The DOC (Diabetes Online Community) is truly awesome!

In a grumble moment last night, just before midnight, I posted this on Facebook to my DOC group of Facebook friends:

Insulin pumps suck when you have one Inset left and the order department said 5-10 days!! Wow, was overnight delivery in NSW. Not so in Qld! Yeah, I know… my fault for crappy finances at this time and having to leave the ordering so late.

And I went back to watching TV, with my trusty MacBook Pro by my side. The status update was just that, with no other intention. Within moments, comments were flying about from all over the place. Scott Johnson in the USA then put out a call to other DOC people on Facebook to see if anyone in Australia could get some insets to me. I never expected that! It never entered my head to ask for help! Scott, you are one incredible human being! Thank you!

The response was jaw-droppingly awesome! I could barely keep up with the comments, chat messages, comments on my wall, comments on Scott’s call-out, and all sorts of people coming into the mix, who I didn’t know before. I had offers of help from all over the world! People from overseas who knew someone in Australia; people in Australia, who I didn’t know, who knew someone close by; two new FB groups for Aussies with Type 1 (which I didn’t know existed); and new people with ‘friend’ requests. My head was spinning! I was humbled.

At one stage, in one of several private messages I received, someone suggested I contact Insulin for Life (IFL), not knowing I have been a volunteer with IFL since 2003. IFL doesn’t collect pump supplies in Australia, but the President, who I’ve known since we were in our early teens, has a very large network. Unfortunately, I’m 2-4 days post away.

Within a very short time, I was FB-chatting with a lovely lady from Melbourne, whose daughter is on a pump. Someone she knows is coming to an airport near me today, but was then driving 2 hours in the opposite direction. It would have meant a half hour night-drive to the airport, which is a problem for me (my eyes aren’t great for night-driving). Then it turns out the place this person is going is where an overseas visitor, currently staying with me, is visiting until Thursday… in the same suburb! Couldn’t believe the coincidence! This was going to be do-able!

To have a world-wide network of people involved with this, so willing to help, is truly amazing! Not only have I learned so much from the DOC in the last few years, been involved in some fantastic events, been able to contribute to others when they have a problem, been able ask questions when I needed advice, I have also made some wonderful Internet friends in this community.

There is so much that can stay unspoken yet totally understood between people who have the same condition, that it feels very familiar being in that kind of community. It’s no wonder that the word ‘familiar’ comes from the word ‘family’.

The problem I originally posted about, ended up being solved in a completely unexpected way. A non-DOC friend, who lives an hour-and-a-half away (where I used to live until last December), and who saw some of the comments posted on my wall (not the original status update which was directed at my DOC group only), called me this morning. After several backwards and forwards calls, he’s coming my way tomorrow, with 2 insets belonging to a friend of a friend. That should see me through nicely until my order arrives.

If it wasn’t for the DOC, and initially, Scott’s quick thinking and total understanding of the situation, none of this would have happened. I can rest easy now and forget about figuring out what doses I should be on if I had to go back to injections waiting for my order.

But I’m sitting at my desk, still thinking ‘wow’ about the completely unexpected response from the world-wide DOC.

DOC you rock!

As part of Invisible Illness Week, answering questions from the ’30 Things…” meme from here.

30 THINGS ABOUT MY INVISIBLE ILLNESS YOU MAY NOT KNOW

1. The illness I live with is:

Type 1 Diabetes. I also live with Lupus, diagnosed in 1989, Classic Migraines since I was a teen, periodic Panic Attacks and more. This is a diabetes blog, so answers pertain to T1D.

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year:

Misdiagnosed in 1978 as Type 2, rediagnosed 30 years later after antibody testing.

3. But I had symptoms since:

About 3-4 weeks before diagnosis.

4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is:

Understanding that the stuff that sustains me can also kill me and that goes along with tons of blood glucose testing every day.

5. Most people assume:

I’ve done this to myself because I must have eaten too much sugar as a kid (I actually hated sweets and fizzy drinks as a kid), and don’t understand the role of antibodies attacking the  beta-cells of almost all people with Type 1 Diabetes.

