Diabetesalicious-Lite 5/28/10

HELLO FRIDAY - I'M DAMN HAPPY TO SEE YOU!!

Lot's going on in the DiabetesSpere as of late.

Do you have diplomatic aspirations? Then why not become a Diabetes Diplomat and join a growing group of pwds, their family, friends, who are taking the diabetes fund-raising bull by the horns and doing it themselves! Join former American Idol finalist Kevin Covais in becoming a Diabetes Diplomat and create your own fundraising pages at http://www.diabetesresearch.org/Page.aspx?pid=1119 .

With a battle cry of "Don’t Be Idle…Be the Hero! These Diabetes Diplomats are taking those words to heart and running marathons; organizing community walks, carwashes, dress down days, all types of cool events to raise money to help The Diabetes Research Institute find a cure. Click HERE to learn all about them.

Would you like to contribute to Kevin Covais 's fundraising page? Kevin is only a few dollars from his goal. Click HERE to help him reach his goal!

Attention dfolk, a new Diabetes Portal called DiabetesOne has hit the net recently. Click HERE and check it out!

Want to see many of the Diabetes Bloggers you know in a super cool, SUPER SHERO/HERO light? Then be sure to stop on over to Type1tidbits BLOG ROLL and take a look!

Firing up the grill this weekend or bringing a covered dish to a cookout?? If you are, be sure to visit Diabetic Living & dlife has some tasty, low fat recipes to get your BBQ of to a delicious start! DONE & YUMMM!

I Played Blood Sugar/Bolus Roulette & LOST

Today's post is late & not the one I'd originally intended to put up- for two stupid/simple reasons.

I screwed up via my blood sugar testing & bolusing.

Me, the woman who's OCD when it comes to testing, decided to play bloodsugar.bolus roulette and lost!

Today's numbers had been great- actually, a bit on the low side - I'd been in the 80's (not the actual decade) all morning, and yesterday I didn't go above 142.

Most of the morning I was running around for work, but did manage a snack of peanut butter and banana with soy milk & didn't bolus for my snack.

By the time I was ready to eat lunch, I wasn't hungry, but was looking forward to some left over Greek salad with chicken. I was in a hurry and decided not to test, and bolused a unit.

Normally, I don't bolus for a Greek chicken salad, but since I'd eaten a big old banana and peanut butter 1.5 hours earlier, I thought I'd play it safe.

Cut to the past hour - I've been popping SweeTarts like crazy and have been unable to get my numbers above 64.

Lessons learned:

1. When in doubt, test - especially when your running low or high

2. 1 unit of insulin makes a BIG difference

3. Sometimes we win at Blood Sugar & or Bolus Roulette & sometimes we lose- but we always learn~

4. I'm Molly Moretic, Space Cadet Diabetic .

Diabetesalicious Wolverina - Courtesy of Type1Tidbits

When I was little, I used to make pretend I was Wonder Woman. It's true - I kid you not.

Like many a little girl, I begged my mother to buy me a terrible gold plastic headband so I could pull it down it in front of my forehead and wear it like a crown. I'd don my Navy bathing bathing suit with the white USA lettering & shield and red Olympic rings on the front, and I'd wear my moms chunky 1970's silver bracelets on each wrist so I could deflect imaginary bullets from all directions. My sister had a macrame belt that I wore around my waist as my "Lasso of Truth."The only thing missing was some red patent leather boots, which my parents refused to buy me, no matter how much I told them that those very boots were imperative for my crime fighting skills.

I'd spin around, deflecting make pretend bullets with my mothers bracelets while singing "WONDER WOMAN."

I was also a fan of Cat Woman (both of them) on the Batman reruns. I'd wear my black leotards,black tights, & black tap shoes, and donned a black mask I bought at the Margate 5 & 10 with my allowance. I'd wrap my nails in masking tape so I'd have some "claws" and would spend hours with my friends prancing around, fighting crime, and trying to purr & meow a'la Ertha Kitt & Julie Newmar combined.

