Blogging

It's late and I have way too much caffeine in my system. This post may be deleted in the bright, unforgiving light of day.

This is my 164th post in little more than a year. 18000 plus visitors have stopped by to catch up on all things Kassie and Diabetes. I've been amazed and befuddled at which posts have - or have not - generated comments. I've checked out my own stats and rolled my eyes at the fact that a fair number of visitors found me by searching for "Mo Cushla". In fact, sometimes there's a weird sort of run on "Mo Cushla" - consecutive mentions of google searches from far flung places around the world. And yes, I realize this post will only attract more of them. Welcome, seekers of gaelic translations!

For the past few months, I've been less focused on posting here. Life has been busy, but I've sort of reached the point where the stories I want to tell in this public forum - using my real name - and giving it up for free - are not flowing as freely. Though I haven't taken on the dblogger's favorite subject (nasty low blood sugar), I feel like I've covered a lot.

At the same time, I've been considering my blogroll (and have noted that others are pondering this as well). A while ago, I trimmed the list to (primarily) Barton girls, because we rock! Tonight, I've opted for a link to the Diabetes OC and Diabetes Daily (I love their headline service. If they had every OC blog on that, I'd be all set!). And of course, I'm keeping my dad's website. Have you checked out his gallery, by the way??? His photography is amazing. He'll ship framed or unframed prints anywhere in the US, by the way. Just a thought for those of you who haven't done your holiday shopping.

But I digress...

The point is, I think I'll be scaling back for a while. You'll miss my insightful wit and extensive diabetes wisdom, but I'll keep up with the reading and the commenting. I'll also keep up with the shameless plugs as needed.

Enjoy the holidays, folks, and have a profitable G.O.R.O.S.H.*!



*Gift Oriented Religious Or Secular Holiday.

YouTube Funny

Helsinki Complaints Choir


I'm not sure why I find this so hysterical, but I take comfort in the fact that I am not alone in my admiration.

What's Your Blood Sugar?

I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that, if you are reading this and you have diabetes, you either know what your blood sugar is or you have the resources to go find out. You have a meter, you have strips. You may have to ration those strips, or you may have had to give up something else to buy that meter. But you have access to the tools you need to at the very least find out your blood sugar.

Today is World Diabetes Day. Think, for a minute, how frustrating it is here in the US to get information, care, and supplies. Imagine what it's like for the disadvantaged and vulnerable of the world.

Swing by Unitefordiabetes.org and add your name to the petition there. While you're there, read about yet another Barton Girl living well with diabetes.

Go on, do it. Then go check your blood sugar.

Diabetes Educators to the World

I try to be upbeat. I try to gently inform and educate people about my diabetes and diabetes in general. For the most part, I keep to myself my sharper, nastier comebacks to "can you eat that?".

Though I'm no CDE, I consider myself an advocate and an informer, someone willing to talk openly about diabetes in an effort to put good information out there. I trot out quick little explanations with a smile.

I suspect that you, you who live with diabetes and know more about it than most medical professionals... I suspect that you are the same way.

But I have to say, every once in a while, I just want to smack someone. Because, my friend, it turns out that there is such a thing as a stupid question.

"Are you going to pass out?", asked when my pump jammed at a meeting the other day.

"Are you a severe diabetic?", asked by a radio host interviewing me this morning.

"How can you have juvenile diabetes? I thought only kids got that?", during another radio interview.

Smile. Grit teeth. Begin pleasant two sentence diabetes education routine.

Sigh.

I understand that, if diabetes is not part of someone's everyday experience, there is no reason they should have a solid understanding of carb-to-insulin ratios, fast-acting vs long-act, or even the the differences between type 1 and type 2. I know little to nothing about other conditions and illnesses, and don't expect to encounter expertise about diabetes everywhere I go.

But I think that my experience as a person with a chronic illness has taught me to lead with a question (accepting that I don't know much about condition xyz) rather than put my foot in it.

And I'm grateful to those people who ask questions about diabetes and listen to the answer.

If I'd Only Known

I am 18 years old, barely. I am sitting on the porch of my parents' house, feet propped up on the porch railing, knees tucked under my chin. I am tired of crying, tired of the questions that I have lived with for only a day, already tired of what will be a lifetime routine. I have told my friends that I have diabetes, we have told my family. I keep saying it out loud in an effort to wrap my head around it. I am certain that my heart will never accept it.

I don't know anyone who has diabetes. There was a girl in middle school... what was her name? Sarah? I think she had it. What happened to her?

What will happen to me?

If I'd only known.

If I'd only known that I would go to college and be fine. That I would go to parties, fall in love, pull all-nighters, and sometimes choose college life over diabetes... but that I would come out of it ok.

If I'd only known that I'd get a job at diabetes camp and overnight I'd go from knowing no one with diabetes to knowing hundreds of girls and boys and young adults with diabetes. My peers, my mentors, my inspiration. Campers who would look to me to show them how to live well with diabetes. Friends who, even after our camp careers were over, attended my wedding and celebrated the births of my children. Friends who, to this day, cry with me when diabetes gets too scary and cheer me on as I chase my dreams.

