Back for the third year, let’s show everyone what life with diabetes looks like! With a nod to the Diabetes 365 project, let’s grab our cameras again and share some more d-related pictures. Post as many or as few as you’d like. Feel free to blog your thoughts on or explanations of your pictures, or leave out the written words and let the pictures speak for themselves.
So I spent my day trawling through ten years of photos, plus taking my camera to snap some new ones, and in these past 8 or so hours there have been many smiles, laughs and tears. I'm approaching my 10th diaversary in about two weeks now (should celebrate with cake...!) so I'm actually really glad I got to do this. First I want to share some general diabetes pictures: equipment, sets, pump etc... but then I later this week I might share some photos from the last ten years: 'highlights' of my life with D, including lots of food pictures! But first, here are the 'diabetes' pictures, and quick note if you can't stand needles, blood etc... don't read/view this!
So first, lets give an insight into the every 3 day joy that is the set change...
Here's one I yanked out earlier...
old set gone!
New Set's ready for the off!
deep Breaths...
IN!
And then for a little bit of D resourcefulness. Bought this playsuit last week, which conveniently had two pockets at the waist. So with a pair of scissors and some pretty bad left-handed cutting Mr tube can now crawl through a cap-sized hole in the pocket, so my pump can stay discretely in the pocket with all wires invisible!
Another pic of me and 'blue' (I was 10 when I named him, in my defence...!) Don't we look great together :) such a a happy couple. I may want to give diabetes a good old kick up the backside every once in a while, but I don't hold any grudges towards my loyal insulin pump :D One thing I would love to do in my life is the try and help more people to have access to insulin pumps in the UK. I understand that the NHS budget is tight, but so little funding is given to type 1 relative to type 2, and if they are seriously worried about the cost of complication in the future, surely the insulin pump will helpreduce this? I think everyone deserves to have a Blue, and I couldn't imagine life without him :D
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So this is the picture that was quite hard for me to share, but I've decided to because it's something I have been so self-conscious of. Before I started using the quick-sets and putting the set in the lower-side of my back about two years ago, I used the side-sets in my stomach. It has left scar tissue (the little white dots) which look like they're permanent. Luckily my stomach's stopped being bloated, but it does mean that I've never worn a bikini/crop top before, because it is something I am very self-conscious off. That is going to change today though, as it is not something to be ashamed of! At the end of the day, the pump has changed my life and helped me so much, and scar tissue really is only a very small price to pay considering how much better my life has become thanks to 'blue'.
Testing my BG. Feeling low so this might not be good!
Ok so blood sample is ready - always try and make sure it's a big as possible, because I've wasted too many strips with the stupid E2 message, when the sample isn't big enough. So here goes...
...Talk about playing up to the cameras - first decent reading today! Unbelievable..... well guess blueberry muffins are a yes for dessert :D
And then for a delightful revision break... a bit of blood sugar data! The second picture is my data from the two weeks ago, and then the first from my CGM a while back - the lines on the graph represent different days, so hopefully I can see some sort of day-to-day pattern...! I just downloaded data today but my parents weren't there, so I couldn't figure out how to print it...! :-/ The CGM graph from last week was a bit better than this one pictured, and the blood sugar meter readings (second picture) have gotten a bit better - a few more hypos (so I suppose not so good in terms of what the doctors will think at my appointment...!) but less highs. And I hate highs, so I'm pleased with that :)
So yes. Hopefully these pictures have given a bit of insight into my D-world - it's so much fun! Maybe that is why I'm such a sarcastic person - I have to find some way to make this all a bit more bearable! To be honest though, it really isn't that bad. All the set changes, needles, blood, downloading data etc... that doesn't bother me. I'm not quite sure who did a post about that yesterday - maybe Jess at Me and D? Anyway, it was about how the real hard bit is the emotional side. That's what the pictures can't show - the only one which I suppose does in a way is that last two pictures. Seeing that, it can really mess with your head. It just makes it seem all the more impossible. But I'm getting there I think! And the CGM data I looked at today definitely did show some patterns, so I've made some changes and just fingers crossed now I guess! May put another one in tomorrow actually, just to get me through the last two exams next week - not having another incident like my English exam Wednesday, where I had a hypo - was NOT happy!
Will maybe post sometime next week with some more 'personal' photos - a bit of a photo diary of the last ten years, to hopefully give people more of an idea about me and my diabetes. And of course I will share my 'D' story sometime soon as well, as I realise I haven't done that yet!
See you all tomorrow for the last day of Dblogweek!
Sophie
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