5 things on November 5th :)

1. Statigram is so useful: Check on my challenges on Instagram from your computer here!

2. JDRF has a bunch of walks going on right now, go check it out!

3. How are you supporting diabetes this month? Tell me a story I will gladly do a guest post!

4.Delica pokers aka lancing devices are cool stuff guys! Haha but seriously my fingers are thanking me :)

5.What do you do with your pump trash? Meaning like all the stuff left over after a site change? Just for post ideas :D

-Katy <3

What's up?

Hey everyone! Wow, Diabetes Cuteness is getting seen! Weird to me, but cool 😊

📱I have an Instagram for DC: cutediabetes I will definitely try to link to statigram soon!

My homecoming is Saturday! Yay!!!!!👗

I almost ran out of cartridges this week due to insurance/shipping issues 😓 and I don't know anyone with the same cartridges near here... They should come soon! (what?!?! No emoji for fingers crossed!)

I am trying to run more ( like 2 miles/ 5 ish days / week) and mixing powerade and powerade zero is a great way to stay hydrated and keep stable bg with a 50% basal reduction . Not medical advice✋ but I also tend to get crazy stings of lows 9 hours after a run... 🏃

This was my Monday crazy thoughts from my iPod. I'm crazy today... I know 🙋😊🎶🎈

Medical IDs.

Whew.It's summer, and it's been crazy. Forget diabetes for a minute; I've been busy! I saw some cute movies with my brother (Pirates: Band of Misfits, and Brave.) Then I re-watched The Hunger Games. (Team Peeta because I read the books... Gale is cuter in the movie, I know. :-( Anyways...) I've been swimming and shopping and... Working on getting my insulin pump! Hopefully, I will get it Monday, there was a hiccup getting Insets and cartridges.. (read: they weren't approved with said approved pump, as if the pump works without them!) but if the company gets a new copy of the letter, I'm set!!!!!

So this post is about Medical IDs, no?

I hate medical IDs for the most part. Actually, I liked the ones at Lauren's Hope, but I didn't want to wear one bracelet all the time. So I ordered 2 of the interchangeable tags and a tiny clip-on tag. I made my own bracelets and anklets for these. The anklets can be doubled over as bracelets, and I always wear the medical tag on the inside of my wrist because it's just less visible. (What can I say, I'm a 14 year old girl!) The clip on tag is amazing. I can but it on the back of a necklace, or on the zipper of a purse, backpack, meter case, or wallet. I couldn't fit my entire legal name on it, but everyone's first initial and last name should fit. And I put "DM TYPE 1" to make sure I'm safe in an emergency.

The white tag :)

Pink tag on my favorite bracelet/anklet :)

Size comparison!

On an Ultra Mini case

Back of a neclace

backpack : D

Another opton is a bag tag or wallet card. I don't have one but here's a basic example. You can also put a note in the ICE section of lots of phones. I don't even have a smartphone but my phone has an option for this.

 So my favorites from Lauren's hope?

 What I have:

White Medical ID Tag
Pink Medical ID Tag
Round Caduceus Medical ID Charm

What I also LOVE:
Sundown Medical ID Bracelet
 Pink Damask Medical ID Bag Tag
Diabetes/Insulin Pump Purple Silicone Bands
Medical Alert Ankle Bracelet with Heart Chain
Medical Alert Ankle-Heart of Arizona
Pink Mini Medical Dog Tag Necklace
Lavender Cotton Braid Medical ID Bracelet
Custom Bracelet--Choose Your Colors! Medical ID
There are a ton of options for little girls (princesses!) and also boys, plus men and women :) These are cute medical alert bracelets.. or good quality if you don't like cute :)
I hope this helps everyone looking at medical IDs.


Update: By the Way, I wrote this because I wanted to, nobody asked me to. and I also had one of these bracelets on at a water park yesterday and it was great :)

Camp: What I Learned.

"You should sign her up for diabetes camp."

I rolled my eyes at this, thinking it would be an overprotective D-mama's thing. But eventually, I agreed to go, much to my mom's enthusiasm. And I went. Now, I think it's an amazing way to spend a week.
 I met so many amazing people and heard their stories. I got to see how people manage their diabetes in different situations. I had fun at the same time. I'm not about to lie to you, I can be a dia-perfectionist sometimes. Diabetes camp taught me when to be super careful, and  when to just go with life. I learned how to fit all this mess of a disease into my life while I just live, and not stress.

