Lots of stories for these ones. :)

Sorry, I'm late. I dyed my hair blue on WDD (well, kind of) and life has kinda been weird since then. (I'm kidding. I chalked blue into my hair, successfully got it to stay on everything except my hair, and I've just been lazy and forgetful). I'm knitting Christmas presents; can you really blame me?
A few things:
- Happy Birthday, Dad!
- Last night my pump battery died. Like, DIED. It alarmed Low Battery at 10:56 (I know, I know, I meant to be asleep by then), so I locked it and said I'd deal with it in the morning. Well, this morning I check my blood sugar - 15.3. Whaaaaat??? I clicked over to my pump, meaning to unlock it and question the high - no response. Click, click, click, press...nope. So I'm kinda freaking out, because even when the battery DIES it alarms annoyingly saying 'replace battery to silence alarm'. Over and over and over again. But this time it didn't. I wouldn't be worried, but this is how I killed Little Buddy. Also the date and time had reverted back to 12 am January 2007. (Why 2007, Animas?). I think it's fine, I changed the battery and the history and everything was still intact, but I'm still a little worried. I guess we'll find out in 6 weeks or so whether this actually impacted it. :)
-Also I saw an owl yesterday! He was GORGEOUS and HUGE and he let me get really close for a picture! It's a great picture! I love having a cameraphone! Owls are also really scary when they look at you because it feels like they're going to swoop down and carry you away!
-And, AND, later today, my meter batteries died. And I had no extra. NOT a good day for batteries.

And now, The Weather.

(Sorry, couldn't resist. You should listen to Welcome to Night Vale. You might like it. I'm not even sure if I like it, but it's tons of fun.)

 Day 12: Glucose

These are my glucose tabs. Dex4. (Because they're made of Dextrose and they have 4 carbs! Get it? Get it?) Everyone hates on them, but I really quite like them. The fruit punch ones are my favourite, but they're not sold everywhere and when I run out unexpectedly I usually end up with these. Most of the time they're okay, but there's those odd lows that screw up my taste and make them taste like salad dressing. The fruit punch ones taste like candy though. (Even though there's a pineapple on the front, which I hate).

 

Day 13: Struggle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got to go to the beach today in the rain. I don't think I've ever felt so good. It was calm, serene, and I was so happy.

Being there, hearing the waves crashing onto the rocks, hearing the rocks be pulled into the ocean with the tide, really made me think of my struggles. Almost all the time I'm okay, but sometimes I feel like that one rock that can't control where it's going, drowning in water, being pushed and pulled through life with no say in the matter. The waves crash over my head, sometimes pulling me, but sometimes reaching, reaching, reaching, but never quite touching. Struggle is hard. Most of the time I'm okay, most of the time those waves keep reaching but never touch, but sometimes I fall and they grab hold of me. Eventually I regain my place and I'm okay again. Sometimes you have to let yourself lose control.

 

Day 14: Support #WDD

This is my blue circle necklace. I was really excited when I found it last year, seeing as a blue circle is the symbol of diabetes month. I wore my diabetic shirt (Does this shirt make me look diabetic?), blue everything (pants, socks, nail polish, earrings...) and I chalked a strand of hair blue. Of course at the end of the day everything EXCEPT my hair was blue (especially the shower water, my goodness), but it's the thought that counts.

 

Day 15: Diabuddies

What is a diabuddy? A diabuddy is someone you can rely on, someone you can trust, someone who understands every little thing you feel when it comes to diabetes. A diabuddy is someone who will wear ridiculous matching shirts, someone who will get you a juicebox (and stare longingly at it the entire time you're drinking it), someone who will understand your ridiculous jokes, will laugh hysterically with you when you're low (Capture the flag!!!), someone who will be there for you, someone who will be your dead pancreas buddy (DPB) and will volunteer to take the garbage out with you (Shakespeare!). Sometimes you connect instantly, sometimes it takes a little while. But it always works, you're always buddies, and you're sure you'll be buddies for the rest of your life. (Hey Z, you gotta get out here sometime! Also I wish I could go to camp again!)

 

Day 16: Hero/Heroine

I have a lot of heroines. My mum. My teachers. My Guiding friends. Jennifer Lawrence. (Seriously, go see how great she is.) Maybe these people are more idols than heroes though. Is anyone a hero, really?

But Kerri Sparling, of SixUntilMe, is my heroine. Her blog is one of the few constants in my life - I read it every day and it's a favourite page on all my devices. Her ability to form thoughts into words (stars into constellations) is incredible, and I hope one day I'll be as much of an advocate as she is. I'm too shy to ever tell her this through her blog or email or anything, so I'll just respect and idolize her from afar. You know when you imagine meeting a celebrity, how you'll react, whether you'll choose autograph, picture or handshake; how you get excited whenever you learn that they've been in your country; how you make every word they say your motto. Yeah. She's my celebrity, my dream, my heroine.

 

Day 17: Research

I forgot to take a picture. (Insert sciency image here). Honestly, right now (and actually most of the time) I'd rather they found a cure for cat allergies rather than diabetes. Although they have made some giant, awesome leaps in diabetes research. One of my other dreams (I have quite a few related to diabetes) is to participate in a clinical trial either for an external pancreas, new medication, whatever. That would be great.

