<p class="">The other day I had a low blood sugar event (also known as a hypo) and I didn’t know I was having it despite using a glucose sensor.</p>

<p class="">In February, when we were living in a very different pre-coronavirus world, I was invited to a local secondary school by a small group of TY (transition year) students who were doing a <a href="https://www.youngsocialinnovators.ie/">Young Social Innovators</a> project on diabetes. They asked me to talk about what living with diabetes is like for me. Here’s what we talked about.</p>

<p class="">Dangerous omission of adult onset type 1 diabetes in symptoms campaign. This issue is very personal to me because I have met so many people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the 30’s, 40’s and beyond. I also know that type 1 diabetes in adults is frequently misdiagnosed and I suspect this may have resulted in fatalities that we don’t yet know about.</p>

<p class="">We’re almost at the end of week five (sigh) of Covid19 Coronavirus Lockdown and I’m still hanging in there. Last week, I was bracing myself for the announcement of an extension of two more weeks, so when it was announced as three I did curl up in a ball for for the rest of the evening.</p>

<p class="">Slave To Insulin</p>

<p class="">I’ve been reading some of my old posts looking for inspiration for new ones and came across this one below which I first published in April 2011 about some of the stuff I went through in my early days of being a newly diagnosed person with diabetes. I was struck by how I wrote about trying to heed advice on being able to live a “normal life” after being diagnosed and how I just did not want to talk about it with my friends. I’m glad things have changed for me.</p>

<p class="">I’ll be honest, I’m not doing the best emotionally or mentally with our physical distancing measures to help protect us from CoronaVirus COVID-19. Losing the tiny bit of social contact I had has been a big blow for my emotional health.</p>

<p class="">When I joined the Irish diabetes online community #IREDOC in 2010, I had no idea where that journey would take me. In fact, I didn’t think it would take me anywhere but to a better place with my diabetes; all I wanted was to meet other people with diabetes and to learn from them.</p><p class="">Ten years later, being part of the DOC has taken me to so many places I never imagined possible. From support group organiser to blogger to event organising to public speak

<p class="">My glucose sensor has been the best tool I’ve had access to in my 27 years of diabetes. However, it is a piece of technology and, like all tech, it will and does fail occasionally. In this instance, this was my first definite false low glucose reading caused by compression ie me sleeping soundly on my transmitter.</p>

<p class="">Storm Jorge gave me the opportunity to tune into the live stream of Type 1 Diabetes Rise of the Machines #T1DRotM, a fantastic event on technology used in type 1 diabetes management and is a collaboration between people with Diabetes, industry and NHS representatives.</p>

<p class="">Last Friday, I attended <a href="https://www.diabetes.ie/conference-speakers-dice-2020/">Diabetes Ireland’s health professional conference</a> in Dublin as a guest speaker with fellow person with diabetes and DIYAPS user, Tomas Mahony. It was a very interesting day and a very different conference to the ones I’m used to. I attended four of the presentations which were all really interesting for me</p>

<p class="">I had the opportunity to co-facilitate a workshop on “<em>The Value of Peer Support from the Perspective of People with Diabetes, Clinicians &amp; Educators</em>” at the <a href="https://bloodsugartrampoline.com/blog/2019/12/3/diabetes-self-management-alliance-conference-2020?rq=DSMA">Diabetes Self Management Alliance DSMA Conference</a> in Sweden in January to encourage support for diabetes peer support. However, this workshop was also a learning experience for m

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I can’t believe that my first post of 2020 is in February!!! WOW! The first couple of weeks of January I did nothing blog, website or diabetes related and it was wonderful but I did miss writing. Then there was a general election called, a conference event, advocacy group meeting and speaking event to prepare for, not to mention lots of thinking about “what next?” for Thriveabetes, and taking some personal time to figure out what’s ne

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Every year, when I write my Christmas cards, I include a letter with a bit of a summary of what our family has been up to. When your family lives on two continents it’s important to keep the connection in this way.&nbsp;</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">It was while I was writing this letter that I realise just how much has happened to me this year because of blogging and volunteering. Here is some of my favourite highligh

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I’ve been psyching myself up for the next chapter of my life for….., at least…..., two, three, ok more years. Totally psyching myself up. Em, yeah, totally. I am dusting off my CV, getting motivated about starting a pension plan (not so much) and trying to figure out (again) what I want to be when I grow up.&nbsp;</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">My journey towards a closed loop artificial pancreas system began in earnest eighteen months ago. It hasn’t been a straight forward journey but I’m happy to report that it is going relatively OK and decided to share.&nbsp;#WeAreNotWaiting #DIYAPS</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">There are so many diabetes conferences for medical professionals but not many where #patientsincluded, have you heard about the Diabetes Self Management Alliance conference coming up in Sweden, January 2020</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Thriveabetes exhibited at the Diabetes Ireland national conference recently to spread the message about the Power of Peer Support in diabetes. It was brilliant! We met so many people and exchanged so much of our lives with diabetes with so many strangers who we hope will find their own support locally.&nbsp;So what is so powerful about diabetes peer support?</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I celebrate World Diabetes Day, because it celebrates one of those responsible for creating my life saving drug, Insulin. And like any good celebration, there should be cake, candles and wishes. Here are my four World Diabetes Day Wishes #WDDWishes</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I get my blood glucose test strips from my chemist for free and over the years, I have figured out how many I needed per month. If I noticed them piling up in the press I didn’t get them for a month or two but once I started using a cgm I always seemed to have a more than generous supply. Yeah, I know, those of you who figured this out quickly are giving me eye rolls.&nbsp;</p>