Tag Archives: diabetes

Living with a chronic condition is like : Laundry.

January 4, 2018 – 10:08 am

With a rare extra day off and nothing on my schedule, in between watching hockey and football on New Year’s Day, I worked to catch up on laundry.

And there, somewhere in between the Sabres and Rangers, and LSU – Notre Dame, it hit me: doing laundry is a lot like living with diabetes.

It’s not enough to just throw everything into the washer. You have to add soap, and fabric softener. Maybe bleach. Do you have soap, fabric softener? What about bleach? It’s not likely you have an abundance of all three of those in your laundry room at the same time. You might even have to pretreat an item or two before you get started. Every load is different. You can’t count on anything.

You’ll have to eventually shift each load from the washer to the dryer, or possibly hang up the more delicate fabrics. Do you use fabric softener sheets? Do you have fabric softener sheets? Do you need to make a trip to the grocery store?

Now you’re probably thinking you’re through with your laundry. Not likely. Because you’re going to have to fold or hang all of those clean clothes. All of them. The truth is, this is the part I hate the most. It never feels like I’m going to get to the end of what’s in the dryer.

And still, you’re not finished yet. You have to put it all away… unless you just want to select what you’re going to wear from your laundry basket. Personally, I wouldn’t think less of you if you did.

Just like the laundry, living with a chronic condition like diabetes means that I have to keep track of medications and supplies, at least one of which seems to need to be refilled every couple of weeks. I have to treat each circumstance differently. Whether it’s exercise, diet, stress, or something else, no two days are the same.

And here’s where living with a chronic condition is different from laundry, or anything else:

You’re never finished.

If my dirty laundry piles up and I just don’t have the time or the desire to get started on it, if I want, I can try to get away with wearing the same shirt or the same pair of pants twice. But even though I have days where I’d like to just kick back and ignore my diabetes, that’s just not possible.

Every situation, every piece of food I put in my mouth, every workout, every single day brings another factor I have to deal with. I can send my clothes out to the dry cleaner if I want, but I can’t pass off my diabetes to anyone else.

If you want to get a taste of what it’s like to live with a chronic condition, grab your dirty laundry and get going. If you really want to know what it’s like to live with a chronic condition, imagine doing laundry all day, every day, for the rest of your life.

By StephenS | Posted in Random Glucose | Also tagged | Comments (4)

Put these conferences on your calendar… now!

January 2, 2018 – 10:11 am

Happy New Year! Since we’ve reached the start of a new year, you might be wondering if there are events in your area that speak to diabetes, or to health care in general in 2018. If you live in my part of the world, the answer is Yes.

This is by no means a comprehensive diabetes conference schedule like the ones Christel Marchand Aprigliano used to write up. But if you live here in the USA, there are a few things you might want to mark your calendar for. Hopefully, these will get you thinking about how to further connect with the community this year:
 
 
Healthcare Costs Innovation Summit. This is an HCI-DC event, sponsored by West Health (HCI stands for Health Care Innovation). While this is not diabetes specific, I can relate that I went to one of these a couple of years ago and learned a lot.

This year’s one day event centers around what we, as a group, on this one day, can come up with in terms of innovations and policy fixes that might help slow down or reverse the rising cost of health care in America. Timely, yes?

Andy Slavitt, former acting commissioner for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and a font of information on health care in America (seriously, follow him on Twitter) will be speaking, among others.

The best news is that the summit is free. The second best news is that it will be live and live streamed, so if you can’t get to Washington in February, you can still look in.

Healthcare Costs Innovation Summit
Wednesday, February 21, 2018 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Amphitheater at Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
CLICK HERE to attend or sign up for the live stream.

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JDRF TypeOneNation Summit. The first of the JDRF TypeOneNation Summits will be taking place on January 20, 2018 (Middle Tennessee and North Florida). The summit in my state will be happening as usual on the first Saturday in March (March 3) in Bethesda, Maryland.

These are great gatherings that give those living with and caring for people with Type 1 diabetes the opportunity to learn the latest about technology and drug innovations, and interact with others from the tribe.

If you haven’t been to a diabetes event before, this is a great place to start.

CLICK HERE to find out more about JDRF TypeOneNation Summits nationwide.

