Is That a Pump in Your Pocket…Or a VW Beetle?

Shortly after writing about my colourful diabetes life, I saw a VW Beetle parked at the side of the road.

While at first glance, it may appear that these two events have nothing in common, upon closer inspection they are, in fact, rather intimately linked.  How so?  Well, the Beetle I saw wasn’t just any VW Beetle.  No sirree.  This was a VW Beetle sporting a fine coat of paint freakishly reminiscent of my colourful diabetes life.  There it sat, at the side of the road, dressed exactly like my faithful diabetes companion – my bright green insulin pump.

It made me smile (kinda like when I see a Holstein cow with the same markings as the Jack cat).  Then, it made me laugh out loud.  So, of course, I had a little photoshoot (are you really that surprised?)…

Me, my pump and its matching car.

Freakishly similar, no?

Congratulations, TT1!

Sorry for the lack of blog posts this week.  Mid-week found me on one of the Gulf Islands, sans internet, soaking up the rain and sunshine (ahh, the Pacific Northwest).

However, I am now back in the city, have a working internet connection and am ready to blog!  Since Saturday, I’ve been following Team Type 1‘s progress in the cycling Race Across America.  Having found myself with a working internet connection and access to the Team Type 1 blog, I am pleased and excited to announce that Team Type 1 is this year’s champion in the 8-person division of the Race Across America!  Having kept the lead since the 150 mile mark, Team Type 1 arrived in Annapolis, Maryland around 2:30am this morning EST.  In addition to their first place win, this year’s Team Type 1 also set a new 8-person record, completing this gruelling 3021 mile (4861 km) race in only five days, nine hours and five minutes!  When Daniel and I moved across the country last year, it took us seven days to drive that distance.  Way to go, Team Type 1!  And thank you for being such an inspiration.

photo by: Karen Scheerer source: http://teamtype12007.blogspot.com/

One Shot: Team Type 1 Documentary

Team Type 1 is just a-pedallin’, and they’ve increased their first-place lead in the Race Across America to about two hours.  All I can say is…wow.  As a cyclist with type 1 diabetes, I am constantly impressed and inspired by these incredible athletes.  This afternoon, rider Matt Brooks hit speeds greater than 27mph (that’s more than 43km/hr!)…wow.

I recently became aware that a Team Type 1 documentary, entitled “One Shot,” is in the process of being filmed.  Very exciting news!  One of the major goals of Team Type 1 is to put a person with type 1 diabetes in the Tour de France by 2012.  (Once again, all I can say is…wow.)  The film crew, including director Lisa Hepner, has been following Team Type 1 for two years and will continue to follow them until they reach this amazing goal.  A seven minute trailer of the documentary is posted on the Vox Pop Films website.  I highly recommend that you check it out.  I can’t wait to see the whole thing!

Team Type 1 Races Across America

Today marks the first day of Race Across America (RAAM) – a grueling bicycle race covering over 3000 miles from California to Maryland, climbing over 100,000 feet – and Team Type 1 has started pedalling (and plans to finish in only five days!).

For those of you who don’t follow these guys like I do, Team Type 1 was created in 2004 by two inspirational PWDs – Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge, diagnosed at 7 months and 10 years respectively.  They’ve been featured in papers across the United States (New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times) as well as in Bicycling magazine and on diabetes health blog, DiabetesMine.  Talk about bringing attention to diabetes!  Team Type 1 is devoted to spreading the message that diabetes shouldn’t hold you back and, with tight control, anything is possible.

And today, eight athletes – all with type 1 diabetes – have embarked on Team Type 1′s fourth RAAM.  New this year, Team Type 2 is also competing in the Race Across America.  For updates and to track both teams’ progress, visit the team blog.

Let’s go Team Type 1!

Grapity Purple

Waiting for the JDRF Walk to begin last Sunday morning, scoping out the resource booths (have I mentioned how much I love free D-related swag??), a flash of purple caught my eye.  There, just to my left, quivering in the morning breeze, was a collection of purple balloons, stamped with the words, “Animas Canada.”

