Diabetes Month Photo-A-Day Days 5-11

Here are our Photo-A-Day posts 5-11.

Day 5 was Advocate

The CDE at our local hospital does a training for nurses about the many types of diabetes every few months. Kortnie and I are always guest speakers and we give them an inside look on the everyday life of the person with T1D.
The New Face of Type 1 Diabetes is a new advocacy campaign being started in our local region. Kortnie was the first "New Face", thus campaign is still in the beginning stages, but we're excited to be a part of it, especially since it's happening right here on our mountain.

http://www.thenewfaceoft1diabetes.com/

Day 6 was Relationship

On top, we took this picture last year on Kortnie's 3rd D-Aversary, diabetes affects the whole family, Kortnie's brother and sister are onboard and know how to look out for their sister. Below, Kortnie's friends are all onboard too, they know the signs of a low, they wait for Kortnie when she needs to stop whatever they're doing and have a BG check, and they sit with her if she needs a break. She's a lucky kid to have so many understanding friends and family!

Day 7 was Blue.  

The World Diabetes Day (November 14) campaign uses a Blue Circle as their Symbol.  Blue has become the color for Type 1 Diabetes, while a gray ribbon with a red blood drop on one of the tails is the symbol for all types of Diabetes.

Kortnie's 4th D-Aversary was on Day 8 so we made "Blue" Rice Krispie treat cupcakes for her on Day 7 to take to school. We put blue food coloring in them but they turned out kinda green. I was going to make regular cupcakes but she pointed out to me that she has a Gluten Free friend in her class so we opted for Rice Krispies instead. 

Day 8 was Organization

Some of Kortnie's stuff
Insulin in the butter compartment of the garage fridge
Pump Supplies, lancets, and a ketone meter
Test strips, glucagon, and other stuff
More lancets and syringes
We have enough to last us 6-9 months comfortably, and that makes me happy.

Day 8 Orgnaization picture two

I thought organization could mean how we organize our stuff or an organization we support. JDRF is the leader in research for a cure, we're proud to support them

Day 9 was Support

V and her parents came by the morning of Day 9, they took Kortnie and Stasia to get Blue hair extensions for Diabetes Awareness Month. V's family is one of my daycare families. I've never figured out if my families are my clients or my bosses, but either way, they've become our friends, and it's so good to have the support of friends.

Day 10 was Exercise

Exercise requires more BG checks, less insulin, more snacks...extra diligence.
A growing kid needs exercise, everyone needs it.
Trampoline, hiking, soccer, swimming, dancing, just being a kid, exercise is part of life. It means extra effort for Kortnie, but I'm ok with that.

Day 11 was Play

Even play time takes work as far as Diabetes goes. During Fall Break I took the kids swimming. Here is Kortnie waiting out a LOW in the shallow end of the pool.

Diabetes Awareness Month Photo-A-Day

November is Diabetes Awareness Month.  Last year, I wrote a blog post every day.  This year I've decided to participate in Kerri's Photo-A-Day Challenge.

I'm posting them daily over on Facebook in an album, but every few days I'll post them over here too.

Day 1, the prompt was Past.

Kortnie a week before diagnosis, my normally chubby girl was skin and bones, the caption for this picture was "look how skinny she's getting" a week later she was in DKA, knocking on heavens gate, she'd lost something like 14 or 17 pounds.

Day 2, the prompt was Check.

Kortnie checks her Blood Sugar 8-10 times per day.  To do this she needs to poke her finger and make it bleed. She has poked her finger over 14,570 times.  OVER.14.THOUSAND.TIMES!

Day 3, the prompt was Snacks

On the left, snacks are life saving medicines. On the right, a bowl of fruit, most acceptable snack for kids, right? Kortnie still has to poke her finger, find out what her BG is, weigh the apple, calculate carbs and dose insulin accordingly. The formula for that...
BG-120=x
X/60=y
Carbs/12=z
Y+Z= insulin dosage 
(Those constants, 120, 60, 12...those change about every 60-90 days, in fact that 12 is sometimes a 10 depending on what time of day it is, and that 120 changes to 150 8pm-5am)

Day 4, (today), the prompt is Proud.

This summer when I picked Kortnie up from camp AZDA she said to me, "Look! Something new!" She had put her pump site in her leg and she had done it all by herself. Just above her knee is a tattoo but further up her leg the pink thing is her site, the cannula inserted under her skin which delivers her insulin via her pump.

Day 30!

Wow!  I made it!  Today's prompt is to recap National Health Blog Post Month.

I feel like I got some education out there.

I feel like I learned a few things myself.

I fee like I shared some funny moments.

I feel like I shared some good stories.

I feel like I have lots more to learn.

I feel like I brought out some feelings that I might want to explore further in myself.

Today is the last day of Diabetes Awareness month, but that doesn't mean that we quit, or that Kortnie can quit. 

