1. The illness I live with is: Type 1 Diabetes.
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: June 1998, right after my high school graduation.
3. But I had symptoms since: April 1998.
4. The biggest adjustment I've had to make is: Planning. For literally everything. What am I going to eat for dinner? How is it going to affect me in 2 hours? In 4 hours? Overnight? Is my BG high enough to exercise? Do I have enough strips/insulin/CGM sets/pump infusion sets for wherever I'm going? I am a relatively spontaneous person, and even after 13 years, the planning is hard to remember.
5. Most people assume: That I gave this to myself by eating too much sugar.
6. The hardest part about mornings are: That first BG reading that sets a tone for your day.
7. My favorite medical TV show is: Scrubs. Because it's so ridiculous it doesn't need to be realistic. All the others try so hard to be realisitic, and still get it wrong. I'm a nurse, so that irriates me!
8. A gadget I couldn't live without: ohhh.... This one's hard. It's a total toss up. My pump, first of all. I was only on MDI for a month and I HATED it. Second, my meter - because where are you without that baseline? And thirdly - my Dexcom. I totally depend on it, especially at work, to ward off lows before they hit. Again, in the OR, that is SO important to me. Seriously, I don't think I can pick just one!
9. The hardest part about nights are: Being woken up every 15 minutes by a low, or a malfunctioning CGM sensor, or a high, correcting, trying to go back to sleep... Then waking up with a rebound low/high anyway.
10. Each Day I Take 1 pill and 1 vitamin. But oddly, that has nothing to do with diabetes. I infuse insulin 24/7 for that.
11. Regarding alternative treatments: Ain't nothin out there that's gonna grow me a new pancreas. I hate the "This diet/juice/pill is a cure-all for diabetes" ads. It's not.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or a visible, I would choose: I like the invisible, for the most part. I can talk about diabetes on my own terms that way, when I'm ready to or when someone shows an interest.
13. Regarding working and career: Being a nurse made me realize that not ALL doctors or nurses understand type 1 diabetes. So it is vital to be your own advocate.
14. People would be surprised to know: No matter how much you plan, no matter how hard you try, no matter how good your carb counts, sometimes D throws you for a loop anyway. There is no perfect. I just have to keep trying.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: That one autoimmune disease can open the door to others. As strong as I think my body is, it has its flaws.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: Run a half marathon. Boo-yah, diabetes!
17. The commercials about my illness: annoy me. There aren't any type 1 commercials. And I hate how Wilford Brimley says "diabetes." I have seen one or two JDRF commercials, and of course they only include cute little kids. But folks don't always realize that you can get type 1 even if you aren't a child. And you don't grow out of it.
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed: Eating cereal. :) I love cereal. But no matter what, it whacks out my BG.
19. It was really hard to give up: regular soda. At first. Now I can't really tell a difference. Or, if I accidently get a regular soda, it tastes so absurdly sweet that I think it's disgusting! :)
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: Running. See #16! And cooking. :)
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Just jump in a car and go somewhere. Without anything. I'd eat whatever I wanted, without a single thought to what was in it. No planning, and lots of brownies....
22. My illness has taught me: Carb counting and what a generally healthy diet looks like. I am much healthier than I would ever have been without diabetes. And it has taught me to be thankful for each day and all my blessings.
23. One thing that people say that gets under my skin: It's not so much what is said as how it is said. What bugs me is people who don't live with this disease judging one number in a myriad of numbers that make up my day, and making an assumption on that. "You're 236? You should take better care of yoursself." (At a doctor's office, while afraid and stressed, also with a number that could be attributed to a rebound high.) Another big pet peeve? Calling ANY diabetic "brittle." Brittle is not a medical term. THERE IS NO SUCH THING. Fluctuations are what this disease is all about. It irritates me to no end that even medical professionals I know throw this term around.
24. But I love it when: People are genuinely interested in learning! I love it when people ask me what my pump is, or how my CGM works.
25. My favorite motto, scripture, or quote that gets me through tough times is: "Every Change Matters."
26. When someone is diagnosed I'd like to tell them: You CAN do anything. ANYTHING.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: How finding other people with the same illness changes how you view everything. I have learned so much from my T-1 friends and the DOC, and I am so much healthier for it.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn't feeling well was: My hubby is THE. GREATEST. SUPPORT. I need juice? He grabs it. Glucose tabs? Check. Remember how I'm not a great planner? He has a diabetes check list he runs down before we go on trips to make sure I have everything. He's even woken me up at night to check my blood sugar, checked it for me when I'm low, put new pump infusion sets and CGM's in my arm, and taken me to the hospital during a scary blood sugar of 29. That guy is a champ.
29. I'm involved with Invisible Illness Week because: It's only invisible until we open up and talk about it. When we tell the world about Type 1, we dispell the myths surrounding diabetes.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: Awesome. You guys are great. Honestly. I have such an amazing support group.
31. The most embarrassing diabetes related thing that's happened to you: So I added this one myself. Because you have to laugh at yourself. I've had a LOT of diabetes snafus, but the most embarrassing one was at a very, very fancy New York restaurant when my pump fell out from under my dress and bounced off the maitre d's shoe.
Whew!! Long meme. :) But I love things like that, maybe because it takes me back to a time before my life shifted. Because I had a good 18 years on this earth
Garbanzo Beans and Greens
From Cooking Light
2 bacon slices
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 15-ounce cans of garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed and drained
4 cups chopped fresh kale
1/2 cup plain reduced fat or fat free greek yogurt
4 lemon wedges
1. Cook bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and crumble. Add carrots and onion to the drippings in the pan and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add paprika, salt, cumin, and red pepper and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken broth, water, and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add 4 cups of kale to bean mixture. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the kale is tender, stirring occasionally. Ladle 1 1/4 cups bean mixture into 4 bowls and top each serving with 2 tablespoons yogurt. Sprinkle with bacon and serve with lemon wedges.
Yields: 4 servings. Calories - 216 Fat - 4.2 grams Carbs - 33.7 grams Fiber - 6 grams
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