It's only Diabetes!

Not about Diabetes

2010-04-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

One of the common frustrations I hear from others who have diabetes, is that it is a disease without breaks. There are no vacations from the disease, no time to pretend that it is not there, and no time to live life care-free. Any slight deviation from tight diabetes control can lead to a visit in the Emergency room. Just a slight miscalculation of an insulin dosage can alter your life forever (i.e. the reason I am on the pump, which led to my life with pop quiz (Amanda) and the 3 monsters that persued)Diabetes has made me feel overwhelmed and frustrated at times, but this past week has taught me that I do not need a break from diabetes after all.

One week ago I began working on my comprehensive exam/paper for my Master's program, which was supposed to be in the 20 page range and required an incredible amount of research to complete. The week was overwhelming and I asked pop quiz to write down all of her questions and I'll answer them the following week :), but the week is over now. Two days ago I drove to Long Beach for the last time to turn in a paper.

While I do not find out if I passed the exam for about 3-4 weeks, at this point I could care less about the outcome. I poured 100% of my energy and brain into that paper and I am proud of my work. I am hoping that I receive a passing grade, but I understand that I could not have done better work. Diabetes did not cut me any slack last week in my time of need, but what else would I have expected, diabetes is a jerk!

I am not sure if my week would have been any easier if I didn't have diabetes, but I am also not sure how much harder it made the week either, but at this point, what does it matter? Diabetes was here last week, and we all have "things" that may hamper our focus at times, or make us feel overwhelmed or frustrated, but these "things" do not have to prevent us from doing what we want to do!

Knowing that I did the absolute best work I could have done is an amazing feeling. And knowing that in my time of need I did not get any breaks from diabetes, and I still completed the task is an even better feeling. Diabetes you are a jerk, but my life is not about you! You have upset me in the past, you cost me a fortune each month, and you often kick me when I'm down, but you are yet to get in my way.

Completing my Master's degree will be the biggest accomplishment in my life(tear), and while I am going to hold off giving thanks to all of those who have made an impact on my life until after I receive my exam results(tissue)...I'll thank you first and foremost, Diabetes! You have challenged me in ways that no one else could, you make me want to do more with my life, and you have have played a huge role in guiding me through life! You have been nothing MORE than a pain in the butt and I really appreciate how you consistently wake me up multiple times each night! Finally, thank you for always being there, through thick and thin! My life was changed for the better when I met you over 18 years ago, I just didn't realize it until now!

Struggles and a Nosy Kid

2010-01-28T23:33:00.000-08:00

Boy I’ll tell you, diabetes can sure get you down, if you let it. It can suck the fun out of playing basketball, it can make you feel sluggish after a cup of coffee, and it can sometimes make you wonder why you try so hard to get your blood sugars under control. But then, you have a day where your blood sugars are perfect all day and you instantly realize how much fun basketball can be, how helpful coffee can be after a bad night of sleep, and most importantly, why you try so hard to control your blood sugar levels.

I’ve had diabetes for over 18 years now and I’ve had my shares of ups and downs. When I was younger I went through a phase where I just about denied that I even had diabetes. Let me explain…

It was in junior high that having diabetes was not cool anymore! No longer were the teacher allowed in-class snacks worth the attention that I used to enjoy. In 5th grade I loved being able to walk to the back of the classroom during a spelling test and eat some cheese and crackers because “my blood sugars were low.” :) Okay, half the time they weren’t THAT LOW but I was hungry!

What… would the teacher not have wanted me to treat a low blood sugar? I was never the smartest kid in the class, but I learned at an early age to get what I wanted, and if crackers and cheese were what I wanted, well, I am going to find a way to get them. :)

But just 2 years later in 7th grade I remember this nosy little kid snooping around the teacher’s desk when the teacher had stepped out of the class for a minute. The teacher had conveniently placed a seating chart on his desk and below each child’s name was a list of diseases that pertained to that child. So I guess I was the only kid with a disease worth noting on the seating chart, as below my name the teacher wrote very clearly with a pencil “diabetic.” Seriously! You couldn’t have used an abbreviation? I thought this stuff was supposed to be confidential?

So later on in the day this nosy little kid came up to me and said:

(Nosy kid) “Hey, do you have diabetes?”
(Diabetic) “Me, no! Why would you say that?”
(Nosy kid) “Well when I was being a nosey brat in class earlier today I saw ‘diabetic’ under your name on the seating chart”
(Diabetic) “Stupid, you must have read it wrong…my middle name is David maybe it says that?? Or maybe the kid in front of me has diabetes??”
(Nosy kid) “I’m going to look tomorrow”
(Diabetic) “Go ahead, I don’t have stupid diabetes”

So later on that day when we had a short break I decided to take action. I waited in the hallway by the “brilliant” teacher’s classroom until he decided to step out for a restroom break. As soon as he disappeared into the bathroom I took an eraser out of my backpack and I went up to the seating chart and scrubbed the heck out of the “diabetic” description below my name.

After that day as I entered class I would walk very slowly as I passed the teachers desk to make sure the “diabetic” description was not back on the chart. To my luck the teacher and the nosy kid must not have been too smart, because I never heard or saw another mention of diabetes the rest of the year.

As I think back to these years where I went from openly telling people I had diabetes, to completely lying to people when they asked about it and I wonder what had changed? Shoot, some of these people I was later lying to had already known that I had diabetes! Who was I fooling? No one but myself.

So again, what changed? The only things I can come up with are that I was starting to become interested in the opposite sex and didn’t think that girls would be interested in me if they knew I had diabetes, and I wanted others to respect me as a person instead of the “diabetic” who always got a pass when the spelling test was starting. I didn’t enjoy cheese and crackers anymore!

It is unfortunate that I tried to hide my diabetes from everyone for so long. During the time where I was in denial regarding my diabetes I do not think that my HbA1c was ever much lower than 10%. An HbA1c is a blood test that reveals the average of your blood sugars over the past 3 months. An HbA1c of 10% reveals a 3 month blood sugar average of 240. According to the American Diabetes Association a healthy HbA1c is under 7% which is equivalent to blood sugar average of 154. Most doctors hope that their patients can get their blood sugars to fall in the range of 80-120 for most of the day. As you can see, my blood sugar average was 2-3 times higher than most doctors recommend.

I hope that other children do not go through some of these same struggles that I went through. Yes, I will admit that diabetes can get you down at times, it can make you feel singled out at times, and it can lead you to lie to others who only want to help. BUT, IF YOU WORK HARD TO CONTROL YOUR BLOOD SUGARS AND DO NOT LET DIABETES GET YOU DOWN YOU WILL FIND A small APPRECIATION FOR THIS DISEASE. You will find an inner energy and pride that you have never felt before. You will begin to take pride in the fact that it is not as easy for you to be healthy as it is for the nosy kid who gets into everyone else’s business. But, knowing that you accomplished health to the best of your ability gives you confidence that you have control over your life. Just because diabetes can get you down at times doesn’t mean that it has to!

Who would have thought that years after my denial with diabetes I would find a girl who knew me on paper as a “diabetic” before she knew any other thing about me!

“Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets.”

What did I do?!?

2009-07-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, where did the past 6 months go! As I mentioned in my previous post, I have em(barked)--parenthesis will be explained later} on a new journey in my life. I got rid of the old Brett and have found a new one who feels 15 years older! Maybe I age the same as dogs--or because of dogs--which I'll explain below!

Six months ago I accepted a position with Medtronic Minimed as a Diabetes Therapy Consultant, parting ways with the American Diabetes Association. By accepting this position with Medtronic I decided to move from my cozy little apartment in beautiful Belmont Shores to a city right next to the sun, Burbank! When it got warm inside my Belmont Shores apartment, I would simply crack a few windows and would be immediately cooled off by the fresh ocean breeze. If that didn't work, I'd throw on my board shorts and flip flops and stroll 2 blocks down to the beach. What did I do?!?

Upon moving into the Burbank apartment my girlfriend Amanda and I decided to try this thing called cohabitation. We had been dating for about 8 months at the time--but with all of the questions she asks I feel like we have known each other for much longer :) She really does ask a lot of questions, but her brothers and I have decided that it is not so much the barrage of questions that she unleashes, rather it is the timing in which she asks them ;) Common times for her to mount an attack; the second you walk in the door, 10 seconds left in a 1 point Laker game, the second you walk in the door, when you first open your eyes in the morning, the second you walk in the door--oh did I already mention this one.., when my blood sugar is low, when I am busy at work, and most common--when I am already a little on the grouchy side! What did I do?!?

To make things even more fun--upon beginning a new career, moving to the sun, and moving in with 21 questions, we decided to get a puppy!

PENNY PINSCHER

So let me tell you---she completely fooled us! She was an absolute angel in the store--and she looks absolutely adorable in this picture--but don't be fooled! Stare at the picture for a while and you'll begin to see the sinister demeanor she often portrays! And dogs aren't potty trained! At first Amanda and I wondered if we would ever get her trained but low and behold--at 7 months of age she is potty trained! Please disregard my facebook message from earlier today when I said that Penny jumped up on the bed--looked me in the eyes and then peed on my pillow--after that incident earlier today she is completely potty trained--I was in complete shock that she did that--she'll occasionally have a small accident on the carpet here and there, but my pillow! I'm hoping it was just a little hiccup in the road. What did I do?!?

A small detail I forgot to mention is that Amanda already has a cat that would now be forced to cohabitate with Penny.

SOPHIE

It was a gradual warming up to each other--but after a couple months and a few yanks on Sophie's tail by Penny, the 2 are now best of buds.

So life carried on and after a while it felt like we were really starting to have a life again. School was winding down, work was going well, the Lakers won the NBA Championship--right around the same time Amanda stopped asking me so many questions. Life near the sun was great!

(Backtrack) In February Amanda lost her grandpa to bone cancer, which was a horrible thing for her to go through. Amanda got the bad news on Valentine's day and that also happened to be the same day that we got Penny Pinscher. A very short 3 months later tragedy had struck Amanda again, as she found out that her Grandma also had terminal cancer. Timing is never right for things like this--but this was especially tough on her as she was still mourning her Grandpa's passing and immediately had to transition to mourning for her Grandma as well. I only got to meet her grandparents a few times so it would be unfair of me to give great details on their lives or even attempt to explain how tough it was on Amanda to lose both of her grandparents within 3 months of each other. But I do believe that I am lucky to have met these two great people! The day of her Grandma's funeral we decided that we wanted to add more stress to our lives so we went out and got

ROSCOE

He is now 4 months old and has been a complete pain in the neck! Not really---he has actually been unbelievably easy. Roscoe and Penny are polar opposites in that Penny likes to eat, run, jump, cause trouble, torment the cat, get into the trash can, eat your food when you are not looking...while Roscoe doesn't like to move. He barely eats, doesn't care that the cat exists, hates going for walks, couldn't jump over a quarter, and will never be tall enough to get into the trash can. We were worried that the 2 of them wouldn't get along--but we were completely wrong.

While they may have different personalities they still come together for some good ol tug of war! Believe it or not--but Roscoe holds his own and is not intimidated by Penny. 2 days after we got Roscoe we took him camping with us to Campland on the Bay in San Diego. He could probably care less if he ever goes back--but I think he had fun while he was there! We took them on a 3 seater bike and tough dog Penny was scared out of her mind--while Roscoe woke up for the picture but slept most of the time while the air flopped his ears around as we rode.

So if I haven't lost you by now--you are probably thinking man this guy is obsessed with his dogs! Amanda tells me that all of the time--or rather asks me all the time :) Maybe I am a little obsessed but I'll tell you they make my life better! I remember growing up and always wanting to bring home animals and my dad would say "they are too much work--and you kids say you'll take care of them but I always end up doing it." I'll tell you--I completely agree with him now--taking care of dogs requires a lot of work--and I'll often say "What did I do--my life used to be so simple?"But so far I wouldn't take back any decision that I have made over the past six months. Yes it is hot as hell out here in Burbank--and I would love to move back to Belmont Shores soon--but I wouldn't do it if it required leaving behind any of these monsters (Sophie, Penny, Roscoe, or trivial pursuit) that often cause my blood sugars to go through the roof because of the stress they cause me. Life is too short and there is no time to second guess your decisions by asking "What did I do?"--If you are not happy make a change--and if you are too happy get a puppy or 2 :)

Chapters

2009-02-06T00:20:00.001-08:00

Hey all,

It has been a long time since my last post and I really have no other excuse for my absence, so all I can do is promise a more active 2009!

So many things have changed in the past year and I'll try my best to update you on what is happening..if you care? Please care...

First of all, tomorrow (actually today, it is 1:30am) is my last day of work for the American Diabetes Association. I have been with the Association for nearly two years and feel that I am ready for the next step in my life. I began with the Association as a 24 year old kid who was full of energy, new to the nonprofit world, and thought that I had everything figured out! Since then I have ran out of energy, am a veteran in the nonprofit world, and still have everything figured out :)

I have grown up tremendously in the past 2 years (I am now a bigger and older kid) and am grateful to the ADA for exposing me to so many great people. Because of my experiences with the ADA I am now on an insulin pump, I now have countless friends who are affected by diabetes, and I have found many ways that I can help benefit others who have diabetes.

In addition to ADA's influence on me, I have also benefited greatly from the Master's program that I am now a few semesters away from completing. Last semester was one of the toughest and busiest times in my life, as I was taking 3 graduate classes and working (more than) full time-thanks ADA. At times I doubted whether all of this hard work was worth putting myself and family through, but after I received 3 A's and had a few remarkable Diabetes events I found out it was more than worth it. The "icing on the cake" for me was the Holiday party I threw for families that are affected by diabetes at the end of 2008. The event was a lot of fun, and we had 63 people RSVP'd and over 80 people showed up:) From my work in putting on events I know that you usually end up having fewer people attend the event than who RSVP'd...I was in disbelief when we were nearly at capacity for the venue.

