Post A New Comment

I read blog post yesterday by Christopher Snider. Chris is hoping that on Monday, July 22nd people like you will take the time to comment on every diabetes blog that they read. Chris thinks that, "comments make the world go ’round, as far as blogging is concerned. Yes, there are stat counters and analytics reports you can run, but pageviews and unique visitors don’t mean much to me when it comes to sharing personal stories and experiences. What matters to me is when someone reads something I write, and then takes the time to leave a comment.". I couldn't agree with Chirs more and I am hoping that you to read his blog about the topic.

You already know what some of your favorite diabetes blogs means to you, but did you ever wonder what they are for the writer? Or how your participation completes the connection between the two of you and the other people reading? Diabetes blogs aren't like a tech or news blog, I'm not a guy reporting on a story, I'm a person sharing deeply personal thoughts and feelings in the hopes that my sharing will strike a cord of commonality with you. My only goal is to make your day a little easier, better, happier, lighter, more informed. My personal hope is that my sharing will, in some way, help you to not worry, panic, feel alone. I just want to help because I know how it feels to be in your position and no one deserves to feel that alone, scared and helpless - because we really aren't... but sometimes it takes finding others living the same life to realize that is true, at least it did for me. 

What you may not know is the act of writing on this blog is how I find peace with type I diabetes. My calm comes when I can see people like you reading. I tell myself that it doesn't matter if you leave a comment, that I can tell that you are getting something from the experience when you return the next day. I think what Chris is saying is that he believes blog comments perpetuate more blogs. He may be correct, I don't know. I'm not sure how seeing more comments would effect my writing frequency but I do like his idea for Monday.

Anyway, Chris's blog made me want to tell you that I have faith that you are out there and that sometimes I write stuff that you find valuable. But if I'm being honest, some days it is really nice to hear a voice come back from within the abyss.

I hope you have a second to read about what Chris is calling, #dblogcheck - Have a great weekend!

Sesame Chicken you Motherless $%&^@

It was a long Sunday and the nights hours were burning away quickly. We just wanted to have a fast and easy dinner when we made the call. It ended up being anything but.

I pre-bolused. I counted carbs. I over-estimated those carbs. I set temp basal rates. I did everything that I know how to do and two hours later, it appeared as though my foresight had won the battle. Arden's BG was 150 two hours after insulin and some ninety minutes after she finished eating. I was victorious!

That victory was however, short-lived - Chicken and rice... not so nice

The next few hours were a slugfest. I traded punches with diabetes all night. It hit me in the jaw, a countered with a bolus. It responded with a gut punch, I shot insulin with a needle. Uppercut, water bottle. Jab, Temp basal. We went back and forth like two prize fighters in a ten round fight. This exchange went on until four in the morning, I was staggered by the unrelenting nature of the attack. Defeated physically as well as spiritually.

We just wanted a number four with dumplings

It's so incredibly frustrating at times. The old diabetes adage really does stand true. You can do everything that you did the day before in the exact same situation and get completely different results. We don't make a habit out of Chinese take-out, but I was certain that I had developed a great system for combating those crazy carbs. Not on this night I guess, my best laid schemes failed me.

 

But little Mouse, you are not alone, In proving foresight may be vain:

The best laid schemes of mice and men

Go often awry

The most difficult part of staying up overnight in these situations isn't the loss of sleep, though that did eventually catch up to me. It's the stillness of the dark and how it allows you the time to reflect on what the high BG is doing to your child's body. The darkness makes me want to be better. Do better, make better decisions. I do a fair job of not beating myself up in these moments, I try to learn their lesson. Knowing that you are standing in the dark with me helps keep that attitude in the forefront of my mind. We are only alone in these moments if we forget that somewhere, there is another person just like us, having the same doubts, fighting the same fights. The DOC is always with you!

Our Community

Yesterday I wrote a blog post that described how I felt about the DRI controversy. It was long, angry and just as I was about to post it, the man who started this whole mess wrote on his blog and tried to explain why he did what he did - I deleted my draft.

His words caused me to think about the DOC.

I've never met Tom in person, as a matter of fact I don't believe that I've ever "met" him online - but I have read his blog. I've seen how people in the community trust him, how they believe that he is one of them. I know that because that is how I feel about this man whom I do not know. I began to wonder if I am that person for you. I thought long and hard about your belief in my blog and the responsibility that your trust makes me feel. I tried to imagine what influence could make me write something online that could hurt so many people. I couldn't think of one thing in my life that could push me to so thoughtlessly disseminate my feelings as though they were more than feelings. What Tom did, in my opinion, was cruel and where he did it was unthinkable.

I was so angry that the appearance of hype was brought into our community, disguised as hope.

I'm glad that I didn't post my thoughts yesterday because they weren't thoughts, they were anger. Holding back allowed me more time to consider what must have been going through Tom's mind as he wrote and I can only come to one conclusion. Tom is a D-Dad twice over, he is a tireless advocate for us and I can only imagine that he wants a cure for my daughter as much as he wants one for his own children.

