Category Archives: Diabetes

Diabetes Art Day 2013

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I love the idea of Diabetes Art Day, read more about it here: Diabetes Art Day. Last year was my first time participating; it was rushed, and came at a time when I was just pissed at diabetes. This year, my head was a little more clear.

I created a functional piece of diabetes art, inspired by the endless supplies that accompany the disease. I call this my Supply Garden, complete with varying degrees of flowers (considering the amount of supplies, maybe it should be called a forest??). I’d never paid much attention before, but realized that diabetes is a very “blue” disease-a large majority of all the supplies are blue. Coincidence?DSC_0212DSC_0210 DSC_0215Represented here are: glucose test strips, 2 different gauges of disposable insulin pen needles, insulin vial, vial cap, a couple used reservoirs with a few units of insulin left in them, reservoir plunger, lancets, infusion site tubing, test strip control solution, a Medtronic CGM sensor (because nobody wants to wear those things, so they became pretty purple art), glucagon injection, glucagon powder, 3 reservoir syringes, all atop a quickset infusion site box 🙂

This barely touches on the things needed to manage this disease.

 

Digestion, Diabetes, and Paleo

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Some people thing I’m crazy for being as passionate as I am about food, constantly reading, researching, and trying to understand my body; and furthermore, becoming even more strict as of late. I’m sure I annoy plenty. Not that it matters what anybody thinks, but I thought I’d shed a little insight about what has fueled this passion in me. Indulge me.

Exhibit 1: here is a look at what happens to me, as I progress throughout each day. By the end of the day after dinner, my abdomen is so distended that I can barely breathe from the pressure underneath my lungs and diaphragm. Sometimes, it’s painful and other times it’s not, it’s completely random. I don’t know about you, but (a small) part of the reason I exercise regularly is to not look as though I’m pregnant.Belly

Exhibit 2: this is what’s happened the last two nights:Digestion Effects 1Digestion Effects 2

See those giant spikes? Not cool. Both nights, I had a super healthy dinner (as always). Each night I ate, did a few things around the house, and went to bed a few hours later. Not until the middle of the night, did my food finally show up and digest. Why? No idea.

From the digestion standpoint: why doesn’t my digestion work? Why am I sometimes miserable, other times not as much? Why is it painful sometimes, and not other times? Why does what I eat, sometimes just sit in my stomach and not do anything for hours, and other times motility is fine? How much of what I eat is actually even being digested? These and so many other unanswered questions have remained for the last 16 years, following every diagnostic test and procedure (and 1 unnecessary surgery) possible, many different “diets” plus trying every OTC, prescription and sometimes supplements ever created. Yet, here I sit, with no answers. So, where does that leave me? Food.

From the diabetes standpoint: the digestion issues listed above, complicate the hell out of it. I can rarely if ever rely on my digestion (or lack there of), which adds a whole other dimension to diabetes management. Fun times (sarcasm).

Hopefully this sheds some light into why I have gone Paleo (to heal my gut, NOT cure my diabetes as that won’t happen, ever), and why I’m venturing even deeper into food, because really, what other choice do I have? I’ve had chronic digestion issues for 16 years, and then was diagnosed with auto-immune type 1 diabetes (now 6 years. Are they related? Probably, after all, a large majority of a person’s immune system is in the GI tract-and mine has been completely bludgeoned for years). Sometimes, when you’re doing everything right, and then diabetes slaps you in the face, it’s a reminder that not only am I diligently trying to heal one thing, but I also have to manage another thing that happens to be greatly affected by the first. A very vicious cycle.

Nana Punkin Chocolate Chunk Bread

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Like that? I tried to get creative with the name, nana = banana, punkin = pumpkin.

As I dabble more in baking in the Paleo realm, I’m learning which ingredients to adjust at different times, etc. It’s fun, but trust me, things don’t always turn out well!

Nana Punkin Chocolate Chunk Bread

Mix bananas, eggs, melted coconut oil and pumpkin until well incorporated (I used my KitchenAid Mixer). Add coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon, dash of salt, and mix. Toss mega chunks in (however many you prefer), and lightly stir.DSC_0175 Pour into loaf pan oiled with coconut oil, and bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.DSC_0183DSC_0178

Things I’ll change next time I make it (and I WILL make it again): I will use 1 less egg, and a 1/4 cup more coconut flour. Also, adding chocolate is rare for me, but if I’m going to, it’s going to be Enjoy Life.

This recipe was adapted from the Civilized Caveman’s Paleo Banana Bread. In the interest of Auto-Immune Protocol, I eliminated the nut-butter and replaced it with the pumpkin and an extra TBSP coconut oil. I also removed the baking powder as I haven’t found one I like that doesn’t contain corn. The only thing I measured was the baking soda.