So I think that is it...yup..that's all I can think of. HA HA

The other huge and exciting change in my life is that my girlfriend Amanda and I have decided to move in together. We found a place yesterday in Burbank that we both really like and we will be signing a lease next week...scary I know :) Along with my family, Amanda has been the most supportive, caring, and selfless person that I have ever met! I look forward to this new adventure as well...although we have not yet signed the lease so I have some time to catch a one way flight out of here :)

So today is the big day. My last day with the ADA. A chapter of my life closing while the next chapter awaits me...it goes something like that right???

I keep hearing that a chapter is closing but part of me feels like it will never end completely. Relationships don't end unless you walk out on them. The people that have touched me (the 60 families in the Greater Long Beach area network & most of my coworkers) will continue to hear from me, but I will now have more resources for them. That is how I look at it.

Let's be real for a minute, I never looked at the ADA as a job, so now that I am leaving it is hard for me to treat my friends as only being part of my previous job.

I begin my new job with Medtronic Diabetes on February 16th and I hope that 2 years from now I will be able to look back at this blog-post and say "wow, I have come so far!"

Diabetic

2008-03-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

"He's the diabetic kid"
"He's a diabetic, he can't have that"
"Aren't you a diabetic"
"I'm a diabetic"

The other day I was conducting a diabetes and health awareness assembly at a school, with a volunteer whom wanted to help out. I was more than happy to have her help out with the presentation. In talking to her before the presentation she mentioned that she became "diabetic" when she was 11 years old. She continued on with how being a "diabetic" has affected her life, and told me about some of the ups and downs she has gone through.

It was now my turn and I told her about myself and that I was diagnosed with "diabetes" when I was nine years old. I talked about how "diabetes" has changed my life by making me more responsible and more health conscious. We talked for a while longer before conducting the presentation to around 300 students at the school.

Minutes before the presentation I could "bite my tongue" no longer. I needed to talk to her about her word choice of "diabetic", rather than "diabetes". And here is what I said;

I was diagnosed with diabetes 16 years ago when I was nine years old. I have lived with diabetes ever since. But I am not a "diabetic".

The different pronunciation of the words diabetic and diabetes is minor, but to me, and many others, the meaning of these words are drastically different.

To refer to yourself as a diabetic, is to describe that a "diabetic" is what you are. It is a label that you or others put on your self.
"He's the diabetic kid"
"He's a diabetic, he can't have sugar"
"Aren't you a diabetic?"
"I'm a diabetic"

In my life I've been called the "diabetic kid", been told he cannot do something because he's a "diabetic", been asked if I am a diabetic", and even told people I am a "diabetic". But to clear things up, I am a person with diabetes that does so much more.

Why is it that a commonly viewed negative trait is the label that I get stuck with? Why am I not the Laker nut, or the college student, or the athlete, or just something I would like to be referred to as? To many, no matter what I do, I am still the "diabetic" who loves the lakers, or the "diabetic" that is in college, or the "diabetic" that plays basketball...etc.

The point is, that we all must be careful of labeling others, and not just people with diabetes. I know I was only corrected of this grammatical error months ago, but I have been more than careful to not label others in a negative way since.

It would be hypocritical of me to take offense to someone calling me a "diabetic", since I was calling my self a diabetic less than a year ago. But consider yourself warned...next time their will be consequences :)

"Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart"
William Shakespeare

Getting the hang of all this...

2008-02-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned the other day, I am now on an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor (CGM) . The insulin pump that my doctor and I selected is made by Medtronic and called the Minimed Paradigm 722. It is about the size of a pager and I wear it on my belt or put it in my pocket. Most people that see it do not appear to notice that it is not a pager as I rarely get questioned about it. The clear tubing coming out of it that carries insulin to my body is the "giveaway" as it is somtimes noticed.

So here is how the insulin pump and CGM work. The first thing I do when preparing my pump for use is I fill up small resevoir insulin. I attach the clear tubing to the resevoir and connect the other side of the tubing to the infusion set. The infusion set is the part of the pump that connects to my body. It is a small item that has a needle, coated by a small tube on it. The way it works is as the needle is inserted in my body (stomache, legs, lower back) to get a small amount of the tube under my skin. After the tube is under my skin I secure the insertion site and pull the needle out of my body, leaving the tube under my skin. The back side of the infusion set is connected to the tubing, which is connected to the resvoir, and now I am hooked up. I change the pump site every 2-3 days to prevent infections and pump site failure.

Now the CGM is a seperate piece that "communicates" with the the pump, giving me an average blood sugar reading every 5 minutes. I go back and forth over whether I am truly comitted to the CGM, as it is not 100% accurate, and it requires an additional insertion site on my body. The CGM is basically started the same way as the pump, with the major difference being that it does not have any tubing. It is inserted with a needle(a little deeper than the pump site, as it needs to read interstitial fluid) and after the site is secured, the needle is taken out, leaving a small tube underneath the skin to read my sugar levels.

As I mentioned, the two issues I have with the CGM is that it is not 100% accurate, and that I do not like having another insertion site on my body. The first day I put on the CGM is usually the worst day of it's accuracy, as the minor swelling around the insertion site prevents an accurate reading. By the second day of wearing the CGM the accuracy typically improves.

The second reason that I am not completely comitted to the CGM is that it requires a second insertion... and at times I feel that I am running out of sites. The times that I like the CGM the most is when I am playing sports, or just "out" with family or friends, and do not feel like checking my blood sugar. Their are many times when you are out of the house and you just want to know a general idea of where your blood sugar level. When connected with the CGM all you have to do is look down at your pump and you at least have a general idea of where your sugar level is at.

When I was being trained on the pump and CGM, I questioned the pump specialist over and over about the CGM and if it is truly worth it. Her being a person with diabetes as well, told me that "she likes the pump and CGM more than what she was doing before". That was good enough for me and I decided to give the CGM a try.

After 5 months or so of being on the insulin pump and CGM I absolutely love the pump, and "I like life with the CGM more than what I was doing before"... on a good day with the CGM I check my blood sugar (the old fashioned way) 2 times a day. A bad day with the CGM I might check my sugar level 8 times a day. These numbers are compared to 8-15 times a day of checking my blood sugar before I started the pump and CGM.

After five months with these 2 devices I still feel as though I am just starting to get the hang of it...and at times, after 16 years of diabetes, I feel as though I am just starting to get the hang of this disease as well.

