www.type1active.com

I’ve moved to my very own domain. Please visit. www.type1active.com for past and new blogs

Rowena x

Pole Photo Shoot

Check out my video from my pole photo shoot earlier this week. I was playing with my new x pole lite and I am made up as I can take it anywhere without having to think about ceiling joists etc.

My bg was good as I had a small bolus before I disconnected my pump and switched my basal off for an 90 minutes. The images are really pretty too. I posted some on my instagram and twitter pages.

Let me know what you think. What’s your favourite hobby and does have an effect on your bg?

Rowena x

Blonde Moments and Diabetes Management

I feel like such a divvy. Earlier this month (that time of the month when I go low) I found that I was having major hypos so I changed my carb to insulin ratio, in my pump settings, from 1 unit of insulin / 15 carbs to 1unit/17carbs. This little adjustment did wonders for the hypos and I had perfect bgs. However, this past two weeks, with the wrong ratio, I have been running higher than normal and it has left me scratching my head wondering why. I totally forgot I had changed it in the pump settings because I usually just do it manually as and when I do a bolus. I’m going to go back to my 1/15 ratio and see how I get on. Hopefully it will get rid of those woeful headaches and the pesky mood swings.

I have a major busy week this week. I’ve got about 5 more rehearsals, a studio practice assessment, a performance, tech runs, dress runs, a show to watch, prepare lesson plans, a class to teach and to successfully manage my diabetes. I’ve also got an essay to hand in but that is nearly finished so no panicking there. Oh, and I have work on Saturday and Sunday.

Do you have any “blonde” moments that effect your diabetes management? If so, tell me about them? You can comment below or tweet me here or talk to me on instagram.

Rowena x

Hyperglycaemia After Pole Performance

This is my performance from the pole showcase 05/12/14. I spoke on my instagram about my blood glucose levels around performance. I had my pump off for around an hour and my blood sugar went from 7mmols to 14.5mmol, so it went up quite a bit with all of the adrenaline.I took a correction straight away and I was back down to 6mmols within an hour.

I hope you like my dancing. Let me know what you think?

Rowena x

Routines and Type 1 Diabetes

I feel like I am in a bit of a routine now with my food and insulin around the activities I do. I do most of my physical activity during the day so I tend to stick to lowish carb foods until dinner time where I can rest for the night and not be concerned with hypos. It helps to avoid taking a large bolus before exercise as I am very sensitive to insulin. My BG was 15mmols the other day, I took 1 unit, went for a 30 min power walk and when I came back it was 4.2mmols. My snacks throughout the day are usually fruit, and I tend to eat it after technique class or rehearsal depending on how my energy is going. There is another T1D in my class, he is on injections. He has been diabetic for about 15 years so he is a bit more relaxed with the food he eats throughout the day.

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that my performance went beautifully the other night. The process was brilliant and to be able to be a part of such a beautiful piece of dance was a true pleasure. The dance piece was 13 minutes long. Pump was off when I was on stage but I plugged it back in as soon as I got back to the dressing room. During one of my rehearsals my cannula came out. It was literally on the floor in the middle of the studio when I noticed it (I had my pump unplugged at the time). Then, mid-way through another rehearsal I had to take my site off because on a particular part of the movement, my dance partners’ body weight would press directly on top of it and it hurt. There was a lovely bruise to show for it.

Last night I went to sleep and my blood sugar was 5.6mmol and I woke up 7 hours later and it was 8.6mmols. Now, I know my basal rate is right because I checked it recently. I didn’t eat anything particularly fatty either so it couldn’t have been delayed digestion either. The only thing I can put it down to is a hypo while I was sleeping. I had that hangover headache when I woke up. Do you get them if your bg drops during the night?

I haven’t really posted on my blog recently but I plan to do some more over the christmas period when I have a little bit more time to myself and when I don’t have a pile of uni work next to me.

Chat to me on Instagram and Twitter.

Rowena x

Unpredictable Type 1 and Dancing

What a strange week with diabetes. I’ve had to take almost double the amount of insulin I usually take because of the amount of corrections I have had to do. My diet hasn’t changed and I have exercised a lot so I don’t really get it. I think diabetes is so unpredictable. Even when my diet has been really good, my bgs have not. I also had a really bad low when I was in work; I was sweating and very short of breath. It took 70carbs to make me feel normal again and when I eventually tested again I was only at 5.2mmols.