JDRF Chesapeake & Potomac Chapter TypeOneNation Summit
Saturday, March 3, 2018 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Road, Bethesda, Maryland
CLICK HERE for more information. Registration opens, probably, some time this week.

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Friends for Life events. Friends for Life will be coming back to Falls Church, Virginia in October of 2018. I’ll be looking forward to seeing old and new friends and learning more about a variety of topics with regard to cost, burnout, managing diet and exercise, and seeking support.

There are usually tracks for kids, teens, and adults at this gathering. If you can’t make the big FFL meetup in Florida in July, October in Northern Virginia is a very nice second option. If you live in the west, Anaheim in May is a very nice second option. If you live in the UK, Perthshire, Scotland in October is a super option. If you live near Toronto or in Niagra Falls, or anywhere else in Canada, Niagra Falls in November works pretty well too.

Friends for Life Falls Church
October 19 – 21, 2018
The Fairview Park Marriott
Falls Church, Virginia
CLICK HERE for more information on FFL Falls Church and the other 2018 Friends for Life events in Orlando, Anaheim, Scotland, and Niagra Falls, Ontario.
 
 
2018 is right around the corner. Get out your calendars and start planning! And if you have any conferences or meetups happening where you are in 2018, please let everyone know in the comments section below.

Note: the original version of this post listed the Anaheim Friends for Life event in April; the conference is actually May 4-6, 2018. Totally my fault.

By StephenS | Posted in Events | Also tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Diabetes Strong is here… and so is your opportunity to start the new year fit.

December 29, 2017 – 10:11 am

Have you heard of The Fit Blog? Not anymore you haven’t… because The Fit Blog is now known as Diabetes Strong.

Christel Oerum and her husband Tobias have revamped their previous website devoted to healthy eating and meaningful exercise, to create an online resource for People With all types of Diabetes, sharing information, tips, and even coaching to help PWDs live happier, more active lives. They even provide a platform for inspirational stories, like the one from Sweet Zoo‘s Jennifer Christensen, talking about her first half marathon back in October.

And now, you have the opportunity to join the Diabetes Strong nation and get your New Year off to a tremendous start by participating in the Fit With Diabetes Challenge.

Image courtesy of Diabetes Strong


Starting January 3, it’s a four week fitness program where Christel and some of the smartest people in nutrition, exercise, weight management, and more will help you kick off 2018 the finest way possible. And the best part? It’s totally free!

Want more? How about giveaways that include gifts from Challenge sponsors mySugr, One Drop, and Myabetic. Win, win, and win.
 
 
There are five things that participants in the Fit With Diabetes Challenge will take part in:

1. Daily activities or “challenges” that take you through everything you need to do in a step-by-step fashion

2. Articles covering the most important topics on diabetes and weight management

3. Weekly meal plans

4. Workout programs that you can do during the challenge (home and gym workouts)

5. A Facebook support group for challenge participants in which you can ask questions, share your experiences and connect with other people who want to be Fit With Diabetes
 
 
The challenge is open to all fitness levels (or non-fitness levels)… and again, it’s totally free!

Here’s what I want you to do:

1. Visit the new Diabetes Strong. You will love it.
diabetesstrong.com

2. Sign up for the Fit With Diabetes Challenge.
diabetesstrong.com/diabetes-challenge
 
 
Start the new year off the best way possible… with the Fit With Diabetes Challenge, beginning January 3 at Diabetes Strong!

By StephenS | Posted in Exercise | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

2018, you have big shoes to fill.

December 26, 2017 – 10:11 am

Well, it’s been a heck of a year, hasn’t it?

2017 has been the most full, and probably most fulfilling, of my years here at Happy Medium. This year has been quite a bit different from previous years too. Different in a good way.

January started with the beginning of my life on Dexcom, inserting the G5 and employing it as a useful tool in my diabetes management. Even if I complained about sensor and transmitter issues, and having to wear one more thing.

February included participation in the second Diabetes Podcast Week. I really love podcasting, and I wish I had more time to fit it into my schedule. I also shared a few notable quotes, and why they inspire me.

In March, I reported for the fifth time on what is now the JDRF TypeOneNation Summit in Bethesda. They’re getting better at bringing adults into the conversation. I also took the time to remind everyone that Nobody Ever Died from Obamacare.

