Tag Archive for: diabetes

Doctor’s Praise

Have you ever had a doctor’s appointment during which you get praise from said doctor?

This was a completely foreign concept for me until recently, despite having lived with Type 1 Diabetes for 29 years.

But as I’ve managed to gain better insight into the illness that co-habits my body, and therefore slightly better control, there have been more and more positive encouragement coming form my health team.

Just a couple of years ago, I would always be scared of going to the doctors, any doctor I have (and I have a few).

Scared of the results, scared of what they might find this time.

Scared of being told off, scared of being disappointed in myself.

Scared of being hurt and a failure. Scared of the amount of work that lay ahead of me.

Because that’s what it had been like all my life.

Every doctors appointment until recently, had been one of disappointment, hurt, even tears, and after, not-being-bothered – because why bother if I always get the same sh*t shoved at me by the doctors?

Let’s not turn this into too much of a sobby victim story though.

About a year ago, when I had finished the education for my pump with my lovely diabetes educator, she told me I was one of her best patients.

After having grown up with the notion that doctors (and nurses) are equal to the evil spawn of something ugly, I was stunned for a second.

And then filled with love. Love, gratitude, and appreciation.

Not necessarily for diabetes, but rather for the advancements I had made by that point.

It was probably my first (and to this day, only) time I’ve performed a little one-man boogie in a doctor’s office.

It’s incredibly what a little doctor’s praise can do!

It spurs you on, keeps you going and at least it helps me when the going gets extra tough (which it inevitably does, considering it’s diabetes we’re talking about.)

And then today (aka the-second-time-my-jaw-dropped-through-the floor-at-my-doctor’s-office), at my check up, my doctor goes to me: “you’re one of my best patients. You seem much more relaxed about diabetes now than when I first met you.”

Wait? Did I hear that correctly?

My immediate reaction was to ask if she could put it in writing. She answered that she would if I really wanted her to.

To the point: yes. That might very well be true that I am, as I don’t know a single of her other patients. And I’m super grateful that I’ve managed to get to where I am today.

But I don’t think she has any idea of just how much work I’ve put into gaining this clarity I now have of diabetes. Which doesn’t, by any means, I’m anywhere near full understanding of it. It just means that I’ve made some progress in the recent years.

A few examples:

I’ve had to say no to things I really wanted to do because my blood sugar wasn’t cooperating.

There have been some late nights…

,,,,and early mornings…

…including wake ups in the middle of the night.

A copious and endless amount of (painful) finger pricks, injections, pump site insertions and CGM sensor insertions.

Carrying medical equipment around, big handbags have been of benefit. My shoulders and neck muscles do not agree.

Snacks, snacks and more snacks.

A huge part has been the mental work I’ve done. Truly coming to terms with diabetes is not an easy task, and is usually completely overlooked by the medical community. I’ve meditated for hours, and now I notice a difference in my blood sugars when I don’t do it! Stress is closely linked to blood sugars, so it’s really important to find ways to release stress. A newer tool I’ve been using is EFT tapping to try to get past the bigger concerns regarding diabetes.

Eating well and according to diabetes, which, for me, means very low carb.

Having to play my own pancreas. On the outside. With zero communication from the other organs that play a part, like the liver, for example.

Drinking lots of water. I’d be so rich if I had a penny for every liter of water I’ve drank!

Exercising and trying to figure out how it works. Sometimes exercise makes my blood sugar high, sometimes low, sometimes the same and sometimes the effect doesn’t come until 12 hours later (depending on how strenuous the exercise was). What on earth do I do with my basal settings?!

Speaking of which, figuring out everyday things like flights, how to eat on the road, restaurants, walking too much (and at irregular times!), drinking alcohol, combining an outfit to fit medical devices as well as how to solve the caffeine question, have all been part of the journey so far.

And that’s just to say what it has taken so far. It definitely doesn’t mean that it will always stay the same. Diabetes is a very dynamic and constantly ever-changing partner to have by your side.

But, this is where it really pays off to have a carefully selected and well-researched health team.

Because even if they don’t know exactly what you’re going through, they’re willing to understand and make arrangements for you.

 

Oh, yeah, my A1C? 6.4% today.

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Being (nutritionally) wealthy

“I’m eating all the right things, but I don’t feel any better yet. What am I doing wrong?”

When you start a healthier lifestyle, there are a lot of other things that need to change than “just” what you eat.

For the sake of clarification, I’m not saying what you eat isn’t important – what you eat is the deciding factor of whether you improve your life or not. But there are a few factors that you may not be thinking about.

Today, I want to highlight 3 factors that might be the reason for you not feeling your absolute best just yet, although you’re doing “everything right”.

  1. Mentally

The concept of eating healthily needs to really click in your brain.

You need to understand, down to your last cell, that eating healthy is what you’re striving for, aiming for and need to do in order to feel your very best.

Let’s take an example we both understand to illustrate.

Let’s say you’re on a flight. After the fasten seatbelt light has been switched off after take off, the stewardesses start serving the food.

Airplane food. Within Europe, if you get anything at all, it’s usually just a snack; a sandwich or something of that category.

But, if you notice that they are serving something that doesn’t suit your healthier way of life, do you have to eat it? NO, of course not; you always have a choice!

I kindly, but firmly, rejected a vanilla bake thing that was served on a flight I took this week. I kindly asked to see the ingredients list, which even I was shocked about. Sugar was mentioned 7 (yes, S E V E N!) times in the ingredients list. It almost blew me away (or propelled me forward, not sure yet).

To this, I observed that most people either chose a Coca Cola or an orange juice. More sugar, how lovely. And then people wonder why they’re not feeling healthier, loosing weight or normalizing their blood sugars….