We live with Type 1 Diabetes everyday 24/7/365.

Special Sibs of a D-Kid Day Day 28

 As you know it's Diabetes Awareness Month.

 

November also happens to have the anniversary of Kortnie's diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes.

 

It's also the month of my oldest daughter, Anastasia's birthday.

 

An appropriate end to the month is Special Sibs of a D-Kid Day, which is today.  Today is the day we recognize and celebrate the siblings of a D-Kid.  I've said it before that this illness is a family affair.  It takes all of us to support Kortnie and be there for her. 

 

Sometimes when Kortnie's blood sugar is too high, we have to delay or cancel a treat or dessert, not only does Kortnie have to go without, but most times the other kids go without too. 

 

Sometimes when Kortnie is too low, we have to stop and treat and rest, a lot of times that means the other kids have to stop too.

 

Is it fair?  I don't know.  What I do know is that there is hardly ever any complaining.  We get the "diabetes sucks" or "diabetes is no fun" comments every now and then, but Kortnie never gets blamed. 

 

Anastasia and Graham have taken this journey right alongside us.  They know what to do in a Low or High situation, they know how to check blood sugars, Anastasia knows what the different numbers on the meter mean.  They just take it all in stride. 

 

They are who they are, they love their sister, we love them, all of them.  We are a family and we do it together.

 

Getting ready to Zumba for a Cure, we participated in a Zumbathon to raise money for JDRF back in February, as always we do it together, Stasia and Kortnie Zumba'd their bums off, what a fun day.

Last Christmas, Kortnie was sick on the day of her school's Christmas program, her blood sugar was high, she had ketones, she was tired, she was BUMMED out that she was missing her program, especially since she was a 50's dancer.  We missed the morning performance, but by the afternoon performance she was feeling just a little better and she really wanted to go perform.  I took her in and let her perform, even though I could tell she was still feeling pretty yucky.  She was so happy that I took her to perform, and her little brother was happy to watch her and to support her.  He loves her so much.

Big sister always loves going to the JDRF Walk, it's important to her to help us fund raise and raise awareness.

Kortnie's 3 year D-aversary, Graham and Stasia think Diabetes sucks too, so they had to get in on the picture taking action.

They always support and love their sister unconditionally, especially if it means celebrating Kork's D-Aversary with ice cream cones!

This summer Kortnie went to her first year of D-camp, she and Graham are exactly 3 years apart in age.  He was only 2 when she was dx'd, he does not remember a time when she didn't have T1D and he has never been away from her for more than an overnight trip to Grandma's. She was gone a whole week from him and he was chomping at the bit to go pick her up, he was so excited to get her from camp, can you tell by their smiles here?  I love that they love each other so much.


Today, no matter who you are, whether or not you have Diabetes or some other kind of illness or challenge in your life, think about your siblings, think about how much they support and love you.  Tell them thanks, tell them that you love them, tell them that you support them too. 



Day 17 My Strengths and Weaknesses

Did you think I gave up on posting everyday?  Well, I got busy with a fun weekend with my kids.  It was my oldest's birthday and my other 2 kids got invited to a few other birthday parties.  Here I am, though, gonna get back on track and play catch up!

So, Friday the 17th, the prompt was my Strengths and Weaknesses.  This is hard for me, to think of these things about myself or about Kortnie, and relate them to taking care of Diabetes, but I'll try, here goes.

Me-My Strengths
1.  I am getting pretty good at guessing portion sizes and carb counts, it's called SWAG-ing, Scientific Wild A$$ Guessing.
2.  I am one of the only people it seems who can look at Kortnie and see that something is wrong-blood sugar wise.  It's in her eyes.  Her dad is getting okay at this too, and about this time of year her teachers start getting okay at it too. 
3.  I can give a good combo bolus while I'm driving-maybe not a strength, it's probably just about as bad as texting and driving-which I never do
4.  I'm starting to get this D-stuff figured out, which means that I will be thrown a curve ball pretty soon!

Me-My Weaknesses
1.  I still get mad and sad and curse the evil Diabetes way too often.
2.  I get tired and sleep through my alarm when I'm supposed to be checking Kortnie.
3.  I let Kortnie's Diabetes trump other things, like time with my other kids, time with my husband, and time for myself. 
4.  I sometimes put too much of Diabetes care and responsibility on Kortnie.  I get tired and I sometimes make her do too much.  I want her to learn how to take care of herself, but I also don't want her to get all burnt out on it right now, she has a lifetime to take care of herself.

Kortnie-She is all strength, no weakness!  She hardly ever complains about having Diabetes, she's come so far, she does more than any other 8 year old should have to do.  She can read nutrition labels, she can measure up or weigh goldfish or cereal or whatever.  She can change her site and cartridge in her pump (sometimes she still wants me to do it), she can figure out what her blood sugar numbers mean and give herself sugar or insulin if she needs to.  She is awesome and brave and strong, and we love her!

