We continue to characteristic the 10 excellent Diabetes Community members Chosen as winners of our 20 15 DiabetesMine Patient Voices Contend — World Health Organization of course will complete be attending our Innovation Peak at Stanford on scholarship this November.

Today, we're thrilled to share the level of a longtime case 1 in Mormon State named Amy Green. She's a former occupation terpsichorean and performer with a grievous poetic itch — World Health Organization is straight off a bide-at-home mom with three kids. From that unique perspective, she has some interesting thoughts to share about improving diabetes technology and care.

DM) Amy, first differentiate us about your relationship to diabetes…

AG) I've had eccentric 1 diabetes for 26 years. I also live out with a mishmash of former autoimmune disorder spinoffs. Some of them vague still. Overwhelming! But, put up me in a room entire of diabetics, and I toilet for sure arrogate the moment — talking, laughing and bewildering about ourselves for hours.

What's your day job at the moment?

I'm currently living in Utah and working Eastern Samoa a stay at nursing home mama to 3 rotten kids that I love very much. I worked as a professed dancer and performer before retiring to raise my children. I unruffled dabble in the arts, volunteering in public elementary schools every bit a specialist teaching art history, and freehanded lessons on drawing, painting, and composition techniques. I love to write out poetry and do watercolors standing at my easel (with a cunning naughty tot stepping on my sore diabetic feet).

You were a pro dancer? How cool!

My dance vocation was a dream job! It took me to many interesting art venues and theaters in Arizona, where I lived at the time. I worked with uber-talented people from around the globe — even 2 different diabetic pumpers!! It was startling to me, knowing no other T1Ds as a shaver, to end upbound working with other athletes World Health Organization are!

Inactive now, and on to raising small children, I am aware of how our youth need Thomas More opportunities to explore the scope of creativeness at school. I enjoy volunteering American Samoa an art teacher to aid educators, and to assistant kids experience how the reading, writing, and mathematics they learn every day extends into their imaginative thoughts and inventions. It is definitely roughneck to choose and follow a career in the arts.

Share on Pinterest

As a dancer, I often ready-made only when enough money to cover fuel to commute around the urban center. But I desire to help the spring chicken I teach ne'er to be afraid — to at least explore, develop, and test. Art is really just techniques mixed with chance experiments. It's a fun misdirection from diabetes! I am glad to have a life that has been immersed in the arts, continuing on in disparate ways. It ignites a passion in me for trying new and delicate things.

Professional dance is such a physically demanding subcontract, with long / capricious hours. How did you handle your glucose control during that time?

IT's a frequent assumption that diabetic athletes involved in fitness probably hold better blood glucose control. That was not my case. I birth forever had Uttermost difficulties with insulin immunity, and the accentuate of effortful exercise causing shrilling blood glucose. I had to cost precise alert with thumb pricks through rehearsals. I had to eat a lot of proteins and fats to combat diabetic fatigue so that my body could endure.

Long hours of such strenuous movement was tricky. I had to take complete care of my feet, soaking them frequently, and often dosing higher through my pump on usher days, when performance anxiety was high!  I did not try on out a CGM until I retired to abide children and maintain an even lower target A1C. That extra monitoring system could take up been beneficial if it had been on tap then.

Did you have some special tricks for keeping glucose available, or else 'hacks' to keep yourself safe while dancing?

I kept Much of juice packs backstage and in the dancer's dressing room. I had many quick costume changes, when time for testing was not an option before returning into the curtains. I always worried about 'bottoming out,' so I often staged my lineage sugar at slightly higher numbers indeed that there would be no passing come out of the closet. But that was a gainsay, as higher blood sugar interferes with equilibrium and balance. I had to larn to centre my mind and exist steady happening my toes so precisely, even when I matt-up nauseous with my head spinning, and the typical DKA symptom poor feelings. I'm jolly sure I requisite more mental and emotional strength than sinew. This repeated endurance trial was something that I spirit back happening now, and wonder how I accomplished. Maybe just because I am getting experienced now, Thomas More tired, and worn out from the rigors of T1D — agghhh!

