Type 1 Active - Active Living with Diabetes

Am I Low or Am I Tired?

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January 27, 2015

Am I low or tired is a question that comes up when I think too much about my bg levels, particularly when I’m heading towards the end of class. Today I was concerned that I was low because I was feeling weak during the second hour of my contemporary technique class. My bg was 7mmols before class and I had 0.20 bolus on board and a reduced basal – 50% so I should’ve been fine. However, when I checked my levels it was 4.4mmols. Not a low, high enough for me to continue working but low enough to make me feel a bit weak. During exercise, does actual fatigue get confused with low levels? For me, the best level to work at is around 6mmols.

Having only been living with diabetes for around 11 months I find it interesting that I can’t remember what it was like not think about my blood glucose level during class or any other activity for that matter. I think it has rubbed off on my family and friends too. For instance, if I stated that I had a headache, I’m hungry or I fancy a nap, whoever is around me will usually say “have you checked you levels”. Can we be hungry or tired without out it being related to diabetes?

Is it the same for you? Do you feel like you alwyas put it down to your diabetes? Talk to me in the comments below.

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Rowena x

Teaching and Hypo Management

Rowena

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January 22, 2015

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Last night I was due to start work at 6pm for two hours of teaching pole class. Usually, if I don’t have class or rehearsal this is the time I will eat my dinner. I don’t like dancing on a full stomach (or with a big bolus on board) so I decided that I would just eat a few soya pieces and some nuts before class and then eat my dinner when I got home. I reached this decision mainly because I didn’t want to run the risk of a hypo during class.

As I am teaching class, the warm up is done, I’ve gone through a few tricks with the class and then as I am teaching my choreography and I feel oddly confused and a bit shaky. I started really rambling and when I picked up on this hypo I had to get to my bag for Lucozade. I just told the people in my class to practice what I had just taught them and they did. Hopefully they didn’t think I was strange, maybe they were too busy concentrating on the steps that I had taught them? Anyway, after my carbs I felt much better and when the class had finished I checked my levels and it was 5.2mmols.

Even though this hypo was something that I was trying to avoid, I think it was a good thing for this to happen because now I know that I can deal with it during a class that I am teaching. Managing diabetes takes a lot of practice, and although I do follow a fairly strict routine, I also aim to do a bit of trial and error so I can learn more about the way my body reacts to certain food / exercise scenarios. Originally I didn’t even want to eat the soya meat and nuts because any bolus, even reduced, may cause a hypo. But I thought to myself, can I really live my life like that? No, I need and want my food for energy.

Have you had a hypo during a time where it was really inconvenient? Leave a comment below and let me know.

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Rowena

Blonde Moments and Diabetes Management

Rowena

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December 8, 2014

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I feel like such a divvy. Earlier this month (that time of the month when I go low) I found that I was having major hypos so I changed my carb to insulin ratio, in my pump settings, from 1 unit of insulin / 15 carbs to 1unit/17carbs. This little adjustment did wonders for the hypos and I had perfect bgs. However, this past two weeks, with the wrong ratio, I have been running higher than normal and it has left me scratching my head wondering why. I totally forgot I had changed it in the pump settings because I usually just do it manually as and when I do a bolus. I’m going to go back to my 1/15 ratio and see how I get on. Hopefully it will get rid of those woeful headaches and the pesky mood swings.

I have a major busy week this week. I’ve got about 5 more rehearsals, a studio practice assessment, a performance, tech runs, dress runs, a show to watch, prepare lesson plans, a class to teach and to successfully manage my diabetes. I’ve also got an essay to hand in but that is nearly finished so no panicking there. Oh, and I have work on Saturday and Sunday.

Do you have any “blonde” moments that effect your diabetes management? If so, tell me about them? You can comment below or tweet me here or talk to me on instagram.

Rowena x

Routines and Type 1 Diabetes

Blog
Dance

Rowena

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November 30, 2014

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I feel like I am in a bit of a routine now with my food and insulin around the activities I do. I do most of my physical activity during the day so I tend to stick to lowish carb foods until dinner time where I can rest for the night and not be concerned with hypos. It helps to avoid taking a large bolus before exercise as I am very sensitive to insulin. My BG was 15mmols the other day, I took 1 unit, went for a 30 min power walk and when I came back it was 4.2mmols. My snacks throughout the day are usually fruit, and I tend to eat it after technique class or rehearsal depending on how my energy is going. There is another T1D in my class, he is on injections. He has been diabetic for about 15 years so he is a bit more relaxed with the food he eats throughout the day.

