This week I guest post on Suite D, the Omnipod Diabetes Blog about Managing Low Blood Sugars Living the Paleo Lifestyle.
I receive a lot of questions about lows, and Paleo, and I can assure you lows mean something different to me now, than they once did. In addition, my relationship with food has drastically changed.
If you have questions, I would love to hear them!
I have been extremely busy lately, therefore, lack of blog posts. That doesn’t mean I don’t think about all the things on multiple lists that I have written down to blog about, daily 🙂
I’ve been busy, because it’s JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes season, which for me, is about a 7 month process, but is very intense for me for about two months each fall. If you don’t know who JDRF is, they’re the non-profit organization that is solely dedicated to preventing, treating, and curing type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease. I was diagnosed at the age of 25, and have been involved across all areas ever since, starting with the Tidewater Chapter in Virginia Beach, VA. When we relocated to San Diego, the Chapter was one of the first places I went.
Until recently I was the Volunteer Outreach Chair (VOC) for the San Diego Chapter, for a couple years; I was elected to the JDRF San Diego Board of Directors in June 2012, and just started my second year on the Board, and I’m the President of the San Diego YLC – Young Leadership Committee, a new initiative for the chapter. I am also a mentor for those in their time of need. I help lead my companies corporate JDRF Walk team each fall with different events throughout Walk season.
This will be my 7th walk, and I will go over $30,000 personally fundraised! I do it, because I believe in the organization, and what they’re doing. They still give me hope today. I have remained firm in my commitment to them. If you have time, please read my 2013 fundraising letter: T1D, A Family Disease, and consider supporting the cause if you can. I promise, I represent your dollars to the best of my ability.
In the day-to-day, I am on autopilot with managing my type 1 diabetes. It is what it is, and I’m in such a routine that I don’t often give it much thought.
I’ve always stood by what my parents have instilled, in that it’s good to get your hands dirty now and then. Not only do I agree, but I often garden bare handed. Last week while pruning and trimming my tomato plants, I did so without gloves; not just green thumb, but green fingers:
In scrubbing them off, I noticed all the little holes in my fingers from checking my blood sugar were filled with dirt. A reminder, that yes, I do have diabetes and my fingers are holey:
This post is two-fold. I’ve come to recently love watching TED Talks on Netflix. Not only am I fascinated by learning, but I think one of the best things about them is that they are no-frills, straight to the point talks by engaging speakers, and then they’re done. No bull, no sugar-coating, here it is, what you do with this knowledge is your choice, type of deal. Fits me well. This is the first fold.
Seth recommended that I watch a TED Talk that he’d previously viewed, on posture and body language, and how it affects us. I’ve always thought I pay attention to my body language, and have made the effort to be very mindful of it, especially in professional settings. I watched it last night, and while I’m not awful in the body language arena, as with most things, there is always room for improvement, and I learned things 🙂
But still, something Amy Cuddy said in her presentation struck home with me. For some time now, at the forefront of my mind, I have been trying to figure out how to put into words what it was like to receive a life-changing diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, at the age of 25. I still don’t know how to comprehend or make sense of not having the life anymore that I had for 25 years. In Amy’s TED Talk about body language, she shares with the audience a personal story and at one point she says, “so I really struggled with this, and I have to say, having your identity taken from you, your core identity, and for me it was being smart, having that taken from you, there’s nothing that leaves you feeling more powerless than that. So I felt entirely powerless. I worked and worked and worked, and I got lucky, and worked, and got lucky, and worked.” I had an aha! moment and thought to myself “yes, I can relate to that, I know what that’s like. My identity was taken from me and I’ve had to find a new one.”
Just like Amy, I’ve had to work very, very hard to create a new identity, a new normal, and be accepting of it. Who I am today is not who I was pre-diagnosis. The things that I do on a daily, sometimes hourly basis are not what I would’ve done 6 1/2 years ago. This is the second-fold.
You can view Amy’s TED Talk here: Amy Cuddy: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.
Just like in the movie, today we’re doing a swap. If you could switch chronic diseases, which one would you choose to deal with instead of diabetes? And while we’re considering other chronic conditions, do you think your participation in the DOC has affected how you treat friends and acquaintances with other medical conditions?
Super easy question for me: I’d choose celiac disease. I am so incredibly passionate about health, overall wellness and food. I’m such a foodie, and I love finding new ways to reinvent staple dishes, create new ones, and experiment, using healthier, different and a variety of ingredients. I love cooking for friends and family. I have a bumper sticker on my fridge that says, “Love People, Cook them Tasty Food.” I’ve been living the Paleo lifestyle for almost 2 years now, so I am gluten free as a result of that. There is nothing that I love more (okay, maybe a couple things) than being in the kitchen cooking and having fun with food. I find it so utterly calming and relaxing-which is apparent in the way my blood sugar reacts, it plummets as soon as I start getting the ingredients out 🙂
It’s my thought that with anything chronic, it isn’t about what you can’t have, but what you can, and working with that.
Yes and no; I don’t think the DOC specifically has affected the way I treat friends or acquaintances living with other medical conditions. Are you familiar with the color personality tests, where someone is designated one of four colors based on certain characteristics? I’m blue to the core, and always have been. Nurturing, trusting, empathetic, sensitive and always put others above myself, so I have always been probably over-sensitive and extremely observant to others needs. However, what the DOC has provided me, is an appreciation that we all come from different backgrounds, with varying life experiences that help shape who we are. When I didn’t have healthcare at diagnosis-who was there? The DOC. Having a chronic medical condition isn’t something to be ashamed of, but something to fuel you to help others, network and connect. I have some friends in the DOC that I consider close friends, that I know are there if I need them, and I haven’t even met them in person. This is pure awesome.
livinglikelinds 