Month: July 2025

Just another day in Diabetesville

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My friend with type 1, who’s had it over 30 years, emailed me this morning:

“I skipped Avra’s class (qigong) and went to the gym since I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and missed the gym. But… I had changed my Dex G7 in the morning and it had me going high and my control IQ gave me insulin I didn’t want… so I went low during weights class, ate glucose and went high … repeat… went low again and then low during the yoga class I took after the weights class. UGH. Frustrating because this hasn’t happened before recently at the gym. Also, I put collagen powder in my coffee this morning and did not dose… so i think that is what made me high in the first place. DARN.”

My friend wears a pump and a CGM. She is diabetes-educated and experienced. She is a health coach and former peer leader. Even so, she went to Diabetesville.

You know it, you’ve been there. That place where all of a sudden you notice things aren’t going the way they should. Nothing you do seems to make sense. No correction you make seems to work… until…finally…all your efforts return you home from Diabetesville.

What caused the initial hiccup? Who knows? What contributed to the ensuing chaos? No clue can be confirmed. What can you learn from this? Nothing. Nothing more than it’s just another day in Diabetesville. Things don’t go according to plan and you don’t know why. You couldn’t have stopped it because you didn’t know it was happening until it was too late.

53 years with type 1 diabetes and the train still drops me off there. Once a week…once a month…Always when I least expect it. It has to be that way, of course. For me, it was just a week ago while visiting a friend in New Jersey.

Don’t worry, if there’s anything you missed seeing or doing while in Diabetesville, you’ll be back.

The highest blood sugar I’ve ever had

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I think this is the highest blood sugar I’ve ever had, or at least since I could see my blood sugars. I sent this to a fellow type 1 friend in an email with the heading: ‘Don’t ask!?’ She wrote back: ‘I’m asking!!! Something you ate for breakfast?, sugar got in your coffee, bad news/stress…. Detectives at work! 

Of course I’d already put on my detective hat and wrote back: ‘Could be any or all of those. I think the sensor was correct. I don’t know if my Fiasp (short acting) or Toujeo had spoiled as both were expired. Or, I didn’t cover breakfast correctly because I was at my friend’s house in NJ and she made oat muffins which I don’t ordinarily eat. Or maybe the heat tampered with my insulins or BS. Or I injected through scar tissue.  Or…or…or…

Because when I realized how my insulin(s) wasn’t covering my breakfast, I was in the car with friends just starting out on our two hour drive from visiting a friend in New Jersey, back to Brooklyn. We made one stop before getting on the highway; we stopped at a supermarket. You know city girls just wanna walk up and down the aisles of a real supermarket. So while my friends shopped I walked up and down every aisle and around the property outside knowing exercise now was the only way to stop my blood sugar from rising and hopefully get it down.  

And it did start to come down, from this high of 263 to 219, but then we got back in the car and it started going up again. By this point I’d likely taken 7 units of Fiasco in 1 or 1.5 unit shots and I was bouncing my feet up and down in the car to keep so blood sugar lowering motion going. Finally I chanced one more unit when I was 175 and half way home. Finally that knocked it down to 110 by time we crossed over to Brooklyn. 

I dumped the Toujeo and started a new one this morning. I watched my blood sugar all evening and the next morning and all seemed fine.

So what did this detective and my friend come up with. We figured the most likely scenario was seriously undershooting for the oat muffin. But truly who knows?! As the song goes, ‘Mama said there’d be days like this, there’d be days like this mama said.’ Luckily we now have the tools, my CGM, to watch what’s happening in real time, and the knowledge to run small experiments like taking 1 unit and seeing what happens. Luckily too, while I was somewhat distressed not to be close to home and able to just grab a fresh bottle of insulin, I was grateful I wasn’t alone.

New Barbie doll has type 1 diabetes, and pretty-in-pink medical devices

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There's A New Barbie Doll In Toyland ...

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this…probably shocked while giggling. Mattel has just launched its latest Barbie doll and she has type 1 diabetes — and very pink medical devices! Her showing up on planet Earth was the result of a collaboration between the toy company and Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF), much spearheading by Breakthrough CEO Aaron Kowalski.

Senior VP and head of dolls, Krista Berger says, “”Introducing a Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes marks an important step in our commitment to inclusivity and representation. Barbie helps shape children’s early perceptions of the world, and by reflecting medical conditions like [Type 1 diabetes], we ensure more kids can see themselves in the stories they imagine and the dolls they love.”

Sure, although she doesn’t have any bruising from cannula insertions and how’s she going to manage a day of up and down blood sugars with that constant smile. If it gives little girls comfort that’s fantastic, albeit the Barbie prototype — all legs and no waist — has always been concerning. However, diabetes-wise, the fact that a doll can’t be emotive makes me wonder if perennial optimism feels dismissive of the real frustration, disappointment, and anger when it comes.

Two other dolls of T1D advocates are also being launched. They represent Peloton fitness instructor Robin Arzon and model Lila Moss. Arzon says, “It’s an absolute honor to receive a Barbie doll as a part of the brand’s efforts to grow awareness and representation surrounding type 1 diabetes, so that we can help show kids that all types of challenges give us all the more reason to push forward and achieve our dreams.” Yes there’s a place for pushing forward and achieving your dreams, but Barbie depicts only that, frozen in happy, happy.

Maybe Moss has hit on what I’m really feeling, “To be able to now see Barbie dolls with [Type 1 diabetes], and to receive a Barbie doll that visibly looks like me even wearing her patches, is both surreal and special.” Amen.

The Barbie doll with Type 1 diabetes is available on Mattel Shop and stores across the country.