World Diabetes Day

 

Today is World Diabetes Day.  Every November 14th is WDD.   You can find out how it became a thing here.  November 14th is the birthday of Sir Fredrick Banting, who in 1921 created Insulin.  Before 1921 a diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes was a death sentence.  Thanks to Sir Fredrick Banting and his discovery of Insulin, many lives have been saved. 

 

You see in a "normal" person, their pancreas produces insulin, insulin breaks down carbohydrates and turns them into energy.  A Type 1 Diabetic's pancreas does not produce insulin, with out the injected insulin that Dr. Banting discovered, they would starve to death.

 

So, November 14th is set aside by the International Diabetes Federation and the United Nations to raise awareness about Diabetes.

 

The blue circle is the IDF's official symbol of Diabetes Awareness. 

 

 

Here is a timeline in pictures of how Kortnie looked before and after her diagnosis.  In the first picture she is on her way to her first day of Kindergarten, August 2009, she is plump, rosy, and healthy looking, in May we had been told she was obese.  The second picture is September 2009, 8 weeks before her diagnosis, you can tell she has started losing weight, her neck and face are skinny, I thought she was growing into herself or losing her baby weight, I was remembering being told she was obese just 4 months prior.  The middle picture is her 2 weeks before diagnosis, her neck and arms are so thin, her head looks too big for her body, her skin was pale and dry, this is when I started putting it together that something wasn't quite right, but I thought she might have a flu or mono, I didn't have a scale at home, when we took her to the ER and they weighed her, she had lost 14 pounds from when she had gotten weighed at school in the beginning of August.  The fourth picture is 3 weeks after her diagnosis, 3 weeks after starting on insulin, she still looks thin in the neck and chest, but her arms and face are have gained back some weight, her skin is better, but she still looks tired.  The last picture is Christmas, about 7 weeks after her diagnosis and starting on insulin, she has gained most of the weight she lost back, her energy was back, the light in her eyes was back, she was Kortnie-Licious again!  I will be forever grateful to Dr. Banting and his team.

Here are some moments in the history of diabetes.

1. In 1500 BCE, ancient Egyptians recognized diabetes in people who urinated frequently and lost weight for no apparent reason. It was not labeled at that time but it existed.
2. A Greek physician named Arateaus recognized that the urine produced from people with diabetes was sweet and termed it Diabetes Mellitus.
3. In 1776, Matthew Dobson actually measured the urine for glucose and found it to be increased in certain people.
4. In the early 1800s, diabetes was considered a clinical entity but the prevalence was not really documented. No specific treatment was used and usually within weeks to months the disease was fatal.
5. The last 200 years have helped us understand many of the underlying causes of diabetes, ways to decrease risk factors of diabetes, and actual treatments. The outlook has definitely improved, with good results when therapies are used.
6. Treatments have been effective, but still no real cure has been discovered.
7. The disease of ancient times involved insulin deficiency (Type 1).
8. In the early 1900s, Edward Sharpey-Schafer thought the lack of insulin was the cause of diabetes.
9. Frederick Bating and Charles Best discovered insulin by reversing diabetes in dogs after inducing it. They did this by extracting pancreatic islet cells from healthy dogs; they later purified the insulin, and along with James Collip and John Macleod, were the first to treat a patient with diabetes using insulin.
10. In 1936, Harold Himsworth proposed that more people had insulin resistance than insulin deficiency (Type 2).
11. The discovery of biosynthetic human insulin replaced animal insulin, which eliminated reactions to insulin.
12. Over the years we went from checking glucose in urine samples to using glucometers and checking blood sugar. In the beginning, blood glucose meters were only available in the hospital. Over time they became smaller, more sophisticated, and were made available for home use.
13. New classes of oral diabetes medication have been discovered working on the pancreas, liver, muscle cells, gut hormones, and kidneys. Some that remain are cheap and reliable, and some are gone due to excessive side effects.
14. Insulin injections went from glass syringes and long needles (which needed to be sterilized and reused), to disposable syringes with short, attached needles. Even easier are the disposable insulin pens which just require the click of a button.
15. Pumps have made many lives much easier and eliminate the need for multiple daily shots. The added flexibility helps with an easier meal plan and exercise plan.
16. Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) assists people in identifying blood sugar trends, and is crucial for those who suffer from hypoglycemic unawareness.
17. Ketone testing has gone from testing urine with strips to blood ketone testing, which is more efficient and reliable for testing for Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA).
18. New technology and medications are always being developed since diabetes is big business. The future looks bright. Hopefully we will gain progress in the fight against diabetes.
19. On the darker side - 2012 shows that insulin deficiency (Type 1) accounts for 10% of diagnosed cases (autoimmune) which can be controlled with exogenous insulin (insulin injections). About 90% of the cases are considered insulin resistance (Type 2). This has become evident in the past 40 years and has created an epidemic world wide (causes may include inactivity, food portions and weight gain, along with genetics).
20. The most recent statistics from the ADA are: 26 million people in the US have diabetes; 79 million have pre-diabetes with an increased risk for diabetes. One in three will have diabetes in 2050 if dramatic changes are not achieved. The yearly cost of diabetes to the nation is $174 billion.
21. The need for a team approach with multiple follow up appointments has proven results, whether in person (one on one, class) or on the phone. Having a physician, CDE, dietitian, social worker, podiatrist, pharmacist and ophthalmologist is the best way to follow all the organ systems involved in diabetes

