The Blame Game

This is my third in a series of posts for Diabetes Blog Week 2017.

The Blame Game, huh? That's one of the prompts for D-Blog Week. Oh such a loaded topic. People with diabetes being blamed for their illness?

Really?

ALL. THE. TIME.


Hey, I have Type 2 diabetes - the ultimate blame game is here! Society is convinced that we are nothing more than lazy overeaters that deserve our fate. Never mind the overwhelming evidence that it's more about genetics than if I ate a Twinkie last week.

Ummm... I don't like Twinkies, but Snickers.... oh off topic...

Yes, there are ways to lessen the risk of Type 2 diabetes through proper eating habits and regular exercise. However this lessens the risk. It does not prevent the possibility. Sometimes genetics bites you in the back side. 

Please don't blame anyone living with any critical illness. No one in their right mind would intentionally cause this for themselves. 

The Cost of a Chronic Illness

This is my second in a series of posts for Diabetes Blog Week 2017.

Today's topic is the cost of chronic illness. This is an awkward topic for me to speak of since I'm not using medication or insulin as part of my diabetes management, which is what most people think about when discussing the cost of diabetes. However, there are limitations in my care that are financially driven.

For example, many people with Type 2 diabetes are limited on the number of test strips they are allowed to get through insurance, if they're allowed any at all. My mom is only allowed two per day. At this time, I have a prescription of four per day. This was my requested number shortly after my diagnosis. Originally my doctor didn't think I needed any. (What?) However after much thought on my part, I called asking for test strips using our upcoming vacation as an excuse. Should I even have to ask for test strips? Should I have to use a vacation as an excuse? Why do I feel hesitant to ask for more? (I'd like at least six so I can test before an after every meal.) Do I fear being judged or turned down, either by my doctor or insurance?

What about a continuous glucose monitor (CGM)? Why can't everyone with diabetes get one? It's obvious the more data someone has about how their body reacts to various foods and activities then better that person can manage glucose levels.Why is it if a person's body still produces some insulin, whether it's not enough or just not using it properly, insurance will deny coverage for a CGM? Oh yeah, the cost. They don't think the benefits outweigh the cost.

Let's forget for a moment the financial cost of diabetes. What about my personal cost? Not being able to enjoy certain foods with my family? Avoiding making pancakes for my kids because I love them so much but they raise my blood sugar even more (even if I only eat 2-3)? Having to stop working in the garden with my family or helping my kids clean their rooms because my blood sugar is low? Does anyone consider those costs?

The cost of living with a chronic illness isn't just a hit to the pocketbook.

Diabetes and the Unexpected

This is my first in a series of posts for Diabetes Blog Week 2017.

Today's topic for d-blog week is "Diabetes and the Unexpected." I admit I'm not sure where to start here as everything about diabetes pretty much is unexpected. Physically and emotionally. Well, maybe that's not true.

What was *not* unexpected:

1. My diagnosis. Since I have a family history of Type 2 and I personally had gestational diabetes five times, I was honestly expecting a diagnosis of diabetes eventually. The unexpected part: Getting diagnosed in my 30s as an active, healthy mom of five young children.
2. High blood sugar after too many carbs. I mean, really. Isn't that pretty much expected. Too many carbs for someone who is insulin resistant means high blood sugar is pretty much a done deal. The unexpected part: High blood sugar from healthy foods such as carrots. Yeah, I know carrots have natural sugars in them (sugar=carbs), but who would think that carrots would be bad for you?
3. Low blood sugar with too few carbs and lots of activity. The opposite of #2 - If a person with diabetes doesn't eat enough carbs and then exercises, there is a good chance that person will go low. The unexpected part: Going low from doing housework. Yes, housework. Picking up my kids' clothes off the floor, picking up dishes left here and there, sweeping, vacuuming, etc. I have actually gone low from simply doing housework.
4. Information and advice from others online. The internet is full of information about diabetes. Some good. Some... ummm... Let's just say orca water will not cure diabetes. The unexpected part: The friends I have made because of diabetes. I was not expecting to meet so many wonderful, caring, loving people through the DOC (diabetes online community). Helpful and full of advice, yes. A family, no. I can honestly say that the people I have met have become my family. My brothers and sisters in diabetes. I also have my advocate cousins, those with other health issues that I have learned from and love with all my heart.

Thank you to my friends who have joined me on this journey. Your love and support means more than I ever expected!

Oops - Missed #dblog Week!

