World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day is today, Sunday, November 14th, which is why I put the giant candle in my right sidebar. You can use the match to light it (you'll be taken to the World Diabetes website).

I'm all for raising awareness about diabetes but the majority of the time it's focused on Type 2, which is not the kind I have. I have Type 1. Sometimes I want to scream when people talk about preventing diabetes because there is no way to prevent Type 1 diabetes. And, if you're a regular reader of this blog, I am sure you know that by now because I've whined about it enough over the past few years. See how well I spread awareness? :)

I'll leave you with my favorite diabeetus video.



P.S. Thank you to Drs. Banting and Best for discovering insulin.

Diabetes Awareness Month Now With A Meme!

November is Diabetes Awareness Month so how about a diabetes meme? [via Six Until Me]

What type of diabetes do you have: Type 1 aka insulin-dependent diabetes. And, please stop calling it juvenile diabetes. Really, people. This is 2010.

When were you diagnosed: August 1978

What's your current blood sugar: 163

What kind of meter do you use: One Touch Ultra

How many times a day do you test your blood sugar: 5-10 times a day

What's a "high" number for you: Anything over 199

What do you consider "low": Anything that makes me feel "not right," usually below 80

What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater: Mixed fruit glucose tablets from Rite-Aid

Describe your dream endo: One who treats me for free (I don't have insurance)

What's your biggest diabetes achievement: Living 32 years with it. Go, me!

What's your biggest diabetes-related fear: Kidney failure

Who's on your support team: Me, myself and I, and financially, my father

Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime: Nah. And, I'm not a conspiracy theorist at all but do you realize how many people would be out of a job if a cure was found?

What is a "cure" to you? My pancreas starts making unlimited insulin again

The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is: "Oh, I guess you can't eat cake." OMG, shut up.

What is the most common misconception about diabetes: That Type 1 is just like Type 2 and can be treated with diet. Which part of "my pancreas no longer produces insulin, and without insulin, I will die" do you not get?

If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be: I'll bake you a cake if you start working again.

I'll leave you with my diabetes PSA from this here blog in May 2009:

Here's my PSA: Sonia Sotomayor has Type 1 diabetes. It's caused when the pancreas stops producing insulin. It has NOTHING to do with diet or being overweight. If I read one more comment about her having type 1 diabetes because she's fat or ate too much candy or junk food, I am going to kill someone.

Making you diabeetus aware, one post at a time.

Public Service Announcement

Before I get to the PSA, I wanted to say that I knocked over a full glass of iced tea on to my desk the other day and drowned my mouse and wet some of the keys on my keyboard so until I hook up new ones, I can't get to the photos saved on my computer and blog about the pincushion I made or tea towel I embroidered for my mom. Good thing I can get to Facebook from any computer!

Here's my PSA: Sonia Sotomayor has Type 1 diabetes. It's caused when the pancreas stops producing insulin. It has NOTHING to with diet or being overweight. If I read one more comment about her having type 1 diabetes because she's fat or ate too much candy or junk food, I am going to kill someone.

Fun Times In Diabetes Land

I had a post with several links to embroidery patterns all ready to go and accidentally deleted it the other night. I've been trying to learn how to knit and have not been at all successful. And, yesterday I spilled Cherry Coke Zero all over my ecru colored floss so now I don't know if I can finish the felt Scottie I had already half blanket stitched together. In other words, I have nothing craft related for you people so please enjoy this entry about my most recent experience with low blood sugar.

I was on Facebook yesterday and it kept running through my mind how I needed to type "OMGWTFBBQ" somewhere on my profile. After a few minutes of this, I realized my blood sugar was starting to drop since goofy thoughts usually mean low blood sugar in my world. Even though I was kind of out of it, I decided to get my camera and snap a few shots while waiting for the glucose tablets to bring me out of my hypoglycemic stupor. I'm not sure why I wanted to take pictures but I may have been worried I had told someone on Facebook to eff off and thought I might need proof later on to show I wasn't thinking clearly at the time.*

Since anything below 80 is considered low, this number explains my goofy thoughts.

Hey, Mr. Doggie Door Stop, mind if I just sit here while I wait for the glucose tablets to kick in?


In addition to eating a few glucose tablets from the large bottle, I also ate this entire tube of them. Usually four is plenty to get my blood sugar back up to a normal level, but sometimes I go overboard when I feel like they aren't working quickly enough. This tube was orange flavored and tasted like baby aspirin. Ugh. I had discovered this bag of cookies on my bed and scarfed them down too.


