HELP WANTED!

Okay so this post is going to be VERY short! I need your help. I am doing a project and I am basing it off of those "10 reasons to date a volleyball player" or "10 reasons to date a dancer" things that say things like "good with their hands" and stupid stuff like that.

I am switching it up and I need the 10 reasons to date a type 1 diabetic!!! It has to be family friendly. Please give me some good reasons!!!! Leave comments!

Goodnight
-Ash

Psychology: Good or Evil?

Many of you said that you would go see a psychologist if it would help or that you had no opinion on the matter in the poll about psychologists. I am here to say that psychologists are really not that bad! There are a lot of people who refuse to go. Believe me I know. I was one of those people. My parents wanted to send me to a psychologist for my diabetes when I was first diagnosed. I did everything but throw a temper tantrum in rebuttal to the idea. However, after going one time...I realized that it really wasn't that bad. I never returned for many reasons, but one of those reasons was not that it didn't help or I didn't like it.

Moral of the story: don't knock it before you try it. Sorry this was such a short post. I'm running low on time today. Lots of homework.

Goodnight.
-Ash

Scholarship Searching = Pain

So, after many nights of scholarship searching I have decided that there are not enough scholarships out there for white women who's parents are not making a very little amount of money. As a result, my roommate and I have been forced to enter scholarship contests. We entered one that required us to write an essay and have people vote. The person with the most votes wins a scholarship.

Please vote for us:
my entry
harley's entry

You can vote numerous times a day! You would be doing us a huge favor.
Goodnight.
-Ash

Show Me How You Burlesque

Okay so I know my last post was mostly non-diabetic, but I need another break. I have had a rough couple days and I need some happy in my day! SO, on that note I will be talking about Burlesque, my new favorite movie. I could probably recite the entire thing if prompted. Christina Aguilera and Cher are a great pair in this movie. It is so amazing to hear these awesome voices throughout the film. I am going to talk about my three favorite songs of the movie. But I promise I'll tie it in to diabetes in the end.

pearl outfit

#3: A Guy Who Takes His Time: Ally, played by Christina Aguilera, is dressed in a costume made of nothing but pearls. So awesome! The music is funny and the choreography is awesome! The song is about a girl who simply wants to meet a guy who's "arriving in low" and "takes his time".






#2: You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me: Tess, played by Cher, sings this amazing song standing all alone on a stage...just her, a chair, and the music. It is so inspirational. Every time I feel like I have failed or am heading downward, I listen to this song. The lyrics, "I've been brought down to my knees and I've been pushed way past the point of breaking, but I can't take it. I'll be back, back on my feet. This is far from over. You haven't seen the last of me" are awesome! I mean what says "hey everything is going to be okay" more than that!

#1: Bound To You: Ally, played by Christina Aguilera, sings this song in a lime green strapless gown. Gorgeous much?! This song touches me personally because every time I hear it, I think of my amazing boyfriend Andrew. I'm just going to leave you with the lyrics...you'll get it. "I've found a man I can trust and boy I believe in us. I am terrified to love for the first time. Can't you see that I'm bound in chains and finally found my way. I am bound to you". I love you Andrew. Forever and always. Amen ;)



My tie in to diabetes...I wonder how these girls would wear all of these skimpy costumes if they had an insulin pump? I mean there's not really anywhere to hide it in a see-through pearl costume or a little bustier...anyways...I bet they aren't diabetic so it doesn't matter. I guess I'll just have to give up my dream of being a club dancer haha


So, if you haven't seen the movie yet...DO IT! It is filled with sexy dances, awesome costumes, and singing! Oh and a super sexy guy that ends up naked. Go on girls...check it out. Welcome Famous Amos cookies!

Goodnight

-Ash

Snapple Say What?

Okay so this is going to be my first ALMOST completely non-diabetic blog. Yes, this blog's focus is diabetes, but we all need a break now and then. I am focusing it on Snapple Facts. I know random...but that's me!

My roommate and I, along with guests to our dorm such as my boyfriend and our friends, drink a lot of Snapple. It is a good alternative to pop (the diet kind for me!). Anyways, under each Snapple cap is a Snapple fact. We thoroughly enjoy reading these aloud to each other. Yes, we are dorks. But that's why you love us! Some of the facts are so interesting! So, below I am going to list my top 10 Snapple facts (my ten favorites that I have seen so far). I may add a Snapple fact to the end of each of my blogs from now on! Hmmm...fun idea.

