D-versary day

Wow. Where did the summer go??

I had to post today since today is my 35 year d-anniversary day. It was 35 years ago today that I went to my pediatrician for my back to school (1st grade) physical. They did a random urinalysis and I was diagnosed with diabetes. My clinic was so small that it didn't have a lab in it, so I was sent to Minneapolis Children's Hospital for a blood test. Back then, I had to have a venous blood draw. Fast forward an hour from then and I was being admitted to the hospital with Type 1 diabetes. I stayed a week, so my parents could learn all about the big D. I didn't start insulin until sometime in September, as I was honeymooning and the doctors didn't think I needed to start insulin until my blood sugars were really high.

35 years later and I celebrate all my hard work. Living with diabetes for a long time takes a lot of persistence and hard work. (and also a heck of a lot of guessing!) I celebrate because I am proud of tackling this disease day in and day out. I'm proud that I see my endo once or twice a year, and that is the only specialist that I need to see. I'm proud (and really lucky!) that my only diabetes complication is hypoglycemia unawareness. And I'm happy that I have good friends and family (and a great dog!) who stick with me and help during the challenging times.
Of course, as always, I'll be celebrating my hard work with chocolate cake (with chocolate ganache) and good beer. (Beck's light, in case you're wondering)

Dixie and I just returned from our yearly wilderness canoe trip.

This year we ventured into the Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. We had to mail away for Remote Border Crossing Permits (RABC, so we could enter at a little cabin on Basswood Lake) and carry our passports. The trip was much more rugged than I've ever done before. The mosquitoes were worse than they've been in a couple years. The weather was beautiful. Daytime highs in the mid-70s and nighttime lows in the mid-50s. Dixie was a star. She has learned how to do "remote alerts." She sits in the middle of the canoe (on top of a pack), and I sit in the back. Several times she looked back at me and lifted her paw to hit the pack that she was on. I tested and was able to catch lows. Really, during the entire trip, I only had 5 lows. That's 8 days of rugged exercise with only 5 LOWS!! Amazing. Dixie was able to alert when I was still in the average range, and I could make adjustments by turning down my basal rate (or turning it off) or having some gel.

It's hard to believe that school workshops start in two weeks, and I'll be back to work. Honestly, where does the time go?

Cheers!
Molly and Dixie