Diabetesalicious-Lite Edition 7/30/10

Happy Friday !

This weeks edition of Diabetesalicious lite is as always, short and sweet and darn near to the point of being bolus worthy~

If you happen to be in the Midwest and are parents of a teen with diabetes who's itching to get behind the wheel, Medtronic has partnered with the Juvenile Diabetes No Limits Foundation to offer a free Test Before You Drive program for teens.

Test B4U Drive offers teens with diabetes real-world, hands-on training taught by professional instructors whose job is to teach your teen to identify and react to critical situations behind the wheel.

Interactive classroom sessions will teach defensive driving techniques and combined with diabetes related tips like checking glucose levels before driving; pulling over to a safe place to check again when driving long distances, so teens with the big D can feel empowered, in charge, and in control of both their car and their blood sugars when they get behind the wheel.

The program officially kicked off on July 19th in Los Angeles and was followed bu a Commerce City Colorado program this past week.

If you live in the Midwest, you still have a chance to experience the program in August.
•August 2-4, KCI Expo Center, Kansas City, Mo.
August 9-11, Standard Bank Stadium, Crestwood, Ill. (Chicago area)

For more info, visit www.medtronicdiabetes.com/testb4udrive.
To learn more about the Juvinile Diabetes No Limits Foundation, click on the following link:
www.jdnolimits.org

If your interested in reading a fairy tale with a "diabetes twist," checkout Typical Type 1 fantastical diabetes fable HERE.

Yours truly has a guest post up over at Instructions Not Included. if you'd like to check it out, that be cool. You can do so by clicking HERE.

The following list of Top 50 Diabetes Blogs listed in no particular order from the website www.MastersInPublicHealth.net made it's way into my in box a few weeks back. take a look and you might recognize some d-peeps!

Wednesday's Diabetes Q & A discussion on Twitter, conceived and hosted by the fabulous Cherise was quite awesome! The conversation was fast paced, humorous, and filled with all sorts of information to help type, 1s,2s, and 3s live, learn, educate, and navigate through a diabetes life.

If your not quite sure what I'm talking about it, no worries, CLICK HERE and read all about it! If you feel a bit like a "twit" no worries, because Bennet does a great job of asking Cherise how a Twitter "twit" can join in the discussion HERE . Read, learn, and join in next weeks conversation!

D-Meet Up With A Nutella Spin~

Actual footage of two Diazons strolling down the avenue.

It's been a busy month with traveling and I'm a bit behind with some posts, including this one, which is about a d-meet up with my friend and yours, the spectacular Karen from Bitter-Sweet Diabetes.

Karen and I have met before and keep in touch via the blogosphere, emails, the twitterverse,and that time sucking site known as Face Book.

A few weeks prior to the d-meet, we'd exchanged a series of emails hammering the who, what, where, and when of the d-meet up.

Long story short, Karen and her husband Pete were going to Cape May, NJ to celebrate their anniversary. My home town beach of Margate, NJ was 40 miles away- I'm all about the beach on the weekend so we decided to meet in the middle at a cute little crape place in Ocean City, NJ & have a late lunch.

I LOVE Karen! She's bright, funny, positive, can knit like nobody's business and girlfriend is a MAJOR part of the Diabetes on-line community. She's the brains behind D Blog Week and one of the great brains behind D-Feast Friday. Chicklet is all that and a bag of potato chips!

And guess what? Karen's husband Pete is awesome! He's what we Jersey folks call "good people" and he totally rocks!

We decided to have lunchy type cheese and veggie crapes and the 3 of us talked for hours. And just so we wouldn't tie up our table from other paying/dining customers, we decided that it would best for all parties involved to order a plate of Nutella crapes with three forks. All I can say about the Nutella filled crapes: O. M. G!!! Seriously, they were totally bolus worthy!

Re-enactment crape.

This is not a pic of the actual Nutella Crapes we consumed - I'm sad to say that no pictures survived the feeding frenzy.

We spent the next few hours walking around Ocean City and talking about everything under the sun. When it was finally time for them to leave (who am I to keep them from celebrating their anniversary?) I was sad to see them go.

D-meet ups are amazing on every level imaginable, as are Karen and Pete.

