Tuesday, January 29, 2013

JDRF Reach and Teach U Omaha

This past weekend my best friend and I journeyed out to Omaha, NE for the JDRF Omaha Chapter Reach and Teach U event. If you are unaware of what this event is, it is a learning experience for families of children with T1D to go to some "classes" about specific issues that they may want to know more information on.

At this event they started with a opening speaker by the name of  Joe Solowiejczyk, Joe is a healthcare professional who has lived with Type 1 diabetes for over 40 years, he was an amazing motivational speaker. He really hit home on a lot of points, like scheduling diabetes depression days every once in a while where you (if you have T1D) or your child (if they have T1D) can have a pity party and just feel bad for themselves that they have to deal with this crummy disease .... yes it probably "could be worse" but for them right now this is the worst, and my favorite thing from his opening speech was when he said to have some fun with diabetes and to run over a old blood sugar meter or smash it to pieces with a hammer. I liked this idea because diabetes is such a strenuous disease where you are "on deck" 24/7/365 and so every once in a while it is good to have a little fun and "stick it" to diabetes.You can watch one families take on this practice here on the Your Diabetes May Vary blog

For the 1st session that we attended was "Back to School Basics", this session focused on IEP, IDEA, and 504 plans. This session gave great resources for parents to use like the ADA State Laws that will help protect their child in the school setting.

The 2nd session that we attended was "Navigating Diabetes", this session briefly touched on transitioning your child from "family diabetes care" to "personal diabetes care" but focused mainly on the online resources that parents, teens, and children can use to get more knowledge or be able to speak with others dealing with the diagnosis of T1D. Some of the resources that were presented were

JDRF - JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Driven by passionate, grassroots volunteers connected to children, adolescents, and adults with this disease, JDRF is now the largest charitable supporter of T1D research. The goal of JDRF research is to improve the lives of all people affected by T1D by accelerating progress on the most promising opportunities for curing, better treating, and preventing T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners who share this goal.

JDRF Kids Online - JDRF Kids Online is intended for use by children ages 8 and up without adult assistance. But all children, including those under age 8, will greatly benefit from sharing this online experience with adults.

Type One Nation - TypeOneNation is a vibrant social network created especially for and by people with type 1 diabetes and their loved ones

American Diabetes Association - We lead the fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fight for those affected—by diabetes.

Children With Diabetes - The mission of Children with Diabetes, Inc. is to promote understanding of the care and treatment of diabetes, especially in children; to increase awareness of the need for unrestricted diabetes care for children at school and daycare; to support families living with diabetes; and to promote understanding of research into a cure.

National Diabetes Education Program - Established in 1997, the National Diabetes Education Program is a federally-funded program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and includes over 200 partners at the federal, state and local levels, working together to improve the treatment and outcomes for people with diabetes, promote early diagnosis, and prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Behavioral Diabetes Institute - The Behavioral Diabetes Institute (BDI), with its team of dedicated professionals, is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to helping people with diabetes live long, healthy and happy lives.

Disney Family - This website is a collaboration between Disney and Eli Lilly that has resourceful information for parents and children alike

dLife - dLife was established to address the overwhelming consumer need for real, practical solutions to the 24/7 challenge of managing diabetes vs. episodic clinical treatment.

TuDiabetes - A community of people touched by diabetes, a program of the Diabetes Hands Foundation

1 Sweet Life - Provide hope and inspiration to improve the lives of people affected by diabetes.

Parenting Diabetes Kids - Come join us as we support one another in our battle against type 1 diabetes!

Taking Control of Your Diabetes - Guided by the belief that every person with diabetes has the right to live a healthy, happy, and productive life, Taking Control of Your Diabetes educates and motivates people with diabetes to take a more active role in their condition and provides innovative and integrative continuing diabetes education to medical professionals caring for people with diabetes.

Insulindependence  - Insulindependence inspires people with diabetes to set personal fitness goals, educate them on adaptive management techniques through hands on experience, and equips them to explore their individual capacities

Safe Sittings - SAFESITTINGS is a nationwide website that makes available teens with Type 1 diabetes as babysitters for children with diabetes. These teens have been managing their own care for many years. They understand the dangerous highs ands lows inherent in the disease and have the skills to test blood sugars, give insulin injections, adjust insulin pumps and treat hypoglycemia.

This list of resources is no where near all the resources that are out there on the internet but there were the ones that were supplied in this specific training class.

During the last portion of this event the Closing Speaker Tricia Jensen, RN, CDE, CPT spoke on  Diabetes won't hold me back. Tricia is an RN in Nebraska who has lived with T1D since she was 1 year of age, a current Omnipod user, and an athlete. She has gone skydiving, participated in triathalons, the Warrior Run, and several other 5k runs. She never lets diabetes stop her from doing and achieving what ever she wants to do. She says it does take extra planning to be able to do most of these events but she is able to do them and has a blast.

In conclusion this was a very good informative event. I look forward to attending a few more of these event though out the year at different JDRF chapters.

**** This weekend Aly and I will be attending the JDRF Kansas City Chapter Family Connections Retreat, so look forward to a recap :) ****

Sunday, January 20, 2013

That is my child....

