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COVID 19 and Type 1 Diabetes

Yes, I survived it. Well, still trying to at least…

The coronavirus hit me hard. I mean to the point of waking up and that instant I KNEW I had COVID. I was terrified. Not only did I have COVID, but I had Type 1 Diabetes. My immune system was compromised, and the news had me out to think I’d die if I caught this virus. Well, I’m here to tell you I survived. I’m still on the mends but getting better each day. When I was first diagnosed I noticed there weren’t many articles or posts about Type 1 Diabetics and COVID… so here I go, trying to incapsulate the past few days for you, but before I get to that, I want to clear up one thing. COVID affects everyone COMPLETELY different. While I felt like I was dying, others might feel completely fine. So take what you read with a grain of salt, cause I’m definitely not a doctor, and this sh** hits everyone differently.

Sunday night October 25^thI went to bed with horrible body aches. I’m talking the kind where you can’t even move your body- worse than the flu. I spent that weekend painting a room at my parent’s house, so I chalked up the body aches to spending a whole weekend on my feet and using my arms. Little did I know, that I’d wake up the next morning and feel like I was dying.

Monday morning, October 26^th I woke up and, in that moment, I knew something was not right. My body hurt, my head was going to explode, my throat was on fire – like can’t swallow your own spit – and I had a low-grade fever of 99.4. I immediately went to get a free COVID test, but I know I could not risk waiting 3-4 days to get those results, so I left and paid (too much $$ if you ask me ) for a rapid COVID test. The rapid test came back in 15 mins and confirmed what I figured was already the case – I was POSITIVE. I left, called my parents, and went straight to my bedroom, where I would stay for the next 5 days.

Monday afternoon, October 26^th my symptoms started to get worse. My fever shot up to 99.8 and remained there for about 5 hours, my head felt like it was going to explode, and my dad ended up testing POSTIVEalso (turns out one of his employees had COVID and still was coming to work; therefore, we both caught it). My blood sugar numbers were very low and my Dexcom kept giving me notification that I was trending down and would have a “55 bs in less that 20 mins”. I started searching for any resources regarding COVID and T1D, but all I could find were articles that looped us in with type 2 diabetes and said we’d end up in the hospital…. I went to bed that night nervous and afraid of what would be next. “Will I wake up the next morning?” “Will I not be able to breath?” “Will my blood sugar continue to drop?” “My dad is over 60 years old, what’s going to happen to him?”, “will my mom catch it to?”

Tuesday, October 27^th my symptoms continued to get worse. I woke up to another low blood sugar, which I treated with OJ…. only to realize that another one of the symptoms was kicking in… NO taste or smell, yup couldn’t even taste my OJ. After my fight or flight weared off from treating my low, I noticed my throat was on fire. I could not talk, swallow my own spit, or even have a sip of water. I treated my sore throat with Ibprophen and my gracious mother made me some jello and hot tea. I called my endocrinologist and primary care doctors. Honestly, neither were that helpful because neither of them had experience with a Type 1 who has tested positive for COVID. The rest of Tuesday was kind of a blur, I spent it in bed and watching the Queens Gambit (highly recommend).

Myabetic case getting me through this week

Wednesday, October 28^th I woke up to a blood sugar of over 300!! WTF??!! I started with going low all the time, and then started going extremely high. I put back on my Omnipod and got my numbers to a solid 175 for that day (spoil alert- haven’t gotten them down below that since Wednesday). Honestly felt like I was on my death bed on Wednesday, sore body, headache, fever, sore throat, no taste / smell, and was confused all day. I checked for ketones and rested the whole day.

Thursday, October 29^th I woke up with a horrible sore throat again, but the headache and body aches were gone, and I was greeted with a runny nose and congestion. I took some Sudafed which made my numbers go back up to the 200s, and I stayed in bed all morning.

Friday morning, October 30^th, I woke up surprisingly feeling much better than the days before. I didn’t have a bad sore throat, no headache, no fever, no body aches, but still my smell was gone, and I had bad congestion. I weighed my self this morning and noticed I have lost 5 pounds since Monday… probably associated with low appetite and higher blood sugar numbers. Luckily, my energy came back this morning, but cabin fever is totally setting in. According to our county public health center, I’m set to re-enter the world on November 4th. So until then, I’ll stay inside… and maybe try to read some 😉

I’ll continue to update this blog post as I continue to recover. But wanted to share before the ~spooky~ weekend.

*Updated 11/15/20*

I wanted to update the blog with my final reflections and symptoms during my time with COVID.