Day 13 - Something Taboo - Dead in Bed Syndrome

Today's prompt is to write about something Taboo.  I want to write about something called Dead In Bed Syndrome.  I consider this taboo because I don't see it written about very often.  We don't talk about it very much, unless we hear of someone who has died, due to Dead in Bed Syndrome.  When Kortnie was diagnosed, I wasn't warned of this, the doctors and nurses we've seen have never mentioned it.  I found out about it maybe a year after diagnosis, once I'd joined some DOC online groups and made some online friends. 

Dead in Bed Syndrome is defined as...

Someone with type 1 diabetes is found dead in the morning in an undisturbed bed after having been observed in apparently good health the day before. No cause of death can be established. This is the typical situation of the "dead in bed" syndrome, a very tragic outcome which leaves the family with many unanswered questions: Why, when, how, could it have been avoided?

I have heard of it happening more times than I care to count since I've heard about this.  Usually if you see a blue candle burning on my Facebook page, someone has passed of this, and I don't light my blue candle every time either. 

 

 

Dead in Bed Syndrome, this is why I try to check Kortnie's blood sugar at night.  I wouldn't go more than 4 hours during the day without checking her blood sugar, so I check it at night too.  There are times when I've caught a low and had to sleep feed her juice or smarties, or when I've caught a high and had to give her more insulin.  There are times when I've slept through my 2:30am alarm or when I've turned off my alarm clock and not gotten out of bed, but I usually still end up getting up around 3:30 or 4am and going to check her anyways. 

 

I am not saying that everyone with a Diabetic kid should get up and check the kid in the wee hours of the morning.  That's just what I do, and Dead in Bed is one of the reasons why.

 

I don't know if I will do this for as long as she lives at my house.

 

I don't know when I'll expect her to do it.

 

I don't know if when she is in college I'll still get up and call her and tell her to do it.

 

I don't know if when she's married if I'll expect either her or her husband to do it.

 

I don't know.

 

Today, totally random, in the middle of the afternoon, her blood sugar was 36, she didn't even feel it.  I noticed that she looked kind of pale and glassy eyed and was acting kind of funny so I told her to go check.  Thirty.Six!  That is way too low, anything under 80 is too low.  There was no rhyme or reason to it either.  She has been 31 and 29 before and not felt it.

 

I am not sure if she'd wake up if she was low.

 

What if she went low like that in the middle of the night, just because Diabetes is fickle like that?  And didn't wake up to have some juice. What if she didn't wake up at all?

 

I don't know, there are too many what if's. 

 

I don't talk about this, I talk about how Diabetes sucks, how it is weird, how it is expensive, how it is fickle, how it is hard, how it makes us strong.  But, I don't talk about how it scares me.

 

 

Diabetes Fact of the Day

6% of deaths in Diabetes patients under the age of 40 are due to Dead in Bed Syndrome.

 

6% is relatively small, but I don't want to be in that 6%, I don't want anyone to be in that 6%.

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.

 



 

Humanitarian Missions-Honoring our Vetrans Day 11

Today's prompt in the Wego Health NHBPM is write about your favorite thing this is not health related, but likely improves your life.

Well, it is Veteran's Day today, so I will write a little about the Military, the men and women who serve now and the Veterans.  I guess the military couldn't quite be classified as one of my most favorite things, but it is  they are, something I respect. 

We live in a great country where our young men and women get to choose whether or not they want to serve our country.  There are so many places in our world where people are forced to serve their countries.  I am forever glad that we live in a place where we get to choose.  For those who do choose to serve our country by joining the military or the national guard, I am thankful for you too. 

My dad, 2 of my uncles, all 3 of my grandfathers, some of my cousins, my husband's grandfather and brother, and many, many friends of mine have served or currently are serving now.  I believe my life is improved by the military who protects my country and my freedoms.  I also believe the live of my kids are improved, as well as the lives of countless others all over the world.

I'm gonna turn it back to medical now, not only do our military members protect us, they perform countless humanitarian efforts in the name of the US, the deliver medical supplies, food, water, and assistance all over the world, the people who receive and benefit from these deliveries would likely tell you their life was improved by them.

