John's Images

I started the pump in October last year with an A1c of 7.3. At the time, that 7.3 was my lowest A1c since before being diagnosed. Growing up, my A1c levels were anywhere from the 8.0's to the 13.0's. Between "sugar free," a lack of diabetes knowledge in the world and being a kid, I never could get my averages right. The three years prior to going on the pump I decided to be an idiot and "take a break" from diabetes. I stopped checking my blood sugar and just blindly did my insulin. I had no idea that my blood sugars were getting into the 500's sometimes. I stopped going to the doctor. What was the point? They were going to tell me the same thing I already knew but just wasn't willing to do. (READ MORE)

ninja dave

Today is Kick Butts Day. It's a day when thousands of youth across the nation take on Big Tobacco to stop kids from even starting to smoke. This is the 13th year of the event.

I can tell you that when I first started smoking I was a Freshman in high School. My stepdad was a chain smoker. I used to say, "He uses one match a day for his first one then lights the next one off of the last one." That is what it was like. (READ MORE)

I'm a self-proclaimed adventurer. I love to try new things, go to all sorts of places, and I'm always up for a challenge. So college seemed like it'd be one huge adventure in life. But three years ago, I sat down to apply to colleges and had no idea as to what I wanted. Plus there was one major issue looming over me: my health.

I've always known that diabetes would keep me a little more cautious than most. But I've never let it stop me. I played sports, I took trips, I even went zip-lining through the jungle last year. Diabetes means that I plan much more than the average person, that I don't just pick up and leave without extreme consideration. I never thought it would hold me back.

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With the summer heat scorching down upon most of us, two big issues are keeping cool and keeping hydrated. For those of us blessed by dry heat, it's easy not to feel as if you're sweating; the air soaks up your skin's moisture almost before it's shed. For those of us in humid environments, the air becomes hot and heavy, our sweat clinging to us like plastic wrap, making us feel consistently hot and wet. In either case, it's easy for us to forget to replenish those fluids we so rapidly shed.

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My averages for the past two weeks were quite amazing. My only highs were generally after breakfast (still). Unfortunately, I had quite a few lows in there. But I have to say that working full time seems to keep my blood sugars at a more stable rate (even though I was moving boxes 70% of the time). And unfortunately, I think quite a few of the lows and falling averages were from stress.

Stress seems to work backwards on me. When I'm nervous, I drop like a rock. When I'm upset, I tend to average out at a lower level. I don't see a lot of highs when I'm under the pressure.

And lately, I've been extremely stressed. To the point that I'm getting ulcers in my mouth (a common occurrence for me during stressful times). I have so much going on in my life right now.

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Many hot-weather health issues center around proper hydration. My last post discussed how much water we should be drinking, and whether or not fluids other than water counted towards that volume. I finished up by mentioning that in addition to the amount we consume, we need to take into account how quickly we process those fluids, and what should (or should not) be in the fluids we are taking to maintain proper hydration. 

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