The Big D Q&A

Thanks for the questions, I've got answers. The fine print: Please remember, these are answers about ME. There may be some universal truths in these answers, but they are not sound medical advice. If you have diabetes, you need an endocrinologist (mine's FABULOUS (for me)).

What were your symptoms/diagnosis?
A: While working as a nanny on a fishing boat in SE Alaska, I started to notice that I was always thirsty and constantly needed to pee, the most common symptoms of uncontrolled high blood sugar. I did my best to ignore these problems because there really wasn't anything I could do about it floating in the middle of the ocean. Plus, I didn't know what it meant. I got home, we went to a wedding, my dad started noticing how much I was drinking (no, not alcohol) and that I needed naps like I never used to. He asked what else was wrong and diagnosed me immediately. Being a dad, not a doctor, though, he suggested it could be a bladder infection and told me to go see a dr. before heading off to my sophomore year of college. They did a simple blood test and checked me into the hospital for almost a week. Learning to give myself shots was really hard until one nurse realized that the dart analogy wasn't working (didn't your parents teach you NOT to through them at yourself or other people?) I was in the hospital a little under a week and then moved a couple hundred miles away and back into the dorm. I'm sure this caused my mother a great deal of stress, but getting right into real life was important to my integration of self-care.

2: What advice would you give to some who has been newly diagnosed with the disease?
A: As noted above, I think it's good to integrate the Big D into your life quickly. Don't wallow. Don't ignore everything else and just do diabetes. For the rest of your life, it's going to be there, impacting every decision you make. You might as well get used to it being a part of "normal" even though normal will be very different. At the beginning, I was very diligent about writing down every dose of insulin and everything I ate. Part of this was because I didn't know anything about portions or carb counting (though that's not what was prescribed when I was diagnosed it is sort of what I was doing). I even carried a little scale to the cafeteria with me so I could know how much I was eating. Yes, I was known as "the girl with the scale," but I wasn't shunned for it. I had great friends who acted like it wasn't weird at all.
I also think it's important to find a good endocrinologist who can motivate you. Every person is motivated differently and I am sure there are doctors out there for each of us. I finally found the right one and when I did, I realized how important that is. If you're just diagnosed, I think this is the most important piece of advice I can give you. If you're in a small town and don't have options, you should still see your dr. regularly, but you may need to work harder to find support to keep you on top of your self-care. The internet can help, but there's nothing like a quarterly doctor's appt. to refocus me.

3: What products do you use/recommend, and which did you use and hate?
A: I use an Animas IR1200 insulin pump and Lifescan's OneTouch Ultra 2 blood glucose meter. My biggest frustration at the moment is that the software that comes with my pump works with other OneTouch meters, but not this one (despite the fact that these companies are now one). They assure me they're working on it, but I got the Ultra 2 because my Ultra Smart quick working right and they offered me two Ultra 2's (so I'd have a back-up in Europe) since I really didn't use all the Ultra Smart's features. I ended up using the case from the Ultra Smart because I like the neoprene better than the nylon of the (smaller) Ultra 2's case. Picky, I know.
I use the Comfort infusion sets. They're low-tech, but they work fine for me.
The biggest thing is to make sure your insurance covers the supplies you're going to use. I have had to switch meters in the past when my insurance dropped that company's strips from their formulary. (pain in the a$$.)
For emergency sugar (to treat acute hypoglycemia), I carry candy and I mix up what kind. I prefer ones that allow me to easily get approx. 15 g of carbs quickly. So, 4 Starbursts for example, is better than some fraction of a full-sized candy bar. A Fun-size pack of M&Ms is ok, but buying a 1 lb. bag means being coherent enough to count to high numbers when feeling pretty foggy - not helpful. I HATE glucose tablets. I don't like glucose gel any better. Gross! Gagging while treating a low is not good.

4: What do you think the is the biggest limitation diabetes places on your life? How does it influence your habits?
A: I'll probably never go SCUBA diving (not a big problem in landlocked MN). I can't be a commercial pilot. Honestly, I'm not a huge physical risk-taker so I'm not convinced it's diabetes that keeps me from those things and I never wanted to be a pilot. There are plenty of people who are able to do anything they want, with extra precautions. I did skip the Turkish Baths in Istanbul this time because I was unsure of security for my pump if I disconnected and didn't really want to explain my infusion set to a burly woman with a big loofah who probably couldn't speak English. The pump gives me so much more freedom, but it also makes me think twice about certain situations because it makes it harder to keep the diabetes invisible (when I want to).
I do wonder sometimes how much I could do if a great deal of my brain weren't constantly doing math to calculate insulin:carb ratios, checking in with each cell in my body to see if I'm feeling low or high, deciding what to eat, when to eat, remembering to bring everything with me for however long I expect to be out. I wonder if diabetes uses 2% of the 10% of my brain that I, as a human, know how to use. Or, did diabetes engage an extra, unemployed 2% of my brain?
As for habits... I don't know. I don't smoke, but I never had any interest in that anyway. I don't drink a lot, but I've always been happy with a glass or two of wine with dinner. I'm no better at getting exercise than anyone I know (worse than many, in fact). Perhaps diabetes has impacted my habits, but having had it for 17 years, I don't realize that it's the diabetes, not just my personality. Perhaps with the big D, full assimilation is inevitable.

This post is getting really long! See what happens when you get me going? I have many more questions to answer, but I will hold them for another post in a day or two. No need to lose you halfway through when the question you sent is still coming.