Diabetes Moments of Zen

diabetes moments

of

diabetes: If your reading this blog, there's a good chance you know what diabetes is because you or some one close to you has diabetes. If you've stumbled upon this blog for some other reason other than diabetes then prepare to be schooled. Diabetes has many different types (type 1, Type 2, 1.5 , and gestational) under the same diabetes umbrella. Definitions of the various types of Diabetes can be found HERE.

zen A total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. Zen is a way of being. It also is a state of mind. Zen involves dropping illusion and seeing things without distortion created by your own thoughts. Complete and absolute peace. Urban Dictionary definition.

diabetes moment of zen: Moments of peace and total in sync moments of mind, body, diabetes, and diabetes technology that occasionally occur in a life lived with diabetes. Copious amounts of used test strips, carb counting, and trial and error are usually involved in order for one to achieve a moment of Diabetes Zen. I say usually because sometimes it happens and we are pleasantly surprised. Not to be confused with The Daily Show's Moment of Zen, which is entirely different, always funny, but no less zen-ish~

Guessing and correctly bolusing for a carb count your not really sure of and achieving “Blood Sugar Nirvana.”

Finding a box of pump or testing supplies in the back of your closet or bottom of your “ everything that doesn’t have an official place” bureau drawer.

Having a new infusion set go in pain free.

An unexpected D-Meet-up.

D-Meet-ups in general.

Finding a cylinder of unused test strips at the bottom of your gym bag.

The feeling of tranquility that a freshly filled insulin reservoir brings.

Working out and not going low ½ way through because you’ve used your “temporary bolus” feature.

An Endo that believes in giving samples.

Sleeping in because you can.

Not having to eat because you don’t feel like it.

Eating a carb filled meal because you’ve become the master of the duel wave bolus.

Pickles = free foods.

Infusion Set Nirvana.

Finding an Endo and CDE who works and talks with you instead of at you.

Speaking the language of diabetes with someone who’s been there and done that without ever uttering the D word~

What are your diabetes moments zen?

Jet Hagged

Diazon/Jet Hag -The two faces of Kelly

Today is another day indeed and much better then the previous one. A big shout out to all of you who helped me through yesterdays crap storm! I think part of the reason I was so discombobulated and stressed out yesterday was not only due to a bad case of the Mondays, but the lingering effects of jet lag. Yes, yours truly was Jet Hagged.

The past 5 weeks has been filled with lots of travel – which I love, except for the getting to and from part. Last week took me on a three-day work trip (Tuesday through Thursday) where I crossed two time zones and spent the majority of my time on a plane and a full 28 hours at my intended destination. Was it worth it? Yes indeed it was.

Diabetically speaking, my blood sugars were not a problem...for the most part.

But the whole plane thing was and always does throw my body clock for a loop.

When I fly I don’t sleep a wink. I wish that wasn’t true, but apparently that’s just how I roll. I spent most of my time reading and listening to my ipod, but both get old after 5 hours on a plane.

I drink tons of water to begin with, but I double that amount when I travel. I did try to rest when I got to my hotel. I actually crawled under the covers and attempted a nap before dinner, but sadly it was just an attempt, no actual nap occurred.

I didn’t change my basal settings while I was away, but I did set a few temporary basal rates and watched my blood sugars like a hawk. Blood sugars were good for the most part, a few after dinner highs, but nothing that a correction bolus couldn't fix.

When I returned home Thursday night I was tired and happy, but I still couldn’t sleep. I think I finally crawled into bed around midnight.

I was at work by 9 a.m. on Friday morning and was fine the first half of the day, but I felt and most likely looked like something the cat dragged in for the second 1/2.

My weekend consisted of lounging, beating the heat, and a few prior commitments with old friends. Still, I don’t think I ever really caught up on my sleep, let alone adjusted to my home turf time zone. And lets face it, the crazy hot weather on the east coast didn’t help.

Diabetes wise, I was doing OK, but energy wise, not so much.

All I wanted to do was sleep.

Cut to yesterday and my “bad case of the Mondays” major meltdown and perfect storm of diabetes/life bullshit (say that three times fast) and I was officially spent!

So I’m curious folks, how do you handle your diabetes when it comes to jetlag and traveling?

Do you find yourself fine during the trip, but a bit “off” after, or is the other way around for you?

How do your blood sugars react to long flights and different time zones?

Any jetlag tips you can share with the rest of us?

Bottom line: How do you prevent yourself from turning into a total Jet Hag?

I Got A Bad Case Of The Mondays

Peter Gibbons: Let me ask you something. When you come in on Monday and you're not feeling real well, does anyone ever say to you, "Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays? Office Space

“Mondays are the potholes in the road of life.” Tom Wilson

This is not the post I planned for today, but since this Monday in particular is leaving me damn close to pulling out my hair and screaming like a crazy woman, I thought I’d bitch, I mean post about it and see if anyone else can relate.

I’m playing catch up today and as I mentioned in the above paragraph, it really is turning out to be a type of Monday that leaves me pining for Friday and wishing I were a better version of myself.

1^st I woke up around 3 with a low. One of those lows that leaves you shaking and sweaty and in such a state that you feel you must eat anything and everything to make the low go away. A low where you don't even test because your afraid your going to pass out.