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying".
Michael Jordan

Sorry...My Bad

2008-02-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

It was not until a few minutes ago that I truly missed writing my blog. I want to list a million excuses for why I took a "hiatus" but for the sake of positivity...here I am, back. So a lot of things have changed since the last time I posted and I feel all of my devoted readers (all four of you...I love you guys) need an update on my situation. Here are a few of the more significant changes:

1. I have moved to Long Beach (actually Belmont Shores) from Irvine where I am now living in a studio...by myself. I was living in Irvine with two roommates whom I lived with for a little over 3 years, so the peace and quiet is new to me.
2. I moved to Long Beach for two primary reasons. The first is I have started school at Long Beach State where I am working on a master's degree in Education, focus in Social and Multicultural Foundations. I started two weeks ago and so far I am really into it, give me a couple weeks and I'll be ditching classes again. J/K.
3. The other reason I moved to Long Beach is my job title at worked has changed from "School Walk coordinator" to " Youth Iniatives", which requires me to be in the office(located in L.A) a lot more often. With the new job title I will still be conducting the school walk events but I am also now responsible for creating a Family Resource Network for families with children with diabetes, in Long Beach.
4. I have become a Pau Gasol fan. For all of you who do not follow the Lakers (I guess some of you still exist) he is one of the best players in the NBA and he is now on the Lakers with Kobe.
5. I bought a pub table set, some things for the bathroom, HBO...and oh yeah..
6. I am now on an insulin pump. I started the insulin pump in September last year, pretty much the same time I stopped writing in my blog..no correlation between the 2. But I absolutely love the pump so far and will NEVER go back to injections again. I sometimes have nightmare's that my pump has stopped working, but then realize that it is actually my alarm clock making that beeping sounds...but seriously I have become dependent on the pump. My new best friend...sorry BJ, he doesn't read this anyway.

This weekend (which does include monday..president's day for us gov't employees) I promise will have another posting. The posting will be about my pump and Continuous Glucose Monitor(CGM) that I have been experimenting with for the past few months. Trust me, you do not want to miss it.

Take care and you will be seeing a lot more of me.

"Be the change you want to see in the World" Gandi

Basketball Fanatic

2007-09-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

So I'm a basketball fanatic. I love watching it, coaching it, but most of all, playing it. I first remember enjoying basketball when I was in 4th grade playing as a chubby youngster. I was a pretty active child and played in baseball and football leagues. But it was not until recently that I realized why as a youngster basketball appealed the most to me. The reason is that in order to play basketball all you need is a hoop and a ball. It is the only sport that can be played by yourself. I did have friends (well..a few) when I was younger, but I have always been a person who does not work well with other's schedules. I could pick up a basketball early in the morning, late afternoon, or at night, and not worry about if I had a friend to play with. I had a ball and a hoop.

4th grade was also the year that I was diagnosed with diabetes, and when my blood sugar was high I constantly had somebody(mom, dad, grandma, you name it..) telling me to go out and exercise. This led to my various workout times and riding a bike was getting boring. So basketball it is. Since the 4th grade, the only time I can remember not playing basketball at least once a week was last year when I broke my ankle. In the 4 weeks that I had a cast on I nearly "lost my mind". It was the longest period of my life that was spent basketball-less. To make things easier I ordered NBA league pass so I could watch every nba game that was played last season, it did not help.

It was not until high school that I started having trouble keeping my blood sugar under control while playing basketball. As mentioned earlier, when I was younger and my blood sugar was high I would go outside and play basketball to lower my sugar level. In high school I tried out for the basketball team and this is when my blood sugar control became worse.

First of all, I made the team (3 years of varsity) but during every practice or game I would feel like my blood sugar was going low. I chose to not check my blood sugar in front of others so I typically would wait until after the game or practice to check it. Assuming it would be low because of the straneous workout would I drank gatorade and continue to play. After the game I would check my sugar and was shocked by the results. Most of my blood sugar reading wer in the range of 200-400, I stopped drinking gaterade and just ignored my "low blood sugar feelings".

A good range of blood sugar is between 80-140, and between 120-150 when working out. These high blood sugar readings were not acceptable. Having high blood sugars causes you to feel fatigued, leads to dehydration, and makes you feel horrible.

I did not get it, if I went outside and played basketball by myself or with friends my blood sugar would drop. But if I was playing with this same group(sometimes there was a group) of friends in a more competitive enviornment (i.e. practice, game) my blood sugar would go through the roof. I talked to my doctor about it and he said the only way to alleviate this problem would be to check my sugar during the game. My response "Yah, thats going to happen". With my "abundance" of friends at the time, I could not afford to lose anymore which I felt would be the case if they knew I had diabetes.

So high school basketball continued with the same pattern for my entire career. I always played my best basketball in the beginning of the game when my blood sugar was normal, but by the second half my skill would always deteriate. I recall many situations where I would have extreme muscle cramping in my legs which is a direct result of dehydration. In one of these situations I had to tell the coach to pull me from the game.

After high school I have continued to play basketball but a more leisure intensity. I take a bottle of gatoreade and a gallon of water with me everytime I play. I also stop as many times as possible to check my sugar throughout the game.

A group of friends and I decided to sign up for a basketball league that plays every Tuesday. Last night was our third game of the season and here is a recap of how it went:

6:18pm blood sugar 130 (game my self 4 units of fast acting insulin)
6:45pm ate a peanut butter sandwich
7:57pm blood sugar 105
8:19pm blood sugar 103
8:20pm game starts- we only had 5 guys so I would be playing the whole game
8:48pm blood sugar 175 (halftime) I game myself 3 more units of fast acting insulin
9:11pm blood sugar 194 The game is over

During the course of this game I drank almost a gallon of water and did not have a sip of gatorade. This is by far one of the most controlled blood sugar experiences I have ever had while competing in a game. I am trying to keep this post positive so I will not tell you the outcome of the game, but I will tell you that I had fun.

At one of our ADA events I was fortunate enough to talk to NBA player Adam Morrison, whom also has type 1 diabetes. He said he has the same problem during games and his doctors told him it is because of adrenaline and nerves. If you ever get a chance to watch him play you will see that he checks himself constantly throughout the game.

With all of this said, I am taking my blood sugar control to the next level. I am going to be starting the insulin pump within the next week or so. The insulin pump that I am attempting to get is made by Medtronic and is called the Minimed Paradigm. When talking to my doctor he informed me that any professional athlete that has diabetes is required (in their contract) to be on a pump. During the games I will take the pump off but since the pump continually supplies my body with insulin throughout the day, my body will not be affected when I take it off for an hour or so.

I am saving most of my talk about the pump for after I start using it.

After you read this blog I do not want you thinking that I am making excuses for why I sucked last night, or why I was not the greatest high school basketball player. I wrote this because I have come a long way in terms of understanding my body, as well as this disease. The varying control I have had in the past is 100% my fault. I have always had the resources(i.e. insurance coverage, medical supplies) to improve my control but chose chose not too. After 16 years of living with diabetes I realize that I have so much more to learn about my body and the disease, lets just hope I start learning something soon.

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."
Vincent Van Gogh

Those Niece's I love...

2007-09-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

For the last few hours I have been trying to choose a diffferent topic to write about today but I cannot get this issue out of my mind. I hope my brother and sister in law do not mind that I talk about their recent experience.

One of my first blogs I posted I talked about diabetes as it relates to pregnancy. The reason this topic was relevant to me is that I had recently been informed that my brother and sister in law were expecting another child. This news caught me by surprise and I could not have been more excited about it. They already have 2 other children whom I absolutely adore. Their children are the smartest and funniest 8 and 9 year olds that I have ever met, a complete reflection of great parenting.

