The A1C for T1D | My 2 Cents

When I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes it was due to an A1C test that I received while applying for a life insurance policy. I applied with 2 companies and one of the companies did not test my A1C and the other did.  I am lucky that I was tested as it resulted in a 12.8% A1C and I was in the Dr's office the following morning.

A lot can be said about your A1C results and I have had many different reactions to my own results. After I began insulin and used an off label drug during my honeymoon stage I was able to get my A1C down to a 5.7.  With numbers like this I would get asked often if I was even a "real diabetic." I was even told by someone that I shouldn't share that A1C value with others as it might make them feel bad and I was still honeymooning so it wasn't accurate.

Let's all be real here...the A1C is simply a metric that we use to quantify a small period of time and the control in which we have over our blood sugar.  It does not factor in life, stress, emotion, or anything else that we deal with.  If we took other measurements and used them like we do our A1C we'd all be failing in one way or another.  Weight, blood pressure, BMI, cholesteral...these are different metrics that are used to measure where we are with our health.  These numbers all fluctuate throughout our life given different circumstances that we all deal with.  Same holds true with your A1C.

I see parents of T1D children on Facebook forums bragging about A1C results. I hear parents of T1D childred talking about other kids with T1D and how their A1C results are better or worse than their own.  At the end of the day we are all working with the same broken pancreas and facing the same challenges. We don't know what it's like to walk in the shoes of others...we can only relate to the struggle of keeping our blood sugars in line.

Take your A1C and use it as a tool. Don't compare it to others. Don't worry that your Dr is going to be "mad" or "upset" with you based on your numbers.  Dr's are here to provide care and assist us in managing our disease. They only see the numbers and are not walking in our shoes day to day. They rely on these metrics to get a glimpse into how well we are managing.  It is up to us to help them understand why our numbers are what they are. Then they can provide guidance to get us back on track.

Don't let a bad A1C result destroy you. It is simply a measurement in time and tomorrow you start fresh on your journey to your next one.

Coeur D'Alene Half Ironman 70.3 Recap

It is crazy to consider that I signed up for the Coeur D'Alene Half Ironman last August after taking up road cycling and in the midst of training for my first half marathon.  I could not swim and to take that further, I could not go under water without plugging my nose.  I am the kind of person who must set lofty goals and announce them to the world in order to put myself in gear.

A goal is a plan with a deadline. Signing up for the race this far ahead of time put a deadline on my goal with enough time to prepare. Fast forward to January and I have a half marathon under my belt as well as a bike trainer set up in my workout room for the winter.  Now I need to figure out the swim. I knew it wouldn't be easy...I didn't know how hard it would be.  My first several weeks of swim lessons were a nightmare that included me fake swimming on the wall so I could just put my face in the water and learn how to breathe out.

I had a reality check after my Olympic Triathlon 1 month before last weekend's race and I put some serious time in the pool and at the lake. That extra effort really paid off when I got in the water on Sunday.

Pre-Race I still had 2 units of insulin on board as I mis-calculated time frames and I suspended my insulin before I lined up. I also drink some gatorade and ate a banana. Little did I know that I wouldn't get into the water for nearly 45 minutes after the cannon went off due to the long line of competitors waiting their turn.  I stood there as my blood sugars climbed and there was nothing I could do but wait.

My swim went incredibly well! I took it buoy by buoy and kept an eye on my watch.  The people around me in the water did not phase me like they did at my first triathlon and I even passed several people in the water which took me by surprise. About 200 yards from the finish I just paused and floated there looking at the beach with a smile. I took it all in knowing that I was going to make it out of the water...and it felt great!

My transition was just over 8 minutes as I dried off, checked my blood sugar and got my bike gear on.  The bike leg was tough and the hill training I did paid off big time.  I am not a fast rider, and I climbed the hills without any issues.  This course has more than 3,000 feet of climb and it is no joke. The ride out seems to be all uphill with little reprieve.  At the beginning of the bike my blood sugar spiked to over 300 due to my insulin suspension and taking in carbs without dosing for them. I ended up taking 2 units of insulin on the bike and using a suspended basal rate of 50%. At about mile 20 my sugars leveled off and I was able to keep them between 100 and 150 for the rest of the race.