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that my performance went beautifully the other night. The process was brilliant and to be able to be a part of such a beautiful piece of dance was a true pleasure. The dance piece was 13 minutes long. Pump was off when I was on stage but I plugged it back in as soon as I got back to the dressing room. During one of my rehearsals my cannula came out. It was literally on the floor in the middle of the studio when I noticed it (I had my pump unplugged at the time). Then, mid-way through another rehearsal I had to take my site off because on a particular part of the movement, my dance partners’ body weight would press directly on top of it and it hurt. There was a lovely bruise to show for it.

Last night I went to sleep and my blood sugar was 5.6mmol and I woke up 7 hours later and it was 8.6mmols. Now, I know my basal rate is right because I checked it recently. I didn’t eat anything particularly fatty either so it couldn’t have been delayed digestion either. The only thing I can put it down to is a hypo while I was sleeping. I had that hangover headache when I woke up. Do you get them if your bg drops during the night?

I haven’t really posted on my blog recently but I plan to do some more over the christmas period when I have a little bit more time to myself and when I don’t have a pile of uni work next to me.

Chat to me on Instagram and Twitter.

Rowena x

Unpredictable Type 1 and Dancing

Blog
Dance

Rowena

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November 2, 2014

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What a strange week with diabetes. I’ve had to take almost double the amount of insulin I usually take because of the amount of corrections I have had to do. My diet hasn’t changed and I have exercised a lot so I don’t really get it. I think diabetes is so unpredictable. Even when my diet has been really good, my bgs have not. I also had a really bad low when I was in work; I was sweating and very short of breath. It took 70carbs to make me feel normal again and when I eventually tested again I was only at 5.2mmols.

On a more positive note, I have been doing more rehearsals, which can only mean one thing… more performances, Yay. I am working on a few dance pieces the moment. The first one is about bipolar disorder, second is about relationships in the space and the third is about sexuality in the dance industry. I am also due to start work on an intermedial dance piece, interesting stuff. Maybe I should create a dance piece based around type 1 diabetes? I could use stories from my readers for my inspiration? Would you be up for sharing?

Now that I am in my final year of uni, I really have to think about what I want to do when I leave. I know I want to perform and I know I want to create my own work and teach. A studio of my own and casually working for other people would suit me well. I like being my own boss. All of the above is definitely within my reach.

Back to diabetes, do you know when your blood sugar has been on a roller coaster, up and down and round and round, do you feel like absolute crap? I have noticed that it makes me feel ill like I want to throw up and it’s hard for me to be around light. When I feel like this, I want to go to bed for a sleep. However, I won’t do that. I’m usually quite busy during the day and feel that this “diabetes episode” would be an inconvenience for me. I don’t ever want diabetes to dictate anything.

Another thing that happened this week; my pump ran out of battery during a theory lecture. It made that lovely sound that goes higher and higher until you change it. I didn’t have no spare batteries on me but luckily my gf came to drop one off for me. This has taught me to carry a spare battery too. Along with my spare canula, a needle, hypo treatment etc. It’s gotta be done hey?

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Rowena x

Saying No For Reasons Other Than Diabetes

Rowena

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October 5, 2014

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Saying No For Reasons Other Than Diabetes

So, I got my 6 month review results back from the doctor and everything is fine. Hba1c is 40. Got a list full of other results too, but I have no idea what any of them are supposed to be or what they mean. Surely the doc would’ve said if there was anything to be concerned about. Anyway, I’m fairly pleased, and happy that I have a baseline to work from in order to get it down a bit further for my next hba1c in 6 months. I would really like to get it to the none diabetic range.

On another note, I like to eat healthy and keep fit. When people offer me a chocolate or something that is considered “bad for me”, I usually say no. When I respond with a no, their response is usually something along the lines of “oh yeah, I forgot you can’t eat that with the diabetes”. At this point, I feel like screaming because I have to repeat myself again about my ability to still eat anything I want; with or without diabetes. It almost makes me want to say yes just to prove a point. I don’t say no because I’ve been told I can’t eat it, I say no because I have goals that I want to reach and eating all of those extra treats (empty calories) will hold me back from getting there. Don’t get me wrong; I do have days off where I will eat whatever I want, but most of the time it is my aim to eat things that fuel my body to be stronger and more efficient. Plus, when I eat crap, I feel like crap.

Here is my exercise for the past week. It has been combined with between 1500 and 1800 calories a day. I’m thinking of increasing calories a little bit further as I have been feeling a bit run down.

