Exams

Being in year 11 (last year of college) at school can be really stressful. All the exams, controlled assessments, homework, revision....the list goes on and on. Its like the school think you don't have a life outside school with the amount of revision and homework they want you to do (one of the reasons why I haven't posted in a long time). You are put under so much pressure to do well in all your subjects and it really doesn't help when they cram like 3 mock exams in each day over 3 weeks, it would make so much more sense to spread the exams out more so that you actually have enough time to revise and remember all of it. Anyway luckily the real GCSE's are spread out more so that you can make sure you have enough time to revise, learn everything and do the best that you can in the exams.

I remember when I had my year 10 exams which decided if you were ready to move up into year 11. I panicked so much about them, I was silly though as I left my revision to the last moment as every time I tried to revise I would stress out which made my levels go really high. This made it really hard for me to concentrate so I ended up giving up with revision. This obviously wasn't the best thing to do as it meant I panicked while in the exams as I hadn't revised anything and I ended up doing really
rubbish.

 

I went through this cycle every time I had an exam. I am sure many other people go through something like this too so don't worry if you do, you aren't alone.  

I needed to find away of stopping this cycle happening though as with my year 11 exams I need to get good grades to be able to get into the 6th forms I want to go to so that I am able to do the courses I want. So I spoke to my psychologist about it and we came up with a few ways how to stop this cycle from happening.

Here is a list of things you should try to stop the cycle from happening:

• Start revising early, don't leave it to the last moment 
• Make a revision table so that you know what you are going to revise every day
• Revise for like an hour and then have a break as if you revise for too long it will stop going in
• Make sure you are organised and know when your exams are
• If you know your levels go high when you revise, put a temp basal on your pump while you revise or if you are on injects check your levels regularly so you can correct them    
• Try some relaxation techniques to help yourself relax

I used the stuff listed above and it really helped me, I hardly panicked in my mock exams and I feel like i have done well in most of them. If you had asked me at first before I did all of those things to help me stop the cycle I used to go through, I would have said they would have never worked and there was no point in even trying them. I am so glad I tried that list of things as it has helped me so much and now I am not working about doing me GCSE's next year as I know I can control my emotions and not panic in the exams and mess my grades up.

If you are struggling with your emotions and levels while doing revision and exams please use the list of things to help stop that from happening, it will really help. If you plan enough in advance you will do fine in your exams. Just remember to revise and follow the tips in this post. I wish everyone good luck in their mock exams if you haven't already done them :)  
 

Holiday aboard

Sorry I haven't posted on my blog in a while, it's because I have been on holiday for 2 weeks in Portugal. The weather was so nice there, it was always sunny and hot throughout the day and in the evening there was a lovely cool breeze. The holiday was so relaxing and I loved it, the only bad thing was the only Internet that I was able to connect to was in a restaurant, which was quiet a long walk from our apartment. So I wasn't able to talk to people or write any blog posts or go on Facebook :( 

Whenever I go on holiday abroad I always worry that they won't let my through security because of all of my insulin and my pump and pump supplies that I will need.. Every time I have been on holiday it has been fine when i was going through security it always been fine so I don't really know why I worry about it. The only thing we got told we had to do this time was put my glucoJels in a separate bags to my insulin. 

If you go on holiday abroad I know it can make you worry a bit about getting through security with all your diabetic supplies but try and not worry as it will be fine. All you have to remember to do is get a letter off your diabetic team to say that you can bring liquids on to the plane and put all your liquids and diabetic supplies on clear plastic bags so that the security people can see what it is. Make sure your gluco gels and your insulin are in separate clear bags as one is a liquid and the other is a gel (as we found out when we went through security). Always pack more stuff then you will actually need so that if something went wrong with your pump supplies or your levels were higher so you injected more and used more insulin.  Make sure your insulin is in a cold bag or something so that it keeps cool and doesn't go off because it's too hot. If you are on a pump make sure you bring injections and needles just encase anything happens to your pump.

 

When we got through security we went in to a shop to buy some drinks and food for the plane. While we were in the shop looking at the sweets and chocolate one of the members of staff was stacking the shelf's right next to us. I looked over at her and noticed that she had the OmniPod pump in her arm. As the woman walked away I whispered to my mum that the woman was diabetic and that she had the wireless pump in her arm. The woman then came back and carried on stacking the self, my mum asked her if it was a pump in her arm and the woman said yeah. So I said how I was diabetic and was on a pump. 

