Dear Dia-bestie

Dear Diabestie,

A simple Facebook message. Thats how it started. 

I was nervous. I was meeting up with a stranger who I had met on the internet - this was before I became part of the GBDOC and the only Type 1’s I had ever met were through JDRF Discovery days. 

My parents had always taught me not to talk to strangers, and this one looked pretty dodgy ;)

So the day came and we decided to go bowling. 

10am and we were the only people in the bowling alleys! Do you remember the 10 minutes of awkward chit chat?

‘How long have you been diagnosed?’

‘What subjects to you take?’

etc etc

We finished the game of bowling... after about 10 minutes.

By the end of the day after going for lunch, carb counting, eating ice-cream and walking round the town the initial awkwardness was broken when the ‘disease’ we both have in common completely broke the ice. 

Alyssa - ‘I think Im low’

And in what felt like an alter universe we both could completely understand.

Two weeks later we met again, this time at a Diabetes UK Care Event. It was so lovely to get to meet again, the awkwardness had gone and I felt like I was meeting with a friend I had known for years. You and the other 21 campers made that Care Event which I was very nervous attending one such an amazing experience.

However I'll never forget that moment on the slide when you went low. Im so grateful for that stranger who was strong enough to help pull you from that pool. I cant even put that situation into words because I thought I was going to loose my best friend and I don't want that ever to happen! You do love scaring me with these moments though! ;)

We've been through the highs and lows together (blood sugar wise and life) Always supporting each other along the way. We speak, snapchat, tweet or text lots - I hate that you live so far away. After the Care Event I stayed close with lots of people from the camp but as Skype calls got more infrequent and texts were few and far between the friendships faded, but our friendship remained strong. Our diabetes gave us common ground but now we know that we have so so much more in common.

I think you are so inspiring not just with your diabetes but your general attitude to life. If something knocks you back you come back twice as strong and you are so determined to make a difference! I think its fantastic all the work you do with Just Duk It and I hope one day we will be travelling round doing Diabetes talks together! (The Pumptastic Backpacker?! ;) aha!

Meeting again at the People With Diabetes Conference just confirmed how strong our friendship is. After 2 years apart, even though we speak all the time, you couldn't shut us up, and we tried but failed to hold back the tears as we both went our separate ways again.

Without diabetes I wouldn't have met my best friend and many other amazing friends along the way - thats a very strange thought!

“Friendship is born that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! you too? I thought I was the only one!” - C.S.Lewis

Thankyou for being my ‘Dia - bestie’!

Lyd x

Hope you enjoyed this blog post! If you write a post about your ‘Dia-bestie’ please send me a link! Id love to read it!

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx

How to save a life

DISCLAIMER - I am not a medical professional and everybody who suffers with Type 1 Diabetes has different symptoms/ treatment etc. Views are my own and not that of any medical organisations. Always check with a healthcare professional etc etc…

Hey you! Yeah you! Don’t look behind you! Its you I want to talk to!

OK so that came across strong…

But Ive got your attention right?

If I told you this blog could be about someone you love, a member of your family, a work colleague, a child you work with, a friend or just a stranger would you carry on reading?

OK good now I've got your attention. 

‘WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES BECAME UNWELL?’ (I feel like I sound like a cheesy TV advert)

Would you give them sugar? 

Or do they need insulin?

I don’t blame you in any way for not knowing! 

I didn't know I had a pancreas before I was diagnosed.

I didn’t even know Type 1 Diabetes existed.

Only because I now have it I do.

If a Type 1 Diabetics blood sugars drops too low or rises too high it can cause us to act out of character or become unconscious. If our blood sugar drops too low or rises too high we may not be lucid enough to be able to recognise our own symptoms.

Im going to explain what to do - you never know when you may be in the situation where a Type 1 needs your help.

How to check a diabetics blood sugar if they are unable

1. Pop a strip into the meter - most meters turn on automatically when you do this

2. Finger pricker dependant (some have a button on the side to prick the finger) prick them on the the top part of their finger

3. Squeeze the finger and place the blood on the testing strip in the meter

4. A normal blood sugar is between 4 and 7mmol

The person may also have a Freestyle Libre (a small plastic coin like device on their arm) and a black handset. When the button on the handset is pressed and the machine is swiped against the Libre it will tell the show the blood sugar reading and an arrow in the direction their sugar levels are going.

Symptoms of hypos (hypoglycemia) - a blood sugar reading of under 4mmol

• Sweating
• Muddled up sentences
• Clumsy
• Irritable (or if you're from up north ‘mardy'!)