This year's Diabetes Blog Week came at a really busy time for me. It was the last week of school for me and my first graders. Six and seven year olds are very busy, especially when we're at the end of a school year. I feel bad that I missed posting during the official week (May 16-20), so I'm planning to use the next few days to post my own belated #dblog week posts. Look out for them really soon!

BELATED EDITION

#DBlogWeek - Break In the Action

Since my second child will be graduating from high school tomorrow, I'm going to pause my participation in D-Blog Week and set my focus on my child, family, and our guests. I hope to resume either Sunday night or Monday.

Thank you for your understanding!

To those who are graduating, whether from high school, college, trade school, or the military, my thoughts and prayers go with you as you transition to the next phase of your life. God bless!

Mantras and More - #DBlogWeek

Today's prompt: Yesterday we opened up about how diabetes can bring us down. Today let’s share what gets us through a hard day. Or more specifically, a hard diabetes day. Is there something positive you tell yourself? Are there mantras that you fall back on to get you through? Is there something specific you do when your mood needs a boost? Maybe we've done that and we can help others do it too?

There are times I have to depend on little phrases as a pep talk to help me through the day, whether or not it's diabetes related. One of my favorite phrases right now is "Just smile and nod." It works for so many situations.

Diabetes related, my favorite phrase is "Moderation not deprivation." I learned that from a dietitian during one of my pregnancies. I had gestational diabetes with all five of my children, so this bit of advice came in handy while I was stressing about dealing with diabetes during pregnancy. Since my Type 2 diagnosis, I've kept this mantra.

Moderation is the key to every part of my life. I try not to keep our schedule too full. I try to eat healthy, while letting everyone had special snacks now and  then.

Life is a balancing act, and sometimes diabetes throws off that balance. However a smile, a nod, and all things in moderation can help get through most situations.

What Brings Me Down - #DBlogWeek

Diabetes stinks. Ok, it sucks. All too often we ignore the emotional side of chronic illnesses. If I had the flu, I would deal with the symptoms knowing that the condition was only temporary. However, by definition a chronic illness will not go way. It's here for good.

When I was diagnosed, there was a small time where diabetes was a novelty. I like gadgets, so picking out a glucose meter was almost fun. Testing was fun at first. Counting carbs was fun at the beginning. The novelty quickly wore off.

The permanence of a chronic disease started to sink in. I realized that this wouldn't go away. Diabetes would be with me for the rest of my life whether I liked it or not.

Most days I can deal with diabetes. However there a too many days where I'm in denial. Those days are often followed by days where I get down about having diabetes. Thankfully when I'm having a rough time, I know I can call upon my family and the DOC (diabetes online community). 

One step at a time...

Poetry - #DBlogWeek

I've written poetry before. As a teen, I wrote it on a regular basis as a way to express myself. Unfortunately I have not kept up with my poetry writing. Luckily no one will care how "good" of a poem I write. It's the attempt that matters, right?

Well, here it goes....

My Diabetes Journey

Spring day
Phone rings
Get the news
Diabetes
Type 2
No surprise

   Take it on
   Head first
   Counting carbs
   Exercise
   Finger pokes

      Newness wears off
      What carbs
      Too tired to walk
      Absent meter

   On again
   Off again
   Sometimes counting
   Sometimes checking
   Sometimes walking

Wanting to be good
Example for my kids
Live a long life
A healthy life
Count those carbs
Find the meter
Get out of the chair

Change the World - #DBlogWeek

For my first post as part of Diabetes Blog Week, I decided to not think too much about the topic and prompt questions. I'm just going to take the title as I see it related to diabetes and go with it. Since my blog's name is RFamHere's Ramblings, I'm going to... well... ramble...

How do I want to change the world? My world. My world with diabetes. Well the obvious would be a cure. Yes, I want a cure. I need a cure. I deserve a cure. However, a cure isn't here yet. YET! It's coming. It has to be on the horizon. That hope for a cure is what I hold onto every day.

Hope for a cure is what I hold onto when I'm wanting to eat a whole box of Girl Scout cookies. Hope is what I hold onto when I'm sad, depressed, and angry at this monster we call diabetes. However, I also hold onto hope when I have an amazing A1c. Hope is what I hold onto when I (willingly) chose a low carb snack. Hope is what I hold onto when I have an amazing diabetes day.

How do I want to change the world? I want to help others find that hope. I want to see that hope in my children. I want to keep the hope alive in myself.

My hope isn't to cure Type 2 diabetes. My hope goes beyond that. My hope is for a cure for all types of diabetes - Type 1, Type 2, gestational, LADA, and the many other types that are often forgotten.