 

Me and my mum had a conversation with the woman about the OmniPod as I didn't really know how it worked and had never met someone on it before. The woman said how it had helped her so much and that she preferred it to her old pump that had a wire. She said it made everyday life so much easier as there was no wire which meant she didn't catch the wire on anything and it also meant her line didn't get blocked as much as it used to. Also it made it a lot easier for her to have baths, showers and do exercise as she doesn't have to disconnect her pump as there is no wire. Overall she said she wouldn't know what she would do now if she didn't have the OmniPod pump.    

After thinking for a while about the OmniPod pump for a while I think I would really like to trial the pump as I don't know whether I would like it or not. The thought of not having to have a pump attached to you while you are sleeping and following you around whether you go, is amazing. The thought of not having to worry about catching your line on anything and it ripping out or having to disconnect then having a bath, shower or exercise. The only thing that worries me is because the cannula is a lot bigger then my cannula now I am scared I wouldn't like it because its bigger and I might knock it off or something while I was getting used to it. The OmniPod is so much more advanced for the other insulin pumps and it just shows how much technology has improve over the last couple of years.

Overall I had an amazing holiday but I think it went way too fast but maybe that was because I was staying in bed asleep until 10 or 11am haha. I will soon be starting school and it will be my last year at collage. I hope everyone else has had a good holiday as well and that your levels have been good.

hba1c

A hba1c is a test which works out your average level over a long period of time. This test is done by a simple finger prick just like a bloodcount test but you need a little more blood. A hba1c is normal done every time you have a hospital clinic appointment and it helps your diabetes team see how good your levels have been and how good your control of your diabetes is. If your hba1c is high the hospital will help you work out why it is high and how you can get it back down, they wont get annoyed or angry with you as they are only there to help you.

At the beginning of last year my hba1c went all the way up to 13 because I didn't have good control of my levels at all. I went through a bad patch where I decided I didn't want to be diabetic anymore so I didn't do my bloodcount and just gave myself insulin for the food I was eating. I would just make up what my bloodcount was and put it in my pump so that it looked like I was doing my levels when I wasn't. I thought no one would find out what I was doing but because I was making up what my levels were, it meant that when my levels were running really high I wasn't giving correction as I didn't know they were. so my levels just stayed high. When I was doing this I had no idea what I was actually doing to my body, my body got used to having high levels and I was making myself really ill. When I found out that my hba1c was 13 it made me realise that I really need to change and get it back down to normal.

So I set myself a goal to get my hba1c below 8, I knew it would take a lot to get it down that much but I knew I would be able to do it in the end. I didn't care how long it took me, I would do it. I started doing all the things I should have been doing like checking my levels and correcting, using temp basals to help get my levels down, changing the amount of insulin I was getting and  things like that. Every time I went to my clinic appointments I couldn't wait to see how much my hba1c had gone down. Sometimes I got a bit upset as it had gone up and I felt like it was never ever going to go below 8. However I never gave up I carried on doing everything and anything I could to get it lower.

Last week I had a hospital clinic appointment and for some reason I had a feeling that my hba1c was maybe going to be below 8 as my levels had been really good for once. After having the hba1c test done you have to wait a while to get the results s while we waited we got called by the doctor. I walked in to the room and sat down as the doctor was looking through my notes. She then looked at me and said wow, your hba1c is 7.2 (55). I honestly couldn't believe it was 7.2, that's the lowest my hba1c has ever been and I have been diabetic for over 11 years. The doctor was so impressed with me, she said that normally when someone's hba1c goes to 13 they never get it back down to 7. I was so happy I couldn't believe I had finally got it down that low :)

I realised that if I couldn't control my levels now it was going to be a lot harder then I got older and I don't want my diabetes to ruin getting good GCSE results.  I don't want my diabetes to control me and make it a lot harder to do things I want to do so I did something about it. I started looking after myself move and caring about what my levels were and what my hba1c was and that is how I got my hba1c down and back to normal.

Here are some tips to get your hba1c down:

• Set a goal for your hba1c so that you have something to work towards
• Have a reason why you want your hba1c to be lower
• Make sure you are doing all the things your hospital have told you to do
• Correct high levels
• Change the amount of insulin you are having if you are having constant lows or highs at a certain time of day
• Ask your diabetic team to help you if you are struggling or finding it hard

All of these thing will help you get your hba1c down, however don't get upset or annoyed if your hba1c goes up high because at the end of the day it is only a number. The hospital wont get annoyed with you if it is high as they are there to help you, not tell you off. As long as you are doing the best that you can that's all that matters.
If you but your mind to something you can do it, never give up.  

#showmeyourpump

Sorry I haven't posted in a while I have been so busy with exams and school work that I haven't really had time to write a post.
Today I thought I would write a post about Sierra Sandison as I saw a post that she posted today on facebook and it really inspired me to do something I would never have done before.

On Facebook one of my mums friends who has diabetes tagged me in this post...