Over twenty minutes and at least 15 glucose tablets later, I was still not out of the woods.

Thanks to the cookies and all that sugar, my blood sugar had climbed into the 400's (that's way too high) about an hour later. And, I felt like crap.

What a fun day.

The end.

*Fortunately, I did not tell anyone on Facebook to eff off.

Blue Monday: Go, Lil Pumpy

Since November is Diabetes Awareness Month and today is Blue Monday, I thought I would share some photos of the blue device in my bra that helps me control my blood sugar: my insulin pump. In real life, my pump does not have a name (I REFUSE TO GIVE IT ONE) but today it will be known as Lil Pumpy because A) it gives me a title for this entry and B) it made Kellie laugh last time I used it.

I've had type 1 diabetes for over 30 years, and after giving myself daily insulin injections for most of that time, I decided to go on an insulin pump about a year ago.

Meet Lil Pumpy. Notice how he/she/it is blue. Perfect for Blue Monday.



I put the pump on a hankie with blue flowers on but it was so sheer, you can see the pink gingham sheet underneath it.

The pump continually gives me very small amounts of insulin and that keeps my blood sugar on an even level. When it's time to eat, I can set the pump to deliver an extra dose of insulin to cover the amount of carbohydrates in my food, which is kind of how a pancreas works in a person without diabetes.

Usually, I wear the pump inside my bra, but I didn't want to show off my cleavage today so I clipped it to the pocket of my jeans.



See the tubing coming out of the pump? At the opposite end of that is a super thin needle that I insert under my skin (usually in my stomach but there are other places I can put it) using this springloaded gizmo I have. I can barely feel it going in.

I disconnect the pump when I take a shower but other than that, it's attached to me all the time. Something I'm still not totally used to, but it's not all that bad. I'm really pretty happy with my pump and wish I hadn't waited so long to get one. It has changed how I care for my diabetes because it makes it so convenient to take insulin. There's no longer the hassle of filling up syringes and finding a place to shoot up. (It's never happened to me but I've always heard stories from other diabetics about taking a shot in a public restroom and being accused of doing drugs.) Nowadays, I just push a few buttons and easily get my insulin.

When I was ready to take these pictures, I went looking for some more blue items to add. Let's pretend Lil Pumpy enjoys wearing a miniature sombrero while working hard to keep my blood sugar under control. Go, Lil Pumpito!



Be sure to see who else is joining Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally.

The Diabetes Ornament Tree

Hey! I found a crafty diabetes-related project, and no, it's not gray.

Every year, The Busy Needle, a shop in Rogers, Arkansas, accepts handmade ornaments for their tree and sells them to raise money for local diabetes charities. In 2007, they raised $3400. Belinda of Blue Ribbon Designs says the money was used to buy medication and testing supplies.

From The Busy Needle's website:

Our goal each year is to increase last year's total. It's a huge effort but we give it our best shot. Somehow, we usually manage to pull it out in the end. We accept any type of ornament as long as it is hand-made. We have received all types of needlearts (cross stitch, crochet, smocking, you name it)! You would be amazed at the variety of ornaments we receive and what people choose. Send us your hand-made treasures. We welcome all your beautiful creations.

Ever since I first read about this on Cyberstitchers' charity page, I have been meaning to make them an ornament or two, but have yet to do it. But I'm going to start an ornament for the tree this week. Would anybody else like to join me?

For more information on The Diabetes Ornament Tree, go to their website.

Made With Real Honey (I need to stop editing this)

Look what
the Candy Corn Fairy*
left me on
Halloween!!






Since this is the first day of Diabetes Awareness Month, I thought I would encourage you all to make something the color that goes with diabetes, kind of like how pink is for breast cancer. Except I don't even know if there is a color for diabetes. (That petition linked in the right sidebar wants Google to use a blue doodle on World Diabetes Day but is blue the official color for diabetes? I have no clue.) Instead, I'll just share a fun diabetic fact: Halle Berry is a whack job when it comes to diabetes and you should never pay attention to anything she has to say about the disease.

Ok, that's a tad harsh. But she did leave many of us confused by statements she made regarding her diabetes last year. For years, she had said she had Type 1 diabetes, but then later claimed she was able to wean herself off insulin due to a change in diet and was now a Type 2. From Contact Music:

Pregnant HALLE BERRY is winning her battle with diabetes, thanks to a healthy diet and good living. The actress was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after she passed out while shooting a TV show called Living Dolls when she first arrived in Hollywood. But the disease has now dropped to Type 2 diabetes because Berry is no longer "insulin dependent". She says, "I've managed to ween myself off insulin, so now I like to put myself in the Type 2 category."

