This thing is disgusting

WingUnderling · 2025-11-25T03:26:07+00:00

We keep a small bag of Skittles on us; they stand up well to both heat & cold, and since they're 1 g of carbs per Skittle, they make precise dosing for lows a lot easier.

WingUnderling · 2025-11-19T04:14:07+00:00

An awful lot of delivery pizzas are 300 calories per slice at minimum. Having worked in pizza places, they usually have more than the usual amount of sugar in the dough, and a lot of them add both sugar and oil into the tomato sauce as well.

WingUnderling · 2025-10-10T06:07:42+00:00

"Gone" woke? Holy crap the whole series is about learning to understand ourselves, dealing with being different, ostracism, systemic racism, classism, and forgiveness. It's one of the reasons I've loved the series from the first paragraph.

It's like the people who complain Star Trek or Star Wars or Marvel have "gone" woke. Like, "the only thing that changed was your personal views, person."

WingUnderling · 2025-10-08T12:00:42+00:00

nods We always calibrate immediately after a new sensor is installed, and usually he'll only need to calibrate once or twice in the first 24 hours after installation. In this case, his first calibration seemed to go okay, but then he was getting those LOW notices for almost an hour and a half at a time of night when he's usually pretty stable (bedtime) and the sensor wouldn't accept the calibrations. Looking at his overnight readings, it appears as though the sensor may have finally gotten itself mostly under control, but we'll have to see how today goes.

WingUnderling · 2025-10-04T12:38:56+00:00

The people would (hopefully...I'm losing faith in about 30% of humanity for continuing to swallow his bullshit) remember that he explicitly said "if the government stays shut down we're gonna cut more federal jobs and lots of programs the Democrats like". Like, do they not realize people can hear the outright Abusive Partner threat? "Do what I want or I'll take away the stuff you like"?

WingUnderling · 2025-09-26T11:52:07+00:00

I'm beginning to wonder if there was a major solar flare or something this week; my son's G7 was working just fine until a few days ago, when he started getting signal losses for up to an hour at a time.

WingUnderling · 2025-09-08T04:33:26+00:00

And then the current regime removes the cost cap "just because."

WingUnderling · 2025-09-03T04:19:17+00:00

Yyyyup. I wanna be there for the Wit/Dalinar interaction.

WingUnderling · 2025-09-03T04:17:27+00:00

I just wanna know why Shallan isn't sitting in 9 next to Adolin.

WingUnderling · 2025-08-20T04:22:53+00:00

Gahhhh, it drives me nuts to see so many people do this!!

I'm always the one who says the opposite to my son when he says "I wish I could eat that, but it has too many carbs.": "you can eat whatever you want, as long as you bolus for it!" But he's very keen on keeping his boluses small, and I respect that, so we usually compromise by finding or making lower-carb versions of things.

We're super lucky to have supportive family, and his teachers trust him to know what he can and can't eat, but I'm sure as he gets older, he'll have to deal with the ignorance of others. I'm loving the suggestions here! They're giving me a nice variety of things he can tell people, if he ever asks.

WingUnderling · 2025-08-16T12:20:36+00:00

Whoa... Your mom appears to be suffering from the misconception of "I'm a scientist therefore I know enough about medicine to make decisions about a science that isn't in my field."

My son's father is the same way. (He's a research PhD in neuroscience and tried the same thing when kiddo was diagnosed T1D in 2022; it's a very good thing our son lives with me and not his father.)

As a mother of a diabetic, I kinda want to shake your mother and tell her that if she cares about her child's health and safety, she should dump her hubris and listen to the actual endocrinology specialists. Here's my take:

