Month: July 2015

Sunny Saturday at Sydney Harbour

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Seriously, Sydney is one of my favourite places in the world. Don’t get me wrong, Canberra was great. But as I was sitting in the taxi on the way from the airport to my hotel, my spark had well and truly returned. Drinking in the views of all these familiar places flying past me, I began to recall all of those awesome memories from last time I was here. And I was damn excited. Excited that I would be spending another week in this awesome city. The city that has by far cemented itself as my favourite city in Australia.

And this is just one of many reasons.

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Seriously, I reckon a day at Sydney Harbour can fix just about any problem in the world. And if it’s a sunny day, that’s just an added bonus. The sunshine, the hustle and bustle, and just soaking in the beauty of it all. Its amazing. There’s just nothing that even comes close to this back home in Perth. Its another one of those places where life just seems to come to a standstill. And with diabetes, we need all of those moments we can get!

When I was in Canberra, my BGL’s were pretty good by holiday standards. And most mornings there I woke up to pretty decent levels. But it is a LOT harder to avoid temptation here. There are so many amazing places to eat. And then there are those places that I just want to go to every day and stock up while I can.

Like for instance, the Cannoli at Rossini Cafe.

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One thing that I regretted not doing last time I was here was a tour of the Sydney Opera House. So, naturally, it was the first thing I wanted to do when I got here. After racing to the top of the stairs and attempting to open just about every door around the building, I finally realised that the proper entrance to the Foyer was tucked in about halfway up the stairs. I got my ticket, sat outside and did a quick check of my BGLs while I waited. A perfect 5.2.

The tour started, and we were treated to some more beautiful views, this time inside the building. There’s this reception room inside that’s been designed to make you feel like you’re on a cruise ship.

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And this theatre with its ‘donut’ ornaments on the ceiling.

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And an exclusive “side on” view of the building iteslf.

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When the tour finished an hour later, I was slightly hypo. 3.9 I think. Perfect excuse to head over to Rossini’s for another Cannoli!

Sydney Harbour is bloody amazing. It was just one of those picture perfect days that I’ll remember forever, and it was great to finally be able to tick the Opera House off of my list.

Enough With The Scare Tactics and Blame Games

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I’m disappointed with the approach that Diabetes Australia has taken towards this year’s National Diabetes Week campaign. You need only have a read of that poster to see that it paints a great, big sad picture of diabetes. A great, big sad picture of me and the 1.1 million other Australians living with this disease. And yet another diabetes stigma that I will have to combat. Another 280 people will be diagnosed with diabetes in Australia today, and that poster doesn’t give them much hope for a healthy life.

Look, I honestly get that type 2 diabetes is preventable. And if there’s something that we can do to reduce it’s impact on other lives, then I’m all for it. But I think in the midst of this campaign, Diabetes Australia may have forgotten that some of their audience following this campaign are people with already diagnosed diabetes.

And as a person with already diagnosed diabetes, I absolutely hate reading such demoralising statements. Diabetes is NOT a burden that I “will have to spend the rest of my life managing 24/7.” Its not a great burden on me, and most certainly not on my family. I can confidently say that I’ve done and achieved everything that I would have done regardless of my diabetes. If diabetes was a burden, I certainly wouldn’t have graduated from uni, travelled, worked and adventured. Hell, how would I even be able to get out of bed in the morning?

Yes, there certainly are days where diabetes does feel somewhat of a burden. But its the last thing I want to be told. Hearing those words out loud is demoralising. Its a put down. It’s enough to remind me, to reinforce to me those more difficult aspects of diabetes. It’s enough to make me lose my motivation. Its enough to ruin a good day. And I certainly wouldn’t even consider walking up to a friend and saying, “I feel so sorry for you, you will have to spend the rest of your life managing diabetes 24/7.”

And when that poster brings up the growing epidemic of diabetes, it just screams of the blame game. It seems to imply that its our fault. That we are doing something wrong. That somehow, I, and everyone like me, are a part of the problem. In the case of type 1 diabetes, I made my message loud and clear in yesterday’s post. There is no definitive cause to type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is not caused by a lack of exercise, a bad diet or unhealthy lifestyle. Its not my fault. Its not my family’s fault. It’s just another card that I’ve been dealt with to play in life.

