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This month’s DSMA Blog Carnival topic asks us to do a little thinking. Ready?

Last month, on July 21st, the DSMA Wednesday evening twitter chat celebrated its 4th anniversary! We’ve talked about a lot of diabetes-related topics, but there always seems to be more to discuss. With that in mind, let’s look back to our chat from July 16th and give some DSMA feedback. We’d like to know…
 
 
What topics are you interested in discussing during DSMA?

I’m interested in exploring what we don’t know about diabetes. Related topic: What I discovered that I hadn’t known before. I’ve lived with diabetes for 23 years. But you know what? I’ve learned a lot just in the past year. I’ve learned about new insulin pumps (still haven’t made a decision). I’ve learned a little about how algorithms driving an artificial pancreas system work. I’ve learned that medications designed with Type 2s in mind sometimes work well for Type 1s too, and vice versa.

And speaking of that…

What are two topics that you wished we talked more about?

Topic 1: Breaking down the barriers between Types.

We have more in common than we think. Let’s talk about what those commonalities are! Here are some sample questions:

– What trait does your type have that another type has too?
– What about your type makes living with diabetes difficult? (not more difficult—just difficult)
– What one thing does your type do every day that other types do?
– What’s easy about living with your type that isn’t easy about living with another type?
– If someone not living with your type were having a bad day, what would you tell them?

Topic 2: Diabetes Inspiration.

We’ve all been down into the abyss of diabetes burnout, shame, and stigma; most of us have found the inspiration to climb back up again. What inspires you? Sample questions:

– When was your last bad diabetes day?
– When was your last good diabetes day?
– Doing _____ always makes me feel better
– True or False: Having a goal always keeps me motivated to do my best
– Name a person, place, or thing that inspires you
– My advice to anyone feeling down is ________
 
 
The great thing about the weekly #DSMA chats is that this horde of people with a shared condition and their unique-to-the-patient perspective on it gets one hour every week to meet and greet, share triumphs and despairs, and interact with each other in a way that just doesn’t happen anywhere else. It’s a source of learning, camaraderie, and inspiration crammed into one little hour. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Talk to you Wednesday night!
 
 
This post is my July entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetescaf.org/2014/08/august-dsma-blog-carnival-4/