October 31st, I continued to feel much better, but still no taste or smell. I had a runny nose that seemed to linger around. I strangely had dreams that I could smell and would dream I smelled cinnamon and coffee ( I don’t even drink coffee, so that was strange?). The following days were more in the same. I was on the final stretch of the virus and was feeling much better.

November 1st- November 9th I felt 95% better. My nose was still runny (felt like allergies) and no taste or smell. On November 10th, I woke up and remember feeling like I could breathe perfectly- almost like my nose was the clearest it has ever been in my whole entire life. Even to this day, my nose remains extremely clear…

While my major symptoms are gone, my “no smell and / or taste” still lingers. Food just doesn’t seem to have the same appeal to me anymore since I can’t really taste much. I’ve actually lost almost 10+ pounds since testing positive. This has been something that not many people discuss- that food losses it’s appeal with COVID. I’ve done my best to manage Type 1 and eat despite the food tasting the same, but I will say, it’s been rough.

Final Reflections:

One thing no one talks about much is how LONELY it is once you test positive for COVID. You have to quarantine alone for 10+ days and it’s very depressing. Not being able to even sit outside was the hardest part for me. I was “lucky” enough to have tested positive with my dad, so we we’re able to hang out together. Despite having another human being with me, we were both still lonely and feared my mom would catch the virus, so we confined our selfs to our separate rooms and road out the quarantine. My mom was a saint and would deliver food and water to us and place it outside our doors. One night I had a horrible low, and my mother ran upstairs and delivered me some OJ from the kitchen.

Type 1 certainly made COVID even more difficult to deal with, but I’m thankful that my father and I never had to go to the hospital.

I’m heading to the doctors this week to get tested for the antibodies and will conclude the post with more details.

Test negative, stay positive peeps!!

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My First Blog Post Ever

A Minor Inconvenience

It has taken me a while to get around to writing this, not because I did not want to or was dreading the thought of putting my words on paper, but rather because the daily life of a Type 1 Diabetic got in the way (how convenient right?). But before I get to that point, it’s essential to rewind to 10 months ago.

10 months ago, I was a college senior. Care-free. Drinking. Staying out late. Hanging with my friends. Laughing. Dancing way too much. Today I am a type 1 diabetic. Not care-free. Not drinking as much. Not staying out late. Prioritizing myself over others. And only dancing when I am trying to cover up the pain from a tender injection shot. Yup. This is my life now, and I’ve learned to embrace it. Cause hey, it’s not the end of my journey, just a minor inconvenience, and it sure as hell isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. So bear with me as I try to put my thoughts into words about this shitty situation.

December 28th was the day my life changed forever. I remember it perfectly, well up until I heard those three words (don’t get all sappy on me, I’m not talking about I love you), but rather three words no one ever wants to hear, which is why I completely blacked out after.

What I do remember is sitting on the chair in the doctor’s office with my dad sitting to the left of me. The words you are diabetic came slowly out of my doctor’s mouth, as I clung onto the last word he said. I remember noticing his lazy eye moments before and thinking, “how unfortunate that he has such a bad, lazy eye,” yeah…I regret thinking that now. But it is almost human nature to judge others by their appearance, something I have become extremely familiar with as I am currently wearing a Dexcom on my left arm where it is exposed to everyone. I’ve had countless people judge me for being diabetic, saying I brought upon myself or its in my genes. Well, hey, guess what fools, none of those are correct. Nope, that’s right, none. No, I did not eat something that caused my type 1 and for your record, I don’t have a relative or family member with type 1- you can fact check me on that (yes calling you out, the fake news skeptics). Type 1 has connections to family genes, but in my case, I do not have any relatives with type 1. So, I was shit out of luck. Got the short end of the stick. Last pick on the kickball team. You get the point.

What I thought would be the death of me, was actually the start of a completely new me. While it has only been 11 months since my diagnosis, I think it has completely changed me as a person, as cliché that is to say.

I used to be a numbers person, some would almost say I was another type, no not Type 1 but Type A. I was stubborn, always striving to be perfect. I wanted to have the perfect grades in the class, perfect score on the test, perfect resume, the perfect clothes, get into the perfect school, and get the perfect job. While I quickly learned being perfect was not possible, I would still beat myself up profusely for not being perfect. So, when I was diagnosed and learned that I could never have perfect numbers, I lost it. The first few months, I beat myself up, my numbers were not perfect; therefore, I was not perfect. Those first few months sucked. I tried everything to be perfect, but I quickly learned that type 1 was a learning curve, and every day was different. What worked for me yesterday would not necessarily work for me today. I was overloaded with units per carbs and ratios; it was overwhelming, but I was trying. Well, at least there was something I was good at there, learning: learning to accept that what worked yesterday might not work today, learning to be okay with seeing red lows on my DEXCOM or the number 218 on my meter. Learning to realize it is okay to make mistakes when you are learning, but to be sure to learn from them (yeah flashback to when I gave myself 8 units of Humalog instead of my Tresiba at bedtime and woke up with a low so low the DEXCOM could not even read it..oops?). Regardless of the many mistakes, I have made so far on this journey, I have learned from them.

