It All Started In Disney World

Hello hopeless romantics and blog followers alike!

I'm going to take a little break from talking about me, and my back, and surgery, and all that crap and talk about two people who are very near and dear to my heart.

Katelyn and Jacob.

Katelyn and I met in 2006 at CWD, and then completely forgot about each other. We then met for the "first" time in 2007 at this super awesome advocacy event called Children's Congress. It's a JDRF sponsored event, and we became friends there. Then, three or so weeks later, we saw each other at CWD again in line at a Dex-4 glucose tab tasting event. We've been best friends ever since.

Jacob lives about six houses down from me. We met when we were young, and saw each other in passing for years. Then, Jacob was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago, and our mothers became friends, and we became friends. When I found out Jacob was going to CWD that year, the gears in my head started turning.

Katelyn had a string of really terrible boys in her life. And Jacob was just too sweet, and hadn't ever had a girlfriend before. I figured "Hey, Katelyn and Jacob would flirt with each other for a few days, and then be on their merry ways."

Boy was I wrong.

This is the two of them in July 2011, when they met. They're pretty much the cutest couple ever. 

These two are also from the year they met, and the first picture makes me look like a professional photographer. The second one makes them look like an old married couple. 

They parted ways that July, but thank goodness for CWD Seattle, because they got to see each other again. 

This is them on the Seattle Aquarium pier, being adorable. We went to the Seattle Aquarium, and it was kind of like their first date. With me being the third wheel. Which lately has been my specialty with these two!

We went to the Pike Place Market as the teen group, and they continued to be cute all over the place. 

There was a professional photographer there taking pictures for something, I don't really remember what, but I took this one because I thought it looked good. And they're cute :)

So they talked, and had their relationship, and fell in love, and here we are, a year later. And they're still cute as ever. 

I don't know exactly what they think, but I think that the best part of their relationship is that they're both diabetic. They both know what a low blood sugar feels like, and what a high blood sugar feels like, and how frustrating diabetes can be, and all the ins and outs and the complicated little details that you just can't grasp unless you're living with the disease 24/7. They've got matching pumps (hers is purple, his is blue), and one always has sugar if the other needs it. Their relationship is long distance, but they're stronger for it (and if Katelyn feels lazy and doesn't want to shave her legs, then she can. Which totally makes me jealous!). And they're one of the cutest couples ever. 

This is the two of them on the beach in Florida, being adorable, as usual. And of course, they look stunning all dressed up:

They are two of my favorite people in the entire world, and I'm really lucky to know them. And I think they're pretty lucky to have found each other. I hope one day I can be as happy as they are. And this love story got its beginning in the happiest place on Earth--Disney World! :)

All my love to you, and to them!

~Alexa

Ice Cream!

Hello!

So today, I've been napping pretty much around the clock. And yet, I'm still pretty tired. But I got to have the best entire food thing in the entire world. Ice cream!

I love ice cream, like you have no idea. It is absolutely the best entire thing in the entire world. And my favorite flavor? Ben and Jerry's Late Night Snack. I actually blogged about this a while back, saying that I wanted to try it. It's got potato chip pieces in it, and it's just delicious. And if I could, I would eat it EVERY SINGLE DAY for the rest of my life. I'm a big sweet and savory kind of person, so I like the contrast of flavors. In short, it's the best damn thing I've ever tasted in my entire life.

So I woke up this morning, and I was totally jonesin' for some ice cream. According to the ARNP, I'm supposed to walk three times a day for fifteen minutes. I don't know why, but that's what I'm supposed to do. I saw an incredible opportunity here. Mom and I talked for a while when I got up, I called my cousins, and after about two hours of being awake, Mom says to me "We have to go for a walk."

Well Mom, funny you should say that...

I asked really nicely, and lo and behold, we were headed to the little strip mall to walk around and get ice cream for the cripple! And the big bonus of the day? I had a coupon for a free ice cream of the same size, so I got to bring one home! Actually, right now, I'm eating another serving of Late Night Snack. So today, my food consumption has consisted of the following:

Breakfast- two coconut macaroons, and a cherry yogurt.