So, what choices do you have? I can think of 3 right off the bat:

a) Eat normally so you don’t have to snack in between/on the flight.

b) Be p r e p a r e d! Bring snacks you know are good for you, like nuts, fruit bars, dried meat, fruits or vegetables.

c) If both of the above fail you, just do better next time.

Ok., but how do you get to that mental clarity of that eating healthy is the only choice?

Give it a serious try.

For 2 or so weeks, make an effort to really eat healthily.

Your body will, slowly but surely, realize that the nutrients it has so desperately been looking for is in the “new” food you’re eating, wanting more of it and less of the old junk.

Deal with your emotions that are connected to food, through something like meditation, EFT tapping or contemplation. Remember, food is not a reward – you’re not a dog.

  1. Heartlly

Secondly, your heart needs to play along, too.

But, apart from the possible risk of coronary heart disease, what on Earth does your heart have to do with eating healthy, losing weight and normalizing blood sugars.

The answer is a simple, four-letter word; LOVE.

You need to decide in your heart that you’re making a change. You need to want the change deep, deep down, as otherwise you might be half-assing your new way of life.

You need to love the weight off, you need to love your body for it to function properly, you need to show yourself (and your body!) how much you love it.

This is where self-love rituals are so amazingly important for a healthy life style.

Just don’t show yourself “love” by shoveling down a chocolate cake every day. That’s not love, that’s abuse.

What are self-love practices, are things like reading your favorite magazine, although you “should” be doing something else, it’s to give yourself time on your own, perhaps even in the form of an appointment at the spa. Or going for a long walk, a run or a yoga session. It’s to spend time with those you love, family and friends, or enjoying a big cup of your favorite tea.

  1. Digestionally

As I already mentioned above; if you eat great, healthy, healing foods, your body will want more of them.

The reason for craving more bad foods when you eat bad foods (chocolate craving train, anyone?) is that your body is looking for the nutrients it’s not getting, so it wants more and more of said food, hoping to find a nutritional jackpot somewhere.

What our amazing body doesn’t recognize however is that there is very, very little nutritional value in an energy drink and chocolate croissant!

That’s up to you to re-teach your body, especially after years of abuse. Luckily, your body is an excellent student and a fast learner.

Your intestines need to learn how to re-recognize the good stuff that food has, and not only the processed stuff that leads to so many pains and troubles.

Antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, good carbohydrates, excellent proteins and amino acids and healing, yummy fatty acids are all stuff that an abused body and digestive system wouldn’t recognize at first.

Also, give it a little bit of time. Technically patience should be the 4th point of this blog post…

It’s taken years and years of abuse to get yourself, and your body, to this state (perhaps over weight, high blood pressure, high blood sugar etc are among the suspects on that list?) – it will not be resolved over night.

 

 

I really despise the word “diet” with a deeply rooted passion. And I can assure you that I would never (and you should never say that!) ever tell anyone to go on a diet.

What I do advocate is for you to find YOUR way of eating healthily. This doesn’t mean it’s the same for you as it is for your best friend, rather far from it sometimes, but it does mean that you can start at the same starting point and move forward in parallel directions.

So my tip for you today is: do not diet, get nutritionally wealthy instead.

It doesn’t matter what you eat, as long as it’s not nutritious enough, you’re starving yourself.

What step can you take today to make your life healthier? Or, do you recognize yourself in any of the three points above? Let me know in the comments!

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Diabetes Interview: 30 Questions

Sometimes, working on my own can feel slightly schizophrenic.

I know you have tons of questions for me.

And today you’ll get some of them answered!

I’ve done an interview with none other than my fabulous self. I asked myself, included the ones from you (and googled some) questions to answer.

So here we go, here is the GrainBrain.ch interview with Hanna Boëthius:

Beginning

GrainBrain: What type of diabetes do you have?
Hanna Boëthius: I have Type 1 Diabetes.

GB: How long have you had diabetes?
HB: I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 2, 29 years ago now.

GB: How did you manage, growing up? Did you hide your diabetes?
HB: I had my moments. Up until the age of about 10, my parents had full control of the diabetes and me. That’s also when I learned how to do my own injections, which gave me a little more freedom. I can’t say I ever took pride in having diabetes before.

Being a teenager with T1D was difficult for me, I wanted nothing else than to be like “everybody else”, and I felt the diabetes hindered me in that. Starting at about age 16 I started hiding the diabetes more and more, at times even ignoring it.

It was a stupid move on my part, as it brought me to the ICU on the night of my high school graduation with a life-threatening DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis), but luckily I survived, thanks to the excellent health care staff around me. This complete roller coaster of taking care of myself vs not doing it continued a few years after that too, purely because I didn’t achieve the results I was promised and that I was working towards.

GB: Was it tough on your sibling, with you being the center of attention?
HB: Oh yes, most definitely. What she actually feels about it, you’ll have to ask her, but I think she has found it very tough.

GB: What was hardest for you and your family — emotionally? Or financially?
HB: A little bit of both, I think, but mainly emotionally. I’ve always been fortunate enough to have excellent health insurance.

I know my mother was terribly afraid of needles until my diagnosis, and then got over it because, well, she had to. And to get over something you’re afraid of is incredibly difficult. So it has affected my whole family in many, many ways.

Also having to deal with the doctors visits, the low blood sugars, the high ones, the inexplicable ones, the food, the insulin, exercise, hormones as well as other factors that influence the care of diabetes is life changing. And definitely not just for the patient, but also for the ones around them.

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Treatment

GB: What treatment do you use to treat your diabetes?
HB: Medically, I use insulin and check my blood sugars often.

