Hi :-) I'm New Here!

My name is Karen.. born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was 10yrs old. I am now 25 so I've had it for 15 years and it hasnt been so easy to keep my blood sugar in control. In October/September last year (2009) I decided to change my lifestyle for the better and focus on eating healthy and exercise on a daily basis (something I never really cared about before) but thought it would be a good idea for my diabetes and to help me be in shape. It has helped me a whole lot and I can now say I have my Diabetes under control more than ever. I am not on the insulin pump right now but I do have one. I used it while I was pregnant in 04/05. I stopped using it bcuz honestly I got tired of carrying it around 24/7. I give myself a shot (Novolin R) everytime I eat depending on how many carbs I'm eating since that's what raises my blood sugar and one slow acting shot (Novolin N) before going to sleep. I dont have any friends that have Diabetes and my parents never let me go to Diabetes camps when I was young so I never have had an opportunity to talk to anyone who completely understands me if you know what I mean.

I recently found out about this site and I'm excited to meet new people who I have something in common with. I don't have any friends on here yet so please add me if you want :-)

Welcome:)  I also have never known many people with diabetes, I've had T1 for 22 years now.  I think this site is awesome.

Hi Karen.....I am a newbie too....I've been on Juvenation for about 4-5 days....and these people are way too cool!  There are a lot of good things going on here....a lot of great support......I wish I had your will power to get in shape.  I have been diabetic since I was 10....I've had type 1 for 25 years now.  It hasn't been an easy road.  I have tried using a pump several times, but my body doesn't like it:(  How many children do you have?  I am blessed with two step daughters and the best husband in the world!  I inject apidra using an insulin carb ration and take lantus at night before bed.  Sounds like we have some things in common, except for the exercise, of course.  I HATE IT!!  I have never been to California, but would like to get there some time soon.  I was born and raised near Gettysburg, PA.  I look forward to chatting with you!

[quote user="Jana McClain"]

Welcome:)  I also have never known many people with diabetes, I've had T1 for 22 years now.  I think this site is awesome.

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Thank you!

I think this site is awesome also! It's great to know we're not alone with this.

[quote user="Angela"]

Hi Karen.....I am a newbie too....I've been on Juvenation for about 4-5 days....and these people are way too cool!  There are a lot of good things going on here....a lot of great support......I wish I had your will power to get in shape.  I have been diabetic since I was 10....I've had type 1 for 25 years now.  It hasn't been an easy road.  I have tried using a pump several times, but my body doesn't like it:(  How many children do you have?  I am blessed with two step daughters and the best husband in the world!  I inject apidra using an insulin carb ration and take lantus at night before bed.  Sounds like we have some things in common, except for the exercise, of course.  I HATE IT!!  I have never been to California, but would like to get there some time soon.  I was born and raised near Gettysburg, PA.  I look forward to chatting with you!

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Hi! I have only 1 son.. he is going to be 5yrs old on May 30th. I dont plan on having anymore. Kids are a handsful hehe so I dont think I can handle anymore. I'm also lucky to have his dad by my side, been with him for 7yrs..he's a great guy. My pregnancy was high risk, I didnt have any problems at all till the end. I had my son at 8 months bcuz I was having false contractions due to him being too big for my belly. So I had a c-section and his lungs werent fully developed so he had to be rushed to a childrens hospital where they hooked him up to machines to help him breathe & tubes to help him eat for 10 days. Luckily he got better fast and I was able to take him home. He's a healthy boy thankfully.. I hope he never gets Diabetes.

I used to hate exercising also and I was lazy. I slowly started off walking 30 minutes on the treadmill everyday and that made a huge difference with my blood sugar so that motivated me to do more and the most I ever ran was 5 miles on the treadmill. I also stopped eating junk food and sticking to a low carb diet so I started off weighing a little over 120lbs and now I'm like 103lbs which is almost close to 100 so I've been taking it easy with my workouts since I dont want to lose any more weight. I do have my lazy days where all I want to do is be in my sweats and relax. It's just amazing how a little bit of exercise and a good healthy diet can help with Diabetes.

Yeah....I need to get off my lazy butt and get some exercise.  We are going on a cruise at the end of June and I need to get into a bathing suit anyways!  I'll work on it!!!

Hi Karen & Angela,

Welcome to Juvenation!  I only found this board a short while myself, and I'm very glad that I did.  I've known several Type 2's, and I did have a friend in grades 7 & 8 who was Type one, but my experience with other Type 1's has been up until this point, very limited.  The people on here are great, and I love getting insight from the people "living it".  It's great to know that I'm not alone, and that others are travelling the exact same road I am.  I've learned a great deal so far through people's posts, and I learned and identified with so much through watching Gina's videos in the Educating Others group.

