#diabetic toddler insulin pumps
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The ableism that some type 1s suffer is astonishing. Here are some things I had to endure in the last months:
- I tweeted a picture of my carry-on for a 2-week trip (which cost 25€ per flight) filled only with my diabetes essentials, and tagged the so-called "low-cost" airlines, saying that for some of us, "traveling light" is impossible (I said, and I quote "am I supposed to leave my pancreas home?"), and that we have to spend more money because we have an illness. They replied that they had different luggage options for different needs (which, WTF? that's not even an answer).
- A friend of mine from the States replied to my complaints that I couldn't find a PhD position in any of my desired countries (all of them with universal healthcare) by saying "well, they'd kill for someone like you in the US!". Yes, and I'd die because only my CGM is 60€ for 2 weeks, I use more than 80€ in insulin a month, and these are European prices. I know from various sources that you either hit the jackpot of health insurances, or you can't manage your diabetes properly in the US. And I doubt universities offer those. So, hard pass.
- During a trip to my brother's girlfriend's town, my CGM didn't work on the first day, and then my insulin pump stopped working on the second day and I went into ketoacidosis (bad enough that I couldn't eat, and I drank a lot, but not bad enough that I went into shock or anything). When I said I needed to return to the house urgently, the stupid-ass kid acted as if I was doing it on purpose to ruin her day. Then her dad would try and make me eat stuff, and when I said I couldn't eat because I'd just had a ketonic incident and I didn't feel well, they went "oh, diabetes sounds just awful, I couldn't live like that". Like, yeah, that's REALLY helpful
- That one idiot from airport security who mimicked a heroin injection when I said I had insulin pens in my carry-on bag
- The times I've had to endure comments about my "phone dependency", even though I've explained that it's the device I use to monitor my glucose levels
- Some people who've commented my eating habits (first proteins, then carbs), which were recommended by a nurse when I was 2 because fast-working insulin wasn't a thing yet and that way they could administer insulin and let me start eating before the carbs started doing their thing, and it's really fucking hard breaking a habit you've had for 23 years, even more if your doctor says it's a logical way of handling things, saying "oh, cute, my toddler nephew/daughter/grand-daughter also eats like that!"
- And, to me, the one that stings a little, but all the time, the incessant comments "I couldn't do that" or "you're so brave for enduring that" or "see, how's that making your life easier?" (when one of the devices malfunctions for a moment or something). Like, I get that some of these might sound encouraging, or that you think you sound supportive, but I spend most of the time trying to figure out what the fuck is causing a high or a low, or counting carbs, or calculating the times before I go jogging so I can work out but not have a hypo in the middle of it. I've had to quit swimming, a sport I genuinely love, every time I've restarted because no matter how many professionals have tried, there is no way of avoiding the hypo that inevitably comes a few hours after that. Those comments saying I'm brave and shit are not encouraging, because I have no other choice than to do this, and I would literally do anything to be able to stop doing this. This illness is exhausting, physically and mentally. There's no second of the day when you can take a break from it, so people saying that they couldn't do that or that I'm brave just sound like condescending pricks, if you ask me.
And that's it. My little rant. I hate diabetes.
#type 1 diabetes#t1d#I'm very tired and I've been sick and my BG has been uncontrollable#can you tell?
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I'm a diabetic little nd I been takin care of it on my own since I was little and I have type one nd, recently I been thinkin bout a cg doin it fer me
(If you have medical trauma or are sensitive to medical related things or diabetes related things please scroll now)
Site: a spot for a insulin pump
Pod: Omnipod, an insulin pump
Bloods/bg: blood glucose
Dexcom/cgm: continuous glucose monitor
Insulin: a hormone created by your pancreas to control glucose in your body
Little baby is low and very smol:
"Aww, hi, babyyy~ how old are you right now?" I hold up just one finger and curl up in bed, sucking on my paci then bub comes over and scoops me up, cuddling me "aww, sweet pea, do you feel okay? You're shivering an awful lot" I huff at him and pout before he kisses my forehead and checks his phone, looking at my blood sugar "hm yup, it looks like your blood sugar is a bit low, lovie, what do you want for a snack?" I whine and shake my cuppy "do you want some juice, little one?" I nod and he lays me back down on da bed while he goes and gets me some juice. "Here we go, tiny baby, I put it in a bottle too because you're much too small to drink from a sippy cup" I rub my eyes then take the bottle as dada scoops my up and cuddles me again, making sure I drink all the juice to bring my bloods up before I fall asleep
Toddler is upset by site change and high blood sugar:
I stomp and pout "Nooo! I don wan t change my sitteee!" "Baby, you've had your pod off for a while, you'll feel icky and sick if you don't change it, dada can help you too, little one" I huff and tear up then dit on the bed next to me dada "I don't wannaaa, dada!" I whine "I know, sweet prince but we need to change it okay?" I huff and nod "can we check your blood sugar while we have all the things out, baby?" I nod again, still pouting as bub takes my finger and wipes it before pricking it and holding it to the meter, once it looks it reads 487(md/lg) "oh my goodness, sweet boy, your sugars are really high, let's get a new site on you and check for keytones too okay?" I don't wanna do it but I nod. He helps me change my site, wiping my leg and filling the syringe and filling my pod, priming it them putting it on and holding my hand before the 1... 2.. 3... Pop! And it's in. I tear up again and he hugs me "it's okay, sweet boy". He helps me do a correction and soon after the insulin kicks in, I start feeling better "dank wu, buba"
Or even as simple as having to have a shot because I have keytones and my blood sugar is too high like him giving me my shot then letting me pick out a cute kiddy bandaid then kissing it better because I was so tough and brave and it hurt.
Or going out in public over the summer time for the few weeks I take a pod break and having him help me wiv m shots when I tiny
It seem like liddol m wouwd be very happy becauses I always had t do it by mine self when I was a liddol kid nd havin a dada hewp make me feel really smaw an loved an safes
Okay bye bye lov u aww, tanks fer readin
#sfw littlespace#age regression community#agere little#sfw age regressor#sfw smolspace#sfw age regression#sfw agere#caregiver#diabetic regressor#chronically ill regressor
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GlucoFort reviews - Blood Sugar guide formula!
Understanding the way to deal well glucofort reviews with diabetes is a large element prevailing the battle in opposition to this affliction. Examine this article for a few first rate pointers on diabetes in standard. There can be something in right here which could make pretty a distinction in your situation.
Diabetic children can often be ostracized or distinct from their classmates. You need to remind your toddler that everyone is unique, and that they may be similar to any children with peanut hypersensitive reactions or a couple of glasses. Their Diabetes is just a bump in their existence, not a hurdle, and they may be a more potent man or woman some day for running tough at retaining it at bay.
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GlucoFort evaluations - allows You lessen Your Blood Sugar levels
The more you workout, the more insulin sensitive you become. Even in case you're not feeling properly or injured you may want to discover something to do this receives your coronary heart pumping. In case your legs are not working, use your fingers, or vice versa. Even rolling around on the ground can get your Diabetes.
If you have diabetes or are at risk for growing it, it is critical that you lose weight. Being obese or obese can reason blood glucose ranges to be dangerously excessive, which could cause severe headaches, which includes comma or demise. Try to eat healthier and stick with a slight workout plan. It's by no means too late to alternate, and you may be successful no matter how many preceding failed tries you have had.
It is important that you drink masses of water each day when you have diabetes. Becoming dehydrated when you are diabetic can motivate your blood sugar ranges to go through the roof. The general rule of thumb is that you have to drink one ounce of water for each 2.Five pounds of your frame weight, every day.
Glucofort evaluations - Is Glucofort Blood Sugar supplement secure to apply?
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Being identified with kind II Diabetes does not imply you're lazy, fat, or nonathletic. There are numerous causes of Diabetes which do not always come from being obese or no longer workout enough, but all diagnoses suggest that you will want to start looking at what you're consuming and grow your workout level.
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Even in case you "most effective" have Gestational Diabetes, it is especially vital a good way to screen your blood glucose tiers. Your infant may be impacted by using the slightest peak you would possibly have because the insulin does cross the placenta, so ensure to maintain your tiers even so your toddler will develop commonly.