Lunch- sushi, and Late Night Snack

Dinner- pickles, and Late Night Snack

I've also been drinking diet snapple and dry vanilla bean soda all day too. I haven't had the healthiest day, but it's been pretty yummy, and the highest my sugar has been is about 151. Which is a great accomplishment seeing I've been standing for like, forty-five minutes total today. I feel good though, so that's all that matters. Today's biggest obstacle? Standing up to lock the back door before I fall asleep for the night ;)

Much love,
Alexa

You Learn Something New Every Day

And today I learned that oxycodone makes me extremely dizzy.

So first, an update on my back and leg. I'm going in for surgery on Thursday! It's going to relieve the pain, and the recovery time should be minimal. Basically, what the MRI said was that one of the disks in my back was bulging out against my spinal chord, and it was compressing it very severely. Because of this, my muscles and nerves in my left leg are deteriorating, and the only way to begin to reverse that is by removing the bulging part of my disk, thereby letting the spinal chord decompress, and making Alexa very happy! :D

But back to this oxycodone thing. The ARNP (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner) at the office today looked at my MRI and said a bunch of stuff, and I got really overwhelmed and started bawling, and left the room, and cried a ton, just because I had no idea what the hell was going on. But when I left the office, Dad told me that I had to stop taking the naproxen that my pediatrician prescribed me, and I had to start taking oxycodone during the day, and something else at night (Something that's supposed to knock you out for nine hours. We'll see how that goes :P). Dad went to fill the prescription while I went to school and took care of some stuff on the computers before they get wiped on Sunday. I got back, and took the dose, and called my Aunt.

When I got off the phone, I felt low. I checked, but my sugar was 121, so I was confused. I then realized that I was dizzy because that's one of the side effects of oxycodone. I thought if I just laid down, it would go away. Fat chance. I've been feeling perpetually low since about four in the afternoon. First, it was really unsettling. Like, really? I'm gonna feel like I need to bite a chunk out of the house constantly, and I really feel like I'll walk into the wall before I eat it.

But then things got a little scary. I haven't wore my sensor since yesterday, because you can't wear any metal in the MRI machine, and I didn't know what sort of tests that I'd be getting today, so I just left it off until I knew. When I got home after the doctor, I didn't put it on, just because I was going to do it tonight. And that was probably a mistake. Before dinner, I checked my sugar and I was 63. Now, that's not TERRIBLY low, but it's kind of low. And if I hadn't been eating, I wouldn't have checked. And would've gone lower. I hooked up my sensor right after dinner, but I'm pretty worried.

I pride myself--if that's even the right way to say it--on being able to feel my lows. I don't think I've had a sneaky low in a long time. I guess I'm just in for a rough six days. Woo hoo, right?

So I'm gonna go be dizzy and watch Ice Age 2 until I fall asleep. Have a good night :)

Much love,
Alexa

Oh Hey There, Diabetes! Didn't see you there!

I have to say, I love Florida. I love the heat, I love Disney, and I love FFL. But this cracked me up:

Yes, I have my very first sensor tan!

I know, amusing. I took the sensor off for my MRI today, cause you can't bring any metal into the machine, seeing as it's a giant magnet. So I took it out, and went upstairs to take a shower. And I caught this at a glance in the mirror. Truth be told, I wouldn't have noticed it if I had taken a shower before the sensor came off. 

I looked at it, and just laughed my butt off. I mean seriously? I thought the clear tape would be clear enough to let UV rays through and just leave a little circle tan where the white sensor tape sits. But noooooooooo. Let's leave a big, giant, pale square. That's cool too. 

