Diabetes awareness month

Well November is diabetes awareness month & on 14th November its world diabetes day (WDD).

I shall be, like my pancreas challanged world wide family standing tall with my insulin & saying diabetes screw you (and ending the day with a curry at a retirement thank you meal).

The picture i have chosen as my header made me smile as the 3 little people show the 3 faces of diabetes we all put up with every day (well not every day but you know what i mean).

I find it sad that there has to be a month dedicated to diabetes awareness, in my mind everyone should be aware of the signs of diabetes as it may save someone’s life.

So i am going to highlight the key signs right now

■ passing urine more often than usual, especially at night.
■ increased thirst.
■ extreme tiredness.
■ unexplained weight loss.
■ genital itching or regular episodes of thrush.
■ slow healing of cuts and wounds.
■ blurred vision.

please if anyone you know is showing several of these signs, get them to the doctors or hospital you may save their life.

time to break free???

this is a topic which some may argue with me over my choices & i dont wish to engage in an argument with anyone over what i do with my diabetic care.

i’ve thought about this for a while but i want a pump break.

if that means a break for a month while i figure out if pumping is really for me or a divorce style situation but without the cost, then so be it.

i’ve been pumping 13 months now & yes i’ve had problems (please see my anniversary blog) but more problems are developing & i’ve had enough of it all especially the more recent issues of….
the leaking cannulas gets me down & is embarrasing when in public & it goes onto my clothing.
the hypers from cannula changes
my skin, i have noticed for a few months that my skin around my cannula sight when removed is bright red & the skin has come off with the sticky pad

i love the fact i look normal without having to inject in public but the beeping/vibrating boobs does cause looks when my pump tells me there is an issue.

i’m nervous about going back on my pens as it feels like a step back in my diabetic care but until that cure is here (dont forget its only 10 years away) i need to find a insulin therapy that makes me happy as no longer taking my insulin isnt an option

Gin and Tonic Cupcakes

Bake It Instinct

For the last month or so I have pretty much only been making salted caramel brownies because they are everyone’s current favourite and they freeze well and they are easy to convert to gluten free by just switching the flour and they taste so good. Anyway, finally I have made a new and exciting thing: Gin and Tonic cupcakes. Gin and tonic is by far my favourite alcoholic drink and with a friend’s party coming up I thought it was a perfect excuse to try something a bit more grown-up.

It was based on a recipe I found on Katie Cakes but slightly modified in places:

Ingredients:

For the cakey bit:

• 175g unsalted butter softened
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 175g self raising flour
• 3 medium eggs
• 4 tbsp tonic water (I used Fever Tree – yum)
• 2tbsp gin (I used Hendrick’s)

For the icing

• 250g unsalted butter softened
• 500g icing…

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Oh what a night

Well last night was fun (said with a hint of sarcasm).
Went to bed about 10.30pm after a shocker of the vampire diaries & corrie.
Was in low double figure with 2u on board so i wasnt worried.
Woke up gone midnight & felt funny (in the only way a diabetic can). Tested & id gone up into the 12’s, hmmmmm time to correct & go to sleep.
Woke up just before 4am & thought god i feel sick/need a wee/i want a drink.
Thought hmmm. whats going on blood sugar wise??
Tested, id gone higher (cue swearing) then i noticed my cannula was bleeding & there was blood in my tubing #bollocks
Full set change done, time for new insulin (incase blood had got higher than i thought), corrected by syringe, 3 glasses of water, bucket by my bed & text my mum to say i was poorly. Sorted i thought, what had i missed? Oh yes ketone check – damn ive got blood ketones.
Woke up for work at gone 7am felt no better #damn
Bloods had come down but was higher than id like but still better than before, blood ketones 0.1 (better) but i still feel sick.

There are times as a diabetic i think why??
But as i lay on the sofa with my meters, water & bucket, i think it could be worse….

I miss you

Some people who know me, know ive had a rough week.

On monday i learned my colleague of nearly 6 years was missing.

On thursday morning as i walked into work, i learned his body had been found.

I dont know how to vent my anger that i wont see him having a fag outside with his eyes closed
or see him walk through the door
or roll his eyes when i asked a question when he was busy or hear his voice
or see an email from him
or how much you hated doing secret santa but you looked fab in your santa onesie

I miss you jason, it feels like its all a sick joke that youll walk through the door on tuesday & say to everyone to stop being silly that you just needed some time out.
I feel lost & numb when i see your empty desk.

