Leighann Calentine's Blog, page 21

3 Little Diabetes Things: Insulin, Insulin, Insulin

Summary: Insulin pricing is a hot button topic with politicians like Bernie Sanders questioning pricing and profits. Lilly Diabetes met with patients and caregivers about pricing and then turned around and increased the price of Humalog nearly 8%.

I’m quite frankly disgusted that Eli Lilly sees such enormous profits on insulin and continues to raise prices. When Banting and Best discovered insulin they did not intend to make a profit off of it, rather they gave the patent away. They had altr...

3 Little Diabetes Things: Trust the Patient, US Soccer Jordan Morris, Before It’s Too Late PSA

I sometimes have a “little” something to say about diabetes…

Trust the Patient

As a parent of a child with a chronic medical condition, I identified with so much of this. Trust the patient (or parent) because they are expert in what is needed and it’s not always by the book.

I could have quoted so many relevant passages! Here’s just one:

In the last century, much of health care was acute care, and hospitals and providers were perceived as the experts. Patients were expected to let go and le...

Kids First Diabetes Second Book Excerpt: Moving Toward Independence

Summary: This post is the first of two that will discuss giving your teen with type one diabetes more independence. Even though Q isn’t quite a teenager yet, we have transitioned a lot of her daily care to her.

Moving Toward Independence

At a diabetes camp geared toward parents of adolescents, an experienced counselor stood in front of a group of anxious parents and said something they didn’t expect to hear. Instead of telling parents to let go, he told them not to push for complete independ...

3 Little Diabetes Things: Adventure, DKA, Hospital Gowns

Summary: This “3 little diabetes things” post includes a book about finding adventure, a DKA awareness campaign, and really cool custom made hospital gowns for teens.

I sometimes have a “little” something to say about diabetes…

Adventure On

Erin Spineto has got to be one of the coolest people living with type one diabetes!

Referring to all the day to day diabetes management Erin says, “It’s finding the motivation to keep doing it.” Her motivation is the prospect of adventure. In her new book...

Easter 2017

Summary: Don’t fret about Easter…here are some posts that will help you get through it, especially if this is your first holiday with type one diabetes. Includes over 50 non-candy Easter basket ideas!

50+ Non-Candy Easter Ideas

Counting Jelly Beans For Easter

Kids First, Diabetes Second Book (There’s a chapter called “Less Stress, More Happiness” that talks A LOT about these types of issues.)

The Thrill of the Hunt (excerpt from Kids First, Diabetes Second)

More posts about candy alternativ...

{3 Little Diabetes Things} 03.20.2017

Summary: In this month’s round up of 3 little diabetes things, I’m sharing an article about CGM use in people who don’t have type 1 diabetes, an article and video showing how an abducted woman used her insulin pump to escape, and why I snap a photo when there is a diabetes device malfunction.

I sometimes have a “little” something to say about diabetes…

CGM Use in Non-T1D

Given that CGM costs so much for people with type one diabetes who actually need to use a continuous glucose monitor to m...

Kids First Diabetes Second Book: Saving Money!

Summary: This excerpt from the book Kids First, Diabetes Second gives several tips on saving money on medical supplies and prescriptions for people with type one diabetes.

Unfortunately managing type 1 diabetes takes a lot of time and money. In this excerpt from my book Kids First, Diabetes Second I share some tips on saving money on supplies, prescriptions, and taxes. Are there other ways that you save money while managing T1D?

Saving Money

You have a long list of supplies that you need t...

Low Blood Sugar Kits For Theatre And Other Activities

Summary: For theatre tech week and performances and for other activities, we create low blood sugar kits that are easily accessible.

Q is very active in local theatre and music. If your child does theatre, you know that tech and performance week can be grueling. They have long hours, lots of dancing, irregular eating schedules, and nerves. These can lead to both low and high blood sugars.

We do our best to be prepared for this by making sure she eats, especially if she has two performances i...

Self-Care for Parents of Children with Type One Diabetes: Get Started

Summary: As caregivers to a child with type one diabetes, most of us put our child’s needs before own own. This is the first in a monthly series about self-care.

Self care is never a selfish act.

I sort of had an awakening these past six months that made me take a look at myself and figure out what I needed to do to improve my quality of life. I found myself overweight and with chronic pain and knew that I needed to get myself back on track. My doctor gave me the goal of losing 10 pounds by m...

Self-Care for Parents of Children with Type One Diabetes: Getting Started

Summary: As caregivers to a child with type one diabetes, most of us put our child’s needs before own own. This is the first in a monthly series about self-care.

Self care is never a selfish act.

I sort of had an awakening these past six months that made me take a look at myself and figure out what I needed to do to improve my quality of life. I found myself overweight and with chronic pain and knew that I needed to get myself back on track. My doctor gave me the goal of losing 10 pounds by m...