For me, the studying aspect of college was fairly easy. I have always been a good student. I never really struggled with classes except for a few subjects like Calculus.  But I had a much bigger issue looming in the college scene- chronic health conditions. My health matters were, and still are, a constant job in themselves. Even beyond the daily management of diabetes, which is a full-time job, I have issues with insurance payments, finding the right doctor, keeping up with prescriptions, and all those extras that come with diabetes...

Adrian Kiger is a writer who grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia.  She’s had type 1 diabetes since she was eleven. After years of struggling with weight issues and blood sugar levels, she found a diet that works for her – vegan.  Adrian, who has written a children’s book “Veronica, the Vegetarian Diabetic,” talked to ASweetLife about her path to veganism and how it’s helped her improve her health. You’ve been a type 1 diabetic  for 25 years.   Did you (or your parents) change your diet when you...

Don’t hate me for saying this, but eating the same thing over and over again has its benefits for diabetics.  If you know the carbohydrate content of your food, how your body responds to it and how much insulin you need to cover it, chances are you won’t have a postprandial surprise. This doesn’t mean that eating has to be boring.  You can mix and match your meals, just like you do your shirts and pants.  Have oatmeal for breakfast sometimes, other times have it for dinner.   The idea here is finding things...

Yes. Yes. Yes. Finally a good race. Well sort of a good race. I ran the Tel Aviv half marathon this morning. I did things right this time.  Last night before the race, I had a light dinner of eggs, salad and a couple slices of whole wheat bread and got to bed at a decent hour. I took 19 units of Lantus insulin (1 less than usual) before going to sleep. I woke up at 4:00 am checked my BS and saw I was 158, not great for a regular day but good for race day. The race started at 6:30 am.  I had a plan that was supposed to bring me to...

A new study to be published in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library and reported by EurekAlert suggests that treatment of serious gum (periodontal) disease in type 2 diabetics lowers their blood sugar levels. The research, lead by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, analyzed randomized controlled trials of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who had also been diagnosed with periodontal disease. The team looked at 690 papers and included seven studies in the review that fulfilled pre-specified criteria for inclusion. Their...

Rotterdam, the second largest city in Holland and the largest port in Europe, feels like a small town.  I arrived there on Friday morning, two days before the marathon, checked in to my hotel and went to the Expo to pick up my number and chip for the race. On Friday all was still quiet, but by Saturday morning Rotterdam felt like a convention for runners. Our hotel, like all the others, was packed with runners from all over Europe. Rotterdam is a great place for a marathon for many reasons: it’s flat, cold and there is really...

I just sat down to blog (I actually had a serious subject in mind) and felt my eyes starting to close.  I am tired -for sure – but this is a different kind of eye-closing.  This is what I call shut-eye high.  The high, of course, refers to my blood sugar.  I just checked and the meter says 191.  It’s been months since I’ve seen a number over 180. Since my son is in the next room, I’m stopping myself from shouting out the F-word and instead, I’m going to blog out my frustration.  Hearing Mike saying...

In the early days of my relationship with my husband – back when he was still trying to figure out how best to deal with my bad moods when I had high blood sugar – he used to call me a “lucky duck.” For example: Me: “My blood sugar is 257 and won’t come down.” Him: “Who’s a lucky duck?” Sarma Melngailis His logic, he later explained, was that by being sarcastic he was being supportive. I wasted no time – or expletives – telling him this was unhelpful, and he’s since switched to empathetic hugs. After...

Last Friday I went on my first 30K (19 miles) run since the Tiberias marathon (Jan 7th). My plan (which I stuck to) was to run the first half of the run at a heart rate between 140-150, the next 6 miles at a 155 heart rate and the last 3 miles at 160 HR. It went pretty well up until the 15th mile which was when my HR started going a little crazy. The same thing happened last week at 14th mile. What I mean by crazy is that suddenly, without changing my pace, my HR went from 150 to 180 and the only way to get it down was to slow down...

Bridget McNulty is a South African writer and journalist, and a Type 1 diabetic. Her first novel, Strange Nervous Laughter, was published in South Africa in 2007 and released in the USA in May 2009. She has written articles for a number of South African magazines, including ELLE, Real Simple, the Oprah magazine, Psychologies and Woman & Home, and frequently writes about diabetes. In 2008 she was voted one of Cosmopolitan magazine’s Awesome Women, an award extended to 30 South African women who are making a difference in their...