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I have been obsessed with Twitter since September. Growing up in the United States in a liberal democratic family means I have a keen interest in U.S. politics. The election in 2016 floored me and I have watched the steady decline of ‘the facts’ over the ensuing three years. Not that facts are all they’re cracked up to be. Think about it, as much as science claims a finding to be reality that same theory can also be disproved. Guaranteed change is a constant. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t aim for justice and liberty and all those other principles though. It pains me to see so much division, hatred and frustration emerging in a country where I was taught that no matter what your circumstances you could achieve the fulfilment of your dreams. In a new paradigm of ‘alternative facts’ it’s hard to know what to believe, who to trust and what’s real. With all the fake news out there I’d like to note there’s one truth that can’t be faked. Diabetes. Diabetes is a fact. Pancreatic beta cells have tanked. Insulin is required. Life is on a knife’s edge. I can remember thinking early on after my diagnosis that there must have been a mistake. Maybe the lab messed up my blood tests. I wasn’t the type to have this disease and I was so healthy. A few health care providers even corroborated my theory. Even as late as 2008 some practitioners in Australia didn’t know that out of the 40,000 people diagnosed each year with type 1 diabetes, 50% are adult onset. When it comes to chronic health issues especially ones that are invisible it’s hard for people to validate or understand our struggles. It’s not up to anybody else to verify what we are going through. Empathy and compassion is a powerful ally but in the end when the bugger’s hunkered down and immovable. What to do? It’s only through coming out and spreading awareness that truth can come to light. It’s why I’ve been posting relentlessly here and all over social media. It’s also how I feel about the state of the union at the moment. Lets get it all out in the open. Let’s get to the bottom of this whole debacle. Let’s see the naked truth. Once you know the truth about anything you’re free. #NDAM #DiabetesAwarenessMonth Diabetes is an opportunity It’s burning in the hills behind the town where I live in Australia. I am grateful not to have to evacuate but am concerned for those who do. The entire valley all the way to the beach is in a blanket of smoke. It’s hard to breathe. We just went to the beach for some relief but there was none. It was strange to see people out and about in cafe’s and shops as per normal. Apparently it’s only going to get worse. So many more friends are leaving their homes to be safe. It’s heartbreaking. I feel this way about Diabetes too. Even though I live with it myself I feel for every single person who lives with this condition. It’s heartbreaking when anyone is diagnosed. I know all too well the challenges ahead. Every day can feels like Russian roulette. It’s a massive learning curve and you can’t get away from it. In spite of all the feelings that come up after diagnosis I also see diabetes as an opportunity to live differently. Instead of taking things for granted I wake up each day grateful to be alive, I’m learning through yoga and other modalities to regulate my nervous system, to react less to the stress of variable blood sugar levels. My diet is refined and I maintain an active life. This kind of approach takes focus and sustained effort and there are plenty of times where I feel frustrated and defeated. But I try not to let my down days take over. I have always been an enthusiastic participant in life. Today as the smoke chokes the air around us I think about all the people all over the world in crisis. How do we rise above, stay resilient and not give up in the face of uncertainty? How can we make a difference in spite of circumstances beyond our control? I draw strength from a simple Ayurvedic principle. You can’t fight fire with fire. The softness of water is what douses the flame. The softness of water is about slowing down, tuning in and calmly moving forward. Flowing with change rather than pushing against it. Connecting with water is about dispersion and delegation. In the face of disaster it’s coming together in community and supporting each other. If we all share the burden we’re stronger together. Photo by @linatrochezph Nine days in to 30 days of writing for Diabetes Awareness Month and today’s topic is diet. I can’t keep count of the number of times I’ve been asked, ” What can you eat?” It’s actually a loaded question because the answer from a person with diabetes would be, “what can’t I eat?” As long as we know how many carbs we are ingesting (everything from veggies to fat to protein breaks down into a carbohydrate in the system) we can eat whatever we like based on our insulin to carb ratio. I.e how much insulin is needed per carbohydrate. Do the math and presto every food is available.⁠ ⁠ But that doesn’t mean I choose to eat whatever I want.⁠ ⁠ Since I was little I’ve been a fussy eater. I didn’t like green vegetables, any kind of meat, or corn on the cob. I can remember being at the dinner table and slowly scooting portions of pork chop into a napkin when no one was looking and then excusing myself to hastily flush it down the toilet.⁠ ⁠ In my late teens I was put on a strict candida diet which meant no dairy, sugar, fruit or fermented foods. Not being a huge fan of animal foods I became a vegan. My strict diet was hard to maintain during pregnancy so I reluctantly ate fish, chicken and eggs, but as soon as I could I went back to my vegetarian ways.⁠ ⁠ When I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2008 I had already started eating foods that resonated with my constitution. Being a fire type, pitta in ayurveda, I avoided nightshades and spicy food and instead focussed on cooling foods with sweet, bitter and sour tones, pulses, avocados, whole grains, roasted veggie salads and gut healing protein smoothies. As my initial diagnosis wasn’t clear (they weren’t sure if it was type 2, type 1 or even diabetes) the only change I made to my diet was to eat low glycemic foods and to add fish, chicken and eggs back in.⁠ ⁠ At that stage I was eating linseed/soy bread, enjoying oats, quinoa, low carb fruits like blueberries and strawberries and lots of different kinds of veggies, soft cheeses like paneer and ricotta. Read more on the blog Link in Bio⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Something that bears the brunt of many jokes in the diabetes community is the test strip. If you haven’t a clue what that is. No worries, I’ll explain.