Inspiration and Expert Advice

Diabetes Terms of Endearment: Second Edition (continued)

Old School Shot
Reverting back to injecting insulin via syringe after becoming used to bolusing with an insulin pump. May also be known as "rockin' it old school" or "shootin' old school."

"Oh Donuts"
Phrase used by a mother and her son as the preferred curse word to utter after seeing a high blood sugar reading. Origin: Started after they consumed donuts and her son said "oh donuts mumma." She responded "Exactly."

Pepper Jolly
From the jump rope rhyme "HiLo PepperJolly." In diabetes terms, "pepperjolly" refers to being in your glucose target range.

Red Gold
After pricking your finger, blood comes out in geyser-like spurts instead of forming a droplet.

Shooting Up
The act of taking an insulin injection. This expression is most often noticed in public by uneducated bystanders who look over and raise an eyebrow. (see also "I'm high.")

Sleep-Drinking
The ability to consume juice while still actually asleep.

Sugar Boogers
Little gummy candies that children eat when low

Sugar Shy
Not telling anyone that you're diabetic

Sweaters
The furry, sticky feeling your teeth may get when your blood sugar is high.
ex. "I was almost 400 mg/dl, and I definitely had sweaters on my teeth."

Vampire Cannula
An insulin pump plastic cannula that has sucked up blood and refuses to push out the appropriate insulin dose.

YDMV
"Your diabetes may vary." Phrase used as a caveat after explaining how something affects your diabetes. ex. "Pizza makes my blood sugar spike, but ydmv."

Zombied
Fingers that are too cold to get any blood out of them. Most easily remedied by sucking on them or rubbing them against your clothes to get the blood flowing.

Source: Excerpted and adapted from the diabetes blog Six Until Me, authored by dLife columnist Kerri Morrone Sparling.

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