2^nd, I woke up this morning late, and with a blood sugar of well over 300 (damn close to 400) because in my low blood sugar haze I over treated (OK, maybe I knew I was over treating) with my crack of choice, peanut butter and jam on a spoon. DAMN YOU PB&J ON A SPOON FOR LEADING ME TO THE DARK SIDE!

3^rd, Paperwork is makes me nuts and I hate it, hence the reason I’m always buried in it.

4^th, Speaking of paperwork, I lost two RXs for my blood work & shoulder MRI that I’ve been carrying around in my wallet for the past two months and now can't find to save my life.

I have an Endo appointment next week. I also have an Ortho appointment scheduled for Wednesday and the MRI Pre-certification runs out on July 29^th. Spent my lunch and most of this afternoon calling various offices to fax said RXs to proper offices and trying to schedule said MRI. Sounded so pathetic as I pled my stupidity to make the RX/MRI requests to happen ASAP.

5^th, Today I realized that I was officially down to the last bottle of insulin in the fridge- which I thought it was new. When I opened the box I realized it had been opened by me right before one of my trips. Most likely I opened it before I went to Florida, (which would make it usable) but I might have opened it before I went to Vegas- and if that’s the case, it’s expired. New reservoir is now filled and the waiting game of "will it work?" begins. Is the insulin skunky, or will it work? And why the hell didn’t I make the bottle with the date I opened it like I always do?

Did I mention the fact that I thought I was working out of the house today only to realize at 2:20 this afternoon that I completely missed a scheduled work appointment this morning. I NEVER MISS SCHEDULED OFFICE WORK TIME -EVER. Thank God we were able to reschedule and the client was more than understanding

Yeah, I gotta bad case of the Mondays - BIG TIIME.

Enough about me, I'm sick to death of me. How’s your Monday treating you?

D-Feast Friday: Kelly's Kick Ass Squash, Sage & Curry Soup

As part of D-Feast Friday, here's my fantastical soup recipe~

I love to cook- always have. I especially like making soups and sauces - and I'm good at making them - references available upon request.

I find making soups relaxing and a great way to clear my mind and make something tasty in the process. Not to mention the fact that it's a great way to clean your fridge out, but I digress~

I originally found this recipe in Real Simple Magazine, but I made it my own by adding a curry mixture, veggie stock and extra garlic. The original recipe had an ungodly amount of Kosher salt. I use sea salt and only to taste. Keep in mind, celery adds salt flavor naturally and Sea Salt is yummy, mimics the sodium in our own bodies and tastes better than table salt.

On occasion I also add a few drops of Sriracha Sauce, but only a tiny bit- that stuff is SO SPICY and not for those with a fear of Chili peppers.

Butternut Squash Soup with Sage & Curry

One 3-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (5 to 6 cups)

I HIGHLY suggest you buy the squash pre-cut because Butternut squash is a BITCH to dice and slice - Seriously, your going to need a sawzaw if you don't buy precut.

3 tablespoons olive oil - I prefer extra virgin

Sea Salt to taste

I add my own spice mixture of homemade curry - Use regular curry powder or just mix = parts coriander, turmeric, cumin& paprika. Shake it up like crazy and you have your own curry mix - not spicy at all, but SO TASTY.

Add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon butter 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 1⁄2 cups)

3 stalks of celery, chopped (about 1 1⁄2 cups)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage ( I use dried sage)

6 cups VEGGIE STOCK- so much more tasty than chicken stock

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Sage and Parmesan Croutons

Preheat oven to 400° F.

In a large bowl, toss the squash & garlic with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil,salt to taste, and 1 tablespoon or more of Curry mix.

Place the squash & garlic on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in oven for 15 minutes. Turn the cubes over and continue roasting for 15 minutes or until they are caramelized and smell all sorts of tasty.

While the squash and garlic are roasting, you can start working on the onions, celery, onions and sage mixture.

In a Dutch oven or a large stockpot, heat the butter and the remaining oil(and some curry) over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, and sage and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent and tender, 10 minutes.

Add the squash, broth, some curry mix (it's up to you how much,) the remaining salt and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the liquid is flavorful.
Remove from heat.

Using an emulsifier if you have one, and if you don't go get one NOW, because it's awesome for soups and sauces and you won't have to take the mixture out of the pot in order to blend.

If no emulsifier is available, use a blender or a food processor and blend the soup in batches until smooth.

Top with Sage and Parmesan Croutons and the grated Parmesan

All photos courtesy of my iPhone. Pottery courtesy of my friend, Potter Sue Van Duyne

Soup sans croutons & cheese- still delicious!

ENJOY!!