 

Karen, I wanted to ask if you don't mind, how much your son weighed at birth.  When my son was born, I was told he was large due to my diabetes, and he looked so funny in the NICCU... in comparison to the premies who were so tiny.  He was 10lbs 15oz.  Now he's my skinny 'awkward' 13 year old, and I love him dearly.

Anyway, I'm glad you're both here and look forward to your posts... and on an added note, I hate excersise :)~

Sue

Diabetic for 17 years, since 1993.  Diagnosed at age 18.

[quote user="Sue"]

Hi Karen & Angela,

Welcome to Juvenation!  I only found this board a short while myself, and I'm very glad that I did.  I've known several Type 2's, and I did have a friend in grades 7 & 8 who was Type one, but my experience with other Type 1's has been up until this point, very limited.  The people on here are great, and I love getting insight from the people "living it".  It's great to know that I'm not alone, and that others are travelling the exact same road I am.  I've learned a great deal so far through people's posts, and I learned and identified with so much through watching Gina's videos in the Educating Others group.

 

Karen, I wanted to ask if you don't mind, how much your son weighed at birth.  When my son was born, I was told he was large due to my diabetes, and he looked so funny in the NICCU... in comparison to the premies who were so tiny.  He was 10lbs 15oz.  Now he's my skinny 'awkward' 13 year old, and I love him dearly.

Anyway, I'm glad you're both here and look forward to your posts... and on an added note, I hate excersise :)~

Sue

Diabetic for 17 years, since 1993.  Diagnosed at age 18.

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Hi Sue,

My son was huge for my stomach but he actually weighed 6lbs 9oz. He was little but not tiny like the other premies. Wow your son was a big baby! How funny you say he is skinny now bcuz my son on the other hand is big boned, not chubby but husky looking.. I say he's going to be a football player when he gets older hehe. Did you have your son at 8 months also?

Hello Karen,

  Welcome to Juvenation!! Hey small world I am is SoCal. also. Right now in the Inland Empire LOL, was from Huntington Beach. You got me beat as I have been type 1 since aug./08, still a newbie, one small difference as I was dx'ed at age 52. Lot's of nice people here.

[quote user="Keith221"]

Hello Karen,

  Welcome to Juvenation!! Hey small world I am is SoCal. also. Right now in the Inland Empire LOL, was from Huntington Beach. You got me beat as I have been type 1 since aug./08, still a newbie, one small difference as I was dx'ed at age 52. Lot's of nice people here.

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Hi, thank you! Yeah your lucky you werent a kid when you started. You got to enjoy all the good stuff growing up :-P Is it easy for you to control your blood sugar? It's getting way easier for me as I get older.

Hi Karen,

Welcome to the party. Beer's in the fridge and Keith said he was going to grill something up.

Hope you find the friends and support you're looking for :D

Pat

Karen,

Nope, Trent was full term.  He was delivered a week before his due date.  I was scheduled to be induced, but went into labor 5 days before the scheduled induction.  17 hours of labor, and he was finally delivered vaginally after being stuck in the birth canal.  It was obvious that they should have scheduled a C-section in my opinion, as they had to break his clavicle/collar bone, to get him out.  My last ultrasound was at 7 months, and the OB guesstimated he be around 9 lbs at birth... sheesh, was he wrong.  He was also born with a blood sugar of 1.4/25, due to nurses forgetting to administer glucose gel to me before delivery.  Things were a mess for the first week after he was born, I was so happy when I was finally able to bring him home.  It was hard because of course everyone wanted to stop in to see him, and all I wanted was to spend time with him alone (not keep passing him around) but in the end, we both made it through.

How long did your son have to stay in the hospital after he was born?  That's got to be one of the worst feelings in my opinion, going home without your baby.  I'm assuming he's healthy now? No major complications?

[quote user="Karen"]

[quote user="Keith221"]

Hello Karen,

  Welcome to Juvenation!! Hey small world I am is SoCal. also. Right now in the Inland Empire LOL, was from Huntington Beach. You got me beat as I have been type 1 since aug./08, still a newbie, one small difference as I was dx'ed at age 52. Lot's of nice people here.

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Hi, thank you! Yeah your lucky you werent a kid when you started. You got to enjoy all the good stuff growing up :-P Is it easy for you to control your blood sugar? It's getting way easier for me as I get older.