The other day I received a phone call from my mom whom had bad news for me. My "favorite little Griswold family"(as I called them in my other blog) had lost their new baby. I know miscarring is a common event, but this was the first time it had affected me.

Two weeks earlier, I was asked to watch those 2 niece's I love for the day while my brother and sister in law went to work. It was then that I realized how much work "good" parenting is, so halfway through the day I gave that up.

The day started at 7am and one of my niece's made me and english muffin for breakfast. After that we spent most of the day watching cartoons, playing video games, eating ice cream, and playing poker. I thought my brother would appreciate me teaching them how to play (using his poker chips) and I hear it was a "hit".

Throughout the day, one of my niece's would call their mom to see how she was feeling as they understand that during pregnancy you often do not feel good. During one of the conversations one of my niece's asked her mom "why she sounded so glum?" She was actually feeling fine but was using her work voice on the phone. It was the cutest thing.

Around 5pm they knew thier mom would be home shortly and could not wait. I went up the stairs for 2 seconds and came back down and they were making their mom her favorite tea(decaffinated). We had to warm it twice by the time her mom got home, they were so excited to help in every way they could.

After helping them prepare the tea, I went into the family room to see a blanket neatly tucked into the sofa, a comfortable lower back pillow, and a book titled "My Pregnancy Book". How smart and helpful were these two niece's? I asked them about it and they said that when their mom gets home from work she likes to sit there and relax with her blanket, pregnancy pillow, and pregnancy book.

If I was a cryer, which I am not, this would have brought a tear to my eye. These two girls are not only smart, funny, and beautiful, but they are caring, thoughtful, and beyond all, loving. Children are a reflection of their parenting and it is obvious that "those Niece's I love" have had the best. When I hear about someone I know becoming pregnant I often wonder how they will be as a parent. But when it comes to this favorite little Griswold family I know how they will be. Spend a few minutes with my niece's and you will see how wonderful they have been as parents.

I know this situation is a set back from their plans, but I know their strength as a family will get them through it. I have not yet seen my niece's since I heard the bad news, but I know they are doing all they can to help their parents through the situation.

We all lean on other's during times of difficulty, and I hope they know that I am here to help if they need me. I am completely recovered physically and financially (they took my money playing poker..) from my last stay as a sitter, and would love to watch "those niece's I love" again.

Does It Affect You?

2007-09-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about the recent court ruling that is designed to improve in-school care for children with Diabetes. The ruling requires every school in the state of California to have a trained diabetes practitioner "on-site" all day to administer care for children with Diabetes. Before the court ruling, many school districts either refused to administer care for children with diabetes, or are were required to share a nurse with other schools in the area. The only individual's allowed to provide care for a child with diabetes while he/she is at school is the school nurse, or the child's parent. I have met with schools where a nurse is responsible for administering all types of care for as many as 4 schools during a work week.

Because many schools refuse to provide diabetes care for children or they do not have the resources to do so, the parents of children with diabetes are responsible for providing the care. This causes many parents to risk their jobs because they can be called upon to care for their child at any moment. In addition to the emergency situations that these parents must be available for, they must also provide the daily care for their child with diabetes. Personally, I check my blood sugar between 10 and 15 times a day and also take at least, 4 shots a day. I know I check my sugar a lot, but my daily insulin shots are about average.

In a situation where a school refuses to administer any care for a child with diabetes, a parent should(should being the key word) make at least a few trips to the school each day to provide proper care for their child. Unless one of the parents are a "stay at home parent", this demand can be troublesome in the work force. I just cannot immagine how a parent in this situation would compete in the workforce, or better yet, a boss that would would allow this type of schedule flexibility.

While I do feel that relieing upon a parent to provide care for a child with diabetes while he/she is at school is a large issue, I believe the larger issue is the lack of immediate care for a child with diabetes. Let's imagine that we have a situation where a parent is available to provide daily care for their child while he/she is at school. If the child believes that they are having a low blood sugar he/she must wait for the parent to arrives before they know for sure. Trust me, even after living with diabetes for 16 years their are many times (almost daily) that I think my sugar is low when it is not. If the child has a high blood sugar (which I understand by most is not considered an emergency...I completely disagree) he/she has to wait for the parent to arrive to receive treatment.

A HIGH BLOOD SUGAR CAUSES DAMAGE TO THE BODY.

I made a statement that most do not consider a high blood sugar to be an emergency and I am going to tell a little story about that comment. The other day I was invited to represent the American Diabetes Association at a health fair put on by the Los Angeles Unified School District for their school nurses. About halfway through the day a nurse came up to me and asked about the court ruling regarding in-school diabetes care. I told her that I am familiar with the ruling and asked if she had any questions about it. She told me how unhappy they (nurses) are about the ruling and hope that their is an appeal. She walked away and a few minutes later another school nurse inquired about the ruling.

This nurse was also unhappy with the ruling for 2 reasons. The first reason deals with a non-registered practitioner providing care for a child with diabetes. Her isssue is with the time it will take out of her schedule to train a non-registered individual. Next, the second reason she is unhappy with the ruling is because she feels that the in-school care for children with diabetes is already "up to par". She went on to say that the "only" emergency a child with diabetes faces is a low blood sugar, which can be treated with some sugar until the nurse or parent arrives.

The last comment she made to me was that "during school hours (which is at least 6 hours a day) the nurses feel that it is better for a child with diabetes to have higher blood sugars to prevent them from passing out".

Instead of getting infuriated by this conversation, I quickly realized that this is an issue of ignorance. If she knew what it was like to have a high blood sugar, or how a parent felt when their child has a high blood sugar, or most importantly, the consequences of having a high blood sugar, then she would not feel this way. I too often hear that a high blood sugar is better than a low one and I could not disagree more. I feel that a high or low are equally damaging, and the main difference in the two is that a low blood sugar can cause an immediate emergency, while a high blood sugar will typically cause the emergency in the years to come.

Having high blood sugars for 30 hours (a minnimum school week) will cause damage to the child. Do these "trained" nurses not understand this, or do they understand this, but prefer the emergency to be when the child is not on their "watch"?

I choose to believe that it is ignorance, rather than responsibility on the part of the nurses, for why some of them feel this way. Diabetes is a disease that often takes years to reveal complications from bad control. We as an informed and responsible society have to ensure those(children) whom are dependent on others for care, are receiving opportunity. Opportunity, to choose good health when they are old enough to care for themself.

I challenge you to become an advocate for children, and to question why most of us are only concerned about issues when they touch us personally?

Why me? WHY NOT ME?

2007-08-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

When speaking with others who have diabetes I often hear them say "Why me, I don't want to deal with this anymore..." I understand why these thoughts may cross your mind, but I do not agree with them.

"Why me?", is a short statement that means so much. The statement "Why Me?" implies"why not somebody else?" Do you think somebody else could "handle" this disease better than you? Maybe you do? But I would never wish diabetes on another person. I say this not because Diabetes is the worst disease in the world, or because I feel sorry for everybody who has the disease, but rather, because I know I can handle this disease; and choose to.

