An Inaugural Return! Complain and Opinion-ate #1

Two things before we start;

1. Jesus it took so much longer than expected to re-organize all this and even gain control of my blog(s) back.  Google, why you so difficult?

2. You probably thought my blogging career was dead.  You'd be partially right, because it has been for like a year, but partially wrong because I did a few posts over at my 'College Blog' (sadly my days as a teenager are numbered; very, very sad).  Why I didn't think to post on this blog and say I had a new blog is beyond me; I don't think of obvious solutions to problems a lot.  Either way, this blog for some reason has 11,000 (hoooooow!?) views, and I can change the name of it, so we're re-establishing blogging here!  And it starts now.  With a rant.  As you do.

Now then!

Okie dokie, this is volume two of the newest segment I’m calling ‘Reed Complains About Social Media Perpetuating Unhealthy Advice For People With Illness And/Or Diseases, and Gives You A Worthless Opinion On How To Correct Them.’  A mouthful I know.  I should also note that this is my second post on the topic.  Where’s the first one you may ask?  Well, long story short, I waited too long to finish it and by the time I found it again it was old news we didn’t need to hear about.  Oddly enough, though, it was still about breast cancer.  Beside the point, though.

Moving on; SO!  It’s November.  That means it’s Diabetes Awareness Month; cool!  I’m trying to wear blue everyday as a personal challenge.  I’ve gotten every day so far which is nice, but it’s only the 4^th and I count denim as blue, so we’ll see how that goes in the future (I'll keep you updated, maybe start posting pictures here?  Yes?  Yes.).  Many cool things have happened now that it's Diabetes Awareness Month.  Tons of Facebook profiles went blue on November first, my dating diabetic friends (DDF?) did a picture together with said blue to remind me I am single and lonely...what else?

Oh yeah, this started circulating:

Yeah!  Representation!  Yeah, trending Facebook picture!  Yeah, putting down breast cancer awareness!  Yeah - wait, what?  

Oh.  Oh no.

Part 1: Reed Complains About Social Media Perpetuating Unhealthy Advice For People With Illness And/Or Diseases

So, yeah.  I've seen this picture posted on three separate occasions by people in my life who have no relation to each other at all.  I'm not mentioning them, because they've all been good friends/people I love (and you posted this do not think I am calling you out, because I'm not trying to!).  I'm also not posting a direct source to the Facebook page, because I'm sure the comments there will echo my own (gosh, I hope they echo my own).  But I can summarize this photo in one word, and one word only!

No.

Just no.  This is super uncool.  Why would you post something like this?  I mean I get it; T1D is not a run-of-the-mill thing.  We don't get tons of ad campaigns or fancy shirts everywhere or our logos on 5 Hour Energy bottles.  Yeah, we get a lot of ridiculous complications and I've been up at 3AM before to test my blood sugar.  Does that mean T1D is more important than breast cancer awareness (even though it isn't directly named, this is a jab at the breast cancer awareness; I mean the picture's even pink for crying out loud)?  Is it better?  Maybe in the sense that T1D isn't as fatal as breast cancer, but beyond that?  No.  I would rather have my Type 1 Diabetes than even think about cancer; I feel like I'm jinxing myself typing it.

Maybe ironically, I haven't actually seen this posted by someone with Type 1 Diabetes.  I'd like to think means I know good people.  Or, more likely, I know people who recognize putting down others is wrong.

Also on a side rant, who the hell thinks breast cancer awareness is sexy?  Have you seen what surgeries to remove that caner/mastectomies/other operations do a person's body?  Breast cancer isn't sexy.  Cancer awareness isn't sexy.   It's supposed to be a serious thing.

Part 2: Reed Gives You A Worthless Opinion On How To Correct Them [Them Being the Bits of Unhealthy Advice]

Now I sound like I'm on an intellectual high horse or something; I'm not, I promise.  Because I used to think like that photo up there.  I mean, people are tired about hearing about breast cancer awareness month.  Everything's pink, we get it.  You guys have tons of money anyway from this; who cares?

When this issue first came up, I decided to do a quick search about all of these companies that do breast cancer awareness things every year.  It turns out, sadly, a lot of them aren't really associated with any organization, and are just looking to cash in on a very sad and serious disease.  It even got so bad people had to start an organization to remind you to look into what breast cancer awareness organizations/products you supported; talk about inception.  So not only do people with breast cancer get less money for life-saving research, the general population gets sick of the marketing and goes on to make ridiculous photos like the one above, denouncing their fundraising efforts.

Reading the above, you know I'm supposed to give you a worthless opinion on how to correct these ideals.  I say worthless because I am a random person on the internet with a blog; my opinion, in the long run, will be worth very little.  Despite this, I am going to give not one, but two worthless opinions on how to combat this unhealthy advice.  I know; hold your applause.  This is just an apology for not posting my first rant.

Worthless Opinion 1: Do not treat diseases/illnesses like it is the flipping 'Who Has it Worse' Games

Please don't do this.  I used to play this game.  It sucks.  Everyone loses.  Diseases and illnesses suck for different reasons.  They aren't not all the same.  Some carry more risk of different things, but at the end of the day they all interrupt a person's life, just in different ways.  It's like that anti-bullying campaign they teach in school; putting someone down to raise yourself up does not make you a better person.  Likewise, Putting down cancer does not makes T1D better.  It makes you a jerk, and it makes the T1D community look like jerks.  Don't do it.

Worthless Opinion 2: Do your best to treat all of these different diseases/illnesses with respect.

