Meters: Accuracy And Choice.

Unfortunately, I had to miss this week's Our Diabetes tweet chat due to District Meeting with Girlguiding, and the topic was "Meters: Accuracy and Choice", which is such a good topic! This week, it was hosted by Louise after she wrote a blog post earlier this month titled "Ready, steady, go prick your fingers! (In the name of research)". Seeing as I couldn't take part in the chat, I'm going to answer the questions on here, as it really is a big topic within the DOC right now. That, and you need far more many characters than the stipulated 140 on Twitter!

(N.B. I am not being paid to endorse any of the brands/companies/apps etc mentioned within this post!)

Image taken from Google Images.

1. What do you like about your meter?

I use an Accu-Chek Aviva Expert, and I like it, I do, but I'm a One Touch girl, and I really, really loved the One Touch meters I've had in the past. The reason I have the Expert is because of the 'bolus advice' function it has built in - it is such a useful function that I use constantly. And I can programme it to increase my insulin by x% on sick days or decrease it on days I go to the gym meaning I don't have to do the math! Awesome! Come on, One Touch! Bring out a meter that does the same thing!

2. How often do you check your blood glucose levels?

There are so many variables to this question. Standard day, probably 7 times. On a day I go to the gym, however, more. Sick days, more. And on days I'm working at school and then have Brownies, even more! It really does depend on what I'm doing and how I'm feeling!

3. How do you record your blood glucose levels?

On my meter - the Expert allows you to log insulin doses as well as saves your blood glucose tests. There are a lot of apps around too to log information. My favourite at present is mySugr.

4. Do you trust your glucose meter to give you accurate results?

This is a hard question. Before I moved to the Expert meter, I'd only ever had One Touch meters, so when changing to the Accu-Chek, I did double-check readings on my 'old' One Touch (when you use something day-in-day-out, you get attached!) and they were fairly similar, so I never really questioned it further. Not sure why I trusted my One Touch so much though? It was just the first meter I was given, and when you're newly diagnosed I guess you do just trust that it will give you the right readings!

5. Are testing strips freely available for your chosen meter?

I've recently had problems with getting test strips on prescription, but I'm one of the lucky ones who had the issue resolved quickly. But there are others that are still struggling. The way I see it, test strips are cheaper than having to fund treatments for poorly controlled diabetes. Test strips are integral to diabetes management, but by reducing the amount we can have, you're reducing the number of times we can check our blood glucose to then make decisions regarding insulin dosing and food, which can cause problems in the long run. No brainer if you ask me!

6. Does checking your blood glucose levels have an affect on your attitude towards your diabetes?

Yes, I think it does. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I enjoy checking my blood glucose levels. I don't like pricking my finger countless times a day to get blood. But I like to know where I'm at. Knowing my glucose level makes me feel "safe": it helps me to make decisions that then allow me to get to where I want to go...if that makes any sense?!

Loads of Links.

Man, final year is kicking my butt! Halfway through the semester now though, so the countdown to the end has begun! Today, some links I've been saving to share with you, in bullet point form, of course!

• The Big Blue Test is back! And it's so easy to get involved! Step 1: check your blood glucose. Step 2: get active for 14 to 20 minutes. Step 3: test again. Step 4: share your results. Simple. "Each entry you log between now and November 14th triggers a donation to non-profit groups that are providing life-saving supplies, services and education to people with diabetes in need." If you are using the mySugr app, you can log entries via the app (maximum once per day) or you can download the app itself from the App store or Google Play.
• November marks Diabetes Awareness Month in the States, and JDRF is encouraging people to take part in the "T1D for a Day Text Challenge". You'll receive multiple text messages over the course of the day regarding diabetes management and choices people with type one diabetes make everyday. 
• Be a "Type Onesie" for World Diabetes Day 2013. "Type Onesie" is JDRF UK's fund raising campaign for this year and getting involved couldn't be simpler. Where a onesie to work, to school, to meetings, to the shops, wherever, and get sponsored.
• Don't fancy being a "Type Onesie"?! Do anything to mark World Diabetes Day (which is November 14th if you were wondering!) This year, we're doing Diabetes Awareness with the Brownies and they'll get a badge at the end of the night to show they've completed it. 
• Diabetes UK welcomes "major step" from Government to improve support for school children with health needs.
• Our Diabetes will host it's third tweet chat tonight. The last two weeks seem to have been really popular, and I'm hoping I'll make it back to join the conversation tonight, hosted by the lovely Louise, whose choice of topic is test strip accuracy! (See also: Strip Safely Campaign.)
• Meet Peggy: type one diabetic since 1943, diagnosed at the age of 10. This story warms my heart. 

