Welcome to Kim’s diabetes blog. Feel free to add comments and share your thoughts too!

May 4th, 2009
Monday, type 1.
A few weeks ago a neighbour from my highschool days contacted me on Facebook. He saw my diabetes contest posting and he was asking me about my involvement. He lived two doors down from me back in the day and also went out with my friend. When I told him I have type 1 diabetes, he seemed so surprised. Here is what he said:

“all these years and i had no idea……high school in the o.v. [Orangeville], even life in the bug [the coolest car of all time!]. all type 1.”

For some reason, his comment really resonated with me. Everywhere I go and whatever I do, type 1 is there. Most people don’t know it and if they do, they may not realize how it impacts every part of my life. The interesting part is that because you can’t see my condition, nobody knows unless I tell them. But in reality: my workday, type 1; my workout, type 1; out with friends; type 1; it never stops!

May 3rd, 2009
Perhaps the 35lb plate pushes on astroturf wasn’t the best way to start…
So after about two years of taking my fitness goals into my own hands, I decided on going back to doing hardcore bootcamp classes at DFC. DFC isn’t like the usual fitness centre, DFC is like a playground within a gym: ropes, nets, mats, obstacles courses, pretty much every out-of-the-box training accessory is there. Right up my alley actually. So my first class back at it after 2 years, was yesterday. And yes, perhaps the 35 pound plate pushes were a huge eye-opener that I’m not near as good at the DFC-style training as I used to be. The plate pushes are tough, extremely tough. Started off pushing a 10lb-er in and out through cones, up an incline (all on astroturf) then running back to the start where the weight increased to 25lb for the same exercise and then culminating in the 35lb. My legs are extremely out of shape but luckily I redeemed myself on the plate presses where I could bust out 40 reps of 25lbs. The rest of my workout consisted of doing the alligator walk (on my hands pulling a plate with my feet), and other obstacle course stuff. It was one beauty of a workout to say the least. But I had worked so hard that I was disappointed to find out that my blood sugar was high in the end. It left me kind of angry, how could I have just had the best workout I’ve had in a year and end up with high blood sugar?! Well I must admit that I didn’t know how much sugar I would need for that workout so I must’ve overcompensated. Hopefully next time I will be able to gage a bit better.

April 13th, 2009
Reach for the skates this summer!


If you’re thinking of starting up a summer activity, reach for the inline skates! But make sure you invest in a pair that’s worth it. Afterall, if you’re committing to 30-50 minutes of exercise per day a few times per week, you better like what you’re putting on! I reached for the K2 Alexis and discovered that they might just be my new escape from the everyday chaos.

Here are the top 5 reasons why I love the K2 Alexis:

1. Sleek and black, these babies look pretty good on my feet!

2. The pink ribbon emblem symbolizes that with every pair, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Breast Cancer Foundation. Even better reason for you to feel good.

3. Not so stable on those feet and ankles of yours? Well, the extra stability cuff will take your worries away. Maximum support will let you concentrate on one thing: gettin’ some fancy summer skills so you can skate circles around the cute boys on the boardwalk.

4. You don’t have to be a speed demon to know that these skates are fast! For those with a little Roadrunner in you, you’ll be breaking records with this pair on your feet.

5. If you’ve owned inline skates in the past, you might’ve felt like you were wearing a pair of buckets on your feet. Say goodbye to buckets and hello to lightweight, softboot comfort with the Alexis.

Most importantly, if you get a pair, remember to wear your safety gear!

Try on a pair of K2 Alexis and let us know what you think!
www.k2skates.com

February 1st, 2009
Yesterday I had a real scare. I had a really bad low at the show. I was planning to eat popcorn and since it’s pretty high in carbs, I usually need to take a lot of insulin. I guess this time, I took too much. Way too much. Five or six sugar pills later, I was just starting to recover. I haven’t had to take that amount of pills in years. I watched the rest of the movie completed exhausted. But yesterday was a huge realization for me. I really want to stop these rollercoaster blood sugar days. The only way to do that is monitor my carbs and exercise a bit more willpower when I’m not at home. I know this the key to living a longer, healthier life and I know what I have to do to get there so this time is going to be different. February 1st marks a huge change for me.

Diabetes Contest - January 25th, 2009
Check out B-ZONE magazine’s new contest sponsored by Abbott Diabetes Care! If you are between the ages of 8 and 13 years old and live in Canada, submit your entry to kim@b-zone.ca!

*The monitor is shown with an individualised monitor skin available from Diabetes Education Centres throughout Canada.
**Apple Inc. in no way endorses or is affiliated with this promotion.