How do I wan to change the world? I want to help dissolve stereotypes and misconceptions about diabetes. I want to help pull the whole diabetes community together, regardless of type, to work together for a cure.

I want to give hope.

Diabetes Blog Week is coming! #DBlogWeek

Well the semester is not officially over. I can put my textbooks away. What great timing! Next week is Diabetes Blog Week! If you'd like to join or find out more information, just click on the picture below:

Please join us! If you don't want to blog, have fun exploring all of the awesome blogs. I'm planning on using this opportunity to kick start my blog writing this summer. I can't wait!

My Diabetes Hero (#dblogweek)

Today's D-Blog prompt: Let’s end our week on a high note and blog about our “Diabetes Hero”.  It can be anyone you’d like to recognize or admire, someone you know personally or not, someone with diabetes or maybe a Type 3.  It might be a fabulous endo or CDE.  It could be a d-celebrity or role-model.  It could be another DOC member.  It’s up to you – who is your Diabetes Hero??

My hero when it comes to my diabetes management is my wonderful hubby.  He is my Type Awesome. He's been the one to keep me focused. He never gets upset if I need to change what we're doing because of my glucose levels. Yesterday we were working in the garden. He noticed I was shaky and encouraged me to go inside to take care of myself. Today he didn't complain during my many breaks. He is my motivation. He is extremely understanding and devoted!




Photo credit: Image found here.

My Day in Pictures (#dblogweek)

Today's D-Blog prompt: Back for the third year, let’s show everyone what life with diabetes looks like!  With a nod to the Diabetes 365 project, let’s grab our cameras again and share some more d-related pictures.  Post as many or as few as you’d like.  Feel free to blog your thoughts on or explanations of your pictures, or leave out the written words and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Bacon! It's what's for breakfast

Tired dog after running around in the back yard while I was gardening.

87 and dropping. Normal activities such as gardening can be scary for a PWD!

Added sugar to my iced tea and had a banana to deal with a gardening-induced low

...and where are we going?

The peppers and cucumbers are planted

What I'd Like You to Know (#dblogweek)

Today's D-Blog prompt: Today let’s borrow a topic from a #dsma chat held last September.  The tweet asked “What is one thing you would tell someone that doesn’t have diabetes about living with diabetes?”.  Let’s do a little advocating and post what we wish people knew about diabetes.  Have more than one thing you wish people knew?  Go ahead and tell us everything.

There is so much I'd like to tell people about diabetes. Not the physiology of the disease - the ins and outs of insulin resistance for a person with Type 2 diabetes. That's only a minor part of the disease. For me there are blood checks throughout the day as well as lab work a couple times a year.  Yearly check-ups with my doctor, more if necessary. Watching carbs. Watching activity level (insulin resistance can suddenly backfire, causing sudden lows). The mood swings. Fear. Wondering if I'm going to need to use the bathroom at an inopportune time.

What is the number one thing I'd like people to know? Don't judge. Shortly after my diagnosis, I was talking to an older gentleman. Not realizing it, I had actually started off in my advocacy calling right away. I started talking to him about my new diagnosis, to which he replied, "We're watching our weight so we don't get diabetes." Did he just call me fat? To set the record straight, I am slightly overweight but not in the obese category that society would consider "at risk." I was also in my late-30s. Also not an "at risk" category.

Was he judging me? I feel he was. My diabetes was not caused by lifestyle, rather genetics. Do I blame my mother and her blood line? Not any more than I blame my father for my mousey brown hair that gets a little color treatment now and then. It is what it is. I love both of my parents dearly and thank God for all they have given me - including my hair color and my diabetes.

Those who have read my blog before know that I see my diabetes as part of a calling to reach out to others. I've had the opportunity to reach out to children with Type 1 diabetes locally. Even though I have Type 2 (and they know it), we still have a bond of sorts. Whenever we see each other, they know that there's an adult that gets it, even if just a little. And of course I ask them if they've been behaving. They know I don't just mean behaviorally.

Living with a chronic disease, especially an invisible one, is extremely difficult and often lonely. Thankfully I have an awesome support system at home that tries to understand, plus the DOC that totally gets it.

Before you judge or blame, remember that first and foremost, I am a person. Yes, I am a person with diabetes, but that doesn't make your judgements alright. Blaming my lifestyle means you haven't gotten to know me, only society's misconception of what causes Type 2 diabetes. I don't sit around all day eating bon bons. (I'd like to see you keep up with my five kids while working two jobs! What's a couch?)