For a second, let's hypothetically say I could give this disease(diabetes) away to somebody, the only catch being that it had to be somebody you truly care about. With out a doubt I would pick my sister. I would not pick her not because she annoys me(although she can, j/k), I would pick her because I admire her strength. It is not the experiences and situations that people have gone through that make them a strong person, it is the way they react to these experiences and situations that display their strength.

A few years back my sister was the unfortunate/fortunate person to find one of her best friends dead after she had committed suicide. I put unfortunate/fortunate as an option because I can not speak for my sister, but I would imagine she would rather be the one that found her friend dead than one of her other friends. It was a dramatizing situation to say the least, but I could not have been more impressed by the way she handled it. Would I have handled this situation as well as her? I do not know.

Back to the hypothetical situation, it is not that my sister would not handle diabetes as well, or better than myself, but again, I know I can handle it. With all the other challenges that face her on a daily basis, why would I be selfish enough to give her another?

Earlier in this blog I wrote I know I can handle this disease, and I choose to. What I meant by that statement is taking care of my diabetes in not a must. It is a must if I desire good health, fewer(no) complications, and a future. But taking care of my self is something that I choose to do because I desire these things. All choices have outcomes and/or repercussions, so if you choose to not take care of your self whether you have diabetes or not, I just hope that you are aware of the possible outcomes.

Furthermore, I truly do feel sad for people whom either choose not to take care of themselves, can not take care of themselves, or did/do not have access to proper care. These may include babies, children, lower economic individuals, and people from past generations. I hope that people that provide care for babies and children are aware of the repercussions of bad health, and also care to provide them with proper care.

Moreover, I am also aware of the improvement in health care options for people with diabetes in recent years. People that have had diabetes for many years did not have access to proper care and I am also saddened by their situation.

We are challenged by illnesses, diseases, relationships, jobs, and many other wanted or unwanted obstacles every day. Whom am I to say that my challenges are worse than yours, or that you can handle one of mine? Diabetes has been my most trying obstacle through the first 25 years of my life, constantly challenging me mentally and physically. It is a challenge but it does not have to win. You do have a choice.

Whenever the thoughts "Why Me, I don't want to deal with this anymore?" cross my mind, I think of my sister and how those words would never come out of her mouth.

"WHY NOT ME?"

Insulin Gone Bad...

2007-08-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday (8-19-07)
This past Sunday was one that I will never forget. In terms of insulin shots, exercise, and meal plans this Sunday was about as typical as they come. I have found that the best way for me to achieve consistently good blood sugar readings requires consistency in my insulin dosages (time and amount), exercise, and eating habits. In other words, I try to achieve predictability in my blood sugar readings by eating foods that are equal in carbs, fat, and protein, while being consistent with a workout plan so I can take close to the same amount of insulin each day. A typical day consists of 4 shots; one shot before each major meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), and 1 more shot before I go to bed of a product called lantus, which is a 24 hour insulin. Lantus is designed to keep sugar levels consistent by slowly releasing insulin into the blood steam. In a typical day I also do between 30-60 minutes of cardio 6-7 times a week. Again, consistency and predictability are highly desirable to a person with diabetes.

(Sunday 6pm-9pm)
I decided to go out to Corona to join my favorite relatively new sub-Griswold(Casey, Jamie, Alyssa, and Ashley) family for dinner. Before we ate dinner I gave myself my usual 4 unites of insulin (shot). We ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant where Alyssa had me try her just created drink "special" which consists of Brisk Raspberry Iced Tea, Sobe, and Lemonade, clever mix for someone who is not allowed to have soda. Now that I think about it, this drink may have had something to do with my adventurous night...maybe their were other ingredients..? j/k-I only had a sip. After dinner around 9 pm I gave myself 26 units of Lantus which is the 24 hour insulin that I mentioned earlier.

(Sunday 9pm-11pm)
After dinner with my favorite little family(which will be one more in less than 8 months) I went to my sister's work to give her a present that I bought for her when I was in Washington DC. We sat down for an hour (while she was still on the clock) and enjoyed a desert and an iced tea. The pizookie I thought for sure would shoot my blood sugar through the roof. Before driving home around 11pm I decided to check my blood sugar in case I had to give my self a "spot-dosage" of insulin to alleviate my high sugar level. To my surprise my blood sugar level was 73, a little bit low, so I drank some Gatorade and drove 40 miles back to Irvine.

(Sunday 11pm-Monday 1Am)
11:10Pm I checked my blood sugar again before going to bed and it was 66. As I have mentioned in other postings a good blood sugar is between 80-140, but a good blood sugar before going to bed is between 130-160. So I poured myself some Gatorade and made myself a sandwich and then laid in bed. Not feeling too tired I decided to do a little reading.
12:12 Am I am now ready for bed so out of curiosity I check my sugar again, 57, I begin to worry and have a "nervous" feeling inside. I got up and ate another sandwich, a banana, and washed it down with some Gatorade.
12:41Am Blood sugar 93, I am now not only feeling the nervous feeling inside but I am also feeling sick from all of the food and sugary drinks that I had consumed. It was also not that long ago that I ate a fairly large burrito for dinner and had a pizookie for desert (I didn't eat it by myself..Ashleigh and I shared). I then ate an energy bar and some more Gatorade.
12:59Am Blood sugar 82, Feeling like I am going to pass out I start to think that I might not be able to elevate my blood sugar on my own.

(Monday 1Am-2Am)
1:06AM Blood sugar 56, I pick up the phone to dial 911 but then hang up. Here's my thought process for why I hung up the phone:
" How embarrassing...are they going to make a huge scene when the paramedics arrive? How much is this going to cost me? Can I afford it? I can do this.."
1:22Am Blood sugar 68, heart racing, heat flashes, and I feel like throwing up.."I CAN'T DO THIS.."
1:23Am I call 911, I explain my situation and the operator tells me that an ambulance is on its way. Before hanging up I ask her a few questions..

Me "Do they have to send an ambulance and a fire truck?
Operator- "Yes"
Me - "Do they have to turn on their sirens when they come?"
Operator-"Yes"
Me-"Can I meet them outside, my roommates are sleeping?"
Operator-"(Now sounding a bit annoyed) No sir..Unlock your door, sit down with a juice of some kind and the ambulance will be their shortly."
Me- "Do...j/k." I knew if I asked another question the operator might reconsider sending that ambulance..
Me-"Thank you"

1:30Am As I am sitting on the couch I not only see the ambulance go right on by my apt, but I see and hear the two other fire trucks go by as well. After seeing this I decide the way to resolve this situation is to go outside and find them. As I am walking down the stairs of my apt a fireman pushing a gurney towards me asks "are you the patient?"
Me-"yep" As I continue walking towards him.
Fireman-(Loud enough for all 15 fireman and paramedics to hear he says) " Hey guy's here's our patient..Look our patient is walking to us"
As I climb into the ambulance my blood sugar is 95, I explain what had taken place and they began testing my vital signs.
1:36Am Blood sugar 145, Just as I feared. I am sitting in an ambulance at 1:30 in the morning with 15 firemen and paramedics at my side and my blood sugar is fine. As I am sitting in the ambulance for a while and everything seems to be fine the fireman asks "So do you want us to take you to the hospital or something?"
Me-(Defensively) "Man I swear I was about to pass out. But I do feel a little better."
Fireman"I believe you, let's take you in so they can run some tests, it will be a 2 hour inconvenience."
The paramedic that rode along with me was a younger guy whom I quickly realized was fairly new. I kept explaining how embarrassed I was for the huge scene that I had caused so he thought a story might make me feel better. He starts out by telling me how nice my apartment complex is and how he was on a call here earlier in the day. A young woman had been found dead in our spa after they believe she had finished working out. Not my idea of a "pick-me up" story and he immediately realizes it.
Paramedic-"Hey did I tell you that the nurse in the emergency room is a real cutie".
Much better.
1:55Am Blood sugar 186 upon my arrival to the emergency room.