In case you are afflicted by diabetes and you are on Metformin, watch out for lactic acidosis. That is an extraordinary, but lethal circumstance that happens when lactic acid develops in the bloodstream quicker than it can be removed. This is extra common in older individuals who take Metformin and symptoms include excessive weak points and excessive nausea.
Despite the fact that salads are a healthy diabetes alternative for humans with Diabetes, you should be cautious about the salad dressing. Dressing can incorporate a huge quantity of sodium and fats, which may additionally reason your blood sugar to range outside of the ordinary range. Oil and vinegar based dressings have a tendency to be more healthy. As a proposal, ask for the dressing to be served at the aspect, so that you can manipulate how a whole lot you consume.
Final Judgement - GlucoFort critiques
When you have diabetes, put on an I.D. Bracelet always. Even though it is trivial, sporting an I.D. Bracelet can save your life if you were to skip out as paramedics will realize you are afflicted by diabetes and might assist treat you correctly. If you do no longer sense like sporting an I.D. Bracelet, make certain to keep something on you that announces you are a diabetic.
Analyzing up on various diabetes suggestions such as you just have displayed a willingness in your component to discover ways to cope with this serious disease. However, it's also important to summon the strength of will to move on to the following step and put these pointers to be just right for you. A number of the recommendations can be hard to use, however you will be motivated to stay with it, as you begin to see effective modifications for your health.
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Happy Diaversary My Little Superhero!
Happy Diaversary my little superhero! What Is A Diaversary? A diaversary is the anniversary of a diabetes diagnosis. Many diabetics choose to celebrate all the obstacles they overcame in the last year. It’s the perfect time to celebrate the progress you have made and celebrate the daily achievements! Emma’s 1st Diaversary This is a real-life super Hero! One year ago Emma was carried into…
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#celebrating a diaversary#diabetes at Boston children’s hospital#diabetes updates#diabetic baby#diabetic children#diabetic mom#diabetic mom life#diabetic toddler diagnosis#diabetic toddler insulin pumps#diabuddies#diaversary#family#how to celebrate a diaversary#life with a diabetic toddler#mom of a diabetic toddler#t1d#t1d toddler#toddler diabetes#toddler diabetes blog#toddler diabetic#toddler diabetics#toddler with diabetes#toddler with type 1#toddler with type 1 diabetes#toddlers and insulin pumps#toddlers with diabetes#type 1#type 1 diabetes diagnosis#type 1 diabetic toddler#type 1 toddler
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i keep thinking about how it was almost exactly a century ago that insulin was first used to treat diabetes, and before that, type 1 diabetes was a certain death sentence, for infants and toddlers
It's been a hundred fucking years and we understand how it works now so well and it's so fucking treatable and we're still losing people to diabetes all the fucking time, including type 2 diabetes which is the easier to manage kind
like I think diabetes is so common that a lot of people don't realize how quickly it can kill you or how serious it is
this kid, I don't know his story, I don't know why he died. Could his family not afford insulin? Could his family have been neglectful? His "reason for visit" was vomiting, which makes me think they didn't check his blood sugar until he got to the hospital. Could it be that, like another patient I saw today, his insulin pump was malfunctioning? I don't know. But there's no fucking reason it should've happened. There's no reason he should have experienced fucking major organ failure due to ketoacidosis before he was even in high school.
The nurse who put his IV in gave him advice on how to make future hospital visits easier. I guess he didn't realize either this would be his last one.
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Reason #666 to have crippling anxiety
When your boyfriend texts you at 2 in the morning to tell you he woke up with a blog sugar of THIRTY-FUCKING-EIGHT.
He's extremely lucky he even woke up, and even more lucky he could think straight enough to find some sugar and eat it. He basically turns into a man sized toddler with the attention span of a goldfish when his blood sugar gets that low.
He used to have sensors that sent a signal to his phone which triggered an alien space ship type alarm to let him know he was crashing but his insurances (yes, he has TWO fantastic insurances) decided they arent necessary. Because he can only have one primary treatment for his diabetes, which is his insulin pump. God forbid he has more than a single treatment option. You know, one preventative and one reactive. I looked into purchasing them ourselves but Healthcare in this country is inflated out the wazoo and it's not an option.
Again, FUCK the American Healthcare system.
#american health system#american healthcare#healthcare#diabetic#diabetes#type 1 diabetes#type 1 diabetic#type 1 life#type 1 problems#chronic health tag#chronic health problems#Chronic illness#predisposed#sociology#politics#insulin
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did you hear who just got out of quarantine? It’s THEODORA 'THEA' WHITNEY? she's our DANIELLE CAMPBELL lookalike from BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. she’s TWENTY TWO years old and a former STUDENT. people think she’s QUIET and SENSITIVE, but she’s also LOYAL and TENACIOUS.
thea is the baby of her family and up until the day of her father's death, she was a daddy's girl through and through. she very much considered him her best friend. he used to call her teddy.
she was always a well behaved little girl but, around the age of 6, thea's behavior began to change. she became irritable and meanwhile also having problems in school with her concentration. she'd fall asleep in the middle of class and had an insatiable thirst and hunger all day long.
it wasn't until thea passed out and began seizing in school that she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. though she was too young to understand what that meant, she quickly learned just how different it made her from other kids her age. her diet was different, adults paid more attention to her than usual, and most importantly, she had to begin wearing an insulin pump and receiving injections.
after having a diagnosis and treatment plan, thea was in for a long road ahead of her. unfortunately, it wasn't easy to get used to her new way of life and things didn't immediately become easy. there were days when her sugar would drop and she'd wet herself in school and start shaking or her sugar would go too high and she'd throw up.
some days were worse than others and kids were cruel. the teasing and bullying got so bad, thea had to switch schools. she began to keep to herself and grew quiet and shy. her older sister, reagan, took on the role of protecting her and it's something she's always grateful for.
since thea wasn't one to go out and make friends, she focused on her studies and maintained straight a's for most of her academic career. in high school, she took every AP class available to her. her favorite subjects were history and biology. she graduated with the title of salutatorian.
she LOVES animals and while she was in high school she'd often volunteer at different organizations, it was the only way she'd get out of her house otherwise since she didn't really have any friends.
before the infection became the pandemic it is now, thea was in her first year at tufts university in massachusetts studying veterinary medicine.
though she began travelling with a large caravan of people when shit hit the fan but a fire to kill the infected who raided a hotel they were in cut them in half and she's been with just reagan and monroe ever since.
being a diabetic in this environment, thea knows her supplies are limited and her time is going to run out sooner rather than later and she's accepted it. the thought of running away from her siblings and ending it before then has come into mind but, she knows she can't do that to them and she knows her father would want her to fight to stay alive. thea's giving it her best shot and fortuna is offering her something the outside didn't, a slice of life and humanity she hasn't felt in a long time.
FUN FACTS.
she was named after theodore roosevelt but if you ask her, FDR is her favorite president.
somewhere between their last camp and fortuna, thea found a black kitten and smuggled it in with her. she named her hope.
she feels she owes being alive this long to her sister and the memory of her father because she doesn’t see how useful she is. she thinks she's more dead weight than anything else.
she’s good at first aid, making traps, finding food, tracking animals, fishing, etc.
she has a photographic memory.
she has a stuffed teddy bear she’s had since she was a toddler named mr. bunny in her bag. it was a saftey blanket for her when she was growing up and it’s become one for her again.
she’s become terrified of the dark.
she’s a cancer with a virgo moon, and a gemini rising sign.
she isn’t opposed to the nickname dora.
she has a smile that rivals the sun.
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Pressure Release Valve
I’m starting this blog as a way to release some of the pressure I’m experiencing. A journal to help me process what’s going on and deal with it. I process verbally a lot, which is good, but I can’t afford a therapist right now so I’ve been leaning heavily on friends - and they’re amazing for listening to me, but, I just keep going over the same shit again and again and they have to be getting tired of me. I can’t vent on Facebook anymore - because that’s just so fraught. Anonymous venting onto Tumblr seems like it’s worth trying. So, here we go - first real post. This is some background about one of the topics that’s got me deeply wound.
My father is an elderly man. He is 71 years old with Type 2 Diabetes, Severely Reduced Kidney Function, and Moderate to Severe Sleep Apnea.
