Nala: I rescued my human

There's a new addition that has been added to my life. Meet Nala!

She's the sweetest, most loveable dog I have ever met. With every step I take, she's right by my side. Most people don't really know why I wanted to get a dog (other than the fact that I LOVE them.) Dogs can help with diabetes. True story. In fact, when I was first diagnosed my doctor flat told me to get one since I live alone.

Before diagnoses Abbey, Ben's dog, use to lick me constantly. I mean, not normal dog licking, but serious licking. She was on a mission to lick my skin off. I couldn't get her off, and when and I if I finally did, she would come back for more. I always thought it was weird, but just thought she loved me.. (Ha!) My doctor actually told me it was a sign of a high blood sugar. She thought I tasted sweet. Irony.

Lately I've been having a lot more lows than I feel I should be having. Especially at night. Right before bed the past few nights I have had to eat a pack of skittles and juice to sky rocket my blood sugars. Ill wake up and be perfectly in range which makes me think my pancreas started working. Perhaps I'm in the honeymoon stage? who knows. More to come on that later. But because the thought of "I hope I wake up tomorrow" has crossed my mind before laying my head down to sleep, I decided I had to have something right by my side every night. Sure, Ben's nice to snuggle with too! But that boy wouldn't wake up if a freight train was next to his ear, let alone if I go into a coma because of a low.

So, here's where sweet Nala comes into play. I can actually get her trained to be a service dog, and I could take her anywhere I went. I can't decide If I want to or not. But not only has she already uplifted my spirit about a diabetic life (Heck--life in general), she's already helped me when a low set in before I realized it. I might have rescued her from the pound, but she most definitely rescued me emotionally AND diabetically.

And because this is just SO my life, I leave you with this:

Yes, my girl is wearing a pull up because no less than 3 hours after I got her, she started heat. 

She's a mess. just. like. me. 

A perfect pair.

Type 1 Now

I have been meaning to write this post for a week now. Last Saturday I spent the day in Austin at the JDRF Type 1 Now Conference. I had been looking forward to it since February. The day was spent learning about how to be a better diabetic. I sat in on many sessions that dealt with accurate carb counting, multiple daily injections (MDI), and girl issues that go right along with diabetes.

The highlights:
-Meeting Kerri Sparling of sixuntilme.com. When I was in the hospital and had no clue how my life was going to change, I googled "Type 1 Diabetes." Her blog was one of the first things that came up. I read for hours in my room and realized right then I was going to be okay. Sure, it was going to be hard. But if she can find the humor in this disease, I knew I could too.

-Getting a free one touch meter. The meter is great and all, but I really like the delica it came with. I can't even feel the prick!

-Learning about the different insulin pumps on the market. I was able to see the animas ping and the medtronic insulin pumps in action. I know its wrong to covet something, BUT I COVET ALL INSULIN PUMPS. I cannot wait to have one and learning about them just made it even more of a desire.

-Winning Cozmo, the diabetic monkey. His insulin pump is magnetic and will attach to all the places its ok to put your pump. How COOL.

-Learning how to get my insulin for free. Probably the most useful thing I learned! The website www.needymeds.com has a TON of medications for free, not just insulin. Most of them you have to apply for, but a lot of them also have savings cards. I would recommend taking a look. I am grateful for my insurance, but the savings card I found made the copay free!

-Meeting and connecting with other Type 1's! I even met a 4th grade teacher who told me how she explains it to her class. I've always wondered how I would do that, and she gave me GREAT advice.

I am so grateful I was able to go to this and learn so much. JDRF is doing AMAZING research for type 1 diabetes, and I cannot express my gratitude to the foundation. It was inspiring to hear and see diabetics who lived with this disease for over 50 years. Talk about motivation! You. Rock.