The Real Kind of Climbing

I'm a fan of the "Better late than never!" attitude towards life and in that vein, here's a story from Thanksgiving.

My brief November jaunt up towards Massachusetts was filled with lots of excitement and entertainment even though the Monday before I drove up I was a mess (read: pulling an all-nighter).  I terrified the daylights out of my mom when I called her up on Tuesday morning because I couldn't find my car keys after packing up my "I look like I'm moving out for 2 weeks" luggage (turns out the couch cushions devoured them). The drive up was mostly innocuous. I only screamed at a dozen drivers on the way up, particularly in Connecticut (even after six years of living there, I have no patience for their drivers).

I was in a little bit of a hurry because I was on a mission to meet Steve! from LivingVertical!!! (yes, the exclamation points are very necessary). Scheduling is always a nightmare since I fill my schedule to the brim and he's a professional road trip-er with limitless destinations (figuratively and literally). We managed to figure out a few hours to climb a very accessible crag just south of Boston. 

The approach (aka the distance from where you park to where you climb) was the shortest and easiest I had ever seen. Usually there's at least a short hike involved that puts me a little out of breath but this was shorter, easier, and more scenic than a walk from a mall parking spot to the entrance. I arrived a little early so I scouted around the "little" rock jutting out from leaf carpeting without slipping too much. The place was perfect for some suburban climbing. Easily accessible from the highway. Lots of routes with diverse levels of difficulty  Readily usable natural anchors. Perfect in many ways.

Unfortunately, we hadn't quite planned for the lack of light (silly sun setting at 5pm) so we only manage to test one particular line and explore a little bouldering (aka climbing sans rope). I hadn't been out in the real outdoors or even in a climbing gym so I was a little stiff and holding on far too hard. Eventually I loosened up enough to make it about halfway up a route. Steve was kind enough to be patient and encouraging. Especially with the bouldering. Note, there are no rule to outdoor climbing. Up. Across. Go where the natural rock holds lead you. Just remember to be safe and to relax. Over gripping just ruins everything. The whole experience was nice except for when I feared I lost my new Dexcom receiver in the dark underbrush after only having had the gadget for about 2 weeks. Luckily, I'm just a spazzy space cadet with an over abundance of pockets to stash my essential goodies and safely located it before packed up and proceeded to storytelling by the cars.

Lessons I learned:

1. Falling is good... but having someone you trust to spot you is essential. Hopefully I'll experience more of that to get over my fear.
2. I am detail oriented over concise. Steve says "Kit" and I say "Applesauce+CGM"
3. Cleaning up after yourself. We saw some less than savory things out on the crag.
4. My compliments are not exactly complimentary...I may have told him he looked like a squirrel. At least I'm memorable, right?
5. Every little tweet, like, shout out brings warmth and joy to others. Let people know you're reading what their writing. Even if it's something small like "Love this." The interwebs are better when it's interactive.
   

The only photo I managed to get of Steve. 

If you want to see how meta the photo is, check out this.

My family's Thanksgiving dinner.

We insisted on having the neighbors over because there was no way to eat that much food.

I took leftovers that lasted for a week... 

Now, let's see if I can manage to be a little more timely with my next update of adventures...

Focus on the Forward (Not the Backward)

I can't start a post about the future without touching upon the past.

This past year, I've made real connections with more diabetics (type whatever) than I ever have before. I've gone from being relatively alone (minus those silly voices in my head) on this tireless journey with my friend, diabetes (I'm thinking she's gonna have to be nicknamed Bete soon) to trying to remember who is in which time zone. I met more and more new friends with diabetes that have inspired and supported me. Just rattling off names and numbers (like a good engineer?) wouldn't describe the type of connection and hope that each person has given me through a few simple moments. I was also very lucky to get my hands on my (relatively) unbreakable Eggy who has helped me bring me a little more control. I've been blessed on all these accounts.

So the one diabetes-related thing I'm looking forward to for 2012 is building more of those relationships. Meeting more people I can lean and more people who can lean on me. Getting out into the real world a little more. Teaching one more person that people with diabetes can do whatever we set our minds to despite a paperweight for a pancreas. Showing one more person that we all have our moments of weakness and struggle. The diabetes community is vast and diverse. Sometimes it is really difficult to believe that there are so many of us doing so many amazing things. And sometimes that amazing thing is just saying hello.

Now that I'm here and now that I've found you, I can't imagine going back. Back to fighting this on my own. Back to fighting this silently. Back to fighting this just for me.

This post is my January entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/january-dsma-blog-carnival/.

So much to write about...

SO LITTLE TIME.

I feel like I barely have breathing room at the moment. I was a little disappointed that I haven't been able to fill you in on all the interesting, exciting, and frustrating things going on at the moment.

