Do you ever know something but forget it the moment you need it?

Sorry guys. Uh...exams are coming up? Is that a fair excuse? No. I've been watching Hannibal.
(Unrelated sidenote ALTHOUGH I WILL KEEP THE FLAILS TO A MINIMUM there was a pancreas on Hannibal and it was great because the pancreas is an underappreciated organ but apparently it tastes good XD)

Well. Well, well, well. How is everyone today? I'm good, thanks. I played five games of baseball this weekend, had part of a practice provincial exam in math, and other such fun stuff.

So, I always have stuff planned in my head for when I find myself talking to newly diagnosed diabetics - except when I need it, it's gone.
One of my friends (an exchange student from Germany who was here earlier this year and who I got on really well with) has just been diagnosed, and I didn't know what to say. I was honoured that she wanted advice from me - I like being asked questions like that - but I didn't even know what to say. I guess because my diagnosis was so long ago (three and a half years now - WOW) and I've come SO far since then, I've mostly forgotten what I needed. I guess I needed to know that people still cared, that they were there for me, that there were people I could talk to. I didn't really have anyone to TALK to - I do now (Hooray for DiaBuddies!) - but I sincerely hope that I can be that person for someone else. :)

If anyone ever needs anything, comment here or message me somehow or TALK TO ME BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL and I want to help!

Hugs and love to J!

D-Blog Week: Spread the Love.

Now I'm all caught up. As another Diabetes Blog Week draws to a close, let’s reflect on some of the great bloggers we’ve found this week. Give some love to three blog posts you’ve read and loved during Diabetes Blog Week, and tell us why they’re worth reading. Or share three blogs you’ve found this week that are new to you.

I found a lot of posts and people this week. (Probably because I actually read other people's posts this time round. XD)

I was really excited to find Sagwabetes, because she's a tumblr blog and I still can't get my head around the fact that other people use tumblr (especially for non-tumblrish things).

This post from Type ONEderful hit home, because I've semi-been there and the what-ifs are scary indeed.

I've been favouriting posts as I go this week so I could come back to them for today, and when I realized that I had two posts from Sweetly Voiced, I thought I should go back and look at her entire blog - which I did and it is great. :)

And a bonus: I didn't find this blog (What Diabetes Should Call Me) or this post (I Am Fine, from SixUntilMe) through D-Blog week, but the blog brightens my every day and the post is what I look at to get my spirits up when I'm down on diabetes. Go look at them both. :)

D-Blog week: Diabetes Art Day.

This year Diabetes Art moves up from the Wildcard choices as we all channel our creativity with art in the broadest sense. Do some “traditional” art like drawing, painting, collage or any other craft you enjoy. Or look to the literary arts and perhaps write a d-poem or share and discuss a favorite quote. Groove to some musical arts by sharing a song that inspires you diabetes-wise, reworking some song lyrics with a d-twist, or even writing your own song. Don’t forget dramatic arts too, perhaps you can create a diabetes reality show or play. These are just a starting point today – there are no right or wrong ways to get creative!

So, again, I missed the day. Sorry. My dad was using the computer all last night. (Also, I was tired and knitting a very confusing pattern = no motivation for anything else.) I was really looking forward to this post - arting for the win! But, since it's now late (Sunday), I don't art well under pressure, and I have other stuff to do, here is my art. Actually, since I'm too lazy to go upstairs, take a picture, upload the picture, then post it, this is the art that I'm choosing to share:

 

This is Lorenzo. He's a flamingo. With a bowtie and tophat. He took a long time to make, and he's awesome. How, may you ask, does he apply to this topic? Well, he took a long time to figure out, he was a huge presence for a while, but now he's kind of faded into the background. Just like diabetes. :)

D-Blog Week: Freaky Friday.

Sorry this is late - I had some WACKED blood sugars yesterday, and for unknown reasons (probably due to those insane 2.9s and 3.1s) I felt awful last night. I could hardly speak, let alone sit up and blog. So, this is a day late, my bad, thanks diabetes.

