Reality Check

This time last year I went through a stage where I wished I didn't have diabetes. I wished I didn't have to test my levels or give insulin before I ate, have a pump attached to me 24/7, have hospital appointments, worry about my levels and hba1c count. I just wanted to be like I used to be before I got diagnosed with diabetes. I just wanted to be normal! 

I ended up being admitted onto a ward at the hospital because I stopped testing my levels and I was just putting a random number as my levels into my pump and then being the amount of carbs I was eating. However this made my levels really high because I wasn't correcting my levels when they were high because I was guessing what my levels were. When I was admitted in to hospital the nurses were checking that I was checking my levels and doing everything that I was supposed to be doing. They were checking my levels every 2 hours so that they could monitor them.

While I was in hospital I was on a ward which mostly had children who had cancer on. I was in a room with this little girl in the bed next to me who had cancer, the girl had been in hospital for 5 months. She was so ill and was crying all the time because she was in pain, it must have been so hard for her parents having to be with their daughter and see her in so much pain and there was nothing they could do to help her. It was sad knowing that she had been in hospital so long and that she was so ill, all she wanted to do was be at home and not be ill or in pain.

I have never had the courage to tell anyone this before or been able to admit this to anyone before so it is quiet a big thing for me to write this on my blog and it has taken a long time to write.
The reason I got back on track with my diabetes and am where I am today is because being in hospital and seeing some really ill children my age and younger with cancer made me realise that having diabetes isn't actually that bad, it could be a lot worse. If I looked after myself I would never had ended up in hospital whereas all of these children were in hospital and it wasn't there fault, they didn't really have a choose about being in hospital but I did. It made me want to look after myself, get a better hba1c, try and get better levels because I could make these changes and then not end up in hospital. It still really upsets me thinking of that little girl and all of the other children who I saw on the ward with cancer, it was bit of a reality check for me and made me realise that if I look after myself diabetes wont control me and I can still have a normal life whereas there are some people that cant because they are really ill and have to stay in hospital loads.

I know I shouldn't have stopped checking my levels in the first place but at the time it felt like the right thing to do because I just wanted to be normal but I am so glad I have now realised that having diabetes isn't that bad if you look after yourself. Always remember you are stronger than you think!

Bloodcount meter

It can be really hard to find a bloodcount meter that you really like and that works well for you. There are so many meters to choose from. I always found it really annoying that I had to do my bloodcount and then remember what it was and put it in my pump, I would sometimes forget what my levels were and then put it into my pump wrong.

Recently when I was at a hospital appointment this lady in the clinic showed me and my mum the Contour Next Link bloodcount meter. I was already using the Contour Link meter and the Contour Next Link was a newer version of my meter. At first I wasn't really sure about changing meters as I really liked the meter I was using and if I changed meters it would mean having to get new test strips that the new meter used and also it would mean I would have to learn how to use the new meter as all meters work differently.

The lady was explaining to me and my mum what was different between the Contour Link and the Contour Next Link. She said that the Contour Next Link had a USB connection for charging and downloading readings, this meant I wouldn't have to pay for batteries for my meter as it didn't need them and I could also download my meter on to the laptop so that I could  if I had any patterns in my levels. On the Contour Next Link when you tested your levels and they where running high or low the meter would let you know by the colour of the numbers of your levels. For example if your levels were 3.4 the numbers would light up orange as say at the bottom of the screen that your levels would low. You could also set reminders on the Contour Next Link, so if you need to check your levels in an hour because they were running high all you have to do is set a reminder on your pump and it will make a noise to remind your to test your levels. Also on the Contour Next Link you can see how your levels have been trending and tells you your average levels over 14 days.  I really liked the sound of the Contour Next Link so the hospital let me take one home with me to use.

I have now been using the Contour Next Link for about a month and I love it. We did loss the USB led to charge it though so my mum had to ring up the company and they replaced it for me and send me a spare meter too encase I loss the meter or if it brakes. I honestly think the best meters I have ever used are the Contour Next Link and the Contour Link, its so much easier having a meter that links to your pump so that you don't have to remember what your levels were.

I know it can be really hard to find a meter that you really like and that works best for you but there are so many meters I am sure you will find one. If any of you are on a Medtronic pump I recommend you try the Contour Next Link meter or the Contour Link meter.
Always remember you are stronger than you think! 

Friends at school

We all have days where are levels are running really high or really low, and we have no idea why. It can be really hard when you have days like this at school because it can make it really difficult to concentrate and learn things when your levels are all over the place. It can be really annoying when you just want to get on with your work and be like other people in your class, and then you start to feel unwell. So you ask the teacher if you can check your levels which mean the whole of your class find and it stands out that you have diabetes (I hate when this happens).
The school gave me a card called an 'exit card'; I can show this card to any of my teacher at any point in the lesson and it means I can leave the lesson without telling the teacher why or where I am going. This means the rest of my class don't know why I am leaving the lesson and they don't even see the card when I show it to the teacher, they think I have just gone to get a drink or gone to the toilet when actually I am soring my diabetes out. Its made it so much easier to look after my diabetes at school.
 
