Diabetes Karma

By Jane K. Dickinson

Diabetes Karma is a compilation of short essays on everyday topics and how they relate to diabetes. Jane K. Dickinson shares her positive approach to diabetes: it's all about attitude, choices and balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jane K. Dickinson
• Release date: Nov 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301540150

Jane K. Dickinson

Jane is a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator. She has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1975. Jane lives in Colorado with her husband and two children. She works remotely for Teachers College Columbia University, where she is the program coordinator and faculty for an online Master of Science program in Diabetes Education and Management.

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Diabetes Karma

By Jane K. Dickinson

Copyright 2012 Jane K. Dickinson

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Temperature and Blood Glucose

Chapter 2: The Quest for 117

Chapter 3: Why Should I Care?

Chapter 4: Stress and Diabetes

Chapter 5: Just choices

Chapter 6: Get Our Act Together

Chapter 7: To Pump or Not to Pump - That Is a Choice

Chapter 8: Pump-Worthy

Chapter 9: Technology vs. People

Chapter 10: How Do You Celebrate?

Chapter 11: Take a Walk

Chapter 12: Diabetes Remission?

Chapter 13: Diabetes of Extreme Duration

Chapter 14: What’s Your Target?

Chapter 15: Carbohydrates

Chapter 16: Something’s Got to Give

Chapter 17: Food Insecurity

Chapter 18: Food Scrutiny

Chapter 19: A letter to my kids

Chapter 20: Diabetes Bloopers

Chapter 21: Things We Hate

Chapter 22: Because of Diabetes

Chapter 23: Diabetes Guilt

Chapter 24: Diabetes Guilt – Part 2

Chapter 25: Funny Diabetes Experience

Chapter 26: Diabetes Parents of Steel

Chapter 27: Diabetes Terminology Part I

Chapter 28: Diabetes P Words

Chapter 29: Elderly with Diabetes

Chapter 30: Pavlovian Diabetes Management

Chapter 31: Critical Thinking

Chapter 32: Freedom and Diabetes

Chapter 33: Observations from the Road

Chapter 34: We all Make Mistakes

Chapter 35: Diabetes Terminology Part II

Chapter 36: Support for the Positive Approach

Chapter 37: Cruise Control

Chapter 38: Finish Line

Chapter 39: BG on Stage

Chapter 40: Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Chapter 41: Phytochemicals and Such

Chapter 42: Education or Indictment

Chapter 43: CACTI Study

Chapter 44: We are what we repeatedly do – Aristotle

Chapter 45: New Diabetes Drugs

Chapter 46: We Are Not Sick!

Chapter 47: How it all Started

Chapter 48: What I’ve Learned from Others

Chapter 49: Hardest and Best

Chapter 50: What Would I Change?

Chapter 51: How did my Family React?

Chapter 52: What Gets in the Way?

Chapter 53: Painfully Obvious?

Chapter 54: What Have Health Professionals Done?

Chapter 55: Unhelpful

Chapter 56: Predicting the Future

Chapter 57: Which Came First?

Chapter 58: Seasonal Hypoglycemia Treatment

Chapter 59: Healthy Habits are Contagious

Chapter 60: Avoiding Injury

Chapter 61: Age and Weight

Chapter 62: Finally, Good News

Chapter 63: Living in the Dark

Chapter 64: Fear vs. Respect

Chapter 65: Why I’m a Diabetes Educator

Chapter 66: Smoke Diabetes, Not Cigarettes

Chapter 67: 11/11/11 Salute

Chapter 68: Stating the Obvious

Chapter 69: Rural Diabetes

Chapter 70: Thanking and Thinking

Chapter 71: Just When You Think You’ve Got it Down

Chapter 72: Fit or Flop?

Chapter 73: Lag Effective

Chapter 74: Exercise, Again

Chapter 75: Success in 2012

Chapter 76: 493 Does Not Equal 128

Chapter 77: Motivation to Lose Weight

Chapter 78: Do You Know Who Your Provider Is?

Chapter 79: Jumping on the PD Bandwagon

Chapter 80: Artificial Pancreas Updates

Chapter 81: To B(G) or Not to B(G)

Chapter 82: We Need Snow Like We Need Glucose

Chapter 83: Diabetes and Depression

Chapter 84: Do You Speak Up?

Chapter 85: My three words

Chapter 86: Fail Better

Chapter 87: Never Too Late; Always Too Soon

Chapter 88: Don’t Overlook Talent

Chapter 89: Diabetes Benchmark

Chapter 90: What is Diabetes?

Chapter 91: A Day Without Diabetes

Chapter 92: Diabetes Do Over

Chapter 93: Diabetes Pursuit

Chapter 94: Positively Diabetes

Chapter 95: Diabetes Promise

Chapter 96: The Scary Side of Diabetes

Chapter 97: Diabetes Haiku

Chapter 98: Best Conversation

Chapter 99: Things We Forget

Chapter 100: Diabetes Questions

Chapter 101: Diabetes Challenges and Victories

Chapter 102: Diabetes Meal Plan – Exchange System

Chapter 103: Great Diabetes Thing

Chapter 104: Misconceptions

Chapter 105: Diabetes Monkey

Chapter 106: Diabetes Support

Chapter 107: Diabetes vs. Depression

Chapter 108: Doing Something Right

Chapter 109: Strange Reminders

Chapter 110: Demand a Referral

Chapter 111: Advocating for Another

Chapter 112: Insulin in Bed

Chapter 113: When You Are Diagnosed with Diabetes

Chapter 114: One Word for Diabetes Diagnosis

Chapter 115: Diabetes Breakthroughs

Chapter 116: Diabetes Athletes

Chapter 117: I know What I Need to Do…

Introduction

I’ve had diabetes since 1975, and I’ve been a diabetes health professional since 1995. I believe in a positive approach to diabetes, because being negative about it just doesn’t help anything. Granted, we didn’t ask to have diabetes, and it can be a hassle, but approaching it in a positive way really takes a lot of pressure off. The bottom line is that it’s all about choices. It’s my choice to take care of myself, and everything I eat/drink is a choice. Sometimes I make healthy choices, and sometimes I don’t.

