First post: Intro

By Anna Marie Thursday, July 02, 2009

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Hello. My name is Anna and I just graduated from high school in June. I'm attending Michigan State University in the fall where I will study dietetics and I hope to become a diebetic educator, preferably for teens.

I was diagnosed with Juvenille diabetes about two months ago, toward the end of April. I'm still trying to figure things out because I was thrown into all of this very quickly. I am already struggling with diabulimia because I have always worried about my weight.

Through this profile, I am looking for any tips and support I can receive. Anything you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Comments (9) | Add comment

Ginger Vieira, Health Guide

7/ 2/09 11:04pm

Anna!

I'm Ginger, a moderator on the site. I've had diabetes for ten years, I'm 23 years old. I work as a personal trainer, yoga instructor and I am a competitive powerlifter.

So, my first tip to any new diabetic would be to find other diabetes! You've already done it!

Below are a few links, but I also just want to tell you that diabetes is a disease that gets easier with time if you put in the effort to understand YOUR diabetes. How YOU react to exercise. How stress changes your blood sugars. How to gradually adjust your own insulin doses. Your diabetes and your insulin needs will change throughout your whole life, and that can be frustrating for some, but if you just be patient with it, and learn how to adapt to all the changes...then life goes on :)

Your A1C number

Your Insulin to Carbohydrate Ratio

Post workout blood sugars

There's so much to LEARN! Here are more links!

Anything is still possible...

Your plans to be a Diabetes Educator sounds awesome to me!!! The more we learn about the disease, the better controlled it'll be, and the healthier and happier youll be.

Ginger

Anna Marie

7/ 8/09 1:41am

Ginger, thank you for your support! I really appreciate it. I also found the links you sent me to be very useful. It's so incredible that you've adapted your lifestyle to fit your diabetes. I still have so much to learn, but you (and many others on this site) are such an inspiration! I love hearing about how others have learned to manage their diabetes and new things they have learned about the disease.

Thanks again!

Anna

Maggie, Health Guide

7/ 3/09 10:20am

Hi Anna!

I'm Maggie. I was diagnosed with D right before I started high school. I know that high school and college are TOTALLY different bags of marbles, but I understand that when you're starting such a new experience, diabetes is the last thing you want to think about. But like Ginger said, you'll get more comfortable with managing diabetes with time. At such a big college, there must be other people with diabetes to connect with, in addition to online communities like Diabeteens.

It's really cool that you're studying dietetics; being diabetic, you'll have such a unique perspective. My diabetes educator also has diabetes, I think it gives her such a great level of understanding and connection with patients. Although it might not feel like it, diabetes can be really helpful in some parts of life!

Welcome!

Maggie

Anna, Health Guide

7/ 3/09 11:41am

Hey!

I remember that the first few months were, by far, the most difficult. I promise you, once you learn your body and how to use all the tools (eg pump), everything will mellow out. It probably seems completely consuming right now, but after a while it won't feel like that. The most important thing is to pay really close attention to your body and to do EVERYTHING you can to keep feeling good, whether that means adjusting insulin levels up, down, or grabbing some extra carbs. It can be really frustrating when you are doing everything you can and things don't go your way, but putting in the effort is more than half the battle.

As if going to college isn't a big enough adjustment! I'm in the same position, so if you want to talk about that, send me a message! I look forward to hearing from you. :)

Anna

Anna Marie

7/ 8/09 1:36am

Anna, I really appreciate your support! It's nice to talk to someone my age that I can relate to.

I'm just curious about using an insulin pump...I'm guessing you have one? If so, how long after your diagnosis did you decide to get one? It seems so overwhelming to me right now to switch to a pump but it would also be much easier. I'm usually very embarrassed while giving myself shots in public, especially in front of people I don't know.

Thanks for your help!

Skyler, Health Guide

7/ 4/09 5:41pm

Hey Anna! Welcome to the site!

This is a great place to connect with other diabetics who know exactly what you are going through, and are eager to help you!

Everyone here is more than willing to share tips and stories about life with diabetes.

So, don't hesitate to ask any questions whatsoever!

we're all happy to help!

Skyler

Ann Bartlett

7/ 5/09 10:19pm

Anna,

I'm Ann and I blog on the adult side. I've lived with type 1 for 39 years and have no side effects! I think some of it has been luck and some of my success is because I was very active, like the other Anna on this site!