It's hard, I know.  You're sick of pink T-shirts and pretty women flashing their boobs for 'Breast Cancer' even though they probably don't have a tie to it (there's so much more wrong with this trend anyway, but my soap box is high enough for this blog post).  Likewise, you may be sick of that Wilford Bremley 'Diabeetus' meme that for some reason still exists.  It's hard, but please try to remember there are people behind these diseases.  People who do not fit the molds these advertisements/memes lead you to believe.  These people are sick, and they need your help.  And working together we can get a step closer to helping.  It may not be easy, you could slip up (I've slipped up), but acknowledging those mistakes is the first step to learning from them.

Let me be clear: I do not think you are a bad person if you reposted that picture.  I think you just didn't realize it's actually really hurtful to a lot of people.  If you're upset, go back and delete it.  Find a cool organization that actually donates money to breast cancer research and drop off a few bucks, if you want to.  Then go drop of a few more bucks to JDRF, because hey World Diabetes Day is coming, and I am a T1D blogger, after all.

*

Okay?  Okay.  Wow that was a long post.  I didn't really expect to finish it either.  What do you know.  Anyway, I'm going to try and do this fairly regularly again.  Even if I do just post pictures for November or do more rants like this (who doesn't love a good rant on the internet, right?) or just post a paragraph now and then.  I'm going to try and do something, is my point.  Though I may just update in another 6 months with a picture of a raccoon wearing and Omni Pod or something.  That'd be adorable.

If you have taken the time to read through my ramblings on this topic, I salute you.  Thanks.  Opportunity to agree/yell at me is down below in the comments section.  Thanks in advance.

The Triumphant Return to Ask For Your Aid!

It has been far too long.  I apologize.  I'll never take that long of a break from blogging again.

DMama's and T1D's, lend me your ears!  I have come asking for your assistance in everyone's favorite subject; advocating!

Background; this year, I'm taking a class called Social Problems.  Our 'final' for this class involves working at a non-profit organization, and then writing a paper talking about the specific social problems that particular organization deals with.  And this may surprise you, but I decided to look at the social problems surrounding T1D and it's misconceptions.

In many ways, I feel that the lack of knowledge and abundant misconceptions cause T1D to be a social problem.  How many times have you been asked 'can you eat that?'.  'Did you get diabetes because you ate too much sugar?'  'Why do you have your phone out in class?' (Even though insulin pumps look nothing like cell phones and a vast majority of them are attached to your body).  These questions are not always asked with negative intentions, but the more people who know about it the better.  And the best way to keep a person's attention is by story telling!

That's where you come in.  I need your help.  Either through comments or email, tell me your stories.  D Mama's - do you feel your child is treated differently now that they're T1D?  Do their teachers and peers really understand what they're going through?  Has there been a particular time you've had to lay down the law?  Diabetic kids and teens - do you think you're treated differently?  Is the lack of knowledge (if you feel there is any) about T1D a problem in society?  What is the most popular misconception about diabetes you want to take into the streets and smash with a hammer?  Adult T1D's - how is it dealing with T1D for so long?  Or if you're recently diagnosed; how do you think your life would have been effected if you'd been diagnosed as a child?

Guys, I'm so excited to write this paper.  My teacher is excited to read it.  Of course names will be changed and such, but I know these stories will be a great help. If you can, spread this around; the more stories the merrier!  I'm very excited to hear from you all, and can't wait to help spread the T1D word!

(I mean come on, sometimes we need to vent about the lack of T1D knowledge!)

Reed Finally Talks About Children's Congress!

So, it's been a nice summer around here.  Full of highs and lows (figuratively and literally speaking), but I feel like there's something missing....something I was supposed to tell you guys....

Oh yeah.  I went to Children's Congress!

This is extremely delayed, I'm so sorry!  There was so much going on, and so much going on when I got back that time slipped away!  But I'm here now, and through pictures and sometimes snarky phrases, I will relay to the best of my abilities the awesomness that went down.  Here goes.

Day 1

Day one actually started in the afternoon, when we preformed the Children's Congress (henceforth referred to as CC because I'm too lazy to type out 'Children's Congress') song Promise to Remember Me.  This in itself was cool - what was even cooler was preforming it with Crystal Bowersox!  You know, American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox, who has albums and fans and stuff?  Yeah that was pretty awesome, and she was so nice!  We all talked to her at one point or another, and she was so laid back with all of it we were all ecstatic (Plus she made the song sound really nice).

We were all organized by height for the video, which in a way forced us all to socialize some.  Friendships were made, and song lyrics were hastily learned, and we all had a good time.  After that, we went by state and took photos with Crystal and Olympic swimmer Gary Hall.  Double awesome!

I'm in the middle, Maxwell on the left, and Grant to the right.

There was a dinner after that where we all got acquainted, and afterwords it was off to bed and onto a new day.

Day 2

Day 2 had so much going on!  There was a 'Town Hall' meeting with a bunch of celebrities, workshops for how to talk to our Congressmen, and a huge social hour where we handed our souvenirs to each other!  I got to meet tons of new people, including;

Mac, a delegate from South Carolina, who may or may not have become a totally awesome friend over those three days (despite a few short jokes), and

Landry, a Colorado delegate and former Las Vegas Youth Ambassador. It was great to see him again, and he did awesome with his stuff there!,

There was also a photo booth with a bunch of props, and well...I may have sported a Batman mask.  It was in the name of a cure and saving Gotham City. Photo barrage, attack!

Town Hall Livestream; an awesome morning!

Trading off with Anders, the international delegate from Denmark

Mac and I handing out souvenirs - Welcome to Las Vegas pins and sunglasses!

I warned you... (with Landry, Colorado delegate)

Tons of time was spent in that photo booth...