Write Off.

Write off.

That's what today has been.

One big, massive write off. 

My day started off well. I got up and went to pilates. Whilst there, I spotted a girl with an insulin pump, and we had a quick chat after the class (I love that instant connection of "I get this" when you see another person with diabetes!) I then went to actual class, which was really interesting. 

Then I was reminded of a deadline. Crap. Luckily, it didn't have to be the best piece of work I've ever done, so I quickly put something together and sent it off to the seminar leader with an apology note. This is the first of the chain of bad that happened throughout the remainder of the day.

I grabbed lunch with Nem (potato wedges) and bolused accordingly. Fast-forward three hours and my blood sugar is 22.5mmol/l! But I didn't feel like my blood sugar was that high. What I should have done was check again to see if I got a similar reading. Instead, in a panic, I checked for ketones and rage-bolused! Then I thought to double-check the reading! Stupid! Should have checked first! As sugar levels immediately after rage bolus were 16! Number two...

The third was when I got back home. I had dinner with Shep (spicy chicken and rice followed by cheesecake...yeah, I went to the gym and then had cake...and what!) I then got distracted with things happening around me, needed to make a phone call, and about 20 minutes ago I realised that I didn't bolus for dinner. Major fail! They say bad things happen in threes...

So...yeah...write off definitely sums up today!

Will try again tomorrow!

The Outcome.

Thursday of last week, I went to the DOC asking for advice regarding test strip restrictions. I was astounded with the amount of advice and support I got (go DOC!) and I took it all on board. 

Yesterday, I had my telephone consultation with a GP, and the main argument I had up my sleeve was that regarding my work without children. In my head, there were only two outcomes that I would be happy with: 

Image taken from Google Images.

1. They let me have 250 test strips a month, and stipulate the next time I can order. 

or

2. They keep 100 on my prescription, but I can order as often as I need to. 

I wasn't going to accept another option, and I'm very happy to report that I didn't have to!

The GP I spoke to didn't even put up a fight! I explained to him the situation, and he was confused as to why they'd even been cut in the first place. He actually mentioned the letter regarding the importance of finger pricks in managing type one diabetes before I did, and has made sure that I can order as often as I need to. 
  

Yes, I won this round, and my problem was resolved quickly, but it's still ridiculous that this is happening/has happened, not just to me, but to other type ones in the UK. How can health care professionals expect us to manage our diabetes when they're limiting the "tools" to do so?!  Blood glucose monitoring is integral to diabetes management. How can you make decisions regarding food, insulin doses, exercise, driving, if you can't check your glucose levels?! More to the point, why are their still some GPs that don't see that?! (- emphasis on some, not all!)

I think it's time to make some more noise about this one, as I know there are others facing the same problems. More people; more voices; better heard?!

Testing, Testing.

On Fridays, I volunteer at a Special Needs school and I then go to Brownies. My day is long, unpredictable and varies from week to week. The average day looks something like this:

6am: Alarm goes off. I have a quick look at my Sleep Cycle graph for the night and get up, then grab my diabetes bag off my cabinet and check my blood sugar (test strip #1, 5.8) and then bolus for breakfast before getting dressed.

6.20am: I grab some cereal and pack my bag for the day - lunch, Brownie uniform, skittles/glucose tabs, cereal bars, uni reading for the bus journey.

6.45am: I walk to the bus station to get the 7.10 bus.

8.30am: My friend picks me up from the bus station of the town of the school and drives me the rest of the way.

8.50am: I arrive at school and check my blood sugar before the children start arriving at 9am (test strip #2, 13.9) - I'm happy with this, as I prefer to avoid going low whilst working. 

9.30am: The class have arrived and we head down to the sports hall for PE. 

10.30am: It's break time for me. I check my blood (test strip #3, 8.3) and have half a granola bar to make sure I don't drop before lunch.

10.45am: Outdoor play with the class.

11.30am: ICT.

12.15pm: Lunch time! Pasta brought from home and the other half of my granola bar (test strip #4, 11.3).

12.45pm: Outdoor play again.

1.30pm: Time for the afternoon to start - music, sensory games and assembly. Busy, busy, busy!

3.15pm: End of the day. All the children have left, so all that's left to do is tidy the classroom!