P.S. Last night, I prevented a low blood sugar with a slice of this warmed up and a drizzle of raw honey 🙂

Diabetes Firsts

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For the first time in my 6 years living with diabetes I want to take my insulin pump off. While, it may not seem like a big deal to some, it is to me. I’ve reached a new point in my diabetes life and am experiencing another diabetes first.

I long to roll around on my sides and not get tangled in tubing or have to move the pump. I want to get a massage without having my therapist work around my site and not having an area massaged. I want my chiropractic adjustments to not be awkward and feel the cannula poking my muscle. I want to be able to put lotion on in the morning, without having to work around an infusion site, I want to be able to rub and itch my skin like anybody else does. I want to not have an abdomen and sides that look like pin cushions from bleeding, bruising, painful sites.

A couple weekends ago, Seth and I laid low and stayed in, relaxing at home. We went to bed early on Saturday, I crawled into bed, got cozy, then said, “fuck, I have to change my site.” I ripped it off, and felt this sudden freedom; I started giggling, rolling around and rubbing on my sides like I haven’t done in years? I laid there for a while, before finally dragging my ass out of bed and changing my site, since you know, I have to have insulin or I’ll die and I’m a responsible adult. This insertion stung a little more than usual, perhaps because my 10 minute freedom was no more. Since that night, I’ve been thinking about it constantly.

I know my feelings are normal, but they’re not normal for me. It’s an odd feeling to want things you’ve never wanted before and in a million years, I would have never thought I’d be saying, “I’m really tired of having this fecking medical device attached to me 365/24/7!”

Interesting when the pump itself has provided me with so many freedoms, yet I want freedom from it.

T1D, Treating Lows, and Paleo

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I’ve received a lot of inquiries about how I treat low blood sugars when they occur, living the Paleo lifestyle, with T1D. Not easy, and something that I was fearful, of prior to starting Paleo. Now, I’ve become so comfortable with it, I don’t give it a second thought. Honestly, this was one of the biggest hurdles for me, and the thing I was most nervous about.

Living Paleo, I have far fewer low blood sugars than I used to as a result of being far more stable (props to the Dexcom CGM too, as it makes me aware when I am randomly dropping, or whatever, (T1D is lame)), but we all know T1D, and how psychotic it can be-so I do still encounter them here or there without notice or warning. When I do, this is how I treat them:

  • Honey Stinger, Gold Energy Gel (1 pouch 29g carb)
  • Chocolate Agave #9 Slo-burn Energy (1 pouch, 14g carb)
  • Blue Diamond Vanilla Almond Milk (8oz, 15g Carb)
  • Lara Bars (depends on kind of bar, but typically 19-24g carb)
  • Revolution Foods, Organic Mashups (1 pouch 13g carb! Organic too)
  • POM Juices (~74g carb per bottle)
  • Naked Juices (varies, anywhere from 30-60g carb)
  • Fresh fruit (varies depending on the fruit)
  • Home dried fruit (pineapple, grapes, strawberries)
  • GlucoLift all Natural Glucose Tablets http://www.glucolift.com/ (proudly, a part of the Non-GMO project, they rock, and so does their creator, Chris Angell, also living with T1D)

The honey stinger, vanilla almond milk, organic mashups, POM Juice, Naked juice, fresh fruit, and GlucoLift are fast acting carbs, for me (you might be surprised how fast acting they are for you, too, especially, red seedless grapes). The Chocolate Agave #9, and Lara Bars, are slower acting. It depends on how fast I’m dropping, if I have insulin working, if I’m performing some type of activity, etc.

Here are some real life examples:

If I’m sitting at my desk and it’s 2:30 in the afternoon, with just a faint memory of lunch bolus left, but I’m on the lower side, I’ll eat an apple or other fresh fruit, free of charge, sometimes a Lara Bar. If I am at home, getting ready for bed, after a walk with my Lucy dog, and I’m hovering a little lower than preferred, I’ll pour and drink 6-8oz of vanilla almond milk and call it a night. If I’m hiking and at a good level, but with a lengthy distance, I’ll have a Chocolate Agave #9 (OMG, DARK CHOCOLATE AND AGAVE), tastes like the best dark chocolate frosting, ever, with only 2 ingredients!

Depending on the patterns I’ve seen, I will adapt. I take my lunch to work almost every day, and when I don’t, I pack extra fruit, juices, etc. just in case I need them. Sometimes, it may be a sip, and other times, it might be the whole bottle; either way, I’m prepared.

At first, it really didn’t seem that convenient to me, but it is more convenient than you’d think, healthier (vitamins and minerals, instead of high fructose corn syrup, etc.), and actually pretty easy (can you throw a banana in your purse, grab an apple out the door? Probably!). Apples, pears, bananas, grapes, etc. are just as “fast” as starburst, smarties and caramels.

Is it 100% Paleo, no. Do I always have a choice with T1D? No. I do the best I can.