I love the addage that technology is a blessing and a curse. It is, in so many ways that we are ALL familiar with. However, I want to focus this post on how amazing technology has become for me in particular and my health issues. 

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I tested my blood sugars about 4/5 times a day and took about 4/5 insulin shots each day as well to regulate my constantly changing sugar levels. It was a pain (literally), but it had to be done. Then, when I entered college, I started on the insulin pump to help me control my sugars. At that time, it was a pretty new development that hadn’t been perfected yet. It was awesome not having to give myself so many shots, but I was very vain at that age and hated seeing it. I tried every way I could to hide it from the public, and it was kind of a nuisance to set up, clean, etc. Plus, the tubing kept getting caught on doorknobs, etc. so I just stopped using it and went back to shots. (I am now on a tubeless pump called the Omnipod and I LOOOOVE it!) Then came the CGM (continuous glucose monitor) which you put on once every 10 days and it checks my sugars once every 5 minutes without having to prick my fingers! Woohoo! Now, the two of them work together so that the CGM can let my pump know when my sugars are getting high/low and the pump will adjust to fix it! How amazing is that? I’ve been on this combination for several years now, and I’ve had the best control of my diabetes I’ve ever had in my life!

I finally had my appt with my cardiologist this week to discuss what my “bigger picture” looked like with my heart, and he shocked me by saying that my heart was very scarred up. (What’s with all my organs getting scarred up? I bet my insides look like a monster! haha) The problem with this is that the scarring can prevent my heart from pumping/beating normally. So, he’s put me on a heart monitor that I have to wear for the next week. He also said that we need to start planning on having a defibrillator surgically implanted in my heart within the next few years! While I’m a bit shocked to hear this, I’m also in awe at this type of technology that can literally save my life! ”Widow-maker” heart attacks run in my family history, so this is definitely something I’m glad to possibly have in my future! (Oh, and for those asking, he said he would absolutely push forward with me getting a kidney…whew!)

So, I now have a dialysis catheter on one side of my chest, a heart monitor on the other side of my chest, a CGM on my arm, and an insulin pump on my belly. (Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!!! And yes, I did just do “the robot” while singing that out loud.) I know it’s romantic to dream about what it would have been like to live in past time periods, but with all this innovation, I’m perfectly happy to be living in the here and now, thank you! I would be dead a long time ago if I lived at any other time. It makes me think of my family members who died from all this stuff that I’m now going through and wonder how much longer they could have lived had they had this type of progression when they were here! 

So, here’s to another year of *hopefully* further progress and positive changes! I know my year is going to be full of hope and promise. I hope yours is too! 

Link to donate – http://www.LivingDonorFortWorth.org

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Things I’m thankful for today:

1.  The obvious stated above.

2. Flannel-lined leggings. They saved me this morning when I went to dialysis and it was about 20 degrees out! 

3. My dad’s man-cave. He was diagnosed with COVID this week, so while he’s been recouping in the solitary confinement of his man-cave, he at least has a comfortable room with tons of entertainment to keep him occupied. I hope he tests negative soon! We miss you dad!

4. Chewy Sweet Tarts and Skittles. While I’ve been on liquid restrictions, these have saved me during my sugar lows vs. the usual juice I typically use. It’s kind of fun to have this change of taste, however, it’s not so fun trying to stuff my face with tangy sweet candies at 3am when I just want to go back to sleep. hahaha…