an app for it too, but I don't have it on my phone, but I do go to the browser on my phone and look up the website quite often.  I have one of the books in my kitchen and in my car.  It makes SWAGing easier (Scientific Wild Ass Guess).

2.  Rufus, the bear with Diabetes.  We also got him in the hosptial, he came with some syringes so Kortnie could practice giving him shots.  See the colored patches on him, those are the places you can give yourself shots, the arms, legs, and belly, the red patches on his hands are where he pricks his fingers.  He comes with a JDRF t-shirt and ours had a medical alert bracelet on him too.  3 years later, Kortnie still sleeps with him and takes him places.  He is just a teddy bear, but he's a teddy a bear with Diabetes, just like our kids.  All the little Type 1's seem to love their Rufus. 

 

3.  Diabetic Barbie this little girl Emma wanted to know why there was no Barbie with Diabetes, so her mom helped her to start up a campaign to make it happen.  Now they are making their own accessories and selling them with the proceeds going to various Diabetes related charities and organizations.  She makes insulin pumps, meters, syringes out of clay, she also makes mini pump pouches and walk t-shirts.  She makes them to fit Barbies, American Girls, Rufus, Lenny the Lion (Medtronic mascot-an insulin pump maker), and other stuffed animals.  We were lucky enough to win a drawing and got Rufus a pump, meter and pump pack.  Here is Kortnie showing off her Rufus and his new purple pump, and her pink pump.  She was very excited, now Rufus can have a pump and not have to have as many shots!  If you have a diabetic kid, go check out the Diabetic Barbie Facebook Page, these pumps and accessories can be made in any design, they are not just for girls, if you know a little boy with Diabetes, she can make him a kit for a stuffed animal or for a Rufus or Lenny, or a Ken doll.  If you don't have a diabetic kid in your family, go like her page anyways, the more likes, the more Mattel will take notice. 

 

4.  A fun test kit, Kortnie uses this one, it's a Sugar Bag from Sugar Medical Supply.  It holds her meter, her poker, a vial of test strips, and has a zipper pocket where she can put a couple rolls of smarties, and a unzippered pocket we can slip in a name and emergency card, and a few dollars if she wants, or a log book, there is also a strap for a pen-needle or syringe, and a vial of insulin.  The outside of the case has a pocket where you could slip a phone in too.  She keeps all her testing stuff in there and carries it either by itself, or in her purse, or her backpack for school.  It is cute and fun and not boring black.  Again, it's not just for girls, there are designs for women, boys, and men.  This is just the one she picked out.  She has had it for a little over a year and it is wearing out, so I have ordered a new one in a different design to give her for Christmas.  Even though it is wearing out, I still feel it is good quality, after all she has used this daily for over a year, and she opens and closes it and gets stuff out of it about 10 times a day, and she is 8 years old, so you know this thing has been thru the wringer. 

 

 

These are just a few of the things that make our diabetic life easier and funner.  I have not been asked to review any of these items, I get nothing for saying such nice things, just wanted to share a few things that we love. 

 

Diabetes Fact of the Day

People with diabetes are at greater risk for depression.

Poor diabetes control can cause symptoms that look like depression.

At any given time, most people with diabetes do not have depression. But studies show that people with diabetes have a greater risk of depression than people without diabetes. There are no easy answers about why this is true.
The stress of daily diabetes management can build. You may feel alone or set apart from your friends and family because of all this extra work.
If you face diabetes complications such as nerve damage, or if you are having trouble keeping your blood sugar levels where you'd like, you may feel like you're losing control of your diabetes. Even tension between you and your doctor may make you feel frustrated and sad.