episode-29-diabetics-in-the-wild-featured-resized

Have you ever heard the phrase, “diabetics in the wild”? If not, you’re missing out on a really fun way of saying you’ve just met another diabetic in the real world. Proof that you’re not the only one with this disease. In this episode, Jessie and I talk about what happens when you see a diabetic in the wild, and how to behave when YOU are the diabetic in the wild.

It’s important to know that not everyone enjoys talking about their diabetes, and we have to respect that. If someone doesn’t show any interest in talking about it, don’t push it!

Jessie and I share some stories about finding diabetics in the wild and also being the diabetic in the wild! We enjoy talking about our diabetes, as you’ve probably noticed by now!

Wins & Fails

Jessie’s Win: Jessie put her sensor back on! After a 3-month break, she felt it was time to get back into the groove with her CGM.

Colleen’s Fail: I finally rotated my expired vial of insulin from work back home and used the last of it in my last site. The first two days were okay, but the last day of the site, my numbers stayed high as the insulin lost its effectiveness.

Hack of the Week

Tired of your pump making high-pitched alarms all the time? Try changing the alert settings to vibrate! It’s less intrusive and easier on the ears. I’ve had my pump set to vibrate for as long as I’ve had it, and I’m less likely to ignore a vibrating alarm than I am a noise alarm, funnily enough.

? Turning off the pump volume also makes it trickier to spot diabetics in the wild!

Diabetes Spotlight

Our diabetes spotlight this week is on the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition, also known as the DPAC. 

“DPAC is an alliance of people with diabetes, caregivers, patient advocates, health professionals, disease organizations, and companies working collaboratively to promote and support public policy initiatives to improve the health of people with diabetes. DPAC seeks to ensure the safety and quality of medications, devices, and services; and access to care for all 30.3 million Americans with diabetes.” 

It’s an advocacy group founded and run by people with diabetes, both type 1 and type 2. They spend the time and effort to make sure policymakers and government officials, both local and federal, keep people with diabetes in mind. This is especially important now, with the astronomical cost of insulin in the United States. 

This is something I’d like to get involved with, eventually. DPAC members apply for a spot on the coalition, serve for one year, and go on a couple trips to Washington, D.C. to help spread awareness about the issues we face. 

You can find out more about DPAC at their website.

Question for You!

Have you ever spotted a diabetic in the wild? Has anyone ever called you out as a diabetic in the wild yourself? Let us know in the comments!

Links

Credits

Our music is by Joseph McDade. Check out his website here! Our audio wizard is my husband, Tim. He runs his own food blog, Split Appetites.

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