Monday – 90 minutes Contemporary Dance. 1 Hour Rehearsal
Tuesday – 40 minute power walk, 2 hours creative session, 90 minutes Commercial Jazz.
Wednesday – 90 minutes theatre Jazz, 1 hour pole.
Thursday – 90 minute Contemporary Dance, 1 hour rehearsal, 1 hour pole.
Friday – 1 hour pole, 30 minutes yoga, 80 minute walk.
Saturday – 2.5 hours walking.
Sunday – 20 minute HIIT Circuit, 20 minutes yoga.

How have you been getting on this week? My BG’s have been fine apart from the 3 hypos on Friday. Have you exercised? Ate a bit healthier? Let me know.

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Rowena x

Drawing Attention To My Insulin Pump

Rowena

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September 28, 2014

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My body is feeling surprisingly happy today considering I have doubled my training and upped my calories a bit. My blood sugars have been happy ones and I have managed to avoid significant hypos. The main hypo of the week came on me during a theory class where we were talking about project management. Sometime I get confused with the signs of a hypo and just think I’m being dramatic. Do you ever do that? I tell myself I’m imagining it, I fidget and organise things near me, until I actually have no other choice but to check my levels to find out that I am below 4mmols.

I often check my levels just before class and I usually do it in the studio where I keep my bag or I do it in the toilet if I have to go. Anyway, on Wednesday, I was checking my levels and one of my class mates said “Oh Rowena, are you diabetic?” I said “yeah.” She then went on to ask about injections and insulin, I told her that I had a pump instead of injections. I began to stretch as I thought the conversation was over and she jumped back in and said “that’s so cool to have diabetes”. Well, I was gobsmacked and said “not for me it isn’t” and I continued to stretch. The conversation was definitely over now. I have heard of people who have experienced the same comment and I just wonder what planet they are living on? Hmm.

If you’ve been following my blog or instagram, you will know that I reduce my basal rate for class and I put my pump in my bra. You know that little beep that happens when you have a reduced / increased basal? Yeah? Well, that beep is enough to make the teacher talk about it and turn heads to my pump (boob area ha). He heard it beep, looked straight at me and then went on to create a beat with that one beat as the inspiration, I would’ve been fine with it the once but it happened each time. Every time it beeped, people stared and I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about that.

I’ve got some cool plans for my blog so stay tuned. For now, follow my instagram and twitter If there is something specific you would like me to talk about, let me know here or in the comments below.

There Are No Complications

Rowena

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September 14, 2014

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The other day, I was scrolling through Facebook and I noticed a post from Diabetes UK. It was saying something about the complications that can occur in diabetes. Usually, when I see links like this I never click on them because it’s not good for me to focus on negative things. It sends me into a paranoid state of worry and I end up getting very upset with myself if I miscalculate a bolus and end up high. So, instead of clicking on the link, I looked at the comments that other people had made and it appeared that others would prefer not to see it either. It upset a lot of people and “made them feel even shittier about this disease than they already did”. I mean, why would anyone want to be reminded that they are more likely to go blind and or lose a leg?

Is it really necessary for us to know so much about these complications? I don’t think so! I think it is best to let the doctors take care of that and then we can learn from them (and books) if and when it happens. I didn’t start learning, in detail, about diabetes until I was diagnosed with it so why should I learn about neuropathy if I don’t have to. Non diabetic smokers don’t learn about lung cancer just because they smoke, do they? When I look through the comments on posts similar to the one mentioned above, if I see something negative in the comment I skip it straight away and look for someone who has said something good. I know it sounds pretty ignorant of me and I obviously wouldn’t ignore someone who was talking to me directly. But, for my sanity it is best to look at the positive in everything. While one person is saying that they lost their drivers licence, another is sharing their improved hba1c result.

I suppose this post is just a suggestion to you and I to carry on looking at what can go right. It would be so nice if dominant companies could post something positive. It would be nice to read the success stories of diabetics who keep their levels under control and the benefits it has had towards their health. For me, Instagram is the place to be. I always see lots of positive posts about diabetes on there.

What do you think? Do you know the ins and outs of everything diabetes? Let me know.

Rowena x

A Type 1 Holiday

Blog
Travel

Rowena

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September 10, 2014

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I’m back from holiday and ready to get back to training. I now have a copy of my final year timetable and, combined with my extra activities, I will be doing around 25 hours physical activity per week. This includes yoga, weight training, pole, and various dance classes, walking and cycling. As I will be doubling my training I am going to increase my calorie intake, but more about that on another post.

