What do I know?

I was having a conversation with a buddy at work today about the A1C test. We started with A1C and ended up talking about many aspects of diabetes.

Afterwards I was thinking about all the stuff that I know about Type 1 diabetes. Sometimes the amount of things that I carry around all day is scary in a geeky kind of way.

Remember that I'm not a medical doctor.

I know that:

• insulin lowers my blood glucose levels.
  
• ideally my blood glucose (BG) level should be about 100 mg/dL.
  
• there are lots of different blood glucose meters out there. None of them are truly accurate.
  
• eating food with any carbohydrates raises my BG.
  
• but I can eat almost anything I want, including candies, cakes, and ice cream, as long as I do it in moderation.
  
• stress, or illness, also raise my BG. Sometimes a lot.
  
• some medicines that I take when I'm sick raise my BG.
  
• exercise is a great way to reduce my BG.
  
• but too much exercise can cause me to have a low BG (less than 80 mg/dL).
  
• then I have to eat more. But not too much more.
  
• when travelling I need to pack a lot of stuff so I can take care of my diabetes.
  
• there are several types of diabetes. And many people get confused about them.
  
• because of diabetes my cholesterol level needs to be kept much lower.
  
• my risk of have eye damage is significantly increased.
  
• there's a lot of diabetes technology out there, but
  
• there's no cure for diabetes.
  
• when my BG is not 'normal' I can feel: sad, tired, angry, lousy, argumentative. I'm not myself.
  
• I need to check my BG level before I drive. Every time.
  
• I need to have my eyes checked at least once a year. Out of control diabetes is a leading cause of eye problems.
  
• I'm at increased risk for gum disease, so I need to see a dental hygienist at least twice a year. Ideally every quarter/
  
• I need to wear something on my feet at all times, because diabetes can cause foot problems.
  
• diabetes (all types) are the cause of a lot of complications. And I worry more than I should about getting one of these.
  
• I can now inject myself many times a day. Before I was 15 I would not have thought this possible.
  
• if I do the same things every day I will not get the same BG levels. Sometimes these things just change randomly.
  
• there are a lot of good diabetes bloggers out there.
  
• I'm blessed to have a huge network of friends.
  
• I have a God who loves me. And takes really good care of me.
  
• at times my BG control isn't great because I lose focus and discipline.
  
• diabetes is a sucky disease. But there are a lot worse ones out there.

OK, enough of the list. I'll bet many of you could double these items. It's no wonder that I think about diabetes hundreds of times a day. Every day.

If you've not visited it yet, the Diabetes365 Project now has over 1,100 wonderful photos. And more are added every day, do have a look.

Labels: diabetes, life

posted by Bernard @ 9:10 PM