Drinking with Diabetes for Dummies

Drinking alcohol and Diabetes are two things that typically don't go hand-in-hand. My friends usually ask me to explain what to watch for when I drink or what things I should avoid.

I typically start off by explaining the sugar in alcohol, the function of the liver, etc. But let's get real....an audience doesn't hold on for long once you dive into medical terminology. I recently found this article by Scott Johnson, Author at mySugr, explaining alcohol consumption and Diabetes in a simple way. Check it out here. Save your breath and let Scott spill the facts to your family and friends in this easy-to-read article. 

As always, the decision to stay sober is always the best option. Especially because all diabetics react to liquor consumption differently. Know your body and learn what your limits are. 

The DiaBlogger 

Self-Control

Most people would tell you I am very organized, scheduled, and follow the rules. Typically I am. 

I strongly lack self-control in two areas of my life: eating and shopping. In these areas there are no rules for me. This becomes a problem for both my health and my wallet.

If I am craving something, I eat it. 

If I need want something, I buy it. 

I am currently sitting at Starbucks thinking about how I want to leave and pick up Chipotle before I babysit. No. Maybe yes. I will keep you posted. 

I am planning on posting soon about my health-related new years resolutions, but today I will give you a glimpse into how I am going to combat my bad habits. I think about ways to better my health every day, as I am sure many of you do. I wake up in the morning and think to myself I am not going to eat sugar today, I am going to check my blood sugar at least three times, I will drink plenty of water, etc. AND THEN I WAKE UP AND NONE OF THAT HAPPENS. 

I am motivated by incentives, so I am going to incentivize myself to eat healthy. I mentioned in an earlier post that I want to get back on Katie Couric's Fed Up Challenge. I fell off this band wagon, and I fell off hard. I also have a few big ticket purchases that I need to make. For every 10 days I can go without eating sugar, I will allow myself to purchase one item. 

When I get going on a diet and am truly committed, I find that it is hard for me to give in to one little temptation. I am trying to build back that endurance as holiday season approaches. My mom makes BOMB sugar cookies/cinnamon rolls, and it will take every thing I have to fight eating those at Christmas. I will start accepting prayers now. Thanks. 

Me failing at everything. 

What are some ways you keep yourself from falling into holiday temptations? 

PLEASE LMK. 

The DiaBlogger 

T1 Mice with a CURE

I have been doing some more digging on this supposed breakthrough in T1 research. I did not realize that this mouse in Doug Melton's lab was cured by a combination of two drugs that are already on the market. This is pretty unbelievable! There has not been much posted since the news broke in early October, but people are still amped about it. Read more here.

Scientists have been flushing mice with beta cells and they have been responding. Apparently the mice in Melton's lab have been producing insulin on their own for months--something I haven't been able to do in years. Even if this is not the cure, it is a huge step. It is exciting to know that diabetes is still something that many people care about. Sometimes I feel like it gets lost in the mix with other serious illnesses. Melton is a father to a T1 Diabetic and has dedicated his life to finding a cure for me his son.

"You never know for sure that something like this is going to work until you've tested it numerous ways. We've given these cells three separate challenges with glucose in mice and they've responded appropriately; that was really exciting," said Melton 

As you all know, I usually stand on the negative side of diabetes research. However, this looks more promising than most! I think the trick will be making sure that the autoimmune disease stays turned off in patients. There has been some comments regarding how this could be more difficult to do with humans than with mice. I asked my endocrinologist what her feelings were at my appointment this week. She said that her biggest concern is that the encapsulated cells will burst under the pressure of the autoimmune fighting cells.

Me in Florence, Italy

Regardless, I will cheers to that! 

The DiaBlogger 

It's a sugar-(full)free life for me

A few months ago my Mom told me about the Fed Up movie--have you heard about it? It is basically a documentary that talks about the food industry and how much added sugar Americans consume on a daily basis. Watch the trailer here:

Along with the movie, producers Katie Couric and Laurie David created the Fed Up Challenge. In order to complete the challenge you have to eat on a no-sugar added diet for 10 days. Unfortunately I have a HUGE sweet tooth. This becomes an issue with my T1 very easily. I am trying to get better at saying no to sweets...but if someone is offering dark chocolate covered pretzels, I am taking them.

I read about the challenge and thought I could definitely do it. I should not be eating added sugar any day of my life, so I could at least go 10 days, right? It was more difficult than I thought! I think I am going to try this challenge again...starting tomorrow.

Read about the challenge and the rules here.