...This one is just because I wanted to show everyone Mac with a clown nose sorry not sorry

Day 3

Day 3 was actually going to talk to the Congressmen, and no lie, I was nervous!  But by the end of the day, I was completely at ease.  Everyone I talked to was wonderful, and very willing to fight T1D!  While I don't have very many pictures of the meetings, I did get these a few weeks after CC;

Signed photos from our meeting with Senate majority leader Harry Reid!  It was a great surprise to see, and meant a lot that the Senator took time out of his schedule to not only talk with us, but sign these photos for us.  

After the meetings, we all headed over to take a group photo before heading to the hearing.  And when we were all there, we got a visitor...and by a visitor, I mean Vice President Joe Biden.  As in he came to see us all!  It was so awesome, and quite a few delegates have selfies with him on their Facebook profiles!

Yeah, it was really awesome!

Blown up because there were a lot of us!  I'm in the fourth row on the right.

I, meanwhile, opted for a photo with my new best buddy.  (As soon as I find your email I'll write, Mac!  I swear!)

After that, it was on to the hearing (which I couldn't find a good video of, but if you look around I'm sure you'll find one).  And then, just like that, Children's Congress was over.

Overall, I had an outstanding time at CC.  I met tons of new people, experienced so many new things, and came out of it so proud to represent T1D.  While it was weird without my fellow Las Vegas ambassadors, I know they'll continue on the legacy in 2015 (cough*Blake and Justice*cough).  

As per wrap up, here's an awesome board I put together of some of the souvenirs from Children's Congress.  I've found a few more pins in my luggage since then (New York and Illinois among others, I think), and they'll be added too.  I've also got the autographs from all the people at Town Hall, which will be hung up soon.  And though you can't see it, this hangs proudly next to my Children's Congress rejection letter, partially to confuse people, and partially to prove that sometimes the world can surprise you in awesome ways.

At the end of the day, all I can say is thank you.  It's the only thing that comes close to the gratitude I feel.

Painting Pods

I said earlier I was painting some of my Omni Pods, and I thought I'd share the final product

I did three others, but the stencils didn't work well and meh. I'm not an artist.

Note:  If you want to do this yourself, I used acrylic paint and basic stencils. I also used paint sealers for these pods so they don't wash off in the shower, but I've painted some before without a sealer, and they lasted like 10 minutes in the shower before the paint came off.  So if you're super careful, you can probably make them last all three days.

My Second Children's Congress Blog is Live!

I'm pleased to announce my second blog for Children's Congress is live right here!  With the help of Kerri at Six Until Me, I created a small diabetic slang dictionary, and I'm sorta really proud of it.  Apparently it's been getting a lot of feedback, which makes me really happy!  But if you read that post and you like it, Kerri's got an entire e-book called Diabetic Terms of Endearment you should check out.  Just scroll down on her page until you find the unicorn typing on the computer, and click that.

And now, I'm in a creative mood, so I'm off to paint my pods!

Finger Pricks (Micro Update)

So, my doctor keeps telling me I should start pricking the sides of my fingers instead of directly on the pads of them, and up until now I've just smiled and nodded and gone about my ways. But then this happened:

I mean, I've never seen a scab turn black before. AND, it isn't even raised like a scab, which is even stranger and freaking me out a little. Time to start using the sides of my fingers so my irrational fears of accidentally killing myself don't come true.

Doctor: 1

Sassy Teenager: 0

My First Blog For Children's Congress Is Live!

I'm pleased to announce the first of my two blog posts is live right now on the official Children's Congress website.  Please check it out here!

I'm Going to Children's Congress!

...Wait, what?

Reed, you aren't going to Children's Congress, remember?  You made that post about being rejected from it.  It contained references to country music and a bunch of 'Never give up!' type messages.  You've got the rejection letter hanging in your bedroom.  Remember that?

Yep!  And I'm still going.

I know what you're thinking; how?  Allow me to answer that to the best of my abilities.  The way I understand it, one of Nevada delegates ended up moving to another state in January.  That delegate still gets to attend Children's Congress, but they will be representing the state they now reside in.  That put Nevada one delegate short for Children's Congress.  And the person they ended up choosing as a replacement was...well, me.

So...yes!  I get to attend Children's Congress this summer!  My entire family is excited beyond words (my mom may or may not have cried when we found out), and I really can't wait to meet everyone!

And there's more news!  I'm going to be working with JDRF to do a few blog posts counting down to Children's Congress!  I'll be sure to post here with links when my blogs go up, but for now you can go read the first post, written by California delegate Jonathan (who by the way, is so eloquent for a third grader I can't even begin to comprehend it.  I've got some serious competition here, guys!).  I also have another blog up on the local JDRF website, so go ahead and check it out too!  Along with that, our Youth Ambassador coordinator Marcy helped me set up a Twitter that I'll be using leading up to Children's Congress and even more when I get there.  To be honest, I know close to nothing when it comes to twitter, but I promise I'll do my best.

I'm so honored to end up with this opportunity, and I'm really excited that the original Nevada delegate still gets to go to Washington with us.  Every kid in world with diabetes deserves to go to Capitol Hill and talk to Congress about the struggles they've faced.  I don't know if I can speak for every juvenile diabetic out there, but I promise to do my best.

Also, one final thing before I go!  If anyone remembers, a few posts back I was posting little bits of diabetic slang here and there.  And I want to know if there's any sort of slang you guys use when it comes to diabetes.  Feel free to leave it in the comments or email me.  I'm using it for a project you'll get to see later.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend!

