National Diabetes Awareness Month

Hello! Happy Tuesday! I didn’t mean to be MIA from the blog last week, but life just got in the way.

We’ve all battled a horrible cold and haven’t felt the best. Poor Liz is the one that is holding onto hers the longest. She can’t quit coughing!

Anyways, I’m here today to share more about Type 1 Diabetes.

Check out my other posts here and here.

This week I wanted to talk briefly about what Liz and other Type 1 Diabetics go through just to keep their sugar regulated every day.

Let’s start with this picture:

This made me cry the first time I read it! I’m so thankful for the creation of insulin so the people with T1D can lead normal, happy lives!

Without insulin, it would be a death sentence.

Last week, I talked about how Liz’s pancreas doesn’t produce insulin anymore. Therefore, we have to act like Liz’s pancreas and give her insulin.

Every time she eats, she gets a shot! EVERY. TIME.

Here is a picture that shows the amount of shots Liz gets in just one month~ ONE MONTH:

Breaks your heart, huh??? Does mine!

However, I’m also so thankful for these shots because they are what keeps Liz’s sugar in range.

Another thing about this disease, is that it NEVER takes a break. We are always thinking about carbs and what her sugar is and what she’s eating and what activity she’s doing that will affect her sugar, etc.

When we were first diagnosed it was so overwhelming, but now it is second nature to count carbs and to know what to do.

I am easily able to look at Liz’s plate of food now and instantly know how many units of insulin to give her.

Liz is absolutely amazing at taking care of herself and successfully does 90% of everything on her own. And she’s 11!?!?!?

Some things I’m thankful for with managing T1D:

The Dexcom! I feel this is a game changer with T1D and we would be lost without it. It constantly shows us Liz’s sugar and has an arrow that tells us how her sugar is running (up,down, diagonal, etc).

The SugarMate app and my Apple Watch:

Instead of constantly looking at my phone, I can instantly look down at my watch and know what Liz’s sugar is. This really helps me every day while teaching and working with students.

My sister (and family):

What a blessing it is to have a sister and nephew (and brother in-law) that goes through the exact same thing we go through! It is so nice to vent to them or to know when we are together we all know what to do and we don’t worry about each other’s kids. This disease is horrible, but it’s helpful to have loved ones support you and know just what you are feeling.

I feel like I’m rambling a little bit. Again, if you don’t live with this disease every day, you don’t know what it’s like.

Diabetes is such a silent disease. Sometimes I feel like people are CLUELESS about what these kids and adults have to go through.

Just the other day Liz’s sugar had been running high all day and she just didn’t feel well at all. But she was expected to go to school all day, she made a 100% on her math test, and then went to volleyball practice that evening. Her coach even bragged on her about what a good teammate and encourager she is.

That makes my heart swell with pride. Because she did this all while managing her sugar and with a smile on her face! She is truly my hero.

I’m leaving you this week with an accurate picture of what it’s like every day giving insulin and making sure Liz’s sugar is in check. It made me laugh!

Every day is a new day and you never know what it will look like!

Hope y’all have a great Tuesday! This is our last day of school before Thanksgiving break! We are excited!

~Jen