My dad, is my most favorite Vetran, One of the stories I remember most from when I was growing up a military brat, is from a time when we were living in Guam, my dad served as a Chief on the USCG Basswood,
Basswood has taken part in many notable missions since her commissioning and while being stationed in Guam . In addition to her primary mission of aids to navigation, she also participates extensively in maritime law enforcement missions, search and rescue cases and marine environmental protection. During her tour on Guam, Basswood has been the driving force of PROJECT HANDCLASP, a U.S. Navy program that provided health care and humanitarian relief to the farthest outlying islands of the Pacific Ocean . Basswood's participation in this program has allowed her to travel to virtually every island or atoll in Micronesia .

There is no finer example of devotion to duty than through Basswood's display of dedication to the aids to navigation mission. She was responsible for maintaining all federal aids to navigation in Micronesia . This area of responsibility was roughly the size of the continental United States . It included over 100 fixed and floating aids in Guam , the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) and Kwajalein Atoll. Basswood was also responsible for the aids in Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines , prior to the closing of the U.S. Naval facility there in 1992. Basswood also worked the aids in Palau , Hawaii , and along the West Coast

 

I remember him going on missions to the atolls in Micronesia, to Kwajalein, and to the Philippines.  I remember him coming back and talking about delivering supplies to the Peace Corp workers on the atolls.  Places where there was no electricity, refrigeration, or telephones.  People lived in grass huts and often only wore grass skirts and nothing else.  Sometimes, the USCG guys would bring clothing that their own kids had grown out of and trade it with the islanders for some of the things they made like coconut soap and carvings.  He brought back pictures and told of how the people lived a simple life.  They would moor their ship a ways away from the atoll (small island) and take little speed boats up to the shore to deliver the supplies.  He told us of how the kids would get so excited and one time they got the grand idea to bring coolers of ice onto the island to let the children play, they had never seen ice or felt cold before, could you imagine?   I am proud to know that my father served such important missions, they may not be the MOST important missions in protecting us and our freedoms, but to me, humanitarian missions are just as noble and wonderful as protection missions.  Yes, humanitarian military missions is one of my favorite things. 

My favorite Vetran

 

3rd Platoon Bravo delivering medical supplies in Baghadad

Delivering supplies in Kirkuk, donated by the World Health Organization (WHO)

Medical Supplies going to Haiti after the Earthquake

Military Police teamed up with Iraqi Police to deliver medical supplies to Basra, this little girls smile says it all, her life was improved this day.

National Guard delivering medical supplies in Cambodia

Getting ready to air drop medical supplies in the South Pole

There are so many more pictures of our military men and women delivering medical supplies all over the world if you look around the Internet. 

 

 Check out the Who Diabetes Program and definitely go do the Big Blue Test, help these organizations get the funding to get medical supplies gathered so that our military can deliver them. The Big Blue Test is the easiest way to help.  You don't need to be diabetic to do it, just log some activity and bam you help them get one step closer to meeting their goal of raising $100,000 by November 14, 2012, which is World Diabetes Day. 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about World Diabetes Day here

 

 

 

Diabetes Fact of the Day

 

347 million people worldwide have diabetes¹.

In 2004, an estimated 3.4 million people died from consequences of high blood sugar.

More than 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

WHO projects that diabetes deaths will increase by two thirds between 2008 and 2030.

D-Blog Day 2012

Today is D-Blog day, it was started on November 9th, 2005 during Diabetes Awareness Month, to help unite diabetes bloggers and to create awareness about Diabetes.  You can find more info  here.   I participated in D-Blog day the first time back in 2010, 6 things I want You to know about Korky.   This years prompt is Choose a form of Media Outlet to write an open letter to, such as NY Times, CNN, Local/National Newspapers, TV and why it is so important for them to let the world know that diabetes is more than just being overweight and having too much sugar. It is about reporting stories about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Let them know what kind of things you would like them to write about. If there are specific articles or reports they got wrong, let them know about it! Let’s get it right!

Dear American TV,

Why do you insist on making fun of people with Diabetes.  Did you know that over 25 million people in the US have diabetes, around 8.3% of the population.  Not all of those people got diabetes by laying around on the couch, watching TV, drinking soda, and eating cupcakes!  Not all of those people have had or will have a leg amputated.  Some of those people with diabetes are kids, and they didn't get it because their parents let them have a sweet treat every now and then, they certainly didn't get it from a Happy Meal at McDonalds. 

You develop Diabetes when your body either stops producing insulin or when your body builds up resistance to insulin.  It is a serious chronic illness!  There are many different types of diabetes.  Do your research, when you report about diabetes, report about all types of them, not just one. 