3.30pm: Check bloods to make sure I'm good for the journey home (test strip #5, 5.6).

5.15pm: Arrive at Brownies. Check blood (test strip 6#, 5.9) I snack, bolus and change into my Brownie polo shirt.

8pm: Home from Brownies! Usually starving at this point, so dinner! (Test strip #7, 5.7).

9.30pm: Levemir time. Check sugars at the same time (test strip #8, 9.2).

11pm: Bed! Standard check of blood glucose before letting sleep take over (test strip #9, 10.5).

Image taken from Google Images.

Okay, Fridays are particularly busy days for me, but that's nine blood sugar tests, and that's without feeling low, or high or wanting to eat at other odd times throughout the day.

Today at 4.30pm I have a telephone consultation with a GP from my practise to discuss the cut in the amount of test strips I can have. This will be the day that I tell them about. How can I be responsible for the children at the school or at Brownies if I can't know where I'm at with my diabetes?!

This is my main argument, and thanks to the DOC, I have a whole host of other arguments up my sleeve too if it comes to it. 

I'm not backing down on this one!  

When Two Tribes Go To War.

Image taken from Google Images.

It was going to happen at some point. It was almost inevitable. It was never a matter of "if", but a matter of "when".

Well, it's happened. 

My GP surgery have gone and hit me where it hurts.

My test strip allowance. 

100 at a time, and they've even stipulated the next time I can order them on prescription (November 13th if you were wondering!)

I knew that the chance of this happening was high. But I still didn't see it coming. Effed off doesn't even cover it. Luckily, I have a bit of a stockpile to keep me going for a little bit, but this really is ridiculous. Even if I were to test the bare minimum of four times a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner, before bed - it still wouldn't be enough! I don't understand how they can justify that many test strip for someone with type one diabetes.

What if I feel low?

What if I feel high?

What if I go to the gym?

What if I'm ill?

What about when I'm working at the school or with  the Brownies?

That's a lot of 'what ifs' for a mere 100 test strips! And ones that make me feel uneasy, particularly with the whole working with children and feeling low...or high for that matter! 

Time to kick up a fuss!

Any advice?!

(NB - sorry if you now have the Frankie Goes to Hollywood song stuck in your head like I do!) 

DUK Big Collection Update.

The Diabetes UK Big Collection Weekend raised £370, 687 and there are still some stores that still need to add their money to the total! This bought the biggest smile to my face after a stressful start to the week! Also, huge well done to the team over at Our Diabetes for a hugely successful tweetchat this evening. It was an absolute pleasure. But more on that tomorrow!

Patience.

Summer 2013 - NYC.

I like to think I'm a pretty patient person.

In the context of diabetes, however?!

I don't have any. Which is a problem, as you need a lot of patience when it comes to living with diabetes.

First, I get incredibly frustrated when my blood sugars just don't play ball. Instead of taking the time to figure out what's going wrong when, I get angry, make a face at the number flashing back at me on my meter and want to throw it against a wall. If I've eaten something to warrant the number or have missed a bolus, I can deal with it. When I can't explain it?! No patience for that!

Then there are the hypos. 15 skittle sweets. 4 jelly babies. 4 glucose tabs. 200ml juice carton. Wait 15 minutes. Test again. When I'm low, I want that low feeling to eff off, which means I want to eat everything in sight until I feel like a functioning human being once more. 15 minutes is a long time when you're hypo. No patience.

And on the other end of the scale, hypers. When I start to feel the symptoms of a 19 set in I take a correction bolus. When I check an hour later to see I haven't budged, and the thirst, tiredness is taking over, I rage bolus the crap out of that! Results of which are usually a hypo. Again, no patience!

This is something I need to work on. I'm never going to be able to explain every number that my meter shows me. No matter how much I would love to have that magic ability! And I would most definitely reduce the number of rebound high and low blood sugars I see if I learnt to wait for the glucose tabs/insulin to take affect!

Patience is now another target added to the list.

Diabetes Disclosure.

I've never considered my diabetes to be a hindrance in my life. A pain in the butt, yes. A hindrance, no.

Yesterday, I went to an information evening about applying to do the PGCE course at my current university. Everything was going well until I had a chat with the admissions team regarding my diabetes. I've always been honest about my diabetes. It's not something I shout from the roof tops, but I also won't hide away in the toilets to do injections; it's not something I would mention on a job application, but if I get invited to an interview, it is something I then bring up (at the end of the interview, mind you!)