Story Time at Sick Kids - January 20th, 2009
Starting next week I’ll be participating in Story Time at Sick Kids Hospital. The kids who are able, will congregate in the hospital library to listen to stories. For kids who can not get down to the first floor, they will be able to watch Story Time from the closed circuit televisions from their rooms. Sick Kids will also be distributing our tween magazine in their library starting in March. I’m just thrilled about this affiliation since I always wanted to return the kindness that I received when I was admitted.

Freestyle Mini Madness - December 3rd, 2008
It’s hard to find a blood sugar meter that you absolutely love. Well I just love my Freestyle Mini. It is the perfect size and it’s very reliable. Considering I check my blood sugar between 8-10 times per day, I need my mini to be operable 24 hours per day. My mini never lets me down. A few months back I needed a new one since I had worn it out and I had an amazing customer service experience with Abbott Diabetes Care. I was dreading making the call because I hate the run-around and I thought I might have to put up a fight about needing a new one. But it was the exact opposite. Abbott did a great job replacing my meter promptly and I thought they went above my expectations to make sure I was happy. Definitely recommend the mini.

Sample Shows- December 1st, 2008
Have you ever been to one of those shows that offer free food samples everywhere you look? These samples are not only free but they are usually pretty tempting. Only those with extreme discipline can resist all of these treats. So my advice is: try to go to these shows around lunch time so that you can work the added food into your meal; try your best to avoid the really sweet selections like the caramel crunches and candy apples (luckily I don’t like either of these choices!); try to walk as much as possible. It is very difficult not to go hog-wild at these events but believe me, mixing thai spring rolls, christmas pudding, shortbread and chocolate covered berries can wreak havoc on your tummy, not only your blood sugar!

Tu Diabetes- September 14th, 2008
For those of you who don’t know about tudiabiates.com, you should definitely check it out. More for young adults, adults and parents (as opposed to kids), it’s a good way to connect with others. There’s one thing that bring these thousands of people with diabetes together: diabetes. People want to share, ask and answer questions so if you want to reach out to your diabetes peeps, take a look on Tu Diabetes!

Kraft’s Healthy Living -Living well with Diabetes kit- September 9th, 2008
So I signed up for this kit/program from Kraft Canada. Besides a few good recipes, I found the material a bit drab. I think that diabetes resources are getting a little tired and the same ideas and information are recycled. I’d love to see something new out there! Something a little more eye catching and what I would really like would be content that has some emphasis on the social/emotional/psychological issues of having diabetes. But on the plus side, I have full intentions of trying the Creamy Fruit Fool and perhaps also the Neapolitan Tower Cake. I’ll see if I can get some pics to show you these supposed taste sensations!

Here is the Creamy Fruit Fool

Dogs that can detect low blood sugar - February 24th, 2008
I would love to have one of these dogs that can detect low blood sugar. In the US they have training centers for dogs who get paired with people who have diabetes and they can detect when the person has low blood sugar and wake them up in the night in emergency situations. Apparently they are mostly being used with older people and young kids. Sometimes if blood sugar goes low in the middle of the night, it is possible that the person will sleep right through it! Apparently there is a scent that is emitted from the body that trained dogs can pick up on. Labradors, German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers are the dogs that have been trained for this. I would love to have a little buddy around to keep me company!!! They’re so smart and such companions. I think in the future this kind of dog will be more common and hopefully these training centers will be brought to Canada.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!! - February 14th, 2008
Us people with diabetes deserve something sweet on Valentines Day! If you want to stay away from the chocolate, then here are some gift suggestions that you may want to subtly pass onto your sweetheart!
-Flowers are always a hit. My preference is roses, yellow to be exact. They’re gorgeous!
-Homemade baked goods show someone has put some serious effort into making you a treat! Then you know the list of ingredients and if the baker has kept your diabetes in mind, the baked goods will probably be a lot healthier than store bought.
-I’m a big fan of a mixed CD including your favourite Valentines songs. This shows some thought went into the gift!
Happy Valentines Day!

Hemoglobin A1C - February 10th, 2008
I always get a little nervous before my hemoglobin A1C is announced by my doctor. It must stem from when I was a kid. I used to shake in my kangaroo runners thinking the doctors would think less of me if the result was “not good”. I am a grown adult now and still get a little bit of anxst before judgement day! My last test was .067 which is great. I should be happy with that, considering I worked so hard to get those numbers. But it’s always in the back of my head that I could do better. And if I was to try harder, how tight could I get it? Could I ever get it under 6? I think I could drive myself absolutely crazy thinking about this! Do I want to sacrifice my sanity for a “better” HbA1C? Hmmm….No, I think I work hard enough as it is! If I have any more self-surveillance going on, I think I might lose it!