Eat it...just eat it!

THE CAKE IS MINE!

Okay. So we all know that whenever someone thinks of diabetes, food is one of the, if not THE first associations to come to mind. Most of the general public, since they have little to no experience of living with Type I, still have the antiquated  belief that we subsist on celery and unprocessed cheese and shun anything vaguely "starchy."

Well. I don't know about you, but that doesn't fit ME at all.  In fact, I have a relationship with butter cream frosting that could only be described as "complicated." And although I generally describe my eating habits as healthy and well balanced, I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.

What drives me nuts though, is when other people feel as though they have the freedom to "audit" me and say that I "shouldn't eat that." Oh, yeah, thanks for that memo. Because without your reminder, I would go into complete "diabetic shock" (don't you love that phrase?) due to my poor choices and ignorance.

Wow. I just realized how harsh that might sound, and I recognize that MOST people really do have the best of intentions when launching the whole "can you eat that" conversation. You have to understand that even complaining about these types of occasional comments makes me feel a little cliche, but because it is so prevalent, I feel the need to mention it. Not only because it feels good to vent, but also because it is one of the most common pet peeves for any diabetic.

LET THEM EAT CAKE!!

Aside from the directive and invasive comments though, I also find silent judging and questioning to be problematic. You know, like when you feel the eyes of  your spouse's boss  following every trip your hand makes to the bread basket...

Maybe I have a problem with trying to please everyone, but am I the only one who has ever "audited" what they ate in order to not freak out other people?  Don't get me wrong; I take most opportunities to further diabetes education and chat up the miracle of carb counting, but there are times when it isn't appropriate to dominate the dinner discussion. Or I am just too tired to explain myself for the 1, 345,624th time.

A hypothetical case in point: abstaining from the dessert tray at a family reunion party because my sweet great aunt** would be soooo worried if I had a molten chocolate explosion cake with an ice cream chaser, and my type II great uncle would be jealous and bitter and confused that I am indulging when he really can't (according to his treatment plan, not my judgment). Of course, I then remove my emergency cookie dough stash from the freezer when I get home so I can get my sweet treat fix that overtook my soul when I saw the dessert tray.

**Occasion and relationships have been changed to protect the adorably clueless



So...what are your food auditing experiences? When, where, and why do you find yourself silently altering your food intake in response to others?

Addict Roll Call: Moke and Lepsi fans unite!

 Almost every diabetic I know LOVES diet soda, typically one of the two Diet Cola varieties since it is usually the only kind that is readily available at every gas station or restaurant. Although I am a HUGE Diet Moke fan (names have been changed to protect the innocent), I understand that some people appreciate Diet Lepsi, (which I personally think tastes more like runoff from a feedlot, but it will do in a pinch) and I will still like (but maybe not respect) you if you are a Lepsi fan, but the common denominator between Lepsiers and Mokers alike is a deep and undying appreciation of your special brew.

Lest I be accused of only being addicted to the caffeine, I want to reassure you that I am currently enjoying cans of CAFFEINE FREE Diet Moke. Not to say that I don't supplement with the *real* stuff. I just love soda!

But, aside from hearing your testimonials to the amazingness of Diet Lepsi and Moke, tell me about your love affair. Did you like your diet soda even before you got diabetes? What role has diabetes played in your appreciation of the cola? And if you are feeling really brave, you can admit how many sodas you (or your "friend") drink every day. What lengths would you go to to obtain a fix? AND, if you are of the rare breed who doesn't enjoy it...how did you quit?:)

Cheers! I raise my cup of diet bliss to you! It is amazing how much happiness can be found in 64 ounces of fountain-y goodness.

Humor, with a side of blood

At age 14, within the first 6 months of being diagnosed, I made a "Top Ten list of things to NEVER tell a diabetic." At the risk of embarrassment, I hesitate to disclose that I am not sure where this original list can be found. See, it was saved on ummm...a disk. A floppy  floppy disk, not even a 3 1/2 inch floppy disk. On an Apple II GS computer with a program called "Bank Street Writer" You can start laughing now; I don't mind. Think of all the character building experiences us "old skool" folks have had before the modern conveniences of flash drives, high speed internet, and email.

At any rate, the things on the list included something like the following:

*You can't eat that!
*My great aunt Bertha had diabetes and she had both legs amputated and went blind.
*If I get some of your blood on me, would I get diabetes too?
*You must have eaten a lot of sugar to get diabetes so young!
*You're low! Let me bring you some Diet Soda really quick.
*Sometimes I wish I had diabetes because I want more attention
*Do you have the really bad kind of diabetes?
*Oh, my doctor said i have "just a touch" of diabetes
 *Oh no! Your blood sugar is 100! That is so high!
* I know how you feel, I have had a cold last month and it is miserable to be sick all the time.

The list brought a lot of laughs to a lot of diabetics (or at least a lot of polite people humoring me), and I think making the list helped me process and positively handle some of the stinky aspects of diabetes management. If, for example, I had a negative experience at school with the nurse, I thought "Ooohh...that one is TOTALLY making the list."

Recently, on a popular social networking site (perhaps you have heard of "Facebook"?)  I stumbled across an amazingly awesome thing called "Type 1 diabetes memes." It is full of witticisms, caption contests, and photos that celebrate the culture of IDDM. So, a shameless plug from someone who has absolutely nothing to gain from the recommendation. If you are on FB, have a sense of humor, are a type I or have a close family/friend with type 1, check it out. It is great to find not only funny bits about IDDM, but find a bunch of people who are in your proverbial shoes.

Laughter is the best medicine, right? I find it much more useful than my insulin pump. ;)

Fun with moving

The last time I wrote (TWO YEARS ago... my, how time flies when you are busy with toddlers!), I was a bit agitated with finding diabetes care in a new city. The big secret behind THAT post was that I was already pregnant with our second child, and it was super imperative that I find good physicians to be sure we were both healthy. After I called my doctor from the BDC, he made a few calls and opened the door for me to get in and see one of his rock star physician colleagues. A big shout out to Dr. Thomas Moore and his staff in San Diego. Thanks for a great experience!

Now, two years later, I am in the same boat AGAIN (although I am not pregnant). Due to my husband's job, we now live in the Fresno, CA area, which is about 6 hours away from our recent home in San Diego. Back to the not-so-fun-and-deductible-reaching drawing board of finding health care. Sigh.

This time around, I decided to try and find health care professionals ASAP after moving. After a great deal of research and yelp-ing, I had several appointments with different providers and after a few misses, I think I finally found a "hit" with a good diabetes doctor. Of course, this journey was not without its pitfalls. Finding babysitters to watch my 3.5 year old and 1.5 year old  in a brand new area was tough, finding the actual offices was difficult (thanks for the faulty GPS, not-so-smartphone!), and finding a compatible doctor was hard. BUT! I think we have a winner.

Sooooo....things seem to be happy on my end here. How about you? What have been your positive and negative experiences with finding good diabetes care? Any tips for finding a good doctor those who have just been diagnosed?