Why do you insist on painting the country pink in October, and then forgetting about everything else for the rest of the year.  Diabetes has a month too, its November, devote some time in November to educating about the differences, of course its good to talk about the preventions but when you talk about preventing diabetes, tell the world which diabetes you are trying to prevent.  Take into consideration the children and adults with Type 1 Diabetes, the ones whose immune system turned on them.  Take into consideration the ones who have hereditary diabetes. 

No more jokes on talk shows, late night shows, and news shows about sugar highs or amputations.  That stuff scares my kid who has diabetes.  You don't make fun of cancer, mentally handicapped, or other illness, so don't make fun of diabetes either.  It is anything but fun!

If you're going to talk about, research it, get your facts straight, make a well-informed piece.

Thank you, Amanda

Now, for the Wego Health NHBPM prompts for today, they were to make a care package for your fellow patients, or to tell a descriptive story about a memory. 

Yesterday I wrote a little about Kortnie's diagnosis in Dear Diabetes or you could read about her Diagnosis Story for some of my memories.

As far as a care package for our fellow patients, I actually can't really think of anything very nifty right now.  When Kortnie was in the hospital, it was a children's hospital.  They had all kinds of neat things there for her, they had the Disney channel, movies, video games, board games, and books they could bring to your room.  They also had a game room, arts and crafts room, and even a school room you could go to for awhile if you wanted, even a playground.  The people at Child Life brought her a Bag of Hope from JDRF, which had a Rufus bear in it, Rufus also has diabetes, they also brought her a couple of blood sugar meters and skins for them.  They let her pick out a medic alert bracelet too.  They had free wifi there too, so that was nice for me, I could update worried friends and family through facebook (no smart phone for me back then, they were still fairly new), and I could research Type 1 when she was resting or watching tv.  They gave us some books about diabetes, a whole binder full of information, great training, and free samples of meters and test strips.  They gave us toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, towels, and washrags, they had a lounge with a Keurig type coffee machine, tv, magazines, a refrigerator, microwave, and a shower for us parents.  The hospital was great to us.  I can't think of anything else they could have done for us. 

If I heard about a newly diagnosed family in the hospital.  I might bring them some food for the parents, tv dinners or something they could keep in the refrigerator and microwave in the lounge.  I might bring the kids a new pair of PJ's, for a girl some nail polish.  I would definitly bring them a list of helpful websites, groups on facebook, organizations, and blogs.  The biggest thing I would bring them is love, support, and prayers. 

Diabetes Fact of the Day
Sugar free is not necessarily good for a Type 1 Diabetic, sugar free candy and treats are usually filled with sugar alcohol which can cause tummy issues, and they almost always have just as many carbs as the non-sugar free version. 

Go take the Big Blue Test if 20,000 tests get logged by World Diabetes Day on November 14th, $100,00 will be donated by Roche Diabetes Care to humanitarian diabetes chairites around the world which will deliver lifesaving insulin and supplies to children around the world.  You don't have to have diabetes to do the test.  For a non-diabetic, all you need to do is 14 minutes of activity.  Dancing, Running, Aerobics, Zumba, Yoga, Weight Lifting, Swimming, Walking, Playing at the Park with you kids, Bicycling, anything.  It only takes a minute or less.  Go log your activity and help save a child here! 

A Super Awesome Turkey and Day 7 NHBPM

I interrupt this blog posting month to show you this super cute turkey craft my T1 daughter made.  The assignment was to get creative and dress up this turkey, all of the 3rd Grade turkeys will be decorating the cafeteria at their school.  Kortnie decided that she wanted to make her turkey look like herself, she found an old nasty site in her bathroom.  She usually has a shower on site change day, she can take her pump and site off and have a 15 minute un-connected shower about every 3 days, that is exciting stuff!  Apparently, there are some rogue sites floating around in there.  She also found an old tube in the stash of extra stuff in my closet.   I thought this was a grand idea, so I started looking around at some of our old pamphlets and diabetes propaganda and found a picture of a pump, meter, and poker that I didn't mind cutting out for her to use.  She made the dress out of scrapbook paper, and its totally something she would wear, she found an old silk flower in her bedroom and used that for a hair pretty, she even used a used bloody test strip.  She said her favorite BG number to be is 108 so that is the number she picked to write on her meter.  She asked me to draw a medic alert bracelet on the turkey too.   Isn't  it pretty?

 

Now for NHBPM Day 7, today's prompt was to Re-Design a doctors office.  Well, there are tons of things I would do to make a doctors office more fun. 

