MM Wedding: Blue Circles and WDD

I am blessed.

This is what World Diabetes Day looked like for me this year.

Low Opportunity

Lately I've been turning away from the humble hypoglycemic favourite, the jellybean. Mostly because they come in big bags, and that big bag causes all sorts of problems! Mostly I find it really hard not to stick my hand in for one when I totally don't need to and added to this, I don't seem to be going low much at all lately, so there's even less reason to have an open bag around.

Another problem with jellybeans is ants. Living in Tropical North Queensland means the buggers get into everything, in what seems like seconds. So I can keep them in the pantry in a superdupper air tight container or in the fridge. The second option is flawed. The jellybeans sweat as soon as they come out and it just looks horrible.. plus they are ridiculously hard to eat in the time of need.

Carrying jellybeans in my bag is also problematic, as again, once the packet is open they are not only hard to resist but it seems it is an open invitation for the ants to come to a party. My mother and I have been known to quickly snatch our bags from public view after looking down to see a trail of ants coming out!

So! I've been on the hunt in the candy section of the supermarket to see what else is on offer. Preferably something that is individually wrapped and has 10-15g carb per serve/packet. Also it would be great if the packet was flexible and water proof. Today I found these:

Monsters Inc Character Marshmallows. Now, yes may be they are for kids, buuuuut they have 10g fast acting carbs, are individually wrapped, waterproof, safe from ants, relatively easy to chew (no harder than jellybeans), flexible (can be jammed in my run belt), probably won't melt in my bag, have a long expiry date, and at $3 for a bag of 20 they are a bit of fun and very economical considering they seem to match everything on my wish list.

While I will not be eating these every time I go low, they seem very practical for certain situations. I'm not a fan of highly processed foods consisting of sugar, preservatives and colouring, but when I'm on the go and need a quick hit, I just want straight forward convenience. Plus sometimes it's nice to have a break from the jellybeans.

The only thing missing from here is taste.. I haven't gone low yet to try one... I'll have to post a review later!

I'd love to hear if anyone else feels the same about hunting for convenient low foods and if you've found some nifty ones that don't brake brake the budget.

Day 3: Memories

"Today we’re going to share our most memorable diabetes day. You can take this anywhere.... your or your loved one's diagnosis, a bad low, a bad high, a big success, any day that you’d like to share."

This photo was taken at a cafe in San Gimignano, Italy, about 8 years ago. This is one of my most memorable diabetes days.

It was the first time I'd ever spent a prolonged amount of time in a constantly cold environment (I'm from the tropics, 18 degrees is cold to me, and well at 16 my brain starts to freeze over!). We'd been travelling in Italy over Christmas and 20 minutes before this I had the lowest blood sugar I've ever had to this day. What's weird is that I didn't feel it at all, and only thought to check my blood sugar as the rest of the family were hungry and it seemed 'about time' that I should! 1.2! I couldn't believe it, and checked twice more. Once I sat down and saw that number, I off course suddenly started to feel it really badly. But being so cold, it was mainly just a foggy brain that had me freaking out a little, and hoping that I wouldn't have a panic attack in public. My beautiful little brother huddled next to me to get me warmer. That's when mum thought the two of us were rather cute and took this picture. I'm not sure where I found the energy to even smile.

My family forgets all this. They just remember what a great day we had. If I remind them of what happened moments earlier they respond with 'Ohhhhhhh, yeah! That's right!'. But when I look at this photo I can see it instantly, it's in my eyes, in my face, I am TOTALLY wreaked.

I now know to watch myself more closely in cold weather as I can't feel lows coming on so well. That combined with the extra exercise one gets when being a 'tourist' seems to bring more of them on as well. It's also a reminder that we as diabetics must always be actively conscious of managing our condition when we travel, as others, no matter how close to you they are, are also distracted and enjoying their holiday and may only think to step in once you've asked them to, or worse... once you've passed out!