Type Olympic: Kris Freeman

 This is Kris Freeman.

Three-time cross-country "Top-Ranked Skier" of the Olympics. He possessed 16 national titles and was ranked #1 in his sport before being let go of the US Team in April of 2013.

As of February 9th, Kris will start his journey to obtain gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi!

Kris has lived with Type One Diabetes since he was 19. Though many thought this would end Kris's career in cross-country skiing, it didn't!

It seems that many times people write about Type One as a "death-sentence" to your dreams and ambitions.

On the contrary, Kris has proved a powerful fact to the entire world:

Though Type One is a part of him, it can't defeat his dreams! 

(Chris inserting a port for his Ominipod Pump)

 As I look forward to the upcoming Olympic performances, it will be inspiring to watch Kris fight for gold - and for all the Type One's watching!

  Go Kris!

 

Adjusments

Coming up on my first year with Type One, I thought of a concise, one-word synopsis of this complex disease.

Adjustments.

 I am amazed by the different responses I have seen from others in only one year with Type One.
Some of my closest friends will do everything in their power to make sure that both my blood sugars and emotions are stable.

While on the complete other side, I have had people tell me that Type One is an easy, little problem that I will learn to "get over." Of course, they then explain a simple cure for my Type One . . .

consisting of diet and exercise.

I have a hard time with the example above. It is not cool when people flippantly brush off Type One's vast complications, as if to say the disease isn't all that terrible . . . 

Adjustments.

 I'll just be honest. Life was incredibly simple before Type One. I'm sure you may be thinking this an obvious statement . . . yet while at college I have begun to notice the extensive toll that bad blood sugars take out on me - both mentally and physically. 

Whether high or low, my blood sugars have ranged everywhere from 40 to 500 during a school day. It's not easy trying to manage Type One and college at the same time. . .

adjustments.

I've found that focusing on priorities in my life really helps me with Type One. Balancing all of the different components of this disease is overwhelming.

Humans weren't made to think like a pancreas.

Some people don't look at it this way, but it's the truth. Because their pancreas is dead, any Type One is forced to constantly think about dealing with their disease. (If they plan on controlling it) it's really not an option . . .

Adjustments.
 
I think you get what I'm saying . . .

Type One consists of constant, endless adjustments.

But there is one positive adjustment that Type One has given me.

 

Knowing that because of this disease, I have the opportunity to reach out to others.

The ability to comfort those who are grieving, and to love those that are hurting.

Though Type One diabetes will always be a part of me, I've found that it is a blessing as well as a curse.

Learning to view the positive side of it is rather smart. Good can always come from bad, you just have to be willing to find it!


In line with what I've talked about . . . here's a funny thought to end with!

 

"Like a Freight Train ...  "

Camp Counselor Lows

Counseling was amazing!

 I had three days packed with tons of activity in snow-covered Wisconsin! Our cabin had eleven amazing campers. As a counselor, I have always taken time before bed to tell my campers about Type One and all that it entails. Come to find out, two of my campers had a brother with Type One Diabetes! It was so much fun getting to exchange stories and jokes about living with diabetes.

 

As I said, counseling was great . . . but the low blood sugars that accompanied the weekend. . . 

 

Not so much.

 

Thursday night I was finishing up cabin devotions ("diabetes learning conference") when I started to feel low.

60 with 7.6 active insulin 

(enough to drop me 380 points)

 

I cracked open my apple juice supply and began drinking . . . 

140 carbs later . . .

 

 48 with 5.2 active insulin

This is when I decided to worry! I notified the other counselors, bundled up, and headed out into the cold! Upon reaching the main lodge, I found my oldest brother (Ben) who helped get me some more sugar! 

In the end, I drank 4 apple juices, a bottle of Mt. Dew, a can of Dr. Pepper, and 2 chocolate milks! 

340 carbs of sugar! 

Way too much! You may think . . . don't worry, Ben thought the same. :) 

That night I was up testing, suspending my pump, and eating candy all night long (still going low)!

 

Yet my efforts paid off! I awoke Friday morning to a blood sugar of 115 - perfect.

 

You just never know with Type One, there is always that nagging thought of

 

 If I had gone to bed without testing - I may have never woken up . . .

 

 

On a happy note: here's a good example of night time lows.

 

 

Remembering 2013 . . .

For me, 2013 will always be a "monumental year" in my life. Starting with my knee surgery, the pace of the year has only increased. 

My diabetes journey began on January 31st. I'll never forget the feeling of sitting in the hospital bed - lost, overwhelmed, and scared. When facing a disease that demands constant attention and care, susceptibility to defeat is continually present. I think that is one attribute of Type One that will always exist - the constant battle for good numbers . . . it's part of Type One's life-long package that must be continuously addressed.

As other Type Ones have stated, the beginning is the hardest . . . grief turns into acceptance, and you learn how to deal with Type One.

Granted, life will never be the same, but through the process of accepting the deep pain that Type One brought into my life helps me be able to grasp a level of others pain around me.

Pain and grief almost work as components to bring humans closer to God and closer to each other. Sadly, life-changing problems are often necessary to force people to look for solutions outside themselves.

When one allows bitterness to settle in the stead of acceptance, they set themselves up for failure.

As for my "Type-One-Diabetes-New-Year-Resolution", I am hoping that I can get a chance to use Type One to help connect with other Type One's out there. Sometimes the worst thing a struggling Type One can do is seclude themselves and suffer alone in isolation. 

