Diabetes Blog Week: Day 6 - Favourites And Motivations.

Still playing catch up...

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If you have been blogging for a while, what is your favourite sentence or blog post you have ever written? Is it diabetes related or just life related? If you are a new blogger, and don't have a favourite yet, tell us what motivated you to start sharing your story by writing a blog.

It was weird going back through old blog posts, and interesting to read just how much things have changed since I first started this blog: where I'm at in my personal life, where my health is at, how my writing has changed and what I use this blog for. 

My motivations for blogging are often changing. 

More often than not, it's to clear my head (diabetes therapy!)

Sometimes it's to share information.

Or tell a story. Celebrate an achievement. Vent after a bad day. 

And sometimes it's because I just want to. Sounds a little silly, right? Wanting to blog about life with diabetes and share with the Internet? I enjoy writing. And I'm proud of this little corner of the Internet. This is my platform to connect with others. I've made friends as a result of this blog. And, emotionally, I'm much better off for having it.

To read more posts for day six of Diabetes Blog Week, click here.

Comfort.

"...and my blood sugars have been all over the place..."

I have no idea what led to that being said, but my ears pricked up, listening out for more info, as my brain weighed up the pros and cons of "revealing" that I too am diabetic.

I decided to remain silent. I'm never certain of the right call to make in those situations. Some people really appreciate the "me too" sentiment, others not so much.

The next day, the same thing happened again, but this time I was with a friend who's had the full disclosure talk.

"...he's really worried, because he knows I'm not right...It's just hard going...I really hate this sometimes...and I shouldn't let diabetes get to me..."

"Talk to her," Iddy Biddy Budgen said, looking over at me, "She gets it!"

"Are you diabetic too?"

"Yep," I replied, "type one, with my replacement pancreas clipped to my bra...I use an insulin pump," I explained.

"They've spoken to me about a pump...I'm not too sure though. Do you like yours?"

"I love mine, but it wasn't without its' difficulties in the beginning. And it's not for everyone. For me, it fits in so much better with my life right now."

"Can I ask you how it works?"

"Of course! The cannula's in my leg at the moment. You can kind of see the outline through my trousers, but I'll show you what it looks like properly next week [site rotation said it would be in my right hip my Monday - it is!] And the pump is here," and I unclip it from my bra to show her.

"And you trust that to give you your insulin?"

"Yes. Now I do anyway. Took a while to get used to in the beginning. But the pump's super-smart, and it will alarm to tell me if there's a problem. And, touch wood, I've not had any yet. Apart from a low battery alarm. And a low cartridge. But that's it!"

"Impressive! I have to get back to work, but I want to talk to you some more if you don't mind? And I think my other half will want to chat too. Would that be okay?"

"Anytime. You know where the office is. And you have my extension number. And here's my mobile number," and I scribbled it down on a post-it note, "if you need anything, you now know every way of getting in touch!"

"Thank you, I will! It's nice knowing you get it, even though it sucks you have it. That made no sense!"

"Actually it did. I know what you're saying."

I hate knowing that there's someone else going through it, that you reading this may be going through it, and as sorry as I am for that, maybe selfishly, it's also comforting to know you're going through the same shit as me. Here's hoping that sentiment doesn't make me a bad person. 

Easy.

Late last week, I went with my Dad to drop my sister back off at uni. We were talking about peer support, after my Mum was invited to an event for people living with her condition, polymyositis.

"It sounds really stupid," I began, "but the best thing I've ever done is get on a train to London and meet this girl called Lizzie. The rest, as they say, is history! You and Mum don't often see my bad diabetes days because I have this network of people I can turn too. Some I only know by name, others have become good friends, close friends, that I can't imagine not knowing. I think Mum could use that. The worst that happens is she goes and hates it. That's okay [no force-feeding of community is one of my rules]. On the other hand, it might be just what she, and you, need."

"I think you're right," my Dad said (he's a man of very few words), "so that's your secret to making diabetes look easy, huh? Friends with diabetes?"

"Yep! So simple, so effective! Because this disease is not easy, not in the slightest. And I would take a cure in a heartbeat. But, for me, community helps. Friends help. They've influenced who I am today and my attitude towards diabetes."

"If someone had asked me when you were diagnosed if you'd have coped, I honestly would have said no."

"I would have said no too," I laughed. "But it's not all my doing. I've had a lot of help and support from family and friends [and from the DOC as a whole] along the way."