#10: Elephants are the only mammal that cannot jump.
#9: All porcupine's float in water.
#8: It is possible to lead a cow upstairs, but not down.
#7:There are 18 different animal shapes in the animal cracker zoo.
#6:If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn white.
#5: Animals that lay eggs don't have belly buttons.
#4: A "jiffy" is actually 1/100th of a second.
#3: A duck's quack doesn't echo.

#2: Squids have eyeballs the size of volleyballs
#1: A pineapple is neither a pine, nor an apple. It is actually a large berry.

I HAVE AN IDEA! I think that during November, Diabetes Awareness month, that Snapple should dedicate Snapple Facts to facts about diabetes! Hmmm...I wonder if we petitioned, if we could actually get that started?

Goodnight all.

-Ash

We can dream can't we?

   The most current research project of the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) is the Artificial Pancreas Project. The Artificial Pancreas, in my opinion, is one of the most interesting and amazing inventions I have heard of. It is a machine, sort of like the insulin pump, but the huge difference between the Artificial Pancreas (yes, other than the capital letters) and the insulin pump is that it runs by itself. The Artificial Pancreas takes a reading of your blood sugar through a sensor in your skin and sends it to a monitor that would be in a purse or pocket(based on your gender or personal preference). Then that monitor would send a signal to the sensor to dispense insulin according to that blood sugar. No checking sugar or manually giving insulin!!!! It's automatic. For a type 1 diabetic, that sounds like heaven. Something that only happens in our dreams right? NOPE! It is possible in real life!

   When, you might ask? Well they have gone through clinical trials in hospitals where the patients have been closely monitored and have been successful with minor changes needed. They are now performing clinical trials in the home. Doctors and researchers have said that it will be about one or two years, give or take some time, that this device will be open for patients to own and to use to control their diabetes in their every day life. This project was completely funded by JDRF and was on by JDRF researchers. That is where the money goes when people donate to my team, TEAM ASHLEY (topic for another post).

   I have linked two videos to this blog because of two reasons. First, these videos are my sources for the information included in this post. Second, these videos were incredibly moving and informative. When I heard there was going to be a special about the Artificial Pancreas Project and the clinical trials attached I immediately set an alarm on my phone to remind me to watch it. As my family and I sat down in front of the television and observed this video footage, tears welled up in my eyes as they are currently while writing this. The thought of having a machine that would take care of my diabetes without my help would be simply life changing. As the girl in the first video says, “If this comes into play, I can live a life like I did before.” It would eliminate the precautions I have to take and the work I have to put into it. Sure, I would still have to change the site and put insulin in the machine. Yes I would have to do this as I do with the pump, but the fact that I wouldn’t have to check my blood sugar or deal with most of the other perils of diabetes…well that is breathtaking.

   I can only imagine what that would be like. As I watched the second video, I was very pleased with the results of this as well. The Artificial Pancreas project began on December 19, 2005 in Lister Hill Auditorium. A doctor on the case, William Clarke, calls the Artificial Pancreas a “major breakthrough for the management of Type 1 Diabetes”. The device runs off of a huge math equation called a logarithm. Until recently, this logarithm did not exist, but now researchers have developed it. It gives a formulated dose of insulin every fifteen minutes to reduce highs as well as lows. In the second video, the Artificial Pancreas was called a “lifesaver”. The subject of this video said he no longer worried about his blood sugars or even about going to bed at night, as many diabetics do. That is a problem I have had a lot. Just ask my boyfriend how many times I have said the words "I don't want to go to sleep. I am scared" to him. This invention is said to “dramatically impact lives of type 1 diabetics” and when it is available for the public, I can promise I will be doing everything I can to obtain one.

Video 1: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8046715

Video 2: http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=104576

Double Trouble

Do any of you diabetics out there have any certain foods that affect your blood sugar differently than normal? Well, I do. My two foods are pretzels and bagels. Pretzels raise my blood sugar a little more than normal food does and I usually have to take about an extra unit of insulin when eating them. Bagels on the other hand raise it WAY more than other foods. I feel like I have to take almost double the insulin I normally would based on the carb count of the bagel. I have not done any research as to why this is and I do not know if there is a reason for it or a name for it...just something I have observed. However, I may do another blog post on this some time if I can find some research or information on it.

This is the most frustrating thing in the world. I mean, can't we just make diabetes a little easier by not throwing in all of these loopholes, roller coaster blood sugars, and random changes for no apparent reason at all? Grrrr...sometimes I just need to vent.

Sorry this was such a short post, but I have an exam to study for (last one!).
Goodnight
-Ash