While I was type A before being type 1, you could say organization was never one of my fortes. I loved organizing other people’s stuff but dreaded organizing my own things. Maybe this was because I was striving to be perfect in all the other areas of my life that I forgot about organizing my own room? Honestly, who knows, but now I am an organizing freak. I guess it is because my life revolves around me being organized. For instance, if I am having a low and cannot find my skittles, strictly the green, red, yellow, or orange flavor (purple you suck and taste like grape medicine from when I was six), I could pass out. Therefore, I need to have my supplies always organized and close by. Ikea and the Container Store have become my best friends, along with multiple Pinterest boards that show Mario Kondo organization levels on steroids. Seriously, if I don’t make it in the real world, I think organizing diabetic supplies could be my next gig.

I have essentially found out who my closet friends are, the ones who sat with me after my diagnosis while I cried, versus the friends I have still yet to tell in fear they will judge me. I think that is the hardest part of this chronic illness- being judged for something you didn’t bring on and cannot control. We, as diabetics, feel ashamed, ashamed that we have this disease that we did not cause. We feel embarrassed. Embarrassed to tell others in fear of what they will say. We feel lonely. Lonely in the fact that sometimes when we are having lows in the middle of the night, that’s when you realize how bewildering and dark being alone really is. Being alone in your thought before you inject your self, being alone at the grocery store surrounded by a room of strangers but feeling so alone when having to pick out food items that will not kill you in the future. Alone in the bathroom at your favorite concert because you are having a low and need immediate glucose. Alone in the hospital as you wait for your parents to arrive after going unconscious for a low. These emotions and feelings are what being type 1 encompasses. Not only are you always fighting the meter and racing against your numbers, but you are fighting your dark and depressed thoughts. The thoughts that are deeply engrained in your mind from stereotypes that society has cast upon this horrible disease. The stereotypes I used to believe in, as much as I hate to admit.

When I heard those three words from my doctor, those stereotypes of being diabetic flashed through my mind. I remembered growing up seeing someone prick their finger in public and thinking how gross that was, and now my life depends on it. There are multiple thoughts I wish I could take back, thinking my doctor had a lazy eye, thinking all diabetics were obese, thinking diabetics brought it upon them self for eating unhealthy.

I used to joke that I would eat so much chocolate that one day, it would kill me. Well, that joke is no longer a joke but a real potential if I don’t control my life and diabetes. Taking control of my health is something I have been working on and frankly, something I will always be working on. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t reflect on how I was before I was diagnosed, carefree, easy-going, more energetic, but I know one day I will be able to experience that feeling again. One day there will be a cure. One day there will be no more problems accessing affordable insulin. One day there will be no more tears from children having their childhood stripped from them after a diagnosis. One day there will be no more type 1 diabetes. Until that day, I will continue fighting for a cure and fighting for an end to this horrible illness.

As I sit here trying to conclude by first blog post perfectly, I realize the completion of the post is just like being diabetic, there is no end. There is no perfect ending in a world where there is no cure for this disease. So let’s all join together on this journey, because hey, it might be a shitty inconvenience, but certainly NOT the end of my journey. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and uplifted me the past few months, your words, support, and kind gestures me more to me than any of you will ever know.

T1D 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

Welcome to my 2020 holiday gift guide for all things Type 1 Diabetes. Don’t know what to give your loved one who has Type 1? Well, look no further. A few of my favorite things are listed and linked below!

P.S. these are in no special order 🙂

Who doesn’t love getting a new bag for Christmas? Especially, when it’s a cute bag MyAbetic that can hold all of the countless diabetic supplies (let’s be real, we have to carry around a LOT of stuff). I personally have this wallet, but asking for the purse for X-mas…so many fab colors are offered!

2. Okay, who else hates giving finger pricks?! I personally hate pricking my finger and dread it when I take a break from my Dexcom, BUT I have recently come to LOVE these Piplancets. They are legit painless and are so cute! They come in different colors and you can discretely carry them around in the small carry case.

