Thursday, November 14, 2013

National Diabetes Month: Life With Diabetes

November is National Diabetes Month and Today is National Diabetes Day!

The American Recall Center is asking, "What Do You Want People to Know About Diabetes"
This is challenging to answer because at first I want people to know "everything" so I don't have to go into any long explanations! Second, I want people to understand that type 1 and type 2 diabetes are very different when it comes to treatment. Finally, I want people to know that having diabetes does not have to be devastating. It never goes away, there is never a break, and all that hard work should be a constant reminder of gratitude for being able to be healthy.


"I don't love the challenges and hardships from diabetes. I love to overcome diabetes and defy odds every hour of the day. I love what I learn from diabetes and the characteristics those lessons teach me."

This strong and positive attitude is not always easy to find. I've been struggle with it a bit this week as I face seeing the eye doctor tomorrow! Pregnancy and tight control can lead to changes in the eyes of a person with pre-exsisting diabetes. (Awful how better blood sugars can cause problems too huh? Diabetes is just rude!!!). I've been seeing "eye floaters" and have to go get checked out. It could be a normal pregnancy symptom or a sign of a serious eye problem. I've been so thankful to not have any diabetes related complications so far in life. Trying to keep that positive attitude and remember I can handle anything that is thrown at me! Today or tomorrow....

Managing my type 1 diabetes every day (especially during pregnancy) is a constant reminder of the blessing of modern medicine and that good health is worth hard work!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Type 1 Diabetes and Pregnancy: Weeks 20-26

The last few weeks have had consisted of the following highlights:


 
22 weeks
  • Spiking blood sugars. Happened right at 18 weeks for me, and even worse after 20 weeks. I fought two different head colds during the last 5 weeks which didn't help. I had an appointment with the CDE dietician and have had to make weekly to daily insulin amount adjustments. My complete daily dosage has gone from 15-22 units pre-pregnancy to 40-50 units currently. Pretty crazy climb. Also a very natural part of any pregnancy, but the different is I can SEE my insulin needs change.
  • While feeling down about a few crazy days with high blood sugar spikes I also got back another A1C.......5.5! Keeping it there will be another story, but thankfully I'm mid-pregnancy with a great average. Time to keep fighting the good fight.
  • I began feeling baby more and at the start of week 25 my husband felt him too!
  • I had a follow up ultrasound to look at the baby's heart and spine (again)!
  • We took our childbirth classes during this time. Four Fridays talking about labor and delivery from 630pm-930pm was torturous. The highlight was that it turned out we were sitting right next to another mommy to be with type 1 diabetes! The instructor said she'd never had one type1 in a class let alone two! They were a great couple to relate with and swap stories. During introductions we all had to say something we liked about pregnancy for most moms it was "feeling the baby" followed by "getting to eat whatever". We were both quick to point out that we didn't have the option of "getting to eat whatever" and in fact we found ourselves having the opposite experience of "strictest diet ever". The instructor was super sweet and the information pretty good, but meeting the other type1 was the best part of the class for us. Because of our jobs and backgrounds the class moved slow for us and we felt the one day seminar would have been the smarter choice! (My husband is trained in emergency medicine and therefore to deliver babies/pediatric life support. I have education/clinical experience with being a nursing assistant in college, medical speech pathology, and early childhood development.) 
Accidental 24 week photo while testing out the video baby monitor. Kept it, because check out the growth spurt!
How far along: 26 weeks
Gender: Boy
Maternity clothes: Maternity jeans from Motherhood. Pregnancy Halloween baby skeleton shirt from Amazon.com
Stretch marks: None, but belly is getting itchy and I'm worried! Using Nivea cream and coconut oil like crazy!
Belly button in or out: In....questionable if it is staying there.
Sleep: Good!
Best moment this week: Halloween! Seeing my students in costume! Also, my doctor appointment was a highlight, hearing the heartbeat, and seeing my sweet OBGYN!
Worst moment this week: Upper back sore tight muscles. This happens to me when not pregnant though! Husband, heat pack, and tiger balm helping!
Miss anything: October has been a stressful month at work, so a shot of whiskey would be nice. I also hit another growth spurt and miss my pre-pregnancy wardrobe!
Movement: Lots of kicking and pretty sure hiccups!
Cravings: Biscuits. Made some gluten free low carb ones!
Queasy or sick: Feeling good! A little tired and cranky sometimes.
Looking forward to: Growth ultrasound at 29 weeks and Thanksgiving Break!


 
25 weeks 

 26 weeks