Miami Bound

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In writing this post aboard a flight from Dallas to Miami, the 2nd flight in today's journey across North America, from the Pacific Northwest to the Caribbean waters of Florida. I'll be spending the next four days in Miami for a National Event hosted by ViSalus.

Tomorrow night over 20,000 Visalians will converge on the American Airlines Arena for an event featuring non-stop excitement. We will cheer, learn, congratulate, and party our way through the weekend.

For the next four days diabetes goes on hold for me. A strange and foreign idea, but Dylan is still at d-camp, and I am traveling alone (well, as alone as you can get with 20,000+ coworkers) for the first time in ten years. No spouse, no kids, no diabetes. Just me and a weekend of learning how to further share the world's largest and most successful health platform.

To say the feeling is odd wouldn't do it justice. No D? It's a foreign concept. Alien even.

Local Diabetes Day Camp Just Announced!

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The DEC clinic at Lions Gate Hospital (operating out of the West Vancouver Community Center) is offering a week long day camp August 20-24. The camp is fully supervised by LGH staff and will include some diabetes education, with a focus on having fun. Participants will go different exciting adventures everyday - including going up Grouse Mountain for a day, and pitch & putt golfing at Ambleside Park! Cost for the week is only $50. For more information, call 604-984-5752.

Taking Responsibility

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July is almost at a close already...where did the month go?

I feel completely out of touch with the blogging world lately, and with my DOC family. I have been so absent this month; I've barely posted at all, I've missed every DSMA this month (though I will be participating tonight!), and haven't even been keeping up with reading my fave blogs.

Why? I'm not totally sure why. I've actually been far less busy than usual. There has been a colossal amount of stress in our household over the past 2 months and it's affecting my ability to manage my time wisely. Everything seems to take longer than it should and require more effort than it should. I guess I've been depressed. Regardless, it hasn't been good and I've had enough.

Thankfully, this is something that is within my power to change. So here it is: my public declaration to get my life back on track; to pick myself up, dust myself off, and become present in my own life again. Starting today I will:

• blog regularly again (at least 5 days a week)
• participate in DSMA every week
• stay up-to-date with my blog reading 
• continue to build meaningful connections with my DOC family
• keep track of how I am managing my time, by recording the activities I'm doing and for how long
• get back into a regular exercise routine
• limit what I put into my body (no alcohol, no grains, no processed foods, no sugar except that in fruit)

I'm excited to see the changes take effect!!

Diabetic Ice Cream Social Is Back!

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August 4th marks the second annual world-wide Diabetic Ice Cream Social!! Celebrating life, independence, creativity, and, of course, diabetes, the 2nd annual social has a very clear purpose: to show the world that people with diabetes can and will eat ice cream (or anything else they want, for that matter). The event is to happen August 4th, anytime, anywhere.

Too many times I have been told that my son cannot, or should not, eat this or that because it contains too much sugar. After six and a half years with type 1 diabetes, even people in our extended family will still ask me, "Can he eat this?" before serving him a piece of birthday cake at a family celebration. His standard response, "As long as I tell my pump," does not always resonate with them, no matter how many times he says it. Nor do my more detailed explanations of how with diabetes he must count carbohydrates, not sugar, and that he can essentially eat anything he wants, whenever he wants, as long as we bolus for the appropriate amount of insulin. Will we be eating ice cream on the 4th? You can count on it!!


For more info, there is a Facebook page created specifically for this event, and it can be found here. I have taken this event description directly from the Facebook site: 

"This event is meant to showcase that we can LIVE, and THRIVE as Diabetics, and enjoy ourselves... That we do not have limits on life, and that we can live within our boundaries of moderation, education, and common sense. CELEBRATE your life every day... And laugh in the face of ignorance. 


It doesn't matter how you eat your ice cream... Have one scoop or two, if you please, have it sugar free if you must, you can certainly have it low carb, or lactose free, or made with almond milk, you can have it be made of fruit, or a sorbet... Heck, you can even have a different treat, altogether, if you don't even like ice cream! :) (But try to have something that you typically would enjoy, and people would wrongly 'police' you and tell you that you can't eat it.) The point is... WE DIABETICS ARE CREATIVE, SAVVY, AND WE HAVE OPTIONS... AND WE KNOW OUR BODIES. 


And NO ONE should tell us what we can, or cannot eat. We CHOOSE what we want to eat, and what we can handle... And we have glucose meters, and a vast array of glucose control tools to help us make our decisions!"


Thanks to Lizmari, Katrina, Debbie, Michelle, Lara, and Britt for organizing this terrific event!

And feel free to "friend" me on Facebook (Jen Leslie Aragon) so I can add you to the invite list!

Saturday Shake-Up ~ July 28th

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"GO"berry Banana Smoothie

A combination of the Vi Shape nutritional shake mix and the ViSalus "GO" energy drink provides a double-dose of nutrients, energy, and wellness.

1/2 cup of frozen (unsweetened) blueberries
1/2 fresh banana
1 (2 fl. oz) bottle ViSalus GO
1/2 cup water
2 scoops Vi Shape shake mix

This smoothie is sure to wake you up and get you ready to tackle your day!

