One year later: thankfulness

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 

Continue Reading

Meeting our baby … so close!

It’s so surreal, but by this weekend we will have our baby in our arms! My attempt was to document every part of this journey with pregnancy and T1D, but I underestimated the time it would take to actually manage both – let alone pregnancy alone and all that it encompasses. It’s even spilled over to other areas that non-high risk mamas seem to so gracefully accomplish by 20 weeks…a theme for the nursery (I still don’t know how to answer that), getting the nursery completed early on (we JUST got it finished), picking out and monogramming going home outfits (thankful for my mom and mother-in-law who made a fun day out of picking these items out).

Truthfully all of these things have moved to the back burner in place of my, and the baby’s health.

Ready or not, here comes motherhood!

To be fair, even with the discomfort of late pregnancy and the July heat, I feel blessed with how this pregnancy has gone. I’ve had a doctor’s appointment every week with either my endocrinologist or OBGYN, and thankful that every appointment has gone smoothly. As a precaution for diabetics, I am being induced

Continue Reading

A few T1D facts, thanks to Fuller House punchlines!

As a typical 90’s kid, I grew up watching Full House. I loved watching Danny Tanner and crew meddle and solve the problems of the three girls they were raising, the beautiful San Franciso setting, and the fact that I was the same age as the Olsen twins. Over the past few years, I started following Candace Cameron Bure – the girl’s got style, great fitness tips, and is open about her faith and family.

So when Netflix debuted Fuller House, I obviously started watching it! (Okay, and even hubs watched it with me too). We breezed through the first season so when the second season debuted in December, we naturally started it up again.

Everything was going as the first season did per usual, except when I reached the Halloween episode…

Continue Reading

T1D Footprint

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

jdrf-t1dfootprint

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

Continue Reading

Technology of a T1D: breaking it down

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 –

Continue Reading

An A1C Journey

I had my next post drafted….but that can wait. I had an appointment with my endocrinologist yesterday that I had to share. Please note that I find braggy posts annoying, and this is not one of them. This is about my journey of trying to get my A1C into the 6’s and how after lots of hard work (and let’s face it, some tears), it’s finally paying off!

IMG_0188

Last night we celebrated my A1C win with a delicious carb filled meal at Lucia. Who else has celebrated a good A1C with a delicious food!?

For non-T1Ds or those not as close to it, the A1C test measures what percentage of your hemoglobin — a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen — is coated with sugar (glycated). The test is limited to a 3-month average because the lifespan of a red blood cell is 3 months. So, that’s a fancy way of saying

Continue Reading

A special thank you to Dad

To me at 5 years old, “diabetes” really only meant I had to have regular, painful injections and absolutely, never, ever have candy …(with thanks to pumps and updated nutrition is a bygone of the past). Any time I eyed candy I still remember dad saying to me, “remember that girl in the hospital bed next to you that ate a Kit-Kat bar and wound up in the hospital?” Yeah…thank you, girl who ate a kit kat and wound up in the hospital…I thought I would never hear the end of that example.

Back to dad. I relied on my parents completely, and looking back, I don’t know how they did it. My mom went back to school to be a nurse so she could learn how to better help me (trying to avoid grabbing a tissue here, that will be for a later post) and my dad used humor, thoughtfulness and tested EVERYTHING before I did. And I mean everything. Pricking his finger, getting a shot, tasting my drink to make sure it wasn’t a regular Coke…you name it.

father's day

Me and Dad at Niagara Falls. You can’t see it here, but on my little finger was a bright blue band-aid from testing my blood sugar just before we went across this bridge. He kept all my diabetic supplies in that little bag on his back.

I remember being in that sterile hospital room and having the nurse prick my finger to check my blood sugar. With the large blood sample that was required, and obvious pain, I hated it! My dad, being the warm, caring dad he is, with a silly side he shares with few, let the nurse prick him before I was pricked. I still remember it like it was yesterday! He yelled out a whopping OUUUUCH!! And shook out his hand, which made me bust into endless giggles.

He also came up with a special song to sing to me before he would give me injections, “a frog went a courtin’ and he did ride…” Now, I realize it may have been to comfort himself just as much as it was meant to comfort me! You would think the hearing that song would bring back memories of painful anticipation before feeling the sting of a shot,  but it was such a comfort at the time that it only makes me smile. It was consistent and sweet.

FullSizeRender (1)

Me and Dad in Dallas when he came to visit a few years ago. We always make the most of our time together!

So, in the wake of dear old Dad’s Day on Sunday, thank you Dad. Thank you for the way you cared for me when I needed you most, and the way you continue to care for me. Thank you for all of the special times not related to diabetes at all. Thank you for being there in all aspects of my life to listen, impart wisdom be quick to love.

xoxo.
Lauren
Continue Reading