Jada 🌥 @pancreaspokes - Tumblr Blog

Posts

I have been part of the Corinth Holders Marching Pirates for going on four seasons and I have had type one diabetes for nearly all of them. I was diagnosed on September 11, 2015 at the very start of my freshman year and first season. Marching with type one is the hardest thing I have done during my time with this disease but my struggles will be that last thing that will stop me from doing what I love.

Before my diagnosis, we blamed the symptoms on marching band….Losing an unholy amount of weight? Oh, it’s because of all the exercise! Dizzy after running before full ensemble? It’s just your body getting used to the constant movement. Why do you have stacks of water bottles on your night stand after camp is over? You’re just thirsty after a hard day’s work! Extremely tired and sad? That’s just what comes with the exercise!

Needless to say, we were wrong about my rollercoaster of emotions and weight change and I thank marching band for allowing us to pick out those symptoms. Every person on the field stretches, runs, dances, and more all while playing and holding up an instrument which can take a toll on my --and anyone’s for that matter-- blood sugars.

Sitting on the sideline while I fix my lows and listening to the band play is the hardest part of being a marcher with type one diabetes. As much as I have pushed myself through numerous lows to continue to march and have been told that it’s okay to take the time I need to take care of myself, I still struggle with having to put my part of rehearsal on pause while everyone else is still working hard. Despite my sideline sadness, continuing to perform past and through my diagnosis was the best decision I have made.

I have gained not only lows from marching band but amazing and supportive friends that always make sure I’m smiling and that I am proud to call my family. Without these group of kids, I don’t know if I would have the confidence to start Type Everyone or even speak out about type one diabetes; I would be a completely different person. Marching with type one has shown me that I am so much stronger than I think and can achieve my goals despite the highs and lows of my journeys (pun intended).

I thank those who make me laugh to wipe the tears from lows away or simply give me a warm “you got it!” smile, type one diabetes for proving my strength to me, and for the crazy amount of support I receive from the ensemble. My diagnosis changed my life but marching band has done so much more.

Picture Credit: Joey Montes

Type Everyone. 28 likes. Type Everyone is a support system for teens with Type One Diabetes in the 8th-12th grade. We would meet for fun, ad

diabetiquette

so at clinical today we had a guest speaker who was an endo nurse practitioner and gave a lecture on diabetes and this one thing she said i really liked and stuck with a bunch of my classmates

“diabetes is a disease of the pancreas, not of the mouth”

i know a lot of people think diabetes and think “too much food” “overweight” “lose weight and exercise and youll control your blood sugar” ((and thats even whats taught in my nursing classes two weeks ago - that lifestyle change comes before medication but thats not really the right path most of the time))

she also said that “if diabetes was a disease of the mouth, everyone would be diabetic.”

i just thought thats a little piece that we need to hold on to sometimes, that its the same as if you had any other organ failure, and isn’t your fault at all and you cant control what your body does sometimes

just-a-sinnamon-roll

What your doctor doesn’t tell you when you’re diagnosed with diabetes: 1. There’ll be nights when you stay up crying because you can’t get your blood sugar down. 2. There’ll be nights when you wake up so disoriented you don’t know where you are because your blood sugar dropped that low. 3. Trying to not let it interfere with your school and work life is impossible. 4. There’ll be times when you’re so frustrated you’ll just want to tear everything related to the disease off your body and throw it as far away as you can. 5. You’ll always be scared.

s0ftfuzzyman

in the mood for a fully functional pancreas rn

invisibly-here-foreverr

How hard is Diabetes?

A question asked So many times. My answer is usually different each time.

Diabetes is hard

Diabetes is really hard

Diabetes fuking sucks

I never can come up with something to really portray how it really feels.

Most people don’t even know what a pancreas is, or how it works.

SOOOOOOOOOOO

Imagine one day the doctors tell you your bladder or something quit out, like just a dead organ. There is NOTHING you can do about it, no cure. so the doctor tells you going to the bathroom is still a main funtion you need to survive. He tells you, now you have to manually get rid of the urine when your bladder is full. This is something you have to do EVERYDAY for the rest of your life. It fucking sucks, but hey you are not dead right? It just makes living a “normal” like so much harder.

I know bladder is kinda extreme, but roll with me.

