268 Useless Pancreas Society

 

Type 1 Diabetes or
The Useless Pancreas Society

I read a Facebook posting that stated that people with Type 1 Diabetes make many life-saving or life-ending decisions every day. Perhaps that is why we feel no one can understand our lives.

Trying to balance the amount of food, insulin and exercise so my blood sugar isn't too low (I've gone to the Emergency Room at least five times so far for that) or too high--that can kill you too, but no hospital visits from highs for me.

My doctor pointed out to me that the amount of insulin I take is a low dosage compared to other diabetics. That's still 5 shots per day--just a low amount per shot! That means that one unit over or under in my calculations can have dire consequences. As bad as it sounds, it made me happy because I have always felt guilty for not having perfect blood sugar control.

I have been a Type 1 Diabetic for 55 years and doctors' attitudes seem to have evolved from judgmental to collegial--or I have finally found the right doctors! Managing diabetes is a team effort with the diabetic doing most of the work so that seems the right approach to me.

Perhaps I should stop and explain Type 1. No diet or vitamin or cinnamon cure can handle it because the body cannot make insulin--no way, no how. Insulin injections are the only way to treat it, not cure it. Once a Type 1--you are a Type 1 for life!

Eating too much sugar did not cause it (and I hate all those, "I'm gonna get diabetes if I eat x," jokes!) Diabetes is an auto-immune disease with links to heredity. 

Type 1 Diabetics comprise about 5% of the diabetes population. We are special! You also hear the term Juvenile Diabetes because people generally contract it when they are young but juvenile diabetics are all ages.

There is a Facebook page called Beyond T-1; my illustrations have come from that page. Nick Jonas, the singer, helped found the Beyond T-1 organization:

"Jonas explains that when he was diagnosed with it in 2002 at age 13, he didn’t have a T1D community in which to turn.

“I felt pretty isolated initially,” says Jonas. “One of the reasons I was so drawn to being a part of Beyond Type 1 was ready to find ways we could build up the community and be a support to those who maybe felt the way I felt when I was diagnosed, which was very alone."  

https://beyondtype1.org/an-interview-with-nick-jonas/

I have enjoyed being part of the Beyond T1D community. Seeing my fears and feelings shared by others has made me feel better about my own care.

I have been lucky. I haven't lost a leg or foot to amputation. My heart is good; I have some mild diabetic retinopathy in my eyes, but I haven't gone blind. And I try not to think about all other complications that can come from diabetes. Diabetics have a greater risk of serious consequences from contracting coronavirus, but it seems that those with good blood sugar control, who don't have other issues such as heart or weight, have about the same chance of dying as the general population. 

One of my doctors told me about one of his patients, a ninety-year-old Type 1 diabetic who is still going strong! So I guess I can keep on chugging along!

                   Trish

267 Apple Time

September Is Apple Time

Oh, Dear Readers, can you believe it is September again? Maybe because I have been essentially in my house and yard for six (6!) months, I am finding it hard to accept that 

two seasons have passed us by. 

No spring Apple Blossom Festival, 

no graduations, no weddings, no beach (not that I go to the beach), no trips to NewYork City (that’s the one that broke my heart). 

This blog may strike you as random – because it is. As you know, my best friend Google and I started by playing around with the word “apple.” 

 I got a bit upset with my friend because the first hit that popped up was this: I’m thinking NO! NO, Google, NO! Well, I had to forgive Google because I used a capital A in my query. Used lower case and voila, I get the fruit! 

We all know the saying, “ An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Is it true? Heathline.com/nutrition says, “Sort of….” Apples have vitamin C, antioxidents, is good for heart health, and may help prevent some cancers. However, apples are a high carb fruit--25 grams in a medium apple and with 4.5 grams of fiber can cause gas, bloating, and stomach pain. The daily recommended amount of fiber is 25 grams. 

I am really liking the updated version of an apple a day: I grew up with apple orchards on either side of our farm. Yep, we did hurl a few apples, especially the almost rotten, ugly ones. [Always such a young lady.] 

So, it seems to me that apples are best to be eaten freshly picked off the tree or used in pies. With apple desserts one can pretend nutrition and prevent roughhousing at the table. I learned how to make apple pies at a very early age (maybe five or six), but I grew out of the habit as a teenager. There are a couple of kitchen hacks, though, that I learned from my grandmother that still make me feel superior when dear husband and I watch a cooking show. 

I have two useful pieces of information to share with you. The first is that although Red Delicious apples look so pretty at the market, they are mealy and not good for cooking. Use Golden Delicious or Granny Smith. They are both firmer and tarter and keep the pie from having “soggy bottom” and tasting too sweet. 

The second tip is use store-bought pie crust. Pillsbury is just fine. You are ready to make your pie. First do this: break one egg, separating yolk and white. Use a fork to froth-up (is this a word?) the egg white and brush it on the bottom pie crust you have just put in your pie pan. Something in egg white creates a bond that will keep separate the pie shell and the fruit. I do not know the science on this, but it works. 

Now you’ve filled your shell and put on the top crust. Beat the egg yolk (with a fork is just fine) and brush that on the top crust for a professional shine!! Actually, I have a third tip: call ahead of time to your favorite bakery or market and order one! 

Another random thought was the story of Johnny Appleseed. Thirty-plus years of being a librarian and this story is annual September display. Most folks who know anything about apples are aware of his story. [I was once in a play about this legendary man. I played a school teacher named Miss MacIntosh. How cute was that?] 

If you have little ones around–in school (maybe) or for a fall visit, entertain them with the story of Johnny Appleseed. He really was real. John Chapman, born in 1774, was actually an early horticulturist who traveled throughout the mid-Atlantic and mid-west and gave apple seeds to farmers to cultivate apple orchards to make cider. 

He apparently did not wear a pot on his head or go barefoot. He was a leader in land use, showing farmers where the apples would grow best, and how to fence off parcels to keep wild animals from eating the immature trees. He died in September of 1845, leaving a legacy and a legend. 

Enjoy your September. Eat an apple. Bake a pie and be the “apple of someone’s eye.” Maybe it’s time to get things “in apple pie order,” but don’t let “one rotten apple spoil the bunch.” Enough clichés!! 

Stay healthy, wear those masks, and keep in touch! 

Savvy Glenne