And Now A Word From...

Remember when I used to make vlogs? I still do! only less frequently. One of my vlogs, a few years ago, featured me talking about paid or gifted products to Diabetes advocates and influencers. I explained why transparency was important from my point of view as a Type 1 Diabetic and concluded something along the lines of that hidden "kick backs" stink.

I know, I should say what I REALLY think, right?! Hehehe.

It upset a few and the conversation cropped up from time to time on Twitter. Some were obtuse and sarcastic (my favourite) in response, questioning should they disclose every minute detail of every kick back, free drinks, breakfast, etc. Let's focus on the Internet for a moment... 

...there are laws covering paid for or gifted item social media content. Here is a tweet which explains how I handle paid for or gifted item tweets. That, as you can see from the RT, came in response to Tim noticing some content isn't adhering to the ASA in the UK. Although I haven't seen this lately, it was certainly an issue only a year or two ago particularly for a certain brand of CGM. Things seemed to have tightened up in that regard, recently but it doesn't surprise me that it still happens. I try to think the best of everybody until they prove me wrong and so I think the missing indications of a tweet being paid for/gifted item might simply stem from ignorance of the rules rather than a purposeful attempt to sneak and ad' in.

There is the possibility of forgetfulness, too. I recently highlighted the need to use image descriptions for tweets which contain imagery. That helps people with visual impairments - something I live with to this day and a feature of Twitter which I have found extremely useful when my eyesight was at it's worst. Yet, still I forget from time to time. I don't think I've forgotten an #Ad tweet to date but if I do then please feel free to highlight it to me so I can delete and re-post that content correctly. Why "#Ad" and not other words? Firstly, I follow the guidelines given to me by the business I'm dealing with. If that's their preference then that's what I'll use. If they have no preference then I still use "#Ad" because it is easy to mute or block as a hashtag and it doesn't take up a lot of the limited characters on Twitter. If a user chooses to block or mute the word "Ad" without the hashtag then my concern is other content (non-advertisements) will be removed. The hashtag seems the right way to go but each to their own, of course.

In addition to how I display a Twitter advertisement, I would like to touch upon the types of ads I will not entertain. I have refused ad offers from insurance companies, diet companies and personal trainers. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with those industries but they do not fit within the content of my social media. Other refusals were the result of organisations looking for a "freebie" - I will signpost some charities for free, particularly Diabetes ones but I will not be taken advantage of by for-profit businesses, whether they're multi-million Pound companies or start-ups - I value my content and certainly won't be allowing a free for all on ads simply because a business is Diabetes related.

So, that's the Internet. In the flesh? I think the same or similar rules need to apply. If you're speaking about technology at a Diabetes event and you have a gifted CGM then please disclose that during your talk. It doesn't have to be technology. You might be being paid by an insulin business or anything Diabetes related. So, if you're then up on the stage to talk about that? Then disclose. Honesty never hurt anybody in such circumstances. I don't think anybody cares about what you're paid exactly or if they paid for your full English breakfast - I certainly don't. Maybe your accountant or the Taxman does? That's your business. Be transparent, not murky. 

Speaking of ads...

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!

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE HERE

Prefer PayPal?

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE THROUGH PAYPAL

 

That Hypo...

Again, choosing an image to represent a blog has taken as long as writing the actual blog. An image for a hypo? I was tempted by a photo of a low blood glucose reading but this blog isn't just about the hypos from our perspective - by "our" I'm referring to the perspective of people who have hypos.

Hypoglycemia:

deficiency of glucose in the bloodstream

That's right and it sounds very simple to resolve; add glucose. Thanks for stopping by my Dad Talk on hypos. If only hypos were so straightforward!

Yesterday, I noticed a Twitter thread by the wonderful Laura Marston. Here it is; What's your lowest blood sugar ever recorded? - Some of those numbers are terrifying and completely alien, that's because I've never been awake or aware of a BG under 2 mmol/l. I've no desire to experience that kind of low, either. Anything under 3 feels absolutely horrendous to me.

While idly awaiting a non-diabetes appointment, my mind wandered to the instances of my very low BG events and the hypos, the near misses and the actual bodily harm they've caused me. Another Tweet happened and if you haven't already read it then I encourage you to check out Have you ever injured yourself during a hypo - Wow! Some of those stories are incredible and beyond the fascination, very distressing.

Today, I'm still pondering my own hypos and the injuries. I'm also thinking about the knock-on effects to others who have witnessed me hitting the deck. 

My family have certainly witnessed my moderate lows and, when I was younger, severe hypos. I tend to have a seizure when I collapse from a hypo. I've never witnessed another human being have a seizure. I've seen many things on TV and the Internet but nothing like that in my day to day life. The idea of seeing another person in such a distressed state leaves me with a knot in my stomach so, I wonder how everybody who has witnessed my hypo events has felt.

