Yea for CDE's!

I saw my certified diabetes educator this week, and we made a few changes to my basals and bolus ratios (insulin pump jargon for around the clock insulin and mealtime insulin). I was frustrated with my numbers and wanted to be a little more aggressive, but she reminded me that with my lows I needed to ease into better control. And our changes have paid off so far! More target blood glucose numbers than before. It felt good to wake up at a normal number instead of high after sleeping in today. It makes me wish I had accepted the help before now. I guess that's my stubbornly independent streak- that those of you who know me well have witnessed. Please gently remind me once in awhile that it helps to ask for help.
Jim and I are spending next weekend at camp to help out with Caregiver's weekend. I'm looking foward to it, and hoping the weather is as nice as it's been. Not that I'd let a little rain dampen my Camp Barton spirit! And it's always rewarding to empower families through education while having fun. Well, time for some zzz's to get through the next couple work days.

It's a sunny April day and I just got back from a nice walk with my sweetie of 9 months. Exercise is definitely better when it's a shared activity. But before I get rambling I should tell a little about myself and what inspired me to start a blog.
I've had diabetes for most of my life and although I've never let it stop me from pursuing my dreams or being what I wanted to be, it inevitably influenced who I've become to this point. I was even able to go to camp as a kid, and my parents found one of the best places in this world, The Barton Center for Diabetes Education. Not only was I able to stay overnight for almost two weeks away from home, but I met a whole new family of people who knew what living with diabetes was like. We'd have a blast together, learning new things, giggling at Camp Joslin/Camp Barton dances, and yet we'd instinctively know when to ask if one of our cabinmates was having a low blood sugar. And my favorite time- singing camp songs after meals. Some of my favorite memories are of the times I've spent there, as a child and now as an adult volunteer. It just so happens that a few of my fellow alumni from camp also have blogs, which is part of why I became interested in having one of my own.

One of the dreams I was inspired to pursue was becoming a Registered Nurse. As a kid, I soon figured out that nurses, not doctors, knew how to deal with stubborn patients like me:) My school nurses became my buddies,and later mentors, as I saw them every day at lunch to check my bloodsugar.
Through my experiences I learned that the medical community has trouble thinking outside the box when it came to diabetes management. My body didn't always respond to things the way the textbooks said it should, but they would still treat it as though it did. I learned how to be an advocate and educator, and these are still my favorite roles as a nurse. And I wear many other hats, which I'll write about during another post.
One piece of my "quest" is to find a way to effectively educate both people with diabetes and the medical community that serves them in order to make diabetes more manageable for everyone. I've begun working on this at my current job, but I know it will take time and effort picking away at set ways to see change happen. While this may put my perserverence to the test, I'm up for the challenge!