The Diabetes Waiting Game

Depending on the day,  and what else is going on I often think of all the waiting T1D's deal with and how often it cam be very hard to deal with.

Just a sample of the waiting game:

• Waiting for A1C results.
• Waiting for your eyes to dilate at the ophthalmologist; then waiting to see what is going on with your eyes.
• Waiting for your blood sugar to come down before:  going to sleep; eating; giving more insulin....
• Waiting for your blood sugar to go up from being low: before going to sleep; driving; exercising; being able to think; eating some more...
• Waiting to calibrate your continuous glucose monitor.
• Waiting for the  pre-authorization to be submitted by your doctor for your glucose strips to go through so you can get the kind you want, not the kind your health insurance says they'll cover.
• Waiting for your insulin pump supplies to arrive in the mail.
• Waiting to be able to get your next insulin pump.
• Waiting to get an appointment with your endo when you had to cancel and the next open spot is 4 months away.
• Waiting to find  out how your private health  insurance is going to be changed and how that will impact what is covered, what isn't and how much more it will cost.
• Waiting for a cure

What part of the waiting game makes you most anxious?

True Confessions Explained

For the last 2 years or so  have been using Facebook to host a page called "True Confessions of a Type 1 Diabetic" and decided to take it to the world of blogging.  The came to me after an appointment I had with my diabetes educator. Leading up to the appointment I had fallen off the wagon. I had become detached from my diabetes and had a good dose of diabetes burnout. I was doing the bare minimum. I debated cancelling the appointment as I was ashamed of having nothing to share. However I kept the appointment and decided instead to use it as a turning point.  I  didn't cancel the appointment. Instead I owned up to my problems and asked them to help me come up with a plan and get me back on track. 

It felt like a  confessional, or what I imagined  a confessional to be like.  I was blatantly honest to my diabetes medical professional. It was empowering. It was just what I needed.  Since that appointment several years ago I have been going strong, and am in my best diabetes health of my life! 

Side note - I rarely call myself a diabetic.  Typically I say I have diabetes.  But "True Confessions of a Person with Type 1 Diabetes" doesn't roll off the tongue very easily!

About Me/Disclosure (updated January 2017)

About me & disclosure:

• I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 2.  
• I was diagnosed with Celiac the age of 6.
• I have faced everything imaginable between the 2 and usually try to learn and make the most of it.
• I was born in NYC, grew up in NJ and have lived in the greater Boston area for more time than I'd like to admit.  I have close ties to NYC/NJ and visit often as I can.
• I love to travel. Depending on the availability of gluten-free food, there's no place too far that I'd consider going to!  So far internationally I've traveled to Alaska, Japan, Australia, Germany, Israel, Spain, Italy (more than once -- oops!), and various cruise ports in the Caribbean.  Traveling as a person with diabetes and celiac always = good stories!
• My Twitter name is @phylliskaplan and @Thedinobetic
• I am a MiniMed Ambassador: As a MiniMed Ambassador, I receive promotional items and educational material to use and share as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience. Opinions are my own.