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.  

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)

My week of diabetes

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.

Blood glucose testing

Blood glucose testing... in a tree... as you do :) 

ps - I did have a hypo minutes later! 

Ninjabetic x