When ASweetLife suggested I create a diabetes-related art piece for Arbor Day, I thought, Diabetes and Arbor Day? Hmm…
I started researching trees.…
The liver and pancreas originate from the same embryonic lineage – the endoderm. In fact, both organs develop from the same original group of cells in the embryo. Because of this, they also share many genetic transcription factors and – perhaps most importantly – they each have a built-in glucose sensing system.
After lathering up the hand sanitizer, Jess had an interesting thought: she wondered if the hand sanitizer could impact blood glucose readings. It was a great question that I never considered. I decided to find out.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 12, so, by that calculation, by the time I was 14, I felt 29. That means, right now, if I’m 30 in regular years, I’m 149 in diabetes years (and I’m 210 in dog years, in case you were wondering). What an accomplishment! You might be wondering if I really feel like I’m 149.
The staff wanted to follow protocol. They wanted to put sugar in the drip. And they were urging me to disconnect my pump and let the nurses take over. I thought, Hell no. I just changed my site! I adamantly said “No, thank you.” This was before the epidural, so there may have been some grimacing.
I felt a surge of water burst out of my body. I looked down and my pants were soaked. Again, I thought of the movies: Did my water break? I began to cry because I was only 30 weeks pregnant. The roar of fire trucks. Miraculously, my dad was without a scratch. So the paramedics focused on me.
But it’s a problem for women with diabetes. We need pockets for our insulin pumps, damnit! Many maternity pants have high elastic bands that slide all the way up the stomach, so there’s no waist band on which to attach the pump. And my bra size has already gone up significantly, making bra-wearing uncomfortable enough. Do I really want to clip my pump there every day? I accept that I’ll have to clip my pump to my bra on the days I wear leggings. Even non-maternity leggings don’t have pockets. I’m used to that. But when I’m wearing jeans or regular maternity pants to work, I want a pocket for my pump.
I took the approach that I wanted to capture the energy of these people's lives and that these people are all moving forward. Diabetes is not a debilitating experience for them. Their lives didn’t come to a screeching halt. Llife goes on. You deal with what you’ve been dealt.
Even if I tested every hour it wouldn’t guarantee perfection. Sometimes I have to remind myself that a blood sugar of 147 is just a moment. It doesn’t make me a criminal.