If the person is having a dangerously low hypo they may also appear Incoherent and intoxicated - something that can be very dangerous if confused with being too drunk in bars or nightclubs.

What to do!

If the person is still responsive and able to eat - give them sugar

Normally as a diabetic we carry glucotabs, a sugary drink or jelly babies in our bag. If there isn't anything with them - anything sugary will do! The recommended amount is 3 glucotabs or 150ml of a drink or 3-5 jelly babies.

(If their bloods have not returned to normal in 15 minutes - repeat)

If the person cannot eat - but is still conscious

Give them a glucagon injection if they cannot do it themselves (If they carry one!) This is an injection in an orange case used to raise blood glucose in an emergency (the instructions are in the case). 

If the person has no glucagon pen/ has lost consciousness

Ring 999 - the longer the Type 1 diabetic is unconscious the lower there blood sugars will drop

(This could result in death - panic now - internally of course)

Symptoms of high blood sugars 

-  Fatigue

• Vomiting
• Fruity breath (smells like pear drops)
• Rapid heartbeat

What to do!

If the person is unwell

A hyper doesn't have the same immediate risk of a hypo.

But it the persons sugar levels are very high (I would say about 17mmol (but don't quote me I'm not a medical professional!) to check for ketones on their handset. If the person has ketones they need to correct their blood sugars down with insulin and drink lots of water. Contact their nurse/111. If the ketones are above 3 the general advice is go to hospital.

If the person is unconscious 

Ring an ambulance - this is a symptom of DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) and can be fatal.

I know this is a serious blog but I have had friends who have had hypo seizures due to low blood sugars and those in DKA who have been on their own - hopefully this will help to spread awareness incase this ever happens near you!

Thanks for reading this dear reader and you never know…

One day you may be the person to save my life?

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes - type1

My A Level art mood board about Type 1. Including pictures of only diabetic friends, old omnipod insulin pods and my favourite inspirational quotes

Once upon a time a 12 year old girl was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Nearly 7 years on there is a few things I wish people knew...

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes 

• Is 24/7 - there are no days off (not even Christmas!)
• T1D affects around 400,000 people in the UK
• Is a roller coaster of emotions and blood sugar readings
• but somehow we keep positive - most of the time!
• as no two days are the same and it can be frustrating
• no we didn't get it from eating too much sugar
• there are two main types of diabetes
• is nothing to do with lack of exercise
• …or poor diet
• and does not always come from elderly people
• and diabetics don't want to hear how a distant relative have their foot chopped off
• we have to carry around life saving equipment every every da

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes

• is not a death sentence if managed
• but it nearly killed my best friend so it is very downplayed in seriousness 
• and sometimes there is no explanation why
• it is emotionally hard to deal with
• and there is no such thing as a perfect diabetic
• it causes 40% of diabetics to have an eating disorder
• and burnout is common - it needs to be talked about
• and its OK to ask for help
• even though we aren't alone sometimes we feel it
• if we have a low blood sugar it is not because we did something wrong and we DO have to have sugar to bring our bloods back up
• it is not cured by cinnamon or other herbal diets - not even by a low carb diet
• it makes any common illness you get ten times worse
• but makes us 10 times stronger
• has given me the best friends 
• has allowed me to be part of an amazing community
• … who feel like my family - some of whom i haven't even met yet

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes

• if seen in a positive light has allows you to conquer and do some amazing things
• but has led to struggles during exams and stressful times
• but at the same time we forget everyone struggles 
• its a hard job - theres no sugar coating it
• and we SHOULD NOT be defined by our Hba1c
• it affects the whole family not just the sufferer
• and although we may not always say it were so thankful

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes

• my insulin pump doesn't magically ‘do’ my diabetes for me - its not a pancreas!
• and some devices we have to pay for… 
• we have to calculate all carbs in our head
• … but we don't get a maths degree (boo)
• we can eat ANYTHING (in proportion obvs) as long as we inject for it
• diabetes doesn't stop me from doing anything… i just need to be more prepared (good job i used to be a girlguide and scout!)
• and it DEFINITELY does not define me
• but to those who feel defined by it at the moment - one of my nurses called Sarah from my old team in Doncaster once told me ‘Life always has its ups and downs. Sometimes it feels like your entering a black tunnel with no light is sight - but you will come out the other side’ - that stuck with me and I hope it will stick we you too - keep going x

Finally…

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes - makes me part superhuman (well thats what I used to tell the Beaver Scouts anyway ;) 

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx

#TADtalks2016

Partha I've just being paid! Do you have any spaces left for TAD?! I'd heard a lot about TAD (talking about diabetes conference) from Twitter and this was the first year it was running. I really wanted to go so as soon as I was paid (and Partha kindly found me a space) I booked my tickets to London!

