Summer!

Well Summer is almost here! (: I am so excited! Where I live, we have a community pool just for my neighborhood! So, I basically go swimming every day during the summer! It is so fun! I also have a motorhome so we go camping a lot too! During the the summer we do lots of fun things! Lately, I have been swim suite shopping and shopping for cute summer wear! My friends and I have been tanning a ton too! I hope summer comes fast!

Unlike other kids there are changes I have to make during the summer being a type 1 diabetic. Well first off, I have to keep my insulin at a cool temperature. During the winter I have to worry about it getting too cold but not as much as it getting to hot.During the spring it is fine and also during the fall it is fine too. But during the summer if it gets too hot it will go bad. Remember, a vial of insulin costs about $150. So I REALLY have to make sure to keep it at the right temp.

Second concern is hydration. Being a T1D (type 1 diabetic) I get dehydrated quicker than others. Like one time I was in a soccer game and my blood sugar was high and I was really dehydrated. I had to be taken out of the game because my heart was literally beating out of my chest. So I must be very careful about that.

Third concern  is having to carry my blood sugar kit with me EVERYWHERE! I know I already have to always have it on me but it is a lot harder. Like for example I am at a water park. Wear do I put it? Keep it in my bag? Risk it getting too hot? Risk someone stealing it? Pay money for a locker put it in there? Lockers get very hot also! Risk not being able to find it? Yeah. A lot to worry about when I am just simply trying to have a good time. As you can see I have a lot of changes I have to make and other stuff I must do.

Last concern, when should I get a pump? Most of you know I have been wanting to get one I just don't know if summer is good to do it. One reason I think it would be good because when you just get a pump you have to stay up through the night for the first like two weeks to make sure it works. You have to test your blood sugar every two hours for two days straight. I think it would be good to do that in the summer so I don't have to go to school and be super tired. But some pros of not having a pump during the summer is when I want to go swimming I do not have to worry about taking my pump off I can just go swimming. A pro about having a pump is I don't have to worry about my insulin getting too hot because the pump keeps it insulated. Rather than having to worry about T1D stuff...I am excited for summer!
-Avery the T1D

Music Man!

I am in my school's musical "Music Man." I play the role the mayor's daughter Gracie Shin. It is great and we are performing this week! I am way excited and nervous! In one of the songs I have a little solo! I hope I can nail it! Now the defaults of being a type 1 diabetic actress. First off I'm always afraid that my blood sugar will be low and I will have to go off stage and eat something or my blood sugar be high and have to take some insulin. Another one is how will my cast members act to seeing me prick my fingers and take shots? Some people can be understanding and others will not. Now what I do at plays is I take a bag with 15 free snacks (Which are snacks I can eat without having to take a shot of insulin) and low snacks with a bottle of water. Nothing bad has ever happen so far during a performance but I cannot say that for play practice. One time I was in this play and we had rehearsal after dinner and I had taken too much insulin and my blood sugar dropped to 35. (The normal range for my age is 100-180) and I had accidentally forgotten my bag with snacks for me. I told the director I needed to hurry and call my mom. (When I get that low I get confused) The director thought I wasn't feeling good so she grabbed her teenage son and told him to drive me home. I started to cry and tell her no. I tried and tried to tell her but she didn't understand me. Luckily my mom had come early to pick me up and she saw me crying and came to my rescue with a regular Pepsi.  If I had been forced into that car with that boy I might could have gone into a diabetic coma (Which is when my glucose gets too low I pass out and have a seizure because I need sugar) It scares me to think I could have died. But it makes me aware to be careful and  have people be aware. I get embarrassed when my Mom tells people I have diabetes but I understand she does it to be safe. She wants people to know so they can help me if I need it. I hate having to worry about these things when I should be having a good time acting, and behaving like a normal teen. What other teen do you know that has to worry about every piece of food that goes into their mouth? That's the life of a type 1 diabetic actress.(:

-Avery the T1D

Hello Again!

Well...Hello again! It has been a while. I have been doing great!(: I am going to start my blog up again. Sorry it has been a while. I just realized today that I should start blogging again! I miss it. I will try to start doing it at least once or twice a week.
Thanks!
Avery the T1D