I've almost survived a whole semester of doctoral work. All I have left:

• 18 Days
• 3 Papers
• 2 Exams
• 1 Presentation (not in peaaaaaaaar treeeee!)
• Many many sleepless nights...

DMeetUps:

• Babs (@babssoup) & Her Husband (@kssoup)
  Easily one of the cutest couples ever. We went out to the Macaroni Grill and it was awesome because we played with crayons on the table cloth. And Lobster Ravioli. I made them my Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies. Babs and I talked for hours about... well... everything. It was fantastic.
• Cherise (@diabetic_iz_me)
  Someone who's impacted so much change wanted to meet little old me? And she had a special request for some pumpkin pie (and she got a WHOLE lot more baked loving in sugar cookie madness). I loved listening to her ideas and drive to reach as many diabetics out there as possible. Tons of fun on our brief breakfast encounter.
• Steven and Stephanie of LivingVertical (@LivingVertical) [Okay not quite but it's coming!]
  I'm in awe of these two, because they managed to figure out how to do what they love ALL the time, instead of just as a hobby. They're overcoming diabetes one rock at a time across the US everyday of 2012. They went climbing this weekend in Boston with my awesome friend, Fatima (@shahzadii). Let's just say they were on my mind and here's the photographic proof that I was on theirs!

Diabetes Adventures (in brief):

• Switched Infusion Sets from the Silhoutte to the Mio!
  - Love that I can tell the tubing where to come out from. Makes alternate sites a little less complicated
  - Had a few fights with the built-in inserter, but I think we're on better terms now
  - Not totally comfortable with removing the needle by pulling on a giant plastic hub
  - Day 3 seems to be a little on the less effective side. Play around with that later.

• I tried putting my Dexcom in on my hip (didn't go so well)
  - Thought moving my Dex to somewhere else would be easier than using alternate site for infusion sets
  - Good logic, poor execution
  - May not have worked cause I was in such a hurry (welcome to the whirlwind that is my life)
  
  
• Terrifying experience at the Pharmacy
  - Called in for Test Strips and Novolog
  - Test strips needed a new prescription but they'd call the doc
  - Arrive at pharmacy to find JUST test strips waiting for me
  - Apparently the last pharmacy (in NH) had billed the insurance for 3 months for a 1 month supply
  - Insurance wasn't going to cover more right now
  - Pharmacy in NH said they'd just give me the difference when I came there
  - Wasn't planning on making that 5 hour journey for another... 4 weeks.
  - The AWESOME Pharmacist just gave me 3 vials to tide me over and said to deal with the other people when I get back to NH.
  
  
• Won a free class at Type 1 University
  - I called in on DSMA live and correctly answered the following question:
  What are the names of the two hormones lacking in Type 1 Diabetes?
  - The answer is Insulin (which I think all of us know by now) and Amylin (which acts on stomach nerves to slow down the rate of digestion and aid glycemic control)
  - There are too many awesome classes for me to choose from so I'm picking my top 3 and letting you guys do the rest (just leave your vote in the comments!)
  *Blood Glucose Control During Sport & Exercise
  *Strike the Spike: After-Meal Glucose Control
  *Weight Loss for Insulin Users
  - Live Classes seem to all be in January so we'll see which class has the most votes in 2 weeks

Thanks for your help as always and for reading all my ramblings.

Updates?

Things are crazy. As the usual. So bullet point time!

• In case you missed it (because I forgot to mention it), I did a guest post for Kim (textingmypancreas.com). I think that the post was awesome [the title says it all: "I Get By With (Or Without Real Life) Help From My Friends"], and if you're not already reading about her awesome dog, Billy Corgin, you're seriously missing out!
  
  
• When I was volunteering at the UNite for a Healthy Future event in NYC, some awesome peeps from HealthiNation.com were shooting a video about the one and only d-community superstar Manny Hernandez (aka the creator of TuDiabetes and founder of the Diabetes Hands Foundation. They asked to interview me (I still don't understand why but anyways). Apparently, they really liked what I had to say because they used some (or lots) of it. Check it out here!
  
  
• I have approximately 3 different d-meet ups scheduled at 2 week intervals with super awesome diabetes rockstarsss (more about that after they happen...)!
  
  
• I almost had a no hitter yesterday minus the crazy coming down from a bad infusion set over night (but we won't talk about how I didn't really eat dinner and drove 2 hrs [yes, I'm okay and nothing eventful happened]).
  
  
• On Friday afternoon, an economics major interviewed me for about 1.5 hrs about chronic conditions for a really cool design project. He was originally going to work towards a focus on sickle cell anemia and/or cancer patients, but I think I may have changed his mind a smidge (Listen, I'm not saying that Diabetes is cooler. I just think the patients might be a little more awesome).
  
  
• I have another cell biology exam in 2 weeks and I'm trying really hard to bust my butt with the studying (didn't do as well as I needed to on the 1st one), which inadvertently means...
  
