Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body does not produce insulin. To stay alive, people with type 1 diabetes must take multiple insulin injections daily or continually infuse insulin through a pump. They must also test their blood sugar by pricking their fingers for blood six or more times a day. A healthy pancreas can automatically sense and respond to blood sugar fluctuations, while Type 1 diabetics invest gross amounts of time and energy just trying to reach somewhat “close to normal” blood sugars.
My full time job is to think like a pancreas. There are no vacations, and I don't see retirement on the horizon, either, but there are employee benefits (good things about diabetes):
- In elementary school, diabetes provided me with ideas for science projects, from testing the impact of pizza versus orange juice on blood glucose to investigating the chemical components of insulin.
- My classmates loved watching me prick my finger to test my blood sugar, and when I got an insulin pump, some kids even said they were jealous.
- This disease has forced me to carefully examine the way I treat my body, and so I am more conscious about nutrition and stress management.
- I got my first real job - writing for www.diabeteens.com as an "expert" on being a teenager with Type 1 - because I had diabetes!
- Diabetes has given me a cause to fight for, and I've learned so much and had so much fun lobbying Congress for research funding, mentoring others with diabetes, and appearing on TV a few times for diabetes-related news stories!
- I got my first internship - working for the Juvenile Research Foundation(JDRF)'s Government Relations office in Washington, D.C. - because of many years of appearing on the news, speaking at press conferences, and meeting with Congressmen on behalf of JDRF. Check out advocacy.jdrf.org.
- I've gained so much from participating in clinical research studies related to Type 1. Being a human guinea pig is a great way to earn money, learn about the latest and greatest in research/advancements in therapy/technology, and get free labwork and medical advice.
- There are some amazing people in this world - and many of them are Type 1 diabetics whom I never would have met if we didn't share this disease in common. Hands down, the best thing about diabetes is that it has introduced me to lifelong friends.
I was diagnosed with Type 1 three days after my ninth birthday. After feeling sick all week, I allowed my mom, a nurse, to prick my finger for the first time and test my blood sugar with a glucometer that she had at home. I'll never forget looking down at the meter, seeing the number, and shouting to my mom, who had stepped into the kitchen for a minute: "It says 464! That's normal, right?"
464 is definitely not normal for a blood glucose reading. I soon learned that, in people without diabetes, blood sugar stays between 70-120 mg/dl. My goal, as a Type 1, is to keep my blood sugars as close to that range as possible - but it's not easy to do so. My readings can range from 50-250!
For the first few months after my diabetes diagnosis, I took daily injections of R and NPH insulin. It wasn't long before I went a small diabetes conference and met Rick Philbin, who showed me his Animas insulin pump and all its awesome-ness. I was hooked on the idea of the pump immediately and got my own a few months later.
 | |
| The Animas 2000 | It was SO cool! There were stickers and colored plastic plates that I could put on top of the pump to customize it. With the pump came a lot of flexibility in terms of how much and when I could eat. I didn't have to stick to a 40-carbohydrate breakfast between 8 and 10am anymore - I could have 70 carbs at 11am if I wanted. |
At this time, the Animas was the most technologically advanced insulin pump on the market. Then the Deltec Cozmo came along.
 |
| I switched to the Cozmo in 2002 and never looked back. They stopped manufacturing this device in 2009, but the one I have is good for another couple of years and it is, in my opinion, better than all the other pumps out there right now. |
Other devices I use:
- the OneTouch UltraMini glucometer
- the Dexcom Seven Plus CGMS (Continous Glucose Monitoring System)
 |
| Dexcom |