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Yep, all the good stuff I avoid now. LOL As far as bs control, yes it's pretty easy sort of. My a1c was 5.7 when dx'ed  I was in ICU, DKA , bs of 672 and a1c of 13.3, fun way to find you're diabetic!!!!

 

[quote user="Pat"]

Hi Karen,

Welcome to the party. Beer's in the fridge and Keith said he was going to grill something up.

Hope you find the friends and support you're looking for :D

Pat

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You know it!!  How does everyone want their burgers, we have regular, turkey and veg. LOL I'll take a glass of wine Thank You.

 

Hi!! I recently found this site as well and it's so good to feel like you're not alone and that other people know exactly what we go through each and every day!!

I've been diabetic for 9 years now, and I was on the insulin pump for 5 years. I absolutely hated having it attached to me 24/7. People would ask me about it all the time, and I just got tired of talking about it.

 I totally agree with you about exercising-it gives you so much more control over your blood sugars. I work out about 4 times a week, and the difference is amazing, with staying in shape and blood sugar readings.

Welcome to the site and I look forward to chatting with you!! :)

 

[quote user="Pat"]

Hi Karen,

Welcome to the party. Beer's in the fridge and Keith said he was going to grill something up.

Hope you find the friends and support you're looking for :D

Pat

[/quote]

Hahaha thanks!

That would be great :-P Although I dont drink beer since I've had a bad experience with it before bcuz I had alcohol dehydration a few years ago and had to stay at the hospital for 9 days with IV bcuz of that so I prefer mixed drinks hehe.

[quote user="Sue"]

Karen,

Nope, Trent was full term.  He was delivered a week before his due date.  I was scheduled to be induced, but went into labor 5 days before the scheduled induction.  17 hours of labor, and he was finally delivered vaginally after being stuck in the birth canal.  It was obvious that they should have scheduled a C-section in my opinion, as they had to break his clavicle/collar bone, to get him out.  My last ultrasound was at 7 months, and the OB guesstimated he be around 9 lbs at birth... sheesh, was he wrong.  He was also born with a blood sugar of 1.4/25, due to nurses forgetting to administer glucose gel to me before delivery.  Things were a mess for the first week after he was born, I was so happy when I was finally able to bring him home.  It was hard because of course everyone wanted to stop in to see him, and all I wanted was to spend time with him alone (not keep passing him around) but in the end, we both made it through.

How long did your son have to stay in the hospital after he was born?  That's got to be one of the worst feelings in my opinion, going home without your baby.  I'm assuming he's healthy now? No major complications?

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Hi Sue :-)

Since my son was born 1 month early his lungs werent fully developed and so he had to be connected to a breathing machine and he had a feeding tube connected and needles on both feet and hands.. it was hard to see him like that. He would barely eat 1 or 2 ounces of milk when I took him home bcuz we had to teach him how to suck the bottle, they say the babies learn that during the 9th month inside the stomach. He was in the intensive care unit for 10 days. I was in the hopsital for 4 days due to my c-section so I only got to see him for like 2 minutes or less before they rushed him to the childrens hospital. Yeah it was very hard to go home without my baby since I could hear all the other moms in the other rooms near me happy with their newborns and all I had was 1 small polaroid picture of him. Right after I got out of the hospital I would go visit my son every day and the first time I held him in my arms was like a week after he was born.

God has blessed me with a very healthy boy. He has had no other complications. How is your boy doing health wise??

[quote user="Sarah"]

Hi!! I recently found this site as well and it's so good to feel like you're not alone and that other people know exactly what we go through each and every day!!

I've been diabetic for 9 years now, and I was on the insulin pump for 5 years. I absolutely hated having it attached to me 24/7. People would ask me about it all the time, and I just got tired of talking about it.

 I totally agree with you about exercising-it gives you so much more control over your blood sugars. I work out about 4 times a week, and the difference is amazing, with staying in shape and blood sugar readings.

Welcome to the site and I look forward to chatting with you!! :)

 

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Hi Sarah!

Yeah the insulin pump is not a fun thing to carry around. I only used it while I was pregnant and since being pregnant made my boobs bigger I would always carry my pump in between my boobs and my sports bra since it was the only type of bra I would wear during my pregnancy lol and it was perfect to hide my insulin pump. Sadly my boobs didnt remain that size after I had my son haha. And I didnt want to carry my pump like a cellphone on my waist so I just went back to the shots. But yeah with exercise and a good healthy diet it's way easier to be a Diabetic!

Thanks for the welcome :-) So happy to see everyone is friendly here!

Hey Keith......I'll have my burger well done with a slice of onion...a little bit of mustard and ketchup....plus a couple dill pickles and a Michelob Ultra!!!