Apple Juice is a Girl's Best Friend (And Gala Updates)

Funny story about my life before diabetes - I hated had a strong dislike for apple juice.  Seriously, I would never touch it.  I was fine with orange juice and stuff like that, but apple juice?  Out of the question.  My 7-year-old self was very stubborn on the topic.

Another funny story; when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, my 3rd grade class room was a pretty long walk from the nurses office.  My teacher was also a diabetic mom, so she knew how to handle things like lows.  And I distinctly remember telling her I didn't drink apple juice, and her response being along the lines of 'well I hope not, because you'll probably have to drink it sooner or later.'

On that note, say hello to one of my best friends!

Last week, my blood sugars decided to play a terrifying game called 'Stay in the 50's and 60's for two straight hours'.  I can't speak for other people, but there are just days when my blood sugar refuses to rise.  I don't know why it does that, but I do know my most recent episode had me missing school and downing juice and Starburst for the rest of the day.  And I came upon this picture I'd texted to a friend, and I figured it could help with a fun new post.

Long of the short of it, I've tried my fair share of juices to treat lows; apple, orange, cranberry, and all sorts of things like that.  I no longer hate apple juice, and since it's the only kind my nurse carries, that's what I'm stuck with in the event I go low.  Or until I get my lazy self in gear and go buy my own low snacks (if I steal another rice cake from Chaz, our 6th grade diabetic, he just might kill me).  Whichever comes first.

So yes, no big deep meaning behind today's blog post, just expressing how angry my 7-year-old self would be if she found out I eventually caved to the sweet, BG-raising goodness.  Because, really, these are big issues to 7-year-olds.  I think.

As far as anything else of interest coming up, I'm getting really excited for the JDRF Gala in a few weeks.  If you're in any way involved in a JDRF chapter where there's a Youth Ambassador program and a Gala, the girls will tell you this is super important!  Now I just have to figure out what to do with my pump.  I glued a peacock feather on it last year, but this year I may just paint it (Yay for expressive OmniPods!).  Along with that, I have some super exciting news I hope to share with you all soon!  Stay tuned!

1,300 (Or How Not to Listen to Depressing Country Music)

Today, I'd like to tell you a little bit about Children's Congress.

Every other year, JDRF does thing where they get a bunch of kids from all 50 states (and the District of Columbia - yay for remembering the District of Columbia!), and take them to Washington D.C.  From there, these kids get to meet face-to-face with members of Congress, and show them why finding a cure for T1D is so important.  It was sort of an underground thing until 2009, when every tween's favorite diabetic (aka Nick Jonas) went to the event.  Then, boom!  Everybody wanted to be involved.  Because...hey, who doesn't want to bond with a hot singer over blood sugar problems?  I do!

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.  This year, I decided I'd try my hand at applying for Children's Congress.  I mean, I work hard in JDRF, I'm advocating in the community, not to mention sharing my story with my own personal blog (wink, wink).  I can do this!

So anyway, applications were due around November, and earlier today, I today I got my response letter in the mail.  And as you can see, I'm hanging it proudly on my bedroom wall!  Why?  Well, because it had some pretty awesome-sauce news on it!  Yeah, that's right!  This letter is an awesome reminder that I applied for Children's Congress 2013 and I didn't get in!

...Wait, what?

Yes, you read that right!  I will not be attending Children's Congress this year.  Or, well, ever.  See, to qualify for the program, you have to be between 4 and 17.  Since it's held every other year, this 2013 meeting was my last chance to be in it.  And, well, that's not going to be happening.

Alright, sarcasm aside.  Am I upset?  Yes, I am.  I spent a lot of time on my application, working hard to make sure it was perfect, and spending months worrying about whether or not my hard work paid off.  And I got the answer to that question today, and there's no beating around the bush; it didn't.  And that sucks (It probably didn't help that my blood sugar was low when I got the letter.  Low BG's = sensitive emotions = sob fest).

But you know what?  It's ok.

See, according to this letter I received, over 1,500 kids from all over the country applied to Children's Congress this year.  That means that in this country, there are 1,500 people who understand how sucky low blood sugars in the middle of the night are, how annoying it is to hear how your friend's grandpa's cat has diabetes, and understand the alternate definition for the word SWAG (hint: it's Scientific Wild-Ass Guess, which is creating a random bolus/injection amount for a certain food or drink when you don't know how many carbs are actually in it).  Also, I seriously doubt this program will accept more than 150 kids into it, which means over the next few weeks, there are going to be 1,300 kids who understand how much it sucks not to be accepted to Children's Congress.  Even suckier, this may not be their only rejection letter, and I can't imagine that.

So, there are now 1,300 of us in this little club.  What do we do, guys?

We be happy.

I know, I'm not making much sense right now.  Hear me out.  Yes, we're not going to Children's Congress.  But that doesn't mean nobody's going to Children's Congress.  Roughly 150 (estimated by my math skills, which admittedly aren't very good but that's ok for this example) kids are going to be there, and they're going to advocate like freaking crazy!  These guys are not going to leave until every person in Congress can accurately define 'rage bolus' (another hint: it's a large bolus/series of mild bolus's administered to correct high blood sugar, which can sometimes lead to low blood sugar.  I think we need a diabetic slang dictionary).  Diabetes is going to be in excellent hands with these guys.  I know it and you know it.

Yes, we are allowed to be sad.  We are allowed to be angry, and we are allowed to mope around and listen to depressing country music for a few days (Blog title tie-in...here!).  But what we are not allowed to do, let this decision bother us.  Because it doesn't matter if we're going or not.  What matters is that, overall, 150 kids are going.  And they are going to bring us one step closer to a cure.  In fact, just writing in to these guys has brought us closer.  Wanting to be a part of Children's Congress has shown how important this is, and has made other people take it seriously.  Whether we know it or not, all 1,500 of us, together, took a big step in getting closer to the cure.