Well, I have a busy week-end of counseling teens ahead of me, so I had better start packing! 

First time being a counselor with a pump . . . this will be memorable! (in a good way!)   

Oh, and since this is my first year living with Type One, I thought I'd ease myself into this . . .

Snowstorms in my Snow Globe

"My Life as a Snow Globe"

This was the title of my fourth post after beginning this blog. The analogy of a snow globe helped display the emotions and frustrations that surfaced following my diagnosis. 

Not including Type One, this past week was absolutely amazing!

Including Type One . . . I would say I have run into a few "bumps". 

Christmas Eve I was due for a new infusion set (the port that attaches to our body)

Usually, I don't have a problem with a new site, it hurts a bit - but is way easier than 8 shots a day! The problems occur when your body begins to reject the sets. 

About 10 minutes after my first site, my pump alarm went off . . .

NO DELIVERY

 

If you ever have a pump, you know what this means. Either your hose is kinked (easy fix), or you have a bad site (not-so-pleasurable fix). For me, it was the not-so-pleasurable fix.

After checking for kinks and any obvious problems with the site, I proceeded to pull it out of my stomach. If it is a "bad site" we usually see blood in the hose or bent needle. In this case there was nothing.

To shorten this night . . . I ended up going through 3 painful, eventually bleeding sets - before finally switching to my arm.

After moving my site to the arm, it seems that the insulin started to absorb more efficiently.

Why, you may ask?

 

Lows

And Thursday was full of them! 

No matter how much sugar I inhaled . . . nothing seemed to avail me.

 I began feeling low after eating at McDonald's so I tested my blood sugar. 

52 

When you go an entire meal without giving any insulin, and your this low means its time to get serious about getting your blood sugar up.

I began to feel painfully weak and numb . . . panic mode. 

Mom ran to get the glucagon out of the van . . . 50 isn't quite "coma-worthy", but when I was feeling prepared to pass out - it was obviously time to bypass what the tester said. :) 

Thankfully, after I gulped down 3 sugar-infused sodas . . . my blood sugar began to rise! 

Now . . . I could go into detail about the following three lows I had that day, but I'd like to come around to the point of this blogpost.

Although the snow is settling and Type One is a reality that I am coming to peace with, I've found that as a Type One, our little "snow-globe" is going to get shaken. And from the looks of it, it may get shaken a lot . . . that's the not-so-pleasurable part of this disease.

That's the side that provides a 55 at 1:00 in the morning, that's the side that constantly looms overhead - the snowstorms.

But it's nice to remember a few things . . . 

First of all, snowstorms don't last forever: it will a clear up again.

Second, make sure your in your snow gear: if its a bad storm, you want to be ready!

Finally, Type One is hard - that's the truth . . . but the hardships bring us closer to both God and those we love. It takes a lot of work to live with T1. But at the same time, it molds us into more than we could have been without it.

Knowing God is in control helps shift seeing the danger of the snowstorm, to seeing the amazing beauty the snow provides!

Merry Christmas! ! !

Finals are finished, but they definitely threw in a couple highs and lows to make Type One that much more . . . enjoyable.

Now I get three weeks of staying home, enjoying break, and being with my family.

At the end of 2013, I am completely amazed at the past year! So much has transpired that I can't believe it has only been one year. I feel as though I have had Type One my whole life. While reflecting on some of our past family photos, I find it difficult to recall whether I had T1 at the time the photo was taken or not.

Here at Christmas time, I don't think I could even imagine life without the amazing support team I have in the Type One Trio and my family! 

I am so thankful for my faith, family, and insulin. Without any of these elements, I wouldn't be able to survive.

Yet, most importantly, I thank God for my His uncomprehending love in sending His Son to earth so long ago. That's the real reason we celebrate Christmas!

Merry Christmas! ! !

On a funny note here is Jingle Bells (Type One Style) . . .  it sums up a low very well.

"Christmas Lows"

 (typeonediabetesmemes)

Hello World!

Hello World!

So . . . a lot has happened with the Type One Trio in the past few weeks! 

First of all, we had an amazing Thanksgiving Break/Vacation! After my first semester in college, the break was well needed and much appreciated. From running to playing indoor soccer to sleeping in, vacation proved itself a great time to recharge. Here are some family pictures we were able to take! 

Once we returned from vacation, I took part in MBU's Christmas Concert! Although I was only one of around one hundred singers, one thing made me different from everyone else - my amazing insulin pump! It amazes me to think that it still hasn't reached one year since my diagnosis. Last Christmas season I was preparing for my knee surgery - nervousness and anticipation defined my thinking . . . little did I know what lay ahead! Yet, when I compare where I was then - to where I am now - I'm amazed at the way God has molded me through this disease. 

Though some would consider Type One a curse, I think that the reality of accepting that your life is in God's hands is an incredible gift. Every day presents a fresh set of difficulties, but if you know that God is in control, you don't have to worry! It's all about perspective: either I'm overwhelmed with the complications Type One entails, or amazed by the protection God instills!

I'm sure I'll be posting more once I get through this next week . . . it holds what I've been dreading from the start of college. The "make-it or break-it:" Finals!

I've done my fair share of studying, fair share of reading, and fair share of stressing, 

But after I memorize all of my terms, definitions, and study guides . . . I'll be ready! 

 

(This is my General Psychology Study Guide)

Don't worry, I'm not complaining! This is what I signed up for! :)