Birthday Thoughts

It may be my birthday, but a couple weeks ago I proved I am definitely not ready for 28. As in...I put my Continuous Glucose Monitor in the washing machine. After the cycle completed, and after I exhausted my rogue CGM search party, I came face to face with said CGM...he was vibrating spastically with no sign of life from the color screen. Poor thing.

But that wasn't even the most embarrassing part. I also had to explain to multiple representatives on the phone at Dexcom how much of an idiot I was...while at work...so now my husband, family, Dexcom people and co-workers know that I am truly incapable of taking care of myself/things. Oh boy.

We're all better now save my wallet and dignity.

Also, I'm no good at receiving surprises, but Chris disregarded that history and surprised me anyway with a quaint getaway for two at the historic Hotel Galvez on Galveston Island. We had a gorgeous beach view, woke up to watch the sunrise, and relaxed with a couples massage! I love him so gosh darn much, and I'm thankful that he's been a huge part of my life for the past 7.5 years!

And thank you, random jetty message, for the sweet reminder.

Here's to going into year 28 with all my heart.

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The road to curing Type 1 Diabetes

From the moment of diagnosis, the road is rough, the learning curve is steep and the stakes are literally life or death. The map is less-than-helpful - paths originating from virtually every corner, coalescing at a center point (aka "diagnosis") and bursting back outwards - some paths cross and wrap around each other but others are isolated. And even with all of these roads, most of the territory is uncharted - how did we all get here and how will we all exit? Where are the obstacles we haven't found yet? Which passage holds the key to unlocking the solution?

On any given day I feel pretty isolated with this disease - I'm the only T1D in my group at work, the only one in mission control, the only one in my family. I go through the logistics of calling insurance companies, ordering supplies, changing sites and troubleshooting malfunctions mostly on my own. Even those pesky carbs really only get counted in my brain, no group think for a meal bolus here. But there is b…

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To be honest, I never thought the day would come when I would say, "I've had Type 1 Diabetes for 20 years."

20 years ago a cure was 'just on the horizon' and as an 11 year old kid I took that phrase to heart - I had to. My continued existence was based solely on whatever the endocrinologist said - pancreas, insulin, autoimmune, blood sugar, islet cells, shots. I didn't know what I didn't know at that point. I had never heard of an insulin pump or glucose meter. Ketones and hyperglycemia were just big, meaningless words. Carb ratios and counting might as well have been formulas for travelling at light speed. I wasn't ov…

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