I wrote about one of my first severe hypos at secondary school, a little while ago. I was playing Badminton and I knew I was having a hypo. I had the strong "feels" in those days but because I was expertly hiding my T1D I decided to ignore the hypo. I collapsed, smashed my head on the ground, had a seizure and swallowed my tongue. That was witnessed by around 60 children, around the ages of 11 and 12. Once I'd returned to school, many of those children (my friends) came to see how I was but also to express how upsetting it was to see me in that condition. Only now, as an adult and a parent of children a little older than that age, can I fully grasp the horror for the youngsters who stood and watched what was happening to me. They saw the ambulance come and go with no idea how I was or if I was alive. I like to think that modern day schooling is a little more understanding of the trauma witnessed by children. 

Fast forward around 7 years and my worst ever hypo happened. I've written about it and spoken about it many times. The first on the scene of that event were the police. They found me having a seizure behind the wheel of my car, foot planted on the accelerator and engine on, smoke billowing from the exhaust, me covered in blood (tongue bite) and sweat. I don't know how far I was from meeting my maker but that hypo took a very long time to recover from. The police, who likely see horrible things a lot, got me an ambulance and I never heard from them again. I do know that bystanders witnessed that scene, commuters and children on their way to school. I wonder how that affected them and their day, if they ever think of that young guy in his car and whatever happened to him.

Life and the media throw trauma at us all the time. I imagine that many of you have felt extremely distressed by the events of the pandemic. Some may have witnessed the trauma of Covid at very close quarters with loved ones falling unwell or dying. It's difficult to avoid ALL trauma, perhaps impossible but I do think that we can minimise the trauma of severe hypos, both for ourselves as the sufferers and for others who witness them happening.

How?!

Technology is the answer. You probably already guessed that I was going there because of my continuous noise over access to Diabetes tech. Those CGM alerts, the better management through pump therapy and (of course) combining the two through Looping are all proven to reduce incidents in the red zones (hyper as well as hypo) in many. Less severe incidents mean less trauma for everybody and it also means less strain on the health service to treat the injuries from hypos and long term complications from hypers.

I eagerly await the Spring in the UK. I'm eager for the better conditions, not just for the weather but for those living with T1D and access to the technology we NEED to manage this condition effectively while being allowed to live a life less burdensome. Access, it seems, will likely reduce the traumas of those around us too. It really is a win/win. 

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!

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE HERE

Prefer PayPal?

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE THROUGH PAYPAL

5 Years Engaged

It's not what you're thinking! How do you choose an image to represent 5 years of engaging with other people over Diabetes? A tired looking pancreas? Not that I'm tired of the engagement! but I imagine that the penis shaped organ is somewhat weary. The penis shaped organ? Seriously, have you seen a pancreas? Take a look...

What an absolute d...

...moving on. Yes, 5 years since I decided to start talking about my T1D. When you hit 40, you do strange things. Having owned the fast cars, followed a morally questionable lifestyle and bought the leather trousers, I figured I'd give my health some attention. 

My A1c at the tail end of 2016 was 8.9%. A phone call from my GP surgery suggested that was a bit high. "Oh, it's always been a bit high, I'm alright" I said, hurriedly ending the call. Words from my eye surgeon rang loudly in "my mind's ear". It wasn't long since I had been discharged from a few years of surgeries and many visits to the eye clinic. Upon discharging me, he quietly noted; "How you look after yourself in the next 5 to 10 years will impact on how much I'll see you in the future". I guessed that he wasn't suggesting that I really let go, that he's going to miss cleaning out my gunky vitreous fluids and stitching my retina back together and so I should carry on regardless. I took that as a "get your act together".

The turning 40 moment seems to catch many. That was noted to me in a recent video consultation and I think it's a good point in life to take stock, especially if you have a family and young children. So, I did. And to take stock where do we all turn? The Internet! inject those conspiracy theories into my sub-cutaneous areas! Mmmm, yes. Also, there are many places online which are a great help when it comes to getting support and finding the right direction.

I started on YouTube. I have a great face for the radio so, it took a few takes to finally save and publish a video. I'm not great at videos but I enjoy making them and they're a good way of venting ones spleen. I still make them today, less frequently but they are generally to talk to other people with Diabetes rather than my own experiences. Engagement happened, despite the small audience and I'm still in touch with several people from the early YouTube days, today. That engagement gave me the confidence to reach out further and I found the forums. I gave them a lot of time and attention for a few months and it was a hit and miss affair. Some users were very friendly and accepting, others very militant about how to live correctly with Type 1. Somebody on the forum, in March 2017, mentioned Twitter. 

