Health Expert Amylia Grace shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. 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/profiles/c/63356/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/63356/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/63356/index http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/153227/grieve-diabetes Wed, 23 May 2012 17:09:35 -0400 Amylia Grace I visited my endocrinologist the other day. She makes me nervous. I bit my lip as the doctor reported my A1C. It was 8.0.   I was unhappily surprised. I thought my A1C would be around 6.5, having been more and more in that range these past four months with several lows.  I thought my results would reflect the hard work and diligent corrections I've been making when out of range.   Needless to say, an 8.0 A1C is not "good." It... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/153227/grieve-diabetes http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/153224/diabetes-stops Wed, 23 May 2012 15:22:25 -0400 Amylia Grace "The worst guilt is to accept an unearned guilt." --Ayn RandThere are three things that make this so-called D-life impossibly hard at times:    1.) There's no break from diabetes (nor time off for good behavior)    2.) There's no sharing     3.) It's no exact science (and I'm no pancreas).Diabetes is a lifelong challenge with very real consequences for miscalculations. Very real consequences for not... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/153224/diabetes-stops http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/150605/diabetes-dealing Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:12:54 -0500 Amylia Grace Today is one of those days. You know the ones. Sorta down. Kinda mopey. A little too high in the glucose department to be chipper. A rogue drawer handle ripped my infusion site out first thing this morning. I then realized I had only one infusion set to my name. And then the insurance frustrations.   New year? A new, even higher deductible to be met for "durable medical equipment" and supplies. The new year, new... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/150605/diabetes-dealing http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/150157/things-diabetes Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:12:10 -0500 Amylia Grace 1. Diabetes is not for the meek. It takes and it demands. It offers no reprieve. I'm still learning to be okay with that. And with the reality that for me, it's here to stay. Because life is still big and bountiful and beautiful. And fleeting. And I am here to live it. Out loud. And without apology. And I've got a lot more livin' to do--diabetes or not. No more hiding in the shadows.No more sulking in the corner. No more pity parties of... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/150157/things-diabetes http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/149616/shows-bloodsugar Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:12:59 -0500 Amylia Grace As of 2011, my insurance covers only 4 test strips a day. For a Type 1 diabetic such as myself, this is a ridiculously low number. Like many insulin-dependent diabetics, frequent blood glucose monitoring is essential to my well-being and empowers me to make informed choices that greatly impact not only my day, but my life. I test when Like so many of you, my bloodsugar level is always on my mind, whether in the fore or background. I never... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/149616/shows-bloodsugar http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/147948/letter-faustman Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:47:56 -0500 Amylia Grace Note:  I'm a big fan of Dr. Faustman's work to help Type 1 diabetics like myself who have had the disease for many years. As an often overlooked demographic, those of us living with Type 1 diabetes should not be forgotten when it comes to research and a cure!   Though it is the faces of children with diabetes that bring in the big bucks, the truth is that those cute little kids grow up...and still have Type 1 "Juvenile Diabetes."... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/147948/letter-faustman http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/147255/top-thanskgiving Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:45:36 -0500 Amylia Grace With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it's time to start the last minute preparations for a diabetic-friendly Thanksgiving meal. Make this year the year you serve it all up without the side of guilt that often accompanies the holiday.   All of the recipes listed here are between 10-20 grams of carbohydrate per generous serving. Being in the culinary challenged group of diabetics, all are borrowed from other gourmands (links... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/147255/top-thanskgiving http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/146905/diabetes-banting Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:40:42 -0500 Amylia Grace Today is World Diabetes Day, which, not coincidentally, falls on the birthday of Frederick Banting, Nobel Peace Prize awardee, and, more importantly, discoverer of insulin over 90 years ago. Thanks to him, I, and millions others, can live with what once was considered a death sentence.    This year, instead of the usual World Diabetes Day fundraiser my family coordinates to raise funds for diabetes research and a cure, I decided to... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/146905/diabetes-banting http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/146729/brave-starting Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:17:00 -0500 Amylia Grace   People tend to think that courage has to “wow” you. Like bungee-jumping over a canyon. Or giving away your possessions and moving to Nepal. Those things do require courage, yes. But in some ways, that's easy courage. It's also a way to avoid taking action in our lives. We can't do it. We're just not brave enough.   But courage is a muscle. Just as you wouldn't go to the gym for the first time and bench press 150 pounds,... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/146729/brave-starting http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/146468/million-diabetes Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:24:00 -0400 Amylia Grace November marks Diabetes Awareness month. As of 2011, 366,000,000 people around the world have diabetes. Every country is affected, and in those places without proper resources, many die as a result of diabetes. Those who are poorest are hit hardest.   World Diabetes Day is only ten days away! Though my annual WDD Fundraiser and par-tay is on hold in 2011, there are many ways you and I can participate. Though there is always something going... http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/63356/146468/million-diabetes