“Purple?” I thought.  “Animas doesn’t make a purple pump…do they?”

But then, I saw the poster.  The poster with the picture.  The poster with the picture of the purple OneTouchUltraMini meter.  (And the pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle).  A purple meter?  How cool is that?! I was excited.  Excited like a kid in a candy store…but I was an adult at a diabetes resource fair.  Skipping over to the OneTouch booth, I asked if any purple meters were available.  And the answer was yes.  Yes! As the OneTouch representative set the date and time and coded the meter, I bounced and smiled like I was about to receive my most-desired Christmas present, the one I’d been hinting at for months.  Oh, the things that send my diabetes heart aflutter…like a brand spankin’ new, shiny ‘n snazzy purple blood glucose monitor!

Doing my first blood test on my new grapity fashionable diabetes management tool, I couldn’t help thinking about my first blood glucose monitor and how I would have loved a grapity purple meter when I was first diagnosed.  Instead, I was given a thick red and grey box of a monitor, encased in an old-man-esque pleather wallet with a magnetic clasp…clearly not designed with a nine year old girl in mind.  At the time though, I actually didn’t mind my old-man-esque meter.  In fact, I was quite fond of it.  I have a tendency to get quite attached to my blood glucose meters.  We do, after all, spend a lot of time together.  And, while I know the meter is simply the messenger, my monitors tend to bear the brunt of my blood glucose frustration…and contentment.  I know, I know, “don’t shoot the messenger,” but sometimes it just happens!  Yes, I have been known to throw my meter across the room when my sugars aren’t cooperating but we always make up in the end.

It may be superficial to get so excited about a new, purple meter but my diabetes management tools are part of my daily life.  And liking them, wanting to show them off and use them, is important.  I am definitely a fan of my colourful diabetes life and happy that the days of grey medical management are a thing of the past.  Green pump?  Purple meter?  Pink back-up meter?  You betcha!  I just wish my childhood-self could have experienced this rainbow age of diabetes management…she would have liked it.  Actually, she still does.

Berry Pickin’ Time

Living with diabetes and celiac, I spend a lot of time considering what I eat.  I am grateful for all the health and specialty food stores in Victoria that allow me to stock my pantry with items such as sugar-free jam, gluten-free granola bars, sugar-free syrup and gluten-free pasta.  These products add some much needed variety to my diet and I am definitely appreciative.  However, no matter how much I adore my frozen, buckwheat waffles, gluten-free chocolate cake mix and real-fruit, no-sugar-added popsicles, it is fresh fruits and veggies (the more local the better!) that really get me excited.

In the fall, I become obsessed with apples and squashes from local farm markets.  The colours, the smells, the crazy squash shapes…I just can’t get enough.  With summer arriving, lately I have been excited about tomatoes and carrots and peas and cherries and…(wait for it)…strawberries.  Yes, the local strawberries are ready for eatin’ and they are most definitely worthy of a little extra insulin in the middle of the afternoon.  Mmm, strawberries…I can’t imagine a better June treat.

The Walk Wrap

Yesterday’s Walk to Cure Diabetes was definitely a success.  With a 30% greater turnout than last year, beautiful sunshine and enough crates of juice boxes to treat about a thousand low blood sugars, it was a great morning.  It was Team My Favourite Number‘s first JDRF Walk and, while our team was tiny (3 members) we had fun and far surpassed our fundraising goal!

I want to say thank you to all of my amazing family and friends who were rooting for Team My Favourite Number from across the country.  Despite our lack of proximity, I definitely appreciated all the support.  And, speaking of support, our team’s fundraising efforts totalled $1290!  Far beyond our initial goal of $500.  So, once again, thank you.  The JDRF funds lots of incredible and important type 1 diabetes research.  And, with scientific research comes scientific breakthroughs.  And, with scientific breakthroughs comes improvements in the quality of life with diabetes.  And…maybe…just maybe…one day…a cure.

My favourite elements of the day?

