If everything I've heard is true, I will have this disease for the rest of my life. From now on until forever, it's all about counting carbs, taking shots, and staying on top of my blood sugar levels. It's quite daunting. I'd like to believe that in the next five years, a cure will be found and everything will go back to normal, but in case that isn't in the cards, there are still some things I'm looking forward to when it comes to my diabetes.
1) My math will definitely get faster. I'm already seeing a difference in how quickly I can do simple addition. (I only started to notice it in my statistics class when I finished all of my work before anyone else.)
2) I'm hoping that I gain the ability to just look at a meal and say "That will probably be 3 units worth of insulin". I wait for that skill. It would be really helpful at my college (where they don't give you a carb count for their food...)
3) Time will most certainly make me more confident in taking my shots. I'm still getting used to giving myself shots in my arm.
It doesn't make things better. My pancreas is still broken, but maybe it will be easier in the future.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Monday, September 19, 2016
Pre-T1D
In some ways, I feel like my whole life has been leading up to this diagnosis.
When I was very young, if I liked a certain food, I would eat that food until I hated it. It's the reason I don't like butterscotch, I'm hesitant about how much quiche I eat, and I've learned to restrain myself around jellybeans.
Obviously, mindless eating is not something that a person with Type 1 Diabetes can do. Everything must be methodically planned out before I consume anything.
I also tended to ignore my body. I would sit around working on one project for hours, even if I was hungry, I would wait until the project was finished before I ate. This became quite dangerous in college since my projects went on late into the night and I would often skip dinner.
Now, I pay very close attention to my body. I have my fitbit on me, telling me how much I've exercised (too much and I go too low, too little and I go too high). I have a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) to measure my blood sugar. I am constantly aware of how I need to treat my body since the consequences are quite serious.
But the biggest change T1D has brought into my life is that I didn't think I could change. I thought that I would always be afraid of needles and that I would never be able to pay attention to my body and that I would always be this way. And I was okay with this. I didn't think I could change and I didn't necessarily want to change.
I am a practicing Catholic and I have read several stories about the saints. Many of these saints overcame great odds, most of which were diseases of all sorts. I thought, maybe if I had a disease I could overcome, I could be more like the saints. Not that just having T1D will automatically put me on the path to sainthood. It's just interesting how things turned out.
I'm stronger, smarter, and more aware now because of this. I sympathize with others that have chronic diseases. I don't just feel bad for my friends with asthma and others with auto-immune diseases, I understand them better now. I can understand what they are going through and relate to them better.
For all the bad that has come from this, there is always good.
When I was very young, if I liked a certain food, I would eat that food until I hated it. It's the reason I don't like butterscotch, I'm hesitant about how much quiche I eat, and I've learned to restrain myself around jellybeans.
Obviously, mindless eating is not something that a person with Type 1 Diabetes can do. Everything must be methodically planned out before I consume anything.
I also tended to ignore my body. I would sit around working on one project for hours, even if I was hungry, I would wait until the project was finished before I ate. This became quite dangerous in college since my projects went on late into the night and I would often skip dinner.
Now, I pay very close attention to my body. I have my fitbit on me, telling me how much I've exercised (too much and I go too low, too little and I go too high). I have a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) to measure my blood sugar. I am constantly aware of how I need to treat my body since the consequences are quite serious.
But the biggest change T1D has brought into my life is that I didn't think I could change. I thought that I would always be afraid of needles and that I would never be able to pay attention to my body and that I would always be this way. And I was okay with this. I didn't think I could change and I didn't necessarily want to change.
I am a practicing Catholic and I have read several stories about the saints. Many of these saints overcame great odds, most of which were diseases of all sorts. I thought, maybe if I had a disease I could overcome, I could be more like the saints. Not that just having T1D will automatically put me on the path to sainthood. It's just interesting how things turned out.
I'm stronger, smarter, and more aware now because of this. I sympathize with others that have chronic diseases. I don't just feel bad for my friends with asthma and others with auto-immune diseases, I understand them better now. I can understand what they are going through and relate to them better.
For all the bad that has come from this, there is always good.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Thoughts on Insulin
I'm not going to lie, I have thought about skipping insulin doses and just letting myself go high recently. Like, if my meal only amounts to 5 grams of carbs, maybe I could just skip the shot?
My legs have been bruising so I started to put insulin in my arm, but even that is bruising. My Dexcom makes only half of my belly usable. Not to mention that I live in a cooler climate which means more clothes and less ways to get at my skin. For example, today I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt and long pants which means no insulin in my legs and I could have difficulty putting it in my arm.
Shots are physically the worst part of Type 1 Diabetes. When I gave myself that first shot in the doctor's office, I was stunned. I was going to have to do this five times a day for the rest of my life? I was afraid I would upset others if I gave myself my shot in front of them. When I was on a date with my boyfriend, the first time I had seen him since being diagnosed, I took my shot in the bathroom so I wouldn't freak him out.
Obviously, this isn't ideal. If you have T1D, it takes a lot of time out of your life trying to manage it. The math and prep and shots take so much out of an already busy schedule that by the time I'm ready to eat and finished taking my shot, my friends have already finished eating. Why get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of that to take one lousy six-second shot?