I've always said God gave me diabetes so I wouldn't be anorexic! I would forget to eat, if it weren't for the diabetes that requires food! LOL! Diabetes can lead to a very healthy body and lifestyle. But diabulemia leads to complications both emotionally and physically!

Would you be willing to share some of your history with food? Because I wonder why diabulemia just 2 months after diagnosis? Is there a history with food, even before you were diagnosed? You don't have to answer, but you do need to address your relationship with food, immediately!! You can be a great CDE, if you can conquer this piece of yourself! And since you are reaching out, I suspect you are on your way to being someone who is quite amazing!

You need to reach out to your endo and CDE and ask for help before you leave for college! You don't want to take the struggle to school with you!

You will get tons of support here and lots of questions answered, but first I think you need to tackle the reasons you feel the way you do about food and trust your medical team to help! If you have questions about how to approach them, blog here and support will show up in no time!

This is an exciting time in your life! Live it, love it and embrace it, even with the diabetes! Diabetes stops very few people from achieving what they desire most!

Hugs!

Ann

Anna Marie

7/ 8/09 1:32am

Ann, thank you so much for you're support!

I've had a lot of trouble with food in the past, especially since I am a dancer. I would go days where I would eat very little to others where I would binge and then exercise like crazy. It seems like I've always been unable to find a happy medium. Once I was diagnosed with diabetes and found that by omitting my insulin I would lose weight, I immediately did so. However, I have been trying very hard to get my sugar levels back to normal and have been exercising every day (which definitely helps a lot!) I do not want to go to school in the fall, unable to manage my disease. I've also found it difficult to talk to my endocrinologist. There are very few so I'm limited on who I see but he does not seem to be very understanding at all. Especially because I believe it is difficult for him to relate to a teenage girl.

Thanks again!

Anna

Ann Bartlett

7/ 8/09 5:01pm

Anna,

I used to live in a dorm with lots of dancers and SO I understand where you are coming from! I used to call the girls on my floor the "apple for dinner gang!" Part of me drooled over the fact that they could bypass a meal, but I was of the mindset that if I did eat make it worth my while! In my old age I have become a food and wine snob!

I also completely understand your comment about your endo! I blogged my story about my issue with my endocrinologist. This is a 4 part series this link takes you to the 3rd part, but gives you the links to all at the top. http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/9993/62602/dealing-hospitals.

I think deferring college is very smart! Why not get this handled first and be really ready to enjoy college!

If you are in need of help to understand your diabetes and learn to manage it and don't have enough GOOD, if not GREAT, resources close by, I have a suggestion. I work with my CDE, Judy Tripathi over the phone! She lives in Philadelphia and I live in DC.

Gary Scheiner is a CDE, exercise physiologist and type1 and he owns the practice. Judy is a CDE, Dietician and 40+ years with type 1. I call her my diabetes mom! When my doctor has not been there for me, Judy has been on the phone, nursing me through the flu, switching to the pump and educating on how to carb count in, shall we say, unique ways! there is a charge; some insurances cover and some don't, but I can not tell you how much easier they have made "living with diabetes". Because each person in that office has the disease, they have an out of the box approach and fun ways to handle problems, making it easy to fix. I think Judy would be compassionate to the issues of food with you and they do not beat you over the head for falling off the wagon.

I used to pay a flat fee of around $800.00/ year for consultation. That gave me access as many times as I needed it, at no additional charge, and I had to make the commitment to a monthly hour consultation with Judy to go over my numbers and logs. I can not say enough about Integrated Diabetes! Take a look at their site and talk with your parents! I think this could be a huge help to you: http://integrateddiabetes.com/rates.shtml

Gary also authored a great book for you to read called Think Like a Pancreas. It's very simple advice, but he has lots of quick fact sheets to make life easier for you when you go to college. With Gary's help, I found an endo who works with me and he has been someone who would call and verbally engage anyone, Dr or nurse or pharma rep, who didn't work on my behalf!

As for your BG, don't despair! It will take your body a little while of up and down to realize you are not going to be inconsistent anymore. When your body goes through a time of inadequate care, it goes through feeling like binge and starve. It reacts with highs and lows. Be patient and be kind to yourself, you are on an important path!!

Stay in touch and please let me know how you are doing! You can send me a direct email from my profile and I can communicate directly if you prefer!

Hugs,

Ann

First post: Intro

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