I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 14. I am now 45. When I was diagnosed there were no blood sugar monitors. Instead we tested our urine to see how much sugar was being “spilled.” The syringes were a little thicker and the insulin not as good as it is now. Of course insulin pumps came out about 15-20 years ago but they were not very reliable at first and who wanted to wear a pump? I hated testing my blood sugar because I got such high readings that I mostly became discouraged. So, I took my insulin every morning and when the short acting stuff came out I tried using it but I was never able to get a real handle on it so I used it sometimes and sometimes not. My A1C’s were always between 7.8 and 9. An A1C is a blood test that measures your average blood sugar over a 3-4 month period of time. Normal is 6 or below. Good control is 6-7. Fair control is 7-8. Above 8 is too high. So I was not going super high but I surely was not under control. So that is what life was like with respect to the game of balancing blood sugars. A few years ago I had about enough. I had been gaining better control after I turned 35 and made some more responsible choices in my life. I began working out. I lifted weights, I walked, I jogged, I played golf and about six years ago I began going to yoga classes. And then about three years ago I made a significant shift in one of the most important aspects of balancing blood sugars. I decided to go on the pump. Since then life has gotten progressively better. Continue reading Conquering Type 1 (Juvenille) Diabetes →