Through the Calm and Through the Storm: diabetes

Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts

Saturday, June 18, 2016

The Ongoing Cristi vs. Diabetes Challenge

It's rare that I accept two major challenges that pit me against my diabetes so close together. Last month, I conquered The Incline and declared the score as Cristi 3, Diabetes 0.

Today's battle played out on a mountain -- Mount Princeton, elevation 14,196 feet. A friend of mine formed a team to do the climb as part of the Alzheimer's Association The Longest Day challenge. It was my first attempt to climb a 14er.

And the winner (once again): ME!!!!

The view from the top was amazing!

It was a really tough climb, especially for someone like me who was new to mountain climbing in Colorado. We spent roughly six and a half hours climbing to the top and back down, and most of the time we were bouldering (climbing up and around rocks the best way we could figure out).

Stay tuned for more Cristi vs. Diabetes challenges in the future. There are plenty more adventures to be had and I'm not about to let diabetes to stand in my way.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Cristi 3, Diabetes 0

It's been a few years, but I used to keep track of all of my big success over diabetes. I posted the first score card when I successfully completed a sprint triathlon (Diabetes Didn't Win), and the second when I finished my second half marathon (Diabetes Still Didn't Win).

This week brought on a new challenge -- the Manitou Incline in Colorado Springs, CO.

The Manitou Incline, or just "The Incline" as it is commonly referred to around here, is a popular hiking destination that will challenge any athlete. It gains over 2000 feet in elevation in less than a mile with an average grade of slightly more than 40%.

Tim told the complete story of our adventure on his blog. I'm just bragging about how I made it to the top (and back down an adjoining 2.5 mile trail) while still keeping my blood sugar in a safe and healthy range.

We made it to the top!

A few weeks ago, a friend fighting back against type 2 diabetes said that "diabetes messed with the wrong person." Similarly, type 1 diabetes picked a fight with the wrong person when it decided to mess with me.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Diabetes Still Didn't Win

Last Fall, I posted a #showmeyourpump picture after finishing a Sprint Triathlon.

Yesterday's Half Marathon was a rematch of sorts:

I ran a half-marathon, and diabetes tried hard to keep me from finishing. I boarded a bus to the starting line nearly two hours before race start so I carried my glucose monitor with me in a waist pack. Just moments before the race started, a quick blood sugar check showed that it had dropped to 74 -- much too low to start a run, much less a 13.1 mile run. I swallowed the first emergency gel I had with me and started running. At about a quarter of a mile into the race, there was an aid station that offered power gels. I grabbed one and held it like a security blanket for the next few miles. Thankfully, the power gel that I eventually ate about 6 miles into the run and a bunch of cups of Gatorade at the aid stations kept my glucose numbers high enough to finish the whole race.

My official race time was 2 hrs, 21 minutes, and 38 seconds. Take that Diabetes!

Friday, November 14, 2014

I Wore Blue Today #worlddiabetesday

I wore blue today for World Diabetes Day.

It was just a regular day, though.

My insulin pump started alarming around 5:30. The continuous glucose monitor thought my blood sugar was too low.

It also alarmed at 4:46 am, 3:01 am, 1:51 am, and 11:57 pm. Apparently I silenced those alarms without ever really waking up.

The continuous monitor really doesn't work well when there's something pressing up against it. Since it has to be inserted in my belly and I sleep on my stomach, it rarely works well at night.

I knew I was going to wear a blue shirt today and decided to grab a yoga skirt to match. I picked out the gray one because the waistband on my favorite black skirt tends to sag with the weight of my pump.

I then grumbled a bit about the way the pump sat on my hip like a pager was horribly obvious with my outfit. Sometimes I'm not bothered by the pump hanging on my hip, other days I am.

I saved at least 10-15 minutes in the bathroom this morning because I didn't have to change out my insulin set or the sensor for the continuous monitor.

I had my standard diabetic-friendly breakfast -- high protein, low carbs. (Note: I do what works to make me feel best. Diet choices are vastly different among diabetics.)

As I rushed out the door to run some errands, I doubled checked to make sure my glucose monitor was in my not-very-small purse. Monitor -- check. Test strips -- check. Lancets -- better grab a few more. I dumped a handful of used test strips in the trash can and a few used lancets into the sharps container in the bathroom. Doesn't everybody have a sharps container in their bathroom?