A Quick Medical Overview about 15 years ago my dad was in a long term relationship with a woman and was living in her home. During that period he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and, because he snores to wake the fucking devil, she made him do a sleep study and he was diagnosed with Moderate to Severe Sleep Apnea and given a CPAP machine. About 4 years ago my father’s kidney’s failed. He had a UTI and went in for a contrast dye test for some other issue, and, the combination of those things plus my dad’s unchecked Type 2 Diabeties (and very high blood sugar levels) made his kidney’s throw up their hands and go “Fuck it, we’re done!”
He spent THREE FULL WEEKS in the hospital. At first trying different treatments to see if they could “reboot” my dad’s Kidneys, then, after a day or two doing Dyalisis and getting his bloodwork stabalized. Three full weeks. And he nearly died.
He was released to Hospice/Rehab care where they assessed his abilities and capabilities. They recomended a walker. Set up on-going out-patient Dyalisis treatments. Literally helped him get back on his feet. The Rehab center was wonderful and recomended that he move to a facility with nursing staff. Not that he go into a “Home” or Hospice care, just... a place with medical staff on hand. Someone to help him manage his diet and medications. He refused. Because he’s a grown man, see.
THREE days later he called me at 2 am hysterical. Utterly freaking out. At the time I had a 5 month old baby and I was awake when he called because I was nursing my son. But also I lived an hour and a half away from him and could not understand what he was saying or what was going on. I was sleep deprived. I hung up on him. My sister ended up calling an ambulance to check on him, which was good, because his blood sugar had crashed out so low he was having a delustional episode.
He went back to the hospital. He got stabalized again and relased to go home within 48 hours, but, with the caveat that he take a Diabetes 2 education class. I agreed to go with him to the classes - which were at a location close to his house. So I drove an hour and a half to pick him up, sat through an hour of class, drove him home, made him fucking dinner and then drove an hour and a half back home with breasts that were, at that point, painfully full of milk - because there was no possible time to pump in that whole mess of activity.
The course was 5 classes long, after the 4th class we got into an argument about how he couldn’t just eat McDonalds all the time anymore. Because the class had focused on how fast food was an especially bad choice to make for Diabetics who have other health issues. The teacher had specifically pulled up the nutritional information for a BASIC McDonalds Hamburger and talked about all the reasons why it was bad for blood sugar, even though - yes, there was a high protein count, there were all these added sugars. Our argument began by me basically saying “Now that someone else has said it, will you please stop doing this?” The argument ended when he OPENED THE PASSENGER DOOR OF THE CAR WHILE IT WAS IN MOTION AND THREATENED TO THROW HIMSELF OUT.
I had to pull the car over, get out, shove him back into the car (as he wasn’t able to right himself) while he hit me in the shoulders and threw a tantrum like a toddler about how all the women in his life have ever done is screw him over. I didn’t go to the 5th class. I’m not sure if he did. And I didn’t talk to him or deal with him for months.
During those months my sisters (both younger) discovered that he was so deeply in debt that he was going have all his utilities shut off and to be evicted from his apartment if he was late on another payment. So, they took over his finances. Like, litterally took them over. My youngest sister (who we’ll call Teri) is his Trustee for his social security payments, and, all his money goes into an account that she has access too but that he does not. My middle sister (Who we’ll call Beth) now manages the day to day bill paying and distribution of the account, including putting money weekly onto a pre-paid debit card that my dad has access too for shopping and miscelaneous expenses.
About six or nine months passed and things had evened out a little. My father was coming out to see my son on a fairly regular basis. I was ignoring him to the best of my ability. Working. Raising my son. Ignoring. And then I got a call, while I was at work, from my father. He needed to go to the ER, he said. To schedule a surgery apointment. Huh? He had a wound on his big toe that wouldn’t heal. This happens with Type 2 Diabetics, so it wasn’t a surprise. I was already aware of the wound and that he was seeing doctors about it. He had assured me that he was taking care of the wound and he was having apointments reguarly to have it dressed and assessed, so, I hadn’t done any digging into it. Apparently his doctor had recomended surgery and told him that he should go to the ER in the morning and get scheduled for a surgery apointment... which doesn’t make any sense at all. That’s ... not how that works?
So, I took a break at work and called Kaiser. I spoke to someone who read me the visitation notes from the doctor. Basically, the doctor had come to the conclusion that the tissue was damaged enough that it needed to be abraded and recomended that my father be transported to the hospital and admitted and scheduled for surgery that night. My dad, who was STILL paying off the ambulance bills from his last two hospital stays refused to go. He said he’d drive himself in the morning. His doctor recomended against that and suggested that, if he didn’t want to be transported via ambulance he could get a family member to pick him up. He refused. The doctor made a note in the after visit information that this course of action could result in serious issues up to and including DEATH and that my father was refusing/leaving the office against medical advice.
So.... I got a friend who drives Uber to pick my dad up at his apartment and take him to the closest ER. I met them there. There is a whole story associated with this pick up and my friend had to get his car detailed afterwards. Whee.
When I got to the ER they had my dad laid out in a hospital gown and had done some initial blood testing and my dad was waiting in a curtianed area. His blood sugar was all out of whack. He had an infection in his toe that threatened to spread to his blood - and if you don’t know, blood poisoning is fucking deadly. They were running fluids and antibiotics via IV. The toe was necrotic. Unsaveable. They needed to remove it ASAP. It was a good thing I had gotten him in tonight, the doctor told me. If he had waited until morning he might have fallen asleep and never woken up.
They ended up removing his big toe from the first knuckle to the tip, and wrapping it up. He went back to Hospice/Rehab and spent another 3 weeks learning how to use a cane to help him walk. He was instructed to use the cane all the time, but especially while he was recovering from surgery. He never used it, still doesn’t.
Another six months pass. It’s December now his toe has never healed from surgery. Refusing to use the cane has put too much pressure on the toe and it won’t heal. Being diabetic makes it important that he keep it clean and dry, but, he continues to stand up to pee ... and misses the toilet regularly. So... he’s peeing on his open wound and not changing the bandage or cleaning the wound.
And, so, there’s a need for a second surgery. This time they take the whole toe. And it’s back to rehab. Again. Where he ends up pushing for release early - and ends up getting authorized to go home on Christmas Eve. This time he promises he’ll use his cane. He does not.
It’s been two years now without any catastropic injuries or events. He’s mostly stabalized but his kidney function is in the 24% range (which is a failing grade on any test I can think of) but means that he doesn’t require regular Dyalisis. His Diabetes is under control only with the help of medication, and his A1C is generally in the 6-7 range, which is boarderline and if it gets any worse will not be able to control it with the meds he’s on. He’ll have to do insulin injections - this is an ineveitablity. But he doesn’t test his blood sugar.
He continues to ignore the dietary recomendations for both his Diabetic and Renal conditions. He refuses to use his cane. My father comes out to my house on Tuesdays to spend time with my son. Mostly he naps in the chair in the living room and we feed him dinner, so at least he’s getting one good meal a week. But, recenly, over the last three months he’s been falling more. He shows up to my place with new visible scrapes and bruises every week. He always wears slacks and a button up shirt, sometimes with a sweater. So, the visible bruising is on his wrists, hands, and face. In addition to that he *falls down* in front of me once every two weeks or so. These falls are not little falls. He trips, looses his balance and just CRUMPLES into a heap on the floor. Usually face first. Often he doesn’t even have time to put his hands out to slow his fall.
Recently, I suggested we move his recliner so that it was out of the walk-way into his living room. I have noticed that he often bumps into it or starts to stumble when walking through the narrow walk-way to get into his living room, because it’s in the way. I suggested we move it to the other side of the coffee table, about 2 feet to the right. And then, before he could protest, I said that if that meant he was too close to the TV, that we could then swap where his desk and TV sit, which would clear his desk chair out from in front of the entrance to the kitchen - removing another hazard.
Keep in mind: I DO THIS FOR A LIVING. I am a personal organizer and I help reorganize and reorder people’s spaces for better work-life flow. I am not simply making random suggestions. I’ve thought about this for a while, and, it was a soft suggestion, not an order or an edict.
But he flipped the fuck out on me. He dug deep into the past to pull out some horrible bullshit he *did do me* as a kid and tried to weaponize it like it was shit I did to him. It was dramatastic and awful, and, in hindsight probably an indication that his blood sugar is way off. Because he was super irrational and kept saying he was shaking.