 I've been on Twitter since 2008 and actively since 2009 but not in a Diabetes capacity. It was always fun but it never occurred to me that a community based around Diabetes might exist. It did and it still does although, in 2017 GBDoc was in turmoil, following some wrong-doings and allegations made about someone who was seen as a community leader. It was interesting to observe while tentatively making connections and friendships. Because of the early drama, I didn't want to associate myself with the GBDoc community right away. That changed within a few weeks and I became very active, encouraged by the support and helpful information of my peers and the ousting of the villain. At the time, that was great, it was all I needed, my A1c was improving, I felt better, I started to use technology and most people seemed very open and friendly.

At the beginning of 2019 I was offered the chance to join the GBDoc Tweetchat team. I've been involved in Internet marketing since the mid 1990s and it seemed clear how to bring that little corner of Twitter forward. I'm proud of the early work that I put into the Tweetchats alongside many other GBDoc members. The old "chats" were poorly populated and not especially engaging. By making subtle changes, gently promoting and engaging, we managed to build a very popular weekly event. It's still going, every Weds at 9pm! and Laura is the expert custodian of that account. 

From 2020, my account on Twitter started to get noticed by many different people and organisations. I've been offered many opportunities to talk about Diabetes, to represent Diabetes companies and to meet up with hundreds of amazing people who live with the condition. The majority of those occasions have been informative and fun and friendship building. 

Now, it's 2022 and I'm as hungry for engagement as ever. I even started this blog! which recently nudged by 300,000 views - Only half of which are my mum.

5 years ago, I was finger pricking and injecting, sitting on an HbA1c of 8.9% and hiding my Diabetes.

Today, I'm pumping because of the Diabetes community.

Today, I'm using a CGM because of the Diabetes community.

Today, my HbA1c is 6.6%

I have dozens of close friends who live with T1D.

I engage with people with Diabetes each day and it's not all moans and groans! Some people (mostly me) and very funny and brilliant to talk to.

Those are my gains from engaging with others about my Diabetes. My peers have undoubtedly changed and perhaps prolonged my life and for that I cannot find the words to express my thanks. I try to give back what I've been given; support, help, signposting, friendship and honest words about our condition. I strongly encourage you to do the same.

Oh! and being engaged to be married for 5 years is absolutely fine. Take as long as you need. 

 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!

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE HERE

Prefer PayPal?

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE THROUGH PAYPAL

Living with (but avoiding) Covid & Type 1 Diabetes

Ugh! Another Covid blog? I hear you, I'm tired of it too. I think Covid lethargy is a very real thing and it probably has been for a while, now. I think it's pretty normal to become tired, even burned out, by illness and disease. I'm a Type 1 Diabetic, remember? I've been there and perhaps you're reading this and nodding because you have too. 

I still fear Covid. Many don't! Maybe it's already visited the fearless and left again without any affect. Maybe there is a "head in the sand" approach going on by some - I understand that, I took a similar approach to the news of my eye complications, a decade ago. This can't be happening, if I ignore it then it'll go away. It didn't, of course. Or! perhaps the conspiracy theorists are sticking to their guns. How history will view their words and actions will be interesting for those still around in the decades to come.

I don't know how history will view me. My blog and social media will likely be around forever. My feelings, fears, joys and sadness there for everyone to read. That might be sobering for some or, if you're like me, you publish these things without fear because you've gained so much from sharing and you'll continue to do so regardless of the future or, indeed, the knickers which may become knotted as a result.

So, Covid fear is where I currently am. Sprinkle some Covid burnout on that, too. The reason? The virus has infected each person in my house since the turn of 2022. One after the other until the last person with a negative test remains - Me! That, as I've already noted on Twitter, is a remarkable thing. I live with 3 other members of my family and have shared a lot of personal space with each one. The LFTs have all been negative. I stopped believing them and took a PCR - also negative.  Yet, still the fear. It feels like one of those scary movies; the bad guy, the monster, the alien wandering around and picking off victims one by one until only one person remains, usually the hero. 

I'm not a hero but I'll tell you what's happened and if it helps you then great. Firstly, I've isolated myself within my own bedroom and bathroom. I know that many can't do that because we don't all live in multiple-room and bathroom homes. I've opened windows and doors to the outside as often as possible. It's January, it's cold, so layers have been worn. I'm hand washing after each visit to a room where positive members of the household have been - mostly the kitchen and using anti-bac as often as possible. I'm preparing meals which are left outside of the rooms of the positive. I'm leaving the house for at least an hour each day and walking around an isolated area near my home - no other people access this area (it's great!) and I'm only going to that isolated area in case I become positive in between tests, I have no desire to infect anybody. That hour or so guarantees me some fresh air and no viral load for a while and it's a well needed mental break. I know that's not possible for everybody but if you can safely get out for a little while then it might serve well your mental health.