I hope you are at peace & can see how much we all miss & love you.

RIP jasey baby

11th Diaversary

On Sunday 13th April 2014, I will be “celebrating” my 11th anniversary of being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

In those 11 years, I will have been through 3 insulin regimes (mixed insulin twice a day/MDI & now an insulin pump).

Now it seems I also joined the confusion club over my type, which resulted in me being taken off insulin & my bloods going over 44mmol & requiring hospital admission before indepth blood tests to confirm that I was indeed type 1!

I’ve done 10k for Diabetes UK, held a cake sale for diabetes week, held a twitter chat for @ourdiabetes on diabetes and the work place, collected money at Tesco a store on behalf of Diabetes UK & now attended parliament with JDRF UK (even met Theresa May!!!!).

I’ve met some wonderful people on twitter through the #ourd #gbdoc #countmein groups & I find these people very supportive when times are hard (both with D problems & without D problems).

yet I long for the day where i dont have to test my blood or be dependent on insulin to live but must remember that the cure is only 10 years away……

I often think of life before being diagnosed at 6.30am of 13th April 2003 sat in A&E at St James Hospital, hearing the words that i had type 1 diabetes & needed to be admitted. The doctor told me & my mum that, if she hadnt brought me to A&E but waited to taken me to the doctors on Monday after school, I would have fallen into a diabetic coma.
I remember my first injection on the ward.
I remember the first shopping trip after being let out of hospital, which took hours of reading labels.
I remember the looks & comments i get from testing my blood or injecting, which make me feel like an alien.
I remember my hypos & the feeling like i’m trapped in my body but cant make it work.
I remember the pain of the eye drops from having photos of my eyes taken.
I remember what my childhood DSN said to me about falling pregnant accidentally & the risks.
I remember that i cant have a driving licence until i’m 70, that i have to check my bloods carefully in order to drive & that my car insurance quote is so high from being insulin dependent.
and sad as it is, I remember hating my body at 15 years old for making me different from everyone else.

But I will never know how I got diabetes, if it was a virus or an eviromental factor that caused my body to turn on itself.

But more importantly, its shaped me as a person & to listen to my body more.

I’ve posted some pictures of parliament with JDRF below.

when you just want to give in

well i’ve now been pumping for nearly 7 weeks.

i dont miss injecting 5 times a day if i am brutally honest – the only down side is i wear a pump that loves to argue with me.

all in all, i think my pump is brilliant.

i’ve had less hypos compared to MDI (not a bad thing) but i seem to be a little bit higher with my BG. I am generally meeting the DAFNE targets but still my basal appears correct (unless its a sunday & its all gone pete tong)

the down sides :

i’ve been bleeding from most of my cannula sites so currently have a lovely attractive purple/blue/black stomach. Roche have sent me a new inserter which seems to be helping (seeing as my original one was misfiring leading to the curtains having a cannula inserted, my finger & my left breast *side note putting a cannula in your breast bloody hurts)

and now to top it off, i was diagnosed thursday with a site infection which apparently is called pumpers custard. YUCK!

off to battle on with Jerry (my spirit combo)

when cannulas bite back…..

i have had about 2 weeks of this now & short of throwing my pump out of the window. I’m going to rock the battered pumper look

why am i volunteering for Diabetes UK

Someone asked me why i was volunteering for Diabetes UK at the Big Collection Weekend in October, given i held a cake stall during diabetes week & did a 10k walk in July.

The reason is, Diabetes UK is there for the diabetics in the UK whether they are Type 1, Type 2, LADA, MODY or Gestational.

They’ve been there for me since I was 15, even when I wanted to shut my diabetes away & pretend I was normal like every other 15 year old girl.

I’ll be honest, being diabetic is hard & pretty naff at times but having a support network, free information & a careline (run by Diabetes UK) makes life a little easier.

It would be lovely if Diabetes UK could raise the funds they are aiming for.

Please when you visit Tesco’s in October, dig deep.
With 3 million known diabetics & 7 million at risk of type 2 diabetes, noone should have to live with the risk of diabetes hanging over their head.
By donating money can help research a cure into this disease.