 

Our Endocrinologist has two different offices.  His main office is very nice, there is a window in the waiting room overlooking a grassy area with some sidewalks.  Its a nice view to look out on, other than that it is pretty boring.  There is a TV in there, but it plays some boring diabetes channel.  You would think that would be okay since after all, it is an Endo office, but, it's a Pediatric Endocrinologist.  The boring diabetes channel is kind of scary.    His satellite office is kind of blah too, he does have some cool Star Wars stuff hanging up in there behind the receptionists desk.  Our local family doctor here in town is pretty boring too, but the exam rooms are themed and fun.  Our Dentist waiting room is probably the best waiting room, it's small, but has tons of magazines and a Lego table.

 

Now with doctors offices you usually spend a lot of time in the waiting room, although for our Endocrinologist I don't think we've ever waited more than 10 minutes, if that, but usually just Kortnie and I and her dad if he's able to come with us, go back to see the doctor.  I'd like the waiting room to be a little more fun for Stasia and Graham since they sit there and wait for us for 45 minutes or so. 

 

What I'd like to see in doctors office waiting rooms in general.

-Better cell phone service, 3G and/or Wifi.  I am not a fan of people sitting and talking on the phone, but with the technology we have these days with smart phones and laptops, waiting rooms would be a lot less boring if we could surf the net. 

-More light, seems like they are always kind of dark and dreary, they need better lighting or windows.  Plants would be nice too.

-Fish Tanks, I love a waiting room with a fish tank!

-Boxes of tissues and hand sanitizer dispensers. 

-When I was pregnant with my daughters, my OBGYN had jokes on the ceiling above the exam table, she changed them often.  I loved those, all OBGYN's should have them.

 

What I'd like to see in Pediatric Waiting rooms

-More Color, paint your walls, go with a theme, something-anything!  It will ease the stress of the kids if they have something happy to look at.

-More magazines or books that cater to the kids, its nice that they have stuff for moms to look at, but wouldn't it be so much better if there were kids books that the mom could read to the kids, that would help relax them and take their mind off whatever they are there for.

-TV's of course are always a hit, but not boring medical channels.  Disney movies, PBS Cartoons, specialty kids news shows or cooking shows, Discovery Kids channel, I am sure there are tons of options.

-Fish Tanks, I mentioned that already, but kids love fish tanks too!

-Themed exam rooms, a different theme in each one, so the kid looks forward to which exam room they might get.

-Something to do in the exam room, I feel like we wait in there more than we wait in the waiting room.  Games, books, TV, just something.

-We used to go to a Pediatric Dentist in Flagstaff, they had an awesome waiting room, cool chairs to sit on, kites hanging from the ceiling, a jungle painted on the wall with stuffed animals hanging from the walls, even a slide and some fun toys, kid magazines as well as mom and even dad magazines, and the best part was that they had a separate entrance for the kids, a small kid sized door!

 

What would you like to see in doctors offices? 

 

My Status from Facebook today with my Diabetes Fact of the Day and Thankful post of the day was...

The Election is over, emotions are all over the place. It is what it is. Now its time to get back to what November really means. It should be a month for Thankfulness in our Country - and for me it and my family it is also Diabetes Awareness Month.
*Diabetes Fact of the Day* - In one year, a person with Type 1 Diabetes will give him/herself a minimum of 1,460 injections.
and
Today I am *Thankful* for the community that I live in, the roof over my head, my husband, my kids, and my dog (and our other crazy pets too).

 

 

My Favorite Blogs- NHBPM Day 6

Today's post prompts were to write a News Style Post or write about a time you had to take the high road.  Neither of those appealed to me today, so I decided to use one of the alternate prompts, which is to share my favorite blogs. 

I have lots of favorites, but here I'll share my favorite Diabetes blogs.  They are in no particular order.  I also have a list of blogs on the sidebar of my blog, some of those are my favorites, I try to keep that list updated, feel free to click on some of them and read.

Kerri over at Six Until Me or SUM was the first Diabetes blogger I found, shortly after Kortnie was diagnosed.  I was overwhelmed and scared, and ironically had watched the movie Steel Magnolias the day before Kortnie's diagnosis.  Steel Magnolias is about a young woman with Type 1 Diabetes, set in the 80's, she ends up dieing from complications to pregnancy and diabetes.  It is a heartbreaking story, and I was really freaked out, I asked about pregnancy and how normal of a life Kortnie would have while we were still in the hospital, the nurses said she could expect to have a healthy pregnancy and life if she took care of herself, they even mentioned that real life was not like the movie Steel Magnolias.  I laughed and told them I had just watched that movie on Saturday, Kortnie was diagnosed on Sunday and I probably asked that question on Monday or Tuesday.  Anyways, back to Kerri's blog, when I found it, we were probably a month of so into Kortnie's diagnosis and Kerri was blogging about her pregnancy.  I found her to be amusing, but serious, and I loved the peek into a grown woman's life, a woman who had been living with Type 1 Diabetes since she was 6, and was now experiencing her first pregnancy.   I still continue to read her blog often. 