That's it. Despite 10 days now passing since positive case #1, I still fear the symptoms and the little line on an LFT. I still think that it's just a matter of time until the bad guy takes a hold of my throat. 

And Diabetes? I'm paying attention. Any unusual spikes or prolonged lows result in the usual annoyance but now they're accompanied with the thoughts of "Is this Covid?" Not so far! but those thoughts and fears will undoubtedly remain for another week or so, until the isolation periods end or negative tests are returned. 

A few days ago, I felt (for want of a better term) frazzled. Many positive results and worries will eventually take their toll. It passed and acceptance resumed because there is very little that I can do to protect myself beyond the measures that I've already taken. I think that's the case for us all. I am in no way unique in this regard, especially living in England. I encourage you all to keep doing the right things. Please don't take unnecessary risks over your own health or the health of others. 

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!

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE HERE

Prefer PayPal?

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE THROUGH PAYPAL

 

Gotta Wear Shades

I don't HAVE to wear shades but doesn't everybody look cooler while wearing sunglasses? That's me, in the photo, outside the Bellagio in Las Vegas, almost 8 years ago. This blog isn't really about sunglasses, I promise.

Firstly, huge thanks to everybody who supported my December charity blogs. They raised £90 for Diabetes charities - all the money has already been sent, take a look at my Twitter timeline for a detailed breakdown. Perhaps I'll do something like that each year because it's good to give.

I'm doin alright, gettin good grades, the future is so bright, I gotta wear shades. Do you remember that song? It still gets thrown around from time to time when things are looking promising. In the world of Type 1 Diabetes, in the UK at least, things do seem to be looking up. On a personal level, things are pretty good as well.

I'm doin alright

The numbers suggest as much. My eA1c is floating around 6.6% and my Time In Range is in the low 80% area. Numbers are just data so, that aside, I'm happy to confirm that I actually feel pretty good, too. Better levels of sleep because of fewer Diabetes related interruptions is certainly a life changer. That and no feelings of being overwhelmed by injections have certainly put a shine back into life. Those things are down to me using an insulin pump, of course and you know that because you've already read of my gushings for the last 4 months. If you want to switch to pumping then I encourage you to start the conversation with your Diabetes team. At this point, I am still refused NHS funding for pump therapy and I've taken my foot off the throat of decision makers in that regard - I'll explain why at the end of this blog, keep reading.

Gettin good grades

TIR, eA1c, Hours slept... there are probably others, too but the numbers are looking good and if T1D is judged on such things then the grades are looking pretty nice.

Future is so bright 

Possibly. A bright future involves access to all available technology to all who can benefit from it. My data shows the benefits to me but that's not enough to satisfy the current NICE criteria for pump funding. I've written about why the criteria isn't fit for purpose and is causing individuals to self harm to achieve an A1c which would make them eligible for pump therapy. That's not a route which I'm going to explore but I will keep talking about it because it's obviously very wrong and potentially very damaging to the health of people living with T1D. 

A bright future involves the scrapping of the current NICE criteria for pump funding. Good try, folks but delete that and start again. You can do better. Aaaaaaand it seems that might be happening. I await the news of NICE criteria changes, later this year. March, perhaps. Of course, if it still pushes individuals to self harm then my noise will increase and I will submit to the requests to talk about it through more public sources than my little corner of the Internet. The coming months will be very interesting indeed and I do hope the future is incredibly bright for everyone living with T1D and not just for some, for some things.

I gotta wear shades

Because, as established already, shades are cool. It's important to remain cool and calm in most situations. If you're fighting off a hypo or struggling to reduce a hyper then I've always found things seem to move more smoothly if I just take a breath and stay calm. Perhaps stress and anxiety can affect BG? Of course it does! as it can affect other areas of your life. So, rather than press harder for pump funding I am going to do nothing apart from wait. I'm going to put my faith in the decision makers to level the playing field, faith in HCPs to facilitate access to technology and look for reasons to make it happen rather than reasons to refuse and faith that the current use of a donated pump will hold out long enough for me to not be worried about the day it dies - because I'll be granted NHS pump funding and a warranty for the tech I'm using. The shades are on despite it being January, freezing cold and dark at 4pm. The shades are on because I'm cool and calm and patiently waiting for the right things to happen.

Happy New Year.

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!

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE HERE

Prefer PayPal?

BUY DIABETIC DAD A COFFEE THROUGH PAYPAL