Another "Hello, Diabetes!" moment I had today was when I non-D friend sent me an episode of 16 and Pregnant, and then told me to watch it, and then watch the finale thing online. Now, I'm not a reality TV kind of girl. But because she was so sincere about it, I watched it. And I was like yeah, okay this Mackenzie chick is a cheerleader, blah blah blah. Her son has an out of the ordinary name, blah blah blah. And then, I finished it and was like "what the hell did I just waste an hour for?" I reluctantly watched the finale thing, and saw that Mackenzie Douthit has type one diabetes. And I'm pretty sure I almost shit bricks. I had to pause the video and rewind it a few times before it really sunk it. I stopped watching, cause frankly I didn't care about any of the other girls at that moment. My biggest question was why didn't she mention it in her episode. I mean, why? I don't know what I would've done, but I feel like I would've mentioned it, and talked about it a lot. I mean, she had a ten pound baby. Last time I checked, ten pounds is pretty damn heavy! And then there's the whole "Your A1c is supposed to be under 6.5% if you're going to try to conceive."

I don't know about Mackenzie, but I'm 16 and my A1c isn't anywhere near 6.5%. Just sayin'. Now, in no way, shape, or form am I judging her. I think she's amazing. I guess I just wish she'd said something during her episode, maybe to scare the diabetic audience or something. 

Actually, I really don't know where I was going with that. I just thought it was different. Maybe because I tell everyone in my life that I'm type one diabetic. Who knows?

ALSO: My MRI went super well. Instead of being an hour, like my Dad, Mom, chiropractor, massage therapist at the chiropractor's office, and the receptionist at the medical imaging office said, it was about twenty minutes! I was still in tons of pain at the end of it, but I got to hook my iPad up to a speaker system, and listen to my music. And I also got to put an ice pack on my back, and semi-elevate my feet. So it wasn't absolutely terrible, but I didn't enjoy it either. They also gave me a DVD, so maybe I'll post pictures of my insides!

Much love, 

Alexa

I'm Just a Walking Hospital Check-In Waiting to Happen!

Colleen, you've heard this PLENTY of times. And maybe a few of my other friends, D and non-D have heard it too. But today, I'm seriously considering just paralyzing myself from the waist down and calling it a day.

That statement needs a little bit of background history, doesn't it?

So in May, I messed up my back. Like, really badly. And I did it by coughing. I was talking REALLYREALLYFASTLIKETHISANDALLMYWORDSCAMEOUTALLATONCEANDIDIDN'THAVEANYAIRINMYLUNGS and I coughed. And a really painful spasm went down the lower half of my back, and I hit the ground. And so for about a month, I rolled around my dinky little suitcase instead of a backpack, and I took care of it (my back, not the suitcase) like I was supposed to. But then, at the end of June, I started having excruciating pain in my left leg. It was unforgiving, constant, and just a giant pain in the ass--literally. I went to Florida with this pain. I had my sixteenth birthday with this pain. I got on FOUR planes with this pain. And at this point, I can't really walk straight, or put much weight on my bad leg. I'd get pushed in a wheelchair, but I can't sit down without wanting to cry.

So, yesterday, I went to see a chiropractor. And PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY hold your "doctor versus chiropractor" jokes. Because I've made all of them. Trust me ;) But I went to see a chiropractor, and he said "I want to know what I'm dealing with before I make any adjustments to your back, so you need to get an MRI."

Which is responsible.

BUT IT'S ALSO FREAKING PAINFUL. I am seriously hurting over here! I had like, a ten minute massage after I met with the chiropractor, which relieved the pain for about forty-five minutes. AND THEN IT STARTED HURTING AGAIN.

Which is why I'd just like to throw the towel in and not feel anything below my butt. Walking isn't important, right?

So in about an hour, I've got to go get in a metal tube, and lay still for a whole entire hour. And I've never been really good at the whole being still thing. I need SOMETHING to fidget with. Move my fingers. Text someone. Type on a keyboard. It's almost impossible for me to sit still for a whole entire hour. Thank God for Matt, because I'm retarded and didn't think of the whole "occupying your mind" deal when I was in sheer panic about sitting still for an hour. And plus, I don't know if I'm claustrophobic or not. Yay for that.

