Diabetes Expert Kerri Sparling shares Diabetes management news and commentary at MyDiabetesCentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670 http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670 http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/94660/wonderful-place Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:05:00 -0500 Kerri Sparling When I was a kid, I went to the Clara Barton Camp for Diabetic Girls and spent five summers in a row hanging out with other kids who had diabetes. For me, a girl from a small town with no other diabetics roaming around, it was the coolest place ever.   There, I fit in.   Early in the morning, before we would all head down to the mess hall for breakfast, one of the counselors would roll in this medical cart filled with glucose... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/94660/wonderful-place http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/93244/power Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:39:00 -0500 Kerri Sparling As I grew up with diabetes, my mother wasn't just "my mother." She was also my nurse, my dietician, and my exercise physiologist. What she had was the powerful combination of necessity and love, driven by the need to take the best care possible of her diabetic child.   I don't have a clue what it takes to be the mother of a kid with diabetes. I only know what it's like to BE the child with diabetes, completely unaware of how diabetes... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/93244/power http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/91493/buddy-benefits Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:25:00 -0400 Kerri Sparling Sometimes when I think about my best friend, I marvel at how much diabetes affects her life.  She's best buddies with a type 1 diabetic like me, and she's also an ER nurse, dealing with diabetes emergencies as they enter her emergency room.  But in addition to those factors, both of her parents have type 2 diabetes, making her closer than Kevin Bacon to all things diabetes-related.  It's a wonder she hasn't just given up and... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/91493/buddy-benefits http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/90611/joining-team Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:36:00 -0400 Kerri Sparling My name is Kerri Sparling and my favorite color used to be blue, but I think it's slowly transitioning to green.  My husband and I have been married a little over a year and we battle regularly against the three cats who somehow came to live in our house.  I love a clean car, I enjoy working out (I know - ridiculous, eh?), and I'm looking forward to starting my family.    ... what?  You were expecting something more... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/90611/joining-team http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/25091/hear Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:49:00 -0400 Kerri Sparling What do you wish people knew about the condition you, or your child, lives with every day?  On April 14, 2008, the diabetes community is encouraged to Raise Your Voice for type 1 diabetes awareness!  What can you do?  Write about your most challenging diabetes moment and how you handled it.  How about when you first explained diabetes to your date/co-worker/client/inquisitive family member?  When people ask you... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/25091/hear http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/16744/im Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:16:00 -0500 Kerri Sparling The human body is absolutely amazing in the way each organ works together with such precision, maintaining our homeostasis and keeping us kicking.  But the mind of a diabetic is pretty amazing, too. We have trained our minds to think like a pancreas. We are the people who know how many carbs are floating around in a bowl of cereal. We are the ones who can take a blood sugar number and fold it into any situation - 140 mg/dl on the soccer... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/16744/im http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/8940/peeps Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:35:00 -0400 Kerri Sparling (Reprinted with permission from www.sixuntilme.com)   I bought a new vacuum cleaner.    It was one of my first highly domesticated purchases and I was proud of the fact that I found a vacuum that looked pretty nifty, with it's bright blue handles and 12 lb body weight and "eco-friendly bag-less canister!"    Standing in line at Target with my cool new vacuum purchase, I was about seven people back from... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/670/8940/peeps