Diabetic Recipes
sixfingeredman
Long before I discovered the diabetes online community or even knew what exactly a blog was, my mother introduced us to her neighbor's granddaughter.
She wore something called a pump and her parents used frightening foreign words like bolus and basal.
We were still very much shell-shocked from Charlie's diagnosis. Measuring out units of insulin into a syringe and learning to count carbs was scary enough. What they were talking about was , was , quantum mechanics. It made us very nervous. We weren't the sharpest tools to begin with. We might not be smart enough for diabetes, we thought.
We circled and stared at the smiling girl like she was an exhibit at the museum.
Resisting the urge to poke her, I noticed that she looked relatively healthy and strong. Legs and arms seemed to function efficiently. Eyes appeared symmetrical; head well-balanced. No evidence of side effects such as fur growth or oozing of any kind.
This was all very reassuring.
"Look, Charlie, look at the pretty girl. She has diabetes just like you."
"Uh, how exactly does she get the insulin?" I asked the parents, unsure whether I really wanted to know the answer.
They gave a very blunt explanation of a needle attached to a tube, which went directly into her body. More horrible mentions of bolus and basal made me feel a bit queasy.
"Oh, that's nice," I said with an expression surely similar to ones I now see when explaining Charlie's pump to people unfamiliar with the disease.
It's so scary in the beginning. My heart goes out to all of you who are there right now.
My Father In Law (whom I love like the dickens!) Has type 2, has gone to the classes and is still pretty much clueless about the full diabetes regime. I've gone to none of the classes (not avail in my area) have done tons of homework on it and could probably walk him through it when (not if) he needs it. But my gosh! You practically need a degree to understand bolus/basil, pmm, morning phenomena, ect. I don't talk to my family about it because I see that glazed over expression whenever the subject comes up.
Ironically, an in-law who knows I have diabetes (but not my specific situation) told me the other day that I 'didn't get the point' of the infrequent (1x a day!!!) testing my Father In Law does. I could have whipped out my meter to show her result, could have shown her a cannula, the needles, the bottles of insulin, could have given her a lecture on the subject. But I walked away. I've seen that "You've become a warewolf" expression on the faces of people who really have no idea that what you see is only the very tip of the iceberg.
I dont have anyone but the people of DLife to talk to about my diabetes. No one seems interested. I mean, I know people in my town that have it and try to talk to them about it, but that doesnt go very far. It gets frustrating at times when I want to talk to others about my diabetes. Speaking of which...
Lately I have been having problems with my blood sugars running way too high, especially when I wake up. When I eat supper, I end up too high the next morning (yes, I do take a bolus when I eat). Ive increased the amount of the bolus I give...I even changed my basal rate during the wee hours. Nothing seems to help.
I did change my catheter and such. I know the insulin isnt bad...I can only check my blood sugars no more than 3x a day due to my insurance wont cover but just a box of 100 strips and Im on disability.
I dont have a endo and my primary dr doesn know much about diabetes to talk to her about it. If anyone can help me with advice, Id appreciate it.
are you on the pump caseyleigh or regular injections? if you're on something like NPH or Lantus I would increase that dose by 1 or 2 units to see what happens. and if you're able to switch doctors i would def. look into finding another more diabetes knowledgable doc or CDE because that's key to your well-being. after i was diagnosed i went out and bought diabetes for dumbies it was helpful. it is also very helpful talking to other people with diabetes, i didn't know anyone with diabetes for the first 4 years or so... dlife is great i'm so glad it exists!
http://pancreaticallychallenged.blogspot.com
I remember those days of complete ignorance. Before Brendon was diagnosed I didn't understand the role insulin played in diabetes. I honestly thought that maybe insulin CAUSED diabetes and that perhaps the body made too much of it????? I was completely clueless, felt helpless, and thought I'd make a mess of Brendon's health when he was first diagnosed.
Whoever is new to diagnosis whether you're a parent of a D child, or are a PWD (person with diabetes), take it into your own hands to educate yourself. Take the info from doctors, books, others with diabetes who sound like they know what they're talking about.
The more I learned, the less "shell shocked" I felt.