I’ve been writing DiabetesMine for six years now: 1,425 posts and over 15,000 (legitimate) comments to date, most of it all about what’s happening in the diabetes world and the industry that serves us. Only a little bit of it is personal stuff about me. So as I’ve been watching this meme bouncing around the diabetes online community (D-OC) for a while, I’m thinking it’s about time I shared a little piece of me, too. And not just ’cause it’s a slow news day.
Before I get started, let me also say that I’ve been encouraged to put out a call for questions for a sort of “Ask the D-Blogger” Q&A. So while you’re reading my meme-ness below, keep in mind any other questions you’d like to put to me this week: anything you’d all like to hear about (within reason). Inquiring minds want to know??…
What type of diabetes do you have:
LADA – latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. Or so I thought. Until other inquiring minds started questioning the definition of that term. Lately I’m just feeling like an old-ish type 1 who never had diabetes as a kid. Grrr.
When were you diagnosed:
May 21, 2003 – remembered as a very dark and dreary day in the hospital.
What’s your current blood sugar:
70 (I am eating snap peas and cilantro dip as I write this).
What kind of meter do you use:
My OmniPod, with the built-in FreeStyle meter. I have bunches of other meters as backups, but I never carry them around.
How many times a day do you test your blood sugar:
I’d say 10 — up to 14 on a bad day, or if I’m working out really hard.
What’s a “high” number for you:
Ooh, do we get to pick? Actually anything over 150 makes me really unhappy.
What do you consider “low”:
Well, 70 or less. But mostly it’s about how you feel. I’m lucky to be very hypo-sensitive, so this sort of ‘scratchy’ uncomfortable feeling usually alerts me before I get dangerously low. (Although I’ve hit a few 40s and below at times. Who hasn’t?)
What’s your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater:
Raisins. I love them. Pretty much had to give them up except for when medically necessary. How sad is that?
Describe your dream endo:
She’s about my age, has type 1 diabetes herself, and is a mother. It would help if she were gluten-intolerant, too. In other words, she totally gets my life. Oh, and she’s got a million news tips for the blog that she shares with me weekly. (The question said ‘dream,’ right?)
What’s your biggest diabetes achievement:
I guess I would say the annual DiabetesMine Design Challenge. I’ve worked really hard on this national campaign to bring medical devices into the iPhone era. Looks like things are finally really changing!
What’s your biggest diabetes-related fear:
I’m with others on this meme: Not waking up in the morning. I also worry a lot about being low and incapacitated when my kids might need me most… ugh.
Who’s on your support team:
I couldn’t say they exactly function as a team, but the people I lean on for various kinds of support are: my excellent CDE Gary Scheiner, my husband, my mother, my endo, and all my D-OC friends, who sometimes feel like they’re more involved in my #bgnow‘s than the former group.
Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime:
Nope. Nay. Nein. Not going to happen. But I’m hopeful there will be one someday.
What is a “cure” to you:
It’s definitely not some technology that forces your body to work like a healthy person’s. It is when the damaged cells can be repaired, and we no longer need to take any extra steps to ‘manually’ manage our blood sugar.
The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is:
It’s tough to choose when you’re easily annoyed. Probably when people ask if I have ‘bad’ diabetes. Is there a ‘good’ kind? Also, headlines like this annoy the hell out of me. Grrr.
What is the most common misconception about diabetes:
OK, this question annoys me. Um… you can’t ever eat sugar? If you pass out, you need insulin? You have to stick to ‘diabetic’ foods? Somebody tell me: what is the most common correct fact that the general public knows about diabetes? … (Yeah, I thought so.)
If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be:
Why did you leave me? We had a good thing going.
So, what else would y’all like to know? Favorite pet peeves? Things I miss most since getting diabetes? Does my OmniPod get in the way during you-know-what? How much do I worry about my daughters being diagnosed?
Ask now while the iron is hot (or some ridiculous mixed metaphor like that).
Amy,
As a fellow OmniPodder, how do you manage scar tissue? I rotate my sites when changing the pod, but still occasionally hit scar tissue. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks!
