#002 Maturity

I was diagnosed when I was 17 year-old. I know what is biology, hence I know where the pancreas is located at. I scored well in my mathematics, hence it wasn't hard to learn how and when to inject more/ less.

When I knew that diabetes is a lifetime commitment, the first question that I asked: Why me.

But, if you are a 5 year-old boy with type 1 diabetes, diagnosed at 4 year-old, what's in your mind?

If I am the boy, I would be thinking: "I will get rid of injections when I grow up", "My mom can help me do all the injections, and I will be fine", "What's wrong with not injecting?", "The doctor really talks a lots to my mom, it's so boring here!" etc 

True story #002

The mother almost regret shouting those words to her son, Z on that day. Those words would most probably result in: little Z not wanting to do injections anymore and who cares if there is no injections! However, instead of regret, the mom was stunned.

Kids remain as kids. Z eats slowly, gets distracted easily. 

Games or meals, of course he would say: Games!

Food was served on the dining table already. Z was called by mom to come over and have a meal injection. First call, he ignored. Second call, he thought: I am really not hungry, I want to continue my games play! Third call, with Z's baby sister crying in the background, his mom got frustrated, shouted at him: I will not help you to inject anymore, if you still do not want to come over now! Worrying what reply she might get from her son, but strangely, Z looked panicked. He ran to get his insulin pen case and brought it over to his mom at the dining table, "Mommy, I am here already. Please help me to inject, can you?" 

The mother told me that Z's teacher finds less innocence in him, compared to the other similar-aged children. When it is almost time to serve lunch in the pre-school, he would just walk to his bag pack, take out his glucometer bag. Despite curious children asking, "Why is there blood? Why you have to do this every day?", the boy would just ignore those questions and continue what he has to do. 

Adapted from: www.jantoo.com

#001 Sarcastic

It's like ten thousands days since my last post. I have to admit that I have been lazy to write, not busy.

Currently, I am working in an insulin pump company, seeing diabetes patients everyday (and I do on call at night too!). Working day and night, but helping people like me is like bigggg satisfaction ever. 

So now, get the engine ready for my blog posts again!

True story #001

Today I started pump/ diabetes education for a new patient. R is a type 2, middle aged. 

In the mid of teaching her, suddenly her boss came in and asked me to open the fridge in a tone that was very poker-facely. First, I was shocked because he didn't even allow me to say hello first. Second, I just only realised that there is actually a fridge inside R's room. Third, I was like: Is that an order for me? Why would I simply open a fridge that does not belong to me?  I hesitated, I did not open. Then he repeated: Open the fridge. Okay fine. I opened the fridge wide, thinking what kind of monster will jump out of the fridge. 

To my amazement, there were just mineral waters, packaged drinks, and a couple pieces of cakes. Food that are usually found in an office fridge. And he asked, "What are those?". I said, "Food?" (lolll because his face was so poker! Who knows if what I saw are not food)

In the meanwhile, I could see R was totally ignoring him, complete awkward breeze in that room. I was like in the middle of them, not too sure what I should do next, till I finally figured out what the boss was trying to convey to me.

I really wanted to make things cool, so I told him that actually I am a person with diabetes too, and... He looked surprised, but his words were: "You should really see what's inside your fridge".

Alright, there you go, the little red man inside my head @#!$%&@#$

                                                       

"Food is not the cause for diabetes to happen and this fridge is shared by all staffs right?"

Guess what? R's boss is a doctor.

Post Prandial Glucose (PPG)

We say, we people with diabetes are always living inside the window of 4-8mmol/L. Diabetes does not stop at aiming at how good your fasting or pre-meal blood glucose readings are. It is about lowering the glucose variability. Yea it's about stopping the roller coaster in sugar sanity. Right, once a while, sugar still makes you ride on a roller coaster, I know. 

To handle this rollar coaster, to stay inside the window. Enormous things to consider, and most of it can't be measured. You can only assume, predict, wild-guess.

Did I miss out anything at all?

I have been doing a lots of Dual Wave lately. And it really helps in my lunch (which is usually higher in fat) and my dinner (I eat brown rice, lots of green and I love to squeeze lemon juices on my veges. Because the sourness and vege taste always match well and it makes the vege colour stays beautiful!).

Dual Wave (one of the Bolus Wizard Feature in pump) is the meal bolus being delivered into 2 parts: Immediate bolus and Extended bolus, in the amount and time frame decided by me.

That day I was so concentrating on my food, GI and dual wave, until I had forgotten that I had been running up and down the staircase. And CGM graph became like this without me noticing.

Only realised it when the alarm sounded

Then I tell myself, stop being a perfectionist at the asshole diabetes window.

Inhales.

Life continues.