However, yesterday, I was made to feel that my diabetes may be an issue. 

"You have diabetes? What does that mean exactly?"

"I have type one diabetes. Basically, I have to check my blood sugar levels and I inject insulin when I eat. Sometimes I suffer from low blood sugar, sometimes I suffer from high blood sugar, but I just deal with it and get on with my day. Nothing stops as a result of it. It's just something that will need to be disclosed."

"Oh...you might want to talk with the Dean of Students to see if you'll be okay to do this course..."

Whatttt?! 

Yes, there are some jobs I can't do as a result of my diabetes. Teaching isn't one of them. Upset doesn't even begin to cover it, and I definitely regret my decision to even mention my diabetes.

I left the information evening just a bit peeved off, but so determined to prove to them people at admissions that I'd be perfectly capable of being a teacher with type one diabetes. I do it now, albeit only volunteering once a week. Diabetes has it's moments, don't get me wrong, but I know my body, and I know how to handle the highs and the lows quickly, and under the radar.

This whole situation has, however, made me reconsider how I'll approach diabetes disclosure in the future. What would you do?

Targets.

Image taken from Google Images.

Today, I had a catch up with my lovely DSN at my diabetes clinic (side-note - the hospital where my clinic is based now has a Costa Coffee! Happy days!) I got my hba1c checked - I like to know where I'm at - and we then discussed my current diabetes management regime and where changes need to be made between now and my upcoming "Pump Assessment Clinic":

1. Blood sugars and uni routine: I usually wake up between 5 - 6mmol/l, which is great. I have breakfast, I bolus accordingly and then two hours later I'm at 4mmol/l. So I eat to compensate this, without taking any insulin, and I'm still only at a 6mmol/l before lunch. In short, I have far too much insulin on board at breakfast. And at lunch too, sometimes. So, this insulin to carb ratio is going to be slowly reduced until I no longer eat for the sake of eating, and have glucose levels that are within range.

2. Carbohydrate counting: I suck. But it's something I need to get a lot better at before "Pump Assessment Clinic". This means back to referring to Carbs and Cals as opposed to guessing the carb content of food, weighing out my portions and seeing a dietitian over the coming months.

3. Using my glucose meter to it's full capacity: I have the Accu-Chek Aviva Expert, which comes with a "bolus advice" option. Except, I use the meter solely to check my blood glucose. Time to use it properly!

4. Getting properly into exercise and fitness - I finally took the plunge and went to my first exercise class the other week, and I enjoyed it. Time to get more into it and introduce it to my diabetes management, and general health, routine.

These are all targets I can work towards achieving, albeit slowly. Not only will they help towards my "Pump Assessment", but be good for my general health too. That makes it a win-win situation as far as I'm concerned.        

The Consequences Of A "Rage Bolus".

The Diabetes Terms of Endearment e-book (real thing, compiled by Kerri Sparling who blogs at sixuntilme.com) defines a "rage bolus" as "the act of suffering from a high blood sugar for an extended period of time or for an unknown reason and the retaliatory insulin dose. Oftentimes results in a low blood sugar." 

It started last weekend at our local pub (I wanted to get the Big Collection post up before this one!) I ate dinner before we went out and dosed accordingly with my standard 1:7 ratio that my body seems to need around dinner time. Okay, so I was drinking beer, but I accounted for this with my dinner time insulin. It got to about 10pm and I checked my blood sugar, as it was about two hours after eating.

5...4...3...2...1...

18.0 mmol/l!

What the eff?!

That was not a number I was expecting to appear on my meter. After double-checking, I took a correction dose, checked for ketones (negative), and sent a quick text to my housemate to inform her of the situation, just in case.

An hour later, I did another test to make sure I my levels were coming down.

Nope. 

19.7 mmol/l.

Cue rage bolus. I knew that it would likely result in a hypo, but I was beginning to feel the effects of that 19.3. The dry mouth, the constant need to pee, the heavy tiredness that came over me. I checked for ketones again. Still negative, thankfully!

Once home, all I wanted to do was sleep. I checked my blood again to make sure I was coming down, and I was at 16 mmol/l. I set an alarm for 4am as I knew I'd rage bolused the hell out of that 19!

Image taken from Google Images.

4am came round far too quickly for my liking. And with it came the hypo I'd anticipated. A full-blown 2.3 hypo too. I sat up in that all too familiar hypo state - shaking, sweating and struggling to get my brain to work to make eating the Skittles on my bedside table actually happen.