⁠ ⁠ The test strip is a very small yet essential item for anyone living with diabetes. In order to keep blood glucose levels in check you have to take regular measurements with a blood sugar measuring device called a glucometer. Even if I wear a CGM (continuous blood glucose monitor) which measures blood sugar through an implanted device, I still need to calibrate my CGM or double check that the reading I’m getting is accurate. Especially in an emergency. Nothing worse than getting a false reading on my CGM and treating it with either insulin or glucose and then having either a low or high. Sound complicated? Not even the half of it.⁠ ⁠ Anyway I digress…⁠ ⁠ The test strip is inserted into the Glucometer, I prick my finger with a lancing device, place a minute amount of blood on the test strip and within 5 seconds I see the reading on a screen. Then I take the test strip out and supposedly dispose of it. The big question is where? One lone strip usually lands in the side pocket of my meter case, eventually 1 becomes 50 or 100 and before I know it little tiny test strips covered in droplets of red blood are literally falling out of my meter every time I open it. Too lazy to throw them in the rubbish I put them back in the side pocket only for them to fall out again the next time I go to test my blood sugar.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Stray test strips end up in car seat crevices, on the floor, in the bed, in the toilet, on the pavement, in my hair. I’ve even found a test strip in my soup. Yuk!⁠ ⁠ Getting the test strip out of the little round container in the middle of the night in the dark is also a total drag. It’s bad enough having to get up to test my blood sugar but then when I waste a strip putting it in upside down and back to front… total headache! Plus if I don’t get enough blood on the strip the machine tells me I have to test again. That’s another waste of a strip.⁠ ⁠ Read more of this post on the blog LINK in BIO ...www.yogafordiabetesblog.com⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Here's a bit more about how diabetes affects the nervous system and why yoga is so beneficial.⁠ ⁠ Imagine…you’ve lost a ton of weight, been super thirsty, you can’t stop peeing and your exhausted. You know somethings wrong but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Then BOOM you are in the hospital hooked up to drips and on the fastest learning curve of your life. Your family and friends can’t believe it and neither can you. Or if you’re like me, you find out from your GP that your blood sugar is not in range as it should be and it looks suspiciously like diabetes. ⁠ ⁠ Whether you have a sudden diagnosis, or gradual diagnosis, the shock to the nervous system is the same. Your life as you knew it is gone. Without any prior skills to rely on you have to navigate dangerous medication (too much or too little could put you in a coma or kill you), change your diet and exercise habits and possibly even rethink your vocation. From the moment you wake up till the moment you go to sleep and even through the night, vigilance is key. Diabetes technology has definitely reduced the burden but it isn’t a cure.Every single day the body is in hyperdrive at some point or other. It’s especially notable when it comes to low and high blood sugars. ⁠ ⁠ Since my horrible hypo and rebound high giving my nervous system the chance to rest and regroup has been that little bit more out of reach. Autonomic nervous system dysregulation can be the cause of more erratic blood sugars. So taming the beast is always the first order of business. I.e lots of breath work, restorative yoga and other nervous system balancing modalities. One of the quickest and most specific tools I use is full complete breathing. This calms and soothes, enhances digestion, massages all the abdominal organs and gives the mind a focus out of its habitual tendency to identify with conscious stressful thoughts. When we have an extreme low or high it’s is not necessarily something we tap into consciously, having a quick fix on hand that can be done anywhere, is invaluable.⁠ ⁠ Learn a simple breathing practice on the blog today. Link in bio.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ The perfect injection⁠ ⁠ I was one of the lucky ones, or so I thought. When I was diagnosed with unusual blood sugar levels in 2008 I was told by my doctor that we would take a wait and see attitude. Waiting meant me measuring my blood sugar levels with a glucometer twice a day and having quarterly blood tests to see if there was either a reversal to normal levels or an escalation. Seeing was about hoping that I could reverse the symptoms through diet and exercise.⁠ ⁠ Looking back I’m not to sure how this ‘wait and see’ approach made me lucky. ‘Waiting’ meant I could go into further denial and ‘seeing’ took me into untold distress. When my doctor finally made the call to start insulin therapy after acknowledging that what I had was a late onset form of Type 1 diabetes, I cried for two weeks straight. Not because I was worried or fearful (which by the way I was, no one wants to be dependent on medication for the rest of their life) but because I was relieved. Relieved that I had a diagnosis that made sense and that I would have control of my health again.⁠ ⁠ Up until that point taking insulin was my biggest fear. How would I travel having to carry meds with me everywhere, what if I reacted to the chemicals in the insulin, what if it didn’t work.? My doctor assured me that I would feel a whole lot better once I started injecting. He was right. It took 6 months for my levels to return to ‘normal’. Insulin doesn’t cure diabetes, or solve the problem, but it does alleviate the issue of not being able to assimilate food . When the body doesn’t produce an essential hormone you have to get it in there somehow.⁠ ⁠ read more on the blog...Link in my BIO⁠ ⁠ #ndam #DiabetesAwarenessMonth #diabetes #diabetic #typeonediabetic #typeonediabetes #diatribe #diabetichealth #type1 #type1diabetic #diabetics #diabeetus #diabeticgirl #diabeticfitness #diabeticliving #diabeticlife #diabetessupport #yoga #yogi #yogapose #mindbodygram #mbgram #doc #iamwellandgood #selfloveclub #chronicloveclub #healthylifestyle #yogafordiabetes #bodypositivity ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠

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Recent Posts

  • The one truth that can’t be faked November 13, 2019
  • Meditation for diabetes November 12, 2019
  • Diabetes is an opportunity November 11, 2019
  • What can you eat? November 10, 2019
  • The humble test strip November 9, 2019
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