I ran back inside to grab an extra snack in case lunch was a little bit later than usual.

The next pump alarm was while I was fabric shopping. I had my arms full of fleece when it alarmed saying I needed to check my post-breakfast blood sugar. I juggled my full arms and managed to silence it.

I forgot to check my blood sugar after finishing at that store so it alarmed again in Wal-Mart. Thankfully, I wasn't carrying anything around and could do a quick finger prick in the middle of my shopping trip.

Starbucks was calling my name, but I decided it wasn't worth it. My favorite drinks are too high in carbs to splurge on often, and I didn't want to be feeling lousy later in the day.

There was another finger stick to get an accurate blood sugar reading at lunch and another bolus of insulin to cover the carbs. Lauren offered me a bite of her dessert, and I programmed my pump for a bit more insulin. Apparently, I guessed wrong on the carb counts because my blood sugars ran a bit high all afternoon. (Not scary high, but higher than I'd like. I'm a bit obsessive about my numbers.)

I had a healthy dinner and am now considering whether a bedtime snack would be a good idea. Sometimes it'll help my blood sugar stay at a better range overnight. I'm running in the morning so it might be a good idea to find something healthy before bed.

Like I said -- it was just a regular day.

My regular days happen to be filled with the responsibility of being my own pancreas.

That's why I wore blue today.

I'm hoping for a day when there is a cure for diabetes.

I'm hoping for a day when regular days don't include insulin pumps, glucose monitors, and carb counts.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Diabetes Didn't Win (#showmeyourpump)

Diabetes may have won the battle of carrying a tiny purse.

Diabetes sometimes wins when I say no to a cute dress because it'll be too hard to find a way to attach my insulin pump to it.

Diabetes often wins the battles over dessert. Making smart food choices is a big deal when I know that I will pay for my choices with nasty blood sugar highs and lows later on.

Diabetes did not win over what I most wanted to do last weekend.

It started several months ago when one of my running buddies talked about doing a Triathlon. I was promised that a Sprint Triathlon wasn't really all that bad and that this particular race was very well run. More importantly, several of my friends were going to do it.

I started thinking -- I run regularly, I used to swim fairly well, and I'm sure I could ride a bike for that long. Then I started thinking about the logistics of competing with diabetes. I wasn't at all sure how I'd manage for a triathlon, but I didn't want diabetes to win before I even started the race.

I was able to leave my pump with a volunteer by the side of the pool so that my continuous glucose monitor could reconnect easily after the swim portion. I checked my blood sugar with a finger stick during each of the transition times and breathed a huge sigh of relief when I realized that the cgm was indeed keeping an accurate track of my numbers. The rest of the time I could focus on competing.

Perhaps my favorite picture from last weekend was one taken as I existed the pool area. I'm reconnecting my insulin pump after the swim.

I didn't let diabetes stop me.

Last weekend, Miss Idaho wore her insulin pump during the Miss America Pageant. Many people lately have posted pictures with the #showmeyourpump hashtag that she coined. I'm proud to post my own #showmeyourpump picture to encourage others.

Finishing last weekend's race was more than just finishing a race for me. It was proof that diabetes doesn't have to stand in my way.

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Saturday, January 4, 2014

Music makes it easier

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I didn't mind taking insulin shots, especially since those needles are tiny.

When I got my insulin pump, I didn't really mind the larger needle used for inserting the cannula, especially since I only had to change it every three days.

Inserting my continuous glucose sensor, however, bothers me a lot. It's probably not the needle as much as it is the spring loaded insertion device used with it. Whatever the reason, it seemed like it would take me forever to get up enough nerve to hit the insert button.

One day I read a short blurb in a magazine about how patients reported less pain when they were listening to music during injections.

It was worth a shot . . . (pun intended)

You know what? It works. In fact, it works even better than I thought it would.

Yesterday morning I cranked up the volume on my iPhone and started singing along with Mandisa while I pushed the insertion button with hardly any hesitation at all.

Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference. In my case, music makes taking care of my diabetes a whole lot easier.

M is for Music!