If only it were that easy.

When you have Type 1, the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin are attacked and destroyed by your own immune system (they haven't yet figured out why that happens) and it's irreversible. No insulin means you die. This is why Type 1's HAVE to take insulin, either by injection or via a pump. So, there is no way a Type 1 would be able to completely stop taking insulin and still live. Eventually, they would die of starvation, which is what happened to diabetics in the days before they discovered insulin. Halle was either misdiagnosed years ago or just confused about which type she had. (Type 2 diabetics are still producing insulin. When you have Type 2, your pancreas doesn't make enough of the hormone or your body can't use what is being produced, so you're put on medication that stimulates insulin production or helps your body use what you do have. Sometimes, Type 2's are put on insulin and can then be taken off of it at some point.)

And, please don't put on your Diabetes Cop uniform and yell at the diabetic girl for eating candy corn. It's not something I do every day, for one thing. Also, I know how to figure out how much insulin I need for the sugar in the candy. One serving of candy corn (22 pieces, egads!) contains 36 grams of carbohydrates. The thought of eating 22 pieces at one sitting gags me, but last October, I would have half that or 5 or 6, and then set my pump to give me a dose of insulin according to how many cards were in that amount. I had just gone on the pump and was counting every single carbohydrate I popped into my mouth. It paid off too. There's a blood test that can measure your average blood sugar for the previous three months, and I had one in December that showed my blood sugar was in good control last September, October, and November.

That concludes our medical lesson for the day.

Hmm. According to this site, gray is the color for diabetes. It's also the color for brain cancer and asthma. Another site says gray is also for allergies and to end sex trafficking & slavery in the UK.

Um, ok. Forget I googled that. Go make whatever you want in any color you want: a green felt pancreas, an embroidered syringe in burnt sienna colored floss, a life sized Halle Berry sculpted out of pink Playdough.

I've edited this entry a bunch of times and Sally's comments have reminded me that I forgot to add something back in. I have Type 1 diabetes, which is also known as insulin dependent diabetes. I cannot believe I didn't mention that, especially in light of the Halle Berry story. Now, it probably makes more sense why she could not have stopped taking her shots if she had IDDM (insulin dependent diabetes mellitus). This type used to be known as juvenile diabetes because it was usually children who were diagnosed with it, but it can develop at any age. Meanwhile, Type 2 was called adult-onset diabetes or NIDDM (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) because older adults were affected, but that isn't always the case. Unfortunately, these days, more and more children are being diagnosed with Type 2 because of their sedentary lifestyles.

And, Norma? I was thinking a rainbow bracelet would work for me since I would support a variety of causes: diabetes, breast cancer, animal rescue and AIDS awareness, people-with-mousy-brown-hair-who-add-highlights-thanks-to-L'Oreal-because-they're-worth-it, women-born-in-Philadelphia-who-cannot-stand-Sarah-Jessica-Parker, fans-of-Eric-Cartman-who-also-eat-Marie Callender's pot-pies are just a few, but the rainbow bracelet is already for Gay Pride. Dang.

I apologize for making fun of anyone who wears a bracelet or sports a ribbon for a certain cause but I cannot believe so many issues have been assigned a color. (This from a person who sees nothing wrong with patron saints for unattractive people, hairdressers, fireworks, television and notaries.)


*That would be my sister, Susan. Thanks, Susan!

Petition Time

Update: Ratchet was cleared to leave the base but he missed the flight sponsored by SPCA International. They plan to return to Baghdad on Sunday to try to get him on another flight. By the way, the petition currently has over 60,000 names on it. Wow!

More than a few years ago, I knew a dog rescuer who started an online petition to get Oprah to do a show on puppymills. After a ton of people signed it, she printed it out and sent it off to Chicago. It cost her a small fortune to do this because there were lots of pages. Since we now know that it was a billboard that motivated the talk show host to do her puppymill show last year, one could say that this particular petition didn't have much of an effect on Oprah. And, I'm sure that could be said of many online petitions. But whatever. I'm still going to link to two of them and ask you to please consider signing them.

First off is the petition for clemency for Ratchet. You may have heard about this one. (It was actually mentioned during a newsbreak while I was listening to the radio yesterday.) Ratchet was befriended by Sgt. Gwen Beberg in Iraq as a puppy and now the Army will not allow Ratchet to leave the country and come to the US to live with Gwen's parents. Adopting a stray dog is against military rules. The petition already has over 38,000 signatures -- the goal was 10,000 -- and you can add your name but going here.

