November is Diabetes Awareness Month

Did you know that the month of November is Diabetes Awareness Month? I have always been familiar with the condition, since both my mom and uncle are Type 1 Diabetic. Last month, however, it hit a little closer to home.

This past month, while being hospitalized for a CF flare up, I was diagnosed with a form of diabetes called CFRD(Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes). CFRD is neither Type 1 nor Type 2, however it has attributes of both. Here is the definition of CFRD, as given by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation :
     "In people with CF, the thick, sticky mucus that is characteristic of the disease causes scarring of the      pancreas. This scarring prevents the pancreas from producing normal amounts of insulin, so, like people      with type 1 diabetes, they become insulin deficient. Their pancreas still makes some insulin, but not enough      to stay healthy and maintain good nutrition. Additionally, people with CFRD may not respond to insulin      in the right way like people with type 2 diabetes, especially when sick, when taking steroid medication, and      when pregnant. This is referred to as being "insulin resistant."

My diagnosis didn't come as a big shock to me, since I have previously had high blood sugars when I was hospitalized back in high school(more than 10 years ago). Back then, when the infection went away, my blood sugars normalized. Now, though, I don't think that will be the case. When they checked my Hemoglobin A1C it was a 9.6, normal is anything below 6. A 9.6 HBA1C means that my average blood sugars for the past three months were 225, which is high! Time to take action!

I will admit though, that the initial diagnosis did give me a feeling of being immensely overwhelmed. From meeting with the diabetes team, to the diabetic educator and then the endocrinologist who will be treating me, I got a lot of information thrown at me in just the short time that I was in the hospital. I had to learn about highs and lows; their causes, symptoms, how to prevent them and what to do when experiencing a high or low. I had probably an inch thick worth of paperwork and informational sheets on diabetes by the time I was discharged.

This experience has been a complete eye opener for me, going from simply watching someone give them self a shot everyday; to now being the one to have to figure out dosage, inject myself and having to be mindful of every piece of food that my put into my mouth. It's been challenging but it has been doable. I currently take Humalog before every meal. 1 unit insulin for every 20 grams of carbohydrates. This is why carb counting has been so important for me the last month.

There are two great Apps that I use before almost every meal to help control my diabetes; MyFitnessPal and MySugr.

My Fitness Pal
My Fitness Pal is a great App. I actually had it downloaded on my phone before even being diagnosed with diabetes. While many people use this app for weight loss, I found that it's a great way to help figure out and log my carbs so I can dose myself with the correct amount of insulin. I use this app before practically every meal. It has a library of Nutritional Information for thousands of foods. It's especially great for eating out at restaurants, when I may not be sure of how many carbs are in that pasta that I'm eating. Best part too, it allows you to scan bar codes for quick look ups!

My Sugr
This is a great app to use if you are diabetic and checking blood sugars more than once a day. I absolutely love it, it's almost like my diabetes Godsend! I strongly suggest this for newly diagnosed diabetics to help get a handle on your blood glucose. This app not only logs blood sugars but you can log the foods that I ate along with how many units I took with a meal. The ability to log exercise is great as well, since I can see how much the exercise I am doing has an effect on my sugars. The graph is probably my favorite part. It lets me easily view highs and lows and what occurred that day to possibly account for them. It also gives an estimated HBA1C! Mine is currently a 6.1(that is only based off of the previous month since I am newly diagnosed, normal HBA1C takes into account the average blood sugar for the last 3 months) down from 9.6 when I was diagnosed. They do offer a subscription service that allows for more 'pro' options, but so far I have found that the free version provides for my needs so far.

It's been said that once blood sugars get under control that the patient will experience more energy. Sure hope that's true! I'll keep ya'll posted!

For a great resource on CFRD here is a link download the CFF's Manual : "Managing Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes, An Instruction Guide for Patients and Families"