Diabetes Blog Week – Day 3

Posted May 12, 2010 In Diabetes, Personal

Today’s blog topic is your biggest supporter.

My mom has always been a great supporter. I was diagnosed when I was 4, so she was always the one to take care of me from day 1. She checked my bloodsugar and gave me my insulin shots before I learned to do those things myself. She managed my diet and made sure I was doing well. Many nights, she was the one to wake up at 4am to check my bloodsugar, and she would come running when my older sister would yell for my parents if I was low in the middle of the night. (not that I really remember those moments! And, to clarify, my dad would come running too… but I think it was usually mom who would make it up the stairs first.) Here’s a picture of my mom and I at my baptism (before the big D). I’m pretty sure my dad took this photo.
My entire family has always given me fantastic support. As I already mentioned, it was my older sister who would sound the alarm when I’d have a low over night. She also stole and ran away with a huge syringe of insulin that a babysitter once tried to give me while my parents were out at dinner one night. (Hello, lifesaver!)

Now that I’ve flown the nest, so to speak, my husband has been awesome. Though he and I don’t necessarily follow a recommended diet for someone like me, he does always remind me to “check my bloods,” encourages me to work out, and checks in to make sure my “bloods are ok.” (Oh, and the diet thing is not his fault! I like my refined carbs! But you’ll read more on that tomorrow…)

I know Mom was nervous when I went off to college, but she was relieved when we found out that my (random) freshman roommate, Maria, was an EMT. (Shout out time: Hey Maria!!) Then, I met up with fellow diabetics when I joined an on-campus organization called WHOOP (Women Helping Out Other People). In fact, it was because one of the co-chairs, Leah, had an insulin pump that I even decided to join WHOOP! Moving to another state for grad school was stressful because I didn’t know anyone out in California yet, so, when I moved in, Mom helped me teach my roommate what to do in case of a low. Then, a few weeks later, I taught a handful of my grad school friends (after I got to know them a little) though, thankfully, none of them ever had to use those skills. It really has been a group effort of all my family and friends. So, a big thank you is due to everyone I know who has helped me deal with this disease! But, special thanks to my family! Y’all are the best!




Diabetes Blog Week – Day 2

Posted May 11, 2010 In Diabetes, Personal

Today’s topic for Diabetes Blog Week is “Making the Low Go.” This topic is especially relevant today because I woke up low and had to treat it before I could get on with my normal routine.

This morning, I woke up and had that weak/dizzy/awkward feeling that comes with being low. I practically fell down the stairs to check my bloodsugar. It was 58. 58 is not REAL low, so I was a little surprised that I was feeling so bad, but I was probably lower while I was still asleep and it had come up a little by the time I woke up. Anyway, I grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and the milk out of the fridge. I poured about 1.5 cups, and practically chugged it with a Lactaid tablet in the first gulp. I went back upstairs and attempted to get on with my routine. Needless to say, waking up low set me back several minutes, so I was late to work. (I guess I should say I was later to work than normal… I’m usually running a few minutes late!)

Now you’ve already read what my snack of choice is for treating a low at home: milk. Sometimes it’s soy milk and sometimes it’s cow milk, depending on what’s in the fridge (I stock soy if my husband is away for work for a while but cow if he’s around). If I’m really low, I’ll mix in some Hershey’s chocolate syrup to kick it up a notch.

When I’m not at home, my snack of choice varies. Sometimes it’s the granola bar I keep in my purse. At work, it is usually the fruit snacks I keep in my desk. I prefer something liquid (milk is good because it has carbs to bring up my bloodsugar immediately and protein to keep it up) but carrying a liquid is my bag is not always practical. Fruit snacks usually raise my bloodsugar faster, but don’t always do a good job of keeping it where it should be. And granola bars work, but at a slower rate, though they do keep it up decently well. Sometimes juice will do the trick, but I don’t usually drink juice so I don’t really keep it in the house. I usually tell people to pour Coke into my mouth if I pass out somewhere. But Coke really isn’t a great choice for raising a low because I’ll probably drink too much and have a rebound high afterward. (which is alright if I’m literally passed out from a low!) Thankfully, that hasn’t happened recently! In fact, I can’t remember the last time I passed out from being low–and that’s a good thing!

So, there you have it! Check back tomorrow for Day 3!



Diabetes Blog Week – Day 1

Posted May 10, 2010 In Diabetes, Personal

Hello readers!

Welcome to my first post for Diabetes Blog Week! Today I’m going to talk about “a day in the life… with diabetes.”

The truth is, I like to ignore the disease. I like to pretend that it doesn’t play a large role in my life. I often find myself downplaying how serious it is because I don’t want anyone to think differently about me because I deal with diabetes on a day to day basis. Sometimes, I don’t check my bloodsugar when I should because I don’t want people to see me do it. It’s not that I’m embarrassed. (I got over that in elementary school. Eating out and giving myself a shot of insulin at the table will do that to you.) I think it’s more about showing my coworkers and friends that I, too, have a “normal” life. In reality, diabetes plays a big role in the way I live. Here’s a look at a “typical” day in my life. We’ll pretend it’s a Monday and I had to change my insulin pump site this morning. So here it goes:

5:00am: Alarm 1 goes off; turn it off.