I just get to sucked into his fucking tantrums and bullshit, because of a life-long dynamic of screaming fights and hysteria on his part. I try. I really do. But I never recognize the possible low/high bloodsugar behavior until after the fact.
#bitching#venting#parents#diabetic#diabetes#kidney failure#renal#diet#cane#falling#falling hazard#tripping hazard#over reaction#over reacting#frustration#medical drama#death and dying
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So based on your url… how did you get the symptoms? sorry if this seems personal. I’m trying to avoid sugar :(
It's ok! I am really ok with sharing how I got my diabetes so it's fine.
To be honest with you I got it when I was about 8 years old, it kinda appeared out of nowhere. I am a type 1 diabetic so when you can get this when you are about a toddler to when you are a young adult or so and it happens out of nowhere so you really can't predict it.
Type 1 is a bit more deadly then type 2 because a type 2 diabetic can stop from getting diabetes early by eating healthy and not so much sugar like candy, soda with sugar and chips. They can take pills ( from what I got from it, my granpa had type 2 and took pills for it before he passed away from cancer in September ). A type 1's body however losses the ability to produce insulin by itself so it needs help by taking a shot from a needle or a insulin pump.
I got bullied for it so it wasn't really the greatest experience I had so I kinda have a bit of trust issues but not that big.
But I have awesome friends who helps me and wants to learn ( especially my best friend who I am going to move in with after collage ).
If I had anything wrong do correct me, this is just from what I remember the doctors telling me.
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3 Tips For Every Diabetic Patient To Ease Life
WHAT TYPE OF INSULIN IS RIGHT FOR ME?
Rapid onset-fast Behaving insulin
Quick onset-fast acting insulin always appears distinct. It's fast-acting and commences to function within one to 20 minutes. It peaks about an hour after and lasts from three to five to five hours per day. When you use such insulin, you must take in just after you're.
The two rapid onset-fast behaving insulin types currently available are:
1. NovoRapid (Insulin Aspart)
2. Humalog (Lispro).
Short-acting insulin
Short-acting insulins often look apparent. They start to lessen blood sugar levels within 30 minutes, so you want to have your shot half one hour before eating.
Short-acting insulin has a summit effect in the 2 to 3 hours and lasts between six and eight hours. Small acting sugar forms currently available comprise:
1. Actrapid
2. Humulin
3. Hyperion Neutral (bovine - highly processed beef sugar ).
Intermediate-acting insulin
Intermediate behaving insulins often seem cloudy. They will have either protamine or zinc included with postponing their actions. These insulins start to perform about ninety minutes once you inject, peak at 4 to 12 hours and last for 16 to 24 hours.
Intermediate behaving insulins now available include:
1. With protamine additional -- Protaphane, Humulin NPH, and Hypurin Isophane (bovine).
Protecting Against Diabetes
You will have to maintain a watch out for your own blood glucose and choose care of your own diabetes for the remainder of one's entire life. In the event you have no good constraint of the blood glucose sugar levels you're going to be at an increased risk from harm to the arteries and nerves, also together with issues like corrosion in vision, stroke, stroke, kidney infection, and illnesses.
Since the physician has recently explained, attentive diet plans and diet pills really are typical that aren't expected in the majority of scenarios. If you are obese, only consuming less and losing excess weight may be sufficient to enable the insulin to operate more efficiently.
The percent of the population making use of insulin pump treatment to deal with their diabetes keeps growing fast; around 250,000 persons across the globe use an insulin pump. Their good reasons for selecting the pump would be lots of, however, broadly speaking"pumpers" all consent totally that it supplies them more rapid management and far more versatility -- equally in conditions and conditions of this program and way of life. This flexibility and control comprise benefits such as:
1. Eating exactly what you would like if you would like
2. Worrying about very low blood glucose ("hypoglycemia")
3. Alive life on your own conditions, not a program of bites plus Photographs
There are a number of scientific tests that reveal that insulin pump treatment contributes to greater results for adults and teens who have type diabetes. In addition, there are studies that show that this insulin pump treatment is useful for toddlers along with school-age kids.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHOLESTEROL
You will frequently notice cholesterol known as possibly fantastic cholesterol or cholesterol. To greatly help within our comprehension of the two and also their gaps we need to specify exactly the phrase"lipoproteins." All these are lots of cholesterol, proteins, and triglycerides which can be constructed via both the liver and also circulated within the blood. As soon as we discuss LDL cholesterol, then we are talking to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. So once we consult with HDL cholesterol, then we are talking to elevated density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Cases: safflower, corn, safflower, soybean, cottonseed and citrus oils. Polyunsaturated fats tend to lessen LDL (your cholesterol), however in excess may also reduce your HDL (good cholesterol).
Monounsaturated fats have been also based on vegetation. Included in these are olive oil and olive oil. Fixing the fats into your daily diet with monounsaturated fat fats might help lower your LDL (all over again ( negative cholesterol) without having to decrease your HDL (good cholesterol). This really is exactly why monounsaturated fats really are a nutritious option for the heart. However, remember that a lot any sort of extra fat may result in weight problems.
Cholesterol can be within food from animal sources: beef, fish, eggs, fish, and milk solutions. Some creature foods give substantial levels of cholesterol, even but some contribute just smallish quantities. That was not any cholesterol at virtually any foods that are salty. Surplus dietary cholesterol may boost blood glucose, which may boost the possibility of coronary cardiovascular illness.
The bottom line: Whenever you are making an option in regards to the fats that you use, then remember that excellent cardiovascular wellness is dependent upon maintaining your LDL cholesterol minimal whilst keeping your HDL-cholesterol.
LDL cholesterol, also commonly called"bad cholesterol," transported cholesterol throughout the blood vessels, reducing off it at which it really is required for mobile construction and also departing any fresh deposit of cholesterol because of a jolt in the partitions of their blood vessels.
HDL cholesterol, also commonly called"high cholesterol," picks the cholesterol that continues to be deposited into the blood vessels also gives it straight back into the liver for reprocessing or excretion.
It is easy to know just why there exists a differentiation between positive and negative cholesterol today that you just know the one of a kind purposes of each and every.
fats are often from animal goods like lard, fats from poultry and meat skin, butter, ice cream, milk, soy, etc... Processed oils like olive oil and palm oil are also exceptionally saturated in You have definitely noticed from someplace you ought to continue to keep your fats to the absolute minimum, however, do you really realize why? These fats often lift your blood glucose levels, which then improves your chance of cardiovascular system illness.
Cholesterol is a fatlike material that is available at the tissues of people and other creatures. It plays crucial functions in cell tissue arrangement, selected hormones, and also vitamin D. Our livers produce most of the cholesterol which individuals want for all these essential purposes. Surplus cholesterol may result in atherosclerosis or flushing of the blood vessels.
Hydrogenated fats would be such fluid vegetable oils than previously turned into too powerful fatty foods during a compound procedure. These fats additionally donate to some own blood glucose degrees.
WHY KNOWING YOUR BODY MASS INDEX CAN HELP YOU FIGHT DIABETES
This can be how shocking the growth of weight problems has grown: According to this Surgeon General's workplace, the amount of overweight or overweight adults within this nation is currently 50 percent more than it had been a few years past. The latest scientific studies have suggested that 1/3 of those kids born in 2000 will develop diabetes, which has been commonly known as adult-onset diabetes plus has been chiefly pushed by excess amount reduction. As well as most populous of: over the past 10 decades the range of fatalities specifically associated with obesity-inspired dis-eased has risen by 33 percent.
Obesity leads to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and strokes. Diabetes contributes to a greater chance of coronary problems, blindness, limb amputation, and kidney issues. The intimate relationship involving excess diabetes and weight is equally incontrovertible. That will be the reason why it really is important for people who're pre-diabetes or are identified as having diabetes to track their own body mass indicator.
What exactly can be the entire body mass index (BMI)? It has a readily calculated variety that informs you that the proportion of your own body weight is composed of extra fat loss. Even though this range isn't 100 percent on-the-money ideal, especially whenever the calculation relies solely upon weight and height, it is really a fantastic ballpark guess. Undoubtedly sufficient to utilize as helpful tips if you should be attempting to shed excess weight. Other elements that are typically considered under the account are both gender and era.
