I woke up on a regular morning and I took the first BG test of the day. Low and behold it’s 4.8. I smiled and thought “what a warm fuzzy feeling to start to the day”. As the day went on my BG readings seem to check all the boxes. I tested 7 times on this day which is my usual and the highest reading was 8.2. I though “Well that’s a little above the recommendation but thank god it’s not 10 or more”. As the day went on the nice feeling of “job well done” continued. The rest of

Apart from the multiple daily rituals such as blood glucose testing, injecting, carb counting & exercising, I perform as management of my diabetes, I also thrall through a dozen or so websites from the online diabetes community. Why? I suppose I’m looking for more information on how to make my life with diabetes easier, or maybe I’m keeping tabs on the possibility of a cure but I think that the biggest reason is that I’m looking for someone who is like me. I’m lucky enough to

I know that as a person with diabetes I should try and include exercise as part of how I manage my diabetes. I’ve read all the articles relating to how it works miracles and I’ve received all the lectures over the years from Health Care Professionals (***********). But, I really don’t like exercise! I never have. And the normal types of exercise, such as walking, cycling, jogging, etc. just don’t do it for me. The not so normal forms of exercise for example Salsa Dancing or P

November 14th was chosen by the International Diabetes Federation because it also happens to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1922. Anyone with insulin dependent diabetes knows how important these two chaps are and I personally owe my life to them. But it’s bitter sweet to wish people a “Happy World Diabetes Day” when maybe I should save my wish and wish that I didn’t have di

I will take care of my health because I’m worth it! I took the best care of my diabetes when I was pregnant with both of my children. And I continue to do it now because my children need me. It got me thinking about why I didn’t put as much effort into my health before I had children? Did I believe that I wasn’t worth it? Is that what most of us believe most of the time? Is that why there are so many people with diabetes who don’t manage it well? Today, I’m going to start to

Every week, I buy the local paper and try to keep up with events and news around me. Every week, I notice all the sponsored walks, cycles, swims, etc. organized to raise money for charity. I notice all the photos of people exchanging very large cheques too. I know they are all deserving causes but why does my cause not feature as much in peoples’ minds? We rarely see people raising money for diabetes. I’ve been trying to figure out why. At first, I thought it was because thos

I was told recently that “diabetes was a death sentence” by someone who had lost a loved  one due to complications from this mysterious disease. It stopped me in my tracks. I thought “I hope not”. This got me thinking about what people who don’t know much about diabetes are really thinking when you tell them you have diabetes. Over the years, some of the comments I’ve received out loud have been that I’m too thin to have diabetes (by the way I’m not thin), I get the pity loo

Since I returned to live in Ireland I have been increasingly frustrated with the health services available to me, a person with diabetes. This stems from my fear of what the future holds for me health wise. What if one day I developed an ulcer on my leg that just won’t heal? What would happen to me & my family then? The answer is that my husband would help me pack our bags and move us all back to the United States; I would be heartbroken but I would have the very best medical

Meeting Steve Beriault. I had the pleasure of meeting a man by the name of Steve Beriault on Sunday the 11th of July in the Limerick Strand Hotel, where he came to share his personal experiences in living with Type 1 Diabetes. Steve is a 59 year old Canadian, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was 2 years old; he has lived with it for 57 years. He was diagnosed in the “boiling the glass syringe to sterilise it” era. He was in his early 30’s when he received his fir

Diabetes is a peculiar disease sometimes, in that, when everything is going well with your blood sugars you actually feel GREAT! You might actually stop and wonder how you could have a disease when you feel so healthy! However, when the old blood sugars are not doing what they are supposed to and that sluggish tired feeling creeps in, it can be hard to get back on track. And it’s such a vicious cycle; you need some cheering up when the numbers let you down so you indulge in s

I know I have a positive attitude when it comes to my diabetes. But, just for a moment, I’m going to explore the negative feelings that might surround it. Why am I putting myself through this? Well, I met with my friends with diabetes recently, and we talked about all of this stuff – you know “feelings”. So I am actually dwelling on it a little and feel that in order to expel it I have to write it. The first negative thought in my diabetes journey was just after diagnoses. I