New pump already? | YLAG

So you know how just 7 months ago I got my pump and how amazing it made my life?
Well tomorrow I get my second one, this time an Animas Vibe (remember the one I thought I might get?), this is because my 2020 had been recalled by animas due to a couple of faults including one telling me that after august 2015 my pump will no longer give me insulin! I'm not too sure what to think of that one to be honest!

I'm excited to be getting a new pump and setting everything up again so i will let you all know any differences I notice (although I don't think there will be any)

A few weeks ago I applied to a diabetes UK project called the Young Leaders Action Group of young people aged 16-30 who are going to work to improve services for people in this age group. Today I heard back that I have been invited to join and our first meeting at the end of March. This is a great opportunity and I am very much looking forward to it!

Dad I love you but... no

We were watching a gameshow on TV last night and my Dad pauses it.

After a short delay he suddenly announces proudly 'He's wearing an insulin pump!'

Me and mum both reply together 'No it's a mic pack!' (which was quite obvious)

'Oh ok then'

Nice try Dad but better luck next time!

Christmas cake!

You know that cake I was talking about yesterday well here it is:

I am so proud of it, its the first one I made and made all the pieces, the cake, the boarder, the snowflakes and the characters!

And again I wish you a very merry christmas and a happy new year!

Low Christmas

I am decorating my christmas cake placing sugar paste characters I made on the top.

Mum: You need to stick those down with something.

Me: No I don't!

Mum: Yes, otherwise they will fall off!

Me: No, its my cake.

Mum: but when someone picks it up they will fall off.

Me: Then no one can pick it up.

I finish decorating, wash my hands and test my BG.

You guessed it I was low and uncooperative! So I had to go back and apologise to my mum and stick my sugar paste characters down with a dab of water.

I'm such a lovely person when I'm low!

In other news Happy Christmas everyone!

Respect for my parents

I have so much respect for my parents in being able to raise me, raising a child is hard enough but when that child has diabetes there is ten times the amount of stuff to worry about.

I currently child mind a four year old with diabetes, and that has made me realise the effort of looking after her and the worry that comes with that. Looking after myself diabetes wise is all natural to me that I barely even have to think about it, but looking after another person is different. It means all the tests you do and the decisions you make have to be done for them and its not just you that will live with the result of those decisions.

Seeing her mother worry about her and how much effort she takes makes me think about my parents and what they had to go through (and still do to a lesser extent!). Looking after and raising perfectly healthy child is tough enough, when that child has additional needs and the measures you take to ensure they stay healthy, from injecting them on a daily basis to almost forcing them to eat when they don't want to but still need to.

What I wanted to say is I respect my parents and love them loads for all they did and still do for me!

World Diabetes Day - How this started

So today is World Diabetes Day (WDD), I haven't really done too much for it but what I have done is joined the World Diabetes Day Postcard Exchange (WDDPE) which is a cool project which puts people with diabetes (PWDs) in contact with others with diabetes by allowing them to send postcards to each other for WDD. I thought that was a pretty good idea seeing as I don't really get a chance to talk to other PWDs that are my own age. for more information on the project and how to take part next year click here to go to their website.

Blue for WDD

For WDD I also dressed in blue all day in one of my favourite dresses which I don't wear often enough! (I have tones of blue clothes which is cool but i like this the best!)


It's strange to think a year ago I had no idea about the huge thing that is the diabetic online community (DOC), I was all alone in the world of diabetes with no one to listen to and figure out issues that I was having. Then I started thinking about going onto an insulin pump, and I researched it to DEATH, I had to know every single teeny tiny bit of information about insulin pumps and how they work, whilst doing this I came across a website called Tu Diabetes and that opened up the whole world of the DOC from Twitter to blogs to forums discussing diabetes, I have found people I can admire and people I can relate to, I also found ways to find the funny side of diabetes in cartoons and pictures posted on the web. I can hear from those overseas and how diabetes is different in other countries, those without an NHS where their care is payed for by insurance and sometimes out of pocket, I hear how much of a struggle that can be compared to in the UK with all the free care we receive.

Thats how I decided to start this blog and how amazing it has been even for this short while!

So Happy World Diabetes Day - slightly odd to be wishing someone a happy diabetes day? not really sure how that works? never mind! - I hope it was a good one!

Downing street in blue!

P.S. Check out downing street lit up blue for WDD

Breakfast

I'm not sure what got me thinking about this, maybe it was someone at work mentioning it but breakfast  is a very important meal of the day, it doesn't particularly matter what I have, just as long as I eat something!

I know many people skip breakfast and go all morning until lunch time without eating a single thing! That is something I just couldn't manage, and to me it seems weird someone could start their day without a bite to eat! Most of the time it just one slice of toast (with a small amount of nutella of course!) but I always have something!

This - but for me its one slice
and a lot less nutella!

If I didn't eat anything for breakfast I would be one unhappy bunny, so for others sake eating first thing is a good idea! My parents would tell you how unadvisable it is to talk to me before having had breakfast in the morning, I think I could probably bite your head off out of hunger! But seriously, I am not the most co-oporative or nice person before food in the morning so for the sake of those around me eating breakfast is a good plan!
I don't know how true this is for others with the diabetes but if I don't eat breakfast it won't stand me in good stead for the rest of the day, I need some carbs onboard before setting off on the day's adventures, if not i will ends up with an exhausting day of lows!

If I didn't start the day with a nice bit of breakfast I think I would be absolutely starved by lunch but hey ho maybe I'm just a greedy guts!