And I will forever be grateful for that. 

Friendly Stranger.

As cliché as it is, I've kick started 2015 with my first run in about two and a half months. It wasn't a good run, and I wasn't expecting it to be, but it was a starting point. I was also reminded of how much I now enjoy it - I want running to become part of my regular routine again.

I was running up one of the country lanes nearby when I passed another person, who was starting their year with a run too.

"Morning," we said to each other as we continued running our routes. 

Around my 4km mark, we passed again. Except this time I was walking, glucose meter in hand, and he was jogging.

"Hi again...oh, are you okay?" He asked me,

"Fine thanks," I replied, appreciating the concern, and thinking that that was the end of the interaction.

"Sorry, my son's diabetic too. I had to ask if you were okay. So it was your test strips that were rattling when you ran past earlier?"

I laughed. "Yep, and glucose tabs in the other pocket. You can hear me coming a mile off!"

"Better safe than sorry though. Happy New Year to you!"

"Happy New Year to you too. All the best to you and your family!"

And off we ran (again, in separate directions).  

I don't like this disease. But moments like that make me smile, and feel incredibly grateful of those that speak up about their diabetes to complete strangers. Whether it be writing a blog for others to read, talking with others online, or stopping to say "hi" to someone when they stop to check their blood sugar, I'm thankful for the comfort (and advocacy) you provide. 

Happy New Year! 

Oh, Hi There Glowing Screen!

So life's kind of got in the way this past week. An update, in bullet point fashion:

 

Source.

• I registered with a new GP. I was told that during the "registration appointment" I would be able to discuss the things I wanted to discuss. Well, I couldn't. The appointment was with a nurse. She had to refer me to a DSN to discuss diabetes and another nurse to discuss the pill. Brilliant. Two extra appointments. I did get the flu jab though. So that's one less thing I need to do. 
• I'M EMPLOYED!! Last Friday, I was offered a job and I accepted. I started on Monday, and have just finished my first week there. So far, so good.
• Our Diabetes celebrated a year of tweet chats and support this week. A huge well done to founders David Cragg and Laura Cleverly! It's something I'm honoured to be a part of.
• I was reminded of how much ketones suck. Not that I really needed reminding. Sitting at my desk with ketones, but a blood sugar of 5.1mmol, left me baffled. Until I remembered starvation ketones. Note to self: eat breakfast, no matter how early I have to start work.
• I attended the JDRF Discovery Evening in London, which was such a great night. I met those behind T1 International, caught up with Gavin Griffiths, aka Diathlete (who has just finished his American tour) and got to give the very lovely Jen Grieves the hug I've been wanting to give her since she wrote That Post. (Capital 'T', capital 'P'). I also had the chance to put a few faces to twitter-handles, which was awesome. A huge thank you to all those at JDRF for organising the night!
• Thursday saw the Quality in Care Award Ceremony for Diabetes, with Roddy Riddle winning the People's Choice Award. A full list of results can be found here.
• Diabetes Awareness Month is fast approaching (how are we more than halfway through October?!) Already, advocacy campaigns are popping up on social media, such as the Smash Diabetes initiative from Glu and JDRF UK's Type Onesie is also making a comeback. I'm looking forward to hearing more as November gets closer.

 

Happy Saturday!  

Psychosocial Support.

Psychosocial support and diabetes is a topic that's always interested me, as I very much believe that it is overlooked. So when I saw that Zoe Scott, founder of Hedgie Pricks Diabetes, was lined up to host an Our Diabetes chat on this very topic, I was excited...and then bummed out when I realised it was on a night I wouldn't be able to participate in the chat. However, thinking about it now, I know I wouldn't have been able to keep my responses to the Twitter-limit of 140 characters!

1. Are there times when diabetes gets you down or anxious? Are there particular triggers?

I'd be lying if I said there weren't times when diabetes gets me down and anxious. I panic when my blood sugar drops and I can't get it back up within range. I also panic when my blood sugar is high and won't come down, especially after that one time I ended up in hospital, not remembering anything. I have pity parties, where I feel sorry for myself, and "grieve" the life I had before diabetes. 

2. Do you feel you get the emotional/psychological support you need from your HCPs?

Yes, I do. I feel like I've been incredibly lucky with my health care team, and I worry about potentially leaving them if/when I move in the future. I'm scared that I won't have the same level of help and support. 