Some would have called me a strange kid, others would say I had an active imagination and a flare for the dramatic & theatrical.

But, we all grow up, and we begin fighting very real battles that life throws our way. The constant and shared battle/challenge in all of our lives is living with diabetes, which is why we write our blogs.

So imagine how thrilled I was when I saw our blogging buddy Chris Bishop's Blog Roll

and the image that was attached to Diabetesaliciousness.

Image courtesy at Type1tidbits & DeviantArt

Diabetesalicious Super Shero Kelly/k2

Alias: Pascale

I added the following:

Nick Name: Diabetesalicious Wolverina

Weapons/Accessories of choice: Insulin Pump, glocometer, Lancome Prune Drama Girl lipstick, 50 sunscreen, Sweetarts, a sardonic wit, & a booming Diabetes Voice.

Fights the good fight, busting diabetes myths while battling the Diabetes Police @ every turn. All while trying to maintain Blood Sugar Nirvana and a sassy attitude~

I asked Chris to tell me a bit about the comic book art & aesthetics inspiration for his blog, Type1tidbits :

Chris Bishop: Its a labor of love. I've always been a big comic book fan especially when I was younger and also have been an artist / designer. I came up with the entire comic book style blog because I wanted something a little different but also wanted to incorporate my artistic side to my Diabetes blog. So like I do when I am brainstorming for a design I'm working on. I went to deviantart.com and google images to get inspiration. That is when I started stumbling on comic artists and their work. I thought it was the perfect idea for my blog. I wish I could say that the art was mine but its not. I can draw and am decent, but these artists are on another level.

I use my design eye to incorporate it into my blog. For my posts, I get a topic, then think of a catchy title for it. Then the work begins. Then I go through my large collection of comic images to find one that represents the title. If I can't find anything I like, then I go to sites like deviantart.com or google images and doing keyword searches until I find something that fits. Once I find one that fits. I use the comic book character that's in that image and take other images of that character and create a custom header for my blog based on the character. It keep the blog interesting and hopefully make people want to come back to see more.

As far as the blogroll is concerned. I just decided I wanted to create a blogroll and keep with the theme. So I started with the blogs and the individuals who write them. I find a picture of them and then use my knowledge (plus some help from deviantart.com and google images) of comics to find a character that looks visually similar and use it for their image.

I'm honored to join a long list of Other Diabetes Super Sheroes & Heroes on Chris's blogroll. All of us fighting for Diabetes Truths, busting diabetes myths, perpetuating diabetes justices, and yes, looking smokin hot in the process!

You need to stop by type1tidbits if you haven't already, IT'S GREAT!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to do about 7000 crunches, cause girlfriend needs to be donning her Diabetes Super Shero fighting leathers very soon ~

And Girlfriend definitely needs to stop using the words "don, donned, or donning~"

Diabetes Savant

idiot sa·vant

Pronunciation: \ˈē-ˌdyō-sä-ˈväⁿ, or same as idiot and savant for respective sing and plural forms\

Function: noun

Etymology: French, literally, learned idiot

1 : a person affected with a mental disability who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (as mathematics or music) —called also savant
2 : a person who is highly knowledgeable about one subject but knows little about anything else

diabetes sa-vant

See above

I had dinner with a friend last night & we chatted about all sorts of interesting things. Work, music, our families, and as always, life with diabetes. I told my friend that a life lived with diabetes is a dizzying array of numbers at every twist and turn, it really is.

As every person with diabetes knows, we are continually bombarded with numbers. Blood sugar numbers, insulin units, carb grams, fiber grams, and fat grams. Blood pressure numbers, creatine & clearance numbers, and cholesterol numbers, pump model numbers. You name it; we have a number for it.

Then I told my friend that I feel like Rain Man when it came to carb counting, a Diabetes Savant of sorts. No matter what the food, I must find or remember the carb for it in order to achieve the holy grail of “Blood Sugar Nirvana. It’s like my life is a carb counting game show of sorts, and the stakes are higher when I’m at a restaurant.