April 1st marked the March for Health, in many cities across America. I was fortunate enough to be able to speak at the march in Washington, D.C., in the shadow of our nation’s capital. I also shared a story from my personal life that showed me how important it is to support your friends. It wasn’t about what I did… it was about what I learned.

Diabetes Blog Week returned in May this year, and it was wonderful, as always. Also in May, I took time to attend a public workshop at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. I learned a lot about FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and the drug approval and after-market inspection process.

June brought about the rollouts of the new Accu-Chek Guide glucose meter, and (finally) the Dexcom G5 Mobile App for Android. I couldn’t be happier. I finished up the month with a meeting among diabetes friends, and it reminded me that we need each other now more than ever.

In July, I completed my local 5k run again, and did fairly well for a 55 year old who is a slow runner. I also attended another in the continuing #BeyondA1c discussions, and it was amazing, even if the information shared, at times, felt like I was trying to drink from a fire hose.

August posts included a note on conversations and my reaction to them. “It is always about enlightenment and being more comfortable being myself, and being myself with my diabetes.”

September was a hard month. I went through an unexpected emergency appendectomy, which included a very unexpected complication. Fortunately, I’m all better now.

In October, I shared my new role as a member of Maryland’s Advisory Council on Health and Wellness, and how this new role means I’ll be serving more than just the diabetes patients in my state. I’ll be serving all of the citizens of my state.

In November, I tried to remind everyone that while advocacy is often practiced with a little “a”, the effects of that advocacy can be very big indeed. I also went to a meeting at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where I discovered that I was Enlightened, but Unknowing.

And in December, I’ve talked about doing a trial of the new-to-the-USA Freestyle Libre CGM. And I presented a list of 8 gifts that People With Diabetes could really use right now.

I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the two wonderful Diabetes UnConferences that took place in February and October. Or the fact that we’ve sent out another 15 or 20 Champion Athlete With Diabetes medals. These are feel good stories every single time. I also love hosting the Diabetes By The Numbers podcast, and hope to bring you more episodes in 2018. And thanks to Cherise Shockley and the followers on Twitter for the privilege and fun times shared while hosting some of the #DSMA chats throughout the year.

Thanks also to Christel Marchand Aprigliano for the honor and privilege of representing DPAC at Friends for Life events in July and October. We learn from heroes. We are supported by friends.

This is where I express my gratitude to you for visiting this space on a regular basis… I could do this without you, but it wouldn’t be as meaningful or as fun. Also, I hope that you have had a full and fulfilling year too. Finally, I want to strongly express my desire for all of us to work toward less division, less cost, more access, more support, and mostly, less burden of living with diabetes.

Goodbye 2017… you were a whirlwind, but a remarkable year.

Hello 2018… you have some pretty big shoes to fill.

By StephenS | Posted in Milestones | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

The Freestyle Libre (part 1)

December 21, 2017 – 10:11 am

Disclosure first: I was given the Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitor to try at home. Abbott is covering the cost of the device and two sensors. I am not being compensated in any other way. All opinions on my brief experience with this device are my own, as always.

You might have noticed a lot of talk about the Freestyle Libre gaining approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration a couple of months back. That means that we here in the United States now have access to a device that has been a hit in Europe for a couple of years now.
 
 
Since I was given the receiver and a couple of sensors to try, I am happy to share my experiences using the Freestyle Libre. The setup was easy and completed without even checking the enclosed user manual and other material (more on that in a minute).
 
 
The initial two things I have to say about it fall under the Bad Thing/Good Thing heading.
 
 
Bad Thing: all of the documentation I received is in Spanish. The user manual and quick start guide are all en espanol. I can read and comprehend some Spanish, but not enough to feel confident using a medical device.
But… Good Thing: The online tutorials were terrific, and all I needed to get started.
 
 
Bad Thing: The Freestyle Libre calibration process takes 12 hours.
Good Thing: It’s true… this CGM does not require a fingerstick to calibrate.
 
 
I think that’s enough to start with. If you want to see what others have to say about the Freestyle Libre, just look around a bit… you’ll find plenty of information and opinion. Then come back here, as I will likely have more to tell as the next 20 days or so pass.
 
 
One more thing: I am thrilled that there is another tool for People With Diabetes to choose from to help them manage their misbehaving pancreases. As a community, I hope we can continue to encourage and empower choice and access for everyone.

By StephenS | Posted in Reviews | Also tagged , | Comments (2)