The Unscripted Nest

I think I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I am a Type 1 Diabetic. I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was in 5th grade at 10 years old. I’ll be “celebrating” 21 years of being diabetic this year, next month!

I remember vividly being checked out of school early by my mom, being walked out of class with my teacher as he was upset and walking me to the front of the building where my mom was waiting, to going home where my dad was waiting so we could go meet with the Endocrinologist for the first time. I also remember not understanding things at the time and crying “I don’t want to have diabetes!” Then making our way to meet my doctor, who is still my doctor today! She and her team are the absolute best! She will be retiring in a couple years and I am sure I will just cry when the day finally comes (although very well deserved!).

Diabetes made me become “mature” very quickly, at a young age. It’s hard to remember what life was like before diabetes, not having to worry about finger sticks, injections, pump changes, carb counting, etc. and if I’m being honest, I really don’t remember it at all. But, the thing about diabetes, it’s manageable!

Although diabetes is an inconvenience most days, I’ve been able to enjoy all the normal things everyone else does! A common misconception about type 1 diabetes specifically is that you “can’t have sugar” when in fact, there are times I actually need sugar if my blood sugar is low or dropping too quickly! I can still enjoy dessert or high carb meals just like everyone else. The best way I can explain it is this – whether I’m eating an apple or a slice of cake, while one has more nutritional value than the other, I still have to take insulin either way. Being type 1 diabetic, my body does not produce any amount of insulin on its own. I have to take insulin if I drink a low carb, caffeinated drink, because the caffeine has an impact on my blood sugar. Things like illness, stress, and hormones can all have an impact on my blood sugar! Essentially, I can do the same thing every single day and still get different results, which is what can make this disease so frustrating and a constant need to be managed and adjusted. Unless there is a cure, this will be my norm for my entire life. I cannot go without insulin or the result is fatal.

I’m on the Tandem t:slim X2 insulin pump paired with the Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor! One thing that’s changed over the years is the technology. It’s really come a long way! I didn’t get my first insulin pump until I was roughly 2 years into my diagnosis. My doctor wanted me to be confident that if I ever needed to resort to injections due to pump failure or just taking a “pump break” that I could transition back and forth with ease. Although pump failure isn’t common, it does happen, specifically at 2am when you’re dead asleep.. lol thank God for 24-hour pharmacies and on-call endocrinologists!!

Another common misconception is that people with diabetes can’t or shouldn’t have children but that couldn’t be farther from the truth! With tight control and close monitoring from Endocrinology and OBGYN, I was able to have two healthy, successful pregnancies! There is a lot that goes into high risk pregnancies, more on that another time. But it absolutely is possible. So much so that I had my best numbers during my pregnancies.

I met with my endocrinologist just recently and I love those visits. She looks at the data and asks for my input on where I feel like things could be improved before we make any changes. She’s also so great about staying up to date with new technologies or treatments and is willing to allow me to try things that could help my diabetes! But she will also tell me like it is – she’s very forward and honest. Some patients don’t like that, but I appreciate it and welcome it!

During this visit, she finally got to meet my girls! She specifically requested that I bring them in at my next visit, so I did. It was so fun to see her interact with my girls when she was such a big part of helping bring them into this world!

There is so much more that I could elaborate on with diabetes but I’ll end it here before it gets any longer than it already is! Lol

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! Make sure to subscribe to the blog so you can get updates when new posts go live!

Xoxo,

– Bailey