I didn't really know what to expect but I knew some fantastic speakers were there, one of whom I had already met a couple of weeks before called Lis who had lived with Type 1 for over 50 years and another Ninjabetic - who somehow we always end up discussing at my clinic appointments! 

On the way down to London, like a loner I might add, I was sat on a table of four on the train, with three older women who all knew each other. With my headphones in watching Miranda on my phone, I pricked my finger and tested my sugars. Around me on the table I could hear 'that young girl has diabetes - how much sugar do you have to eat as a kid to get that so young - disgusting.’ DISGUSTING?! I was very tempted to take out my earphones and give them a full lecture (including lecture notes) on the difference between the two main types diabetes but not wanting to make the train ride awkward and being very hangry from not having time for breakfast I drowned them out with the sound of Miranda - such fun.

After arriving in London and catching the tube to South Kensington I arrived at the conference hall in Imperial College London. It was so lovely to meet everyone again from the PWDC16 a couple of weeks before, my friend Abi who I met volunteering on a Diabetes Uk camp last summer and new faces who I've seen on the #gbdoc twitter sphere. 

The day started off hearing from Justin Webb from BBC Radio 4 who introduced the event and told us about his son and how his son had type 1. It was interesting to hear diabetes from a parents perspective as many of the talks I attend are always the HCP's views or the views from the person who actually has diabetes. 

There were many fantastic speakers throughout the day who are truly inspiring to the world of diabetes. We heard heartbreaking and inspirational stories, one of which has stuck in my head from Weston (#wearenotwaiting) who lead an moving talk on Nightscout and his reason behind it. We also heard from many other amazing speakers such as Anne Coops who spoke about resilience and how diabetes treatments have changed over the years. In true diabetic style when Annes pump started alarming she whipped it out from her bra - something that every diabetic has done but hilarious to see first hand during a talk - good job we were all diabetics who understood! :P ahaha!

The first speaker of the day was Joe Eldridge. It was amazing to here his story about cycling with Novo Nordisk and how competition didn't just bring out the best in him, but also the best in his diabetes. The competitive streak helped Joe to get to the next level and this came about when he had only £8 left in his bank account, after constantly having to buy burritos for his team mate, after loosing the bet of having the best blood sugars - so he knew he had to win the bet. On the way to the burrito place he checked his blood sugars 4 times to make sure they were in range and after that day the burrito bet was off. I absolutely loved this as I find that competition is something that motivates me with my diabetes and therefore I could relate to Joes story a lot. It is also inspiring how the cyclists from Novo Nordisk can control their diabetes even with the factors of adrenaline and how that raises blood sugars along with everything else that diabetes may throw at them during an 100 mile race. I've found my diabetes inspiration - I struggle a lot with my diabetes and sport but Joe has proved to me that nothing can stop you if you’re really passionate. 

All this talk about diabetes and the burrito bet made me want to check my sugars to see if they were in range. Again I pricked my finger and a whole fountain of blood poured over the table leaving it looking like a crime scene - lucky I was in a room full of people who I'm sure this has happened too as well! 

Ooh 5.6 #wheresmyburrito

Next up was Lis and I was very excited to hear about her life with Type 1 as she has never given speeches about it before. Firstly Lis talked about the Palmer injection which looked awful! A massive metal contraption to inject the insulin. Lis said it hurt no more than a cannula but the look of it was like something out a horror movie! When Lis was first diagnosed she had to over eat to be able to accurately count for carbohydrates! Now we know, years later that this can lead to dangerous thought processes and as we learnt from the DPC16 that 40% of diabetics actually develop an eating disorder. 

Lis also spoke about her experience with her diabetes over the years ‘Volunteer, go change it, do something about it’ and the diabetes community as ‘One thing that transformed my life was talking to others’ this just shows as a community how powerful we are! Lis also spoke about sugar surfing and taking her diabetes management into her own hands through the use of technology. ‘Getting a CGM was like turning a light on and id realised id been waling around in the dark’. 

Laura (ninjabetic) spoke about her misdiagnosis, something that many people in the room could relate too, and how the first 10 years of her diabetes was challenging due to not having the proper help and teaching at her diagnosis due to being diagnosed in Disneyland Paris and having all of her basic training in French. Lauras story inspired me. As a teenager with Type 1 I could relate to the feelings of frustration and wanting to not be diabetic from time to time - people who don't have diabetes done quiet understand the strain. After 10 years Laura met Partha and found blogging and social media to be such a massive positive influence towards her diabetes and is now (i would say) THE most successful diabetes advocate out there. 