Wendy over at Candy Hearts is another of my favorites.  She is a mom of 3 girls, her oldest daughter has Type 1 and Celiacs, Wendy also has Celiacs.  She even lives in the same state as me.  We have met each other in real life a few times, and our daughters were at Diabetes Camp together over the summer, in the same cabin.  I can't exactly remember how I found her blog, maybe I clicked over from Kerri's blog.  Wendy is passionate, she's a great writer, and she writes about situations that are similar to mine.  I also like that she writes about Celiacs, that is something I am also interested in.  Celiacs is an Auto-Immune disorder that shows up as a Gluten Allergy.  My husbands Grandma has Celiacs, and I sort of assume that Kortnie or one of my other kids will end up with it eventually.  It seems that once you have one Auto-Immune Disorder, more will follow eventually.  She also is a big supporter of the Life For a Child Campaign which is an organization that delivers insulin to children in countries where it is not available.  In some countries a diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes is a death sentence because those children do not have access to insulin.  One of my favorite posts on her blog was from her husband Mr. Rose, he took questions from the readers and answered them.  He even answered one of my questions.  I asked about how he handled taking care of the kids by himself and if he ever would be annoyed when/if Wendy called asking for a report.  This was at a time when I think we were still fairly newly diagnosed and I was having a hard time leaving Kortnie with her dad-or anyone else for that matter.  Now I am totally fine leaving her, for the record, Brian is an awesome father and very attentive to all of our kids and Diabetes, I do not have a problem leaving him in charge of the big D, he does things differently from me, but I have learned that that is OK! 

Rayna over at Beta Buddies is another of my favorites, she doesn't write super often but when she does it is funny and real.  I laugh and cry and sit here grinning at my computer.  She has colorful language and mascara fringed eye balls.  She is a hockey mom and a D-Mom and a mom who worries about how Diabetes affects the other Non-D kid.  She is an on-the-go mom like me and she gets irritated with her husbands pancreating skills-just like me!  Now in the paragraph above I mentioned that I have learned it's okay that Brian does thing differently from me, that is true, it's okay, but that doesn't mean that I don't roll my eyes at him behind his back or go stomping off when he does something that I don't like.  Somehow, reading about Rayna's Day-In-The-Life puts my day in perspective.  It's just nice to know that other women out there go through the same crap as me, and make the same mistakes and triumphs as me.  It's nice to laugh at the craziness of our world.

Meri at Our Diabetic Life is a fantastic writer.  She is the mother of 4 boys.  FOUR!  Not only is she mom of four boys, but 3 of them have Type 1 Diabetes.  THREE.OF.THEM!  Yikes.  Not only does she parent and love these 4 boys, but she has had a pretty crappy year, maybe the most craptastic year that anyone could imagine.  But, she continues to write, there is love in her writing, she somehow gives her reader comfort and peace, I am amazed at how she just keeps going and always has something good to say, she's also good for a good cry, and we all need that now and then.  I always kind of feel refreshed after a good cry.  I love being able to cry with these women in my computer, most of who I've never met in real life.  Check out her posts Anatomy of a Low and Alice in Diabetesland, two of my most recent favorites of hers. 

A few more of my favorites are
Dword Ramblings another AZ mom whose daughter was at camp with Kortnie.
My Diabetic Child, a mom who is funny and random and makes me laugh.
Death of a Pancreas  Jo, who is witty and made that You Tube video I posted yesterday
Diabetes Sweeties  A mom on the East Coast one of the first blogs I started reading
The Princess and The Pump  A cute girl and a cute mom
Houston...We have a PROBLEM  A fun mom who has 3 great kids, a little guy with T1, and a daughter with Chron's and another sweet girl, they lead a busy and interesting life, the little guy with Type 1 sure seems to keep her on her toes and keeps her laughing with the crazy antics he's in to.
Dimples and Diabetes  a real life friend of mine, her husband has Type 1, her Brother in law has Type 1, her daughter has Type 1, and her nephew too.  She has 5 daughters, they used to live in the same town as us and my Kortnie was friends with one of her daughters before little Libby got diagnosed.  She hasn't blogged in a long time, but she's still one of my favorites.  Love them!

All of these bloggers and many more have become my friends and I love reading about them and sharing some Same-Same with them.  I am also friends with all of them on Facebook and I love that social media gives me a place to connect with these other moms, so we can cry on each others shoulders, vent, share ideas, and lift each other up. 

Type 1 Diabetes Fact of the Day-
Approximately 80 people per day in the US are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  I consider ourselves lucky to have Diabetes in this country where we have access to the medications and supplies we need to keep our daughter alive.  A Type 1 Diagnosis in other countries can be a death sentence.   Diabetes hits the poorest hardest. In Zambia, a child with type 1 diabetes can expect to live an average of 11 years. In Mali, the same child can expect to live only 30 months. And in Mozambique, the child is likely to die within a year.