Back to holiday and how I managed my blood glucose. Well, the first day I was doing great until half way through the flight. I had dinner on the plane which was a small mushroom risotto which I think I gave the absolute correct bolus for. I checked my BG afterwards and it was around 12 from 5. I took a correction dose straight away. I then checked another 2 hours later and it had risen to 14. I checked the line to my pump and there were several air bubbles which meant I obviously wasn’t receiving the insulin I was giving to myself. I went ahead and primed the pump to remove the air bubbles and gave another correction dose. I also walked down the stairs and to the back of the plane to do some jogging on the spot. Yeah, I’m weird! Within an hour or so I was back down to around 8 and I was nearly at my destination. The flight was 10.5 hours from Manchester to Las Vegas.

Throughout the week I wasn’t really too careful about what I ate, I didn’t over indulged but I did indulge more than I would at home. If I had a particularly carby breakfast I would have a lower carb lunch and vice versa. I love American hash brown and I managed to bolus for them properly. On top of the eating, I walked a lot and it was around 40 degrees outside so my insulin didn’t really increase. I also did a few workouts. The workouts included bodyweight training in the hotel room, running up and down 28 flights of stairs in the Flamingo Hotel and, of course, pole dance and flexibility classes at Pole Expo.

During the whole week I only had a few highs. If you follow my instagram you would’ve seen a pic and an explanation of one of them. I drank a splash of cranberry juice with my vodka soda water and bolused for 2 carbs which is what I usually do in the UK with the cranberry juice I drink. However, I should’ve known that the cranberry juice they serve at the bar would not have been a sugar free version. Duh! I took a correction dose, stopped drinking alcohol and continued with my night as planned. I was on my way out to dinner and a show called Zumanity by Cirque Du Soleil.

All in all I managed it really well. I took enough insulin and other supplies to cover me for a few weeks rather than just one. It’s better to be safe. I had to change my insulin daily as I think the heat was damaging it when I was at the pool or doing anything outdoors. Most days I would only go to the pool for an hour so I took my pump off and left it in the safe in the room. On the days where I knew I would spend more time at the pool I took it with me and had it wrapped under a towel with some ice. I just detached it when I got in and out of the water and it was fine. Nobody noticed or said anything about it.

The night times were interesting when I would put on a nice dress and have to figure out when to put my pump. My knickers or bra were the safest bets. The pic above is where I put my pump on the night I went to see Britney Spears. She was amazing and kept me dancing.

How do you find it to manage your diabetes when you are away from home? Do you find that you stay in control? Let me know in the comments below, email me or follow me on instagram and twitter.

Rowena x

Am I Really Diabetic?

Rowena

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August 25, 2014

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Lately, I’ve been getting the strange realisation that I am diabetic. I mean, obviously, I know I have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and I manage it daily, but I think it has taken me up until now to actually realise it and process it properly. As an automatic reaction around food, I am forced to think about my insulin needs. Every so often I wonder if this is really my life. Am I really different now? Do I really have an autoimmune disease?

For the rest of my life I will be thinking about insulin, its measurements and how it will affect my blood glucose. Am I doing a good enough job for myself? Am I annoying to others when I ask them the carb content of the food they are preparing for me? Does it bother them that I have to pay so much attention to my needs even if there is something serious going on? I was wondering what it would be like to have a day off, to forget that I know what it means to “bolus”. As I write this I can see my Insulin Pump resting on the waist band of my pyjamas and it makes me ask myself; am I really wearing a device that pretty much acts as my life support? Why do I know what an Animas Vibe is?

This post might seem a bit depressing and “woe is me” but I assure you it is not. I am not complaining about having this disease, I am trying to let it sink in. Should it be this hard to sink in? When I was diagnosed it was something I grasped really quickly and I just took control of it. When my blood sugar was “hi” and the doctor told me I have diabetes she was looking for more of a reaction than the reaction she got from me. I just said “ok”. She asked me how I feel about it and I said “I just have to get on with it”. She told me that people usually burst into tears at the point of diagnosis. I told her I was too tired to react. I was really, really tired.

Did / does anybody else feel like this? Every day I look at my type 1 active instagram and I am inspired by people who manage the same disease as me. You know what I go through, maybe you can relate to my thoughts? Would it be too intrusive of me to ask you what your thoughts are on having this disease? Can I find out how well you think you manage it?

Let me know in the comments below or contact me.

Rowena x