Coming into transition 2 my family was there cheering for me and I couldn't ask for a more motivating reason to keep going. The support my friends and family gave me can not be expressed in words and still gets me when I think about it.  I strapped up my running shoes and headed out for the 3rd leg of the race.  It was hot and just getting hotter.  The Coeur D'Alene community is awesome and they spent all day on the course making the run a little better for everyone.

My first trip around the course went without a hitch.  I made the 2nd turn and the heat started getting to me.  I had to run/walk most of the 2nd leg and met some incredible people out there on the course. The water/food stations were a life saver...95 degree heat took it's toll and about 1 mile before the finish my calves cramped up so bad I felt like I was shot in both legs.  I hobbled that last mile and when I turned to head down the finish I faked it all the way.  The cheering crowd, voice of the announcer, and my family lined Sherman Ave. That was truly an emotional experience and one that I will never forget.  I had tears in my eyes for so many reasons...many I couldn't explain.

Type 1 diabetes has changed my life. In many ways it has been a blessing. I could not imagine my prior self doing anything like this. I did this to show that Diabetes does not define you...it does not control you.  No matter what happens in life, we all have the ability to find the good. I did this for myself, I did it to show my friends and family that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, I did it to prove to other people with Diabetes that they should never let it stop them...

I thought a lot about my wife and daughter while I was out there.  How supportive they are...how loving they are...how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. There is so much to be thankful for and I had a lot of time to reflect on that.

Overall I had a great race day and it was everything I expected it to be.  It was hard, rewarding, humbling, and it was worth every minute.

The Swim! Training For CDA 70.3

Today I was able to take my new Garmin watch out for the first time. This is a great tool as it allows me to see my swim pace and distance! The great news is that I completed my longest swim to date and I am on pace to make it out of the water at the Coeur D'alene Half Ironman inside of the time cutoff.

Prior to 2017 I could not swim. When I say that, I mean not even casually. My first swim lesson was in January and after 12 yards I jumped out of the water in a panic.  I dreaded going to the pool for months as I spent most of my time on the wall practicing putting my face in the water. It is amazing to think of where I started and where I am now.

Those cold days in the pool were hard to keep up with.  Now I am grateful that I did...just 3 weeks away from the big race.

Camp Stix

We are about a month away from Camp Stix, a kids summer camp in Northeast Washington for type 1 Diabetics.  Putting on a camp that hosts more than 200 kids with T1D is an amazing accomplishment from all aspects.

It takes a full medical staff which includes a gym converted into a "field hospital." The staff is on call 24 hours per day including night checks (blood sugar tests), insulin dosing, and keeping a complete register of all meds and food.  These volunteers go all out to make sure the kids at camp are healthy and thriving while away from their parents.

A kitchen staff that prepares 3 meals a day complete with carb counts and alternative options for those with food allergies, and a program staff that incorporates every aspect of what is needed to keep the kids safe, happy, and healthy for 6 days!  The kitchen is hot, the kids are hungry, and the job they do is amazing.

The program staff works to make sure the kids are engaged, having a great time, and that Camp Stix is a memorable experience. They bring in guest speakers with T1D to show the kids that anything is possible regardless of your diabetes. They host activities and games for the kids and the variety of activities is incredible.  From swimming at the beach, to paintball and zip lines; the options are endless.

I didn't know any other diabetics when I was diagnosed at the age of 29.  Someone recommended that I volunteer at camp and it was the best thing that happened relating to my diabetes.  Camp Stix has created a community for me to lean on, opened doors to opportunities that I never thought existed, and made me a better person.  I would not be where I'm at without it.

Riding on Insulin

I have met many great people through my journey to find purpose with Diabetes. While volunteering at Camp Stix I had the opportunity to meet Sean Busby and Dustin Askim of Riding on Insulin.

Riding on Insulin (ROI) is a camp for kids with Type 1 Diabetes which takes these kids snowboarding, skiing, and now mountain biking.  Managing kids with T1D is especially difficult and adding physical activity on a mountain complicates things even further.  It takes a great team of medical staff and volunteers to make this happen.

