A Diabetes Meme

Special thanks to Kerri at Six Until Me for this meme.


What type of diabetes do you have: Type 1

When were you diagnosed: July 3, 1990 in DKA coma, BG over 1000

What's your current blood sugar:  78 mg/dL.  Last night sucked though.  I was up at 4am vomiting with a 361, then rebounded low to 64 by morning, then shot upward from dawn phenomenon combined with granola bar to 221...  A day in the life of a T1D.

What kind of meter do you use:  Omnipod PDM & Freestyle Navigator CGMS

How many times a day do you test your blood sugar: 5-8 times per day lately.  I don't bolus without a fingerstick number.

What's a "high" number for you:  Anything over 150 mg/dl. (Boy, how that has changed.  Used to be anything over 300.)

What's do you consider "low":  Anything under 70 mg/dl.

What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater:  Anything contraband.  But usually 15-20 grams of granola bar, rice krispie treat, or apple juice.  Strawberry Dex-4 glucose tabs are my go-to g-tab.

Describe your dream endo:  Love mine.  But would also love a unicorn endo.  Then he could sprinkle my charts with rainbow dust and cure me with his magic horn.  And I don't think a unicorn would ever use the word "non-compliant."  Barring that, I'd say my dream endo would be compassionate, realistic, up-to-date, and FREE.

What's your biggest diabetes achievement:  I have two.  One is my beautiful daughter.  The other is finding control and near-normal glycemic control after over 15 years of roller coastering.  Don't know how I'm still alive.

What's your biggest diabetes-related fear:  I don't fear dealing with the complications so much, though eyes and heart are scary and I try not to dwell on those thoughts.  But I just don't want an early death.  I don't want the label "died from complications due to diabetes."  It clouds what the rest of your life was about.

Who's on your support team:  the Hubs, my CDE, my endo, the TuD admins (past and present), my mom

Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime:  No.  Never have.  I appreciate that my pediatric endo told me that he thought it a pipe dream.  At 10, I was able to rather happily accept that and move forward.

What is a "cure" to you:  I'd be happy with faster insulin, more accurate and responsive cgms, and staved off complications.

The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is: Are you going to pass it to your kids?

What is the most common misconception about diabetes:  That my type 1 diabetes can be controlled with anything other than an intensive insulin regimen.  Or that it's the same disease their uncle got "cured" of when he changed his habits.

If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be: "You're a waste of space."