And that's all we can ask for.

2013

Getting wild on New Years Eve with drinking.....regular soda.

#diabeticlife


Happy 2013 everyone!

Today.

Today reminds me that this world

Has evil, hate and scorn.

And at the same time shows me,

How heroes can be born.

I will look upon my friends today,

And family in my life.

And no one will forget today,

No matter how they try.

Today it does not matter

If my blood sugar was high.

For I look up and I thank God

Today I have my life.

May Peace And Love Find Newtown, Connecticut Tonight.

World Diabetes Day

You knew this was coming.

For those of you who aren't very connected to the diabetic world, November 14th is World Diabetes Day.  It's the birthday of the guy who invented insulin or something like that, and all the diabetic communities put up long and sappy posts about the hardships dealt with and the friendships made, because without this guy and his invention, the world would be down a couple hundred million people.

And hey, if you can't beat 'em - join 'em.

It's been 10 years since I was diagnosed with this disease, and remembering what life was like before it can sometimes be very difficult or as clear as water.  I have certain memories in my head, and instead of thinking about the good times they hold, the only question that comes to mind is 'was I diagnosed then?'  I never want another child on this Earth to think that way.  I've had days where I've felt like a stronger person for dealing with this disease, and days where I've wanted to throw my insulin pump out the window and say screw it because I can't deal with it anymore.

However (yes, there is a however), I can't deny the good things diabetes has brought me.

I know, I know; what good things?  But you'd be surprised.

I'll be honest; diabetes has helped me find a voice.  I've been able to go in front of my community and educate them, and help them understand a large percent of this country.  I've been able to meet people, make friends, and be a part of a large community of caring and creative people (because come on; I've seen people turn lancets into adorable earrings; how many people know what a lancet even is?).  The friends I've made through diabetes will last a lifetime.

Yes, my eyes are closed.  No laughing

I don't think I'd be who I am today without diabetes, and for that I am truly grateful.  The laughs, the tears, the people, the lessons...they all mean something.  Back when I was little, and people asked me to name a superhero, I would've named some guy with a comic book and spandex.  Nowadays I can't even think of the word superhero without thinking of D-Boy, the diabetic superhero and his sidekick Ribbon (pictured above), or the amazing mother that has made them so strong (looking at you, Alexis!).

So for the friends, the doctors, the nurses, the awesome JDRF office workers at my local branch, the overly-kind teachers who have let me retake final exams, and my own family...thank you.  Thank you for having hope in my despite this disease, and thank you for giving me the strength to fight it.  I love you all more than I can begin to put into words.

Nuggets of Truth and Wisdom: Control

Free Day (And Candy Corn)!

Before we get to the important things, I'd like to start out this post by saying everyone in my neighborhood had an obsession with cobwebs.  Seriously, about half the houses in my neighborhood have those things hung up on walls, bushes, you name it.  I feel like we missed the memo saying 'By the way, every October you MUST use cobwebs in your Halloween decoration.'

Seriously.  I mean...why?

Anyway; it's Halloween!  Candy and costumes and scary movies and staying out late with your friends.  It's a kid's favorite time of year and a diabetic parent's worst nightmare.  Because trust me, if my parents scolded me about eating too much candy before, boy did they get more uptight about it on my first Halloween as a diabetic.

Speaking of which, let's talk about my first Halloween as a diabetic!  I'd been diagnosed for about 3 months by the time Halloween rolled around, and by that time my parents were watching everything I put into my mouth with a magnifying glass.  So when October 31st rolled around and I went trick-or-treating at Alex Bice's big Halloween party (oh it was a big deal; every 3rd grader who was anybody was there *sarcasm*), they warned me extensively that I needed to bring my bag of candy to them when we all got back so they could help me count carbs for it and do a shot and everything.  So I did, and while everyone else got to munch away on anything and everything, I got stuck with (I remember to this day) a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, a fun sized Snickers, and a Laffy Taffy.

Now I'm not beating around the bush; I was freaking pissed.  It was Halloween for God's sake!  I wanted candy, blood sugar be damned.  And when it became obvious I wasn't getting any more, I went from pissed to sad.  Especially since Alex's party was a candy-trading hotspot, and I had nothing to trade for.  I was the saddest diabetic witch you'd ever seen (at least, I think I was a witch.  It might have been a genie).

Thankfully, I wasn't the only one to have this revelation.  My parents realized being denied candy on Halloween was cruel and unusual punishment, diabetic or not.  And thus, we established the concept of 'Free Days'.

I'm assuming most parents of diabetic children have something similar to it, but overall the concept is this; check your blood sugar, do a big fat dose of insulin, and go have fun.

That's what I've done every Halloween since then, and I've been a happy pirate, genie, or whatever I'm dressed up as.  Sure, there's the possibility I might go too high or too low, but who cares?  It's a holiday.  If you can't unwind for holidays, when can you unwind?

To be honest, I think these free days are completely necessary to a kid with diabetes.  We go through so much, every day, and are constantly worried about what we do, what our parents think, and what's going to happen.  It's nice every now and then to remember we're kids first, and diabetics second.  One day is not going to hurt us in the long run, and everyone needs a break.

So, just take a deep breath.  Have fun, eat a Twix, and don't worry about it.  That's the best advice I can give.