Essentially the very accurate means to learn the body mass indicator is by simply dealing together with your physician. Maybe not just does he provide you with some extra insights into the significance of the amount, but they will counsel you on how to begin shedding weight reduction.
However, in the event that you may love to have yourself a fast glimpse in which you autumn from the BMI scale, then there certainly are a lot of online calculators it's possible to utilize. The fastest road to a calculator would be by simply doing internet research for your definition of"BMI" or even"human body mass indicator " Either can perform. However, in case you are in more of the rush, may attempt these:
Once you have ascertained your BMI amount, then you will desire to understand what this indicates. Being a rough rule for grown-ups that a BMI of less than 20 suggests under-weight, in excess of twenty-five is overweight, and more than 30 is fat. For an even far more specific concept of exactly where you will fall from the indicator, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute supplies a whole human body Mass Index dining table for your own advantage.
The lowest line: In case you are overweight, then you are in peril of creating cardiovascular disease. This horrible disease's almost quiet, nevertheless, it might lead to kidney failure, and heart disease, strokes, and the increasing loss in limbs to amputation. This really is the reason why it is essential to maintain a close watch in your own weight loss and especially your own body mass indicator.
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Drug Might Assist Delay Onset of Sort 1 Diabetes
http://tinyurl.com/y29ojtly By Serena GordonHealthDay Reporter MONDAY, June 10, 2019 (HealthDay Information) — A two-year delay within the onset of type 1 diabetes may make an enormous distinction for individuals with the illness. And researchers say a brand new drug could make that postponement doable. Researchers gave the drug teplizumab or a placebo to a small group of people that had been practically sure to develop type 1 diabetes, primarily based on genetics and sure signs. These given a placebo, or dummy drug, progressed to type 1 diabetes in a median of simply over 24 months. These given the drug developed the autoimmune illness in a median of 48 months. It is not less than a couple of years till this drug may probably be authorised to be used exterior of a medical trial, stated Jessica Dunne, senior director of analysis at JDRF (previously the Juvenile Diabetes Analysis Basis). Nonetheless, “retaining children off insulin so long as doable is de facto thrilling,” Dunne stated. “This examine exhibits with only a quick course of remedy, it is possible to provide individuals two years much less of insulin photographs, finger pricks and each day monitoring.” Dunne additionally famous {that a} delay means a toddler is perhaps extra mature and capable of assist handle the situation. “The distinction between a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old being recognized is large,” she stated. A delay in prognosis additionally means two fewer years with the illness. That may translate into fewer problems later in life, based on the JDRF. “That is the primary examine to indicate any drug can delay sort 1 diabetes prognosis a median of two years in individuals at excessive danger,” stated examine lead creator Dr. Kevan Herold, a Yale College professor, in a information launch from the college. Sort 1 diabetes happens when the physique’s immune system mistakenly assaults insulin-producing cells referred to as beta cells within the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that helps usher the sugar from meals into the physique’s cells for use as gasoline. These individuals should exchange that misplaced insulin by each day injections or an insulin pump. As much as 1.5 million People have sort 1 diabetes, based on the examine authors. Teplizumab targets particular kinds of immune system cells, interfering with the destruction of beta cells. The examine included 76 individuals older than eight years. Most had been below 18 years previous. They had been at very excessive danger of creating sort 1 diabetes. That they had a relative with sort 1 diabetes and proof that their very own immune techniques may already be attacking beta cells (auto-antibodies). The examine volunteers additionally confirmed indicators that their our bodies weren’t processing blood sugar usually. Barely greater than half of this group acquired teplizumab for 2 weeks intravenously. The others got a placebo by IV. Examine contributors had been adopted till they developed sort 1 diabetes. The common examine follow-up for many was three years, although a few of the examine contributors have not but developed diabetes and are nonetheless being adopted. Along with delaying the typical onset of sort 1 diabetes by two years, the researchers discovered that solely 43% within the remedy group developed sort 1 diabetes in comparison with 72% within the placebo group. The findings had been offered Sunday on the American Diabetes Affiliation assembly, in San Francisco. They had been printed concurrently within the New England Journal of Medication. Dr. Clifford Rosen, from the Maine Medical Analysis Institute, and Dr. Julie Ingelfinger, from Massachusetts Common Hospital, wrote an editorial in the identical subject of the journal. “The outcomes of this trial are placing, with a number of caveats,” they wrote. An necessary caveat, they stated, is that these findings should not be interpreted as a remedy. However the findings do present clues to potential causes of sort 1 diabetes, and counsel methods to probably attempt to modify the course of the illness. The editorialists additionally famous that the examine was small, and concerned only a two-week course of remedy. JDRF’s Dunne agreed that the examine raises new inquiries to be explored, corresponding to what would occur if individuals got a couple of remedy? Or what if this drug was used with one other? However she stated, “This examine is especially compelling as a result of it was only a single course of the drug.” Funding for this examine was offered by the U.S. Nationwide Institutes of Well being, JDRF and the American Diabetes Affiliation. Copyright © 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Jessica Dunne, Ph.D., senior director of analysis, JDRF; June 9, 2019, New England Journal of Medication, and presentation, American Diabetes Affiliation assembly, San Francisco !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script','//connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '428750600651790'); fbq('track', "PageView"); Source link
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Buy it on Amazon - https://ift.tt/2vfK2uE - Buy at Best Price! Greater Goods Nourish Digital Kitchen Food Scale and Portions Nutritional Facts Display -- Click the link to buy now or to read the 522 4 & 5 Star Reviews.Subscribe to our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVwdXbwlJbv1IzT7DZqUudw?sub_confirmation=1 Buy at Best Price! Greater Goods Nourish Digital Kitchen Food Scale and Portions Nutritional Facts Display My toddler son is newly diagnosed T1D, this scale has been amazingly helpful!!!! We HAVE to count carbs and I'm super type A about it. This thing is accurate and flawless (I checked it against my other scale). Seems some of the programmed counts are more generic, but they don't vary wildly from the specific brands I use, etc. (Excuse the overhead light reflection blocking carb count) ... Reviewer : Awesome McNeato A very Important carb counter and portion sizer for a diabetic meal. It lets you know if you want to eat that larger portion or not. Usually not! I have been blessed with the ability to use an insulin pump and glucose sensor as my management tool. This scale stops the guess work. I have had Type 1 Diabetes for 50 years and give a lot of credit to new products such as these for easier management ... Reviewer : DebS Click https://ift.tt/2vfK2uE to buy now on Amazon or to read more reviews. NUTRITION FACTS: Get nutritional data for up to 2000 foods, including custom entries. TRACK MACROS. EASY TO CLEAN: Smooth surface and hygienic touch-sensitive buttons. DURABLE: Tempered glass top. PERSONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE: Get answers from the team at our St. Louis headquarters. 2-YEAR WARRANTY. MAKING THINGS BETTER: Nourish purchases help the Global Orphan Project care for children in need. UPDATE: this is the best food scale I have EVER owned!!! I wish they also made a portable version!!! 8/10/17 I've had the scale for two days and I actually called (and emailed) customer service because I wanted to ask 2 questions: 1. can custom codes be overwritten since they are limited (A: Yes) and 2. is there a way to enter food label information without creating a custom code. (A: No) The scale is amazing; it's easy to use and look up codes. It also has a zero feature that can allow... Reviewer : Dietrich L. B. Click https://ift.tt/2vfK2uE to buy now on Amazon or to read more reviews. ***Let Us Know What You Think… Comment Below!!*** Watch my other review Videos – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVwdXbwlJbv1IzT7DZqUudw Subscribe to our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVwdXbwlJbv1IzT7DZqUudw?sub_confirmation=1 #Greater Goods, #Greater Goods Nourish Digital Kitchen Food Scale and Portions Nutritional Facts Display This is a review video for : B00O5U4NDQ Manufacture : Greater Goods Related Videos in Channel
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Dedicated Diabetic Care Covers All the Bases
New Story has been published on https://enzaime.com/dedicated-diabetic-care-covers-bases/
Dedicated Diabetic Care Covers All the Bases
A thirsty 2-year-old isn’t likely to arouse concerns – especially during the brutal heat of a Midwestern summer. But Mason Brennan’s mother knew something was amiss in August 2014 when her son’s requests for water became excessive.
