1 Drop at a Time

Today was rough. I know social media allows you to show you at your best, today I was not at that baseline. So here is the back story...My Tandem tSlim pump provided this amazing update for a program called Control IQ. Overall, the update has been great, but ...why the hell does there always have to be a but ? So bear with me, this update comes with different activity settings like Sleep or Exercise . Today, I ate my protein bar like usual and went for my walk. When I say walk , I walk about 15 minute miles. Go ahead and imagine an older woman power walking--it is shamelessly me. Basically, after eating the protein bar, my blood sugar levels increased so the algorithm with the Control IQ update said "woah...we need to give you insulin to keep you in range." 1 whole damn unit was given, and I didn't realize it. Well, I'm rounding the corner and almost to my house when my Dexcom (the device that tells me what my blood sugar levels are) alerted me that my blood sugar le...

Happy World Diabetes Day! Happy and Diabetes in the same phrase seems kind of silly. 5 years ago, November 14th wasn't on my radar. I was still in the hope boat that diabetes would disappear after Jacob was born. Little did I know what November 14th would mean to me the following year. After being diagnosed, my world turned upside down physically, emotionally, spiritually. You name it, I was feeling it. Heck, let's be honest, I still do.  Since I've been diagnosed, I've been on a quest for answers. I want to know why, how, what can I do? It can be exhausting. So, where am I today on this World Diabetes Day. I'm honestly shook a bit after some oddly spiritual experiences recently. First one was in Phoenix. I was getting a massage and the masseuse spoke some truths to me that I needed to hear. It was so eerily spot on, I asked if she googled me before my appointment. Then, our little family of three was eating at Chick-fila  and this woman named Sylvia with a comple...

Hi all! Our Athens weekend was a blast. Back in July, I went back to Athens to help train the new school nurses and I decided that running the AthHalf would give me an excuse to come back and visit  our friends and see my students. My students will always be my babies! As you know, training for this half was a little shaky, especially with a sprained ankle early on, BUT with some (LOTS) of support from Osman, my family and friends and knowing I'd get to see some of my students, I pushed through. I've had a few people ask how I train for a half and I thought I'd share what works for me. So here we go.... 1) If you are a female with type 1, download the app  My Flo . This app helps you break down your cycle week by week. This app helped me tremendously. I was able to figure out which phase of my cycle required more or less insulin. IT IS AWESOME and helps make running with type 1 and being a female a smidge more predictable, if that is even possible. 2) I highly sug...

One of these days, I hope I learn that life would be so much easier if I would just take a chill pill. My endocrinologist appointment went great. I usually like to go to appointments alone but the night before I asked Osman to come with me. I needed my boys there. I was so afraid of losing my control of this illness, not clicking with my doctor, and a million more what if questions circled my mind. Jacob and I took the trolley and the train to Philly. We are both still enamored with public transit. Jacob is figuring out the stops and how to stand without falling. The city is one of those magical places for me. Growing up, I went to NYC once and fell in love. There is something humbling being around crowds of people. For a moment in time, you are all on the same path with strangers until the road diverges. I always wonder who people are, what their story is, but that is a whole other ramble for another day. We met up with Osman at our stop and per Jacob's request we swung his not...

Dang it to heck, I am stuck in a rut or more like a crater. Couldn't tell you why. With my impending, first appointment with my new endocrinologist, I've gotten my blood sugars in better check and that helps how I feel tremendously. I will say, I had a blood sugar roller coaster kind of day on Monday, and boy, that was not fun. It is hard to describe the level of crap I can feel when my blood sugar swings all over the place. It makes it even worse because people can't actually see it happening. This past Monday, I allowed myself the time to not be okay. I felt like poop and embraced the poop. I have a slight confession to make, I am obsessed with the app Tik-Tok. Go ahead and judge, I judge myself for watching it. However, there is voice over where some lady says "you're not good and that is okay." I kept hearing this in my head as I rested it on the counter and embraced the suck. I've sat here for a solid 5 minutes and tried to think of how to describe ...

Hi all! I feel like this time of year, I always say, where did time go? The coming holidays make me nostalgic and feel almost bittersweet.  I miss so many people every day. Don't get me wrong though, I am grateful for people to miss. I keep coming into these daily moments that remind me why community is SO important. As you know, our family made a big move to the northeast and I have to say I'm so thankful for the community we have built in a short time. Delco has welcomed up with open arms. If you don't know what Delco means, it is hard to explain but I am proud to be a part of this community. Thank goodness for Face Time and texting as well because it helps me keep in touch with my Athens and Oklahoma communities. I don't know what I would do without them. So where am I go with this post.....I'm rounding the corner to my first endocrinologist appointment. I'm already sweating about it. The process to be accepted as a patient was daunting. My previous endo ha...

Hello. This week has been a series of unfortunate events. From a sprained ankle while training for the Ath Half, to blood sugars that have hung out in the 300's, I'm at the, as Jacob would say, "What in the world?!" phase. My blood sugars have been high without eating or bolusing absurd amounts of insulin with meals. I went a solid 2-3 days thinking: -Maybe your insets are not long enough for your growing mid-section -Maybe it is your hormones -Maybe it is because of your ankle sprain and your current immobility -Maybe your insulin needs are changing If you notice a common trend these high blood sugars must be MY fault. I am not alone in this. My diabuddies do the very same thing. Of course our high blood sugars are our fault, why wouldn't they be? Hell, we stood the wrong way for a solid 2 seconds so that has to be why our blood sugars are high. WRONG. Y'all after all this, you know what was wrong? My insulin was bad....a whole dang bottle of insulin...