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
NUTRITION PER SERVING CALORIES 298(51% from fat); FAT 17g (sat 4g); PROTEIN 8mg; CHOLESTEROL 11mg; CALCIUM 201mg; SODIUM Not sure because I only sea salt sparingly and not the massive amount the original recipe called for; FIBER 5g; CARBOHYDRATE 31g; IRON 2mg

GLUTEN FREE

DAIRY FREE - if you don't use cheese

Guest Host/Post From Ophir - Thriving With Diabetes

Today's guest Host/Blogger is Ophir from The Conscious Diabetic. OK, true story, Ophir and I actually grew up in the same small beach town in South Jersey, but never knew one another - turns out we new a lot of the same people though. A few months ago we connected via diabetes blogging and a mutual friend.

A few weeks ago we actually met face to face at our friend's house - post on that d-meet to follow soon.

Anyway, I like to say it took two NJ hometown girls with diabetes to start blogging and become friends with Lori A to become aware that the other existed! Enjoy Ophir's post, and if you haven't visited her blog The Conscious Diabetic - YOU NEED TO!

I woke up with a 234 blood sugar reading today. I know why. My husband and I went out to dinner last night, a spontaneous date inspired more by laziness than romance. We sat and ordered our meal: For me, gluten-free Singapore rice noodles with chicken and veggies at P.F. Chang’s. I bolused insulin to compensate for the meal. But not a long-acting dual wave bolus, as the little voice inside of me told me to do.

A nice long dual wave filled with lustrous Humalog probably would have done the trick of offsetting the sugars released in a fatty meal. But I didn’t do that. I thought about it. But when the time came, when the opportunity arose, I didn’t hit those extra buttons on my insulin pump. I have been a Type 1 diabetic for over 35 years, have been to tons of doctors, nurses, and diabetes educators, and I keep up with all of the latest and greatest technologies and studies. And so, a high that results from a “I knew better” can be a bit exacerbating. I do know better. And typically after a “I know better” high blood sugar, I feel guilty.

Not today though, and I’ll tell you why: I’ve chosen to focus on self-growth instead of on what I did or didn’t do. I’m going to figure out why I didn’t set a dual wave when I know I should. What happened in that subconscious instant when I made that choice not to do what’s best for me and my health?

I remember at the time, I was feeling hot, tired, anxious from a long week of work, and I just wanted to let go of all of stress. Drink a glass of wine, eat some yummy noodles, and enjoy being out and about. I wanted to enjoy the moment and be happy. But is that real happiness? Does having a great time mean not taking care of blood sugars? All I’m really doing is hurting myself. A moment of pleasure followed by hours of blood sugar highs and lows – and emotional ones as well.

I have found some enlightenment reading Women, Food, and God in which author Geneen Roth talks about the perils of weight loss, going on diets, and never really reaching that state of pure bliss with one’s body. She explains that many of us go through life setting a goal, such as losing 10 or 20 pounds, but not allowing ourselves to ever reach it. Boy, did I ever relate to that. I’ve wanted to lose those 10 or 20 pounds since freshman year in college, and not to give too much away, but that’s been a while. And then she says it, the line that got me: Because without that goal, we’d be lost. Reaching that goal has becomes our identity.

I realized that her statement not only applies to weight loss, but it applies to all goals in life. It can apply to reaching that perfect weight and also that perfect 6.5 A1C or blood sugar reading – or how about projects around the house, creative pursuits, education and career, love, and so on.

And as Roth says, we tell ourselves that once we reach that goal, our lives will be better. We’ll be happy. I’ll be happy. This seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Because then, when it comes time to really making it happen, that moment of truth, I didn’t set that dual wave bolus so that my sugars will turn out great. I didn’t order the steamed veggie platter. Nor did I exercise for an hour afterward. Because perhaps a part of me thinks that if I reach my goals, well then what will I do with my life? Who will I be? I’ll feel lost, alone, without a purpose. And all I really want is to be happy. Geneen Roth explains: That person aiming for those goals, the person who will only be happy once reaching them, was never who I really am, who any of us are. The real goal, the way to live life to the fullest and thrive with diabetes, is to live life as our authentic selves through being – where you live each moment as it is whether it you are happy or sad, angry or hurt, or inspired.

Many of us try to push away what we are really feeling and sensing because we are so focused on being “happy”. Many of us, including myself, suppress our feelings through food. But by being with whatever we are feeling, whether it be good or bad, we can live more fully and more authentically – and in essence, it makes us even happier. You can bring those moments of being into as many moments of the day as possible. Feeling, sensing, tasting, smelling, touching, and listening to wherever you are physically and emotionally at every moment of every day.