This challenged really helped me become better at reading labels. At the grocery store, I typically look at 4 parts of a nutrition label: Carbohydrates, Fiber, Sugar and Sodium. I look at how many grams of each are in the product. However, now I am better at looking at the actual ingredients listed. Katie Couric explains that a food label may show that it is low in sugar, but in the ingredients you can find all of the dangerous sugar chemicals that have been added. At the top of this post is a list of all the names for sugar. Watch out for these + if you see it listed, do NOT buy it.

Products you should stay away from that are not obvious include:

• crackers
• Nutrition bars/granola bars
• bread
• pasta
• sauces/condiments/dressings
• alcohol

Challenge yourself to complete this and WATCH the movie! It has some great information and is truly shocking.

The DiaBlogger

Share your Sh!t

What is it like to live with T1/T2 or to care for someone that is diabetic? It is not fun. I can tell you that! It is funny how easy it is to feel alone with a disease that affects millions of people. 

The FDA is hosting a discussion with the diabetic community to better our understand our needs and where we are lacking in resources. Take this opportunity to share your concerns and struggles with leaders who CAN make a difference in our day-to-day lives. Here is a live survey that you can take and share with friends and family that have been affected by diabetes. 

Click here to find out more about the discussion taking place on November 3rd. 

Discussion coordinators are working to set up a live webcast to the event. So if you cannot make it, follow online! 

The DiaBlogger 

The cure is...now?

How many times have you heard: There will be a cure in 5 years...In the next 20 years nobody will have diabetes anymore...They are so close to finding an answer! 

I have heard this way too many times. After awhile I think I just began to zone it out. At my first endocrinologist appointment after a rough hospital stay (read my diagnosis story) I was shaking and crying as my nurse tried to check my blood sugar. It was too painful to get my finger pricked and I was not afraid to be defiant. Looking back at that image of myself makes me laugh and think "wow, you have no idea what is coming." The nurse tried to console me and started the well-rehearsed soothing lines... It is really okay. There will be a cure for diabetes in the next 10 years. It will be in your lifetime, you are going to be fine.

That was the first thing that made me perk up since being diagnosed. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad after all. Now, after living with diabetes for over 5 years it really just makes me laugh when I hear someone say that. You could say I have a negative outlook, but I think I am just realistic to a fault.

We have seen data on pancreas transplants, the bionic pancreas, different diets, etc. and things look promising, but not all that great. I was surprised this week when I read an article about these scientists at Harvard that are mass-producing new fully functioning beta cells. Check it out here. Beta cells are what produce insulin. Auto-immnune disease attacks these cells, and then we are left with manually injecting insulin into our bodies. Here is my favorite blunt quote from the article:

“A lot of the complications associated with manual insulin monitoring can lead to a lower quality of life.” Jeffrey Millman, a doctor in this research study 


Spot on, Jeffrey.

My biggest fear has always been that I will live for the discovery of how to stop T1 diabetes, but not be here for the day doctors learn to cure people already diagnosed with it. This research is exciting because the scientists were already able to rapidly cure one mouse in the experiment with their new cells. It is also exciting because I am an auto-immune cocktail recipe for disaster.

This is a huge breakthrough for the T1 community and for health research in general. If it is a potential cure, it will be years before we can get our hands on it. However, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

The DiaBlogger

Okay, I'm alive.

my backpacking route 

When I think of diabetes, I am constantly reminded of all the things I can't or shouldn't do. Most of these rules I break on a daily basis---like the fact that I am inhaling a bag of Wavy Lays as I type this. My backpacking trip was a small break from all of these rules because I accomplished something I thought I would never be able to do.

Some of my fears, doubts, concerns:

• What if my bag gets lost/stolen and my medicine is in it?
• How will I keep my insulin cool at all times?
• What if I slip into a low blood sugar and nobody knows that I am diabetic?
• Most importantly, how can one travel lightly when having to balance 3 months of medical supplies with a clothing addiction?

I started doing research online and with my doctor to figure out the best way to go about this trip. I was NOT about to lug around a cooler and ice packs, so I asked my doctor to be real with me...I asked how important is it to keep my insulin cool? She admitted that it is not about keeping insulin cool, as much as it is from keeping it from getting hot. My dad had a great idea: pack my pens in a thermos. This worked out great, because it was light and easy to cram in my backpack. If need be I thought I could drop a few ice cubes in the thermos, but I never ended up doing that.

My doctor wrote long letter with my list of prescriptions on it. I made one copy for my backpack and one for my purse. This was just in case my bag was lost /stolen and I needed to walk into a hospital and DEMAND insulin. Unfortunately, I am on a 90-day prescription cycle. So if I ran out when I was traveling, my insurance company said they would not be able to send me a refill. I never had to utilize this letter, but I felt much safer having it with me!