“He’d come home from daycare and ask for some water and down the whole cup,” Katie Brennan said. “He’d ask for another and chug it down and then want another.”
Soon after, the Derby, Kan., toddler began waking up each morning in a soggy mess after soaking through his diaper, PJs and bedding.
When she got a text from daycare one day that her son was acting extremely tired – to the point of laying down for a nap on his own, something completely out of character for him – Katie knew she had reason for concern.
A call to the pediatrician resulted in a quick check-up – and same-day admittance to the hospital. Mason had Type-1 diabetes.
Heavy hitting help Such an unexpected diagnosis might lead many parents to panic. But Katie says the support she and Mason’s dad, Ryan, received from the staff of the Children’s Mercy Wichita eliminated their worries. In particular, Diabetes Educator Jackie Aday, RN, CDE, was “a godsend.”
Jackie carefully oversaw their education on the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and insulin pump that is now a critical part of their son’s life.
“For about three months we would text almost every single blood-sugar reading, day and night – 10-15 times per day,” Katie said. “Jackie would respond with changes to make to his pump settings.
“The fact that we could call or text at all hours of the day or night and get a response was nothing short of amazing. We had no idea what we were doing, but [the staff] took a large portion of the fear out.”
In a league of their own An energetic little baseball player, Mason has had no problem adjusting to his new health status, his mother said. “We haven’t allowed [his diabetes] to impact his life negatively at all.” Today’s advanced technologies have been key. “So far, he has been able to participate in any activity he has wanted to,” Katie said. The technology helps the parents maintain peace of mind because his numbers can change so much and so fast based on his activity, weather and what he has eaten prior.
“Both his insulin pump and his CGM are waterproof, so he was able to take swim lessons and we were able to go to the beach and never even had to disconnect from either device,” Katie said.
But technology only goes so far, though. Katie said the Children’s Mercy staff deserved the most credit for Mason’s easy transition. She said she was so grateful for their patience and dedicated care.
“They didn’t have to give us their cell phone numbers. They didn’t have to allow us to wake them up in the middle of the night,” she said. “We will never, ever forget that!”
#arouse#easy transition#insulin pump#middle of the night#new health status#soggy mess#swim lessons#Diabetes
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Take the 100 squats Challenge
Take the 100 squats Challenge
Squats are mostly known as a leg exercise, but they promote body-wide muscle building by catalyzing an anabolic environment
Squats are also one of the best functional exercises out there, promoting mobility and balance and helping you complete real-world activities with ease
Squats also help you to burn more fat, as one of the most time-efficient ways to burn more calories continually is by developing more muscle
Squats have long been criticized for being destructive to your knees, but research shows that when done properly, squats actually improve knee stability and strengthen connective tissue
Squats are one type of exercise that should be a part of virtually everyone’s fitness routine, as they provide whole-body benefits
The Top 8 Benefits of Squats
What makes squats such a fantastic exercise?
1.Builds Muscle in Your Entire Body
Squats obviously help to build your leg muscles (including your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves), but they also create an anabolic environment, which promotes body-wide muscle building.
In fact, when done properly, squats are so intense that they trigger the release of testosterone and human growth hormone in your body, which are vital for muscle growth and will also help to improve muscle mass when you train other areas of your body aside from your legs.
So squats can actually help you improve both your upper and lower body strength.
2.Functional Exercise Makes Real-Life Activities Easier
Functional exercises are those that help your body to perform real-life activities, as opposed to simply being able to operate pieces of gym equipment.Squats are one of the best functional exercises out there, as humans have been squatting since the hunter-gatherer days. When you perform squats, you build muscle and help your muscles work more efficiently, as well as promote mobility and balance. All of these benefits translate into your body moving more efficiently in the real world too.
3.Burn More Fat
One of the most time-efficient ways to burn more calories is actually to gain more muscle! For every pound of additional muscle you gain, your body will burn an additional 50–70 calories per day. So, if you gain 10 pounds of muscle, you will automatically burn 500–700 more calories per day than you did before.
4.Maintain Mobility and Balance
Strong legs are crucial for staying mobile as you get older, and squats are phenomenal for increasing leg strength. They also work out your core, stabilizing muscles, which will help you to maintain balance, while also improving the communication between your brain and your muscle groups, which helps prevent falls — which is incidentally the #1 way to prevent bone fractures versus consuming mega-dose calcium supplements and bone
5.Prevent Injuries
Most athletic injuries involve weak stabilizer muscles, ligaments and connective tissues, which squats help strengthen. They also help prevent injury by improving your flexibility (squats improve the range of motion in your ankles and hips) and balance, as noted above.
6.Boost Your Sports Performance — Jump Higher and Run Faster
Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a mom who chases after a toddler, you’ll be interested to know that studies have linked squatting strength with athletic ability.1 Specifically, squatting helped athletes run faster and jump higher, which is why this exercise is part of virtually every professional athlete’s training program.
7.Tone Your Backside, Abs and Entire Body
Few exercises work as many muscles as the squat, so it’s an excellent multi-purpose activity useful for toning and tightening your behind, abs, and, of course, your legs. Furthermore, squats build your muscles, and these muscles participate in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity, helping to protect you against obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
8.Help with Waste Removal
Squats improve the pumping of body fluids, aiding in removal of waste and delivery of nutrition to all tissues, including organs and glands. They’re also useful for improved movement of feces through your colon and more regular bowel movements.
Take this Most effective Squat Challenge to achieve the perfect body shape you always desired for
· 10 Squat Variation
· 10 Reps each
· 100 Reps Total
Watch this very informative and helpful video to complete this challenge
https://www.flickstree.com/video-category.html/HEALTH_VIDEOS
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Insulin: The Canadian discovery that has saved millions of lives
Insulin forever changed what it meant to be diagnosed with diabetes. André Picard looks at one of medicine’s most significant advances, and the researchers – two recognized with a Nobel Prize and two more overlooked – who chose to never make a profit from their miracle drug
ANDRÉ PICARD, THE GLOBE AND MAIL
TUESDAY, AUG. 01, 2017
As part of the 150th anniversary of Canada’s confederation, The Globe and Mail looks at the Canadians, products and discoveries that changed the world.
When he was admitted to Toronto General Hospital in December, 1921, Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old with juvenile diabetes, was barely clinging to life. He weighed just 65 pounds and despite a starvation diet of 450 calories a day – the only treatment available at the time – his blood glucose was dangerously high.
On Jan. 22, 1922, Leonard was injected with an experimental treatment called isletin. The impact was negligible.
But, 12 days later, researchers tried again. After the injection, Leonard’s blood glucose fell dramatically, to 6.7 millimoles per litre from 28.9 mmol/L. He was discharged from hospital and began to eat more and gain weight.
Within days, six other desperately ill Toronto children received a similar injection, with the same miraculous results. As long as they took an injection daily, their symptoms were largely kept in check.
That drug, renamed insulin, forever changed the lives of people with diabetes. It is one of the great medical discoveries of all times, a Canadian innovation that has saved millions of lives.
Before insulin, children with juvenile diabetes (now called Type 1) lived only 1.4 years on average after diagnosis. Adults fared only slightly better: One in five lived 10 years after diagnosis, but with severe complications such as blindness, kidney failure, stroke, heart attack and the necessity to amputate limbs.
Today, people with Type 1 diabetes have an almost normal life expectancy.
“Insulin is the elixir of life for me. I literally couldn’t live without it,” says Christine Turner, the director of community engagement at JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
I think a lot of us have shown you can live a good life with Type 1 diabetes, and we have insulin to thank.
The 46-year-old Torontonian was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 18 months. She is one of about 300,000 Canadians who live with Type 1 diabetes.
The insulin she takes every day is fundamentally similar to what Dr. Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best injected into a dying boy almost a century ago, but there have been many refinements over the years, and in particular since the 1980s.
Today’s insulin is no longer derived from the pancreata of cows and pigs, but genetically engineered in the lab and derived from human cells. Instead of one-a-day shots and strict dietary restrictions (to avoid spikes in blood glucose), insulin needs can now be adjusted to food intake.