Guestimating the carb count comes into play more and I hope with all my heart that I get it right, so I can claim the parting gift of a “good numbers’ a few hours later.

Right before we sat down for dinner, I’d tested, and my blood sugar was 130 - I was happy with that.

As we read the menu, a basket of whole grain and French bread was brought to the table, with real butter. Now I don’t buy butter at home, but when I’m out to dinner and butter presents itself, I apply liberally.

I gnawed at the bread (it was so good) and bloused a unit. For some reason I was craving steak (normally I don't eat red meat, so when I do crave it, I get it) and ordered “STEAK FRITES.” Translation: a seared hanger steak sautéed in butter w/thin fries and greens.

As we waited for our meal, I did some diabetes multitasking, while paying attention to what my friend was saying and having a conversation about Brett Michaels and Celebrity Apprentice, and silently calculating the “diabetes Math in my head. O grams of carbs for the steak, 30 grams for the fries, 0 grams of carbs for the greens, and 5 grams of carbs because I really wanted another slice of bread. I programmed my blood sugar of 130, 35 grams of carbs on the sly, and my old minimed 512 computed the facts and told me I’d need exactly 3.3 units of insulin to cover the meal. Done and done.

Much like the company, dinner was outstanding.

Then it was time for dessert and the Crème Brulee tempted us both with its creamy delicious song. Previous experience with the power of Crème Brulee has taught me that 2.5 units usually does the trick, if all the diabetes stars are aliened just so.

I bloused again and hoped for the best.

We continued to talking, and finally said our goodbyes.

As I drove home, two major thoughts entered my mind.

1. I'd had a great night out
2. I couldn’t wait to get home and see how close I’d actually come to attaining Blood Sugar Nirvana.

I walked in the door, tossed my keys on the table, grabbed my glucometer out of my bag, took a deep breathe and tested. I was 122.

Blood Sugar Nirvana had been achieved - this time, and all was right with my world~

My Hometown In A Nutshell

Date: Mother's Day 2010
Location: My hometown's Starbucks
Time: Late morning after a two mile walk

I had just payed for my Starbucks addiction, (unsweetened green iced tea, Grande) and was about to walk out the door, when a stranger who was walking in said door stopped dead in his tracks and said:

Stranger: Hey, your a Kunik, right?
Me: Yes, guilty as charged.
Stranger I knew it! You have that 'Kunik" look to you.
Me: Yeah, I get that alot.
Stranger: My name's Jim XXXXX, I went to school with your sister Debbie- she was a trip!
Me: Hey Jim, nice to meet you, and yes, she certainly was.
Stranger: So, I guess you have diabetes too?
Me: Yeah, I guess I do.
Stranger: I miss your sister.
Me: Me too.
Stranger: You look great - how's your health?
Me: My health is great. How's your health Jim?
Stranger: It's good, it's good. God, I'm sorry if I sounded like an ass Kel, I just really miss your sister.
Me: Yeah, I know, me too.
Stranger: I'm so glad your health is OK, and I'm so glad I met you!
Me: Yeah, me too.

And that's my hometown in a nutshell.

Diabetes Supply √Checklist - Just To Walk Out The Door In The Morning~

Hannah from Dorkabetic tweeted something today that really got thinking:

@dorkabetic Murphy's Law of Diabetes:The day you forget 2bring extra pump supplies 2work,something will cause you 2have pump issues. UGH.

She's right! Every single time I walkout the door I have a multitude of things I must bring with me. Like Hannah (and like all of us,) I've been in the situation where I've needed Diabetes/pump supplies at the most inopportune of times and have been without.

So because of Hannah's tweet, I started typing a Checklist of sorts.

On a typical workday the following items leave the house with me.

Extra Pump Supplies √

Tester & Test Strips √

Insulin - just because you never know when you might need it. √ FYI - I don't always carry insulin with me just to walk out the door for the day.

