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 

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T1D and … Pregnancy!

There is big news in our household…Baby Grey is coming in July! As big of news as this is, you may be wondering why I haven’t been blogging about it! The truth is, I have been so occupied with managing my Type 1 Diabetes and pregnancy, that it has taken me time to 1) decide how I wanted to write about it 2) what I wanted to say and  3) sit down and DO it!

So, I thought I would start the first of many blog posts on some of the basics of T1D and pregnancy. Here are the usual questions I got when announcing the news to

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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…

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T1D Footprint

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

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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

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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:

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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 –

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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!

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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

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