Photo credit: Image found here.

Fantasy Diabetes Device (#dblogweek)

Today's D-Blog prompt: Tell us what your Fantasy Diabetes Device would be?  Think of your dream blood glucose checker, delivery system for insulin or other meds, magic carb counter, etc etc etc.  The sky is the limit – what would you love to see?

Hmm...  Like Rachel at Tales of Rachel, it's really hard for me to think of something. I'm a diet and exercise controlled Type 2. Maybe something to get me to exercise. Or a device that will play pre-recorded answers to all the common diabetes questions. Honestly, one currently used device I would like to have would be a CGM (continuous glucose monitor). But how to convince insurance to pay for a CGM for a diet and exercise controlled Type 2. HA!

One Not So Great Thing (#dblogweek)

Today's D-Blog prompt: Yesterday we gave ourselves and our loved ones a big pat on the back for one thing we are great at.  Today let’s look at the flip-side.  We probably all have one thing we could try to do better.  Why not make today the day we start working on it.  No judgments, no scolding, just sharing one small thing we can improve so the DOC can cheer us on!

In my last blog post, I basically mentioned a few things. "I'm not on top of checking my blood sugar or exercising all the time like I should. I try to watch my carb intake, but every once in a while my plate looks like the diabetic denial meal. Thankfully I don't need to take meds. I try to carry a small snack with me at all times in case of a low, but sometimes I forget to replenish said snack."


Probably the biggest thing I need to work on is exercise. I used to be on top of it, going to the gym once (or even twice) just about every day. Then my schedule changed and I just haven't adapted my exercise schedule. This is what I need encouragement about the most.

One Great Thing (#dblogweek)

Today's D-Blog prompt: Tell us about just one diabetes thing you (or your loved one) does spectacularly!  Fasting blood sugar checks, oral meds sorted and ready, something always on hand to treat a low, or anything that you do for diabetes.  Nothing is too big or too small to celebrate doing well! 

This prompt is challenging. Honestly I'm not always the "good diabetic." Quite often I feel the opposite. I'm not on top of checking my blood sugar or exercising all the time like I should. I try to watch my carb intake, but every once in a while my plate looks like the diabetic denial meal. Thankfully I don't need to take meds. I try to carry a small snack with me at all times in case of a low, but sometimes I forget to replenish said snack.

However there is one diabetes-related thing that I am proud of - setting people straight! There are so many misconceptions about Type 2 diabetes. Sometimes it gets me so frustrated that I could scream or even cry. I have decided instead of just getting upset, it is now my mission to educate others. If I can dispel diabetes myths for just one person a week - Imagine how many people I could reach! Not just those 52 people I talk to, but others that they talk to as well. I can just imagine someone with whom I have spoken then sharing that information with others they come in contact. "I heard that eating too much candy causes diabetes," will then get a reply of, "Oh, that's not true. I've talked to someone with diabetes, and this is what she said..."

Imagine if we just educate one person a week what we could accomplish!

Find A Friend (#dblog week)

This week I am participating in Diabetes Blog Week, aka D-Blog week. I will be joining tons of other diabetes bloggers this week, blogging about... well diabetes, of course!

Today's D-Blog Week prompt: It seems the most popular thing about Diabetes Blog Week is that it helps us find blogs we weren’t reading yet and connect with some new blog friends.  With that in mind, let’s kick off Diabetes Blog Week by making some new connections.  Think about the d-blogs you read that you think we may not know about and introduce us to one that you love!!  Let’s all find a new friend today!

Well, as I'm sure others have said, there are just so many awesome diabetes blogs out there. Some are well known, while others may not be. When I started my diabetes blog, I found several Type 1 blogs written by PWDs and parents of CWDs. However, it was hard to find blogs written by PWDs with Type 2. Luckily this didn't discourage me from writing a blog. On the contrary! It actually encouraged me. If I was looking for other Type 2s, maybe there were others with the same pursuit. By writing my own blog, I was actually hoping to connect with other Type 2s.

One blog I have found is Kate's Sweet Success. Now I have to admit that I don't read her blog as often as I'd like, but I do find it comforting read from the blog of another person with similar issues. She doesn't fall into society's stereotype of what a Type 2 should look like. To me, Kate looks young and physically fit. Yes, I realize that I don't know her all that well, but just her profile picture is comforting to me - knowing that someone else out there gets it.

I'm looking forward to reading some of the blogs participating in D-Blog week. I know I'll discover many more treasures like Kate!