Extra Test Strips/lancets just in case √

Lara Bars √

Apple √

Two 24 ounce Water Bottles, because girlfriend needs to hydrate! √

Spare pump battery √

Lunch and or lunch money √

Penny to unscrew lid on pump in order to change said "spare battery √

Emergency $$ just in case I really get hungry and need more food/batteries/shiny things √

Movie size box of SweeTarts in side pocket of driver side door for behind the wheel lows √

Extra infusion sets in consul of car - just in case √

Cell Phone √

Work Bag √

Work documentation in said work bag √

Reading glasses/regular glasses, extra contacts & contact case w/saline. Why? Because since the whole 1 in a million thing happened, I need to be able to switch up my vision options @ will. Sometimes my eyes get tired and I need to switch from my contacts to my glasses. √

Sunglasses √

Sunscreen √

Favorite Lipstick (s) √

Whether I like it or not, I'm a high maintenance kind of gal. Yes, a big part of the reason is diabetes related, and the other "BIG" reasons are Kelly/ "k2" related.

What's on your checklist? Have you ever been in a situation where you needed backup diabetes accoutrement /supplies and been without?

What Do You Want To Say To Them?

I have the opportunity to present With Cheryl Marco (Jefferson University CDE) in front of a large number of Diabetes Clinicians (Endocrinologists, CDEs, nurse Practitioners, nurses, & Nutritionists) on Friday and I'm very excited.

My role is to give them an honest PWDs (person/people with diabetes) patient point of view about life with diabetes & pump therapy. I'll also be discussing what I want and require from my healthcare professionals, and I will use THIS LETTER as my guide. Maybe I'll even quote "Love Amongst The Islets of Langerhans," who knows?

But bottom line, it's not about me, it's about US - As in every single person (t1, t2,t3) who's life is affected by diabetes. What do you want to say to them?

Tired & Inspired ~

I'm tired, but damn if I didn't love Diabetes Blog Week, BIG TIME!
I *met* so many wonderful new Bloggers that I'm now lucky enough to call friends.

And I'm inspired. Incredibly Inspired by the words of every single member of the D-O-C (old friends and new) to complete each days writing assignments.

Yes, I still have insane amount of posts to read and comment on (dBlogville has become quite the bustling Hamlet,) but I'm looking forward to each and every post.

I've learned something amazing and unique about each of you, and am a better person for having had the pleasure to read what you had to say.

Big SHOUTOUT & PROPS to Karen over at Bittersweet Diabetes and her fantastical brain for thinking of, and making Diabetes Blog Week happen - Way to wave your D-Flag loud and proud Chicka!

Day 7: Dream Re: "The Cure"

Hope floats

Day 7 of Diabetes Blog Week is all about dreaming the dream about life after the cure. Like if every one of us was given a pill that would make diabetes disappear.

Can I imagine life after the cure? Yeah, I guess. I mean it’s not that I don’t think about a cure, because I do. And when I was little I dreamed about it a lot.

But after 30 plus years of being told they a cure is "only 10 years a way," I’m more than a little jaded.

I don’t spend all my time thinking about a cure because I’d never be able to enjoy my life in the now.

But I still want, hope, and fight for a cure to be found and our right as PWDs to be cured.

I think life would be the same but different. It would still be complicated, but some how less so.

Life with a cure would be like it is with out one - except it would require less thinking, planning, & added diabetes expenses. I’d throw out all my supplies in huge Hefty Garbage bags and do "The Happy Dance” as I dragged them to the curb and said "So long."

I’d take all the money I spent in diabetes supplies and buy myself a nice beach front property, because God knows I’d have the down payment for one since I no longer spent money on diabetes related supplies, medications, doctors, etc.

I’d have more time to learn new things, maybe even become fluent in a couple of languages, because my head would no longer be filled with meal time math calculations and other diabetes crap facts that we need to know in order to survive.

I’d be more bright eyed and bushy tailed because I’d sleep better. No more middle of the night lows or sky rocketing highs that leave me sleepy during the workday.

Spacial issues regarding doorknobs would no longer need to be avoided and my fingers would no longer have freckled and calloused fingertips.

