CWD News
Guten Tag from the Children with Diabetes Team
Guten Tag from the Children with Diabetes team! Last week, a small, but mighty group of CWD staff members grabbed our passports, packed our bags, and headed off to Berlin, Germany for the 16th International Conference on Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD). As your personal tour guide to this event, I’m here to share with you all of the highlights of last week’s amazing activities… from the remarkable exhibit hall to fun flavors of glucose tablets in the local grocery stores to lots of currywurst and wiener schnitzel and everything in between. We’ve been cleared for our take-off, […]
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Black History and Diabetes
Although there has been an uptick in reporting about racial and ethnic health disparities, the phenomenon is not new. As author Arleen Tuchman describes in her book, Diabetes: A History of Race and Disease, there is a long history of the medical field believing that there are biological differences between different races. This belief that race is a biological aspect of people has been disproven through the human genome project, but racial health disparities remain a significant challenge in the U.S. and throughout other parts of the world.1 Tuchman talks about how underdiagnosed type 1 diabetes has been throughout history […]
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Bumping While Pumping
Let’s talk about it Whether you feel comfortable talking about it or not, sex is a normal part of life. That’s right; we’re talking about sexual intimacy because, as usual, diabetes makes things more complicated. The key to ensuring healthy sexual intimacy with diabetes is honest communication. This can seem intimidating when you are in a newer relationship, but as the saying goes: “Honesty is the best policy.” Blood Sugars and Sex It can be difficult to talk about sex for many people due to the social stigma around sex. But without having conversations about your needs, you could be […]
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Confessions of a Diabetes Hoarder
I have a confession to make. I’m a diabetes supply hoarder…a diabetes supply “prepper”…a person who worries about the “diabetes apocalypse.” I know I’m not the only one, and in fact, we recently received a question to our CWD Answers section asking about what someone with diabetes could do if there were a zombie apocalypse. I’ve been this way for the last 10 years since my daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three. I think that it started during our diagnosis experience when we were still in the hospital learning about our new lives with […]
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Children with Diabetes…Preparing for Launch in 2023!
I’m sitting at the Orlando airport and am surrounded by travelers preparing to depart for their destinations across the country. Some are happily sipping their coffee and talking to their travel companions. Some are sleeping quietly while they wait to depart Orlando. Some are dealing with crying children or helping elderly parents and companions navigate the airport while they prepare for whatever is next on their agendas. I’m here, too. As I stare out the window waiting for the first glance of my incoming airplane, I can’t help but notice the crunchy orange armband on my wrist with the tiny smiley face. It’s my […]
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When the Parent has Diabetes
Your role as a parent is to teach your children as much as you can to prepare them for their future independence, or something like that. Your kids look to you for answers and guidance to many of life’s challenges. You teach them how to talk, walk, feed themselves, read, show empathy, wash dishes, do algebra, and hundreds of other things in their lifetime. You try to protect them from getting hurt in any way that you can, while knowing you won’t be able to keep them safe from many of life’s typical hardships. When you’re a parent with diabetes, […]
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This Year’s Resolution: Eat Healthy
January 1st is the beginning of a new year. A fresh start. Many people use this as motivation to set lofty goals focused on following a restrictive diet and/or losing weight, but the list of possible resolutions is endless. Unfortunately, many of these goals are left unmet within the first three weeks of the new year. Whether it’s because the goal was set too high or there was not enough motivation, I think it’s beneficial to start a new year with basic concepts of healthy eating and beginning each day as a fresh start to achieve that goal. What are […]
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Coping with Bullying and T1D
Living with diabetes means that everyday life looks a little different than without diabetes. We need to count the carbohydrates in our meals, check our blood sugar, take insulin. Some of us wear devices that help with diabetes management, and we often have to take care of ourselves a bit more than other folks. Diabetes and Bullying When you’re young, with or without diabetes, there are many pressures to “fit in” and be like everyone else. People with diabetes often feel badly about being different. Furthermore, some people are bullied about their diabetes, which can be really disheartening. According to […]
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“Sleigh” your Blood Sugar this Holiday Season
It’s that time of year again! Families will be gathering to share meals, drinks, and laughs for the winter holidays. When you have T1D, you’re likely preparing yourself for the added difficulties of managing blood sugars (and stress levels). Here are our curated tips for sleighing your blood sugar management this holiday season! Go to Gatherings with all your Diabetes Goodies Being prepared is a cornerstone of diabetes management, and when you’re going to be out for long hours with family, ensuring you have all the insulin, test strips, and anything else you may need will allow you to have […]
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Tzield: Delaying Diabetes
There have been some truly groundbreaking advances in diabetes over the past decade. With more accurate continuous glucose monitors, automated insulin delivery systems continue to get closer to the dream of a fully “closed-loop” system. New medications are also available for people with diabetes that help protect kidney and heart health, as well as improve time in range. And now, we have access to a drug that can help delay the onset of type 1 diabetes. How does it work? Teplizumab, or Tzield, is what’s called an immunomodulatory drug. This means that it disrupts the autoimmune process in the body, […]
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