GB: How often do you have to test your glucose levels?
HB: It’s gotten a little easier with my newest acquirement of a CGM (continuous glucose monitor), but I still measure up to 10 times a day. Before that it was 7-12 times a day, depending on how I felt and what I was doing.

GB: Do you use an insulin pump or injections/pens? How often do you need to inject?
HB: Since about a year, I use an insulin pump. Her name is Doris, and we’re a great team. But for the other 28 years I’ve used syringes first, and then insulin pens. So I know all about feeling like a human pin cushion!

The benefit with an insulin pump is that it injects small amounts of insulin every 5 minutes, giving the body a smoother supply of insulin, rather than injecting huge lump-dosages and hoping for the best.

The reason I changed was a lifestyle improvement, but also to cut down the margin of error of the big dosages I mentioned.

GB: What kind of insulin do you take?
HB: I use NovoRapid in my insulin pump.

GB: What insulins have you had throughout your diabetic career?
HB: Oh, I don’t think I can even remember them all! But a selection of them is: Humalog, Lantus, Levimir, Protaphan, Humulin, Actrapid…

GB: How well do you think you manage your diabetes?
HB: I think I’m doing better now than ever before!

I take much less insulin and other medications now, my blood sugar is more stable and all my laboratory results and measurements are better than they ever have been.

GB: Can you recognize the symptoms of a low/high blood sugar?
HB: Yes, most of the times I can.

GB: What symptoms do you get?
HB: When I have a high blood sugar, I get sleepy, my brain feels like toffee, I’m lethargic and I can’t concentrate. Sometimes I’m insatiably thirsty as well.

When it’s low, I feel jittery, I might shake, I can’t see properly, and I can’t concentrate then either. But although that’s exactly what I need to do, I rarely feel hungry, that comes afterwards.

GB: How often?
HB: It depends on what I’ve been doing. Stress, too little exercise and water, and too many carbs make it go up. And too much exercise and insulin makes it go down. It’s a careful balancing act.

GB: How do you treat a hypo?
HB: I’ve learned to become more patient. Before I used to eat whatever I found, and too much of it, making my low blood glucose race up to be too high.

Now, I reduce my basal rate on my pump to -80% for ½-1 h and eat 4-8 carbohydrates in form of glucose tablets, depending on how low it is. Usually I’m back to my awesome self within 10-15 minutes.

The worst thing for me is waking up with a low blood sugar in the middle of the night and then falling asleep again, once I’m ok. Getting up the following morning is a real struggle. It’s (much) worse than waking up with a hangover!

Food

GB: What do you eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner? When?
HB: I actually eat very simple food. Clean, whole foods that have been minimally tampered with is my preferred choice.

I always eat proteins, good, healthy fats and vegetables. And I don’t eat grains anymore, as it impacts my blood sugars too much to handle. It’s not worth it.

I very rarely eat breakfast nowadays, but rather do a form of intermittent fasting, which has tons of benefits. But mainly because I’m not hungry then, and also because that gives me another couple of hours of stable blood sugars. For lunch, around 12am-1pm, I very often have a mixed salad with fish, meat or eggs and avocado and olive oil. Or a vegetable soup, or an omelet. And for dinner, usually around 7pm, it’s usually some kind of cooked/warm vegetables and meat or fish and some great fats.

If you want to see what I eat, you should follow me on Instagram where I have my “food diary”. 

GB: Do you vary your insulin dose if you eat something that is not really good for you?
HB: Of course, that’s what I have to do to feel well. But I try not to eat things that I know aren’t good for me very rarely. And if I notice it wasn’t good for me, blood sugar-wise, I give a correction dosage as soon as I notice it.

GB: Do you eat snacks in between meals? Soda?
HB: Very, very rarely. I’m not hungry between meals, which is something I make sure of by eating what my body needs at meal times. And soda makes me feel terrible, even the diet ones, so that’s not usually on the menu either.

GB: Do you eat vegetables? Drink lots of water?
HB: I eat TONS of vegetables every day! They are nutritious and taste great. I have no problem substituting things like pasta or rice, which are frankly quite tasteless, for yummy vegetables.

I make sure to drink 2-3 liters of water a day. I notice on my blood glucose straight away if I haven’t had enough water.

GB: Do you ever skip meals?
HB: Mmmm, no not really. Apart from breakfast, like I mentioned before.

GB: Do you find the diet restrictive?
HB: Absolutely not. Actually, I vary my eating a lot more now than I used to before. And judging by the fact that I feel so much better eating like this, I only see benefits to it.

Completely besides the point is that I’m a nutrition coach that hates the word “diet”…. Ugh!

GB: Do you get annoyed when people ask if you should be eating a certain food?
HB: Not nearly as annoyed as I get by the word “diet”!

I actually don’t get that question too often, especially now that people have realized that I know best myself what I can and can’t eat. But I see it as people trying to look out for me rather than let it annoy me.

Gemuse

Exercise

GB: Do you exercise?
HB: Yes. It’s essential to my well-being, so I exercise pretty much every day.

GB: What do you do?
HB: For many reasons, I’ve found that the form of exercise that suits me the best are walks of varying length, intensity and geography. Sometimes I wish there would be more variation in my routine, but I do enjoy my daily walks a lot.

More

GB: Do you do anything else to manage diabetes better?
HB: Yes! Diabetes management goes WAY beyond just eating, medication and exercise.

I have found that having a daily routine helps me manage diabetes, as well as various forms of stress reduction, like meditation, breathing techniques, massages and self-love, keeping up motivation, the right supplements, along with exercise, eating the right things, drinking enough and taking the right medication.

