#actually t1d

[kinkykinard]

do you ever have those days where you take your normal bolus for something and your body just like... forgets it's diabetic? and then you have to pound back juice box after juice box to save yourself because you're double arrows down with no end in sight?

no, just me?

[unboxed-thoughts]

Hahahahaha I'm so useless

I can't even get ready for school because it gets me too stressed

I can't be more stressed because my glucose level is already 250 and going up

I can't excercise more to lower the glucose level and blow off steam because my head hurts so much

And I cannot lay down for my head to stop hurting because I'm too frustrated to rest hahahahahahahhahahahaha

[the-lonely-human]

I hate the US healthcare and insurance system. I don’t know what is going on behind the scenes but if it doesnt get fixed or I can’t find a solution, I’m royally fucked.

For context, I’m a Type 1 Diabetic and I need insulin to live. Since I got diagnosed back in 2017, I’ve been using shots and been prescribed Humalog for my fast acting insulin. Now, for whatever bum-fuck reason, my insurance has just decided to change my insulin??? I’m still prescribed to Humalog, but my latest shipment has been Novolog. This wouldn’t be such a problem except the fact that the Novolog cartridges don’t fit into my pen, making them completely useless. Luckily, I still have plenty of Humalog left, but unless I can find a pen that can fit my new cartridges or get my insurance to stop trying to fuck me over and give me my Humalog left, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m fortunately in a fortunate situation, cause I know people who have to deal with the exact same thing except they don’t have enough insulin to last them.

So now I have four boxes of insulin I can’t use, five boxes of Humalog left, an insurance company who won’t give me my actual prescription, and a healthcare system that does not help me in any way.

[zurko48]

Diabetes is such a joke of a disease wdym I just got woken up in the dead of night basically on my deathbed and to not die I have to eat a little snack? a little treat is gonna save my life? save me vanilla icing, vanilla icing SAVE ME. like what is even going on what are we DOING 😭

[box-of-nonexistent-meows]

Having type 1 diabetes with an insulin pump is like playing with a Tamagochi but you're the pet

[transgender-brimstone]

i love you diabetics.

i love you type 1s, i love you type 1.5s, i love you type 2s, i love you prediabetics, i love you gestational diabetics, i love you diabetics who don't fit into a single type/have a specific type not mentioned here, i love you recently diagnosed diabetics, i love you diagnosed years ago diabetics, i love you diabetics who use CGMs, i love you diabetics who prick their fingers, i love you diabetics who do MDIs and fight with needles, i love you diabetics who use pods/pumps/infusion sets, i love you diabetics who use insulin inhalers, i love you diabetics who are sick and tired, i love you diabetics who went into DKA, i love you diabetics who have "bad" a1c, i love you diabetics that are struggling to stay motivated to care care of yourselves. i love you diabetics!!!!!!!!!

[underdog1224557]

Low blood sugar is kind of funny to think about sometimes, it’s almost like a curse. You get to ignore your chronic illness for a little bit and eat without worrying about insulin or carbs. But at the same time your body is slowly shutting down, your brain is starving and you are in a confused, sweaty daze. So while you are enjoying a small moment without the stress of diabetes, you are also actively dying.

Kind of a weird way to look at it I guess

[t1d-culture-is]

Type 1 diabetic culture is personifying your pump and cgm. every time their alarms go off i go "sorry, my wife is yelling at me" or "girl, calm down, ain't no one talkin to you"

★

[needlepokes]

how to write a diabetic character: CGM edition

is your diabetic character wearing a CGM? do they have to? CGMs these are Continous Glucose Monitors that can detect how much sugar is in your bloodstream.

How are they different than tradtional fingerprick (blood) tests? they take blood sugar readings 24/7, and provide you with how your sugars are doing at all times, rather than just at that moment. This leads to tremendously better control over blood sugar.

The way they work is that they can "sample" your blood sugar by testing your subcutaneous tissue for sugar levels then adjusting that value.

However, they're less accurate than a fingerprick (blood) reading and will often "lag" behind by about 15 minutes.

SO if you have a character who is expereincing low or high blood sugar - they'd get an alarm on their CGM, and then they might take a fingerprick reading to make sure. CGM false alarms DO exist and it can cause some very annoying situations.