Last night, I heard that soft, little voice telling me to set a dual wave bolus, but I didn’t act because that voice was drowned by the noise of my ranting thoughts. Trying to think of how I could be happier, instead of just being.

Possible link: Women, Food and God: http://geneenroth.com/

A Diabetes Life....

A diabetes life is 24X7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year with no vacation days or time out for good behavior and is often measured in units, numbers, and division involving the numbers 12 and 15.

Our days are based on experiencing highs and lows, but much like Hobbits, we prefer to exist somewhere in the middle.

People with diabetes are strong in spirit, so much so that poking; injecting, and infusing ourselves becomes old hat, except when it doesn’t.

A life with diabetes is not a life where one can never travel light. All sorts of extras are required in order for us to make it out the door.

Many who live with diabetes exhibit OCD like behaviors due to the extras they are required to carry and we check, check, check, and check again.

We continually wonder: did we bring enough? Enough insulin, batteries, test strips, glucotabs, batteries, larabars, needles and infusion sets.

We spend an awful lot of time wonder about carb counts and extended duel wave bolus options.

PWDs wonder if the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy applies to diabetes and our careers, our friends and potential dates.

On occasion, PWDs engage in what some would consider high-risk behaviors involving noodle-based foods such as Chinese and spaghetti.

Our collective wish is to own our disease, help others to do the same and reach the highest levels of “Blood Sugar Nirvana".

Our ultimate goal is to see a cure for diabetes in our lifetime.

BUT sometimes we forget that a life lived with diabetes is indeed a life being lived - and before the summer of 1921 (insulin’s discovery) and January 1922, when Leonard Thompson became the first PWD to be injected with insulin, that just wasn’t the case.

D-Feast De Résistance

Some might say that we in the DOC are totally obsessed when it comes to food. And I couldn't agree more. We talk about food, we blog about food, devote our facebook statuses to food, and we tweet about food - incessantly.

A few weeks back, Lorraine tweeted a pic of some pork fried rice with the following description: Homemade & bg friendly Chinese pork and veggie fried rice.

Which lead Elizabeth Arnold to tweet: Maybe we should have a d-blog day where we all post our favorite carb-friendly recipes. I know @diabetesalic has an AMAZING soup.

Full disclosure here folks, yours truly is @diabetesalic and Miss Elizabeth Arnold is right, I do have an amazing soup recipe. Correction – I have many fabulous soup recipes, but I digress - because it's really not about me. Back to the tweetersation.“

Elizabeth, Karen and Lorraine,with several other DOC family members adding their “food for thought,” (word on the street is that bacon was mentioned on more than one occasion,) as were cupcakes, Nutella, and peanut butter.

All this led to Elizabeth, Karen, & Lorraine coming up with the ideal for D-Feast Friday -and you’re invited to take part.

What exactly is (and when) is D-Feast Friday?

Basically D-Feast Friday is a chance to get all epicurean crazy and have a good time!

It’s an opportunity to embrace your inner Julia Child or Alton Brown and blog about your “feast de résistance" on Friday, July 23^rd

Post your recipe/pics of your D- feast you creating your D-feast & the likes there of.

Nutritional information including; carb counts with defined serving sizes, but also calories, fat and protein would be good too. But if you don't know, no sweat!

If your recipe is low carb, gluten free, low calorie, vegetarian or vegan, let your folks know via your title so that people looking for those types of meals will be able to reference them quickly.

And if you'd rather simply link to a favorite recipe that's already online, no worries - that's totally cool.

According to the D- Feast team, you can link to your D-Feast Friday blog post by visiting Lorraine, Elizabeth or Karen’s blog (URLs highlighted on their names below), and clicking on the button all three blogs will post on the 23rd.

Elizabeth, Idea Master (Pieces of My Life)

Karen, Button & Blog Day Master (Bitter-Sweet Diabetes Blog)

Lorraine, Initial Recipe Tweeter (This is Caleb)

Include the name of your recipe where itasks for “your name.” That title, along with the link to your blog post,

will be listed and accessible to anyone looking for a good recipe. that link for easy reference.

In the immortal words of Julia Childs: “Bon Appetite!”

And in the spirit of Alton Brown-

Embrace your kitchen geek!

Blame It On The Rain

Yesterday should have been easy, a piece of proverbial cake so to speak.

I had a Dr's appointment and a work appointment scheduled in the early morning hours and both went smoothly. I should have been able to make it back to my desk around 1:30.
Instead, I sat on the Walt Whitman Bridge for a good hour, in a torrential downpour - along with hundreds of other cars, as the lightening and thunder boomed around me.
The rain fell so hard I couldn't see the car in front of me - it was like driving through a carwash, except it wasn't. I was nervous, I was hungry, and I was scared to death!

