General – more than 1 type

One year later: thankfulness

July 17, 2018 No Comments

Today my friend Courtney at the Fort Worth JDRF chapter connected me with a fellow Type 1 wanting to start a family. She wanted some perspective of moms that have been through the process. I don’t claim to be an expert on T1D and pregnancy, but I was happy to share our experience.

We chatted about prepping for pregnancy– A1C numbers, low blood sugars, and even regular pregnancy stuff like vitamin brands. Truthfully it had been a long time since I thought back to late 2016/early 2017, but it brought up so much – the anxiousness of keeping tight control, the excitement of the unknown, and the joy of a little human growing inside me.

That reflection, coupled with

General, T1D Wins

T1D Footprint

November 2, 2016 2 Comments

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. JDRF had a brilliant idea where any T1D could create their footprint. Here is mine!

Should I be surprised by these numbers? Probably. But after 24 years of living with T1D, I have learned and decided to take everything one day at a time. Sometimes, one finger prick at a time… or one site change at a time… (no matter how frustrating it can be when we have a high or low number, or a site change I JUST put in that decided it didn’t want to work). Can I get an AMEN??

One of the revelations I did have from looking at these numbers is

General, Technology

Technology of a T1D: breaking it down

July 23, 2016 2 Comments

In the T1D universe, it’s common to throw around technology names. CGMs, PDMs, meters, pods, pumps and more are a part of our everyday language, and they are quite literally our lifelines.

To a non-T1D, these terms can be intimidating. What’s an Omnipod? Why do you still have to prick your finger if you wear a CGM? Do you still have to take shots? You see what I mean.

So, I am dedicating this post to breaking down my technology — step by step, device by device…for anyone interested, or anyone familiar with T1D and just curious about the technology I personally use. As I’ll note later, I love questions, and hope this post spurs more of them!

Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)

Let’s start with the newest technology to grace my skin…the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to see what my glucose levels are at all times. I use the Dexcom G5, and so far it’s worked out great. The CGM has a few different components to it, which I will gladly refer to the provided Dexcom graph:

Capture

A – this is a small sensor located just underneath my skin, which measures my glucose levels.

B – this is a transmitter, which basically connects the sensor information to a display device (C). I wear the sensor/transmitter either on my arm or tummy (see my main blog photo). I haven’t tried the leg yet.

C – The display device can either be the handy pager-looking machine or on an App on your smartphone. I personally only use the smartphone.

It works out perfectly for me because, let’s face it –