Today's Yesterday's propmt: Just like in the movie, today we’re doing a swap. If you could switch chronic diseases, which one would you choose to deal with instead of diabetes? And while we’re considering other chronic conditions, do you think your participation in the DOC has affected how you treat friends and acquaintances with other medical conditions? (Just gotta put this in here - I LOVE that movie.)

I wouldn't want to switch with anyone. I'm lucky to have a condition that is treatable, manageable, and not fatal. I can still live my life while dealing with diabetes - I just have to work a little bit harder at some things. I'd really rather have no chronic condition. That being said, I suppose a thyroid condition (hypo or hyper) (preferably the one that makes you skinnier) wouldn't be too hard - there's treatment and not too much to deal with as far as I know.
But if I could switch chronic conditions, I would want the Alexandria Genesis. (Well, it's a syndrome, but I think that still counts?) I mean, purple eyes, dark brown hair (which I already have and love), no sunburns, no periods (!), long life, no body hair except for eyebrows and  perfect vision, and never overweight? Who WOULDN'T want that? Unfortunately, it's a very rare condition and it may not even exist. But it would be great, no?

My participation in the DOC has affected how I treat people with other medical conditions. I feel like I understand a bit what they're going through - I'm more empathetic, more willing to listen, more able to help them out. Those of us that have chronic conditions - be they the same or not - know what it's like to deal with stuff. We all have a connection, and we can all empathize with each other. So yes, because I talk to/read about other people with diabetes, it helps me to understand other conditions. :)

D-Blog Week: Accomplishments Big and Small.

We don’t always realize it, but each one of us had come a long way since diabetes first came into our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s been 5 weeks, 5 years or 50 years, you’ve done something outstanding diabetes-wise. So today let’s share the greatest accomplishment you've made in terms of dealing with your (or your loved one’s) diabetes. No accomplishment is too big or too small - think about self-acceptance, something you’ve mastered (pump / exercise / diet / etc.), making a tough care decision (finding a new endo or support group / choosing to use or not use a technology / etc.).

I've accomplished a lot in the last three years. Diabetes-wise, self-wise, growing-up-wise...
My biggest diabetes accomplishment? I think it was going to Nova Scotia. Although I traveled to and from Vancouver with my mum, I flew to Nova Scotia (went through security!), stayed a week in Nova Scotia, and flew home. Alone. There were two Guiders with my group (I went with Girl Guides), but neither of them knew me very well and even though one of them had a diabetic father (that didn't work out in my favour) (I don't think anyone except sometimes my parents should/can EVER tell me how I should deal with my diabetes. I'll have a freakin' freezie if I want one), I was on my own on the diabetes front. By that point I'd been completely independent for a year and a half, but the fact that I didn't have anyone to fall back on was scary. There was no one to phone to make sure I was doing this right, no one to tell me how many carbs were in the hamburger buns (which we had EVERY day), no one to click the site-inserter for me. It was a big deal. Now it's no sweat - heck, I'm going to Europe by myself [ish - with Girl Guides again] for two weeks this summer. I had to deal with a lot of stuff that trip (especially since plane-travelling never fails to rocket my blood sugars - someone help?), including really high blood sugars, way-too-involved people, and airport security (no more needs to be said there). But I DID it.

That was my biggest accomplishment, but small ones happen every day. Every 5.3 on the meter, every blood-sugar-matching-carb-count bolus (okay, it's not really an accomplishment, but it's exciting XD), every walk I take (which feel SO GOOD - not stopping that any time soon - also it makes me feel healthy which is an accomplishment in itself), every knitting project I finish - every day is an accomplishment.

Accomplishments big and small, every day.

D-Blog Week 2013: Memories.

On an unrelated note, today's baseball game was the BEST. I got 3 (!) hits (my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th hits of the season), we WON, I got to play 3rd base (I screwed up a couple things, but everyone makes mistakes), I got to see three of my sparks, one of whom stayed to watch part of my game (that meant a LOT, M. Thanks. <3), and I felt really accepted into the team today. (I'm the new girl, so that's important to me.) :)

Today's topic: Today we’re going to share our most memorable diabetes day. You can take this anywhere.... your or your loved one's diagnosis, a bad low, a bad high, a big success, any day that you’d like to share.