Mark
I’ve wondered this a few times but never asked. I know you didn’t always do this and it appears that your career, opportunities and personal life have taken a major turn since your diagnosis, stuff like d-blogging, the design challenge, advocacy, the different groups and panels you are on, your book, diabetic connect, friends you have made, etc. Do you feel that your diagnosis was actually good thing overall for you personally or do you feel more like you are just making the best of a bad deal? As a follow on, 8 years ago what were you thinking you would be doing now?
That is an awesome question by kdroberts…
Yes, please answer about your kids. I have one PWD friend who tests his daughters’ bg once a week, another PWD friend who tests her kids once a month and I’ve tested my non-diabetic kid maybe 3 times (he’s 17 months old) when he’s been sick. I also keep my eyes open for studies to enroll both kids in — but strongly hestitate having my 17 month old tested for anti-bodies now.
just meme-ing on a little
What type of diabetes do you have:
Type 2
When were you diagnosed:
Jan or Feb 1991, A1c 16.5, since 98 on basal-bolus, for the last few years Lantus & Apidra, about 5-10 shots a day with a daily total of 70-100 units, A1c 4.8-5.3
What’s your current blood sugar:
102, just had a piece of apple pie, a little low in my normal curve of max 140-120-100mg/dl 1-2-3 hours after eating, will have another piece of that pie
What kind of meter do you use:
OTU2
How many times a day do you test your blood sugar:
about 2-10 wholes, normally postmeal and mostly at times, when I would eat or inject with a low or high reading
What’s a “high” number for you:
it depends – 1 hour after eating 150 would still be ok. 2 hours after eating I would honour those 150 with 3 units and 3 hours and more after eating with 6 units of Apidra.
What do you consider “low”:
around 60, when I get this stroboscopish jitter in the outer corners of my eyes
What’s your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater:
anything from apple to candy
Describe your dream endo:
that endo would instruct his diabetics to discover the patterns of their bg-curves and to find out how they could modify them bit by bit to fit into the rally healthy range
What’s your biggest diabetes achievement:
that max 140-120-100 mantra I’ve been infesting german forums and newsgroups with for years
What’s your biggest diabetes-related fear:
personally there is none. For the rest of us it’s all that escalation in bg and meds and complications people could be spared, if their docs tought them that mantra when testing more than 90 in the morning – instead of telling them that their bg was a little high but still far from diabetes and nothing to worry about
Who’s on your support team:
people like you 
besides the family (inter)net(te
Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime:
No – and I wish that all serius illnesses were just as manageable als D
What is a “cure” to you:
the fully automatic bg-curve [url=http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/16422495.php]like this[/url] without any meds or devices or even thoughts and considerations
The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is:
“with all those testing and injecting you must be seriously ill”
What is the most common misconception about Typ2:
that it is angefressen & angesessen (fat & sat or something the like)
- when it starts with more and more proinsulin in the blood of otherwise totally normal people. Proinsulin is the production unit normally separated into c-peptide and insulin before leaving the beta-cells of the pancreas. It needs 10 parts of proinsulin to lower the bg as much as 1 part of insulin does, but proinsulin is much better at helping with adipositas and artheriosclerosis.
- when it steps things up with a growing incretin-defect. Incretins are colone hormones that order just the suitable amount of insulin just in time when newly digested glucose is being delivered into the portal vein on the short way into the liver, where most of the insulin and most of the glucose are processed to glycogen and fat so that the bg in the rest of the body will never exeed 140. On the way to type2 more and more incretins abandon their job, so that more and more glucose cannot be processed on it’s first tour de liver and turns to postprandial spiking instead.
- when the number of beta-cells is constantly shrinking so that a newly diagnosed type2 ist left with only 50-20% of the amount observed in a healthy person of the same gender and age and BMI.
If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be:
thanks for still doing most of your job
Excellent!
Thank you for sharing that, Amy. It’s an honor to be able to read your great journalistic posts each day, and as much one to have the privilege to read your meme.
Great post.
I love you.
BT
[...] enjoying) a number of diabetes MeMe’s, like Kerri’s, Scott S’s and most recently, Amy’s, I decided this might be a good way. So here you have it, my diabetes [...]
I’m really impressed that you’ve posted so frequently and consistently for years. What do you do when you get desperate for blog ideas?
Thanks Amy, I enjoyed this!