GB: What is the hardest part of being diabetic?
HB: The constant worry. And keeping up with the roller coaster, both physical and emotional.

GB: And the best part?
HB: How it’s shaped me as a person. It’s taught me self-discipline, celebrating the small things and victories, made me stronger, more resilient and to find happiness in every day.

GB: Does your diabetes cause you any other problems?
HB: I try not to see the limitations of diabetes, and at least not let them limit me. But of course there are moments I have to sit down and take it easy rather than going at full speed…

GB: What would you like a non-diabetic to know about having diabetes?
HB: There’s much more to diabetes than eating and taking insulin. And blaming people for having diabetes is not exactly right either, it only creates a social stigma. That stamp is difficult to get rid of.

GB: What would you tell someone who has just been diagnosed with diabetes?
HB: I would tell them three things:
1) Take a deep breath, I know it’s overwhelming.
2) Your doctor doesn’t have all the answers, you’re your own best doctor.
3) Keep at it, it takes time, but when you find what works for YOU it’ll all be alright.

GB: Who do you get support from? Who treats you?
HB: Oh I have a whole team of teams!

My first priority is Team Hanna, which consists of my body and I. Secondary is my husband, then family and friends. Thirdly, I have assembled a real Dream Team of medical staff consisting of an endocrinologist, diabetic nurse, diabetic educator, ophthalmologist, podiatrist, and dermatologist.

 

Is there anything else you’d like to know about me or diabetes? Ask them in the comments and I’ll answer them too!

PS. Did you see my Diabetes Advent Calendar yet?! Sign up for the ADVENT-ure now!

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70 Things Only Diabetics Recognize

Happy Diabetes Awareness Month!

November is here and with that comes Diabetes Awareness Month mentioned above, as well as World Diabetes Day on the 14th. Don’t forget to put it in your calendar, and let’s raise money for research, party like it’s 1999 and, first and foremost, spread knowledge about diabetes!

To kick this month off, I made a list.

A list of 70 instances or thoughts that any diabetic can easily recognize. This list is by no means exhaustive, nor complete. But it might be a little funny at times.

Let’s go:

  • GOOD NEWS at the doctors office
  • Having a low blood sugar in public
  • The fear of passing out
  • Forgetting supplies
  • The feeling of a sinking blood sugar
  • The feeling of an unexpected blood sugar
  • New diabetes related gadgets (it can’t be just me?)
  • The feeling of an unexpected A1c level
  • The taste of gross glucose tablets
  • Over eating for a low blood sugar
  • Being a math genius – every day!
  • The smell of insulin
  • Realizing that your life depends on said supplies
  • “Did I bolus for that?”
  • Redefining the meaning of a roller coaster
  • A needle hitting a nerve
  • Being able to finally itch under an itchy site!
  • The fountain of blood that can appear after an injection
  • Insulin induced weight gain…
  • Carrying an arsenal of medical supplies
  • The soreness after sleeping on a medical device
  • Tasting food or drink and feeling just how loaded it is with sugar!
  • The feeling of having bolused EXACTLY the correct amount
  • How you feel after a night of wrestling with your diabetes
  • The feeling of a high blood sugar
  • Saying: “I’m high, I need to shoot up!”
  • Not being understood
  • 5.0 mmol/l / 100 mg/dl
  • Meeting a new doctor, trying to throw out a joke and get crickets back
  • The Numbers Game
  • Carbohydrate counting like a boss – instantly knowing how many that pumpkin has
  • The desert mouth you get from a high blood sugar
  • Dropping your test strip on the floor. Outside. In the rain.
  • Being proud of yourself
  • Balancing an umbrella while checking your blood sugar
  • “I’ll just finish this and THEN I’ll check my bg” “LOW”
  • Paying for medical supplies
  • Painful injections/pump site insertion/finger prick
  • “Does this dress hide my pump AND cgm?!”
  • Seeing another diabetic when you’re out and assuming you’re friends
  • Fear of judgment
  • Social stigma
  • Getting stupid comments and remarks
  • Seeing a diabetes meme and totally being able to relate
  • A smooth CGM curve
  • Going low during exercise
  • Diabetic Jetlag (travelling across multiple time zones with basal changes)
  • “Did I have too much wine for dinner or am I low?”
  • The Sweaty Shakes
  • Feeling strong
  • “Am I high or just thirsty?”
  • Not giving up, even when it would be darn nice to
  • Feeling like a Negative Nancy, although you really don’t mean to
  • Ugly meter cases
  • Treating a hypo just right
  • The Disappointment when you’ve done everything according to the “books” and nothing is like it should be
  • Feeling insufficient
  • Getting advice that would help, but you’re just not ready to hear them yet
  • Having to be a constant worry for the ones closest to you
  • “Is it hot in here or am I low?”
  • Assembling your care team
  • Developing a fighter mentality
  • The Diabetic Online Community
  • Keeping blood sugar logs
  • Not being like everybody else
  • Constantly making changes
  • Sleep, sleep, sleep
  • Theory vs Practice
  • Letting go of expectations
  • (+1) The hope of a cure, even if it is distant in the future

 

 

What did I miss? Is there anything you think should be added to my list? Please let me know in the comments below!

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Paleo Restaurant, What’s on the Menu?

The most difficult part when you want to eat healthily are restaurants.

But what if there is an option to keep eating healthy whilst eating at a restaurant?

About two weeks ago, my husband and I had something a little special to celebrate.

And although we’re not dogs, we decided to treat ourselves to some really good food. I had heard about this Paleo restaurant close to Zürich, and as we had an occasion to celebrate, we went there. And, only for you, I took pictures of every single dish we had. And there were many…

The restaurant is stylish and modern, despite its ancestral menu. And the service was great, couldn’t have asked for better and more attentive service staff.