6 years ago today my then 2 1/2 year old toddler was diagnosed with a life long autoimmune disease called Type 1 Diabetes. When Aly was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 6 years ago she was a VERY sick little girl. Se was lethargic, had lost weight, had a horrible yeast infection, threw up randomly, was peeing herself so bad that she would soak her clothes through her diaper. When my daughter was diagnosed I knew NOTHING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about diabetes the day before her diagnosis. We had taken her to the pediatrician 2 weeks before diagnosis and even with all of her *symptoms* they NEVER ONCE mentioned Type 1 Diabetes not checked her blood sugar!! My mother in law is the one that mentioned that she thought Aly had Type 1 Diabetes and so right then I was at work at researched it .... I then had that AH HA MOMENT!! THAT, THAT WAS MY CHILD!! I knew right then what she had ... I left work immediately, went and picked Aly up from my mother, and rushed her to the Children's Hospital ER. When we checked in they always ask why you are there and I told them " I think my daughter has Type 1 Diabetes, please do whatever you have to to check her for it." When they finally got Aly into the exam room (which seemed like FOREVER) they checked her sugar and all the meter told us was HI. When her labs came back her blood sugar at diagnosis was 682. Then we began our journey, our new life with a child who would always depend on injected insulin to stay alive.

6 years ago today was the day that would forever shape who my child would be in life, 6 years ago today my daughter lost some options in her life choices because she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, 6 years ago today my daughter became MY HERO!! Today 6 years ago I became the mother of a child who lived with Type 1 Diabetes ... I became a D Mom.

We DO NOT let Type 1 Diabetes define who Aly is but it is and always will be a part of her until a Cure is found.

In the 6 years since Alys diagnosis we have learned SO MUCH more than I ever really wanted to know about any disease out there, knowledge is power. Aly is a trooper and never complains nor asks "why me" she just accepts it as part of her and does not let it stand in her way of what she wants to accomplish. She is now at the age of 8 learning more about the disease that she lives with and is taking on more responsibility in the day to day schedule of blood sugar checks, counting carbs basics, knowing when she is high/low, and just the responsibility of remembering to bring her meter where ever she goes and not forgetting it.

My daughters pediatrician at the time missed ALL of the signs, so PLEASE DO NOT rely on your doctor to know ... If you ever have ANY suspicions please CHECK ... DON'T GUESS!! You could save your child's life or the life of another individual since Type 1 Diabetes can be diagnosed at ANY age.

Mommy loves you Aly and Happy Diaversary

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

About Me (DSMA)

So I saw that in tomorrow nights DSMA chat they will be answering questions about themselves. I figured just in case I am unable to make the chat that I would answer the questions here on my lonely blog.

So here we go


1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No
 
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
A few weeks ago
 
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I guess, everyone else likes it

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Roast Beef
 
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
2 - An amazing daughter and an honery son
 
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I think that I would be. I listen well and care about others. I am horrible about remembering things that I am supposed to do sometimes so my BFF has to remind me
 
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Define A LOT ....
 
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.
 
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
NO! I’m afraid of heights.
 
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Frosted Flakes or Capt'n Crunch
 
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No. 
 
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Most of the times Yes
 
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Character, you can tell a lot about someone just by looking at how they present themselves
 
15. RED OR PINK?
Pink
 
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Chin
 
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My paternal grandparents. I named my daughter after my grandmother
 
18. WHAT IS THE TECHNIQUE THAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE MOST?
Laziness!
 
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
None
 
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Baked Potato Soup
 
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Hope for Aly shirt and Jeans
 
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Sky Blue
 
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Baking Cookies
 
24. HOW IMPORTANT ARE YOUR POLITICAL VIEWS TO YOU?
Not very.
 
25. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?
Mountain Hideaway
 
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Soccer
 
27. HAIR COLOR?
Ya not really sure what they call it
 
28. EYE COLOR?
Hazel
 
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No
 
30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Spaghetti, Lasagna, Steak, and the list goes on :) I love to eat
 
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy Endings.
 
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Some dog one with my daughter
 
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
White
 
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer
 
35. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Brownies
 
36. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?
and those are what exactly?!? ya not me!
 
37. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION?
Computer
.
38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
None
 
39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Laptop so don't have one
 
40. FAVORITE SOUND?
Children laughing
 
41. FAVORITE GENRE OF MUSIC?
Country
 
42. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Florida
 
43. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
No.
 
44. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Kansas City, MO
 
45. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW?
Outside of Kansas City

46. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE?
Blue
 
47. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR?
Black
 
48. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING 48 QUESTIONS?
Was not that bad

Well I hope that gives you some insight into who I am!! 

Don't forget to check out the #DSMA chat on twitter on Wednesday nights at 9pm EST

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Take a look at “Diabetes Community Education”!


I just finished watching WEGO Health’s new sponsored video series, Diabetes Community Education, and I thought some of you might be interested in checking it out as well.

The video, “Hypoglycemia: you and your blood sugar”, featuresHealth Activists Ashley and Cara (who I’m sure some of you are familiar with!) and Certified Diabetes Educator, Joy Pape. In the video Ashley, Cara and Joy describe their experiences with hypoglycemia, including the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar and the importance of proper management.


WEGO Health is going to be donating $1,000 to the diabetescharity we vote for after 100 people have shared the videos, so be sure to pass the info along to your friends!