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.

:)

Drumroll please...

My video is finished!

Finally!

And it's here!

So please watch it!

I love you all!

And that's enough of me! Here you are!

 

Just in case the embedding doesn't work, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3gjhidKWWY

 

Thanks so much!

Saving my LIFE. (And life in general).

I have GOT to get better at doing this more often.

I've been really busy as of late and so have lots to say. :)

I finished my video (!!!) and got permission from Sony music (thank you!) to use the song I wanted, and I got my image release form all filled in, so I'm all ready! I hope to mail those tomorrow and simultaneously get the video posted - there will be links everywhere soon. :D

My beautiful blue headphones died. :( I tried to find a pair just like them, but as far as I can tell they're only available online. HOWEVER, Groupon had an awesome deal which means that there are gorgeous pink headphones with swarovski crystals and an mp3 remote being mailed to me. :) For the interim I have Avengers headphones. Walmart. $3. Best. Ever. (The sound quality sucks, but they're awesome nonetheless).

I haven't raised much for my donordrive. Thank you so much to the donator of the donation I've received - it means a lot. I'm going to link it to facebook, and maybe I'll put it in the video description...
I figured out how to add a link, so if you look up there ^ you'll see a link to my page. (JDRF DonorDrive fundraising page). Thank you so much to everyone who donates - every penny helps and it means a lot.

Speaking of donations, I have an awesome story to share. As I'm sure I've said, I'm a Junior Leader with a Sparks unit (5 and 6 year old girls). They're all completely precious. One of them knows me outside of Sparks (I babysit her and her sister occasionally and our mums are good friends) and it was her birthday a few days ago (Happy birthday!). For her party she did a toonie birthday (you know, where the guests bring two toonies and one goes towards a present, the other to a charity) and she decided that her charity was going to be my donordrive. This means a LOT and I don't know if she'll ever know how much this warms my heart. Apparently one of the parents asked her where the money was going, and she told them that she was going to 'save Giggles' LIFE.' Not quite as severe as that, sweetie. But, to a kid, that's what it is. I'm sick, and she's going to make me better. That's all there is to it. And the fact that she cares so much makes me all squishy inside. Knowing that she wants to make me better makes my every day a little brighter. Thanks so much, now-6-year-old L. Someday, we'll find a cure.

Meme time!

I finished my video last night (!!!!!!) but since it's not quite ready to post (I need permission from a couple people), here's a meme to tide us over. I found this on sixuntilme, and I love memes, and it's been waiting for a while, so here.
(Note: I did finish my video last night, but then this morning I decided it wasn't quite right, so I went back and changed a few things. But NOW it's completely finished. No more changes. XD)

What type of diabetes do you have: Type 1. (NOT 'the worst type'. There IS NO 'worst type'.)

When were you diagnosed: October 13th, 2009, 11 o'clock PM.

What's your current blood sugar: *sighs* *goes to get meter* *tests* 8.3 mmol/L (149 mg/dL). Not too bad./ Okay, that was yesterday. (Surprising how long it takes to do one post.) Now it's 6.7, but I just had a [rare] bagel, so it won't stay there for long.

What kind of meter do you use: OneTouch Ping. I've tried using other ones, and much as I loved them, the fact that they didn't connect to my pump for record purposes bothered me. I think I'm going to try and use a different one for my trip to Europe though. There's that awesome little red one upstairs...I can see the photoset now...on top of the Eiffel Tower, outside Big Ben...hm...XD

How many times a day do you test your blood sugar: 4 on a really bad day. Usually between 6 and 10.

What's a "high" number for you: 'Ein' high is above 10 (180). 'Oops' high is above 13 (234) and 'Oh dear' high is above 16 (288). 

What do you consider "low": Anything under 4.0 (72).

What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater: I usually use glucose tabs (tropical fruit flavour is the BEST), but recently my friend M introduced me to Clif's ShotBloks, which are these delicious gummy sugary squares that taste like jello berries and work awesomely fast.

Describe your dream endo: Compassionate, talkative, listens to me, talks TO me, understands. Pretty close to who I have now, actually. :)

What's your biggest diabetes achievement: (Oops, missed this one). Probably going to Nova Scotia alone[ish]. Europe will usurp that one for sure though.

What's your biggest diabetes-related fear: A really bad low in the night. Any low in the night, actually. Still haven't had one. *knock on wood*

Who's on your support team: My parents, my brother, the rest of my family, my friends, my doctors, even my Sparks...pretty much everyone that I care about.

Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime: I've been told many times that there will be. I've been told that I won't have to pay for a pump when I hit the over-18 mark because I won't need one. I've been told lots, and I know that science is getting close, and while I don't think it'll be right away, I think that there will be a cure - or at least a permanent treatment (like islet cell whateveritis) - in my life.

What is a "cure" to you: A cure would mean not having to take insulin. I'm sure I would still have to check my blood sugar, but maybe not as often or as regularly? A cure would be having something that gives me insulin without me having to think about it. (Hm. Sounds like a pancreas.)

The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is: (Upon seeing Bubbles) 'You must have it real bad.' NONONONO. I don't 'have it bad'. I 'have it regular', and that regular needs treatment. OR 'I probably shouldn't offer you these [candies or cookies or whathaveyou], should I?' YES YOU SHOULD. I like candy. I can eat candy. Sometimes I choose not to eat candy, but that DOES NOT mean that you shouldn't offer it. That just makes me feel left out and sad.

What is the most common misconception about diabetes: That it sucks. Well, it does suck most of the time, but when I look back on the big scheme of things and see everything that it's given me, there is no suckiness at all.
Another misconception that I hate is that I can't eat sugar. I CAN. Sometimes I don't WANT to, but I CAN.

If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be: Please give me back my ability to eat bagels all the time. I love bagels. I want them back. Please.