On a more positive note, I have been doing more rehearsals, which can only mean one thing… more performances, Yay. I am working on a few dance pieces the moment. The first one is about bipolar disorder, second is about relationships in the space and the third is about sexuality in the dance industry. I am also due to start work on an intermedial dance piece, interesting stuff. Maybe I should create a dance piece based around type 1 diabetes? I could use stories from my readers for my inspiration? Would you be up for sharing?

Now that I am in my final year of uni, I really have to think about what I want to do when I leave. I know I want to perform and I know I want to create my own work and teach. A studio of my own and casually working for other people would suit me well. I like being my own boss. All of the above is definitely within my reach.

Back to diabetes, do you know when your blood sugar has been on a roller coaster, up and down and round and round, do you feel like absolute crap? I have noticed that it makes me feel ill like I want to throw up and it’s hard for me to be around light. When I feel like this, I want to go to bed for a sleep. However, I won’t do that. I’m usually quite busy during the day and feel that this “diabetes episode” would be an inconvenience for me. I don’t ever want diabetes to dictate anything.

Another thing that happened this week; my pump ran out of battery during a theory lecture. It made that lovely sound that goes higher and higher until you change it. I didn’t have no spare batteries on me but luckily my gf came to drop one off for me. This has taught me to carry a spare battery too. Along with my spare canula, a needle, hypo treatment etc. It’s gotta be done hey?

Are you following me on Instagram and Twitter yet?

Rowena x

Saying No For Reasons Other Than Diabetes

So, I got my 6 month review results back from the doctor and everything is fine. Hba1c is 40. Got a list full of other results too, but I have no idea what any of them are supposed to be or what they mean. Surely the doc would’ve said if there was anything to be concerned about. Anyway, I’m fairly pleased, and happy that I have a baseline to work from in order to get it down a bit further for my next hba1c in 6 months. I would really like to get it to the none diabetic range.

On another note, I like to eat healthy and keep fit. When people offer me a chocolate or something that is considered “bad for me”, I usually say no. When I respond with a no, their response is usually something along the lines of “oh yeah, I forgot you can’t eat that with the diabetes”. At this point, I feel like screaming because I have to repeat myself again about my ability to still eat anything I want; with or without diabetes. It almost makes me want to say yes just to prove a point. I don’t say no because I’ve been told I can’t eat it, I say no because I have goals that I want to reach and eating all of those extra treats (empty calories) will hold me back from getting there. Don’t get me wrong; I do have days off where I will eat whatever I want, but most of the time it is my aim to eat things that fuel my body to be stronger and more efficient. Plus, when I eat crap, I feel like crap.

Here is my exercise for the past week. It has been combined with between 1500 and 1800 calories a day. I’m thinking of increasing calories a little bit further as I have been feeling a bit run down.

Monday – 90 minutes Contemporary Dance. 1 Hour Rehearsal
Tuesday – 40 minute power walk, 2 hours creative session, 90 minutes Commercial Jazz.
Wednesday – 90 minutes theatre Jazz, 1 hour pole.
Thursday – 90 minute Contemporary Dance, 1 hour rehearsal, 1 hour pole.
Friday – 1 hour pole, 30 minutes yoga, 80 minute walk.
Saturday – 2.5 hours walking.
Sunday – 20 minute HIIT Circuit, 20 minutes yoga.

How have you been getting on this week? My BG’s have been fine apart from the 3 hypos on Friday. Have you exercised? Ate a bit healthier? Let me know.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram.

Rowena x

Drawing Attention To My Insulin Pump

My body is feeling surprisingly happy today considering I have doubled my training and upped my calories a bit. My blood sugars have been happy ones and I have managed to avoid significant hypos. The main hypo of the week came on me during a theory class where we were talking about project management. Sometime I get confused with the signs of a hypo and just think I’m being dramatic. Do you ever do that? I tell myself I’m imagining it, I fidget and organise things near me, until I actually have no other choice but to check my levels to find out that I am below 4mmols.

I often check my levels just before class and I usually do it in the studio where I keep my bag or I do it in the toilet if I have to go. Anyway, on Wednesday, I was checking my levels and one of my class mates said “Oh Rowena, are you diabetic?” I said “yeah.” She then went on to ask about injections and insulin, I told her that I had a pump instead of injections. I began to stretch as I thought the conversation was over and she jumped back in and said “that’s so cool to have diabetes”. Well, I was gobsmacked and said “not for me it isn’t” and I continued to stretch. The conversation was definitely over now. I have heard of people who have experienced the same comment and I just wonder what planet they are living on? Hmm.