One aspect of ROI that stuck out to me is the Endurance Team.  I watched the video of the Endurance Athletes crossing the finish line of an Ironman and thought, Can I do that?  I did no know how to swim at this point, and set a half marathon as my 1st goal.

Last October while on a trip to New Orleans, I accomplished my goal 2 months early.  It was then that I decided I was going to learn how to swim and give the triathlon a shot.  Being a part of the ROI Endurance Team has given me a purpose behind the training.  I raise awareness, fund raise, and work to inspire others to push themselves and thrive with Diabetes.

In January I started swim lessons and began my journey toward completing my first Triathlon.  In May I put on my wet suit and took on the Troika Olympic Distance Triathlon and completed it in 3 hours and 52 minutes. It was an emotional day for me as I moved along the course.  Making it out of the water was a big deal for me.  The bike and run were challenging as it rained, and crossing the finish line with my family there almost put me over the edge.

This all started because I met Sean and Dustin at Camp Stix and Riding on Insulin gave me a purpose.

Misdiagnosis as an Adult with Type 1 Diabetes

You hear a lot about kids going un-diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and the results are catastrophic. Many end up in the children's hospital and sometimes it's not caught in time.  As an adult mis-diagnosis is an all too familiar occurrence.

Many of the warning signs may be things that you've "dealt" with all your life? Wetting the bed, peeing all the time, short tempter, mood swings, etc. All things that normal people go through and not necessarily red flags for diabetes.

I visited my Dr after having issues with anxiety and stress. I was having panic attacks and I explained the helpless feeling I would have when I was stressed or the anger I would display and then the remorse I'd have after.  There was no reason for me to act like this and I wanted help.  My Dr prescribed prozac as my first course of treatment and explained that it may work, but if it doesn't there are a variety more we can try.

Out of the gate it seemed to work...I was fake happy. After a couple weeks the anxiety and stress came back and my Dr changed meds on me to see if it would help.  Soon enough I quit taking the happy pills as I knew it was not the problem.

I continued on with these feelings and started doing Cross Fit as a form of tension release.  It was amazing how quickly I started shedding weight and trimming down.  I could gain and lose weight quicker than anyone I knew.

One day though, after applying for life insurance I got a phone call that my A1C was at 13% and I needed to go to the Dr right away.  I was sure it had to be the gatorade I drink the day before.

Initially I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes considering my age and what little my current doctors knew about diabetes.  They gave me metformin and lantus as well as a beta function test.  I called a couple days later for the results of my beta cell test to be told the function was a 2 and at the bottom of the scale.  The nurse actually told me on the phone that I have type 2 because people my age don't get type 1.  We had an argument that ended with the phone being disconnected.

By this time I had done enough research that I was able to guess that I had type 1 diabetes.  I made contact with Benaroya Research Institute in Seattle, Washington where I took the tests and confirmed that I did have Type 1. Fortunately for me, now I have a great Dr that I see and I am able to share my experience with others.  There are a great number of people out there living in hell and don't even know that their blood sugars are high.

Frequent urination, stress, fatigue, thirsty all the time, these are all signs that I can trace back many years.  I am lucky the way I was diagnosed, some people aren't always that lucky.  Please help spread awareness and keep people close to you informed.

Choosing an Insulin Pump

Holy Cow! So I am in the market for an insulin pump and I am just blown away by the amount of information available and also the lack of information available.

I like the Tslim and I have a dexcom g5.  The two are not compatible until the next Tslim update which won't be until later this year if not next year.  I like the new medtronic 630g system and it uses a different cgm thna my dexcom.  What am I going to do with the 6 boxes of Dexcom sensors in my pantry if I go to a different pump system?

Anyway it's a lot to take in and I am just beginning this journey.  I believe a pump will make things easier for me and I won't have the rocky hills of blood sugar like I have now. We will have to wait and see.

I have asked friends to see what works best for them and I've read a lot of reviews online to see how others like their pumps. It is crazy that so many different options are out there and likewise they are not compatible with each other.

Technology is forever evolving and I am grateful for all of the tech that makes my life with type 1 diabetes easier.  It's just a mess trying to sort through it all!