"There it is. I would never have dreamt of posting a swimsuit picture on social media, but diabetics from all over the country have been asking to see me and my insulin pump on the #MissIdaho2014 stage. Honestly, it is terrifying walking out... on stage in a swimsuit, let alone attached to a medical device. My message to everyone, diabetic or not, is that we all have something that doesn't "measure up" to the beauty standards set by the media--and that is okay! It does not make you any less beautiful. We also all have obstacles, challenges, and trials. Diabetes turned my life upside down when I was first diagnosed. Don't let your challenge hold you back or slow you down. Use it to, not only empower yourself and grow as an individual, but to serve and influence other people as well.
With that said, I have faced my fear of proudly showing my insulin pump! Now I want to see YOURS! Post your photo on social media (insta, twitter, facebook--make sure it is shared publically so I can see it) with the hashtag #showmeyourpump! The nationwide support from my fellow diabetics this weekend has been AMAZING! I can't wait to see more of you guys!
This is not limited to just girls, or to people with pumps--I want to see YOU and whatever your daily battle with diabetes looks like."

Here are the pictures of Sierra Sandison at Miss Idaho 2014 with her pump on show

 Sierra Sandison's Facebook post and pictures really made me think. I have been on the pump over 6 years and I have always hidden my pump under my clothes or had it in a pump bag so that no one else could see it. I have always been scared of people giving me funny looks and asking question about my pump if it was on show so that why I always covered it up and pretended it wasn't there. However after reading this post it made me think, why should I have to hide my pump when its part of me? It shouldn't make people look at me different or think I am not pretty just because they can see my pump.

On Monday when I saw Sierra Sandison Facebook post I thought I would do a 'show me your insulin pump picture' and post it on Facebook. It wasn't the easiest thing to do as I had never showed most of my friends what my pump looked like or that I had a pump, all they knew was I had diabetes so posting a picture of my with my pump on show was a massive thing for me to do. It took me ages to press post however in the end I pressed post (even though it took my like half an hour haha)

Here is my 'show me your pump' picture

 

I was so surprised by the response I got to my picture once I had posted it. So many people liked it and I got so many lovely comments on it. I was really proud I had done it and that everyone was so nice about it and I didn't get any horrible comments like I thought I might get.

I think Sierra Sandison is such an inspirational person and I would never have posted any pictures like this if it wasn't for her and her hashtag campaign #showmeyourpump. If you have a post please  do the 'show me your pump' picture as I know you can all do it  :) I know it is really scary at first but its like a weight lifted off of your shoulders once you have done it.

PE and School

I admit I really don't like PE at school, I don't like being judged by other people in the class because I am not very good at sport. Most people just end up moaning at you because you aren't very good and apparently your not even trying when you know you are, you're just not very good at it. This doesn't always happen to people but I have had it happen to me before and know probably other people have too. Anyway, doing PE can really effect your levels just like any form of exercise does and with the weather on top of this it can make it even harder and frustrating.

So a couple of weeks ago I was doing PE at school and we were playing rounders outside on the grass. The teacher split the class in to 3 teams so that 2 teams could play a game of rounders while 1 team did some batting practice and then we would all swap over. For the first game I was on the team that was doing batting practice then when we went to swap over I started to feel like my levels were low.

Me: Miss can I check my levels as I think I am low?
Teacher: Yeah of course
Me: (checks levels) Miss my levels are low
Teacher: It will be fine I will sit in field with you encase anything happens
Me: I need to have something to make my levels go up first
Teacher: Have you got something on you to eat or drink?
Me: Yeah I have a can of coke (gets can of coke out and starts drinking it)
Teacher: That can of coke is so small and perfect for people with diabetes
Me: Yeah I know (finishes can of coke)
Teacher: You can go stand in field now
Me: No I cant, I have to sit down for 10mins first, for my levels to up
Teacher: Ok, you can stay there then
Teacher: (Comes back to me 5mins later) Its been 10mins Laura
Me: I don't think it has been
Teacher: Yeah I know, I was only kidding
Teacher: (comes back 5mins later) Its been 10mins, you can bat now
Me: I need to check my levels first to see if they have upped enough
Teacher: Okay
Me: (checks levels) My levels are fine now miss
Teacher: Good but its the end of the lesson now


I couldn't believe that my PE didn't know what I was meant to do when my levels were low, she's so funny. Luckily now she knows what to do when my levels are low as I was low in my PE lesson the next day and she understood what I had to do and knew my levels were running low because of the hot weather.