I ate a few slices of dried mango and a hand full of almonds (I'd tested before I started driving & my blood sugar was 90), and I never took my eyes of the road.
As I finally crossed over the bridge I saw a five car accident and stopped complaining. Traffic was still at almost a complete standstill. I continued to inch towards my final destination with WXPN 88.5 FM for a companion, and listened to some French themed music to celebrate Bastille Day. FYI, French Rap and Edith Piaf ROCK.

Then, a warning about flash floods in my general vicinity via the Emergency Broadcast System freaked me out, and the next 30 miles seemed like 300.

I was actually driving into the storm, not away from it- because apparently, that's how I roll. After another hour of white knuckled driving at a snails pace, I said "screw it" and pulled into a diner, parked the car, and made a run for the entrance.

I was soaking wet (the umbrella didn't help,) and slid into a booth. I was super hungry and wanted a cheeseburger, but ordered an eggwhite Spanish omelet and tested again. 194 - "THANK YOU STRESS."

And like Milli Vanilli, I "blamed it on the rain."

Life Lessons - Courtesy Of Diabetes

Life is a lot like blood sugars. There are highs, there are lows, and there’s the stuff in between.

People will always surprise you with their diabetes stupidity.

People will continually AMAZE you with their knowledge (and desire to understand) diabetes.

Doorknobs are sneaky little suckers!

When PWDs look at food we see numbers, not “dead people.” I kid you not.

Blood droplets/smears don’t necessarily = a CSI moment.

Lancets are actually sold in bunches – who knew?

Happiness is a lot like used test strips. WHY? Because happiness is all around us - and happiness is also found in the most unexpected of places ;)

Amazing Grace

I've had 3 diabetes meet-ups in as many weeks- and I'm terribly behind in posting them.

Today I'm writing about the second of those meet-ups, to be followed by the 1st and the 3rd, because I'm weird like that. AND I'm afraid that Miss Grace -Of -My - Heart will call me "Kelly-Belly" if I don't write about her first!

A few weeks ago, Penny from A Sweet Grace emailed me and said that she and her family (including Miss Racy Gracie) would be spending the week in Ocean City, NJ.

Since my ancestral home is just a few beaches away, she wanted to know if we wanted to have meet up, D-style.

Well of course I did, so we met up on the steps of Ocean City's City hall on the corner of 5th & Asbury Avenues, in Ocean City NJ.

The minute Penny and I saw one another, we hugged, while Grace and Jessica (her look alike American Girl doll) said "hello."

The three of us started walking and talking, and we fell into step just like old friends do, even though we'd never met one another in IRL (In Real Life) before.

Penny is awesome on every level, and Grace is most certainly her mother’s daughter. Soon all three of us were chatting up a storm.

Until Grace spied BeDazzles (Randazo's) and declared that she wanted "to eat at Bedazzles!" So we did.

Penny and Grace have such a great relationship, and I really admire the way Penny works with Grace regarding her diabetes. They test and count carbs TOGETHER, and Penny makes it clear that no blood sugar number is bad.

It's obvious that Grace is confident about talking to her mom about all types of things, including diabetes! We talked about life and living, Friends For Life, diabetes camp (Grace is going!) and everything in between.

Oh yeah, GRACE is AMAZING!

And as long as were being honest- I want to be just like Grace when I grow up!

She's beautiful, articulate, and funny! And her insights about the world, including but not limited to; boys (I need her help in that department), diabetes, nicknames (I know her's but I’m not allowed to say & she loves calling me Kelly Belly), American Girl Dolls, all things math related (girlfriend is a math wiz), booggie boarding, grill cheese sandwiches, letting me in on the universal secret that"The Bird Is The Word," and making others laugh!

Grace = magic!

After dinner, we walked around town some more, before they headed off for some family time on the boardwalk.

Miss Grace-of-My-Heart had (has) my heart indeed. She and I walked with our arms around each other and did the dance I lovingly refer to as doing the "pump bump"!

Finally, it was time to say our goodbyes, and that was hard.

Miss Grace-Of-my-Heart: I don't want you to go!

Kelly Belly: Me either- but we'll have more meet-ups both at the beach and Philly- maybe some other places too!

I hugged Penny and Grace goodbye and Gracie and I blew one another kisses along Asbury Ave, calling our goodbyes in dramatical tones.

I miss them both very much, and I can’t wait to see them again!

Grace of My Heart

Orlando International Is The Loneliest Place On The Planet After Attending 1 Day @ Children With Diabetes Friends For Life Conference

It’s really difficult for me to put into words what experiencing just one day at the Children With Diabetes - Friends For Life Conference was like.