Nutritional Information 212 Cal, 1.7g fat, 36.9g carbs, 8.9g fiber, 13g protein.
Bonus: Vitamin E 50%, Thiamin 100%, Niacin 100%, Vitamin B6 100% (Based on a 2000 Calorie diet)

Autism Linked to Mom's Diabetes

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Mothers who are obese or who have diabetes appear to be more likely to have children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism....According to Paula Krakowiak, MS, a PhD candidate at the MIND Institute at the University of California Davis, and colleagues, maternal obesity was associated with greater odds of the offspring receiving a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.56) or a developmental delay (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.20 to 3.61) by age 5. A combination of maternal metabolic conditions was associated with a range of impairments in the children's development, the researchers reported.Susan Hyman, MD, of the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., who is the chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' autism subcommittee, called the findings provocative. Although the observational study could not prove causal relationships, Hyman said the findings suggest that maternal metabolic disorders are contributing causes to autism and other developmental disorders.Roughly one in every 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a recent estimate from the CDC, and one in every 83 has another developmental delay.Hyman also said that if maternal metabolic conditions are adding to the burden of autism, it is likely a small contribution. She noted that other factors related to obesity that were not captured in the database could be involved in the relationships. She added that mothers of children with disabilities often scrutinize everything they did, ate, and were exposed to during their pregnancy to try to find an explanation.But, she said, "At the time of your child's diagnosis, that's all ancient history. What you have to concentrate on is what you can do, what are effective interventions ... being proactive and changing what you can change is really what research is all about. It's not about pointing fingers."Krakowiak agreed, noting that the study is preliminary and cannot prove cause and effect; it is possible there are other factors involved that independently affect obesity and autism. "So I would definitely not want moms to feel guilty for having any one of these conditions, and that being a cause of their child's disorder," she said.The exact cause of autism has not been identified, but both genetics and environmental factors are believed to be involved. Previous studies have identified an association between diabetes during pregnancy and general developmental impairments in the offspring, although research examining the relationship with autism has yielded mixed results.To further explore issue, Krakowiak and colleagues turned to the CHARGE (Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment) study, an ongoing case-control study of children born in California. The current analysis included 1,004 children ages 2 to 5 -- 517 with an autism spectrum disorder, 172 with other developmental delays, and 315 with typical development.All of the children were evaluated using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), which assessed cognitive and adaptive development, respectively. The specific metabolic conditions assessed among the mothers were obesity, hypertension, and diabetes (either gestational diabetes or type 2 diabetes) during pregnancy.All three of the metabolic conditions were more frequent among the mothers of children with an ASD or other developmental delay. Combined, the rates were 28.6% for mothers of children with an ASD, 34.9% for mothers of children with a developmental delay, and 19.4% for mothers of typically developing children.After adjustment for sociodemographics and other factors, mothers who had one of the three conditions were more likely to have a child diagnosed with an ASD (OR 1.61) or developmental delay (OR 2.35).Maternal hypertension alone was not related to either outcome, and maternal diabetes was associated with greater odds of having a child with a developmental delay (OR 2.33), but not autism. Maternal obesity was associated both with ASD and developmental delay among the children.Among the children with an ASD, maternal diabetes was associated with "relatively small" impairments in expressive language. Among the children without an ASD, the combination of maternal conditions was associated with a wide range of deficits in cognition and adaptive development.Although a case-control study cannot prove cause and effect, there are some possible mechanisms to explain a relationship between maternal metabolic conditions and a child's neurodevelopment, according to Hyman.Maternal glucose, but not insulin, can cross the placenta. If the mother has elevated levels of glucose, the fetus will have to produce more insulin. The increased oxygen demand that results can induce intrauterine tissue hypoxia. Poorly regulated maternal glucose could also result in iron deficiency in the fetus. Both hypoxia and iron deficiency can harm the developing brain.An alternate explanation is that the proinflammatory cytokines present in mothers with metabolic conditions may impair fetal neurodevelopment.Hyman said all of these explanations are hypothetical and need to be studied further."I think that we have to look at this as a call to our society that there are multiple implications of the obesity epidemic that we need to consider, and that we need to be proactive in what we can do," she said. "What we can do is we can eat healthy and exercise, and this is a positive suggestion for change. There are so many things we can't change. We can change this."

Most diabetes amputations 'preventable'

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An estimated 80% of lower limb amputations in people with diabetes are preventable, a charity has revealed.

In Northern Ireland, there were 199 diabetes-related amputations last year.

A campaign has been launched aimed at putting a stop to preventable amputations.

'Putting Feet First' by Diabetes UK Northern Ireland wants to reduce diabetes-related amputations by 50% within five years.

Diabetes is a serious condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high.

People with Type 1 diabetes do not produce any insulin which is needed in order to control the levels of glucose in the blood. Those with Type 2 diabetes produce an insufficient amount of insulin - or can be insulin resistant.

If blood glucose levels are not maintained at normal levels, it can lead to long-term complications such as heart disease, stroke and amputation.

There are currently 73,500 people diagnosed with diabetes in the region.

Iain Foster, the charity's National Director, said: "A single preventable amputation is one too many so the fact that hundreds of people in Northern Ireland have endured unnecessary foot amputations is nothing short of shameful."

Amputations have a devastating effect on quality of life and so every amputation that results from poor healthcare is a tragedy.

Iain Foster
He explained that diabetic foot problems arise from reduced circulation and damaged nerve endings.

He said a big part of bringing this to an end is giving people with diabetes information about how to look after their feet.

The charity wants everyone with diabetes to get a thorough annual foot check and for a specialist diabetes foot care teams for foot ulcers to deal with referrals within 24 hours.

"Many people with diabetes aren't even aware that amputation is a potential complication. We also need to make sure that people with diabetes understand what healthcare they should be getting."

Mr Foster said there are opportunities within the current healthcare system for problems to be detected early - and treatment obtained - before complications set in.

The campaign will include working with healthcare professionals in GP practices and areas, such as A&E departments, to increase awareness of the signs of early complications and the need for a quick referral to specialist staff.

He added: "Quality of care makes a big difference to amputation rates. Foot ulcers can deteriorate in a matter of hours so failing to refer someone quickly enough can literally be the difference between losing a foot and keeping it."

"It is a scandal that needs to be brought to an end."