Testing testing everywhere!
We promised to bring you the winning stories from the previous issue of Accu-Chek news. Congratulations to Amy and Aaron you both win a $100 Westfield voucher. Choosing the winning entries is very difficult, there are so many great stories - you can read a selection of those here. Send us your story for your chance to win too!
Name: Aaron
Story: I don't know the number of times that I've left my insulin and glucose tester at home over the last 18 years - it must be at least 100 or more! Sometimes you can blame waking with high BG and not having a brain to remember much of anything but you would still think that the smelly little vial insulin (that reminds me of a hospital in a liquid form and keeps me alive) and you tester would be something that I would remember without fail. Apparently not though.
At the moment I happen to work no more than 10 minutes drive from where I live so I can easily 'go to a meeting' and zip home for it. The same can't be said for the time that I very stupidly gave my backpack to my best friend to look after while I went to the toilet though. The story goes like this…
I'm in a small Russian village on the trans-Siberian from Moscow to Mongolia and it's our first stop after leaving the capital of Russia. I've just spend hours doing testing while the train is incessantly rocking away to clack clack, clack clack and so I jump off the train for the 20 minute stop to test and inject on solid ground without stabbing myself inadvertently due to some unexpected lurch of the carriage. My best friend and I pile off together and I do my test and injection and then pass my backpack to her to go refresh and myself in the bathroom (the one on the train isn't so flash thanks to some Dutch guys that drank too much vodka!) and I come back out to see my friend isn't there waiting.
Long story short, my friend forgets that the train doesn't care if she isn't on it when it leaves and she also forgets that she has all my insulin, my tester, my passport, wallet and other valuables that I didn't want to leave sitting in the train for someone to steal from our cabin. We get back onto the train which is moving away from said Siberian village while she is running beside it with us pulling her in and me beside myself. So, I get my insulin, don't die of insulin depravation in a shelled out ex-soviet hospital in the middle of Siberia and am quite pleased to be able to tell you about it from above ground!
Moral of the story - keep your tester and insulin on you!
Name: Amy
Story: I just wanted to share my experience of being a pregnant diabetic. After having a miscarriage, I later experienced a textbook trouble free pregnancy, aside from the fact I was diabetic. Being a diabetic pregnant woman came with its difficulties. The entire pregnancy was definitely an experience. Fortnightly clinic visits, frequent scans and almost hourly blood glucose testing. I recall being bombarded with all the risks and what ifs and painstakingly trying to maintain near perfect blood glucose levels in the fear of causing some harm to my baby. I recall trying so hard for so long, only to find my blood glucose levels went up uncontrollably simply due to hormone changes, leaving me on edge and devastated when I all of a sudden realised there was really little I could do to avoid such hiccups. At antenatal class I remember everyone asking questions like, "what if when I get to the birthing centre, the birthing pool isn't free?", or "I am determined to have a home birth!
" For me those seemed like choices I couldn't even consider, I didn't really have the luxury of imagining a water birth that's for sure, a hospital birth with legs in the air, which would probably lead to a caesarean at the drop of a hat, was basically my lot, I had thought! After being completely prepared for induction at 38 weeks, I went into labour at 37 weeks, had a completely natural birth, a 9pound 3ounce baby girl, Millie.
The experience was surreal, very long (48 hours), unbelievable and every bit worth the emotional roller coaster of the pregnancy, not to mention the post natal diabetic adjustments. To any women out there thinking about becoming pregnant as a diabetic my parting words would be, its hard work, but so worth it in the end.
Other great stories from our readers!
Name: Ros
Story: I always try to take insulin in a quiet private place as the sight of someone sticking a needle into themselves can often seriously alarm other people! So whilst this country girl was out in the big smoke shopping and had stopped at a cafe in the mall for lunch she had to inject insulin and there was no handy toilet or other place to do it. So I dialled up my insulin dose, whipped the top off my injector pen and jabbed it into my thigh through my clothes (not the best!). Unfortunately, the family at the next table must have seen me and their horror-filled expressions said it all! They must have thought I was some sort of addict! I left the cafe pretty rapidly, feeling somewhat embarrassed at alarming them. Being a diabetic can be hazardous!
Name: Diane
Story: While travelling, I was trying to manipulate my Accu-Chek meter inside a public toilet at a major international airport, actually dropped it on the floor, and watched it fly under the cubicle wall and into the next cubicle. Of course there was someone in there ... fortunately a lady who knew all about diabetes ... we became good friends and regularly email each other. Breda lives in Ireland ... we always have a laugh about how we met!. Being a diabetic can be hazardous!
Name: Graham
Story: Saved by a chocolate fish
I had to pay a visit to WINZ, my wife noticed during the interview that I was getting rather angry. I stood up and declared that I had had enough took two steps and collapsed on the floor. Panic ensued, my wife had never seen this before, my behaviour was completely out of character, I am a disabled person with spinal problems but she new this was not the cause of my collapse. Thinking quick she shouted out, has anyone got a chocolate or a bit of sugar. A case manager rushed over and handed her a chocolate fish.
My wife wiped the chocolate fish across my lips and I was up and about again in minutes. I looked around and said that I had never had so many women chasing after me all at the same time. I checked with the doctor and found that I had gone on a diabetic low and that my wife had probably saved my life. Thank you to my lovely wife Pat.
Name: Shane
Story: Feady to board at Heathrow, August 2006[the time of the new high security measures]. Took out my kit to test & inject, when SECURITY pounced on me, wanting to know if I thought I could take something as dangerous as a ball point pen on board? They weren't unduly concerned about my insulin pen or the vials of liquid insulin, which could have been anything, but the pen was a major worry. It took 10 minutes to talk them down from the high alert frame of mind, nearly missing my Bangkok flight, but I got there. My passport photo of course has an image, like the last terrorist to sign on. looong hair & flowing beard, whilst I had little hair & was clean shaven at the time of the visit to U.K. anything slightly unusual could cause absolute panic among those airport people I can assure you.