My beach house would give me beachfront access and I would take long swims in the ocean and pool, without unplugging anything.

And when I went out on my boat, (HELLO, I live on the beach, so I will most definitely need a boat) I'd be able to leave the house with just my keys (on one of those keychains boaters use that have a little floaty thing in case they drop in the water) instead of a mini pharmacy.

I do know for absolute certain I’d throw a party and invite the DOC.

It would be at the beach and we’d all spend the day swimming. We’d BBQ and I’d ask for extra sauce for my slow cooked ribs. There would be a pasta buffet with lasagna; spaghetti & meatballs, and the cheesiest manc and cheese any one’s ever tasted. The main course would be followed by an unlimited amount of cupcakes and truckloads of Ben & Jerry’s.

I’d have CRUMBS BAKE SHOP cater - it would be fabulous and filled with carbs – and no one would think twice..

At the end of the day there’d be a huge bonfire, and we’d all hang out, talking and laughing and having a fantastic time.

There’d be lots of laughter and hugging and champagne toasts.

And every single on of us, type 1, 2, or 3, would breathe easier.

On second thought, I guess I think about it more than I thought.

Hope does indeed float~

Day 6: A Short Test Strip Pictorial ~

Day 6 of Diabetes Blog Week is all about pictures (as in pictures having to do with diabetes) and was inspired by the Diabetes 365 project.

So with out further adieu, May I present: A Test Strip Pictorial ~

Heads up: Any green lettering in the post below are links that lead to the original posts that the pictures are from and or inspired by.

Testing our blood sugar is our GPS System. It let's us know where our body is, what direction it's headed, and what direction it needs to go in.

TESTING is something we do OVER, and OVER, and OVER, and OVER, and OVER, and OVER, and OVER again.

We use a hell of a lot of test strips in the process.

And sometimes we lance ourselves in the oddest of places and aren't even aware!

Click HERE to find out how this happened.

Testing can cause all sorts of scatterbrained confusion, and could no doubt confuse even the most seasoned of CSI.

Test strips magically appear everywhere. Sometimes it even snows test strips.

And every once in a while, like when my tester case exploded in my handbag, they show up in the most unexpected of places and at the most inopportune of times. Like when I was about to attend a dMeet-up and wanted to make sure my breath was all types of minty fresh~

Even with all he trials and tribulations, we keep testing.

Because we must.

Day 5 Exercise: Mixing It Up By Force

Aqua Boot Camp- It's not what you think!

Day 5 of Diabetes Blog Week is all about exercise. As in; love it, hate it, what’s your motivation and does it actually motivate you to get moving? How does it affect your numbers, your insulin and the likes there of?

Yes, I exercise, but I have to be honest with you guys, I need to do it more consistently. There was a time when I did it every day. I used to walk between 10 and 20 miles a week. I’d walk 2 miles each way to work (Philadelphia proper is a walkable town) and then I’d take long 3 or 4-hour walks/hikes on the weekend. I walked to burn calories and keep blood sugars at bay; I walked to be outside, I walked to breathe the air, and most importantly, I walked to clear my mind.

I loved what it did for my head, not to mention what it did for my ass ;)

On days I couldn’t walk outside, I’d go to the gym and do an hour on the elliptical. I’d set my temporary basal rate to ½, tune into my ipod and tune out the world.

Yes, it required fiddling with my Temporary basals, and sometimes, I’d suspend my pump for an hour. But all the fiddling was worth it because I had great numbers.

Then I screwed up the ligaments in my toe and will eventually have to have surgery. Only yours truly could break her toe and tare her ligament walking UP the steps- perfectly sober. It forced me to realize that long weekend hikes would leave my foot hurting for days afterwards.

It bummed me out that I couldn’t do my long crazy walks, and I wallowed in it for a long time. But then I had a meeting with myself and basically said: STOP COMPLAINING!

I started doing the elliptical again.

Then the whole metatarsalgia thing happened and that set me back, AGAIN.

