Diabetes, gastroparesis and weight loss

Hi everyone! As some of you may have noticed I have been AWOL for quite some time on social media and although I am trying to keep up with my diabetes activities I'm finding it a bit of a struggle. The main reason for this is the sudden and (currently) unexplained lack of energy I have been experiencing which has left me with little to no "get up and go" to do the extra work that I used to do on my blog. I say it's unexplained, but there are a few reasons which stand out to me such as being unwell with gastroparesis which had caused me to vomit almost daily for around 3 months now, sometimes up to 4 - 5 times a day. Sexy, right?

Insulin pumping 4 years on

To begin this blog I must send out an apology. It would appear it has been 6 months since I last posted on here and although I have regular thoughts on blogger topics that I'd like to share, my time and energy levels have taken me away from my previous health-related brain dumps. I'd like to say that I can now go back to blogging as I had before, however working as an actual real life nurse now (I know, it's a scary thought) is far more physically and mentally demanding than I could have ever expected. That's not to say that I don't love my job, I absolutely adore it in so many ways, I just now need to summon enough energy and motivation to get back to my old advocacy and social media ways. It would appear that people have, sadly, lied to me, and coffee does not provide adequate support in summoning these blogging essentials.  

Blog exclusive: The UK LibreLink app launch

                       

Exciting diabetes techy stuff on the blog today! 

Abbott's LibreLink app has been launched in the UK for android users who wear the FreeStyle Libre glucose sensors, with an aim of making diabetes management even more simple. You can get the app in the Play Store if you have a smartphone with NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities. 

Diabetes week 2016

Get your 'Faces of Diabetes' picture here 

It's Diabetes Week and this year's theme is 'Setting the Record Straight'. This means patients, carers, professionals and charities are taking to the streets (and the online streets) to dispel myths around diabetes. Join the Diabetes Online Community (#DOC) in telling your stories, experiences, facts and videos and help set the record straight about what diabetes is and what it is like to live with. 

Seeing Beyond Diabetic Retinopathy

According to Time hop, five years ago today was a very important moment in my life, although at that time I couldn’t see past the fear and uncertainty I was facing. I had come to a dead end and I couldn’t see my future ahead of me...

Continue reading my column at The Diabetes Times.

Laura/Ninjabetic x 

How to insert Abbott's Freestyle Libre sensor

My long overdue YouTube tutorial showing you how to insert the Abbott Freestyle Libre sensor and start it up! Click on the pic to watch, enjoy and please leave comments and feedback!

Laura x 

A letter to my 16 year old self...

Dear 16 year old me,

One day everything will change for you. You may not feel it now, or for a very long time in fact, but one day everything will start to get better. I promise you that.

You’ve just been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. You’re scared, angry, confused and currently you’re very much in denial about your condition. You’re hiding away from it as much as you possibly can and at the same time you’re trying to fight it, to protect yourself and your family from the way it makes you feel. It’s exhausting, isn’t it? Each day is an ever weakening battle to muster up the energy to move, to think, even to smile, but you but you carry on regardless because you don’t know what else you should do. You don’t really understand what it entails, what this diagnosis will bring, and what you do know of it has frightened you enough to make you want to run as far as you possibly can and hide from it... (cont)

Let's talk about sex (and diabetes), baby!

"I thought about my own knowledge when it comes to sex and diabetes and realised that this page seemed to be missing from the book. You know that giant dusty diabetes book that most of us edit and adapt in our own unique way..."

It's time to grab a tea or coffee, maybe a biscuit too (go on, treat yourself!) and settle down on the sofa to read more about sex and diabetes in my latest column for The Diabetes Times.

Laura x

Diabetes Care - What Works

**Disclaimer** This blog is about methods that work for me and my diabetes, in my clinic setting, with the team that provides my care. We all have very different care, funding, time, management techniques, preferences etc, so this blog is from my personal experience and musings.

I’m conscious that when I’m asked to present at conferences, training sessions, lectures or write for journals and other publications, many of the requests I receive are about what went wrong with my diabetes and my care. When I deliver a presentation I always ensure that whoever is listening understands that what happened was in my past and is not my present or future. A great deal has changed in my T1D care over the last 4 years and I have a lot to be thankful for... (cont) 

December Favourites

Find my favourite December purchases here... (cont)

November 2015 Favourites

Here are some of my favourite diabetes things that I've been using this month. I should really have made this into a video but maybe this will work for now... Please let me know what your favourite diabetes things are! (cont)

We are the world in world diabetes day #insulin4all

Everyone with diabetes deserves to live long, healthy and happy lives! Insulin, test strips, blood glucose meters etc should not be a luxury, they should be available to anyone who needs them. We need to support people and advocate for them until they are provided with what they need to manage their diabetes! (cont)

Type 1 Diabetes… A day in the life #DiabetesAwarenessMonth

7:00am – Mr T’s alarm wakes me up. Wait until he gets up then stretch out in bed.