It’s hard to find the right words to say how I felt at home in 'Diabetes Land" and how amazing it was to walk amongst my diabetes peers, my diabetes family.

How do I describe the boatloads of conversations that occurred just because I was wearing my insulin pump and green CWD wristband?

How do I explain the heart to hearts I had with kids and adults, (and they had with me- God I learned a lot) of all ages?

How to I describe in perfect detail the hoards of children and adults with type 1 diabetes I saw having a grand old time, owning their diabetes, and walking with their heads held high and their insulin pumps proudly displayed for all to see?

I was in Florida for 2.5 days and I only spent 1 day (officially) at Children With Diabetes, but I have to tell you, after spending the day (and the previous two days) being surrounded by people who spoke and understood the language of diabetes, leaving was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life.

I attended sessions that helped me with diabetes and was surrounded by people who wanted to learn, and wanted to help others to learn the same thing. It was magical!

As I sat in the Orlando International Airport waiting for my plane that was delayed by almost three hours, I looked down at my green CWD/FFL wristband & I started to cry – I’d never felt so alone.

I texted and left both Christel & Scottie J voicemails. They texted back for me to ”come back home” and Scott called just as the plane started to board.

Me: I don’t want to get on the plane Scott. Seriously, I want to go back to Diabetes Land, I want to go home.” I miss everyone.

Scottie J: Oh k2, I know you do, we miss you to.

Me: Next year I’m staying for the whole CWD FFL.

Scottie J: Me 2.

ME: It was awesome! I'm crying now Scott.

Scottie J: Hang in there Kel, it's going to be OK.

We said our goodbyes and I took my seat with tears in my eyes.

Like I said, it’s all so hard to put into words. But I can tell you that Children with Diabetes might be the name, but it’s not just for children with diabetes.

Children with diabetes do indeed grow up- and that’s a wonderful thing.

CWD realizes that fact, and they are trying to add bring more adult type 1’s into the mix.

I'm begging here folks, take a moment to visit Scott Johnson’s post on the subject. Give him your feedback so that CWD can get the ball rolling for adults.

Your voice will be heard and I promise you, if you decide to attend next year, it will change your life!

Click HERE to read Scott Johnson’s fabulous post- and tell him your thoughts!

My Spin on the Roche / Diabetes Social Media Summit- Year 2

It’s my second year attending the Roche Diabetes New Media Summit and yes, I had a great time. But to be honest, I’m still wrapping my head around it. I’m not exactly sure what they want from us, but I do know for a fact that both sides have learned about and from one another.

I, like the rest of the people attending the summit, take our job as Diabetes/DOC Community Leaders pretty seriously. We are there to speak for those who are not and I hope we did you proud.

I marinated on this post for a few days because I didn’t know where to start. This world file has been sitting in my To-Do folder since the weekend. I kept putting it off because so much went on that finding both a start and finishing point of the post was daunting.

Finally, here’s my overview. I’ll be writing about various elements of the conference in more detail in the weeks to come.

I arrived in Orlando on Monday Afternoon after sharing a plane ride and a care ride with Kitty Castilini from Diabetes Living Today and our ride to the hotel was fun.

The first official Diabetes blogger I ran into was Rachel Baumgarter who was waving at me from the check-in line.

Later that evening I had dinner with Rachel, Scott and his partner Joe, and our table for four quickly turned into a table that was more than double that amount because LeeAnn, Chris, Scottie J, Cherise, Kelly Rawlings, Sara, Karmel, and Kitty joined us.

After dinner I went to the front desk looking for hospital directions for LeeAnn (who looked like she might have broken her wrist) and I ran into the family Sparling /Sparkling checking in. OK, I just have to say that BSparl is GORGEOUS!

Later that evening I ran into my very first diabetes CDE/Psychologist Joe. We hadn’t seen one another in 30 years, which just proves how small the diabetes world is. Turns out my 8 year old self was the 2nd patient he ever had. I’ll write about about our meeting in another post. I will say this: He hasn't changed a bit- and he's one of the main reasons I see the Diabetes glass half full.

The next morning the bloggers several of us acted as Ninjabetic's welcoming committee and then headed to an early lunch provided by Roche. We used our time at lunch to catch up with one another in IRL - In Real Life. It’s always amazing to meet your D friends face to face. It’s also fantastic and emotional and I can’t wait to meet the rest of you in real life.

At 1pm we were lead to a ballroom and the Summit started in earnest.

Turns out Roche not only took notes on what we said last year, but also decided to implement our words into their advertising campaign.

Last year there was a HUGE discussion on “the ideal diabetic" and that being an ideal diabetic had nothing to do with the numbers on the meter box.

