at school vs. at home

Being a college student with diabetes is entirely different than being a high schooler with diabetes. The level of difficulty is about the same, but it is just a lot... different. Being diagnosed at 15, I have always had a pretty good idea of the importance of taking care of myself, but when I lived at home I did have that extra pressure from my parents asking "Ashley, what's your blood sugar?". However, it's not hard to think of a number between 80 and 150 quickly off the top of your head... : ). Just kidding, I usually would go find the nearest glucometer and check it so that they would be pleased. I don't have anyone here at school with me to put on that pressure, but I am doing a pretty good job of doing it myself. A plus of living in a dorm is that when I am in my room, I am no less than five feet away from a glucometer at all times so I can no long use the excuse of "crap, my glucometer is upstairs... oh well...".
For those of you who aren't diabetic I guess I'll give you a little bit of background terminology... A glucometer is a meter that tells you what your blood sugar is. It pricks you with a little needle and produces a small dot of blood that you touch to a strip that sticks out of the meter. Somehow it soaks it up and tells you your number. Your number (bloodsugar) should be between 80 and 150. It sounds complicated but it's not a hard concept (I taught my roomate how the other day).
But anyways, so college isn't much more difficult as far as checking bloodsugar when I'm in my room. I make myself check it usually before I leave to go anywhere and when I come home.
As far as for my pump, that thing is pretty much a part of me so whether I was at home or at school. Being at school and away from home just means that a little bit more of the resposibility is in my hands, and I think I'm handeling it pretty well.

to east to conform

Why is it that sometimes the most important things about ourselves, are the things that we always just happen to forget to mention? In 2006 me and my boyfriend had already been dating for two months before I told him that I was diabetic. I was diagnosed in August and we met in Septemeber and I somehow managed to keep it hidden for quite a while. Not that he would have ever minded, it was just something that I did'nt feel like making "public". I was 15, and as I'm sure we can all agree, at 15 all you want to do is be like everybody else, and even though I wasn't, I tried like hell to pretend I was. I think that so often, especially as young people, you try so hard to fit in, and then you grow up and all you want to do is be different. Why is this? Who knows.

I think that society makes itself all to easy to conform too. Being like everyone else is an entirely reachable goal. For example, I was on shots for a year before I decided to go on pump therapy. The way I saw it was, with shots I could pull out my little insulin pen and glucometer (aka diabetes) and put "diabetes" in my purse when I didn't need it and be back to my old conforment self. Voila!

It's a Blessing, Not a Curse

This is my first blog entry! It is very exciting to have an outlet such as this in which you can tell you own life stories as well as here some of other people. I have only been Diabetic since August of 2006, so I'm kind of a "newb" at this whole game. In a way I was blessed to not get the disease until then, I was old enough to take care of my own health needs, give my own shots and count my own carbs and such. I have heard many stories from other diabetics and moms of children with diabetes that have had terrible experiences brought upon them because this disease is usually breaching the surface so early in children's lives.

So anyways, back to being "blessed", no matter how many times I hear that word associated with the fact that one of my internal organs no longer works properly, i don' t think it will ever be what comes to mind in my own reflection of the whole situation.

I apoligize for making this seem like such a morbid situation, that's an exagerration. It's entirley live-with-able. It's just more responsibilty. Technology nowadays is amazing, and I thank this for my pink Animas 2020 Insulin Pump. It's the bomb, althought not quite as good as a real pancreas but definitely a good substitute. All type 1 diabetics in today's world have it easy, including myself. The first insulin pumps had to be wheeled aroung beside you. Mine fits nicely in my back pocket... with extra space. Also, a long long time ago people used to have to sharpen their own needles. Now virtually everything comes pre-packaged and disposable. It's awesome.

My plans for this blog are to tell my story. I'm sure it isn't as exciting as many others, but it's definitely interesting and comes with a ton of surprises, most of which I'm sure are yet to come. I will also post on new technologies that surface in our economy, and things that I have found work best for me. I hope you enjoy!

Ashley

Explanation Video

Here is a video that i found on youtube that describes diabetes in a more "scientific" way in case your really interested in what causes it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OOWhuC_9Lw