But I worked through it and kept moving.

Last year I discovered Aqua Boot camp. YES, Aqua Boot camp, and yes, I know the image that come to your head- See video at top of post.

I have to admit; I thought it was for caddies and the geriatric set too, and yeah- there are some seniors (and ironically no caddies that I'm aware of) in my class- AND THEY WILL KICK YOUR ASS! I’m Serious, they will. WHY? Because Aqua Bootcamp is TOUGH. Two hours in the pool doing aerobics and weight training. 45 minutes in the shallow end, 55 minutes in the deep-end, and a 10-minute cool down. It builds endurance and muscle tone and it burns calories like gasoline to a flame.

Aqua Boot Camp requires some scheduling, (both in the water and out,) on my part. I have to make sure I wake up early on Sunday morning, cut my basal rate by 2/3’s , and I don’t bolus for my breakfast. I also eat slightly more than usual.

I test before I leave the locker room, which is always interesting - and I like to enter the pool with a bg of about 190.

I disconnect right before I go in the pool and check my blood sugar an hour and ten minutes into my workout. By the end of the class, my numbers are in the double digits, around 70, sometimes lower. I eat a larabar immediately and wait for my numbers to rise before I hit the shower.

Yes, Aqua Boot Camp is work in every sense of the world, but I love the water; I love the calories burned, and I love being disconnected. It took some trial and error to figure the whole pump aspect out, but it's totally worth it!

Drawbacks of Aqua Bootcamp: It’s only offered at my gym twice a week, it's not a quick workout and I need something daily.

I’m considering RUMBA, Spin class, and riding my bike outside – once I figure out how to get my bike w/two flat tires to the bikes\ shop to fill/fix two flat tires.

I also want to buy a pair of roller skates (not blades, because I suck at rollerblading) but actual roller skates. I was good at rollerskating in middle school, and it's easy on the feet. Leeann’s tweets & FB Statuses about the Roller Derby and her new skates reminded me of how much fun I used to have way back when.

I won't be doing doing the Roller Derby any time soon, but I'd love to feel the sun and breeze on my face as I roller boogie the calories away, and shake my "booty to the beat" in the process~

Pasta La Vista, Baby!

Day Four of Diabetes blog week is all about CARBS, as in do you eat them? As in to "carb" a little, "carb" a lot, or "carb" every now and then.

I love carbs, always have, always will. There are some challenging carbs that I can absolutely achieve "Blood Sugar Nirvana "with. Examples can be found HERE and HERE.

However, there are some carbs that drive me nuts- both mentally (with the diabetes math of it all) and physically - with the stratospheric blood sugars of it all.

Drastic measures needed to be taken.

I "broke up" with pasta - it had to be done.

I originally wrote this post in August of 2009 - but it absolutely fits for today's assignment. Enjoy!

Dearest Pasta:

It’s not that I don’t love you- of course I love you – we’ve had some great times together.
You and I grew up together after all- we have a long history.

Who can forget the amazing Lasagna of my childhood, which will live in my heart forever?

And the Spaghetti & meatballs of my youth- simply delicious, AND surprisingly musical.

You stirred my performing aspirations-I kid you not my friend!

As a precocious 4 year old, I ‘d break into song every time a bowl of S & M (Gimps, mind out of the gutter- I’m referring to Spaghetti & meatballs for god sakes) would appear in front of my place, I’d start to sing ”On Top of Old Smokey," because it would make my dad laugh.

Ah, good times… good times….

Dearest Veggie Penne Pasta in a white wine sauce of my mid 20’s- you were the first dish that I could make on my own that people actually wanted seconds of!

As a culinary dish, you were the one who gave me confidence to hone my cooking skills. Thank you for inspiring me!

But honestly Dearest Pasta -we’ve grown apart and I’ve found that having you in my life, (not to mention on my plate) on a very limited bases works much better for me.

It’s NOT YOU–it’s ME. I’m the one who’s changed. YOUR great and I will miss you- especially whenever I hear the immortal words:
“On top of old Smokey, all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed.”