3. If you were given a questionnaire by your HCP would feel able to answer it honestly or would you lie with some questions?

I would like to think I'd answer it honestly, but thinking about times when I've been down in the past, I actually don't think I would. When I've been down before, it's not been something I've wanted other people to know about. I'd pretend to be fine and happy, and then when "behind closed doors" I'd let everything go. Knowing that, I think I'd lie if given a questionnaire, not wanting to admit to others that I'm struggling. It's a character flaw, one that I'm working on.

4. Does your team take your concerns seriously?

Yes, always have, and I believe they always will. And I hope wherever my care moves to in the future, I'm shown the same level of support. 

5. Do you know where you can get help for how you feel? 

I know that I can turn to the DOC - there's something about talking to other people who 100% get it. But, of course, if I really felt there was cause for concern, or my family or friends did, I'd definitely talk to my health care professionals, no matter how difficult it would be for me to do so. The DOC is great for emotional support, but there's a difference between needing emotional support after a bad day or a bout of diabetes burnout, and needing further (professional) help for some more deeply-rooted emotional problems.  

A Blog About Blogging.

Image taken from Google Images.

Last night, I hosted the weekly Our Diabetes chat and the subject was blogging. With Diabetes Blog Week coming up, the timing of the chat was pretty perfect. The questions asked were:

1. Do you blog? Where?

2. Why do you blog? (Or why not?)

3. Do you like reading other blogs? Why?

4. D-blog week is coming up - will you be writing and/or reading?

So many "new" blogs (new to me, anyway) were brought to my attention, and it was great to hear what people got out of blogs and the reasons behind deciding to blog. I had a lot of fun hosting the chat, and was excited when blogs I hadn't discovered were being brought to my attention.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: blogging is my diabetes therapy. I can come here and write out my frustrations, my victories, my good days and my bad ones. For me, it's not about page views and followers - I blog first and foremost for me. The fact that someone might read or comment is just a huge bonus.

As for reading other diabetes blogs? Yes, yes I do. Not just by people with diabetes, but their caregivers and health care professionals too. They all provide different stories, different perspectives and act as a constant reminder that I'm not the only one in this.

And, finally, diabetes blog week: yes, I will be taking part. I participated last year, and had a lot of fun in doing it, and discovered a ton of other blogs, some of which I now read regularly. If you don't write a blog, but are considering it (as many who were involved in the chat last night were), diabetes blog week is great time to start, sign ups for which start on Monday (May 5th). 

I think I've managed to find all the blogs that were mentioned during last night's chat and will update my list of diabetes blogs in due course. If your blog isn't on there and you'd like it to be, either leave me a comment or send me an email vickisnotebookblog[at]gmail[dot]com.

Mix It Up.

Image taken from Google Images.

This week's Our Diabetes chat was incredibly busy, and I struggled to keep up and answer all the questions, but there were some great things being said! The chat was hosted by the We Nurses community and the topic was "working in partnership in online spaces". Here are my thoughts on what was discussed. 

Can we talk in this space?

I think we can. I hope we can! I personally like connecting with healthcare professionals (HCPs): I like to read about the problems they face in treating patients and how the NHS as a whole works. I like understanding why services are the way they are and why treatments are available in some areas of the country and not others.

What about HCP/patient confidentiality?

I understand that HCPs must have to be a lot more careful with what they say, where as patients can pretty much say what they like. But if patients are willing to openly share online, why shouldn't HCPs listen to what they're saying and learn from it?!

What is the future of social media and patient/nurse interaction?

I would love it if patients and nurses/HCPs in general could use social media to learn from each other. I think it's important to recognise that patients use social media for support: sharing experiences, connecting with people who understand, collaborating on ideas. Personally, I don't want social media becoming the place where I get healthcare advice: for that, I go to my endocrinologist, my DSN, my GP, but for emotional support I turn to the diabetes online community.

Should HCPs recommend groups like #ourd?

I think there's more to it than just recommending such communities. I think it's also important to promote "safe" online discussions, but, in short, YES! The way I see it, if HCPs are happy to reccommend offline support networks, why not online ones? At the end of the day, if people don't want to use them, they won't, but what's the harm in recommending them? For me, finding the diabetes online community has been integral to my emotional wellbeing, and when I meet people with diabetes, I tell them about it and what I've gained from it. 

I truly believe that HCPs and patients can learn from each other, and I think online communities provide a great space for us to do that. So let's keep the connections going and educating one another!