December 1st, 2011 by KerriSparling in True Stories
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Two weeks ago, I was in the emergency room for some severe stomach pain, down on the lower right hand side of my abdomen. After consulting with Dr. Google, I realized that it could be appendicitis. Knowing I was heading to Toronto the next afternoon, I didn’t want to take any chances with this pain. So I headed off to the ER (conveniently, the one my best friend works at) to check things out.
Looooong story made Twitter-esque short, I didn’t have appendicitis. I just had some rogue stomach pain. However, while I was at the hospital, I asked to have my A1C run. I figured I was there, they were already drawing blood, so what’s one more vial?
“Can you guys grab an A1C while you’re at it?” I asked.
“Is your diabetes under control?” asked the doctor.
“Um … define control? I wear a pump, I wear a CGM, and I’m very aware of my disease. But I’ve been having a hard time juggling things lately, on just about every level, so I’m pretty sure my A1C is crap.”
The doctor shot me a very rude, very judgmental look. I shot one back at him.
“I’m asking you to run an A1C because Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
November 25th, 2011 by KerriSparling in True Stories
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It’s that well-worn tale of Pavlov and his crazy dogs, the ones that he trained to expect treats whenever a bell was rung. And whether or not the treats were offered, the dogs learned to respond by salivating, waiting.
Diabetes has made me one of Pavlov’s dogs. But instead of the chimes of a bell triggering salivation, it’s the sound of the Top Gun theme song coming from my insulin pump, making me check the status of my battery. Or the sound of my Dexcom letting loose with a BEEEEEEEP!, making me reach for my glucose meter. The sounds of diabetes are so ingrained in my brain that I don’t think before responding. My reaction to certain sounds is visceral.
Sometimes the sounds of my diabetes are subtle – Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
November 18th, 2011 by KerriSparling in Expert Interviews
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The Diabetes Research Institute is one of those places that, walking through its halls, you feel inspired. (I feel the same way when I walk through the Joslin Clinic in Boston – true diabetes magic happening there.) The people there are focused solely on finding a cure for diabetes, and that’s a mission I can truly get behind. Today, the DRI’s Tom Karlya is sharing some information on the Reason to Believe campaign.
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Kerri: Hi Tom! You and I have worked together in the past, and I’m very familiar with your passion for finding a cure for this disease that both your kids and I share. For those who don’t know, what is the Diabetes Research Institute and what is your role there?
Tom: Thanks Kerri, over the years it has been exciting to work alongside you to help the diabetes community.
The DRI is the largest and most comprehensive research center in the world with a multidisciplinary team of scientists passionately committed to curing diabetes in the fastest, safest and most efficient way possible. We are solely dedicated to curing diabetes by finding a biological cure – restoring natural insulin production in patients. This has been and will continue to be our singular focus until that goal is reached. And it will be reached.
Kerri: I’ve heard a lot about the Diabetes Diplomats, and I know that outreach effort has engaged an amazing group of people. Who are the Diabetes Diplomats, and what are they all about? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
November 10th, 2011 by KerriSparling in Opinion
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Last week (was it only a week ago? My time-space continuum is completely off kilter these days), I was out in San Francisco for a quick visit at the Lifescan Town Hall meeting.
Okay, I was actually in Milpitas, which is a nice little place that the driver from the airport inadvertently described as, “Why are you going there?” Not exactly the same excitement as the home of the Golden Gate Bridge and other sights I saw from the car, but close.
I was asked to come out and talk about life with diabetes to a large group of Lifescan employees (they make the One Touch meters and they clearly like people who play guitar because Crystal Bowersox and B.B. King are their buddies, so I felt a little musically inept). I wasn’t asked to talk about my meter, or my pump, or to pimp out any partnerships, etc. They just wanted to hear about life with diabetes. Plain life. Real life.
Because I don’t have a formal bone in my body (all of my bones are in sweatpants and baseball caps), and because I didn’t have any airs to put on, I just stood on that stage showed them our community. I showed them some of our blogs, and talked about some of our meet-ups. I showed them that while life with diabetes can be challenging, Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
November 4th, 2011 by KerriSparling in True Stories
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A few weeks ago, I posted a photo and part of an email from a reader who had made an insulin pump-shaped cake for their daughter’s birthday. In that magical way of the Internet (where cats haz a cheeseburger and lovely little bean people talk about diabetes), another family with a kid pumping insulin caught the post, and baked up a little bolus of their own.
So, to kick off Diabetes Month here, I connected with Gwyneth’s mom, and Gwyneth emailed me her perspective on what it’s like to mark her first diaversary, which is TODAY. At the start of Diabetes Month. How’s that for timing? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