  
• I've become hooked on diet coke again, which advertently means...
  
  
• I'm trying to get back to drinking more water, taking my vitamins (every day, ugh), and eating healthier. Sweatbetes? Hopefully I'll get to work on that soon.
  
  
• I think there may or may not be a DSMA blog carnival in the near future if I can manage to sneak more time away later...
  
  
• This weekend's sugar-filled bake fest with my college friends ended with Apple Crisp (x3), Apple Pies (x3), Apple Crumb Pies (x2), Apple Cider Doughnuts (2 batches), and Apple Pie Cookies (yes, we went to an orchard. yes, the apples that we ACTUALLY baked came from a grocery store). I picked up pumpkins as well for some well needed pumpkin pie and pumpkin oatmeal cookie things. Definitely for a later time... Apparently requests for my baked goods are now coming in from ALL OVER THE GLOBE. Must make friends with the mailman...

Back to work for me now!

The Man, The Myth, The Legend...

So once upon a time, there was a beautiful and brilliant diabetic girl who spent 13 years holed up in her own world of academics, rocks, and sweet flour-y things. Despite being diagnosed at a very young age, she had never really known any other fun and enthusiastic kids with diabetes. She never went to camp (for reasons that are still unknown but mostly amount to too much studying) and never really participated in interactive outreach events (there were a few JDRF walks I vaguely remember as a kid and a couple of expos). One day (not too long ago), the light switch went on. There must be other people out there like me. People who live and breathe with music. People who bake things covered in real sugar. People who skydive, rock climb, and ride their bikes across the country. People who REALLY live life to the fullest in spite of a silly chronic condition. So she went hunting on the Internet and built a life. A persona. A circle of friends that she had never really met...

My very first "real" Diabetic meet up was the UNite for a Healthy Future event in NYC just a few weeks ago. But it was a little unusual. I met amazing and fantastic diabetics with crazy lives. People like who I had run into online that looked and sounded nothing like I would've expected. People who did make my eyes gleam like a fan girl despite my subdued manner. It was spectacular and I met all of these people who shared great stories and skills. People who didn't look at me funny when I tested my blood sugar or chomped down on glucose tabs.

My second and third Diabetic (swap-story)meets were JDRF walks. I did two in NJ along the shore. I met lots of families. I did pump bumps with kids. I met mom's and dad's who littered me with stories about how well or poorly their children with Diabetes were doing. I smiled and enjoyed the sun and answered questions.

Not to say that those moments weren't special and that I'll forget them, but this Sunday night was different. I was anxious. Excited. Teeming with energy. I wanted to run and jump and scream and shout. I was wandering into a big city by myself to meet just one stranger. One specific stranger. A stranger who anyone (and everyyyyyyyone) could tell was special in the way he related to others. In the way he spoke. In the way he tweeted song lyrics. I had seen a lot of his posts on Twitter and said to myself, "He's way too awesome. Why would he care what I have to say." But I think he's already demonstrated in his short time stateside that what I (and every other diabetes blogger) do matters.

I knew he was meeting up with people in Kansas City. I didn't even know he was going to be in NYC until a week ago. Already signed up for a 4 day conference in Hartford, I knew I was going to miss the bowling extravaganza. I, for some reason, assumed he was leaving on Sunday before I'd be back in NJ. And then, on a whim, I tweeted him. And he responded. And said he was leaving Monday. And my adrenaline kicked in.

He called and my knees shook in the wind (like a well composed fan girl). "I'll be the one with an accent," he nonchalantly concluded with. I didn't need to ask for clarification. After seeing a picture (or several dozen) and hearing his voice (both on the phone and on a DSMA webcast), I didn't have a hard time placing him. He just looked different. More alive. Less pixel-y. Thinner and taller. And I instantly felt less alone.

I don't really know how to describe the rest of the evening. We just grabbed coffee, sat in Times Square, and talked like we were new-but long lost friends. I sat there in awe of him and he just kept telling me how smart I was.

AND to top it off, I got meet Caroline (@carobanano) who I can only describe as PURE sunshine. She reminds me of my favorite roommate from college. Singing at the top of her lungs (she has a fantastic voice in case you didn't know). I'm definitely planning to go back and see her in Brooklyn. I already have a teeny-weeny SURPRISE present for her.

Like the three sugar-free Musketeers: We soaked in the lights. We posed with Batman. We made funny faces. We grabbed dinner at the Ruby Tuesday's in Times Square (and died a happy death over their cheese biscuits). We discussed music (the difference between Coldplay and the Cure). We rushed for trains that weren't quite there (neither my roommate nor I can appropriately read a weekend timetable). We just laughed (at Shhs and Soda-names) and enjoyed each other's companies. I savored each moment.

Looking at us, you'd never know we had diabetes. You'd just think we were friends. And now, that's all I ever have to say we are. (And friends will ALWAYS see each other again. One way or another).