Just Because You Have to Laugh Sometimes

So recently, diabetes has just made me laugh. I've had it for going on 14 years, and after being frustrated and angry and all of those bad emotions, sometimes it's good to laugh, right? Right. Like most situations, you can usually find some type of comic relief in diabetes. Nine times out of ten I find it from my own stupidity or boredom during lows. But hey, whatever works right?

For example, the other day around 2 am my pump starts alarming that I'm out of insulin. "Super" was my initial thought as I made the long walk to the refrigerator. After grabbing everything I needed (still half asleep) I continue the process of changing out the insulin cartridge, like I've done how many times (2008 times but who's counting anyway?).

So anyway, since it was in fact 2 am and I was losing precious sleep time, I tried to rush the process. For some reason the cartridge wasn't going into my pump so I just jammed it in and closed my pump, primed, and went back to bed. For those of you who don't know what priming is, it is a process when you tell the pump to give insulin to check and make sure the tubing and everything is working.

When I wake up the next morning, my blood sugars are in the upper 300s and I have ketones. I go to correct the high, and then I started smelling insulin, which isn't normal. I go to check the cartridge, and sure enough, genius here cracked the insulin cartridge. I was not aware, nor were any of my other diabetic friends, that these insulin cartridges crack. We've all decided I should become an insulin pump product tester, and Hannah-proof everything from this point on. Moral of the story, don't rush the cartridge changing process at 2 am.

I think all the best moments of diabetes come early in the morning. Like challenging Ryan Locthe to a juice pouch drinking contest (20.5 seconds, Ryan. Bring it.), solved the whole 2012 Mayan calendar scandal (it already happened people...leap year wasn't invented yet), and most importantly I discovered that 2 boxes of sweet tarts, a tasty cake, and a juice pouch does in fact bring your blood sugar up to 395. Without my late night lows, life would be miserable.

On a side note, did we all know that one tablespoon of nerds fits the 15 grams of carb when your low? And if you take your old test strip canisters and fill them with nerds that's a tablespoon? Because I didn't and my life just got SO much better. Thank you Pinterest.

-Hannah