Readers may be wondering about the title of this book. A friend suggested Diabetes Karma, and it really stuck! It turns out that karma has several meanings, and the most basic one is action. I originally thought karma meant something more like energy, but action is even more appropriate, since action is what it takes to live life and manage diabetes. A positive approach includes taking action.

And what about the photo? 117 has been a special number for me since I was a counselor at a diabetes camp for girls many years ago. Three miles down the road was a diabetes camp for boys. We had a healthy rivalry – and friendship – between the two camps, and over the years some inside jokes developed. One of those inside jokes involved a blood glucose level of 117, and you can read more about that story later in this book. For me, 117 became a symbol of healthy, positive energy (and action!) toward diabetes. Whenever I see the number 117 I get a warm, happy feeling. And I see it all over the place: clocks, odometers, mile markers, license plates, and even in a movie. I encourage people with diabetes to find a source of energy, whether it’s a happy number, or something else - something that motivates them to take action. Let it be a frequent reminder that you are in charge and you get to make choices. And next time you see 117 think of me!

Temperature and Blood Glucose

The entire country seems to be dealing with freakishly cold or snowy or icy weather right now (except for the part of Florida where my parents are staying, which is sunny and 80s). Here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, it is negative 25 degrees at the moment. It was so cold this morning that school was cancelled for the second (or third) time in 25 years.

This cold thing got me thinking about the effect of extreme cold and heat on blood glucose levels. I did a quick search and did not find a whole lot, but there are some interesting anecdotes. One person found that they tended to have more hypoglycemia unawareness (lack of low blood glucose symptoms) during extreme cold weather. We know that hot showers and hot tubs/hot springs can cause low blood glucose. This is related to the dilation of blood vessels that occurs in very hot water. On the other hand, sitting on the beach in the hot sun can cause high blood glucose.

Probably the biggest frustration with extreme temperature and diabetes, however, is the fact that the blood glucose meter itself can malfunction. If we can't accurately measure blood glucose in extreme temperatures, we'll never really know the effect on our blood glucose level! At any rate, I hope you are staying warm tonight.

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The Quest for 117

I have a long history with the Clara Barton Camp for Girls with Diabetes. Those of us who attended as campers or staff call each other Barton Girls and we have many great memories and some inside jokes. One joke is about the number 117. Back in the 80s, a staff member from the boys camp (Elliott P. Joslin Camp for Boys with Diabetes) was interviewed by a reporter. She had him check his blood glucose on camera and it came out 117, to which she replied, Fantastic! For the past 20-something years any one who has a blood glucose of 117 gets a rousing round of Fantastic! from anyone who understands. The great thing is that it really never gets old.

The other day I was driving with my daughter and I saw a vehicle with a license plate that simply said 117. I just about flipped out. My daughter, believe it or not, had a camera with her and tried to take a picture at the stop light, but it didn't come out. I lost the car when I turned to go to the grocery store. When we came out of the store I decided to go looking for the car. Crazy, but true. And would you believe I saw it again, going in the opposite direction on a nearby street? I watched it turn in my rear-view mirror, and then proceeded to turn around and try to find it.

Although I never did find the car, it got me thinking about people with diabetes and the quest for 117, in other words, happy blood glucose levels. We can work really hard at it and sometimes get the results we're after, while other times we don't. How often do we just give up? I know there have been times when I have just said, forget it, but luckily I get myself back on track at some point (usually the next morning). It's easy to want to throw in the towel when things (blood glucose levels) are not going the way you want them to. With diabetes it's critical that we don't beat ourselves up when this happens. We need to stay calm and focused and remind ourselves that we are good people and we can start again tomorrow.

Don't give up on your quest for 117. And remember that no matter what your number, you are truly fantastic!

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Why Should I Care?

Last night I put on a Diabetes Exhibit at our local hospital. We had reps from companies that make diabetes gadgets and supplies. One gentleman who came through the exhibit said that he was visiting from another state and thought he would stop by because he was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I have no idea how old this man was, but I'm guessing mid-seventies. He looked me straight in the eye and said, Why should I care? No one has told me why I should care.

My first response was, You don't have to care. It is your choice to care. Then I went on to explain that people with diabetes tend to care because they want to prevent the complications of diabetes. That is why we manage this chronic condition.

I care because I have a lot of things I want to accomplish in my life. I have two children and a husband with whom I still want to spend a lot of time. Most importantly, though, I want to have a quality life - regardless of how long I'm around. I want to be able to see and pee, walk and be active, be productive and successful and so on.

Someone who still considers themself having a lot of time left, may feel similar to the way I