If you’ve been following my blog or instagram, you will know that I reduce my basal rate for class and I put my pump in my bra. You know that little beep that happens when you have a reduced / increased basal? Yeah? Well, that beep is enough to make the teacher talk about it and turn heads to my pump (boob area ha). He heard it beep, looked straight at me and then went on to create a beat with that one beat as the inspiration, I would’ve been fine with it the once but it happened each time. Every time it beeped, people stared and I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about that.

I’ve got some cool plans for my blog so stay tuned. For now, follow my instagram and twitter If there is something specific you would like me to talk about, let me know here or in the comments below.

What Does Your Diabetes Say About Diabetes?

Sometimes, when looking to be inspired, I watch TED talks. They have an app and a range of different clips on Netflix. I watch them because they inspire me in writing, doing better and generally pushing myself to aim for bigger and better things. The speakers are experts from all different fields; choreographers, writers, entrepreneurs, chefs etc. The most recent one was from an African writer who was talking about Single Stories. As an example of a single story she used her experience as an African Female who moved from Africa to America for college. Now, before her roommate had even met her she had assumed that because she was from Africa she would be poor, listen to tribal music and wouldn’t speak very good English. This wasn’t the case at all.

This got me thinking about my single story and if that has changed since my diabetes diagnosis. Have I gone from being Rowena to being that diabetic girl? I certainly hope not. Do people think of diabetes when they think of me? As a diabetic person, what information do I implant into peoples brains about diabetes?

How I act and manage my diabetes will give someone a story about it and I would prefer for it not to be a sob story. Yes, it is challenging but if I get it right I can feel well and energetic. That’s why I try my best every single day to keep it in check. I will never tell someone that I can’t eat something because I am diabetic, I will tell them that I don’t want to eat it because it is not good for me. If I’m having a crap day at managing my blood sugars I won’t tell a non-diabetic about that because I don’t want them to feel sorry for me or to assume that it’s my fault. When I am in dance class and I have a low, I will not make a scene; I will test and act accordingly. You get where is coming from? How I act will determine how another diabetic is treated. How someone’s mum manages their diabetes will affect how people see mine. An example, I have a friend whose mum is Type 1 who doesn’t exercise because of hypos. Thus, because her mum doesn’t exercise because of hypos, my friend is under the impression that I should be very careful around exercise.

If you know someone who has Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes you will obviously have an idea about it and a story to tell if the conversation calls for it. If you’re diabetic, you will understand that people have a “single story” about diabetes and some people will not change their idea of it even if you shove it in their face. The most common “stories” are that it is a self-inflicted medical condition brought on through eating too much sugar or it is believed that we can’t eat sugar at all. I live with type 1 diabetes and I can firmly tell you that both assumptions are incorrect.
Where does that leave me now? I guess I just have to make sure my story of diabetes is a one that won’t mislead people for years to come. What do you think about your diabetes story? What impression do you give to other people?

Have you followed me on Instagram and Twitter yet? As of next week I will be posting my weekly workouts, my before and after blood glucose and some of my meals. My timetable is sorted and I can’t wait to get into it.

Rowena x

There Are No Complications

The other day, I was scrolling through Facebook and I noticed a post from Diabetes UK. It was saying something about the complications that can occur in diabetes. Usually, when I see links like this I never click on them because it’s not good for me to focus on negative things. It sends me into a paranoid state of worry and I end up getting very upset with myself it I miscalculate a bolus and end up high. So, instead of clicking on the link, I looked at the comments that other people had made and it appeared that others would prefer not to see it either. It upset a lot of people and “made them feel even shittier about this disease than they already did”. I mean, why would anyone want to be reminded that they are more likely to go blind and or lose a leg?

Is it really necessary for us to know so much about these complications? I don’t think so! I think it is best to let the doctors take care of that and then we can learn from them (and books) if and when it happens. I didn’t start learning, in detail, about diabetes until I was diagnosed with it so why should I learn about neuropathy if I don’t have to. Non diabetic smokers don’t learn about lung cancer just because they smoke, do they? When I look through the comments on posts similar to the one mentioned above, if I see something negative in the comment I skip it straight away and look for someone who has said something good. I know it sounds pretty ignorant of me and I obviously wouldn’t ignore someone who was talking to me directly. But, for my sanity it is best to look at the positive in everything. While one person is saying that they lost their drivers licence, another is sharing their improved hba1c result.

I suppose this post is just a suggestion to you and I to carry on looking at what can go right. It would be so nice if dominant companies could post something positive. It would be nice to read the success stories of diabetics who keep their levels under control and the benefits it has had towards their health. For me, Instagram is the place to be. I always see lots of positive posts about diabetes on there.

What do you think? Do you know the ins and outs of everything diabetes? Let me know.

Rowena x