Insulin is also far easier to administer. Instead of the thick needles and vials of yore, patients today use small, preloaded disposable syringes or pens to inject or, like Ms. Turner, a tiny insulin pump and cannula that delivers the drug when needed.
“Type 1 used to be in the driver’s seat, dictating what I could and couldn’t do in my life; now Type 1 is in the passenger seat,” she says.
That doesn’t mean it was always easy. When Ms. Turner was diagnosed as a toddler, she was gravely ill, to the point where she had a blue tinge and she was slipping into a coma when rushed to the hospital.
After the diagnosis, her parents had to pin her down to give her injections and strictly monitor her diet. Then, in the puberty years, she suffered seizures (insulin is a hormone and growth and sex hormones affect insulin resistance) and needed glucagon, an emergency treatment for hypoglycemia, on several occasions.
“It’s been scary sometimes but I’ve been lucky to not have too many health challenges,” Ms. Turner says.
The word diabetes, in its original Greek, means “to go through” – so named because the disease drains patients of more fluid than they consume. (Thirst and frequent urination are common symptoms.)
It has also long been associated with sugar. Ancient Hindu texts note that ants were attracted to the urine of people with the mysterious emaciating disease and, for a long time, the illness was diagnosed by having “water tasters” drink urine of patients to test its sweetness. To this day, diabetes is sometimes known colloquially as “the Sugar.”
For a long time, the treatments used were barbaric and largely ineffective. The Egyptians treated the condition by feeding sufferers earth and ground bones. Then there were the classics, such as bleeding, cupping and blistering. Then, when the importance of blood glucose became clear, there were low-carbohydrate diets and fasting diets, where children literally starved to death. But no treatment was effective until insulin.
There are two principal types of diabetes. In Type 1, the body’s immune system destroys the cells that release insulin. In Type 2, which tends to develop later in life, the body can’t use insulin properly. Without insulin, cells cannot absorb sugar (glucose), which they need to produce energy.
“Think of insulin as the key that lets sugar into the cells,” says Dr. Jan Hux, the chief science officer at Diabetes Canada. “In Type 1, the key is lost; in Type 2, the key is not working very well.”
All Type 1 patients need insulin, but only a small percentage of those with Type 2 need injections. The real challenge with insulin, Dr. Hux said, is that it has a very narrow safety range. “You need to constantly juggle because too high and too low can both cause a lot of damage,” she said.
People with Type 1 diabetes can suffer from diabetic coma caused by critically low blood sugar, or from ketoacidosis, a buildup of acids in the blood caused by a lack of insulin in the body, both of which can be fatal.
Dr. Banting, a surgeon, became fascinated with the pancreas, an organ known to produce digestive juices and an unknown substance that regulated blood glucose. He believed that if he could shut down production of the digestive juices, he could isolate the other substance.
Along with his assistant Dr. Best, a medical student, he conducted experiments on dogs. When the pancreas was removed, the dog developed diabetes. When the pancreas of a dog was tied up to stop the flow of nourishment, the animal developed digestive problems but not diabetes.
So the researchers took the partly functioning pancreas, ground it up and injected the liquid into the other dog, which alleviated symptoms. The substance they derived from a tiny part of the pancreas was a hormone called insulin.
Dr. Banting and Dr. Best managed to keep the diabetic dog alive for 70 days, and became convinced the treatment would work on humans.
The work was supported by Dr. John Macleod, a diabetes researcher at the University of Toronto. Dr. Bertram Collip, a biochemist, also played a key role, helping the team extract and purify insulin. (They quickly moved from dogs to pigs and cows, whose organs were easier to obtain in large quantities.)
Insulin is the elixir of life for me. I literally couldn’t live without it.
The 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Dr. Banting and Dr. Macleod. Dr. Best and Dr. Collip were not formally recognized. The relationship between the four was often bitter and acrimonious, a story told brilliantly by the late historian Michael Bliss in his book The Discovery of Insulin.
Amazingly, the researchers did not profit financially from their discovery. Rather, they sold the patent to the University of Toronto for $1, saying no one should profit from a lifesaving medication.
To this day, insulin remains a remarkably cheap drug. In Canada, it costs between three and six cents per unit, and a person with Type 1 diabetes would typically use 40 units daily, or about $1.20 worth. (In the U.S., where drug prices are not regulated like Canada, insulin costs have been soaring so that a U.S. patient can pay 10 times as much as a Canadian.) “I’ve been watching with horror the U.S. experience with insulin,” Dr. Hux says.
She noted, however, that insulin itself is just a small part of the cost of treating diabetes. Patients need to regularly test their blood glucose so they have to pay for test strips or glucose meters. Many people with Type 1 diabetes use insulin pumps, which are not always covered by provincial health plans. The same is true of drugs used to stave off heart disease.
“In this country, it’s a patchwork quilt. Coverage is all over the map,” Dr. Hux says.
A Diabetes Canada survey found that patients spend between $1,900 and $2,600 out-of-pocket. Ms. Turner says she has been lucky to always have private insurance to cover the cost of her medication and supplies, but recognizes that others struggle to pay for their essential medicine.
“Insulin is an elixir, but it shouldn’t be an expensive elixir,” she says.
Insulin is also a treatment, a life-long treatment, not a cure.
Type 1 diabetes, in many ways, also remains a mystery. The exact cause is unknown. In most people, the body’s immune system – which normally fights off harmful bacteria and viruses – mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Genetics may be to blame, and exposure to certain environmental factors, such as viruses, may trigger the disease.
But, to this day, the scariest aspect of Type 1 diabetes is that it seems to come out of nowhere and sicken children.
“I think the biggest fear for people is the fear of the unknown,” Ms. Turner says. “It’s a shock at first but I think a lot of us have shown you can live a good life with Type 1 diabetes, and we have insulin to thank.”
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Logan Merwin: The T1 Boy Behind the 'Fueled By Insulin' Race Truck
New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/logan-merwin-the-t1-boy-behind-the-fueled-by-insulin-race-truck/
Logan Merwin: The T1 Boy Behind the 'Fueled By Insulin' Race Truck
Since he was just a toddler, 10-year-old Logan Merwin in Connecticut has had a love for cars that's evolved from playing with Hot Wheels toy cars to big dreams of monster truck racing when he grows up. Given that he's been living with type 1 since just 17 months old so it's all he's ever known, Logan is channeling his passion into making a difference through diabetes awareness and advocacy.
Quite literally, Logan is "Fueled By Insulin" and is the inspiration behind a very cool diabetes-themed racing truck dubbed "New England's First Type 1 Awareness Racing Truck." He's made the New England news recently, with truck driver and team owner Tony Lafo Racing and their sponsor American Sign Motorsports taking Logan's story to heart and creating the Fueled By Insulin campaign to support the beloved Children With Diabetes organization. Longtime racer Lafo is taking this cool diabetes-themed #82 Ford F-150 Pro-Truck to races all around the New England, most recently on April 29 and this coming weekend on May 7.
Very cool, and it happens to coincide with the month of May, when America revs up its engines to mark NASCAR racing season. Coincidentally, but unconnected to Logan's story, the JDRF has a new initiative on that front: T1D, Motorcraft, and Me, that makes this an especially timely of story to share.
Today, we're thrilled to share an interview with Logan's devoted D-Mom Samantha, all about the awesome stuff they've got going on these days.
Talking Insulin and Trucks with D-Mom Samantha Merwin
DM) Hi Samantha, of course we're going to ask you to start by sharing Logan’s diagnosis story...
SM) Logan was diagnosed July 11, 2008, and is now 10 years old, and next summer we’re planning great things for his 10-year dia-versary in 2018.
As a baby, he was always playful with us, energetic and ready to start his day. He had his 15-month pediatrician check and had been sick right afterwards for days. He recovered, but a couple of weeks later at 16 months we noticed that he was eating less and drinking more. He was filling diapers constantly and withdrawn. Over the course of a couple more weeks he stopped eating anything but small snacks. We still thought it was one of those kid’s phases but grew more anxious when we were at a birthday party and he wouldn't play or connect with the kids; he just kept drinking and hanging around us. We called the pediatricians office 3 days later because when he started sleeping several hours later every morning, we knew something was wrong -- as he was always like he is now, jumps up ready to start his day. We asked for an appointment later that week but thankfully they recognized the symptoms and called us back to come in that same night. They were literally waiting for us, whisked us in, pricked his finger and sent us to the children’s hospital. We caught it early as he wasn't in DKA yet, his blood sugar was in the higher 500's so we didn't have to get admitted.