Since everything about diabetes is a mix of good and bad, I have a good memory and a bad memory. Let's get the bad one over with.

It's close to Christmas vacation, 2009. I've had diabetes for about two months. I'm at the point where I'm giving my own needles, but I'm still calling my mum every lunchtime to make sure I'm doing it right. This lunchtime starts late - I think we were on a fieldtrip or something - and since our teacher had to go be a lunchtime supervisor, he entrusts us to the next-door teacher (who turned out, the next year, to be the greatest teacher ever). We have about two minutes until the go-outside lunch bell rings - NOT long enough to bolus and eat in a relaxed manner. I'm just getting my needles out when the bell rings. Mme. A (the next-door teacher) comes in and sends us outside. I explain that I HAVE to eat because I have diabetes (blahblah) and that I haven't eaten yet, etc. She sends me into her classroom (which is full of unfamiliar people). Stressed, I [try to] be calm, sit down as far away from everyone else as I can, and I sort out my needle. I'm doing it in my left thigh today - somewhere that usually doesn't go well. Of course, people notice that I'm stabbing myself with a needle, and some of them start to freak out. As soon as I pull the needle out, blood starts spurting out. Of course. (Okay, not really. There was about a finger-poke-sized splotch, followed by a rather large black bruise. :( ) I start crying, people are freaking out, an unfamiliar teacher is trying to help me...It was not fun. I was okay, though. And the nice thing was, when we came for PT interviews a few weeks later, Mme. A came and talked to us to make sure I was okay. That was great. :)

So, that wasn't fun. But there are some good memories...

After four hours of early-morning travel, we get to the Horshoe Bay terminal. I'm really nervous about this, but excited, too. It's my first year of diabetes camp, and I'm not sure how it's going to go. We find my cabin group, and as soon as I step into the circle I have friends. Everyone's the same (except H - you non-diabetic. XD), everyone understands, and it's the first time I've ever felt so accepted so fast. I can't even explain how great it was. The whole week was awesome. These posts explain it pretty well: There's this one and this one and this one and this is pretty much all of them.
Camp is my favourite diabetes memory. Memories of it make the bad days better, and the good days great. The people I met there are some of the greatest people I've ever met, and the things I got to do and see and experience there make diabetes easier every day.
THAT is the best thing about diabetes. They are the best diabetes memories.

D-Blog Week: We, the undersigned.

Recently various petitions have been circulating the Diabetes Online Community, so today let’s pretend to write our own. Tell us who you would write the petition to – a person, an organization, even an object (animate or inanimate) - get creative!! What are you trying to change and what have you experienced that makes you want this change?

I've found myself signing lots of petitions lately - whether it's for an extended version of Les Mis or to not sexualize Merida. If I were to petition to change something...well...

I'd really like to get Dexcom (or a CGM that'll link with Animas) up here (in the backwoods of Canada XD), but I'm sure someone's working on that.
I'd REALLY like an Animas Vibe, but they're only in England ATM.
I'd like to change people's misconceptions about diabetes, but I don't think a petition would help that.
You know what? I'd like a diabetic role model. I mean, I have role models, and I have diabetes role models, but I'd like someone bigger - like a disney princess. A famous movie character. Someone who can show the world what diabetes is, how much it doesn't change us, and someone that diabetics and non-diabetics alike can look up to.
If I were to write a petition, I think I'd find myself writing to Disney to ask for a diabetic princess. Or prince. Or monster ('cause WHO ELSE IS EXCITED FOR MONSTERS UNIVERISTY?!?!)
I want this because of many reasons, but one of those is that newly diagnosed have very few role models. They might not know much about diabetes. I know that I didn't know any diabetics until at least eight months in. We need someone to show us how okay diabetes is, and we need someone who can teach everyone about diabetes without having to TEACH them. Merida (from Brave, only my favouritest movie ever) (Well, I think it must be tied with Les Mis) made me proud to be female. (And since we're on the subject of petitons, PLEASE go sign the aforementioned one.) She made me realize how important and great it is to be independent, strong, and individual.
We, the undersigned, need someone to show us how great it is to be diabetic.