It’s just that my tastes buds now veer towards Spaghetti Squash covered in my fabulous Diablo Sauce with grilled salmon burgers sans the bun, and baked Chicken Parm sans the pasta.

Don’t take it personally-I just can’t seem to achieve “Blood Sugar Nirvana” where your concerned.

I’ve found that whenever we get "it on" and you’re my main dish, you make me physically tired (and not in the good way) and all types of bloat like.

My numbers are elevated for hours if not days.

You’ll still appear at meals- but only ON OCCASION, as a side dish and in a low carb version.
Trust me, LESS IS MORE these days and people will be impressed with your new attitude.

From one “Hot Dish” to another,

Pasta La Vista Baby!
Kelly K

It Takes A Diabetes Village

It's Takes A Village - Or in this Case, The Village People

To Support this PWD~

Karen’s assignment for today is for those of us participating in “Diabetes Blog Week” to write about our biggest supporter. My biggest supporter? Again, girlfriend is throwing us some curve balls. WHY? Because I have many supporters regarding living my d-life, it literally takes a village filled with people, a.k.a - "The Village People." I don't want to forget anyone, but I probably will - so I apologise in advance~

There are my parents of course. My mom, who read every pamphlet my pediatric endo gave her, kept meticulous records, and measured every single piece of food to the nearest teaspoon. She never let me see her diabetes tears but allowed me to cry my own. And all these years later, she’s never stopped loving or worrying about me.

My dad- who never let me feel sorry for myself regarding life with diabetes. He was a type 1 diabetic and led by example.

There's my sister Cathy, who always looks out for me. She introduced the concept of "working out" when I became to round for my own good, and who always told me I was beautiful, and that diabetes made me more so.

There is my friend Mark, who always makes me laugh and has ever since the sixth grade. When I visit him in NYC he always makes sure his fridge is stocked because he's seen me have 2 am low. This is the same man who booked (and put the deposit down for) a springbreak trip to Cancun for us a month after my sister died. "Girl, you need a vacation- pay me back when you can." The same man who made sure our hotel room always had Lemon Squirt (a Mexican soda) in case I my blood sugar decided to go more south of the equator than we actually were.

There are my friends Cathy and Sue, identical twins I've known since college. These women have hearts the size of Nebraska and are always up on the latest and greatest health and nutritional trends and share them with me. Both ask me detailed questions regarding life with diabetes because they want to know everything.

Whenever I go to Sue's, she sends me home with her latest healthy food find. The other night she sent me home with a bag of CocoPop (s) and said, "Low in carbs Kel, only 4 grams per serving, and tasty too! I know how important carb counting is for you so I bought you a bag."

Her twin sister Cathy mothers everyone she's friends with. At my father's funeral she bought a little gift bag filled with breakfast bars, lifesavers, and bottled water and juice. "Just in case you or your sister's blood sugars go low." That's just the kind of woman she is.

The kind of woman that insists she accompany her friend to the Dr. and is there for her when she's told about the "1 in a million” thing, and remained perfectly calm. The kind of friend who took copious notes, asked all sorts of questions, and kept her wits about her while her friend sat there like a zombie and tried to process everything.

There is my friend Emily, who keeps her cookie jar stacked with larabars and goes to Trader Joe's to stock up on yogurt, juice, and munchies whenever I visit.

Who listens to my "Diabetes Police" rants and is now a convert. She's become an expert at recognizing the D Police and makes no bones about setting them straight. She never raises an eyebrow when I test my blood sugars or need to change my infusion set.

Whenever I utter the telltale phrase ”I have to eat now" she simply says: OK Kel. It doesn't matter where we are, she takes it as fact.

Once, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I felt that low feeling come on and immediately sat down on a bench, grabbed my trusty peanut M & Ms and started eating them. A security guard came up and told us that eating was not allowed. Em looked at her and said: She's diabetic and she needs to eat now. The guard muttered something about me not looking like a person with diabetes and Emily said (OK,yelled) "That's ridiculous statement! She absolutely is and she needs to eat NOW."