And in the case of type 2 diabetes, an unhealthy lifestyle certainly isn’t the sole cause either. Things like genetics, family history, age, gestational diabetes and even ethnicity can play a part. And let’s not forget that some of those lifestyle factors are out of our control too. Things like slow metabolisms and actual chronic conditions that inhibit activity. And in the cases where diabetes may be caused by lifestyle factors, playing the blame game does very little to empower the newly diagnosed patient. And playing the blame game doesn’t help them in coming to terms with their diagnosis.

And then there’s the lovely list of complications. I’m haunted by the thought of complications. Every time that I’m not feeling right, I worry that maybe I’ve done something wrong. Every time that I see a bad reading, I think that maybe, just maybe, I’ve pushed my body to its limits and caused some kind of irreperable damage. I still get scared to this very day. And I’m in my twenties. What about all the poor type 1 kids out there who have to see these horrible images. What about the poor parents who have to go to bed at night with those horrible thoughts, worrying for their child’s future.

I don’t want to hear that I’m going to develop complications. I don’t want to hear that diabetes is somehow my fault. And I certainly don’t want to be painted a great, big sad picture of what my life will not be.

In my opinion, there’s a much better way of doing it.

Give me a campaign that empowers me to be healthy. Give me a campaign that empowers the whole world to be healthy. A campaign that uses great big words. Words like Conqueror. Warrior. Dominator. Gladiator. Survivor. Show me what a healthy life is capable of. Show me what a healthy life with diabetes is capable of. And make me want to go out there and be as healthy and happy as I can be.

HBF Health Insurance in Western Australia have the right idea. They have a fantastic marketing message that goes something like “it’s amazing what a healthy body can do.” Just check out their Facebook page – its flooded with bright, colourful images of healthy people, tips and advice for living well.

I would really love to see a campaign like this next year. I have the utmost respect for Diabetes Australia, but enough with the scare tactics and blame games.

Diabetes Australia’s National Diabetes Week 2015 runs from July 12-18, 2015. To find out more about the ‘280 a Day’ campaign and how you can get involved, click here. 

I Have Type 1 Diabetes, and It’s Not My Fault

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Happy National Diabetes Week to my fellow Aussie d-friends! This year’s campaign, ‘280 a Day,’ asks us to help raise awareness of the 280 Aussies who are diagnosed with diabetes every day.

Going by the stats on Diabetes Australia’s website, there are 1.1 million Aussies living with diabetes. 120,000, or 10.9% of those people have type 1 diabetes. And of those 280 people diagnosed a day, around 31 of them are told they have type 1 diabetes.

When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on May 9, 2010, there were 30 other people going through exactly the same thing I was. And although I wouldn’t have wished it on any of them, its a very comforting thought.

30 other people were feeling weak. Lethargic. Exhausted. Thirsty. Nauseated. Breathless. Constantly needing to urinate. Losing their saliva. And their appetite. There were 30 others out there who, just like me, were not feeling like themselves. There were parents, just like mine, who were starting to worry about their child’s deteriorating state. Other doctors across the nation were hearing patients recall those symptoms I was having. Its likely that there were others, like me, who were misdiagnosed. And there’s a very good chance that there was someone else, just like me, who had to be rushed to hospital with severe ketoacidosis.

There were 30 other lives that were changed permanently on the 9th of May, 2010. 30 other people had their very first blood glucose test. The first of thousands and thousands. 30 other people were told they would have to take insulin injections for the rest of their lives. And to overcome their fear of needles. And there were 30 other groups of loved ones feeling concern and uncertainty.

And there’s one thing that I would like to remind myself.

It’s not my fault.

I didn’t do anything to cause this. I didn’t do anything to deserve this. I didn’t have an unhealthy diet. I didn’t eat too much junk food. I didn’t have too much soft drink. I wasn’t a lazy person. I wasn’t overweight. I didn’t spend too much time in front of the television. My parents took good care of me. And my loved ones had a good influence on me.

Type 1 diabetes is a complete and utter mystery. And there is absolutely nothing I could have done to prevent it. But I have been able to live a relatively normal life. And hopefully, a long and healthy life.

I’ve still been able to enjoy cake.

I have still been able to visit some amazing places.

I’ve still been able to drink coffee.

…and eat Cannoli.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you that type 1 diabetes is your fault. And don’t let type 1 diabetes stop you from doing anything.

Diabetes Australia’s National Diabetes Week 2015 runs from July 12-18, 2015. To find out more about the ‘280 a Day’ campaign and how you can get involved, click here. 