Anyway, as we’re not here to lollygag, we’re here to party, on to the FOOD:

 

Restaurant Feinwerk

Restaurant Feinwerk

 

Elegant and stylish menu, filled with good, healthy courses. At this restaurant, you can freely choose how many of their seasonal courses you want, 3, 4 or all 5 courses that are on the menu. We thought we should “go big or go home”, so we took the 5 course option. All the courses follow the idea of Paleo eating, wild caught fish, wild meat, seasonal vegetables and all of it, of course, organic. No gluten, dairy or processed foods fit in the Paleo framework either, which is GREAT for someone just like me. 🙂

 

Paleo bread

Paleo bread

 

At “normal” restaurants you usually get a breadbasket before your meal. So also at the Paleo restaurant, although the bread here was made from things like almond flour and walnuts, spiced with saffron and herbs. Delicious!

 

Amuse bouche: quail egg on root vegetables

Amuse bouche: quail egg on root vegetables

 

A small greeting from the kitchen, with a fried quail egg on root vegetable chips.

 

Starter: cedar graved lake trout and river crab on beetroot

Starter: cedar graved lake trout and crayfish on beetroot

 

The first starter was lake trout that had been graved with cedar wood and crayfish that had been slightly sweetened with honey on top of beetroot. Crayfish and beetroot was a new and fantastic combination for me!

 

2nd Starter: artichoke and herb soup with rabbit

2nd Starter: artichoke and herb soup with rabbit

 

The second starter was an artichoke and herb soup with a meatball of rabbit. The tastes combined amazingly well, and just look at the decoration!

 

Main: forest dove with wild asparagus

Main: forest dove with wild asparagus

 

Onto the main courses: first up was dove from the forest with wild asparagus and beechnut. A lot of new flavours and tastes were presented to me during this dinner, and this is one of them – I had never had dove before. The combination of flavours were, again, knocked out of the park.

 

2nd Main: fallow deer with roots, nuts and mushrooms

2nd Main: fallow deer with roots, nuts and mushrooms

 

With the second main dish, we got locally caught fallow deer with roots, nuts and mushrooms. As you can see, the main focus is on the meat and not the roots, bringing the carbohydrate count down, making it easier for diabetics like myself to calculate dosages.

 

Dessert: chocolate tart with forest berries and herb jus

Dessert: chocolate tart with forest berries and herb jus

 

This feast was finished off with a yummy, rich chocolate tart with berries from the forest and herb jus. For a chocolate lover like myself, this dark chocolate tart was the perfect end to a beyond amazing dinner.

 

The taste combinations that were on these plates were definitely out of this world! For me, it was so nice not to have to change the ingredients in any of the courses, as well.

And, more importantly, had we had this many courses in any other restaurants, we would have felt too full to get home. Sure, we were full and very satisfied after this meal too, but it was really not as bad as perhaps expected. It should probably be noted that eating a fully packed menu like this is nothing my husband and I do often.

The whole experience was a true delight, and I can definitely recommend Restaurant Feinwerk if you’re in or ever around Zürich!

 

How is it where you live? Do you have truly healthy restaurants, and not just those that try to disguise bread and sugar as healthy? Share your recommendation in the comments below! 

 

(NOTE: I’m by no means affiliated with Restaurant Feinwerk, and we paid for the dinner ourselves. These opinions are completely my own.)

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My 6 Bad Diabetes Habits

Everyone has bad habits.

Whether they’re diabetes related or not, I bet you have your bad habits too.

Just as I have mine.

Just because I do what I do, helping people with diabetes to feel healthier and more confident in their own care, it certainly doesn’t mean I’m perfect when it comes to my own care. Not even by a long shot.

But I didn’t lure you here to complain about bad blood glucose readings; I don’t mean that kind of perfect (mainly because I think that’s a complete myth – you can’t be a perfect diabetic.) I mean habits that could be improved, that I’ve always been told I “need” to do, but, for some reason, don’t.

Note: I’m not talking about not taking insulin or not measuring my blood glucose; those are givens in order to have an ok level of your self care.

I’ve thought of 5+1 bad diabetes habits I have, and only higher powers above know I have plenty more non-d-related, too.

 

1) Never changing my lancet

I’m fairly certain this is something pretty much e v e r y person with diabetes is guilty of.

I just never change the lancet in my finger-pricking device.

Why? Because I’m lazy? Probably. But also because I just never think of it. There are so many other things I keep track of every day, and changing a lancet is just not on that list.

 

2) Throwing away test strips

When I’ve checked my blood glucose, I put the used test strip into my meter case (I use a small pouch instead of the supplied cases, I think they’re painfully ugly, and diabetes is sometimes ugly enough without having to be reminded every time I check my sugars, am-I-right?), to just forget about them.

When I finally DO empty my case, it’s because things don’t fit into the case anymore. Here is a video of me emptying my case, it’s almost like snowfall at Christmas!

Again, why? Good question. Secret hoarder? Saving up for winter? Hiding something? Your guess is as good as mine.

 

3) Suspending pump for hypos

When my blood sugar goes low, unless it’s superlow, I simply suspend the insulin delivery on my pump rather than eating something and just put on a minimal basal dosage until I’m ok again.

So far I have never forgotten it off, perhaps because she (Doris, my insulin pump) reminds me angrily when I do?

 

4) Mistakes in carb counting

I have to confess I don’t always count every single carbohydrate in a meal. (Unless I write how many carbs it is on Instagram, then there might be some severe googling behind it…)

This has gotten me into BG-trouble in the past, but a lot less so after I started eating low carb meals.