I actually haven't heard anything about these petitions floating around - I know there's one about a name change, but what else? Anyone know? :)

D-Blog week: Share and Don't Share.

So, I nearly missed D-blog week this year. Obviously I need to spend more time on the internet. XD

Often our health care team only sees us for about 15 minutes several times a year, and they might not have a sense of what our lives are really like. Today, let’s pretend our medical team is reading our blogs. What do you wish they could see about your and/or your loved one's daily life with diabetes? On the other hand, what do you hope they don't see? 

I have a lot of people on my medical team. I think that comes from being a Ped patient.

What do I wish my medical team could see about my daily diabetes life? I wish they could see how hard I try to get those good blood sugars, and how hard it is sometimes. I wish they could see how often I check my blood sugar (because apparently I test a LOT. Ask any of my d-friends. :) ). I wish they could see how hard my grandma tries to bake sugar-free stuff for me, and I wish they could see how irritated I get when I have a low for no apparent reason or I just don't have TIME for a low. I wish they could see the me in those non-diabetic, happy moments, where I'm ME and not diabetes-me. (I wish they could see me in the me-est moments, like when I found out that glucose tablets make noise.) I wish they could know how much I appreciate them, and how much I look forward to each new clinic appointment. I wish they could see how hard it is to deal with a nighttime low, when all I want to do is sleep, and I wish they could see how passionate I am about diabetes and non-diabetes related things alike. I wish they could see all the sides of ME.

On the other hand, I hope they don't see how few times I change my lancet. Or how not-often I change my site. I hope they don't see how I treat my lows (because I get hungry). I hope they don't see me run my pump into walls (although that happens a lot). I hope they don't see how unaccurately I bolus most of the time, or how sometimes I forget to treat a not-good blood sugar. I hope they don't see me in the moments where diabetes gets me down, and I hope they don't see how many times I eat stuff I shouldn't when I'm high. Or low. Or ever.

I wish my healthcare team could see the other sides of me, but then I hope they never do. It's diabetes. There isn't really any way to win.

If you want to participate in D-Blog week, or read other people's posts, you can find everything you need over at Bitter~Sweet (who is also a T1Knitter!)

I'm a bit sad, but I'm okay.

I'm not in the top three in the video contest. :(
That's okay. I'M proud of my video, I still got to tick off stuff for Rangers, and there's many years of video contests to come.
You should go vote anyways 'cause we're all peeps in the beets! (I'm SO using that from now on).

Anyway, I have new music (200 songs added XD), enough money to buy a new iPod anyway, I get to play infield next baseball game, I've got a bunch of money coming my way from babysitting and owl commissions, and the weather is LOVELY.

All in all, I'm pretty happy. :)

Also, Europe is fast approaching! WOOT!
And now that I know about the video contest, I'll take lots of pictures and start thinking 'bout it now.

Thanks to everyone who has watched and watches it! Love you all! <3 (There's a link at the top of the page.)

And also - ALSO - the book sale was this weekend, so I have two beautiful stacks of books to read, as well as I read 100 pages of my gigantic Les Mis book yesterday! Progress!

Well...

It's been a while. Again. Sorry. It was April. Also, right now is the nearest to relaxed-time that I've had this week. And I'm rather stressed right now. So. You get the idea.

Have some bullets! :)

• Video contest voting opens May 6th! WOOT! You will all know. And hopefully you will all go vote for me. <3 (If I'm in the top three).
• I missed Sparks tonight because of baseball. :( I am NEVER missing sparks again.
• My brother is an awesome salesperson, and so I have eight owl orders to fill. Which is awesome. Because it means I get money.
• I finally got my Itunes money, so imma get some awesome music. :)
• TV series are ending. I shall soon have to turn to Netflix. (If I ever have time to watch anything).
• My site decided to come out. After an hour. Gr.
• M is coming out this weekend!!! We're going to the book sale! It's gonna be AWESOME! <3
• I posted my Sherlock blanket online! People like it! Yay!
• That's all I got for now. Sorry this took so long.

:)