So yesterday at school I checked my levels in form because I wasn't felling that well. My levels were 20.4 which didn't make sense because my levels were 12.7 before I had breakfast which was an hour ago, so I had no idea what was happening with my levels. I gave myself a correction and then I put a temp basal of 150% on my pump so that my levels would come down. I then went to my next lesson which was Core RE, I didn't really have to do I lot in that lesson so that was ok. All I had to do was write down some information from this sheet of paper, I did find it really hard to concentrate. At the end of my Core RE lesson I thought I would check my levels as I was feeling worse then I did when I was in Form. When I was checking my levels my friend saw I was checking my levels so asked what they were, I told her they were 26.0, I couldn't believe that my levels had gone up instead of down even though I had given myself so much more extra insulin.

My friend kept telling me that I need to go do some exercise like doing lap round the school to get my levels down. The thing is I really just wanted to sit down and wait for my levels to go down because I didn't feel well. My friend was really worried about me so she walked to my next lesson, science, with me. I told her I was fine and that my insulin would start working soon so my levels would go down.  My friend said no I am telling your science teacher. I said its ok, I will be fine, don't worry. My friend didn't listen to me, she went up to the teacher and told her that my levels were 26.0 and that I needed to do some laps of the school to get my levels down. At first the teacher had no idea what my friend was talking about and then she realised. My teacher asked to talk to me so I went over and spoke to her. She said I needed to do some exercise. So I told her that I had given myself some insulin and all I needed to do was sit down because I wasn't feeling well.

Throughout the whole of my science lesson my teacher keep checking on me, to see that I was feeling ok and that my levels had came down. The good thing was she did it without the whole class knowing what she was doing. Luckily by lunch my levels had gone back to normally and I was feeling a lot better, however by 8pm I was really tired and ended up falling asleep, which isn't normal for me as I normally go to bed at 10pm.

At the time when my friend told my science teacher about my levels I wasn't very happy with her, however after my science lesson I totally understand why she told her, and I am quiet glad she told my teacher as I wasn't able to concentrate in science as my levels were so high and I didn't do as well as I could have in my science test.

It is really good to have friend that look after you at school, I know it can sometimes feel like they are telling you what to do but its only because they care about you and don't want you to be ill. Sometimes you need someone to help you with your diabetes and your friends are really good at that.
Always remember you are stronger then you think.

More than Diabetes

I realised I haven't told you a lot about me so I thought I would write down some things about me that you probably don't know.

My full name is Laura Elizabeth Archer
I am 15 years old
I was born on 1st December 1998
I am in year 10 at school
I have dark blonde hair
I have green/brown eyes
I am right handed
I have one brother and two stepbrother
I live with my mum, stepdad, brother and my two step brothers every other weekend
I have two dogs
I have a paper round
I help out at football training for 5-6 year olds
I did the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award
I have been abroad on holiday to Portugal and America
I don't like eggs
I don't like spiders
I have a phobia to needles
My favourite book is 'Is it just me?' By Miranda Hart
My favourite colour is blue and teal
My favourite meal is pasta
My favourite food is meringue with cream
My favourite lesson at school is English
My least favourite lesson at school in French and PE
My favourite film is pitch perfect
My favourite tv series Miranda, Greys Anatomy
My favourite boy band are The Vamps
My favourite girl band are Little Mix
My favourite animal is a Panda
Oh yeah...
I am allergic to Penicillin
I have Type One Diabetes
I have been Diabetic for 11 years
I am on an insulin pump

Being diabetic is only one part of me, I am so much more then diabetes. You should never let your diabetes stop you from doing anything and you are so much more than just diabetes!
Remember you are stronger than you think 

Injections or Pump

A lot of people find it hard to decided whether they want a injections or a pump, 4-6 injections a day or changing line to pump every 3 days, having nothing attached to you or having something attached to you 24/7. It can be really hard to decide which one. Some people find that the pump controls their levels better but they don't like having it attached to them all the time. Some people find that with injections it fits in better with their everyday life but they find that it takes a lot of time to work out how many units of insulin they need every meal. Everyone is different.

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes I was only 4 years old. I was on injections for 5 years and then I got a pump when I was 9 years old and I have been on the pump ever since. I cant really remember being on injections because I was so young. I know a lot of people struggle to decided if they want injections or a pump so I thought I would write a post all about why people prefer the pump and why people prefer injections but remember what ever you prefer is up to you because people prefer the pump and injections for different reasons.

Some people prefer injections because.......
You only have to inject 4-6 times a day
It only takes a few seconds to inject
You don't have to have something attached to you 24/7
No hassle for sports, baths or showers
No line like the pump does


Some people prefer the pump because......
You only have to change the line to your pump every 3 days
Better control of levels
You can set temp basal so you get more insulin
You don't have to work out how much insulin you need with meals
You can give yourself insulin more easily in public

I personal prefer the pump because my levels are a lot better since being on the pump and I find the pump is a lot more flexible then injections. I can eat whenever I want and I don't have to eat at set times like I used to. Also I prefer the pump because I have a needle phobia (I know it sounds funny) which means with the pump I only have to change my line every 3 day. At first I didn't like having a pump attached to me 24/7 but I have got used to it and hardly notice it is there anymore.

Everyone is different though and we all find different things work better for us. There is no right or wrong answer on whether you want a pump or to have injections, at the end of the day its you who is having to inject everyday or having a pump attached to you all the time. If you ever have any questions about diabetes or just want to chat, you can always leave a comment below or message me on facebook. Always remember you are stronger than you think