(Monday 2Am-8Am)
2:36Am Blood sugar is now 236, I am feeling a lot better but am now beginning to feel sluggish due to the high blood sugar.
3:30Am Blood sugar 330, the doctor finally sees me and tells me that they are going to do a shot of 1o units to get my sugar under control. After my blood sugar "levels out" I will be free to go. I explained to her that I think 10 units is way too much and that I would just go extremely low after that. She insists on putting at least 7 units and I fight her on that as well. At this time they had me on an I.V which was pumping sugar water into my blood stream. Her plan was to put the insulin in the I.V which would make the dosage extremely potent. She gives me 4 units and then disappears.

4:10Am Blood sugar 118, I brought my own blood sugar monitor with me to the hospital because I do not like others "pricking" me. My blood sugar dropped over 200 units in forty minutes which is way too fast. I began feeling sick again so I tried to get the doctors attention. I got out of my bed and walked out into the hallway and found my doctor talking to the other nurse's. I tell her that when she gets a chance I would like to speak with. I guess I was not dramatic enough because she did not come into my room for another fifteen minutes.

4:25Am Blood sugar 78, she realizes that their is a problem and immediately increases the amount of sugar being delivered into my system via the I.V. The nurse explains that they are going to keep me at least for another few hours and then asks if she could get me anything? I ask her for a pen and some paper and begin writing this post which is why their are so many details to it.

The nurses continue to monitor my blood sugar once an hour and since I had my own machine I was checking it every half an hour. For some reason I was not tired any more and became excited about my next post.

(Monday 8Am-8Pm)
A little after 8 in the morning I was transferred up stairs to a hospital room where I was to stay until at least noon. They wanted to have an endocrinologist see me and he finally made his 3 minute appearance around noon. Throughout the day I was closely monitored and was up and down in terms of how I felt. My blood sugars had finally somewhat stabilized by the late afternoon and I was discharged around 8pm. My "2 hour inconvenience" had turned into a 19 hour day that I will never forget.

Upon leaving the hospital it is not yet know what caused my sugars to go out of control like they did. The doctor's assume that I either switched my 24 hour insulin with the fast acting insulin, meaning that I took 26 units of a medicine that I would normally only take 4 units of. The other assumption is that I took "bad-insulin" which I believe to be most likely the situation. I do make mistakes, but it was only about 5 weeks ago that I accidentally switched my insulin causing a similar situation that I was not hospitalized for. In the 16 years that I have had diabetes the situation 5 weeks ago was the first time that I had made that mistake. While it is possible that I again switched my insulin's, I have my doubts primarily because I have been even more cautious in the weeks that have followed.

It has been 3 days since I was released from the hospital and I am finally feeling like I am back to normal. I did not mention earlier in this post the main reason that I did not want to call 911. The reason is that I can no longer say that I have not been hospitalized since my diagnosis 16 years ago. You might be thinking "so what, you needed a little help", but to me it is a drastic hit to my pride. I work hard to be healthy and I pride myself on my independence and success. The 5-7 minutes that it took for the parade (ambulance and fire trucks) to arrive was the most scared I have ever been in my life. I have never felt such a loss of control. I guess it's true when they say enjoy every moment as if it were your last because you never know when it might be over. It is looking back on that Sunday afternoon that was spent with my favorite little griswold family and my long fun visit with my sister, that I realize how truly dependent on others I am. How important would my health be to me if I did not have these loving relationships to look forward to?

Save the Children

2007-08-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 16 years ago I was told that a child gets type 1 diabetes and adults get "adult-onset" diabetes, which is now most commonly referred to as type 2 diabetes. In sixteen years things have changed dramatically.

People of all ages are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, some as young as 4 years old. Type 2 is associated with "insulin resistance" where the pancreas still produces insulin, just not enough to compensate for the amount of sugar in the blood. Having elevated sugar levels in the blood can lead to complications such as numbness, amputations, blindness, heart disease, and even death.

150 million people worldwide have diabetes, and of those 21 million live in the United States. Of those living with diabetes 90-95% have type 2 diabetes. Many people live for years with out knowing they have type 2 diabetes (6 million in the U.S). 55% of the people living with type 2 diabetes are obese. Diabetes is much more common in the African American, Latino, Native American, and Asian American/Pacific Islander populations. In addition to this, having a relative with type 2 diabetes significantly increases your chance of developing the disease.

I am often shocked when I visit a school and see how many children are not just overweight but obese. One of the schools that I am working with has reported that 55% of their students are obese. If current trends continue, 1 in 3 people born after 2004 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. Something needs to change.

Compared to type 1 diabetes, type 2 can for the most part either be prevented or at least easily controlled with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Studies have shown that losing 10 pounds can significantly improve your chances of avoiding complications from diabetes.

Regular exercise does not mean that you need to go to the gym everyday, it may mean increasing you regular day activities by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It does not have to be as dramatic as some make it seem. Dieting is a life style change not a quick fix. It is recommended that in a healthy weight loss program that your target goal should be to lose a pound a week. That is only four pounds a month and 48 pounds a year. Be patient, strive for daily success while keeping your focus on the overall goal. (visit http://www.diabetes.org/) for more information of diet and exercise.

I received an email this morning from The California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance regarding the state funding for Physical Education Programs at schools. They are concerned that the state might cut funds from the already depleted school PE programs. They are asking for you to submit an email to your local legislator to urge them to not make any cuts from their budget. If you want to find you local legislator please go to http://www.legislature.ca.gov/

Today's generation of children is the first generation in the United States that is not expected to out live their parents age.

Pregnancy and Diabetes

2007-08-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Gestational diabetes occurs when hormones in the mother's body that support the growth of the baby block insulin from lowering sugar levels in their blood. It affects 4% of all women who go through pregnancy and is diagnosed by elevated sugar levels in the blood. If you are having your first child and have elevated sugar levels during pregnancy, chances are that gestational diabetes will reoccur in later pregnancies as well.