Roche ran with that discussion and it became a major point in their 2010 advertising campaign. Roche showed actual pwds in their commercial with real numbers (like 274) on the TV screen. THAT"S HUGE.

Roche also talked about a project called the Diabetes Care Project. They've partnered with The National Minority Quality Forum, Allience for for Aging research, and the The AADE.

The DCP's focus is to help people with diabetes better manage their disease, prevent complications and live a great life.

I think it’s a great step and I know it will help many pwds.

Personally, I'd like the The Diabetes Care Project work with both CDES and Diabetes Patient Advocates in the future. As a Diabetes Patient Advocate, sitting in a room of Diabetes Patient Advocates, who were there representing legions of Diabetes Patient Advocates, I feel that the Diabetes Patient Advocate Perspective would be a welcome element to the program.

I brought that up at the summit and was told that Roche was seriously considering bringing our element to the table and I hope they do.

Roche then had us participate in an several exercises on meter accuracy ratios and blood sugar facts. Basically they wanted to know what percentage pwds were willing to be off either on the high or low end.

All of us agreed that we didn’t want to be off on either end.

In a perfect diabetes world, there would be no meter inaccuracies, hell; there would be no diabetes. But that’s not the world we live in.

And lets not forget that both highs and lows throw us for a loop. Both can leave us unconscious, and both make us feel like crap. Long-term highs lead to long-term diabetes damage. Long term lows can leave us not only shaken (both literally and figuratively) but can cause seizures or worse.

I strongly believe that if a GPS application on my ipnone can get me from point A to point B, a blood sugar meter can have a lower than 20% margin of error.

Like many, I remember the diabetes dark ages, back when we used fuzzy blue pills to test our urine and meters weighted more than my external hard drive. Times and technology are moving at lightening speed today and diabetes is a technology based disease. Our technology must be as accurate as possible - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, meters are our GPS systems, they must be more accurate.

Roche invited several guests in attendance at our Summit, that included, corporate and PR Reps from the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Diabetes Educators/AADE.

First up was the ADA, and to their credit, they listen to what we had to say and our discussion was passionate and heated at times.

Many of us who have lived the diabetes life since we were children have “issues” with the ADA. We feel abandoned by the organization that is supposed to represent all diabetics, not just those with type 2. Many feel it’s become a Dr’s organization and have felt that the patient factor is being ignored. Scott Strumello eloquently (and factually) expressed this concerns when he moderated our discussion with the ADA.

I do believe that the ADA realized that mistakes were made in and by their organization in the past. They sat there and listened. They also took lots of notes and answered our questions. David M. Kendell, Chief Scientific& Medical Officer actually introduced himself my stating his name, his title, immediately followed by an emphatic “I’M SORRY.” Every single rep from the ADA listened to what we had to say, knew that a lot of damage in the form of hurt feelings and abandonment issues had occurred, and they were more than receptive to everything we had to say.

In the past, I’ve had my own issues with the ADA, but our conversation with them gave me hope. Now, let's see if my hope in them does indeed float.

Next we spoke to reps from AADE. Our concern as a group representing a larger group that wasn’t in attendance were many focused on the following:

1. We need more CDEs and Endo's
2. We feel that the requirement to become a CDE needs to change because many of us (Cherise, myself and others) have considered actually becoming CDEs, only to find out that not only would we need 1000 hours of field work, but a previous medical degree like being a nurse, nurse practioner, or a nutrionest
3. Going back to school is tough enough, but going back for multiple degrees in order to get CDE certification is long, expensive, and many give up before they even start.

Bottom line, diabetes is now an epidemic- and that didn't happen over night. And unfortunately, the epidemic isn't slowing down- just the oppisite. We need more soldiers in the fight for diabetes; including more endo's and CDES.

We’d like to CDE requirements lesson so more people have the gift of working with a CDE. We’d also like to work with them in their quest to educate every PWD on the planet.

The AADE reps were corporate and they weren't the folks who could change those requirements- but at least we were able to tell them how we felt!

At 6 p.m, we took a group photo and had dinner. The rest of the evening was spent talking, listening and catching up.

The conference was great, and the fact that it coincided with the first day of Children With Diabetes Friends For Life Conference, and that was wonderful timing! It allowed us to have the opportunity to spend some time in "Diabetes Land" and meet more families who live with type 1 diabetes. FYI: There will be a Diabetesalicious post about CWD/FFL in the very near future~

I give Roche credit for flying us all out and listening to all of our diabetes voices. And not just the voices that were in the room, but to all of you who told us your concerns so we could tell them.

More on The Roche/Dblogger Summit to follow in the upcoming weeks.

Now, I'll leave you with a teaser for my next post? Why is Orlando International the loneliest place on the planet earth?