A less careful/depressed/struggling/burnt out character might A. not care or "sleep through" alarms B. not double check with a finger prick C. not care that they're wearing a CGM - pump into stuff or just rip it off (although they are very expensive!).

can you mute them? yes, and a character might choose to do this while they're sleeping, having an exam, or if they know they're about to fuck up their blood sugar.

how long do they last? the libre ones last 14 days. the dexcom ones last up to 10 days.

can you shower with them? yes

can you swim with them? yes

can you have sex with them on? yes, and i've read very funny anecdotes from diabetics having to pause during sex because their cgm was beeping

are they expensive? yes! sometimes, they're covered by insurance, but not completely. If a character is in poverty, or do not have insurance, they likely would have to rely solely on fingerpricks.

Who usually uses CGMs? they are very widespread between T1Ds and are increasingly being used by T2Ds as well.

can you share the readings on multiple devices? yes! your character might share their info with their SO, parents, roommates, close friends...etc. It is genuienly one of the most telling signs of a close relationship between people - because those people will see your "mistakes" and decisions.

where do you stick them? the libre ones (circular ones) officially just go on the back of your arm. The dexcom ones can go on just about anywhere that's "soft" - stomach, thighs, back of arm, chest...etc.

does putting them on hurt? sometimes! the way they are installed involves a needle going into the skin then sitting in the subcutaneous tissue. This can sometimes cause some bleeding, and soreness for a few hours.

Often times the process is completely painless, but this is not the case for everyone. A thinner character might struggle to find a place "cushy" enough for a cgm.

can you put them on your own? yes the process is made for one person to stick it on, but i've seen some couples on instagram act all romantic and sappy about applying it together, so that should give you some ideas for your diabetic characters' budding romances ;)

Some CGMs are just naturally faulty, i'd say about 4 sensors is a busted one, and in that case you'll have to replace them - which most companies just do without any hassle.

do they work with insulin pumps? some insulin pumps can work in tangent with CGMs and provide feedback for the user to automatically generate the correct doses of insulin, depending on their current blood sugar.

do they come off easily? depends on who you're asking. some people swear up and down that they never last and have to put on patches, which are admittedly very cute. Weather, clothing, and how clumsy a character is all factor in this. For me personally i just put them on raw and keep them together by sheer willpower.

CGMs can cause anxiety in diabetics. The constant flow of information can easily burnout people, and this can possibly be the case for any diabetic character you might write. Seeing arrows going down or up can be very distressing, especially knowing how painful some of the consequences are. I personally take breaks for both myself and my wallet from using CGMs to avoid burn out.

nonetheless, CGMs are WONDERFUL pieces of technology that have personally made me much happier as a diabetic, freer and a lot more independent.

does your character want their CGM to show? lots of people, including myself don't like revealing their CGMs - but your character might like showing them off!

and lastly - my favorite thing about CGMs - taking them off and having a "naked" shower once a month where i dont have to worry about it coming off. - They look like this:

[penelopepitstopp]

It's World Diabetes Day!

So here is Ed Gamble (diagnosed T1 aged thirteen) devouring eight desserts in a row as a judge on Great British Menu and having an absolutely lovely time.

plus a few words from the greedy boy himself:

Ed Gamble, Glutton: The Multi-Course Life of a Very Greedy Boy, 2023

and finally a lil bonus arms, cat, Dexcom appreciation

[theotherpl4ce]

I think all cgm apps should have a little 'perfect parry' sign to pop up every time time you have a Special Treat but dose your insulin perfectly & your blood sugar doesn't spike up

[gtzgoblin]

I remembered yesterday that as a kid I was told a lot not to get upset/angry/stressed because it would "make my blood sugars bad"

What the fuck man?

[zurko48]

extremely selfish of you to be born needing help, maybe try killing yourself instead?

[arionaleilani]

hello its ur local diabetic trying not to cry in my dr’s office because my a1c has dropped below 9 for the first time since i was probably 19 or 20, being diabetic fucking SUCKS but i’m trying to be better about taking care of myself and taking my health seriously and it’s SHOWING!!! IT’S ACTUALLY SHOWING!! 8.7 MOTHERFUCKERS!!!

[chrismerle]

my blood sugar: slightly low but, eh, mostly fine me: also mostly fine my blood sugar, five minutes later: three points lower me: I Am The Unceasing Hunger, Never Has The World Known Such A Hunger As This

[transgender-brimstone]

beautiful women named "dexcom g6 app" keep texting me on my phone