Of course, not everyone is okay with seeing a T1Der take insulin. I know of people who want me to go to the bathroom to take a shot just for their own sake. I babysat three kids this summer, one of which did NOT like that I had to test my blood and take my shots. He was very upset with me that I had to do that. But you know, these people need to have this experience, They are going to meet people in their lives that are also going to be suffering from T1D and it's better that they get all of their initial feelings out on me so they can have more compassion for the next person, Shots are scary, I know. I was one of those people once. I'm sure that before this happened to me, I would have been squeamish about seeing someone else take their shots too. The more you learn, the braver you are though and experience is the best teacher.
If you have a friend or family member suffering from T1D, let them know you care. Tell them that you're proud that they're taking care of themselves and that you hope for only the best blood sugar numbers of them.
If you have T1D, know you're not alone and that we can make it through this together.
Best of numbers.
Elizabeth
My legs have been bruising so I started to put insulin in my arm, but even that is bruising. My Dexcom makes only half of my belly usable. Not to mention that I live in a cooler climate which means more clothes and less ways to get at my skin. For example, today I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt and long pants which means no insulin in my legs and I could have difficulty putting it in my arm.
Shots are physically the worst part of Type 1 Diabetes. When I gave myself that first shot in the doctor's office, I was stunned. I was going to have to do this five times a day for the rest of my life? I was afraid I would upset others if I gave myself my shot in front of them. When I was on a date with my boyfriend, the first time I had seen him since being diagnosed, I took my shot in the bathroom so I wouldn't freak him out.
Obviously, this isn't ideal. If you have T1D, it takes a lot of time out of your life trying to manage it. The math and prep and shots take so much out of an already busy schedule that by the time I'm ready to eat and finished taking my shot, my friends have already finished eating. Why get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of that to take one lousy six-second shot?
Of course, not everyone is okay with seeing a T1Der take insulin. I know of people who want me to go to the bathroom to take a shot just for their own sake. I babysat three kids this summer, one of which did NOT like that I had to test my blood and take my shots. He was very upset with me that I had to do that. But you know, these people need to have this experience, They are going to meet people in their lives that are also going to be suffering from T1D and it's better that they get all of their initial feelings out on me so they can have more compassion for the next person, Shots are scary, I know. I was one of those people once. I'm sure that before this happened to me, I would have been squeamish about seeing someone else take their shots too. The more you learn, the braver you are though and experience is the best teacher.
If you have a friend or family member suffering from T1D, let them know you care. Tell them that you're proud that they're taking care of themselves and that you hope for only the best blood sugar numbers of them.
If you have T1D, know you're not alone and that we can make it through this together.
Best of numbers.
Elizabeth
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Diabetic Danica: T1D Resource
Diabetic Danica is a great resource for first time Type 1 Diabetics. She has been such a major help in learning about and getting through the first few weeks of my diabetes.
This video was especially helpful when I was getting my own Dexcom. She was so calm and informative. I thought, "If Danica can do it, so can I!"
I strongly suggest watching some of her other videos if you need support when it comes to making a diabetic decision.
Monday, September 12, 2016
My Story
Hello! My name is Elizabeth Valcourt and I was just recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
I'm 19 years old and I am currently a sophomore in college.
At the end of freshman year, I noticed that I was getting very thirsty and tired during finals. I thought that is was nothing and that I just needed to get home and rest. But over the summer things didn't get better. I went in for a doctor's check up and I had lost over 20 pounds over the last year. My doctor thought it was nothing and so I left that day still oblivious. One of my mom's friends told her that I should go to the doctor's again, but this time to a female doctor. This friend's daughter also had Type 1 diabetes and was diagnosed after the first year of college as well.
So my mom took me to the doctor's again.
At the beginning of the school year I was 110 lbs. When I was diagnosed, I was 84 lbs.
I was tired.
I was thirsty.
I was miserable, but I didn't even know how unhappy I was.
After all of my tests, my blood sugar was too high to even register.
I didn't end up going to the ER, but I did go right to the diabetes educator.
I was so afraid of needles at that point. The thought of giving myself multiple shots every day terrified me.
The first week was awful.
But things have changed now. I'm in a much better place mentally when it comes to my diabetes.
I hope to tell you more about:
Being diagnosed
My summer learning about T1D
How I've changed how I think about diabetes
Updates on living with T1D in college
If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!
I'm 19 years old and I am currently a sophomore in college.
At the end of freshman year, I noticed that I was getting very thirsty and tired during finals. I thought that is was nothing and that I just needed to get home and rest. But over the summer things didn't get better. I went in for a doctor's check up and I had lost over 20 pounds over the last year. My doctor thought it was nothing and so I left that day still oblivious. One of my mom's friends told her that I should go to the doctor's again, but this time to a female doctor. This friend's daughter also had Type 1 diabetes and was diagnosed after the first year of college as well.
So my mom took me to the doctor's again.
At the beginning of the school year I was 110 lbs. When I was diagnosed, I was 84 lbs.
I was tired.
I was thirsty.
I was miserable, but I didn't even know how unhappy I was.
After all of my tests, my blood sugar was too high to even register.
I didn't end up going to the ER, but I did go right to the diabetes educator.
I was so afraid of needles at that point. The thought of giving myself multiple shots every day terrified me.
The first week was awful.
But things have changed now. I'm in a much better place mentally when it comes to my diabetes.
I hope to tell you more about:
Being diagnosed
My summer learning about T1D
How I've changed how I think about diabetes
Updates on living with T1D in college
If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!
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