And remember how I said I couldn't try a Dexcom?
The study was about lows at night, and I've had some pretty frequent ones. They made an exception to the rule about how you must have been diagnosed for a year, and I tried one! It was really awesome to see how everything affected my BG. The sensors were painless and not annoying at all. And we used dexcom G4 systems which aren't available yet.

At the end of the day (Had to say that just because it's annoying, sorry lol ) camp was fantastic. And I need to test now because I feel low. Have fun everyone!

Frozen Yogurt.

Hey Everyone!
 Sorry if I haven't posted much lately, things are crazy with summer school.  :)Since we need a nice cheesy title:
                              Diabetics and Frozen Yogurt!
          So yesterday I went to get frozen yogurt at one of those serve yourself places. One of the places that I like is called Froyo Life. We have more, but this one is my favorite. So anyway, there are 12 flavors that vary a little, some are sorbetto, some are low-fat, our no sugar added (not duplicate flavors, like yesterday there was one chocolate that was no sugar added. BTW the carbs were the same...) Most of the flavors are about 5 carbs/ oz.

I have no idea which location this is. It just looks good.

          I serve (or pour or whatever) mine and then weigh it. There are scales at the counter, since this Frozen yogurt is sold by weight. You can see the weight yourself, so if it's quiet I just weigh my yogurt, no big. Then I use my phone calculator and multiply that (in oz thank goodness) by 5. I would eyeball it, but the cups are deep and the nutrition facts is by weight.
          I've had nice numbers after this, and so I'm not too worried about the major carbs I'm eating. The only problem's I've had are with the toppings, I had no idea how many carbohydrates were in chocolate syrup, so I put on too much, and I was a little high. (168 on my 70-150 range) Yesterday I was 297 (ouch) to start, so I took it to go and ate it later when my pre-meal was 77 mg/dL. 3 hours later I was 75. :)

I hope everyone who has been avoiding frozen yogurt because of carb counting is inspired! And this will work almost anywhere, as long as you have the nutrition facts and a scale. (when I put it like that, it sounds so obvious... well it was difficult for me the first time. Whatever. And about amazing nutrition facts... Go check this out before you go to Chipotle. )

SEMI!!!

Tomorrow is the night all the girls at my middle school have been excited about for months... The Evening dance! But nobody calls it that. For us, it's semi. This year, I'm toting along diabetes... No pump! It should be interesting... but I have a plan to manage my unwanted date. (Meaning Diabetes in case I'm confusing)

1. I have to run in 1st period PE tommorrow, which will make me run lower all day.
2. I am getting my hair done after school, and having a quick snack. (No I'm not paying a ton, my neighbor's friend does hair cheap and great!!!!!) Then my friend is doing my makeup.
3. We go, me toting a bag w/ insulin & meter etc.
4. I stash the bag under a table. The teachers' table.
5. I can inject for food (in-n-out = easy carb count!!!!!)and If I'm low, there's a whole candy table.
6. I will stop anything to check bg, unless I'm dancing with a particularly cute boy ;) (actually nobody in particular but I am hopeful...)
7. I rock the event in my dress! (Hey, I like it... the price was awesome too... Oh Forever 21...)

Good luck to everyone with the end of year events! Keep dancing like your pancreas works...Or not if diabetics are better dancers ;D Happy Sugar!

Celebrations.

My end of Year school stuff on Injections.

*Pizza Party- It's during the day, so I have to have my mom show up, but that's okay, I can slip out, and have her check the syringe. NUTRITION FACTS. Are my life.

*Field Trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Bring my stuff and *ahem* tell the nurses my mom will be there. Or maybe she will, just meet me somewhere. I don't recommend it but I don't need a nurse following me either. This is bad. I know, but really I usually do all my stuff myself, just the nurses check at school for legal reasons.

*Semiformal Evening dance! I'm hauling in a d-bag. Yeah! (ummm no. lol.) Well, I'm bring my stuff and leaving it in the corner, not with anything valuable that could get stolen. Since it's after hours, I don't need a nurse.

*Celebrate! Just yay for good carb counting (guessing). Yesterday I got a cupcake perfect :) Which is rare for me.

Enjoy the end of the year and don't let diabetes stop you!