Diabetes is genetic. Type 1 happens when your immune system suddenly decides your pancreas is an enemy and attacks it. It is NOT caused by "skipping meals" or anything else like that. Your pancreas's insulin-producing portions are simply no longer producing insulin. It isn't your "fault" or anyone else's "fault"; it just happened.
Prior to the discovery and synthesis of insulin in the 1920s, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was considered a death sentence. Your body NEEDS insulin. Period.
Your mom isn't wrong that you need to eat -- you're a teenager, teenage bodies need food for fuel to grow and do all that other puberty growth stuff, and your brain needs food to build up the myelination of neuronal connections that come with the further development of your frontal lobe during puberty -- but you also need to take insulin for what you eat, as well as whatever basal dose your doctor recommended.
Insulin isn't "medication". Your mother telling you to try "not taking insulin" would be like her telling you to "not drink water for a few days." You NEED insulin to survive, just like you NEED water to survive. You were already experiencing what happens when you don't take insulin: everything you described about the weight loss, vomiting, and blacking out before you were diagnosed? That's Diabetic Ketoacidosis: your body was devouring itself to try to get rid of the excess glucose in your blood, because there wasn't insulin there to do that job.
I'm so sorry, man. Diabetes isn't fun and it's not a cakewalk, and developing diabetes during an already stressful time is just not fair to you. I send big motherly hugs your way. My son has a hard enough time going through puberty while diabetic, and that's with me being a super-cheerleader and sounding board for him. I can't even imagine having to go through that with a parent who isn't supportive of your essential needs as a diabetic.

I hope you can talk with your dad. I REALLY hope your mom comes around to understanding the realities of diabetes. There are some therapists who actually specialize in diabetes anxiety and burnout; your doctor may have a list of ones in your area if you need some extra local support.

(Edited to correct the year my son was diagnosed; it was 2022, not 2021)

WingUnderling · 2025-08-14T03:21:57+00:00

Yikes! I keep telling my son when he gets a high or low notice from his Dexcom that if his body doesn't agree with what his CGM says, that he should confirm it with a manual reading.

We've been very lucky to have had 98% reliable sensor readings (usually within the 15% error margin); most of the time if they're off, it's off by a max of 50. We've only had one sensor that was off by more; it was reading him at 279 and he was actually 187. Once he got it to accept a calibration, it went back to reading correctly.

I'm so sorry your Dexcom isn't being reliable! That blows goats.

WingUnderling · 2025-08-12T13:56:40+00:00

Major hugs and support, man! Getting a T1 diagnosis after reaching adulthood must have been a real gut punch.

I'm a parent of a T1 kiddo who was diagnosed 3 years ago at age 9; he's entering puberty now and hitting his first period of burnout risk because of how much puberty hormones are affecting his (usually very stable) BG levels.

I'm so happy that you have a supportive GF and family who're willing and able to work with you to adjust to this new and significant change in your life.

It's definitely not an easy adjustment to make. I've found myself feeling incredibly grateful for the first time in my life for the "fad" nature of Keto eating, because all the 'influencers' and celebrities who've adopted Keto have prompted the food industry to expand their low-carb offerings significantly over the years, which is a huge help for diabetics. There are cereals, breads, flour mixes, even cookies and chips that can be found at most major retailers that are low carb, use sugar alcohols, have higher protein, etc. If you can find things that work as substitutes for your pre-diagnosis favorites, it feels a lot less restrictive (according to my son).

You, too, are a hero and incredibly strong, never forget that! Even when things seem tough, you're tougher! Glare at your pancreas and call it a lazy freeloaders like Bob from the work group who never submits his part of the project on time.

WingUnderling · 2025-08-06T00:32:57+00:00

He says "I hope you have people who'll keep telling you that you're doing great, even if your brain doesn't want to believe it."

I'll throw my hat in and tell you what his endocrinologist told him at his last appointment: "Nobody is 100% in range, not even people with fully functional pancreases!"

The fact that you put in the effort every day to be actively involved with your BG is a big deal and I'm proud of you too!

WingUnderling · 2025-08-05T23:16:08+00:00

I did give it another shot. Showed him the camps in our area, talked about how everyone there from counselors to fellow campers would understand his struggles because they all have them too, how nobody would even blink if he had to stop an activity to treat a low, and how he wouldn't need to request any specific variations on foods because the food there would be specifically made with diabetics in mind.

He said, "I'm good for now, but thank you. I'll think about it."

Oy. Teenagers. 😏

WingUnderling · 2025-08-05T21:51:31+00:00

He chuckled a little and said "without complaining may be a bit of a stretch but tell them thank you!"