Tips for looking after your levels while doing exercise:

• Check your levels before doing exercise - if they are below 10 maybe have something to eat before
• Make sure you have stuff to up your levels on you - Glucose Tabs, sugar drinks, sweets or something like that (liquid ups your levels quicker as you don't waste energy chewing)
• Make sure someone with you know what your symptoms of a low are - sometimes you might not realise you are low but someone else can by looking at you and the way you are acting
• Make sure you check your levels more while exercising - check if your levels are dropping so that you can have something to eat to stop them dropping
• Check your levels after doing exercise

I know that your levels can be really annoying while you are trying to do exercise but if you follow the tips in this post, hopefully it will make it a little bit easier for you. Don't let your levels stop yourself from having fun doing whatever exercise you like doing.
Always remember you are stronger than you think!

Some days...

Some days...
...are bad
...are good
...levels are high
...levels are low
...you feel rubbish
...you feel good
...you are fed up of diabetes
...you don't think that much about our diabetes
...you just want to be like everyone else
the list could go on and on

Being diabetic can be really hard at times, it can make you feel really different compared to other people. Everyone have days when your diabetes just doesn't seem to be going right and it can be really annoying, I know.
I have days when it hit me that my diabetes is probably going to affect me for the rest of my life and that there will be no breaks from my diabetes (I will have to deal with it every minute of every day). These days I realise that I am different to other people. I wish I never got diabetes as it would make life so much easier.
However I think it would be so weird if I didn't have diabetes anymore. In some ways I think I would be lost without diabetes as I have had it since I was 4 years old and I cant remember my life before I was diabetic. The things we have to do each day like checking levels, giving insulin, carb counting just seem like part of my everyday routine. Also I feel like I have become a lot more independent and more responsible because of having diabetes, I think it makes people act more responsible then they should be for their age. In some ways I look at having diabetes as a good thing as I have made so many new friend which I would probably never meet if I didn't have diabetes.
However everyone thinks of there diabetes in a different way (there is no right or wrong way) for this post I hope it helps people to understand that everyone has those tough day with their diabetes but always remember tomorrow is a new day and a new start. Diabetes doesn't always have to be a negative thing, in some ways it can be a positive thing.
 Always remember you are stronger than you think!  

 

Hot weather

I am really sorry I haven't posted on my blog in ages, I have been so busy with school, homework, revision, applying to be a prefect, concert and other thing like that. The time has just gone so quickly and so much has happened that I think I should blog about as I now have the some free time :)

The weather can affect your levels a lot however it can effect everyone's levels differently. Some people find that when the weather gets warmer and a lot hotter it makes there levels lower and some people find that the hot weather makes their levels higher then usual. It can be really annoying if your levels tend to run lower in the hot weather as that is the time that people normal do more exercise. For example when people go on holiday the weather is normally hotter which will mean your levels will probably run higher or lower then usual which can be really annoying as when your levels are running high it can make you feel rubbish which will mean you wont be able to enjoy your holiday as much. Also if your levels are running low while you are on holiday it come also be annoying as people normal go swimming a lot and that will make your levels drop even more. It can be so annoying, I know!

Recently the weather has got a lot warm and more humid in Cambridgeshire and this has effected my levels quiet a lot. When I was younger the hot weather always used to make my levels run higher which was really annoying as it used to make my feel so ill and rubbish however over the last couple of days the weather has gotten warmer my levels have been running really low and I keep have quiet a few lows. My mum said she doesn't think it is the hot weather that is affecting my levels however I cant think of any other reason why they would be running low just when the weather got hotter. As I have notice that my levels maybe running low because of the hot weather I have been checking my levels more regularly and I have been taking more things like cans of coke, more glucose tabs to get my levels up just encase I have more lows then usual. I have also adjusted my insulin so that I am less likely to keep having all the lows I have been having recently.

Here are some of the things I found on the internet which will help managing your diabetes in the hot weather:

• Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Carry a bottle of water with you
• Exercise and do more strenuous activities in the early or later hours of the day when the temperatures are cooler and the sun is not at its peak.
• Check blood sugar levels frequently, since they may fluctuate more.
• Remember, extreme temperature changes can have an effect on your diabetes supplies; insulin can break down, blood glucose meters and test strips can be damaged, and altitude can affect blood glucose meter performance. Use insulated bags protected by a cool pack to safely store your supplies, but avoid freezing.
• Make sure you have more supplies on you to up your levels encase you go low
• Adjust your insulin if you think its needs adjusting 
• Wear light colored clothing

If you are going on holiday soon make sure you remember the above points as it will really help and make managing your diabetes a bit easier. Also please don't get annoyed or upset because your levels aren't perfect while the weather is hotter or while you are on holiday as no ones levels will be and I don't want you to ruin your holiday just because your levels aren't where you want them.
Hope everyone is enjoying the hot weather and has a lovely time on holiday if you are going on holiday!