A Letter To Diabetes

Dear diabetes,

I know we've had our ups and downs (and wayyy more ups than I'd like).  I know that you don't like me and I don't really like you.  I feel like I try so hard to make you feel happy, and sometimes I forget you're even there.  I like those times - we're always on good terms then.  But there are times when I'm tired of fighting you, and I don't take care of you, and you run chaos on my body.  Those days annoy the hell out of me, and all I want to do is kick you out of my house.  But of course I can't, because 1) You drained all of my energy so I can barely move from the couch, and 2) (sort of the more obvious one) you're inside of me, and tearing out my pancreas would be really painful and make me sort of...well, dead. 

But the thing is - we're sort of stuck with each other now.  I know you don't like it - and trust me I don't either.  But we need to start getting along, because if we don't start working this out, I can guarantee there will be fatal consequences.  And I don't think either of us want that.

I'm not saying this is solely your fault; there have been times where I just don't pay enough attention to you, and you have to mess with everything to make yourself known.  But then when I try to do what you want, you just don't listen to me.  My blood sugars will stay up and my ketones won't go away, and then I just end up getting my family and friends worried about me.  And that's the last thing I want.

I know you don't want to deal with me, but I really don't want to go to the hospital.  So...what do you say?  Truce?  At least until Friday, because I have a huge test and *insert teacher's name here* is going to be really annoyed if I have to come in tomorrow morning to do it.

Sincerely,
The body you're currently inhabiting

Nuggets of Truth and Wisdom: Low Blood Sugar

(Not that I've done this...)

The Flight-Jumper Effect (Or History's Shortest Camp)

I think that once you've had diabetes for a certain amount of time, you tend to become a bit lazy about it.  'Oh yeah, my blood sugar's a little high - that happens after *insert activity/food here*.  It'll be fine.'  We like to think we're in control of it, that we are the all knowing monitor of diabetes.  Unfortunately, that isn't always the case.

Note: *Extremely long and slightly scary story to come, D-Mamas.  But hopefully for the best.*

Recently, I was in New York for a summer camp of sorts.  It was my first time there, and naturally I was excited and terrified for my life at the same time.  I kept getting those jittery legs - you know, the ones that you get when your blood sugar's high but also when you're really stressed?  I kept checking my blood sugar - nothing out of the ordinary.

Jump to two days into the program.  I unluckily enough have food allergies on top of my diabetes (hooray for a suckish immune system), so the cafeteria food was not doing me much good.  I cut back on my eating a lot in a short amount of time, relying on the small grocery store a few blocks from the dorm I was in.  There wasn't much, but it was the only one I could reach in the boundaries the camp had set up for us.  Also being a first-time camper, I was suffering from that wonderful feeling known as 'homesickness'.  Stuff was going on in my family, and I was upset I wasn't there for it.  So add that nervousness on.

Getting back to my room that night, I was not feeling up to par.  I figured the cafeteria had poisoned me again (Cross-contamination, I was starting to think, because they insisted it was gluten-free but I kept ending up sick), and went to check my blood sugar.  134, I clearly remember.

Now, I've learned to rely on my body a lot when it comes to my blood sugar - I can usually tell when my blood sugar's low, when it's high, and when I have ketones.  You can get them in the low 200s, I've unfortunately discovered.  So I didn't care if it was 134 - something was not right.

My parents had splurged on a ketone meter for me that I could take to New York - you know, one of those 'just in case' things.  I grabbed that, knowing that despite my picture-perfect numbers, something wasn't right.

My ketone level was 1.3  

For those of you who don't use it, a 1.3 on the ketone meter is pretty much off-the-scale on the strips.  It's larger than large, one of the deepest purple colors you can find.  The stress I was under, combined with a sudden lack of carbohydrates and protein, was sending me right into DKA with squeaky clean blood sugars to match.

Let me just say that seeing that number was one of the most terrifying experiences in my life.  I was on my own, no parents (already homesick), and had no clue what to do.  It was like being transported back to the hospital room when you first hear you need shots every day for the rest of your life.  And there's a sort of fight or flight response when it comes to numbers like that.  I chose the flight response - literally.  The next day I was on a plane home.

Now let my say it was not solely my diabetes that made me leave (I don't want you going to your parents using this as an excuse for why you shouldn't spend the weekend at Grandma's), but I'd be lying if I said it didn't play a role.  Now I can go into a million 'what if' scenarios on this, but that will get me nowhere.  So based on my personal experience, I'm going to share what helped me with this (besides airplanes), and what I feel could've been extremely beneficial in my situation.

*Get rid of stress*

This was not a step I followed very well.  Wanting to be home so badly for various reasons, I'd managed to convince myself that the only way to relieve stress was to go home.  That probably wasn't my best option, but it was late and I was tired and it seemed brilliant at the time.  Either way, the main point stays - calm down.  Do yoga, meditate, watch your favorite TV show; just try and find a way to take a load off for a little while.  Stress is like adrenaline for ketones - it just makes them keep going.  You calm down, and they loose energy.

*That water there?  Chug it*

I followed this step much better.  If your blood sugar's in the normal range, you can't exactly take insulin.  That leaves your other favorite alternative (the one my school nurses are always recommending); water.  I downed two bottles in a half hour.  Some websites recommend eating something and taking insulin to cover for it, that way it can also get to work on the ketones.  I have no idea if this method works, since I didn't try it.  What I can say, however, is that water will be your new best friend for a while.