So, wish me luck, and I'll see you on the other side!

Much love,
Alexa

And we're back...

So we abandoned you. Whoops...

Hannah and I are REALLY really really really REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry about leaving you without your daily does of divabetic for over a year. We got busy, and sick, and became sophomores, and got boyfriends, and broke up with said boyfriends (more on that drama later, because let's face it, there is NOTHING better than a great break up story) and took lots of final exams and passed French class, and are now juniors! Yay for us!

Hannah and I saw each other for the first time since July 2010 last week. And this is what that looks like:

Hannah is the one where you can actually see her face. I'm the one where my sensor is falling off (which, by the way, it totally did fall off). Our friend Katelyn is in the background, and I think she looks great, even though she thinks that she "is a train wreck in it."

I really need to apologize a bunch more, but I'd rather plug FFL like a pro first. For those of you who don't know what CWD or FFL is, let me explain. Children with Diabetes is a giant diabetes love-fest. Everyone there either has diabetes, is a sibling of someone who has diabetes, is a parent of someone who has diabetes, is a CDE (certified diabetes educator) or an RN or someone who works with diabetes on a regular basis. Or they can be a combination of any or all of the above. There are conferences held all over the country (and the world) and people make it out from everywhere to be at these things. There are conferences in Philadelphia, Seattle, Vancouver BC, Toronto, Cincinnati, and other cities all over the globe. But there's this end all, be all conference. It's in Orlando every year, and it's the BEST WEEK OF THE ENTIRE YEAR. And it's called FFL, which is short for Friends For Life. And here, you really do make friends for life. Case and point, Miss Hannah and I are planning on being best friends forever. And then there's Katelyn, and Hunter, and Jess, and Mary Claire, and Delaney, and Michela, and Sara and everyone else. We all just...get it. I don't really know how to explain it if you don't have diabetes, but it's there. Everyone else just knows. There's really nothing else to say, I guess. Usually I can vocalize how I feel, but CWD really puts me at a loss for words. These are some of the adventures we go on:

 (Me, with Hunter, Sara, and Jess)

(The Divabetics in their shirts! These were a huge hit)

I also met some great people. I met the amazing Bean, her sister Bug, and her mom over at www.mysweetbeanandherpod.com and those kids are the most adorable kids in the entire world :) I hung out with Kelly Kunik over at diabetesaliciousness.blogspot.com and got to talk to Natalie Bellini and Jill Benchell, two of the most amazing women in the entire world. 

If you'd like more information on Children with Diabetes, contact us via our blog, or go to www.childrenwithdiabetes.com and explore the site. 

Well, we're back! 

Much love, 

Alexa :)

A Flaw in the System

Good evening, people of the blogosphere!

Hey :) So, I've been thinking, what's one of the most annoying things about my insulin pump? It's not the site changes, it's not hiding my tubing (or, as we call it in my family, my wire) either.

It's hiding it.

I wear a skirt, every weekday. It's part of my uniform. And underneath, I wear a pair of shorts with pockets. I put my insulin pump in my pocket, but there's this awkward bulge on my hip where the skirt hits the pump, and it's just a mess.

So, my cousin is getting married, and she lovingly asked her favorite baby cousin to be a bridesmaid (Thanks Steph <3) Now, I tried on the dress. And when you wear a bridesmaid dress, you really can't wear jean shorts underneath, can you? No, didn't think so. So (and boys, prepare for things to get intense) I had to try to find different places to put it. And I tried everything short of duct taping the pump to my stomach. But, the idea I came up with was putting my beloved insulin pump in my cleavage. I seem to remember a conversation at the diabetes conference with Katelyn and Delaney. "Well, if you can hide it there, then by all means, do it!"

So it's totally hidden. But I've got to say, that's definitely not my favorite task of pump maintenance. What's your least favorite? Comment below!

Much love,
Alexa