Finding a Moment Away From Diabetes

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I’m sitting here, right now, staring out at the most beautiful view of the night sky. It’s incredible. It’s breathtaking. And I’m not even perched at the top of a windy lookout tower. I’m watching from the comfort of my hotel living room, thanks to its height and magnificent floor to ceiling windows. I could actually sit here for hours and hours staring endlessly at it.

I’m watching the headlights and break lights of cars illuminated in the night sky, trying to follow them with my eyes along those roads winding out of the city. Building lights and corporate names jump out at me among the sea of bright, colourful city lights that stretch for miles and miles. Lights that get smaller and smaller the further out that I look. Lights that start to twinkle when I focus my eyes on them, like the streets at Christmas time.

Down there is the rest of the world. The world that I’m usually a part of. A world where diabetes is ever present by my side. The streets that I walk each day, with my meter and insulin pen tucked safely in my jeans and jacket pockets. The day job that I try and focus on doing between the hours of 7 and 3, whilst my mind is caught up in the “I wonder what my blood sugar levels are” game. The foods that leave me with insulin dose and carb counting questions to answer. And the pillow that I can never rest my head upon at night with total certainty.

And then there’s here. Here, up above, I feel like I’m in my own little world. Tucked away in my corner, looking down and taking it all in. Right now, in this very moment, it feels like time has stopped. It feels as though, albeit temporarily, I get a break from that great big world. And from my friend diabetes that follows me around like a heavy backpack on my shoulder (sometimes).

Right now, I get a special moment. A moment where I don’t need to check my blood sugar. A moment where I don’t need to dial up an insulin dose. And a moment where I don’t need to correct a hypo. Its the closest I’ll ever get to being free from diabetes. In this one special moment, I can just sit here with my cup of tea and take it all in.

And it’s bloody amazing.

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Since When Did Restaurants Become Dictators?

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It really annoys me how arrogant restaurants are getting these days. Gone are the good old days where you could ask for what you wanted and businesses would happily cater to you. Here in Canberra, and even more so back home in Perth, the culture seems to be more and more of “this is what we’re giving you, take it or leave it.”

Hell, some of them don’t even seem to care whether you stay or leave. And a lot of them seem keen to kick you out the minute you’ve finished eating, quickly whisking away the plates and asking if you want to order desert. 

And last night’s dining experience in Canberra would have to top them all. The restaurant where we went for dinner with the family was one of the most bizarre places I’ve ever eaten in. Some of the things I had to hear in that restaurant were beyond a joke.

We wanted to order some bruschetta for a shared entrée, and my brother asked the waitress how many serves came on the dish. “It doesn’t really come in pieces. Its just one big piece, it’s not meant for sharing,” she replied. We got it anyway, figuring that we could just cut it up.

I overheard the large table behind us requesting a jug of soft drink, to which the waitress replied “we don’t do jugs, we only serve soft drinks by the glass.”

My sister also ordered a Pasta dish, and specifically requested it without Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, as she normally does. “Is that because you’re allergic?” The waitress asked, to which my sister replied “No, I just don’t like it.”

When I thought about this bizarre question my sister was asked, I remembered something odd that I had seen on the front page of the menu. I had struggled to understand what it meant up until then. It read something like:

“We will cater to allergies, but otherwise menu dishes cannot be changed.”

I could really empathise in this situation. I don’t significantly restrict my diet choices when I eat out. And I think a big part of that reason is because there aren’t a lot of restaurants that make me feel comfortable enough to ask for special requirements. It’s a big part of the reason why I’ll opt for table water rather than asking if there is a sugar-free beverage other than diet coke. And it’s a big part of the reason why I’ll shy away from sandwiches rather than asking if I could have multigrain bread.

Look, I’m not asking for a huge diabetes-friendly-carb-free-sugarless menu here. Part of the reason I do go out is to enjoy some of the foods I don’t get to have on a daily basis. But it would be nice if they could make an effort with some of those smaller things. Things that I know other health conscious people would appreciate, too. It would be nice if I could just ask a simple question without getting the third degree.

Melbourne seems to have the right idea. Walk into any of their laneways. Walk onto Lygon Street. You’ll quickly be greeted by a sea of restaurant owners vying for your business. They’ll ask you what you like, and they’ll make you some of those too-good-to-refuse offers. Like a free glass of wine, or a three course meal for $30. It’s a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. I feel comfortable, I have a great time, and I actually want to go back there.

But when I see restaurants who make a big deal over silly things like dinner condiments and drinking glasses, it makes me more inclined to stay home. And if that’s what eating out has become, then I’m sorry but I’ll have to leave it.