Another peer support blog? Kind of! But without the warnings, the concerns or possible problems. I'm going to focus entirely on the positive. Yes, I'm feeling alright.
I think we've reached a stage of twitchiness. 18 months of pandemic and avoiding the general public has been hard work and I say that as a pretty "happy to be alone" sort of chap. The horribly named Freedom Day signalled that it was time to interact a little more without the aid of Zoom or other video call apps. I've tried it a few times, now. Wow! have I missed it. The old saying of "you don't miss it until it's gone" really has applied when it comes to meeting my peers from the world of Diabetes.
Last weekend, a bunch of Diabetes and GBDoc folk & families met up to celebrate the 50th birthday of GBDoc Queen Jules. It was an outdoor event and, despite a brief rain shower, it felt entirely comfortable and Covid safe. It was fantastic to see familiar faces alongside a few new ones and I regret having to leave early, missing other great individuals from the Twitterverse. It was nice to see such interest in the event, despite it being a semi-invite only thing - as much as you can have an invite only event in a park. The majority of people responded to the messaged invites sent by Beth (Diadarl1) and myself and I know that Jules was very appreciative of those who RSVP'd without her chasing up.
Never been to a meet up? Neither had I until 2018. My Twitter persona might indicate otherwise but please don't assume confidence from a written word. I'm a quiet man and still suffer from social anxiety but to a much lesser extent than 3 or 4 years ago. Those early days of meeting my peers greatly reduced that social anxiety. Subsequently, I've hosted a video podcast, video quizzes, gave interviews to the media including BBC radio, took part in JDRF Fusion and stood in front of a room full of business people to talk about my CGM. All of those things and possibly others in the future (wink, wink!) are reaped from the seed sown at that first Diabetes meet up. Are you still undecided about meeting your peers?
It's not all Diabetes, you know? Seriously, it's not. Everybody might be wearing Eau De Banting and there might be a hypo or two knocking around but the conversation isn't all Diabetes based. Don't worry about being bored, I never have been, just talk to your favourites from social media. You might have a question or two so just ask! I will be...
...and that'll be at the next "meet up" which is going to be much smaller in size but equally as glamourous as a park. I'm heading North to meet Dawnie (Moodwife) who is heading South to talk about pumping and looping and possibly coffee. The subject, for me at least, is exciting enough because I'm attempting to move from MDI to pumping which will likely lead to looping and to learn from your peers is the greatest education. It's also massively exciting because it's Dawnie! C'mon!
And on we go. Talk is of other get togethers in other areas of the UK for GBDoc. I hope such talk bears fruit and I can meet others from this amazing community. Did you see the TAD announcement for March 2022? Maybe see you there! and at many other things for years to come.
I told you this would be a positive blog.
Thank you so much for reading this blog. I do appreciate your visit and your support. As you might know, I LOVE COFFEE! So I've teamed up with a thing called Buy Me A Coffee. If you enjoy my content and appreciate the time it takes to create such things then you can buy me a coffee! If you leave your Twitter @ name when you buy me a coffee, I will personally thank you. If you'd rather be anonymous then that's totally cool. Thanks for the caffeine!
I might just get you a coffee, having read your plans to move from MDI to pump and possibly loop and your location being the same as mine. Beneficial to pick each others brains.
ReplyDeleteI've made those moves, my current system being based on the following hardware: Insight pump, libre 1, (both funded by UHL) i added a miao transmitter and built xdrip, nightscout, Android APS profiles. Closed loop has really changed things.
I and others do have a problem looming, the Insight pump has been dropped by UHL and much of The NHS prior to it being discontinued by Roche. My next pump exchange due in November and there are no looping pumps in UHL's portfolio, DANARS pump is perfect but not offered by this trust.
The alternatives are tslim x2 or Medtronic 780g, the clinic are willing to fund the pump but not compatible sensors.
Unfortunately I'm not in the position to self fund, though could probably bridge the cost gap between libre and Guardian Sensors if only this was an option.
I invite you to take a closer look at this and if you could blog or tweet about it, fantastic.
Otherwise just bear in mind when you look at pumps
All the best
John DIY Pancreas User @john_unofficial