Another thing recommended to me was to pack 3x the amount of medicine that I would usually take for that time frame. 3x the needles, 3x the pens, 3x the pills. I still do not understand how I can walk onto a plane with 30 needles in my carry-on (let alone 300) without being stopped by security (Check out my post here).

And in case you were concerned about what I consumed..I did not hold back on drinking or eating anything...Sorry Dr. Aleppo.

Mykonos, Greece

Munich, Germany 

Ios, Greece

Paris, France

My trip was more than just seeing the world. It truly made me feel like I could accomplish something without my health holding me back. It was a great reminder that I can still do human things without feeling like I am on a regimented medical course everyday.


Contact me with any questions or similar traveling advice!
The DiaBlogger

HELP PLEASE!!

I am very excited to share that I will be backpacking around the Mediterranean this June + July! Unfortunately, due to my T1…the first thing I asked myself after I bought my plane tickets is can I do this?

I hate promoting that you can do ANYTHING with Diabetes, because truthfully deep inside I feel like I can't always do everything that I want to do. I will keep updating with my backpacking T1 checklist just in case anyone else is thinking about backpacking soon. This trip is do-able…but I do need to make sure that all of my ducks are in a row before taking off in June!

If you have been backpacking, I would LOVE some tips! So far, I have met with my endocrinologist and she said that the main things I need to do are:

• pack triple the insulin
• find a reliable travel cooler

I got the insulin covered, but I actually do not have a cooler. This is going to sound horrible--but I actually do not see the big deal about refrigerating insulin. However, I do think it will be important to keep my insulin refrigerated while living out of a backpack.

Any companies I should look at when making my decision on a cooler?? Also I would love to hear some suggestions on ice packs for traveling.
Please let me know!

xoxo
The DiaBlogger

Black Bean Brownies

I think that one of the most horrible parts about having T1 Diabetes, is knowing that I have the biggest sweet tooth of anyone I have ever met--dead serious. Clearly, this has become an issue time and time again. I think I am pretty good at controlling my cravings, but chocolate wins every time.

This recipe is a nice alternative to actual brownies. and ADDED BONUS: each brownie contains about 5g of protein AND 5g of fiber. This is obviously due to the main ingredient being black beans. I know it sounds disgusting, but you have to trust me..I think they might be better than actually brownies.

Here is the recipe:

Gluten-Free Brownies

 1 15oz Black Beans, rinsed and drained

3 eggs

3T vegetable oil

5T cocoa powder  (I added 6T)

1 pinch salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ c sugar (can be substituted for artificial sweetener)

Nuts and chocolate chips (optional)  (I added chic chips--obviously) 

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth, absolutely NO chunks. Lightly grease 8x8 glass pan.  Bake 30 min @ 350°.

Enjoy this sweet treat along with some steady blood sugars!

xoxo

The DiaBlogger 

Blindsided by the Future

So you may know that Google has been woking on many new technologies that may or may not make it to the market place. One of their newest projects to come out is Google Glass--which in my opinion is pretty cool. 

Apparently their newest research has led them to create something similar to Google Glass, but in a contact lens. The technology would operate based on using glucose from your eyeball. This is very exciting in the T1 world because it might just mean no more finger pricks…check out the article here!! 

Until then….KEEP CHECKING YOUR SUGAR

xoxo

The DiaBlogger 

HELLO 2014 WORLD

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I have been MIA. My New Years resolution is to keep up in the blogosphere and not fall behind as much as I did in 2013---I fell about 6 months behind. oops. In my defense, I went to South America for a few weeks so cut my some slack!

I have made A LOT of New Years resolutions actually….so I feel like I need to narrow them down. Each year, I try to dedicate at least ONE resolution to my health. Because T1 is treatable and not curable (yet)…I think that there is always room for improvement with my diet and exercise regimen. I have learned that when I try to make a whole bunch of changes to my regimen, I just fail miserably. However, when I focus on one thing it is easier to make a habit out of it.

In 2013, I focused on cutting red meat out of my diet. In february, I will have successfully not had one meat in one year! I am a little reluctant to cut out all meat just because it is pure protein…and we all know that pure protein= no insulin.

Lately, I have been researching a lot about dairy products. I am curious as to what you guys think about this. Since cheese is also a protein that does not require insulin, I do not want to cut that out completely either. There has been a huge uprising against dairy products in the past year and I want to look more into it. If you are interested, check out this article. I think it shows great perspective to both sides of the argument.

xoxo
The DiaBlogger