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My name is Ainsley Faith. I’ve been diabetic since I was 18 months old. I’m almost 5 now, so that means I’ve had this disease a lot longer in my life than I haven’t had it. I don’t remember life before at all. Even though my mommy and daddy know it’s rough dealing with a kid with diabetes, they figure it’s probably a lot worse dealing with a kid who already knows what it’s like to eat and drink without a care in the world. At my diagnosis, the doctors said that it was a miracle that I was being diagnosed before diabetic ketoacidosis, DKA. Most toddlers become unconscious and fall into a coma. That’s the parents’ first clue something is wrong. Mama says that God told her something was going on, because she said she knew I had diabetes before I even had symptoms. Really. My grandmama is a type 2 diabetic and mama wanted to use her meter to test my blood sugar a couple of weeks before I was hospitalized. Grandmama said that she was NOT gonna make the baby (AKA me!) bleed because my mama was neurotic. That’s a big word for crazy. Then, I started getting sick to my stomach. I turned REALLY crabby. I cried a lot and always finished my drinks as soon as they were handed to me. One night, Grandma was babysitting me and she called my Mama to say I’d wet my pants and gotten urine on my jeans. Mama insisted that Grandma check my blood sugar. The meter didn’t have a number on it, though. It just said, “HI.” Grandmama said she didn’t know what that meant. Mama said it meant she was right and I DID have diabetes. We went to the Children’s Hospital that night, and everything in my life changed. My blood sugar was 587. I was given 1 unit of NPH insulin and 1 unit of Humalog insulin. I dropped to 43. Less than 2 drops of insulin did that. Talk about scary. It was a Friday and they kept me until Sunday morning, teaching mama and daddy about insulin. I slept a lot, but then, Saturday afternoon, when my blood sugar was more normal I woke up and wanted to play. Our Children’s Hospital is pretty cool—it has wagons and scooters to ride in the hallways in case the patients get bored. Mama didn’t like the NPH a whole lot so she fought with the doctors over the next couple of months. See, they said that you couldn’t have an insulin pump until you were 6. Mama said that was silly. I started pumping in February of 2009, just before I turned 2. I’m still one of the youngest kids in my state to pump. A new endocrinologist moved here and she’s cool about pumping. I hope a lot more kids get to pump because it made a big difference. And, not to brag or anything, but I also have a CGM so that mama and daddy can see my numbers as they happen. That helps a lot, too–especially since I have a bit of a sweet tooth. So, that’s my story so far. I started kindergarten last year. When I get a little bigger, I can type all of this myself. Right now, all I can really say about diabetes is that it stinks. |
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Yikes! Another life saved, by a Grandma.
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Death of Diabetic Dad, who was saved by his daughter
Death of Diabetic Dad, who was saved by his daughter
So sad to hear that the so-called “Diabetic Dad” in the UK whose 5 year old daughter saved him during severe hypoglycemia was found dead today. Life with type 1 diabetes is so fragile. It is tragic to me whenever someone dies from hypoglycemia. It happens often. 1 in 20 people with type 1 diabetes die from hypoglycemia induced cardiac arrest, according to the JDRF. I haven’t yet heard all the details. It just happened today. Feeling so sad for his family, especially his little girl, so brave and smart.
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Giving
Steve Case has a lot to to give, and he thinks we all do. “You can give in 3 ways. One, write a check. Two, give your time. Three, share your connections with those you would like to help.” We can all give to the cause that matters most to us in some way, even if just one hour. Even sending one email or making one phone call. Reading an article, attending an event, or visiting a website are all ways to give your time as you raise your own awareness of the issue. In so doing, you will become an advocate, first to yourself and then to others.
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Ha! website launched www.hypoglycemiaawareness. org
Today the website of Hypoglycemia Awareness was published on the internet. This blog will populate as its “News”, so you can find my posts there too. The mission of Hypoglycemia Awareness is to educate the general public to recognize and respond to someone who needs assistance for treating low blood sugar. Please visit http://www.hypoglycemiaawareness.org and share your impressions with me here. All feedback and suggestions for this iniative are most welcome and greatly appreciated.
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Reduce carbs and increase protein when making your favorite recipes
Oh, and I forgot to mention – use walnut oil in brownies, instead of plain oil. It tastes better AND is better for you than butter or margarine or vegetable oil. I use olive oil for everything instead of butter, as well as using it instead of mayo and butter on bread and sandwiches.
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Reduce carbs and increase protein when making your favorite recipes
How about making your favorite dishes even more appealing by making them healthier and giving them more flavor at the same time?
Add vanilla whey proteinpowder to all baked goods to boost the protein. It’s vanilla flavored so I leave out the vanilla if the recipe calls for it. One scoop is 25 grams of protein and 8 grams of carbs.
For every cup of flour substitute 1/4 soy flour and 3/4 cups of regular flour. Soy flour is 10 grams of protein for 1/4 cup. I frequently add an extra egg to my baked goods too, but this can make them more “Cakey” or dry, so add 1T of olive oil or water to compensate.
Adding wheat germ for a fiber boost works pretty well for the quick breads/muffins (banana, carrot, pear, apple etc)
You can experiment with adding powdered eggs to up the protein too but I’ve had mixed results. Powered eggs work best in recipes with cheese or cream.
When bake cookies don’t add the whey, just switch out with half soy and half regular flour. Almond flour adds a neat taste to baked goods but it’s way more expensive than soy flour.
When cooking a non meat meal it usually has black or pinto beans in it with a rice or other whole grain source. The two combine to make a complete protein, and you can add some cheese to it as well. Try a soy based food called tofu: add 1-2T to most sauces (it’s creamy and blends well with cheese)
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Hypoglycemia Ambassadors for Ha!
Sometimes ideas come to me at the most unexpected times. Ha! is the abbreviation for Hypoglycemia Awareness, of course. Since so many people have offered to advocate for increasing accessibility and raising general public awareness of hypoglycemia treatment, what do we call them? What’s an appropriate title? Role? Responsbilites may vary widely, but the one thing everyone has in common is a commitment to promoting the mission of Ha! Ambassadors promote the best interests of their home country. They advocate for the best interests of their constituencies. They speak on related topics. They entertain and host events to boost visibility. They speak in public. THAT’S IT! We are Hypoglycemia Ambassadors.
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“When I was in …
“When I was in the hospital – I spent eight months in rehab and I almost died – I decided that I was going to make sure that I had some fun every single day. It might be a play. Or a movie. Or it might be going by a gallery and seeing a show. Often, it’s eating.”
Chuck Close, artist
How to Find Joy in LIfe
New York Times as told to Spencer Bailey
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