*Call a professional*

Most camps are lucky enough to have an RN or some type of medical professional on staff for an emergency.  I, however, got an Asian guy who was not completely fluent in English, kept his office locked at night, and slept in an entirely different building then the one I - and his locked office - were in.  So obviously, I didn't have professional medical help.  In a situation like this you may feel like you can pull the 'I know my diabetes' card, but that's going to look pretty lame in comparison to a trip to the hospital.  Call your doctor.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  If you're like me, and it's the middle of the night (isn't it always when bad things happen?), you may quickly find out how Google can also become part of that buddy group with the water bottle.

*Do not expect a sudden miracle*

I later found out that from the time I started my camp to the day I left (three days), I'd lost 6 pounds.  My ketones had obviously going for a while, and they had no plans of stopping.  Five days of building them up in your system does not equal five hours to get rid of them.  It took me two days before I flushed them out.  It's going to take time.  You will still feel crappy, yes, and I'm sorry.  But it's going to be a little bit before they're gone.

The normal blood sugar/high ketone scenario is a scary one - I'm not going to lie (especially in an unfamiliar place in the middle of the night with Dr. Useless for company - but I digress).  I honestly don't know if I handled it well or not.  But what I have to remember is that what happened happened, I did not end up in the hospital, and I have a better understanding of how to prevent it.  Having diabetes for a certain number of years does not suddenly put you in the clear of the emergency room.  Keep that in mind.

On the other hand though, all those perfect blood sugar's caused my A1C to lower a full point.  Maybe New York has some positives after all.

Education on Diabetic Stereotypes

Just before I was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with diabetes, I - like any seven-year-old who needed to read books for school - was starting to read The Baby-Sitter's Club.

Oh yeah, you have no idea where I'm going with this, right?

I love the Baby-Sitters Club novels, I do.  They were really fun to read and they're fun to look back on and laugh at because of how unrealistic they are.  But it's not just the scenarios they were in that were unrealistic.  But rather...one particular character; you probably don't even know who I'm talking about.  She was pretty minor.  But she had this disease...really no big deal.

Ok, ok, time to be (a bit more) serious.  For those of you without 90's roots, the BSC novels had a main character named Stacey,  who was the 'city girl' of the gang.  But, as we all know, Stacey was diabetic.  And - OMG, that's like the worst thing ever to be diagnosed with!  No sugar, no good food, having to take shots all day and survive off of chicken and bread!  How did you live!

When some of my classmates found out I had diabetes, a few of them assumed I was just like Stacey from the Baby-Sitters Club (except...you know; younger and not from NY).  I know they were just trying to be friendly about it, and I suppose I appreciate it on that level.  But on the other hand...ugh.

Thankfully, my teacher that year had a son who was diabetic, so she was able to straighten everybody in the class out.  While I was glad my third-grade nightmare was over, she warned me this would happen again.  And boy, was she right.

Half the time, I don't think people mean to ask such stereotypical questions; they honestly have no knowledge of the disease, and the media does little to show the difference between Type 1 and 2 diabetes.  And usually you don't mind answering these questions, especially if it saves another diabetic the trouble of answering them.  But going on to my 9th year of the disease, I will admit I'm getting less and less...descriptive when answering.  In fact, in my P.E. class this year, I was reminded just how annoying those questions were, as my conversations with a particular girl usually went like this;

Girl: Oh hey, what is that?

Me: Just my meter.  I'm diabetic.

Girl: Ooooh.  So what are you doing with it?

Me: ...Testing my blood sugar.  I'm pretty sure I'm low.

Girl: Is that good or bad?

Me: ...Bad.

Girl: Oh.  *pause* Can I watch you take your blood pressure?

Me: Blood sugar.  And sure...I guess *pricks finger*

Girl: Ahhhh!  I didn't know you were going to bleed!  Doesn't that hurt?

...Yeah.  Don't pretend that's never happened; you know they've asked!  And you've gotten annoyed!  So that leaves the question; what are you to do?

Firstly, like I said earlier, most of these people are not trying to be annoying.  They're genuinely curious what that cell-phone looking thing is and why that pen just made you bleed...they don't mean harm.  Now I know that doesn't make it less annoying, but I always try to remember it when people are asking me questions.  Usually I can get through it.

Now, this leads to another question, often asked by my peers and the occasional teacher; what are bad diabetic questions - because I don't want to make you upset.  Well...I don't think there are bad questions.  But there are dumbs ones I get tired of hearing.  And instead of listing them all out, I've turned to a more...reliable source; YouTube!

Remember a few months ago, when those "Sh*t *insert broad stereotype here* Say" were so popular?  Well don't think we got left out!  The following video is done by another diabetic, and contains every question that has ever made me want to punch a perfectly nice person in the face.  Not because they aren't nice, but because asking three or four of these in under a minute is really annoying.  Along with the 'Sh*t People Say to Diabetics' video, there is also another one, 'Sh*t Diabetics Say'.  And I'd be lying if I said I haven't uttered some of those phrases before.

Sh*t People Say to Diabetics:

Sh*t Diabetics Say: (Warning* - the video below contains mild swearing...but it's oh-so true.)

That about does it.  If there are any other stereotypical questions that have been left out, please feel free to vent to your fellow diabetics below.  Have a good week, everyone!

Five Myths, One Perk (And Mouse Ears)

What's this?  Screaming children?  Long lines?  Stupidly overpriced drinks? This can only mean you're in one place, and lucky for you it's the happiest place on Earth!

Abby, my best friend who came with me on this magical Disney adventure.  Note the $4 frozen lemonade she's holding.  Pure deliciousness, folks.

Yes, Disneyland!  The reason you joined band in middle school, the reason you can no longer listen to that song from OneRepublic, and the only reason your child is going to get up willingly before nine am on a weekday.