This is what it is like.Type 1 Diabetes isn’t a choice, or food related. Its legitimately where an IMPORTANT organ stops functioning. So you have to manually be that organ. You have to fix your body. You have to play every role that organ plays. If you don’t, your body will pay the price.

Do you know how hard it is to be a human being filled with emotions, and all life has to bring PLUS function for a dead organ? It’s pretty hard.

But, then again, i’ts life.

We do the best we can. We try our hardest to keep pushing, and keep moving, and be happy.

heshtagswegmoney

Important

If any of you are diabetic or know someone who is diabetic please please know the warning signs of low blood sugar and what can be done to correct it. Each person is affected differently by low sugar, but most everyone shows signs at one point.

Some of the most common signs are: 1. Sudden drowsiness (falling asleep in class, nodding off in the car, etc.) 2. Sudden hunger ( usually craving something sweet. That’s the body’s way of saying that it needs sugar) 3. Slurred speech (this is sort of like being drunk. Speech might be very slurred and might not make sense at all.) 4. Extreme confusion ( forgetting name, place, other people.) 5. In serious cases diabetics can have seizures or go into a coma just because of low blood sugar.

What to do if you or someone you know does experience a low blood sugar: 1. Eat or drink something with sugar (fruit or fruit juices work well) 2. Eat or drink something with protein (the protein will help keep the blood sugar up ) 3. DO NOT let the person behind the wheel of a car. (Driving with a low blood sugar can have the same effects as driving while highly intoxicated. The risk of injury increase immensely for everyone involved.) 4. Carry a Glucagon ( this is a shot that every diabetic should have with them. It should be injected into the upper thigh/ butt if the person is not able to eat or drink anything. Ultimately this is the last resort before calling 911.) 5. Call 911 if needed. ( please do not be afraid to call for help. A low blood sugar can lead to brain damage or even death if not treated properly. 6. Be sure to get to know the warning signs. ( talk to your doctor about what can be expected from both a low or high blood sugar.) 7. Keep an eye on your blood sugar ( with new technology such as the continuous glucose meters available, it may seem unnecessary to continue manually checking your sugar. But these are machines. They are not always right and they should be calibrated AT LEAST every 12 hours.)

I had an incident with a low blood sugar today that could have been fatal. My blood sugar got to below 20. My CGM told me my blood sugar was over 80 (which is still slightly low but not unreasonable). If my step father had not picked me and my sister up from school, I would have passed out behind the wheel of the car and most likely caused a major accident. By the time we got home I was dizzy and confused and I nearly cracked my head on the stairs. Had he not acted immediately, I could be in a coma or dead by now.

Please please don’t be embarrassed by having diabetes. Tell people about it and what they can do if something happens. If anyone has any questions or comments or just want to talk about having/ caring for diabetes feel free to contact me at any time.

typeonediabuddies

sugargetsmehigh

When you find out you forgot to bolus for high carb food

sugargetsmehigh

When you walk through the house while low

dancingbirdjane

Me @ diabetes: You suck

Diabetes: .....

Me: ......

Diabetes: *tries to kill me*

pancreaspokes

CALLING ALL T1D

I am starting a super fun support group for teens in the 8th-12th grade with t1d in the RDU area! Type Everyone is hosting their first meeting on June 30th. Read below for more information about the group and visit the Facebook page to read more about the meeting

——————————————————————————————-Hello, I’m Jada Sanchez I am a senior in high school. I have marched baritone horn for going on four years and am an Ambassador in Girl Scouts. I love tacos, dogs, music, riding rollercoasters, and shopping.

In addition to being your average 16 year old girl, I have been a Type One Diabetic for two years and counting.My diagnosis was rough; I was filled with indeniel, fear, and loneliness. I was worried that I would not be able to make friends, find anyone with type one, and that I would struggle to do things I once did before.

Talking to other diabetics, I know that my emotional rollercoaster is not uncommon. I have talked to a few individuals who are struggling with depression linked to type one diabetes and a friend who is dealing with the loss of their best friend who died from the complications of this disease.I felt alone in a crowd of people and I want to be here to help change that feeling for you.

Type Everyone is a support group for teens with Type One Diabetes in the 8th-12th grade. We would meet for fun, advice, and completing projects that will raise awareness all while creating great memories. (This isn’t your average support group! We would have social nights at fun places, create art to raise awareness, and other service projects to help t1d around us.)

Please feel free to contact me if you are interested and for more information!

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TypeEveryone/