Eventually, the hypo symptoms began to wear off, and I finally drifted back to sleep, regretting a little the decision to rage bolus with Brownie church parade the next morning followed by my DUK Big Collection shift. 

Note to self: consider next day's activities before administering a rage bolus. That swing from high to low doesn't leave you feeling all too great the next day!  

DUK Big Collection Weekend.

Over the past weekend (4th - 6th of October) you may have noticed people at your local Tesco store wearing blue wigs collecting money for Diabetes UK. Kind of like this:

Alice and I post Big Collection and very happy with the money raised! Go Norwich!

Yesterday afternoon, I stood outside my local participating Tesco store, bucket in hand ready to raise some funds for Diabetes UK. 

Why?

Because the funds raised will be invested in the following (taken directly from the Diabetes UK Big Collection page):

• Life-changing support for millions of people with diabetes, so they feel less scared and isolated by their condition;
• Preventing thousands of future cases of type two diabetes, meaning that fewer families are affected by the devastating effects of this condition;
• Research into a vaccine that could stop forever the development of type one diabetes in children.

All extremely good reasons, in my opinion! 

Over the course of my three hour shift, I had the chance to talk to a number of people, mostly those affected by diabetes themselves. Despite knowing the statistics when it comes to the number of people affected by diabetes in the UK, I was still shocked by the number of people approaching me telling me they were diabetic themselves and little bits of their stories, from battles with the GP over test strips to the transition from injections to an insulin pump, from facing complications to one lady telling me that her type one daughter had recently had a baby.

Hearing such stories made me glad I was standing in the wind collecting money for Diabetes UK. Not only is it a charity close to my heart, but I heard how the money would help others too. It will help fund support for those affected; help prevent further cases of type two diabetes and the complications that can occur as a result of it; help to fund research into a vaccine in the hope that that lady's grandchild won't have to worry about a future with diabetes in it.

So whether you volunteered, donated, stopped to chat with the volunteers up and down the country or just gave them a smile of encouragement, thank you. You kept us going and the money raised this weekend is going to help so many people. 

Five For Friday: There's An App For That!

Apps! Until a few months back, I didn't really know where to start when it came to apps. There's, quite literally, an app for everything: health, education, restaurants, coffee shops, social media. It's crazy, and somewhat overwhelming! Here's a list of my top five apps at the moment.

1. mySugr. I've already written a blog post on this app. I love it. There's something about that little green monster mocking me that really motivates me to log my blood sugars, carbohydrates, doses and activity levels. An app that motivates me enough to do all that has got to be good'un, surely?! 

2. Sleep Cycle. I wake up so much happier with the Sleep Cycle alarm as I'm not being jolted out of sleep. Instead, with Sleep Cycle, the alarm wakes you up within 30 minutes of the set alarm. It somehow knows when I'm in a light stage of sleep and the alarm will then go off to wake me up. It can also track what stage of sleep you're in, and it seems to be pretty accurate. For instance, when I wake up to do a 3am sugar check, the graph presenting that night's sleep has me at the "awake" stage at 3am. 

3. Carbs & Cals. Carbohydrate counting is not my forté. I read labels, or I can weigh my food so I know exactly how much I'm eating. But I can't guess confidently. It's something I need to practice, I'm just not really sure how to. This is where Carbs & Cals comes in. You search for a food, you match the portion size on your plate to the portion size in the picture and, voila, it gives you a rough estimate of the carb content. Brilliant!

4. WhatsApp. This app allows me to text my friends abroad free of charge. I can text my friends here in the UK too, but for texting abroad, it's awesome! It works over the 3G or wifi network, which is what makes it free to send messages/pictures/videos.

5. Minion Rush. I just love this game. That's all there is to it.    

Lather, Rinse...Hypo?!

I don't know how long I was staring at the shampoo bottle for before my brain caught up and realised that staring at something like a shampoo bottle for that long wasn't normal! 

"Vicki...come back down to planet earth!" Cue that voice again. 

I blinked slowly and remembered where I was. I also pondered what was so damn interesting about the shampoo bottle that caught my attention for so long! 

"Vicki! Shampoo bottle: not important right now!"