Sometimes I just didn’t want to see, realize or recognize just how many carbs I was eating in a meal, which is another problem solved with eating low carb meals.

Why? D-Nial. Not just a river, peeps.

 

5) Not being open enough about diabetes

Having shared a picture of myself in a bikini and revealing the names of my medical gear, have been huge steps for me.

I used to hide every aspect of my medical condition(s).

I’m getting better at this though, and am starting to enjoy sharing more and more of my d-experience with you and my clients.

Yet, every time someone else is hiding something that is such a big part of their lives, I almost get offended. If we’re ever going to get a bigger public understanding of chronic conditions, like diabetes, it’s up to us to share how it is to actually live with it.

 

+1) Not eating 60% carbs with every meal

Simply because I don’t feel well when I do so. But I was told for 26 years that this was an absolute necessity to diabetes management.

Well, turns out it isn’t.

 

 

These may seem pretty harmless to you, and whilst you’re probably right, they are things I want to get better at in my self-care. If I don’t take the outmost care of myself, no one else is going to either.

Sometimes it’s the smallest thing that throws the whole thing over. This probably wont be an unchanged lancet or not emptying the used test strips out, but it could be letting a hypo go too low or miscalculating the carbs in a meal.

 

What are your bad habits? Even if they’re not diabetes related, share them below!

 

 

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Omnipod: Pros and Cons (or Happy Birthday Doris!)

Today it’s time for a little look back in the mirror.

To a huge step, at least for me.

Because, exactly one year ago today, I got my first insulin pump.

I had been considering it for YEARS, and various endocrinologists had been trying to throw one at me for about as long.

It was never really a though choice of which insulin pump to get for me, although there are many other excellent brands out there on the market.

My diabetes nurse and I both quickly agreed on the Omnipod being the best fit. Why? I simply don’t like the tubing of other pumps. Tubing makes me feel more sick than I actually am, more attached, and diabetes becomes more visible. Something I’m generally really OK with, but sometimes it’s nice not to be the center of attention.

I was also able to continue with the insulin I was already using (Novorapid/Novolog), so we knew that wasn’t going to be an issue.

And I could finally say the long-awaited good bye to Lantus. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that insulin was not good for me. For example, I had a lump (muscle knot) in my shoulder that my poor husband tried for months to get out through spending every night massaging my shoulders. To no avail. Not until I could stop taking Lantus, I noticed three days later that the lump was gone. This isn’t scientifically proven, of course, but it is my empirical observation.

So, exactly one year ago, I was scared.

Scared of the unknown. Scared of having something attached to me all the time, scared of feeling trapped. Scared of people’s comments, because injections aren’t visible on the outside. Scared of that the insertion would hurt. Scared of effing everything up. Scared of “failing” and having to go back on injections. I was basically just being a general scaredy cat.

Oh, how wrong I was going to be proven!

My life truly changed that day, exactly one year ago. And it did so for the better.

This is my pros and cons list for the Omnipod insulin pump:

Pros:

  • No tubing

I’ll say this again and again, but I’m so happy there’s no tubing involved!

  • Lifestyle improvement

For me, being on a pump means more freedom. Not in terms of eating-whatever-and-just-inject, but more like being able to correct a high while out on the run. Or being able to temporarily change the basal rate, avoiding an impending hyper/hypo.

  • Stick on and forget

Fill it, inject it, and forget it. For 3 whole days.

  • Easy to fill

Filling the pods could not be easier. It primes itself, and you don’t have to do anything.

  • Easy to apply

At first, I was so scared of the auto-injector (naturally I had consumed ridiculous amounts of youtube videos on how the insertion etc worked). But now it’s almost my favorite part of it.

  • Waterproof

It’s waterproof, so there’s no need (or chance) to disconnect it for showers or going swimming. It also doesn’t matter if you’re caught in a huge downpour.

  • Lasts exactly 3 days (+8 h)

Until it shuts off, which means no infections and you’re sure to change your site on time.

  • Incorporated blood sugar meter

Less junk to carry around with me – yay!

 

Cons:

  • Bad batches

Some batches of pods are just bad with many failures, and increased pod changes. But Insulet are amazing at replacing these, it’s just to report and wait for a new pod in the mail.

  • Insulin waste

If you haven’t used all the insulin you filled the pod with within the 3 day period, you lose much of it. Even if you try to withdraw it from the old pod.

  • Placement

A badly placed pump = uncomfortable sleep and irritation for 3 days.

  • Wasteful

Because you remove the entire pod when it’s time to change, it creates a lot of waste. Although Insulet does have a recycling program where you send back the old pods to get recycled. Great initiative!

  • Plaster

The plaster might not hold for the entire 3 days, especially when it’s warmer outside. Medical tape can, and should be, one of your BFF’s. (not just for pods, but things like cuts, CGMs and blisters, too.)

 

Granted, I don’t have any insulin pumps to compare the Omnipod to. But generally I’m so happy with my choice of insulin pump, and wouldn’t want it any other way. And I definitely do not want to go back to injections.

As you may or may not know, I’ve (of course) given my pump a name. She’s called Doris.

Doris, my Omnipod

Doris, my Omnipod

 

On her first birthday, I’d like to take the opportunity to THANK Doris for being my closest friend, always being there for me, knowing everything about me, for helping me calculate dosages, see trends and help me be a healthier diabetic.

Without you, Doris, I would never be able to get 24 hour graphs like this one:

 

cgm_graph

The past 24 hours on my CGM – thank you insulin pump!

 

You’re a true star, Doris, and I’m not sure I could live without you!