While gestational diabetes typically goes away after the pregnancy, if it is not treated properly it can affect the baby as well as the mother. As mentioned earlier mother's with gestational diabetes have a blockage of insulin, or insulin resistance. This causes the child's pancreas to create more insulin which leads to stored fat. This stored fat in the child leads to microsomia or "fat" baby. (http://www.diabetes.org/)

Gestational diabetes can also affects the mother's health as it typically very often leads to type 2 diabetes later on in life. Both gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes are associated with "insulin resistance".

While gestational diabetes is a concern in our community, it can be controlled with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and proper medical treatment. If you are planning on becoming pregnant or are currently pregnant, the key is to make sure your blood sugar levels are in good control before the pregnancy as well as during the pregnancy.

For additional information on this topic please visit the American Diabetes Association website at https://diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp

Diabetes News: Improving in-school care

2007-08-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

August 8, 2007

With the support of The American Diabetes Association a ruling was made in favor of children with diabetes regarding in-school healthcare. Schools are now required to have a trained diabetes specialist that can assist children with blood sugar testing and insulin shots. Here is a section of the article:

"OAKLAND, Calif., Aug 08, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell joined representatives of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) today to announce a landmark agreement that ensures California students who are classified as disabled because of diabetes will be safe at school and enjoy the same legally-required educational opportunities as their peers. The agreement clarifies the rights of eligible students with diabetes in every school district throughout the state.
"Through this cooperative agreement with the ADA, the CDE is committed to ensuring that all children with diabetes in California schools have access to legally required care during the school day," O'Connell said. "A lack of resources, uncertainty about how services are best delivered, and lack of clarity about state and federal requirements have in some instances caused hardship to parents of children with diabetes. No parent should have to put a job at risk in order to administer legally-required diabetes treatment to their child during the school day."
The announcement brings to an end litigation, filed by four families and the American Diabetes Association in federal district court in San Francisco, alleging that some California school districts were not providing insulin administration and other services to students with diabetes-related disabilities who were legally entitled to them while at school.
Under the agreement, each local education agency (LEA) will manage the delivery of this care in the best possible way for those students whose Individualized Education Programs or 504 Plans require administration of insulin and related services during the school day. The CDE will issue a Legal Advisory to all California school districts providing guidance on health care services for students with diabetes and outlining the rights of these students under federal anti-discrimination and special education statutes-Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Advisory explicitly states that school districts have an obligation to provide insulin administration and related services to eligible students who need the assistance."

You can follow this link for the rest of the articlehttp://www.diabetes.org/diabetesnewsarticle.jsp?storyId=15672863&filename=20070808/comtex20070808pr00002537caadadiabetesschoolEDIT.xml

or it can be found at www.diabetes.org

I am very excited to see this ruling, although I am curious to see how it is interpreted in the individual school districts. It has the potential to be significant step in the right direction for improving the health of children with diabetes.

My Story

2007-08-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

My name is Brett Griswold and I am twenty five years old and have been living with diabetes for sixteen years. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was nine years old after a week of what my family thought was the flu. In the week leading up to my diagnosis I lost more than ten pounds, due to my bodies' defensive reaction to the increased sugar level in my blood. The pancreas organ in my body is responsible for producing insulin which controls the sugar level in my blood. For some unknown reason my pancreas was no longer able to produce insulin which resulted in the sugar level in your blood to rise, and actually becomes toxic. In an attempt to get the toxins out of my blood I became extremely thirsty which leads to using the bathroom literally every five minutes. My mom actually remembers an instance where I told her that "I can drink water and pee at the same time". She thought I was trying to show her some kind of magic trick, but in actuality I was trying to tell her the water that I was drinking was going right through me.

After a week of sleeping, drinking, and urinating, I was finally diagnosed with diabetes when my blood sugar test revealed a 400 plus reading. Comparatively to others' at diagnosis, my sugar level was not that high as I have heard of results of over 1,000. Someone with out diabetes has a sugar reading of between 80-140, 140 being after a tub of ice cream. I spent a week in the hospital and have not been hospitalized ever since.

In my early years after my diagnosis I did not have a problem telling people that I have diabetes. I actually thought it was cool because of the attention I received and the candy I was allowed to eat in class when I told the teacher my sugar was low. But in junior high my mindset changed. I no longer wanted people to know I had diabetes because I no longer wanted the type of attention I was getting. I wanted attention for my athletic ability from the boys, and I wanted girls to think I was cute. But no matter how long I practiced basketball or how long I spent doing my hair, my label was the "diabetic".

After two years in junior high I attended a high school where only a handful of students were from my junior high were attending. It was a new beginning for me and my past label as the "diabetic" was behind me. Throughout high school I played four years of high school basketball (three of the years varsity) and track my senior year. I was able to keep my diabetes a secret from most of my friends and teachers, except for when my mom would have a private conversation with a staff member that I was unaware of.

I never wanted my diabetes to be an excuse for why I could or could not do something. If I deserved to be on the basketball team it required that I compete at a high level regardless of my personal matters(sugar level). Everything was fine until my senior year when I discovered through a team meeting that my coach knew I had diabetes. The day of the meeting was a hot day at the beginning of summer. We had just lost a game the night before and our coach felt that our conditioning was the reason, so he decided that we should as a team go for a 7 mile run. During the meeting he without saying names said one of the rudest comments that I have ever been a victim of. His words were "for any of you with diseases you can stay here because I do not want to have to take you to the hospital". I was shocked, disgusted, and most of all mortified by that comment. Not once in my four years of high school basketball did I tell a single coach that I had diabetes, or excuse myself from any team participation. I tried so hard to excel at basketball and athletics but in my coach's eyes I was still, the "diabetic".

Because of my desire to not let people know that I had diabetes while in high school, my sugar levels were out of control. My diabetes management was horrible in the sense that I hardly ever took my blood sugar test, and most of my A1C results were above 9%, which is a test that measures your blood sugar average over a span of 10-12 weeks. A desired A1C result is 7% or lower. Having high blood sugars leads to complications such as blindness, heart disease, amputations, and very often death.

It has been seven years since I graduated from high school and my life has changed completely. After high school I attended Long Beach state where I obtained my undergraduate degree. I also have worked as a personal trainer which taught me about the importance of not only exercise, but diet as well. After graduating from Long Beach State I became involved in the American Diabetes Association. I work for the association as a coordinator for a School Walk program which educates schools (teachers and students) on diabetes awareness and prevention for type 2 diabetes.

My main focus in the School Walk program is to spread diabetes awareness, promote healthy eating habits, explain the importance of exercise, and help all those affected by diabetes. I plan on starting a master's program at Long Beach State in the spring of 2008 and I will guarantee that most of the others in the program, if not all, will know that I have diabetes. Diabetes awareness and education is extremely important for our community as it currently effects 21 million people. Currently 14 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes while another 7 million people are unaware of their symptoms.

"My story" is not intended for the purpose of compassion or guilt, but rather to promote choice. Nearly everybody is affected in some way by diabetes but it is your choice of how you respond to the disease. Many would say that I have been fortunate to not have had any complications since my diagnosis 16 years ago, and I would not disagree. But I would also say that it is my choice to no longer let the ignorance of diabetes, or the disease itself control me.

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