There is my Endo “The Rocking Dr. J.” Medically on top of all the latest and greatest diabetes trends. He put me on Metformin 2.5 years ago! Dr. J never yells at me, always points at the positive and helps me to work on the negative in all aspects of my diabetes care. He slips me insulin samples because he hates my insurance. He talks me down from the “diabetes what ifs” that have haunted me for years.

I’m blessed to have him as my Endo and am happy to see him every three months.

There are my CDEs Cheryl Marco of Jefferson University & Gary Scheiner of Integrated Diabetes who continue too teach and fine tune this hot diabetes Porsche known as k2.

And then there's the DOC. Seriously, without you guys I'd be up the creek. YOU GET ME, because YOU ARE ME - And by "ME" I mean in the "diabetical" sense, not the "It puts the lotion in the basket," 'Silence of the Lambs" sense~

You speak the language of diabetes and understand the frustrations that go along with living in Diabetes Land. I'm never alone with my diabetes because I have all of you. I consider all of you peers, friends, mentors, teachers, and partners in crime.

Everyday, I learn something new about living life with diabetes. And every single day all I have to do is read a few blogs to realize that I'm not alone. I'm not the only one who feels like she's walking through a world filled with J-E-L-L-O instead of oxygen when my blood sugar shoots to the stratosphere, or who's lips go numb when her blood sugar heads towards hell.

Others have followed the "Test Strip Trail," smeared blood on their laptops after testing, and read labels on absolutely every item of food they put in their mouth.

I'm not the only one whose pump has an unholy attraction to doorknobs - being clumsy has nothing to do with it!

Every single day I learn something from reading your posts and comments. My world is richer, my voice is stronger, and because of you – I feel like the richest woman in Bedford Falls. And by Bedford Falls, I mean the DOC ;)

Diabetes Blog Week Day 2: Making The Low Head Towards Canada

One of my Favorite Ways To Treat A Low~

Pic Courtesy of my iPhone~

My favorite way to make a low go north? Do I have to pick just one? I can't because I'm a huge fan of options in my life. Plus, I’m one of those people who eat the same thing for a while and then get totally bored and have to switch things up.

Any who, per Karen’s Diabetes Bog Week Assignment, here are a few options I use to treat those damn diabetes lows!

I love 1/2 a banana with smear of peanut butter and some vanilla soymilk.

I'm a HUGE fan of SweetTarts and a firm believer that you are what you eat - So yeah, they work for me ;)

I hit the Dollar Tree and buy a box of SweeTarts to leave in my car. That way, I have something on hand when I'm driving & start to feel that feeling. And honestly, these tasty treats remind me of being little.

The fact that I can leave them in my car and they won't melt in the sun is a definite plus!

When I'm working or working out, I use Larabars to treat lows. They travel well, taste delicious, are a perfect combo of carbs, protein and fiber, and they don’t cause too much of a disruption. Sidebar: The Banana, Coconut Cookie, Cinnamon Role, & Key Lime flavors are off the hook!

I’ve been known to do the juice thing, especially at night.

I tend to mix up the whole juice box thing so boredom doesn't set in. On occasion I buy Gerber Organic Juice Packs. Each little bottle has 14 grams of carbs and they don't need to be refrigerated, so I can keep a few bottles on my nightstand for middle of the night lows. Another benefit is that they don't crush and leak all your work bag,(and work in said bag) on the day that you decide it might be good idea to take a juice box or two with you to work.

But my absolute favorite way to send a low packing to Canada (and one of my absolute favorite guilty pleasures) is Nutella & Peanut Butter on spoon. Seriously, it's one of my food obsessions and one of my favorite snacks.

However, I tend to go overboard with it and have been trying to steer clear of it as of late. Girlfriend is trying to lose a few lbs and Nutella and Peanut Butter on a spoon not only stick to my ribs, but my belly as well.

I’m always looking for new tricks in the arena of treating lows – and more importantly, preventing them~