‘It was nice not to be high all the time - its nice to be able to say that in a room full of people that understand’

One of the most poignant moments of the day was a little girls response to Richards Lane, a past president for Diabetes UK and their first Ambassador, who gave a fantastic speech about his Islet Cell transplant. ‘What was it like being off insulin?’ she asked and I don't think there was a dry eye in the lecture theatre. Heartbreaking.

It was also lovely to have a member of Parliament Jamie Reed speak about the experience of his sons Type 1 and of course his own. Jamie Reed is also hosting Type 1 Parliament this upcoming month and I look forward to meeting him again to try and raise more awareness for the condition.

Overall #TADtalk2016 was an amazing idea from Partha Kar Diabetes Consultant at Portsmouth Hospital, Catherine Peters from GOSH and there was Peter Hindmarsh from UCL. Id like to say a big thank you to all of the amazing speakers as well as it was a fantastic day and I can wait for next year! … and possibility #TADpoles ;)

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx

PWDC16

‘They say that diabetes is an invisible disease. But it isn't for the person living with it. Because we can see the bumps and bruises caused my injections and cannulas. We can see the holes and black dots on the tips of our fingers. We can see the way our skin pales when we have a hypo, and the way we look when we have a hyper. We see the brutal reality if our disease. So diabetes is not invisible. Its incredibly promenade and obvious for the person living with it’. 

For those who follow me on Twitter and know me closely in real life you’ll know that I haven't been getting on very well with my diabetes recently. Sometimes living with diabetes can be isolating and sometimes overwhelming. I find when I've got a lot on with University, going to the gym and trying to have a social life the constant toll of my diabetes can just tip me over the edge especially when you try really hard and the results are just unfathomable. 

Don't get me wrong I feel like I know everything I can about my Type 1, I'm always researching, reading and blogging about my own experiences - so I have lots of knowledge of how to control my diabetes, its just sometimes diabetes can be unexplainable! Its hard to explain to someone who doesn't have a chronic illness, but those who have it will get it. Its just consuming from time to time and you want a break. Whether its testing less frequently, getting frustrated with your blood sugars being too high or low when your constantly trying to keep them in range or just wanting a break. Burnout.

‘I think one of the worst parts of having a chronic illness is how it sometimes just breaks you. You can have several bad days in a row and handle it; then one day you lose it because you’ve gone so long taking it that you eventually get to a point where you just cant do it anymore. After a period of inconsolable grief, you pick yourself up and begin the cycle anew.’ 

Im a social media addict and like to voice my opinion and feelings online. A couple of years ago I found a community that welcomed me with open arms the #GBDOC. The ‘Great British Diabetic Online Community’ for those who don't already know, but I have a question for you - how do you not know?!

Over the past two years i’ve been on Twitter every Wednesday night at 9pm to talk about different topics to do with diabetes. Over this time I’ve become friends with diabetics (not politically correct!) from all over the country who have profile pictures of lego figures, monkeys and (thankfully) some people had pictures of themselves! (This made my life a lot easier at PWDC!)

This year (for the second time) the GBDoc along with Team Blood Glucose held a conference in Nottingham for just people with diabetes (NO HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS ALLOWED!) This was my first time attending and I was very excited! I just wanted to meet the community in real life who had helped me so much reminding me that I'm never alone and who are always up for a chat and we share advise no matter what time of the day!

However as the day approached I was very excited and slightly nervous! I was meeting my best friends Alyssa and Grant from a Diabetes Uk Care Event camp we went too and was incredibly excited to see them after 2 years - as well as meeting Ellie after not seeing each other for two years since JDRF Parliament. But what if i didn't recognise people from Twitter? What if they didn't recognise me? Do you do an awkward handshake? Or do you go for a hug? Its a strange concept when you know someone well but you've actually never met.

Walking into the very swish marquee at Colwick Hall I was greeted by Rhodri (who I now know after two years of mystery that Paul and Rhodri are in fact the GBDoc!) and Alex who were both incredibly lovely and instantly the nerves went. Running over to greet Alyssa and Ellie it didn't feel like we’d spend two years apart as we get on so well and within seconds were in full flow of conversation. Turning around to see if I could see any faces I recognised I couldn't help but smile - the weirdest experience ever. Seeing people from twitter who are more than just a face! ahaha!

I met Jules who I was very excited about meeting as she's been my rock in the community this past month with her constant support and promise of a cuppa at the conference.She is one of my biggest inspirations within the community and it was fantastic to finally meet her (even though we didn't get a picture!) 