No, but joking aside, I really do love Disney.  It's an awesome place, and every time my family goes to California, the first words out of my brother and my mouth is, 'can we go to Disneyland while we're there?'  And though your parents complain and roll their eyes, you sneak a glance at them when you're on Space Mountain, and you know they're having fun, too.  I recently visited Disney with my mom, brother, and my friend Abby (my Dad hates lines and screaming kids, so he stayed home), and it was a blast.

Now, as the diabetics (and diabetic parents) we are, you know where this post is going.  Because we've all heard about it from a friend or doctor or neighbor or whoever you socialize with.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about the legendary diabetic pass at Disney.

I'll be honest; it took my parents forever to convince me to get this.  I was diagnosed at age seven, and the first time I used this was last year, when I was fifteen.  I was nervous.  I thought the cast members would laugh at me.  I thought everyone in the lines was going to hate me.  So up until that point I stuck it out in the lines like everyone else, using those fancy apps that give you wait times and being just like everybody else.  The conversations usually went something like this;

Mom: So Reed, we're going to Disneyland tomorrow, and I just wanted to make sure - 

Me: No.

Mom: Reed it might be nice if - 

Me: No, Mom.

Mom: But - 

Me: I don't want the pass, Mom!  I'm fine.

George (my little brother): Just suck it up and get it!  I don't want to wait two hours for one ride!

Me: No!

...Yeah.  I drove my family nuts on those days.  And as we waited in the California heat, watching the people zip through the empty Fast-Pass line, my brother would look at me and say 'That could be us.'  And I never cared, because I thought it was fine; for one day, I was like everybody else.  And looking back on it now, that isn't true.  So today, I'm going to be sharing five myths about the 'diabetic pass' - be from me or my friends - and showing why they aren't true.

#1 - This thing is going to point out my diabetes to everyone, and I don't want it to

First off, this isn't a 'diabetic fast-pass'.  Not really.  This is, in fact, a Disney guest assistance card.  And if you have diabetes, this is what it will generally look like;

These are commonly given to people with special needs who may have problems if they wait in lines.  They are not going to put a big button on you listing all your medical conditions.  All you need to do is go to the Guest Relations (found in the Town Hall in Disneyland), explain to them that you/your child is diabetic, and the pass is needed in case of an emergency with their blood sugar.  They don't think it's a big deal, the rest of the staff doesn't question you on it (they will usually double-check how many people you bring on the ride, as there's only a certain number you can bring), so why should you worry?  No one is going to ask what's it's for.  They'll just wave you through.

#2 - This is a 'front-of-the-line' pass

A huge myth (and maybe the reason some people seem so bitter) is that this is the golden ticket of Disney.  Let me parade to the front of the line and ride as much as I want.  This pass does not do it.  As you can see above, the accommodation you'll get is the ability to use an alternate entrance.  This does not mean you go to the front of the line!

This version of the assistance card works more like a Fast-Pass, meaning that instead of the regular line, you'll wait in the Fast-Pass line or use the wheelchair entrance on the rides that don't do Fast-Pass.  There will still be a line.  You will wait to get on the ride like everybody else.  The only difference is that the line is shorter, and usually easier to get out of if you suddenly find yourself low.  And if you're low and have to leave, you aren't waiting another hour to try and ride.

#3 - People will be mad at me if they see me use this pass

This was one of my big worries about the pass.  But when I started using it, I came to the most interesting revelation; nobody really cares.

Seriously.  Nobody is going to look twice at the group in the Fast-Pass line.  Half the time, they all just assume it is a fast-pass.  On the rare occasion another person questions me, it's usually because they've got a medical condition themselves, and they want to know if they can get this.  Heck, even the Cast Members don't ask questions.  They just glance at it, make sure the number of people you're bringing in matches the number on the pass (or is less), and they wave you off and go back to gossiping about whatever it is Disney employees gossip about (did you hear Minnie was talking to Donald earlier today?  Do you think she'll break up with Mickey?)

#4 - This pass is no help to me

Actually, you'd be surprised how helpful this pass can be.  There was a time I corrected for a high blood sugar and went low in line (in the days before I used the pass).  And this was a two hour line.  My mother and I had to get out, go find a vendor, buy something, and work our way back through the line to find my Dad and brother.  That caused more of a commotion then it would have if I'd had the pass.

Usually in the Fast-Pass line, there are several Cast Members stationed throughout the line to make sure no one's sneaking in.  They will help you get out of that line, and even help get you something to get your blood sugar back up.  And when you're back up, they'll get you back in the line like nothing ever happened.  Going low at a place like Disney is very scary to think about.  And I honestly don't think about it that much anymore.

#5 - I just want to be like everybody else

I don't need special treatment.

I'm strong.

I have my blood sugar under control; this pass isn't for me.

I can handle it.

Yes.  Maybe you can handle it.  Maybe you do have it under control.  I'm sure you're plenty strong.  I'm sure the idea of special treatment doesn't excite you as much as your mooching little siblings who hate long lines.  That's not the point.

We try so much to be like everybody else every day.  We crave it; to throw away those meters and pumps and Flexpens and say 'I'm normal.'   But the thing is...we aren't.  We can't flip a switch and make this go away.  So what's wrong with, every now and then, giving yourself a break?  Saying 'I deserve this'?  Not worrying about diabetes, and just focusing on having a good time?  This is Disneyland, the happiest place on Earth, remember?  What's wrong with being happy?

Trust me, it may seem weird doing it at first, but you'd be surprised how quickly that feeling goes away when a two hour wait is cut down to ten minutes.

Disneyland for diabetes; filled with friends, family, mouse ears, memories, and shorter lines.  Sounds like fun to me.