Tom must have seen something that made him believe in a cure. I, for one, am elated that there is research in the world that could make a man like Tom that excited. If that is the case, then I understand why he was so enthusiastic about telling us. He only made one mistake and I'm quite sure that he won't do it again, I'm quite sure that none of us will. His actions, misguided as they were, taught us all a very valuable lesson this week. Our voices are strong, they carry meaning and people are listening. We have a responsibility that is bigger than perhaps we may have imagined. We aren't just a collection of people connected by FaceBook, Twitter and the rest. We are a family. Actually, we are more than a family. We are people with diabetes and the people that love people with diabetes. We all want the same thing and we want it now. Tom forgot that for a few minutes, but I can tell that he remembers now.

If you were angry like I was, I hope that you can find your way past that feeling and join me in hoping that what Tom saw was so amazingly exciting that he lost his head for a moment. Because if that is the case, well, we all have something to look forward to. Even if Tom just mis-spoke or didn't give proper consideration to how his message would be received - he's done more for all of us than I imagine we could know... he deserves a pass. Trust me when I tell you that I was in full blown, Philly anger yesterday. I could have choked Tom with my bare hands. Today, I was able to see clearly again. I don't take how I felt is a condemnation of me or of Tom's actions - I see it as an indication of how much I don't want Arden and all of you to have to live with diabetes for one second longer.

One day this community will be the way that we all learn about the cure just as it is the conduit for finding out about advancements in treatment, support and friendship. We won't hear of the cure with a press release or a twitter post, our love will carry that message into each of our homes. You all are part of the most amazing man-made thing that I've ever seen. We have compassion for one another in amounts so large it boggles my mind. We help each other up when things are bad and we prop each other up until we can stand again on our own.

Tom, this is me propping you up. Don't beat yourself up too much. I may have done the same thing.

I can't wait to see what got you so excited.

Life For A Child

The diabetes online community provides support for those who are a part of it. We cheer each other up and on, lend advice, create friendships and so much more. We are people helping people live better with diabetes. I speak about the power of the DOC all of the time, it's staggering to witness it's reach and impact. It's helped me more times than I can count and I bet it's helped you too. 

A few thoughtful folks in the DOC got together recently and began to wonder who else our community could help. How far can our love reach, can it extend beyond my twitter feed, past our FaceBook pages? Can the power of the DOC touch a child in a country that is an ocean away? I think it can. I'd bet on us any day of the week. So please take a moment, read on and find out where and how your love will be used to save a child with diabetes. 

What is the International Diabetes Federation's Life of a Child Program (from the IDF website)

Donations to the IDF Life for a Child Programme are carefully directed to key areas of diabetes care and management so that established paediatric diabetes centres and associations can provide the best possible care, given local circumstances, to all children and youth with diabetes in developing countries.  

Just $1 a day provides a child with:

• regular insulin
• quality blood glucose monitoring equipment (meter, strips, lancets)
• essential clinical care
• up-to-date diabetes education materials
• specialised diabetes training for medical staff 

“The scope of what needs to be done is vast.  Diabetes management is complex. While the first step is getting access to insulin, it needs to be followed up with education on managing diabetes, extending sustained care and also improving the quality of care. This takes both time and ongoing resources, so donations such as yours are crucial to the success and longevity of the Life for a Child Programme. Thank you for your contribution.”

Dr Graham Ogle, LFAC General Manager.

Please consider making a one dollar donation to the IDF's Life For A Child program right now by clicking on this link and join the DOC in their Valentine's Day effort to Spare a Rose and Save a Child. Give the one you love eleven roses this year and then send the money you save to a child that desperately needs insulin. 

Please share this page with the DOC and beyond. Then write about Life For A Child on your blog, FaceBook wall or twitter feed. Click here for more information on how you can help. Let's take this DOC thing out for a spin and really find out what it can do!

HuffPost piece feat. DOC quotes

DOC member and Huffington Post contributer Riva GreenBerg recently asked two questions of some DOC members. The answers she received were featured in her latest piece.

"Tweets of Diabetes Experience"

Riva Greenberg

As Diabetes Month ends, here's the wisdom and insights from several of my fellow online diabetes bloggers and advocates.

While it's easy to see diabetes as a burden and at times feel angry, ashamed or frustrated, if we look at it through the spirit of thanks-giving, it's also possible to see something gained.

And, I find joy in sharing what I've learned with others.

So I asked the two questions below and these responses flew into my inbox. Also know, as diabetes moves out of the spotlight this month, we will all still be here alongside you on this journey -- and you can continue to ride along with anyone below by following their blog and/or Twitter account.

The rest of the piece, complete with all of those DOC quotes is on HuffPost at this link. You may recognize more then a few names. Great thanks to Riva for including me in the article!