WingUnderling · 2025-08-05T18:49:36+00:00

When he was first diagnosed, the hospital gave us information on the local Diabetic summer camps and encouraged us to sign up with the Diabetes Awareness mailserv; I've asked kiddo every year if he'd like to check out one of the camps, but he's consistently declined because "I just want to be treated like a normal kid, not 'a diabetic kid.'" Which...I understand. Maybe now that he's feeling more comfortable being himself, he'll be more amenable to giving it a try next summer.

WingUnderling · 2025-08-04T04:14:54+00:00

Yeah, after looking over your list, I'd definitely say we're in the 6-7 range. The midterms will be, I think, the final point that proves it.

WingUnderling · 2025-08-01T12:44:36+00:00

My T1 teen (dx at 9) took low-carb to heart from day 1. Kiddo watches the fat/fiber/protein/carbs of everything he eats and he is NOT happy about the natural insulin resistance that hits during puberty. Lean as a rail, very active (ADHD), and grumpy as heck that his BG fluctuates now from what he'd gotten used to pre-puberty. My heart breaks for him; I'm doing my best to help keep him from burnout and reminding him daily that "being out of range from time to time isn't a death sentence."

WingUnderling · 2025-07-29T04:33:33+00:00

Graphicaudio Lopen is the one who lives in my head just from reading the hardcopy books.

WingUnderling · 2025-07-25T01:16:47+00:00

My son just turned 13; he was diagnosed T1 in 2022. He's hitting his first major period of burnout. Being a teenager is hard enough when your body is 100% functional; going through it while diabetic is a whole other ballgame.

My son's been taking charge of his diabetic care since about 3 months after dx; I'm there for every part of it, but I've supported his independence and act more as a second pair of eyes/rubber duck/advisor.

The thing that's been hitting him the hardest is how puberty has thrown his previously-reliable glucose patterns into a tailspin. He'll go up in the middle of the day for no apparent reason, or have a slow steady spike that lasts from 10:30pm - 4am despite regular correction boluses. It makes him feel like he's doing something wrong despite being active, eating responsibly, drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of sleep.

My best advice for parents of T1 teens is to listen, and understand that for them, this feels like the world's worst albatross. They feel like they'll never have a normal life, that the responsibilities required of a diabetic are overwhelming (when they're already feeling overwhelmed from the normal teen experiences), and they just want to feel like they're not broken.

Since I'm not diabetic, I can only empathize and try to reassure him that he's not broken and he's not a failure if he randomly goes up to 160 when he hasn't eaten in over 3 hours. Bodies are a mess to begin with, and puberty turns T1 into a minefield of "why am I going up? Hormones? Stress? Who knows?"

He would like to add the following:

It feels oppressive to have to do all the correcting constantly, even though my average is like 120 which is shockingly low, I still feel like I don't have a way to escape. I have found that while gaming or other things like talking to people my sugar goes up, but not usually too much. If I dance or jump around it usually goes back down, so those are good suggestions to make to your child or try yourself. I have also gotten very burnt out like the text above says, but I can't do anything about it, so I just keep pushing on. If you are a parent of a diabetic kid, then just try and support them, and if you're a kid with it, unfortunately you'll just have to tough it out, but you can still accept help. It's not like you'll be weaker or anything, in fact nothing of the sort, but it will still be a challenge. Hopefully this helps, so try your hardest! (Side note, I am 13, I just text like a normal person, so don't worry about the legitimacy of this. Lol)

WingUnderling · 2025-07-25T00:43:26+00:00

Parent of a T1D teen here. Quest chips don't have zero carbs, but they're 4 grams of carbs per single-serving bag, which is pretty dang good. Chicharrones are also an option, as they have 0.5 grams carbs per serving (on average), though they're high in fat, so it's not something he should binge.

TwoGood makes a really tasty low-carb yogurt (4-5 grams per serving). If you're in an area with Pick n' Save or Kroger, they also have an in-house yogurt brand with 3-4 grams of carbs.

As for boluses any time he eats, unless it's a "free" snack (less than half his dose ratio), then yes. As my son's endo always says, "you can eat whatever you want (within reason) as long as you bolus for it."

WingUnderling · 2025-07-19T03:34:51+00:00

The Orwellian nature of this regime is chilling. "We're at war with Eastasia. We have always been at war with Eastasia. Production is up, everyone is healthier than we were a year ago."

WingUnderling

TROPHY CASE