Shaming Myself + Update

You know how you hate those bloggers who go for ages without writing a post? Yeah.....haha......Me too.....

WHOOPS!!!
I realized the other day that, at one point, this blog was a huge part of my life and just how much I miss it now. Writing posts was an outlet in which I could share my feelings, opinions, doubts, and life moments where it concerned diabetes.

Now, a year and a half into my diagnosis, things are a little different. I am not yet a seasoned pro but no longer a newbie either. I have come to terms that life can never go back to the way it was before but I have also learned that changes are natural and inevitable. Is it possible that this roadblock is actually helping me to better deal with other changes that I will have to face later on? I am still learning everyday about what is going on inside my body and how to best deal with this strange condition. Thank the heavens that diabetes fascinates me because I do enjoy being a diabetes nerd. 

UPDATE TIME

1.) As you may have been able to guess from my last post, YES, I finally started on an insulin pump. I chose the pink OneTouch Ping and I couldn't be happier. His name is Otis and he is my soul mate. ❤️ Being on a pump is making life so much easier and carefree. It has allowed me so many freedoms that I wouldn't have using the alternative. I also just caught drift that Dexcom is going to be available in Canada (actually this time) around November or Deceomber. Christmas present maybe??? Mum? Dad?

2.) I started university at the beginning of September and am pursuing a double major in linguistics and drama. I got way too excited after finding out that there is another type 1 who lives on my floor and I'm doing my best not to scare her away hahaha.

3.) I switched to Apidra and am LOVING IT.

4.) I own a fish named Cisco and he is the coolest.

I LOVE YOU ALL! And I promise that you will hear from me soon. xoxox

Canada Always Misses Out

Well, "always" might be a little bit of an exaggeration, But I really have noticed that Canada does really miss out on some cool products that other countries get (cough, cough Great Britain, United States). Namely the two products that I'm getting at are Dexcom and Symlin. I mean honestly, other than the integrated Medtronic real-time on their pumps, Canada has no access to any other countinuous glucose monitoring system. Not fair at all. We want tight glucose control just like everyone else! And Symlin (a.k.a Pramlintide/ Amylin) in an injectable drug used to prevent post-meal glucose spikes and can sometimes allow you to use less insulin. For me, as soon as I started on insulin I started gaining weight like nobody's business. Less insulin would be a godsend.

So why is it that Canada doesn't get the cool stuff like some other countries do? I mean, we are a fair sized country that maintains great connections with Europe and the States. From my research it is narrowed down to mainly these two things; Health Canada (Canadian equivalent of FDA) has not approved it yet, OR the manufacturer does not think that Canada has a big enough market to make a profit.

THIS IS A TOTAL BUMMER!!!

p.s On the plus side though, two cool things we do have are the InsuLinx glucose meter and the color screen on the Animas Ping meter-remote.

SUPPORT ME IN THE WALK TO CURE DIABETES!

If anyone could support me in the Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes that would be really awesome!!!

To join my team go here:
http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/index.cfmfuseaction=donorDrive.team&eventID=1218&teamID=32953

To pledge me as an individual go here:
http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=151785

I WANT AN INSULIN PUMP SO BAD!!!

Two days after I was diagnosed, one my support workers at the hospital mentioned the possibility of going on a pump at some point. I was completely opposed. There was "absolutely no way" I told her that I was "ever, ever, EVER!" going to get a pump. I was perfectly fine with my multiple daily injections and I hated the idea of having something attached to me 24/7. Of course at this point, I didn't know the first thing about insulin pumps. After I got home I started doing a ton of research and discovered what all the benefits of pumping were. Furthermore, it baffled me the amount of features that some of these pumps offered.

After some nosy-ing around I've decided that when it does come time to get a pump that I am going to get the Animas OneTouch Ping. I'm choosing this one for a couple important reasons. 

1.) It's 100% waterproof for an extended period of time. I'm a lifeguard, swimming instructor, and I work at a beach. This was an absolute "must".

2.) It connects wirelessly with your meter and allows you to control your settings without having to even touch your pump. This is great because then I don't have to go reaching into my bra or other places when I need to bolus or change something. It will just look like I'm texting or something along those lines.

3.) Built in food database on the meter-remote. I love this feature because it has hundreds of brand foods that you can select and it will count up the carbs for you. It also allows you to add some of your own foods.

4.) Sleek design. Of all the pumps I have seen this one has the most attractive design and interface in my opinion. I love the high contrast color screen and the fact that you can pick from a selection of different colored pumps. (Also if you get yours in Canada like I will be doing, the meter-remote has a color screen also!)

5.) Ability to customize the tune. Okay this one definitely wasn't a deciding factor but I just thought that it was really neat. Makes it feel a little bit more personalized just to you.

Why did I choose this over other pumps?

I did definitely check out other pumps such as the Medtronic Paradigm, Omnipod, and Accu-Chek but I just didn't feel like they completely suited my needs (for example the Medtronic is not waterproof). When it comes to the CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) on the Medtronic, I just feel like it is something that I don't really need right now. I check my blood sugar more than average anyway and 95% of the time they are always in target range (and I'm not going to lie.......I don't find the idea of a second site very appealing) Plus it doesn't come with the advanced meter-remote (which I <3!) As for the tubeless pump (Omnipod), I don't have an issue at all with tubing. Actually, I really like the fact that with traditional pumps you can unclip for a little while. I also wear a lot of tight clothing and I feel like this pump would probably show through. Don't get me wrong, these are still great pumps and would probably be perfect for other people but I think the Animas Ping just really fits what I need.

My concerns?

I think my only concern was that I may not know where to put it. But I feel like it's one of those things that you could put anywhere you store your cell phone. To be honest I will most likely just hide it in my bra (mother nature blessed me enough so I shouldn't have a problem with this haha).

Medical I.D Bracelet's and Why You Should Most Definitely Have One!

Gone are the days when medical identification bracelets were plain and boring and all looked the same. You know the one's I'm talking about. The boring chain with the oval shaped medical id symbol? Good news is, nowadays you can get medical identification to suit almost any style. For example the one I'm getting looks like this...

 

Pretty right? But if that's not your style then there are plenty others to choose from. And prices to meet everyone's budget. There are even some companies that will give you one of their lower range pieces for free. Therefore, there's no excuse for an individual with a medical condition not to be wearing one. Reality is, if you're passed out or unable to speak for whatever reason, the identification jewelry is your voice. It can let a passer-by or the EMS know what conditions you have, medications you take, and anything you may be allergic to. Some bracelets even have a phone number for paramedics to call that gives them access to your record which can include doctors information and your emergency contacts. Because it would really suck to wind up in the hospital and for no one to know who you are or who to call.

These are the ones I use for sports. They are silicone so they're waterproof and perfectly fine to get dirty.

Below are some links to places where you can acquire a piece of medical i.d jewelry...

By country:

http://www.medicalert.ca/en/ Canada

http://www.medicalert.org/ U.S.A

http://www.medicalert.org.au/ Australia

http://www.medicalert.co.nz/ New Zealand

http://www.medicalert.org.uk/index.php United Kingdom

Generic:

http://identifyyourself.org/

http://stickyjewelry.com/ <------ This one has a lot of really unique a beautiful styles to choose from

http://www.custommedicalbracelets.com/home

http://www.mylifewear.com/ <-------Great men's styles

http://coolmedid.com/store.php?pg1-cid35.html <-------- Silicone