Author Archives: Tracy Gnadinger

30 Days With Diabetes: Mental Health

Posted in Diabetes, Mental Health, Type 1 by

I’ll be honest. It’s been a rough week. I appreciate those of you who have stuck with this series – your feedback has been invaluable and such a positive light at the end of the tunnel.

And when it comes to managing an incurable chronic condition, mental health is so important to my physical well-being. I wouldn’t say I’ve been depressed this week, but I have been feeling depleted due to stress, anxiety and disappointment.

It can be hard to stay on top of my diabetes management when I’m feeling this way. And then there’s this underlying feeling that no matter what I do, things are not going to get better. I’m sure many people thought a cure was on the horizon when insulin came to market a little less than one hundred years ago.  Continue reading →

30 Days With Diabetes: The Beach

Posted in Diabetes, Medical Supplies, Travel, Type 1 by

The sun is my best friend in the midst of this new monsoon season in DC. But it’s more like a distant acquaintance with my insulin.

Heat aka long hours exposed to the sun can reduce the effectiveness of my insulin therefore impacting my blood sugar levels therefore impacting my overall quality of life.

Unfortunately, the pod that carries my insulin is usually exposed in a bathing suit. Today, it was under my left arm. Tomorrow, it could be on my stomach. Continue reading →

30 Days With Diabetes: Insulin Breakthrough

Posted in Diabetes, Medical Supplies, Type 1 by

Prior to this day 97 years ago, a future with a diabetes diagnosis looked pretty bleak.

As recently as 1920, doctors gave newly diagnosed diabetics mere weeks (or days) to live. Fortunate patients might break months, or, in rare cases, a year. But mostly, patients would enter diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and die soon after their diagnosis. (Beyond Type 1)

Even though I often tout the amazing advancements in diabetes management on this blog and advocate for access to those advancements, it’s nice on occasion to remember how far we’ve come and the transformation breakthroughs like insulin really provided for people like me. Continue reading →

30 Days With Diabetes: Basal Rate

Posted in Diabetes, Travel, Type 1 by

Managing Type 1 diabetes involves more than just giving myself an insulin injection before I eat. It’s a basal-bolus routine.

A basal-bolus routine involves taking a longer acting form of insulin to keep blood glucose levels stable through periods of fasting and separate injections of shorter acting insulin to prevent rises in blood glucose levels resulting from meals.

It gets more complicated. My basal rate – the amount of insulin I take in between meals – changes from week to week, day to day and hour to hour. This can depend on my schedule (weekend vs. weekday vs. traveling), hormones, exercise and even stress.

Here’s a breakdown of the basal rates I have preset within my personal diabetes manager (what I use to administer insulin via the pod attached to my skin). Continue reading →

30 Days With Diabetes: Sleep Empathy

Posted in Diabetes, Type 1 by

Because the DC metro sucks, I’m back to taking the bus to and from work. Today, on my way home, an older gentleman sat next to me, and for the next 30 minutes continued to nod off in my direction. Although perturbed by the unwarranted intrusion to my personal space, I empathized with the man.

Prior to my diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes, there were two telltale signs that my pancreas wasn’t working correctly (besides the excessive thirst and therefore frequent trips to the bathroom):  Continue reading →

30 Days With Diabetes: Blood Sugar Mayhem

Posted in Diabetes, Type 1 by

Last night, I received an impromptu invite to see Patton Oswalt at the Kennedy Center. I thought, sure, why not? Even with the torrential downpour, who can pass up a free comedy show? (The show was great, by the way.) But as a result, I didn’t have time to eat a proper dinner. And the night that ensued with my blood sugar was tumultuous at best. See for yourself.

Continue reading →

30 Days With Diabetes

Posted in Diabetes, Medical Supplies, Type 1 by

I’ve recently been in a few conversations with strangers and friends about how much I do on a daily basis to manage this thing called Type 1 diabetes. It’s the norm for me, but for many, it’s hard to reconcile what living in a body that doesn’t “quite” work actually feels like.

In an effort to commit more time to this blog and showcase what life is really like with Type 1 on a daily basis, I’ve challenged myself to post about it once a day for the next 30 days. I’m going to title this series, 30 Days with Diabetes. I promise (with the exception of this one), they will be short posts – some may even show up in photo or video form. Continue reading →

I’m Finding My Creative Energy Again

Posted in Personal by

Last month, I was fortunate to take 1.5 weeks of paid vacation. This is the first time in my career where I’ve been in a position to do so. Having just bought a car for the first time in eight years, I couldn’t justify the funds to make an epic journey across the globe.

Instead, I went to visit my family for the Kentucky Derby, taking one of my good friends with me. It was her first visit to Louisville, and one of the best times to be in the city. When we returned to Maryland, I took the rest of the week off to rest and recharge.

My first ever stay-cation.

What Would It Be Like to Write Full Time?

I decided I would take those five days and focus solely on my writing – whether that be content for this blog, my book or additions to my fictional “spy” story. And it was wonderful. I wrote about 3,000 words per day. I realized early on in the week that I can’t sit for very long. So, I took walks during the day. Sometimes, I had bourbon in the afternoon. Because I could. Continue reading →