5:15am: Alarm 2. Get up. Begin the getting dressed process by grabbing the supplies to change out my infusion set: syringe, tubing set, and skin prep (alcohol) pad. I keep these things in a “diabetes drawer” in the closet. The other thing needed to change out the infusion set is the spring-loaded inserter, but I keep that in the bathroom already. I draw up the insulin before I get in the shower, so the bubbles have time to rise to the top by the time I get out. I take my shower, and insert the new set when I get out. It goes a little like this: remove bubbles from syringe (this process takes anywhere between 30 seconds and 10 minutes, usually dictated by the age of the bottle of insulin: I get smaller and more bubbles when I first open a bottle); rewind the plunger in the pump; connect syringe to tubing; insert syringe into pump; prime the air out of the tubing; clean the site on my abdomen and allow to dry while placing infusion set into inserter; remove protective covering on infusion set; cock inserter; place inserter on site location; hold breath; count: one, two, and click release on three! Then I smooth down the tape to make sure it adheres correctly, the needle comes out, and prime 0.3 units. Phew! Breath normally. :)

Get dressed, go downstairs to make my lunch for the day and grab something for breakfast, and head to work! It’s now 6:15am.

6:30am: Get to work. Check email and do work things. Eat breakfast around 7:00am.

10:00am: I usually check my bloodsugar around now.

11:30am is lunchtime! Check bloodsugar; eat lunch at my desk (usually).

12:00pm: Get back to work! I have a tendency to go low in the afternoons, especially if work is significantly hectic or if I’m stressed out in some way. I always keep snacks at my desk in case this happens.

4:00pm: Done with work! Head home. Check bloodsugar when I get there.

The evenings are tricky. In the past few weeks, I haven’t been on a good workout schedule, so I haven’t been going to the gym much. If I am going to the gym, I usually change and go right when I get home from work (4:30pm). Then, hubby and I will make/eat dinner and watch something we’ve DVR’ed or spend time on our computers until it’s bedtime. Oh! I like to catch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! on weeknights. :) I like to start winding down for bed around 8:00pm so I can get in bed at 9:00 and fall asleep before 10:00. Then…… restart!

There are many times when diabetes interferes with my life that aren’t reflected in this “typical” day, but I’m sure those will be revealed later this week. Stay tuned!!



A change of pace!

Posted May 03, 2010 In Diabetes, Personal

Hey everyone!

I want to give y’all a heads-up on something really exciting that’s going to happen here on my blog next week!

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’ve been slacking and haven’t been blogging as often as I’d like. I have been out photographing, but I just haven’t taken the time to post all the juicy images I’ve gotten. So, next week, I’m dropping the pictures and will be posting about something else that is near and dear to my heart: diabetes.

You may or may not know that I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was 4. Usually, people find out that I’m diabetic when they notice the little grey box attached to my hip: “No, it’s not a beeper. No, it’s not an mp3 player. No, it’s not a cell phone. See this little tubing here? It’s attached to me, and it gives me insulin. Yep, that’s right, I’m diabetic.”

I sometimes avoid conversations like that because, most often than not, people start assuming things, such as:
– I have a miserable life. (How could a diabetic enjoy life?)
– I eat too much candy.
– I “did this” to myself; I could “avoid this” if I only ate right and exercised more.
– I have a strict diet.
– I have diabetic parents and siblings and grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles….

These types of reactions (especially the first one!) sometimes make me squirm. But, the truth is, I love answering questions about diabetes. Most people don’t know what diabetes actually is, or they think it’s that weird disease that old, fat people get. In my opinion, the more I tell people about diabetes, the less they’ll be confused when they meet the next person with a “beeper” on their pants. (Does anyone still use a beeper anyway??)

So, starting on Monday, May 10, you’ll get a blog post a day as I participate in Diabetes Blog Week!


Karen of Bitter-Sweet Diabetes Blog came up with this brilliant idea to have diabetics around the world post a blog a day for a week, with topics provided. We’ll be posting with the following topic suggestions:
Monday 5/10 – A day in the life… with diabetes
Tuesday 5/11 – Making the low go
Wednesday 5/12 – Your Biggest Supporter
Thursday 5/13 – To carb or not to carb
Friday 5/14 – Let’s get moving
Saturday 5/15 – Diabetes snapshots
Sunday 5/16 – Dream a little dream

To read more about this project, click here.
For a list of participating diabetics, click here.

So, sit back, relax, and don’t forget to check back next Monday for my first diabetes-related post! (I will continue to post images too! I promise!)

:)
Lauren



Ultimate Shootout!

Posted March 26, 2010 In Personal

Hey everyone!

Well, February came and went and I didn’t post a single thing! This blog has definitely slowed down through the winter months, but, with spring here and summer coming soon, I’m planning to pump this back up as I get out to shoot more often!

Last weekend, I met up with another photography group I found on Facebook. This one is the SoCal Photography Group. We met up at a private ranch in Bonsall, CA, to shoot all afternoon. I met several models and many photographers, and I definitely look forward to meeting up with them again at the next shoot!

Here are a handful of my favorites.






For the rest of my images, check out my Flickr or my Facebook! And don’t forget to check out the SoCal Photography Group! We’re always looking for new talent to join our meet ups!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy weekend!


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