8:00am – Get out of bed as Mr T leaves for work. Test blood sugars (4.1). Drink a little Lucozade.

8:05am - Look over Dexcom history for that night... (Cont)

Frio wallet review

This blog is long long long overdue and for that I apologise. I think subconsciously I have taken my time with it as I will be reminded of kicking back and lying on a beach without a care in the world... good times. Now that I am well and truly switched off from holiday mode and have returned to the daily grind of uni, work, uni, revision, uni, uni, uni, work, eating and sleeping, I have slowly (at a snails pace) started to catch up with blogging and trying out all of the diabetes bits and pieces that fall through my letter box... (cont)

Kaleido - Insulin pump patch

My demo Kaleido pump (minus the infusion set) - see more on my instagram

Disclaimer: I was asked to meet 2 of the Kaleido team to view their new insulin patch pump. I have not been paid or asked to write this blog. I was bought a diet coke during the meeting though – I was thirsty. I am not currently using a Kaleido insulin patch pump. These pumps are not currently being used by people with diabetes to deliver insulin (I'm told).... (Cont)

My week of diabetes

Gastroparesis: From The Top

It has been over 7 months since I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis, so I thought it’s probably about time that I started attempting to get my confused, fuzzy brain around it. For me this means getting all of my thoughts out onto paper (ahh fresh internet paper) in order to make some sense of something that is utterly confusing and something that I’d much rather ignore. Unfortunately Gastroparesis doesn’t like to be ignored though! (Cont)

My Dare Devil Diabetes

Recently I was asked to create a model of what diabetes looks like to me; this was to give an insight into diabetes for a medical device company... (cont)

Guest Post - Diabetic and Proud

This is a guest post from the lovely Joe Griffiths (@VCP_Joe on twitter). Please share this with anyone who may like to read it and also give Joe and his funny stories/pictures a follow on twitter :)

Diabetic & Proud

I’m a huge Marvel nerd. No, seriously I love any kind of comic book movie or reference. The first thing I compared myself to when I was first diagnosed with my type 1 diabetes was the X-Men. I was a mutant of some sort. Not the coolest mutant, granted, but a mutant with something different about them when compared to another person.

I didn’t have bone claws, nor could I shoot red energy blasts from my eye balls when I removed my specs. Instead, I had an unquenchable thirst and a swollen bladder. Probably more Wee-Men than X-Men…

I went home from the hospital that day knowing that my body had changed. I knew I wasn’t quite right but now it was double confirmed why I was feeling so different. What would I do with these new powers then? Like any new mutant from the Marvel universe, you hide away and feel uncomfortable about your new-found abilities.

I wouldn’t talk to anyone about my diabetes. I felt embarrassed about getting my kit and my stomach out at the dinner table, always creeping off to the toilet to ‘shoot up’ like some kind of junkie. It sound’s ridiculous when looking back about it all now but it really did feel like my condition (mutant power) was something to be ashamed of.

Of course, with time I grew to understand and control my diabetes, to the point where I’m still learning new things on a weekly basis, 10 years down the line. I have the help of my health care specialist nurses and consultants for all the big and bulky stuff but there’s still that shadow looming over the emotional side of things.

Sticking with the X-Men theme here… like any lost and scared mutant, I needed mentoring. This is where Twitter takes on the guise of a bald man in a wheel chair. My Professor X was a whole community. The DOC (diabetic online community) to be precise. This band of brothers welcomed me with open arms; inviting me to take part in tweet-chats, networking events and ways to raise awareness for our condition.

Instead of shunning my powers, I embraced them. I added a simple ‘type 1 diabetic’ line into my Twitter profile and began conversations about hypos, hypers and what pumps to choose. I’ve never been very good at Twitter but since finding a reason to tweet, I’m more active than ever. Don’t drag your diabetes around with you, put it up front and make it part of your character.

I even managed to convince my boss to allow me to write an article for our website at Voucher Codes Pro. It was my first crack at raising awareness for diabetes. I felt like I owed something back to the DOC after they had been so accepting of me. With the help of the brightest bloggers and advocates from around the web, I put together something I was very proud of.

http://www.vouchercodespro.co.uk/diabetes

My name’s Joe Griffiths and I’m type 1 diabetic and proud.

Final thoughts on the Medtronic MiniMed 640G with SmartGuard

Here are my final thoughts on the Medtronic MiniMed 640G insulin pump with EnLite sensors and SmartGuard low glucose suspend. Watch the video to see if I give it a thumbs up or thumbs down... It was a close call!!

Enjoy :)

Ninjabetic x