Parenting and Type 1

I have a 4 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. They mean everything to me. At times, my disease can be a burden to my kids and wife. Luckily, my wife is very supportive and is behind me no matter what.

My kids think nothing of me pricking my finger or changing an infusion set for my pump. It's funny because at times they fight over who can help me. My daughter even asked the other day if I was low and needed some food. 

One of my biggest fears as a parent is that my kids will end up with type 1 as well. I wouldn't know how to handle that. Looking back to when I was diagnosed, I am so thankful for how strong my parents were. 

Type 1 is a team effort. It just doesn't affect the type 1 diabetic. This disease affects everyone. We need to stand strong and fight for a cure. Too many kids and families are being torn down and beaten up by type 1. We must BREAK DIABETES! Perception is not reality. 

CGM

I can't believe I have waited so long to be on a continuous glucose monitor. The cost and fear is what made me hesitant. In the big picture, I am investing in my health which you can't put a price tag on.

I started with my Dexcom G4 on Tuesday. Putting it on was a breeze. It took maybe a minute to get it in. I used to have another continuous glucose monitor that was awful and not so accurate. I would have to lay down for 10 minutes with my old one. I only used the old one for maybe a month because of the pain and the hassle. 

I would recommend the Dexcom G4 to others without a doubt. I wish I could have had devices when I was a kid. Things would have been so much easier. Pumps were first starting to come out when I was in high school and they weren't proven. 

I am curious...

Why not use a pump or CGM?

Cost?

Education?

Going Pumpless/Dino Strength Camp

I had no choice yesterday to go without my insulin pump. The buttons just stopped working. I am not sure what the deal is. This weekend I was signed up for "The Dinosaur Strength Camp"  run by Scott Paltos(pumpcrossfit.com) held a gym in my town. With all the luck I had last weekend with my infusion set not working, this was not a huge suprise. 

The first thing I did was call Medtronic to get some support. They asked me a few questions and sent me a new pump that got to my house this morning. The call maybe lasted a total of 5 minutes at the most. I was nervous like I had mistreated the pump or they weren't going to help me. 

I quickly drove the ten minute trip home to get my Humalog(short acting) and took a shot of Levemir(long lasting). I was nervous. I haven't done everything manually in about 9 years. The pump has spoiled me quite a bit. It truly makes everything easy. 

I was pleasantly surprised that everything went well. My highest blood sugar was 189 since my pump stopped working. I did check more than I normally do (which is a ton!).

On to the camp...my numbers were great the entire time. We did some lifting working on technique and some strongman conditioning to finish up the camp. The content that was covered is everything I believe in for performance. You lift heavy and move quickly. It's that easy. There wasn't any sugar coating during the camp. Scott said what he said and didn't pull any punches. He coaches people for performance. 

Our bodies are built for performance. If I don't do anything and don't fuel it properly, it's not going to do what it's capable of doing. We must move.

I have always found the best results from lifting and moving quickly. I don't need to bolus as much and the body feels great during. The feeling of having strength is a wonderful feeling to me. 

Being without my pump and the camp were two successes. I was neverous about both. I learned quite a bit with both situations.