3. These Stoney Clover custom bags are a little more $$ but totally worth it! I’m obsessed with this company and love how you can customize a cute bag with their patches to carry all your low supplies. This is on my wish list this year! Already planning all the treats I’m going to keep in it 🙂

4. Since COVID hit, I’ve been going out on walks / hikes a ton recently. I’ve noticed that sometimes I’ll be 4 miles from home and start having a low. I looked high and low (no pun intended) for a fanny pack that was functional and cute. I landed on this Lululemon fanny pack and I’m OBSESSED.

5. Expression Med Tape. This tape is awesome and comes in a ton of different patterns and colors. I use it for my Omnipod, but looking to order some more for my Dexcom.

6. Stop what you are doing and order the Diabetic Health Journal from Lauren Bongiorno right now. You can track your goals, thoughts, habits, and A1C.

7. T-shirts are such a fun and easy gift. I mean, who doesn’t want another t-shirt? Dia-Be-Tees makes the most fun t-shirts for all ages and genders. They’re on my wishlist for this year.

8. Lokai Diabetes bracelet! I wear mine almost every day. This is such a great and easy stocking stuffer!

9. Okay, know you might not want to give pasta for an X-mas gift, but this is the best low carb pasta that I swear by! Banza is packed full of protein!

10. A mini fridge to store your insulin and juice in. I personally have this mini fridge and have had it for over 2 years. I love it and it fits right under my desk!

11. A gift card to the Container Store. I have another blog post about all these Type 1 and organization linked with storage bins from the container store. I use these bins to hold my needles, low supplies, and CGM / Pump supplies. Can never go wrong with a gift card from here!

12. Last, but surely not least, give a donation in honer / memory of your loved one with Type 1 to JDRF. This meaningful and sentimental gift will help fund critical research for Type 1 diabetes.

That’s all for now! Know of any other great gifts I should add to my list? Well, drop them in the comments below!

Organization is Key: My Quick Tips & Tools to Staying Organized in 2020

Follow along with me as I link my favorite supplies and quick tips to entering the new year on a positive note!

Hi everyone! I apologize for my blog hiatus around the holidays, but I am back with a few of my favorite organizing tools and quick tips for Type 1 Diabetics.

As we gear up for 2020, it is important to keep being organized at the top of your resolution lists. I am constantly looking for the best products and tips / tools to use to stay organized. Organization = less stress.

TIPS/ TOOLS

After I was diagnosed, I searched long and hard for a diabetic bag / pouch that could discretely hold all my supplies while I traveled. I found that a lot of medical bags all look the same, and frankly all look like medical bags- dark and structured bags I would be too embarrassed to take out in public. While searching on Instagram I came across Myabetic bags and fell in love with their cute styles and multiple color options. I ordered the Banting’s Diabetic Wallet in blush- which I have linked here. It is worth the price and holds up nicely.

Anyone else get lows in the middle of the night and have to search around for your low supplies? Well, search no longer with an organized way to put all your low snacks and long-acting carbs into one container. I honestly break into this container so much during my lows that I now keep one in my car, at work, and bedside table! Here is the container I use- low priced and on sale today!

Needles needles needles. I feel like I am always finding needles laying around my apartment, so I knew I needed to keep them organized in one place in my bedside drawer. This is the perfect size organizing container to keep needles in a desk / table drawer- I have linked them here. I also love The Container Store for buying loads of organizing tools!

Where do you put all of your used needles? Well look no further, I have linked my favorite “mini” trash can here. Also, it comes in a set of two- so perfect to keep one on your bedside, in the car, or at work!

I have had multiple questions about my mini-fridge, so I am linking it here. It comes in multiple colors- I have the navy but already want the orange! Perfect for a dorm room, to keep in your closet, or under your desk at work. Mine currently houses about 21 injection pens ( I stocked up on insulin while I was on vacation in the Turks and Caicos).

When I am traveling and need to keep my insulin cold, I always use my FRIO case. It is linked here! So simple to use and all you have to do is soak the pouch for a few minutes.

While being diabetic is a real prick, finding your supplies should not be an inconvenience. It is important to stay organized!

As always, reach out if you have any questions 🙂

Hi! I’m Carson

Hey, I am Carson B and if you are on this page you either are a family member, a friend, or a stranger that was stalking me…but I am surely glad you are here!

I was unexpectedly diagnosed on December 28th, 2018. If you read my first blog post, it will tell you all about my diagnosis and tackling my first year with this shitty disease.

One day there will be a cure. But until then. this is my journey and I hope you will join along.