Cheerleaders and Pumps? Go Accessories!

I am trying out for freshman cheer at my high school for next year, and I've been thinking a lot about how to keep my insulin pump on with the uniform. (I am hopeful about getting in) I've heard lots of advice, but here are my favorites, because they are either useful, or weird.

Go Pumping!

-I asked the cheer coach and principal at an information meeting if my (soon to be) pump would be  okay with the uniform. One of them said that it was fine, but it might be hard to keep in place. She thought for a minute and then offered a solution-taping it to my skin.

-I have been researching accessories, and fell in love with tallygear and pumpwear belts/bands for under a uniform. They can be practically invisible.

-My doctor recommended getting a (sorry awkward) pack that is basically put on your bra.

-My friend who is also diabetic and trying out for cheer listened to all my ideas and said she would probably just disconnect for practice and games- only about an hour at a time. Why didn't I think of that?

Also, notice the cute new poll- What is your favorite crazy pump color?

See you all soon and good luck with those numbers!

Winner is...

Guess what won the poll?

Most visitors thought that the size of their purse was annoying! Here are some tips!

1. You can use a small bag (that closes) and just dump in your diabetes stuff, and money and phone.

2. Put everything in a big bag. It wont take up as much space.

3. Clean out your purse. Put what you need with your meter and just slip it in!

Also... my meter case like I promised...

Front...

Side...

And It's organized.

Diabuddies

In middle school, your insulin is stored in the health office. Which is small. And when there are 8 diabetics and a nurse in a small office, all at a spot with various supplies (big binder, insulin vials, pens, meters and cases) you get the idea. So even though you're going to feel totally awkward when the nurse introduces you to everyone (So, Katy, this is Johnny*. Say hi, Johnny. Are you shy?) you're obviously going to end up being friends with some of them. I'm friends with one of the other girls and it is such a blessing to just say, "Oh my gosh. I have been low all day. So sick of candy and juice." and have somebody really get it. There's also the DOC (Diabetic Online Community), and they're cool to. I'm thankful beyond belief for my diabuddies. :)

* I don't know any Johnny's with or without diabetes.


P.S. Diabetes just means you work harder than your pancreas. :)

S'mores

I have no idea if I can have s'mores. Even if I can, I'm sure there's a ton of carbs and I probably don't want to look at that number in my logbook. So I've been gram crackers with chocolate chips and almond butter (my mom is allergic to Peanut butter, so we have all these weird PB substitutes haha) And they're around 20 carbs!!!!! Delicious. :)

Views and Insulin Delivery

*Gasp!* There are people reading my blog! Exciting!!!!! Thanks to everyone reading this even if it's accidentally on google... I'll keep posting tips :)

So today...
Insulin: how can I get it?

So it's a stupid post coming from me, 14 and recently diagnosed, but this is what I've found. Don't let me pick for you. Like I said, it's my opinion to give you a new perspective. This is based on a basal bolus regimen with Lantus (or any other Long acting 24 hour insulin) and Novolog ( or any other rapid- 2 to 3 hour insulin like Humalog)

-Syringes: Oh, so syringes are your least advanced method. You can draw up whatever amount you want, but it can be hard. There's a lot of alchohol wipes involved :) and syringes are light and small. I don't care that much, but also they're obviously something medical to an outsider.

-Pens: Yes, you still inject. Some pens don't have half units, and I think they're big and annoying, although the one I tried was slighly faster and less obvious.

-Pumps: Pumps are connected with an infusion set, and give you more freedom and flexibility and basal control. Some people think it's annoying to be connected, but I am excited to get mine (about a month!!!!!!)
I chose an Animas ping because the meter is a remote... There's a pump for everyone really, though. In addithion, Omnipods have no tubing and Medtronic has an optional coordinating CGM.

Haapy Insulin'ing

My First 300

So apparently I'm getting past the honeymoon phase and I've been running really high the last couple of days. I kept rising all night, even with correction, I woke up feeling terrible and I was 203. I ran in the 130s at school and thought maybe my blood sugar would end up nicer today, but after school I was 301 ! Aaaahhhh that's high... my previous max. was 276. Oh well, I'm sure I haven't seen the worst...

Cute Tip:
Colored Lancets are the. cutest. diabetic. supply. ever. If you feel burned out, buy a box and be happy!