And we understand you're a poet, too?

Yes, I love to write poetry. Generally silly, humorous or satirical. Not forever diabetic themed, but I am oftentimes inspired by the T1D life-style, and I write a lot about our keen perspective, so far ununderstood behaviors. Here's unitary to jiggle your giggle:

Just Don't Eat

Pre-meal insure — then calculate.

Heart numbers then — re-retel.

'Bolus Wizardly'! do your magic.

Add this 'n that — a habit. Logic.

Why then? Aft' compact computing?

Eating smart. With Zero EXCUSING!

I don't believe the false suggestion —

"fractions, ratios–make perfection."

The mathematics… I've mastered.

But the BG check?

480 (sigh),

What the heck?!!

Fun! So what's been the most encouraging thing you've seen change in the diabetes humankind since your diagnosis?

Having an insulin pump has allowed me more freedoms, like magical diet privileges (say, maybe an impulsive doughnut at the grocery store?) I have mealtime flexibility, and many pinpointed dosage control. For my particular life style, a constant insulin extract has made each day and night more directed, except for those random days when I call out and swearword exterior my mal-absorbing extract site — every 'pumper' knows what I mean :).

What would you say is missing as far as diabetes tech tools?

I wear't lower very often…  but I'm a pouty-lip Sad Giant panda ended the continuous glucose monitor I have. I was not prepared to have so much trouble with sensor calibration and constant data errors. It has not been the success story I was so jazzed all over. And if they would last longer than the flavor in Sexy Fruit gum, it would live awesome. Sensor alarms are also not loud enough to alaru me, having some slight deafness. I undergo more volume options on my $200 cell phone than I bear on my $2,000 CGM — lol! I'm sad finished information technology's unreliability — especially since I had to sell my first pancreas to get one.

What would you name as the well-nig important next steps in diabetes innovation?

High on the priority inclination of TRUE technology, as is our require for more active and passionate doctors who want to dive deeper into solving patient mysteries. What is this great domino effect of diabetes and the onset of consequent response disasters as we age? I expended a decade suffering from unknown hypothyroidism — a tired, rundown zombie going from wellness clinic to clinic, almost believing maybe I was a hypochondriac? I was constantly being told to just take better attention of my 'sugars' and exercise.

Finally, one great paying-attention doctor thought to check my thyroid levels. I advocate for more exhaustive unhurried testing, and analytical diligent-doctor team thought process. Tracing hormone levels, and checking patient gut health, etc., is as important as A1C scores, in the total health picture. Diabetes is ruthless and unforgiving. Thomas More cocky fear and attention, sprinkled with REAL LISTENING… is BY FAR, the best origination!

Why did you decide to enter the Patient Voices Contend?

I feel I am a self-confident voice who can speak up to relate, collaborate, spread care, share optimism, and be open-minded to find out out and test new insights.

Tell us a little more nigh the life hack (or hacks) you submitted as part of your  contest entry?

Having many glucometers for promptly, slow access code all around the house/workplace. Meters littered in the places you predominant nigh, is key to keeping pleased to test often and on sentence. My glucometers are like the Kardashians of diabetic machines — in extravagance, in surplusage, and annoyingly everywhere. If only the cases came in cheetah print…

Also, I submitted an theme to help attain a secure tape-consume for your CGM sensor, since everyone complains about them coming disorganised. I just apply a Pass off The right way strip, and then a favorite tape intersection o'er the pinch. This gives the needed push-polish-into-tegument tenseness to keep my CGM sensor well in place.

What are you looking forward to at the Innovation Summit?

Meeting with improvement-driven people who develop diabetes technology and  modern therapies. Sharing with them some of the challenges of living diabetic lasting-term. 'Chewing the fat' over how diabetes impacts choices in the health provider profession. And most fun of all, figuring kayoed… what can I coiffe to help?

Thanks for sharing your story, Amy! Delirious to meet you in November, and see what you rear coif on this "diabetes advocacy trip the light fantastic toe floor" of ours… 🙂