 

Happy, happy birthday, sorry I couldn’t give you the day off.

 

Do you have an insulin pump? If so, which one? If not, why not?

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Diabetes & The Victim Mentality

Scanning the diabetes related forums I’m active in, there are a few commonalities.

Supportive members. Great discussions. Awesome tips and tricks to manage everyday life with diabetes.

But there is another one – a more negative one.

That is the fact that there’s a lot of victim mentality within the diabetes community (and, I’m sure in other chronic illness communities as well, but I don’t know those well enough to comment).

Post like this one are pretty common: “I just can’t handle diabetes anymore, I’m always feeling bad and my mood is always so low!” Or this one: “I’m feeling trapped. I’m trying to feel up beat and strong and focused, but I’m falling apart.”

And, yes, every single person, diabetic or not, does this from time to time.

YES, clearly and of course diabetes is a tremendously difficult partner to have by your side at all times. And handling it 24/7, 365 days a year, year after year is a challenge to say the least.

All the higher powers (no one mentioned, no one forgotten) know that handling diabetes is never easy. No matter how well you’ve learned to tame it or not, it never gets easy.

But, and trust me on this one, it won’t go away just because you can’t take it anymore. It will come back, and it will bite your butt even harder the next time.

At this point, the only thing that can change is your attitude.

Change view

Awesome quote by Wayne Dyer

 

Let me be frank with you here for a second. To some extent, it’s always a choice – you choose to be a victim.

It’s so much easier to just complain about your situation, rather than doing something about it. And I really get that. I do.

But it doesn’t change anything. Diabetes will still be there when you’ve (conveniently) “forgotten” about it for a while (hours, days, weeks…). So why not do something about it, instead of complaining and whining about what you can or are willing to do?

Here are 5 tips on how to get past Victimville (or at least a first step out of there):

  1. What is the one diabetes related thing I can make easier for myself?
    Can you have an alarm on for checking your blood sugar, if you tend to forget? Or, is there an app for recording your values, instead of using pen and paper?
  1. What is the one big diabetes thing that you keep screwing up?
    Is it preparing healthy meals, and resorting to take outs a little too often? Forgetting that night time basal shot? How can you work on this?
  1. Is your self-care more of a challenge when you’re not at home?
    Lack of exercise while on vacation? Not sticking to your routine? What can you do to maintain all the hard work you put into your care whilst being away?
  1. Identify hurdles before they appear!
  1. Focus more of your energy on what’s working in your self-care, and not on what isn’t.
    Again, a shift of energy might just work little wonders on your motivation. Are you really good at remembering to check your blood sugar? But perhaps not so good to change your pump site on time? Focus on checking that blood sugar, and the rest will come.

 

You’re stronger than you think. One of my favorite quotes of all time is:

“You never realize how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.”

Remember this. Yes, because of your illness you may have to be stronger than others, and than the people around you. But that is a great thing!

Diabetes teaches you a lot of things as well; it’s not only a curse. It teaches you discipline. Humility. Being a winner. Being a loser. Maths (forget calculus, this is the real deal). Time management. Budgeting. Tech knowledge. It teaches you to power on, even if you think you can’t do it anymore. It allows you to get to know yourself on a completely different level than most. Amongst other things, of course.

If you want to feel the best that you can, you have to work with your body instead of against it. No matter what you may or may not have.

 

When do you slip into a victim mode?

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#1 Restaurant for Healthy (Diabetes) Eating

You know exactly how it can be.

You’ve stocked up your fridge. It’s full of awesomely healthy things to make.

And the intention is there to actually make that chicken soup, the lamb and the crockpot (that’ll leave leftovers for lunch the next day, too.)

Yet, when it’s nearing dinner time, you say “eff it. Let’s go out for dinner.”

Or maybe you actually have something important to celebrate! Wohoo!

Whether you have diabetes or not, you want to continue your healthy lifestyle even if you (have to) go to a restaurant every once in a while.

But how on Earth can you do that?

What type of restaurant has the most options available to mix and match a menu that suits your individual needs?

That restaurant, my friend, is a steakhouse. (if you’re a vegetarian, I understand if you close this page now. Come back next week, though!)

And, before you want to leave me an angry comment below this post, no, red meat is not dangerous for you. At least not in the amounts you can eat in one sitting. If you follow me on Instagram, where I post a lot of what I eat to inspire you to a healthier lifestyle, you’ll see that I often eat red meat. And I’m probably the healthiest I’ve ever been!

With the usual steakhouse mix and match type of menu, it’s usually incredibly easy to find things on there that suits your particular needs in terms of food. They’re usually constructed something along the lines of this model:

1. Meat. Choose the cut, type and degree of it that you like. Usually there are also other things that would fit under this category, like chicken, fish, or some seafood dish, if you don’t feel like having red meat.

2. Side. An absolute majority of steakhouses have some type of vegetables listed under their side dishes. You might need to use the old willpower card for the fries, if you usually love those. I promise you it’s not worth it though.

3. Sauce. If you want to be extra cautious, choose the garlic/herb butter, as the Béarnaise sauce can contain wheat (gluten) and other nastiness. Or if they have a chimichurri or gremolata, that works too. Also avoid the salsa if you can, many add sugar to theirs!

The other pitfall might be desserts, but if you’re anything like me, you’re too full from the real food to even think of that kind of stuff at the end of a steak house meal. Decaf espresso please, and the bill!

And that’s about it. It might just be the easiest restaurant menu to navigate in the world.

My number 1 tip at any kind of restaurant is: Dare to ask!

Dare to ask if they have some vegetables instead of those fries, if there’s wheat in that sauce, or if they can make a sugarfree margarita (most can!).

