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AttituDe of GratituDe inSOULin

My Little Friend

My Little Friend

by @cutthebsgirl

Oh hummingbird don’t you see,
How lucky you are to be free,
You can go anywhere you want to go,
Without anyone to tell you no.

And with that freedom to fly free,
You still chose to come see me!
How happy am I today,
That you decided to come my way.

So thank you from this happy heart,
Of which you truly have a part.
I’ll look forward till we meet again,
You, my awesome little friend. 💖

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AttituDe of GratituDe getting eDucateD inSOULin

10 Reasons Why it Rocks to Hang with a T1D Parent!

I was invited by a T1D mom (that means her child has T1D) for a night out since her amazing daughter with T1D was away at Diabetes Camp. Basically this means that she can have a little break from managing her daughter's diabetes (the camp counselor and nurses assist with that during that week.). I had an amazing time and thought…T1D parents rock and I just had to share or with my Cut The BSers…so here is:

10 reasons why it rocks to hang out with a T1D parent!

1. They're so ready for a night out. Having the opportunity to let your hair down and have fun is rare for a parent of a T1D child…so when it does happen…ya wanna be around!

2. They know what you're doing at the happy hour table. No questions as to what we are doing and why there's blood on my finger.

3. They know how to carb count!!! Since they do all the carb counting for their child…they can do it for you too! Bolus me!

4. They're always in mom/dad mode. Adulting can be hard…adulting with T1D…can be even harder. Sometimes it's a relief to pass the torch on to someone who understands because I won't argue with them they way their T1D child might. Tell me what to do…it's cool! I'm soooooo ok with that!

5. They always have a juice box ready! They also have glucose tabs and other random treats on them. They are always equipped in case of a low!

6. They probably volunteer and are members of the same community you are in. So those days when you can't go on…they're there to remind you to keep going…but not before we enjoy this happy hour!

7. They have a sense of humor about diabetes. Sometimes we have to and they have some of the best stories! I'll drink to that!

8. They don't judge…ever. I've never heard, "Should you be eating that?" from a T1D parent. It could be because they have spent so much time helping their own T1D kid(s) live normal lives and bolusing for normal things that they don't blame us one bit for ordering that elephant ear!

9. We can be a resource for them. We can be here to be sounding boards. They can ask us if we were rebellious at their kid's age and why, or how they can be supportive of their child. They can ask us to describe what a low feels like and how we may need to be helped. It feels good to be able to give back to the people who take care of us.

10. They have the biggest hearts ever! Their hearts are overflowing with concern, advocacy, and love. They are true crusaders to our cause.

Cheers to all the T1D Moms, Dads, Brothers, Sisters, and Friends out there! You inspire me and empower me to continue on this T1D journey. Until our next outing…line dancing perhaps?

Donate to my JDRF One Walk Page by clicking here!

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inSOULin

What a difference a month makes

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Today marks a month since I came home from the hospital. The week I spent there took its toll on my physical, mental, and spiritual well being.

When I got home from the hospital:

  • I could not get up the stairs without my legs cramping up.
  • A lap around the couch was my workout.
  • I couldn’t get anything for myself and had to rely on my family to even get me water.
  • I was taking between 24 and 39 units of my fast-acting insulin and 25 units of my slow-acting insulin a day.
  • I could not watch television without noticing that every commercial was a commercial for food I was gonna miss.
  • I just remember feeling frustrated, sad, angry, weak, and lost.
  • Then I remember thinking to myself my first week home:

    “Well, this didn’t kill me, so I must be getting stronger.”

    That’s it. Its time to stop feeIng sorry for myself. It’s time to start making myself stronger. I knew I was still recovering from gallbladder removal surgery so I knew my limitations. I began to challenge myself by adding more laps around the couch. Then I pushed myself to go up and down the stairs a second and a third time. I began to take walks around my block. Read up on diabetic eating and the reasons for my dietary needs.

    Now that it’s been a month, I can celebrate the following:

  • I made my goal of getting up and down the stairs 54 times in one day. (once for each card in a deck of cards-including the jokers-and yes, I physically brought a card upstairs each time.)
  • I can walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a time at an incline.
  • I’ve taken up carrying a pedometer. I haven’t been able to do 10,000 steps in a day yet but I’m working on it.
  • I now take about 12 to 15 units of fast-acting insulin a day and only 10 units of slow acting insulin a day. Writing this just made me realize that my doses have been cut by more than half!
  • I’ve gotten back to making the meals for my family, something I take great pride in.
  • I started this blog in the hopes of helping others as well as myself.
  • The blog has a section in which I will try to continue to be thankful daily.
  • I’m very hopeful and happy to be living with diabetes instead of feeling as though I’m dying of it.
  • I’ve got a lot to be thankful for this last month and I now celebrate every day.

    Don’t forget to “cut the B.S.!”