1. The bowl of half bananas in the food tent.  I love diabetes-specific catering.
2. All the supportive families wearing custom designed t-shirts in honour of their favourite PWD.
3. Free diabetes swag.  I heart medical swag.  In fact, it makes my day.
4. Smack dab at the finish line…the large pile of manure surrounded by four conspicuous, orange pylons.  Didn’t anybody have a shovel?  And why didn’t I see a horse, or a cow, or any other large ungulate capable of producing such refuse?

Now That’s a Trophy!

With the Victoria JDRF Walk fast approaching, I’ve decided to interrupt Laughter Week to bring you some good ol’ nostalgia…

This is me (age 12) and my dad back in 1996 at a Canadian Diabetes Association Flame of Hope Walk.  Needless to say, we did our fair share of fundraising.  (Despite my queries, however, I was not allowed to bring the gigantic trophy home…I still think it would look just swell sitting atop my grandmother’s mantle.)  To make up for the lack of trophy, I was given a size XXXL Red Wings jersey (score!).  Too bad I don’t still have it for tonight’s Stanley Cup Final…

This Sunday, Team My Favourite Number will be walking in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes at Beaver Lake Park.  I may be older and wiser than I was back in ’96 but I’m still just as passionate about raising funds for diabetes research…and winning oversized hockey jerseys.  We’ve started stretching, put new laces on our sneakers and, tonight, we’ll be hauling out the smelly permanent markets and an old bedsheet to create a large Team My Favourite Number banner!  Stay tuned for photos from this weekend’s walk and, if you’re interested in pledging our team, we are still seeking pledge support.

Chalky? Delicious.

"Lemon raspberry turnover, anyone?"

After yesterday’s post, I’ve decided to dub this week Laughter Week at My Favourite Number.  Today’s post will showcase one tried and true method for staying sane and smiling in the midst of all those unpleasant aspects of life with diabetes (ex: 3am lows and rebound highs).

Introducing Hypoglycemia Haute Cuisine…

In this day and age of Food Network-based culinary education, rock star chefs and DIY gourmet dining, we’ve been taught that anybody and everybody (including a young, cartoon rat with an unbelievable sense of smell) can be their own five star, kitchen genius.  Heck, with only a few jelly beans you can create decadent, culinary wonders such as tiramisu, plum pudding and wild blackberry and peach cobbler.  So, as part of Laughter Week, I have developed some low blood sugar treatments extraordinaire.  These recipes transform those chalky, powdery tablets into the essence of fine dining (c’mon folks, use your imaginations).  Bon appetit!

2 orange + 2 watermelon glucose tablets = Fruit Punch (a.k.a Summer BBQ)

2 orange + 2 raspberry glucose tablets = Raspberry Orange Sorbet

2 lemon + 2 raspberry glucose tablets = Lemon Raspberry Turnover

1 watermelon + 3 grape glucose tablets = Watermelon Wine (a.k.a. Sign Me Up!)

And, for a more severe low requiring a bit more carbage…

1 raspberry red + 1 lemony lemon + 1 orangey orange + 1 grapity purple + 1 watermelon glucose tablet = Taste the Rainbow (a.k.a. Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids!)

Laughter: They Say It’s the Best Medicine.

This week is definitely off to a better start than last.  Thank you for the emails/instant messages of encouragement after my frustrating week with that relentless diaerobics instructor…they helped.

Diabetes can be a challenge but, this week, I’m reminding myself about the importance of seeing the humour in things.  Having perspective is so important when it comes to dealing with chronic disease.  I highly recommend that all of you read this article, written by one of my favourite D bloggers, Kerri Morrone Sparling from Six Until Me.   It sums up my feelings exactly.  While I’m often amused by little elements of my diabetes life (frozen lancet, anyone?), this disease does have the ability to knock me down.  At those times, I need to remember that laughter can be the best medicine.

Figure 1. Hysterical laughter with silly friends

In hopes of lifting my spirits, I Googled “diabetes jokes” and found this post at George Simmons’ D blog.  The following riddle made me smile:

Q – How many diabetics does it take to change a light bulb?
A – None. They will just use the light from their pumps.

Hahaha.  It’s funny ’cause it’s true.