It’s always a better option to ask than to sit at a lovely restaurant knowing that you’re going to feel not-so-great in a second, or even worse, not have any clue of it and it hits you like a wet fish in the face.

Extra tip: If you’re (ever) in Zürich, I have a golden tip for you…

Restaurant Goodmans. Holy cow (ha!), that was beyond yummy! We got a viewing of their meat cooler where they hang-dry the beef, which the quality of is so amazing at this place. Not to mention the wine, the service (thanks, Rob!), and the side dishes. They also cater for any allergies or food intolerances. Everything was so well organized and well made, I just can’t WAIT to go back to this restaurant!

There are of course many, many other types of restaurants that are flexible, willing and able to cater for your needs. What is your favorite type of restaurant to go to? 

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CGM – should you get one?

It was finally time.

I was nervous, noticeably so.

My hands were shaking, I had a slight sweat and could only concentrate with major effort.

I was sitting at my diabetes nurse’s office, plunger in hand, plaster sitting snuggly on my stomach.

“Come on, Hanna, you’ve done this a gazillion times before”, I told myself.

And then I just did it.

I pushed the plunger and the sensor was in. It didn’t even feel worse than a normal injection (sometimes I hate the fact that I can say that.)

So, I got hooked up to my first Dexcom G4 Platinum sensor yesterday.

I have now become a bionic woman, wearing 2 medical devices/robot parts, my OmniPod insulin pump, and my Dexcom cgm. (and yes, they have names, too.)

 

CGM and Insulin pump - I'm a bionic woman!

CGM and Insulin pump – I’m a bionic woman!

 

I’ve had it on for a full 24 hours, so these are really my very first impressions! And my initial reaction is that it’s beyond amazing! The results have been very accurate (ca 1 mmol/l difference) so far, and I’m hoping it will stay that way.

What is a cgm?

A cgm is a continuous glucose monitoring system, meaning that it measures your blood glucose level in your interstitial fluid every couple of minutes.

This is done by a tiny sensor underneath your skin, which you can keep there for (officially) 1 week, but sometimes longer.

The sensor is connected to a transmitter, sending data to the receiver, on which you can see pretty graphs of what your blood glucose levels are up to.

Although the glucose levels in the interstitial fluid is a few minutes delayed from the level in your blood, it’s an awesome tool to see the trends and where you’re heading, blood glucose wise.

 

Dexcom G4 Platinum (borrowed from the Dexcom website)

Dexcom G4 Platinum (borrowed from the Dexcom website)

 

I love making lists for myself. And so also this time.

The pros with a cgm

–       The Trends

Seeing the trends and where your blood glucose is heading is very handy. It takes a lot of the worry out of your daily care.

–       Security

Hand in hand with the pro above comes the security feeling it brings. I swear I slept better last night, knowing I have something extra that has my back.

–       Analysis

Being able to analyze my blood glucose better, being able to adjust my basal levels more exactly, instead of my usual guesstimation based on “yeah, that sounds good”.

The cons with a cgm

–       Another device

It is, of course, yet another device connected to you at all times.  The transmitter is tiny but bulky at the same time. And together with the OmniPod, I may look like a slighter version of Quasimodo in certain angles… For me it’s worth it, although there are certain items of clothing I should probably get rid of now…

–       Micro management

The chance of starting to micro manage your blood glucose levels is, to a greater extent, a possibility. Seeing those dots on the screen whenever you want to may cause you to act sooner than you have to.

–       Expensive

This toy definitely doesn’t come cheap. If you have an insurance policy that is ready and willing to take care of it, there’s nothing stopping you. But if you don’t, you need to think twice about getting a cgm.

And why, oh WHY, can no diabetes gear holders be at least a little nice? Why does the bag of the device have to make you feel sicker than you actually are? (Or is it just me?)

One more list: my top 5 reasons for getting a cgm:

1. I’ve lost my hypo awareness. Meaning I can’t feel when my blood glucose levels are (sometimes) dangerously low. This can of course be helped in other ways, but the other reasons made this a better choice.

2.  Lately, I’ve gone extremely low every time I’m on an airplane. Weird, I know, as my pump definitely can’t be the reason for it.

3. Seeing the trends.

4. What happens in between the times I normally measure my blood glucose. I normally measure my blood glucose ca 8-10 a day, so it’s not like I’m slacking. But I have no idea when my blood sugar peaks after certain foods, for example. Without sounding too OCD:y, it’s to gain more control.

5. To have less question marks in my life. Life is full of sometimes quite pesky question marks anyway, so why add to them if there is a solution?

So far, I absolutely love my Dex (that’s his name, and no, it’s not very imaginative). I can definitely see that he’s going to be a huge help in my self care, and give me a little more peace of mind in the diabetes jungle. Dex passed the field test today, working at a cafe in town, with flying colours (and I did too, I’ve never seen a better graph! (blood glucose tests confirming this))

 

1st Day CGM graph - not bad!

1st Day CGM graph – not bad!

 

As I see it it’s either a love or hate relationship with this thing. It has huge potential to help you a great deal in your self care, but it can also interrupt you if you already have a great regime going that works for you. But YES, you SHOULD get one! 🙂

But boy, oh boy, we’ve come a long way since the insulin syringes needed to be boiled to be disinfected. Or from my very first blood glucose meter back in the late 80’s , that took several minutes to give an answer to the ever long question “where is my BS at?”

Do you have a cgm? What do you like about it? Dislike? Let me know in the comments!

 

Ps. I also have my first impressions written down from when I got my OmniPod about a year ago. Would you like to read that? Comment below!

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