 

Day 18: Biohazard

I love this symbol. I love that for four years I've known it on every science quiz, I've been the first to know what it is and what it means. I see it every day (well, at least every time I remember to safely dispose of my needles XD) on this garish yellow container stored beneath the bathroom sink. I really don't take it as seriously as I should. Biohazard? Yeah, I can touch that.

Pictures speak a thousand words. (Maybe not quite a thousand, but a lot).

It's been more than three days. My apologies. I've been staying up much too late recently and become less and less motivated to post. I'll fix that. Anyway...

Day 7: Pre-diagnosis

This is LONG before the days of diabetes, when Halloween was just a day for free candy and every day was easy (-er than it is now). I'm about six in this picture, and I had no idea that six years minus fifteen days later my life would change forever.

 

Day 8: Diagnosis

This teddy bear right here. He's the best. (Yes, I know it's 'just a teddy', okay?) I'm sixteen, and I'm not ashamed to say that I still sleep with a  bed full of teddy bears. This guy was my support for those hospital days - I cried into his fur, hugged him through the needles, and squeezed him tight when I needed a hug. I've had him since I was a baby - and when I was diagnosed, I got a new teddy bear (a gorgeous golden retriever) - and this guy is the best. He's still soft, still fluffy, still huggable. He's the best hugger there is, the best support, and I can't believe he's been with me for SIXTEEN years. One of the only constants in my life. I love him :)

(Teddy bears mean a lot to me, and if you think that's juvenile or lame, whatever. They're part of my life, and I love them.)

  

Day 9: Bolus-worthy

 Ah, yes. The slushie. Frozen pop, available for purchase at most gas stations. An occasional treat, and delicious! Definitely worth the five units it cost. (Also this particular slushie was free because the gas station guy appreciated that we cleaned up the small mess we made. Tells you something about the kids in my town, huh?)

 

Day 10: Low treatment

This is my glucose-tab holder. It's usually empty, because right after I fill it up I use them. It's the zipper pull on my glucometer, so I always have it. If I could just remember to fill it up...

Also, it is NOT a contact lens case. I am SO SICK of that question.

 

Day 11: Med-alert

Mah bracelet! It's a bit tarnished right now because it hasn't quite recovered from its chlorine bath (swimming pool). Although it says Allergic to cats on the back (which is true, but nowhere near bad enough to warrant a MEDICAL BRACELET, MOM (love you), and it makes everyone laugh, so that's cool), I've been wearing it for four years. My grandparents bought it for me (because the free one is not the prettiest thing you've ever seen) and I really like it. It's simple, but pretty, too, and I've actually received quite a few compliments on it as a bracelet - so I don't mind wearing it every day :) It's also become a habit to wear it, so it feels really weird on the rare occasions that I wear my necklace instead. I don't think I've worn that since Mexico. And that was three years ago. Huh.

It always goes on my left wrist, because I'm right-handed and it gets in the way. It's been through a lot - paint, chlorine, pottery wheels (that was particularly nasty)...but it's survived. And it keeps me safe. So really it's a win-win-win kinda thing.

Thrice is nice.

Three is a good number. Instead of posting every day (because honestly I lack the motivation to post every day), I think I shall post three pictures every three days. So, here are the next three.

Day 4: A1c

A drop of blood. That's all it takes to tell me the average of my blood sugars over the last three months. That's pretty impressive. My last A1c was 7.3, which is not as low as I'd like it, nor is it as awesome as it has been in the past. However, this was my first clinic since Europe, and my only goal in Europe was to avoid lows. Ergo, higher A1c. Also, it's ridiculous that such a small drop of blood and one number can be considered our 'grade' on how well we're doing. It's not. It's an average of our blood sugars. And sure, sometimes it's higher or lower than we'd like, but it's not a grade. It's just an average. Healthy? Happy? That's all the grade you need.

Day 5: Insulin

(I didn't actually have any open vials, and as before mentioned, I lack the necessary motivation to find one.) 3 mL in a vial. That's 300 units. That's how I survive for 75 days. But it's so, so small. And this box? This box has 1500 units in it. That's only 15 mL. Not even enough for a sip of water. But so, SO important.













Day 6: Big Blue Test
I've never done the Big Blue Test. I keep meaning to, and keep meaning to, and then I forget, and also I don't exercise as much as I probably should. Also I'm shy, and don't get involved in big diabetes things (but I really, really should.) Therefore, no picture today. Sorry. :)

Ketchup!

Sorry, I got distracted. School and sleepovers and babysitting...anyway. I'm here now.
This month I'm going to attempt a photo challenge that I found on tumblr...the Diabadass challenge. :)

Here's the challenge:

And here's what I've done with it for the first three days (sorry they're not on time):

Day 1 - Selfie

This is my face. It's alright. :)

Day 2 - Pump or injections?

Pump. This is Bubbles, my Animas Ping. I love him.

 

Day 3 - Glucometer

Aaaaand...this is my glucometer. He does not have a name. I wish he had a LED screen. Yes, there are lots of test strips, because it requires a lot of effort to clean those out. That smiley face keychain on the left means a lot to me; it was given to me by one of my Sparks last year who moved away. It reminds me to smile, to keep a positive attitude, that no one is ever too far away, that there's a silver lining to everything, and to remember that childhood is fleeting and it's my job to help the Sparks make the most of it :)

 

There you go. First three days, all in one! I'll try to keep up from now on. ;)