What a scary transition to have to make...
Yes, we went back and forth for a few days getting educated on what we would now have to do to keep him alive. Those first three months were a rough road until we put him on a pump. He hated the shots and it was mentally draining on all of us to do them.
Anyone else in the family with diabetes?
No one else in my family has it, but my husband’s brother was diagnosed with type 1 when he was in college, in his early 20's.
Did that create a special bond between Logan and his uncle, and how is your brother-in-law doing these days with his T1D?
I wish they lived closer so we could have free, safe babysitting! We have no relatives within close geography here. When they see each other during our annual visits to Chicago, they definitely have their own conversations about type 1 and they definitely do test together.
Well, it seems you're creating an extended online family with your blogging. Can you share the story behind the Elbow Bump Kid blog?
Logan was trying to think of a catchy fundraising name or slogan when he started fundraising for CWD in 2016, and he decided on elbowbumpchallenge, which turned into elbowbumpkid -- since he bumped the most elbows EVER at the FFL events! Pretty funny, but he's known for it in school as well. They usually shake hands when entering the classroom and Logan has been elbow bumping instead every year. Here's our very first blog post, about the origin of the elbow bump.
We understand Logan's also a runner, doing 5K and 10K events. How did he get started with that?
Logan wouldn't play team sports until second grade and his favorite part of soccer, etc., was always the running. We had a running club at school that year and he loved it. That started his love for running. I wish we had more time in the day to have him practice more; we rarely have time for more than a mile after school.
Does diabetes get in the way when he’s running?
Well, since he was diagnosed as a baby, he has never known a life outside of T1D.
His diabetes does slow him down with running occasionally but mostly it's the combo of the asthma. We really have to prep well for both diseases or it's disastrous, as we have experienced! He did a great job in the Disney 5K running for JDRF in January, and he's looking forward to practicing to run the 5K for JDRF and the 10K for Children With Diabetes in January 2018.
And how did he first develop such a love for cars and racing?
He’s always been into cars in some form, he used to sleep with a Hot Wheel in his hand when he was 2 -- it was a little gold car. When we lost power during Hurricane Sandy for days, we piled Hot Wheels outside our house and let him race them down our walkway. He was into monster trucks and classic cars for a while as well. While the Hot Wheels phase died down for a bit, it came back in full force over the past year. For a school project last year, he pulled the town tax records on cars listed registered in town, then sat in center of town recording cars that drove by to see if it matched with town records.
He also decided last year that he was saving to buy a Lamborghini when he's 18, so as he gets money he goes to the bank (with whatever he doesn't spend) and deposits it. He's pretty dedicated to that. We ran into a dealer when we were in London and he was able to get a pic or two up close!
That’s too funny! Any plans to go into racing when he gets older?
Since he was around 4, Logan decided he was going to be a monster truck driver on the weekends when he grows up. His main job will be running the hotel he plans on building and working at his bank. Or as a coin inspector for one of the federal mints. He can't decide... then again, he’s 10. But it's always something involved with cars on the weekends. Who knows with this kid, anything is possible!
Anyone particular in the racing or running communities who's been an inspiration to Logan?
When Logan was little, my friend Jen sent him a video of NASCAR driver Ryan Reed, who we had never heard of prior to that. He has looked up to him since as a role model. He also met IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball at Friends For Life in 2016 so he has multiple role models that he follows related to racing cars. On running, he recently met Diathlete Gavin Griffiths while we were on spring break in London and has enjoyed following him on social media and reading his stories.
We are really lucky as he has had opportunities through FFL and otherwise to meet amazing role models in sports and life. He really feels like he can do anything and won't be limited when he grows up thanks to these experiences.
Let’s talk about race-truck driver Tony Lafo and the fundraising support…
I'm sure you listened to Stacey Simms' Diabetes Connections podcast, and what I said there is true about how we met Tony Lafo, driver and owner of Fueled By Insulin – it really was that simple!
He was a mystery donor to Logan's random JDRF campaign pushes over the years, as I always post them in our town Facebook group once a year when I want to make a goal. We didn't have an email or address for him until this year when for some reason the website had his email listed, so I could send a personal thank you. A few weeks later, I had posted a fundraiser Logan was doing at a local supermarket and Tony reached out to us to discuss the race truck partnership.
We brought it to Jeff (Hitchcock) and Laura (Billetdeaux) of CWD, and here we are, days from the first race on April 29. He's SUCH a nice guy and his whole crew has been so nice to Logan. He's been stopping down most Tuesdays and either playing Hot Wheels with at least one of them or sweeping their floors while they work on the truck. He doesn't know any other type 1's other than Logan, and he would prefer to help somebody local than send off a check somewhere. When he's not racing he's a full-time Fire Service Volunteer.
How cool! What’s the fundraising commitment?
Tony Lafo Racing, LLC, will help raise awareness by featuring the CWD logo on the #82 Ford F-150 Pro-Truck, as well as the Hauler and T-shirts and will donate 10% of race winnings to Logan's fundraising efforts during 2017 -- with a minimum pledge of $1,000.
What kind of challenges are you facing as Logan trains?
Logan isn't out of school until mid-June so his running right now is a running club on Thursdays and whatever we can do on weekends. We plan to do a practice 5K each month starting in May to gear up for January, slow and steady at first. My biggest challenge is figuring out the minimum I have to carry with me, his supplies weighed me down a lot. When we practice locally, I usually just toss the bag down somewhere but having it on me the whole time was a lot of weight (EpiPens, inhaler, smarties, juice, Dexcom, meter, and so on). We have been concentrating on the fundraising part right now, planning events to fundraise to meet his goals.
What else does this amazing kid have planned?
He will definitely take his advocacy to the next level, sooner rather than later. Right now he's focused on fundraising and raising awareness for type 1 where he can. I suspect in future years, he will be involved with advocating to ensure everyone has access to basic supplies. We have had a lot of conversations, once he realized that not everyone can afford insulin or a Dexcom. It's an ongoing conversation and if I felt there was a good opportunity for him to get involved in a couple of years, I'd present it to him and let him decide. We always make him feel comfortable that no matter what happens, he will have access to his Dexcom and insulin, but he's aware of the challenges and concerned for others. He's a very active kid and can't imagine not having his Dexcom to help manage his care.
Your family seems very supportive of so many different D-Community orgs. Can you tell us about those connections?
We have been touched by so many nonprofits over the almost 9 years with type 1. We have a love for JDRF and do the run every year; Logan loves the pen pal program from Beyond Type 1, and I love their ongoing constant articles and communication. I really feel like they have connected the larger diabetes community.
Regarding the CWD Friends for Life conference, I knew about the event for years but didn't sign up until 2015 as we were starting to experience our 7-year itch. I was looking for something different to help rejuvenate us and not free-fall into burnout. CWD does a great job with these events, bringing children and families together in a safe environment where they bond and have fun while learning. As parents there are a ton of sessions for us on everything you can imagine from learning about new technology to support groups. So we both loved it our first year. Logan even had a bunch of people sing happy dia-versary to him on his 7-year date. When returning to the event in 2016, Logan was inspired to write a speech to ask other kids to help CWD and bring awareness to the need for fundraising for the event. He loves being around "his people," especially the teenagers and young adults with T1D. He's inspired by them and can't wait to help at a CWD event when he's older like them!
And you're involved with the #WeAreNotWaiting movement too, right?
Yes, there are so many other nonprofits we adore and I hate leaving anyone out, like Nightscout Foundation, where we have access for the nurse at school to view Logan's blood sugars when he's there to help keep him safe. While we have to narrow our financial/fundraising focus to make an impact, we will support the organizations that help Logan and other T1 kids wherever we can, whenever we can. Logan always says that while JDRF funds for a cure, so many other nonprofits like CWD help kids in their lives every day until there's a cure. So we focus on both aspects -- fundraising for a cure and helping kids live full and healthy lives with the disease.
Thanks so much for sharing your family's story, Samantha! Can't wait to see what the future has in store for Logan, and we'll definitely be on lookout for that cool race truck!
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Disclaimer
This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.
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