If I'd only known that I'd get to experience pregnancy and childbirth not once but twice, and that I'd be the mother of two incredible, beautiful, healthy boys.

If I'd only known that I'd have the privilege of knowing these women:



Women with diabetes and children, women who juggle work and school and health and family. So cool, so funny, so smart, and so unbelievably caring. My diabetes peers today, spread out across the country (and the world!). Women who started out as messages on a diabetes discussion board but have become sisters, friends, and people I'm honored to know.

Women who understand what it's like to live my life.

I had no way of knowing, none of us do. I had no idea how much diabetes would influence my life, my choices, my path and my heart. But I wish I'd known, on that cloudy June day, just how bright the silver lining would be.

Off He Goes

He leaves today for Myrtle Beach, SC and four days of golf. He's joining the annual golf trip of a fellow cub scout dad, a real nice guy, someone with whom he's golfed locally just once.

He won't know any of the other folks in the group and will, in fact, be sharing a room with a stranger.

Early morning tee times will mess with his schedule, his routine. In all likelihood, they will mess with his blood sugar.

The signs of his reactions are so subtle... how will these strangers catch them? How will they tell the difference between quiet concentration and the enveloping cloud that is hypoglycemia?

I debated calling Dale and giving him a heads-up on what low means, and what to do. I may still.

Last night we went over what he'll carry in his golf bag (fruit snacks and skittles) and when he'll test (before, during, after and later in the day). I made sure that my number is obvious in his cell phone, even though I'll be hours away.

It will be fine, no doubt. He's managed his diabetes with remarkable success for 38 years - the man knows what he's doing. But it will be on my mind for the next few days, for sure.

The D-World Gets Smaller Every Day

I received an email today from my cousin's cousin. This is not all that unusual, as we both receive emails from one of our cousins-in-common.

A few days later, C²'s name appears in the inbox of another one of my email addresses (I am an email-aholic and have several addresses).

Unlike other recent emails from family, this was actually an email about diabetes. Her dad passed away many years ago from the complications of diabetes, and she's been an advocate and awareness-raiser in recent years. In fact, she was at the ADA conference in DC last June, and as part of the Call to Congress. She was looking for information on IDF's Blue Circle pin and somehow Google led her here, where she used my profile to email me.

All the while, having no idea that I'm the Kassie with whom she shares an aunt! Small d-world, eh?

Fellow neice of Aunt Mary Lou, if you're back for some more reading, how funny is it that *this* is how we connected??

Halloween Redux

Jake and his friends hit the ground running at 6PM exactly. Four kids, three dressed all in black, one (the youngest) dressed inexplicably in white. Armed with pillowcases, flashlights, strict instructions to stick together, and permission to trek to the nearest sub-subdivision, they set out in search of candy.

Quantity, not quality, was their goal.

Roughly two hours later, they returned lugging about 4 pounds of candy each, and with twice as many kids in their posse. They marched down the street toward our house chanting, "ce-re-al. ce-re-al". Our house is famous as the house that gives out full-size boxes of Kellogg's cereal, pop tarts and fruit snacks each year.

My husband's sales mantra: one family at a time.

The first year he did this I was mortified. I was left at home to actually give out the treats, and I was dreading the reaction of the kids. What I didn't realize was that Frosted Flakes are forbidden froot. A highly coveted treat, theirs in exchange for simply promising to "buy Kellogg's".

Young Ryan dressed as Spiderman, and he and I ventured out beyond our own street for the first time. He managed his lines nicely and wasn't too spooked by any of the decorations or kids in costume. He did freak out at the site of a real spider on a doorstep, despite being dressed as the web slinger himself. An hour or so of walking yielded a bucket full of sweets before his little legs were just too pooped to party on.

During a book promo radio interview earlier this week, the host asked me if halloween was a particularly tough time of year. As he was asking the question, my first thought was "hell no! we can eat whatever we want-as long as we bolus-and choose wisely-everything in moderation-blah blah blah". But then I realized that in the pre-Kellogg days, I *never* purchased Halloween candy until the last minute. I just didn't want it around! Milky Ways in delicious bite size nuggets would not last in my pantry more than a day or two. That's my reality, and stalling the purchase is my way of dealing.

And now, in my house: several pounds of enticing treats. Even after you weed out the gum and sour stuff.

I'm just thankful that only one house was giving out swedish fish.

Diabetes in the News

As you've read elsewhere, it's National Diabetes Awareness Month and this means lots and lots of diabetes in the news. More so than usual, as it's been a hot topic this year.

One of the most emailed stories on Boston.com this week has been an article about the prevalence of depression among people with diabetes (or is it the prevalence of diabetes among people with depression?). As an aside, I got to roll my eyes when I saw the quick-link-title, "Diabetics Linked to Depression", like we cause depression. But that's nitpicking, right?

Info on diabetes and depression piques my interest, and I found the article to be very interesting. However, there was this little nagging voice in my head (voices are a different mental illness, right?) that wondered if the research that backs this up includes people with type 1, type 2 or both.

Regardless, I think it's good info. Check it out, if you haven't already done so.