The other petition is to get Google to do their home page in blue on World Diabetes Day (November 14th) to raise awareness about diabetes. To sign, go here (and, do not donate to the site that hosts the petition) or just click this lovely button.



Thank you!!

Diabetics, Wash Your Hands First

I know some of you either have diabetes yourself or have a diabetic in your life so please read this post and the comments on it over at Diabetes Mine. And, for those who have no interest in clicking that link at all, the post is about the importance of washing your hands before testing your blood sugar, especially after you've been serving a gooey loaded-with-sugar birthday cake all afternoon.

And, here's an excellent tip for diabetics who need to know how to hide their insulin pump on their wedding day. You mean, I can't just stick my hand down the front of the dress and pull out my pump like I do now?

[waving at all the Googlers who are here looking for free redwork patterns]

Unicorns Make Me Happy

Today, April 14th, is Raise Your Voice For Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Day, a day designated by Kerri at Six Until Me to increase awareness of Type 1 diabetes since Type 2 gets most of the publicity. Honestly, I'm more excited about May 12 being National Wear Your Apron Day. Not that I don't think raising awareness about Type 1 is a good idea. I think it's a fantastic idea. But I wasn't sure about joining in since I just don't know if there is much I could say about being diabetic for 29 years without letting some pessimism, bitterness, and anger seep in, and really, who wants to read that? I sure don't. But then I realized it could be a chance for me to show my boobs and I signed on.

So, there's my insulin pump clipped inside my bra and working hard to keep my blood sugars under control. Go, Lil Pumpy! (Oh. My. God. I think I just named my pump. Please kill me.)

That was kind of a letdown, wasn't it? Trust me, the original picture showed more but I didn't want anyone to find it offensive or NSFW so I cropped most of the bra out of it. (And, isn't the rolled up shirt at the top a nice touch?)

Some diabetic bloggers used today to write about the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Or to blog about their daily experience with the disease. As I was reading some of them, I realized how tired I was of having diabetes. How sick I was of it. How I can't relate to those who say it's made them stronger or healthier. I wish I felt that way.

Then I was checking some of my favorite craft blogs and was once again reminded how I'm not working and have no idea when I'll be going back, thanks to my foot. No work equals no money to buy craft supplies (excpt DMC floss since it's so cheap). I can't even hold a giveaway because I can't get to the post office to send it to whoever wins since I don't have a car or a license anymore.

I know I'm just having a bad day and whining about it, and I apologize for that. I should be thankful that my "degenerative foot condition" can be treated (if I ever get a referral to a specialist -- tomorrow will make it a week since I saw podiatrist #2 and I still haven't heard anything) and isn't something like the dreaded kidney failure.

I've been embroidering a unicorn from Andrea Zuill's blog, and even though I'm not usually a unicorn person, I can't wait until it's done because I like it so much. I'm going to go work on that now so I can do something fun and stop dwelling on stupid crap. Maybe for a little while I can forget the reason Lil Pumpy (stop it!) is snuggled all cozy in my bra and just focus on stem stitching that unicorn.

Hope your day is going way better than mine.

This post was inspired by Cats 'n' Racks™ at Cute Overload.

My Two Favorite Gadgets

One of these does not play Milli Vanilli.

My two favorite gadgets
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

Actually, neither one does.

(I was trying to figure out how to center an image from Flickr. Looks like it worked.)

It's Up and Running

I know no one who comes here looking for free biscornu charts will care but it's a big deal for me: I am wearing my insulin pump. The trainer came to my house today and we went over how everything works. I had spent several hours last night watching the dvd and going through "pump school" on the Medtronic website so I felt pretty comfortable with all of the buttons and what they did even before she got here. She had me put insulin in the reservoir and then insert the cannula (the little teeny tiny you-don't-even-feel-it-going-in-plastic-needle thingy) into my tummy and here I am. And, here's a picture of my pump in action. And, no, normal people don't usually have tubing sticking out.

I don't know why I didn't do this 20 years ago. Seriously.

My New Pal

Meet my new friend. (I refuse to give it a name like some people do.) After 29 years of taking insulin injections, I'm finally going on an insulin pump. A nice shiny blue one. I'm not thrilled at the thought of having this thing attached to me all the time but I'm willing to give it a shot. Hah.

I did a quick search on "insulin pump cozy" (I'm a goober) and nothing came up but I did find this lovely case that someone had custom made for their pump. Very nice.