I touched my hair and realised I still hadn't washed the shampoo out. At that point, I felt my hands begin to shake and I realised that washing the shampoo out wasn't an option; the hypo needed to be dealt with first. I turned the shower off and grabbed my towel. Towel wrapped around me, I slowly stepped out of the shower not wanting to slip on the floor and navigated my way back to my bedroom. 

Courtesy of the kid brother, I have a 1.16kg bag of skittles stashed away that he bought me for my birthday. I grabbed them from the top of my wardrobe and started chewing. I found my meter, fumbled with the test strips a little, but managed to do a test: 2.9mmol/l. 

You'd have thought I'd have been panicking a little bit. Maybe eating more than I needed to just to get my blood sugar up quickly. Well, you'd be wrong. I was thinking "it'd be so embarrassing if someone found me like this [towel wrapped round me, shampoo not washed out of hair, sat on my bedroom floor with a giant bag of skittles in front of me]" I mean, it would have been very embarrassing, but not really what was important at the time! 

I ate about 15 skittles (that's usually the number I need to eat to come out of a hypo) and waited another 5 minutes before checking my blood again to make sure I was in the clear.

I was. I could finally wash the shampoo out of my hair. 

The One Where I Did An Exercise Class.

It's no secret that exercise is important. For everyone, not just people with diabetes. It helps you to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight, it boosts your mood and can reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases (tell that to my pancreas!). Then there's the added benefit that it helps control blood glucose levels. I know the advantages, and I do do light exercise, like I love walking and when I'm at my Mum and Dad's I use the cross-trainer.

But actually going to the gym? Or an exercise class? Or running in public? Nope. The thought of exercising with other people has always filled me with dread. What if I'm not as fit as them? What if I can't keep up? What if I make a fool of myself? Basically, I avoided any kind of 'public exercise' at all costs. 

I've just started my final year at university. It's going to be a stressful year. What final year at university isn't?! When I'm stressed, my coping mechanisms aren't all that great. Things tend to end up with me not managing my diabetes well which then makes everything else more difficult because my blood sugars are crazy high. So, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and really get into exercise. That way, when I'm stressed, I can hit the gym. 

Monday evening, I said to my housemate that I was going to go to the "Power of 3" exercise class Tuesday afternoon - 15 minutes cardio, 15 minutes weights, 15 minutes floor work. By telling her, I was making myself accountable. I told her I was going, so I had to follow through. So, after class yesterday afternoon, I headed over to the gym on campus and paid for the class. 

I was so nervous. All those "what ifs..." came up again. I was ready to leave when the teacher walked in.

"Are you here for the 'Power of 3' class?"

"Erm...yeah...yes...yes I am."

"First time at a class?"

"First time at actually getting into exercise ever, besides walking."

The teacher laughed. 

"You'll be fine. Do what you can. Don't push yourself. You don't want to hurt yourself because you're pushing too hard the first week."

Others began to arrive and the class began.

15 minutes aerobics. 15 minutes weights. 15 minutes floor work.

It took me a while to get into it. And I was very self-conscious at the start. But I enjoyed it. I felt good after. And I was so proud that I'd actually faced that fear of exercising in public. So, I decided to take advantage of the huge student discount and pay upfront for five sessions. That way I have to go again. I've paid now, and don't want that money to go to waste. 

Oh, and my blood sugars held steady - 8.5mmol/l before the class started, 6.8mmol/l after! Beginners luck?!   

No D Day.

October 1st is known as "No D Day". I don't know where it started, but found out about it through George's blog and have decided to take part. It's a day when we write about something that's not diabetes. Because, after all, there is more to our lives than diabetes! So, in bullet point fashion, a list of my favourite things:

• Blue - the colour, not that band from the 00's (although, when I was a kid, my friend and I were pretty big fans...)
• My family.
• My friends.
• My Godson - of the many names/nicknames I go by, "Auntie Vicki" is one of the favourites!
• Going to the cinema - you can't beat seeing a movie on the big screen.
• Reading.
• Languages - I'm a French and Spanish student, this was gonna be on the list.
• Tea - it makes everything better. Honest.
• F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Such a great tv series. There's a quote from that show for every situation!
• Starbucks. 
• Whatsapp - with this I can text my friends abroad. Awesome.
• My ipod touch.
• My blackberry. 
• Pesto - Pesto pasta, pesto on toast, pesto in mashed potato, pesto as a salad dressing. Basically, I love the stuff.
• Doctor Who. Huge fan.
• NCIS. Love it, love it, love it! 
• Harry Potter. The books and the movies. 
• Brownies!