Meeting Adrian -LibreGod ;) was so lovely as he was exactly as I had portrayed him from twitter and it was very strange as it feel like the weekend wasn't the first time we’d met. (Of course we had to mark the occasion with a picture).

Meeting Adrian!

P.s We all went for the hug

The day started by figuring out what we wanted to discuss and ‘voting with our feet’ to what we wanted to talk about. The first session I attended was ‘mental health’ which was really interesting and everybody got the chance to speak. The open format was led by Tim and it was interesting to see that everybody had been through the same trials and tribulations with their diabetes. The one confession that makes me laugh and everyone could resonate with was filling in your blood sugar book the night before with different pens and different handwriting to make it look like you'd been filling in your book! (I've never done that;)) For me this session was invaluable. Reminding me that whenever you think you're the only one - you aren’t. 

Talking about the untalkable

After the first session we had our first game of blood glucose bingo! The aim is to test your blood sugar, a random number is generated, and if your blood glucose is that number you win - if its higher than 8mmol you get placed on the ‘naughty step’ (reminds me of Supernanny!) We play this every Wednesday night at the tweet chat on twitter - most of the time I end up on the naughty step! I braced myself for a seat under the naughty step sign, however in a miraculous twist of fate I made it on the wall of fame side! Wahey! Oh and we didn't have to sit on the chair under the sign either (phew!) It was very strange to see everyone testing (and swiping on their posh libre’s - which we have now established the long standing debate about how to pronounce it. Fyi its pronounced ‘librae’ - Spanish apparently!) I haven't been in a room where everyone has tested their bloods since volunteering at camp in summer! With everyones pumps making noises as lunch was carb counted and it sounding like a rather techno disco, lunch was devoured - a very carb lunch at that - although I'm not complaining! - and we were back to our next set of sessions. 

After lunch there was another group of sessions this time including a ‘mank and moan’ for all the partners and people without diabetes. I don't really know what they could have spoken about - we are faultless ;P. In all seriousness though it sounded like a brilliant session for people without diabetes as sometimes we forget that although to directly diabetes can have a major impact on the loved ones around us. (What a bunch of soppy gits!) 

At the end of the day we had a round up allowing us to find out what everyone else discussed in their groups which allowed everyone to learn something new, and after a brief photoshoot with our pumps, it was time to say goodbye to Ellie (who hopefully i will see before two years again!) and everyone else who had only come for the day (*cough* Adrian)

#showmeyourpump

Reunited with my two favourite girls

We stayed for the meal later that evening and it was lovely to be able to chat about diabetes and meet new people. We were on a table with Paul, Rhodri and many others whilst we discussed some slightly controversial hypo games! To name one (before I get told off for copyright ;) - Hypo on Ice! 

Day 2 followed the same format as Day 1. Today we started off with a group picture as some of the GBDoc were nursing a sore head! In the picture we calculated that there is over 1,000 years of experience and there was more people there on the Saturday! How crazy is that! HCP’s have got nothing on us! 

Over 1,000 years experience!

The first session today that I went to was about technology which was so so interesting! I already know about pumps and have my own pump but it was nice to be able to give a bit of information to people who were hoping to transition. Kev introduced the group to the Nightscout and XDrip which blew me away! Id never heard of this before and its amazing how parents and people with diabetes are figuring ways to improve diabetes technology! It is seriously cool - go have a look if you haven't already heard about it! 

Again Bg Bingo - 6.7!

On the Sunday I got the chance to speak to other people who I knew from Twitter - it was lovely to speak to Nichola, Philippa, Kev and Lizabetic! It was lovely to meet Lis and Patrick who have both lived with Type 1 Diabetes for over 50 years! How incredible is that!

Finally meeting Lis

Two years later and we are reunited!

The final session I went to was about sports and exercise and really made me excited about the Animas Sports Weekend in May! I got to share my experience about Duke Of Edinburgh and found that it wasn't just me who has problems with low blood sugar whilst hiking! I also learnt some valuable tips about spin classes and i cant wait to try them out now!

Overall this weekend has been absolutely fantastic! It has reminded me that I am not the only Type 1 Diabetic, sometimes its normal to feel defeated, and the GBDOC community are amazing (well i already knew that!) We were able to see the real world of diabetes today, not that behind a screen, a virtual world. An invisible disease with a very real community. ‘One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and be understood’ - I don't think I can describe the community in a better way. This weekend has been amazing and i cant wait for PWDC17! Thank you to everyone who made the weekend possible and thank you to the GBDOC because without you - the world of diabetes would be a lonely place.

Lots of Love the Backpacker and the Pod xxx