6. The hardest part about mornings are:

Knowing the process of keeping myself alive and healthy as possible starts all over again every day. Yet I’m glad to have woken up at all.

7. My favorite medical TV show is:

ER – or used to be when it was being produced. There are others now, but nothing like ER

8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is:

My insulin pump… well, I could live without it and go back to injections, but the pump is a miracle to me and the best thing that has happened for my health.

9. The hardest part about nights are:

Making sure I’m not another ‘dead in bed’ person with diabetes.

10. Each day I take __ pills & vitamins. (No comments, please)

6

11. Regarding alternative treatments I:

Know there’s no alternative to insulin, but I will do/take other supportive treatments when there is good evidence to do so, and if I can afford it.

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose:

Invisible because no one who doesn’t know, questions my ability to do anything.

13. Regarding working and career:

I’ve done almost everything I’ve wanted to do in work and career.

14. People would be surprised to know:

That even though I have panic attacks from time to time, the more scary thing is going to sleep every night, hoping I don’t have a hypo while I’m asleep and sometimes alone in the house.

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been:

That I can’t eat whatever I want without making adjustments to my insulin and that the insulin has piled on the weight that is a bitch to loose. I eat about half as much as most people without diabetes do!

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was:

Swimming with an insulin pump (mine’s waterproof)! Who even knew that an insulin pump would exist years ago?

17. The commercials about my illness:

Don’t exist. Yes, they do for Type 2, but I’ve never seen one for Type 1.

18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is:

Most of what I miss is the energy I had in my early 20s. Suspect this is more age and less diabetes related, but even the slightest elevation of blood glucose has an effect on me. The late afternoon nana-naps are becoming too familiar. Can’t be as spontaneous as I used to be.

19. It was really hard to have to give up:

Going out on a whim without taking a mass of ‘supplies’ and testing stuff; not worrying about activity (even just 10 minutes of walking) having an effect on my blood glucose.

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is:

Probably given up more hobbies than I’ve taken up because of tendonitis (no doctor can tell me if this is diabetes or lupus related)

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would:

Hmmm… I have almost no memory of what ‘feeling normal’ feels like. I’d probably eat an entire chocolate cake, drown a bottle of Coca Cola (which I haven’t had since 1978) and put real sugar in my tea and coffee… and not feel guilty or give it a second thought.

22. My illness has taught me:

That the more I know about it, the easier it gets to manage it.

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is:

“You should lose weight, then your diabetes will be cured.” On what planet can Type 1 be cured?

24. But I love it when people:

Ask about my pump and actually understand the diabetes condition and what has to be done to survive.

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is:

You can do this! You never know what’s around the corner.

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them:

You can do this too. Learn everything you can and take charge!

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is:

There many others with the same condition. Thank you to the Internet!

28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was:

Get some food for me when having a hypo and ask me how I’m feeling.

29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because:

This is part of what I do to be involved in the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) in the hope that it might help or resonate with others.

30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel:

You are interested enough in what I do or say, for whatever reason – you have diabetes, you know someone with diabetes, you’re a carer and so on.

Depending on where you live, low-carb can be expensive. It can be even more expensive if you want grass-fed beef, lobster and asparagus.

You also want to do your blood glucose a favour by eating low-carb. Combining that with a lack of funds isn’t easy but it’s possible!

The trick to low-carb on a budget is to buy on sale and buy seasonal which means abundance and reasonable prices. It’s probably a good strategy for all food shoppers on a budget.

By ‘sale’ I don’t mean horrid looking limp vegetables. You don’t want to buy rubbish vegetables that have been sitting on a shelf for a week and every vitamin has long evaporated into thin air, yet you can’t afford what you think is low-carb.

Vegetables you buy have to look good, smell good and hopefully taste good. It’s not enough for the veggies to be on sale, you have to think about why they’re on sale. Are they in season and abundant, or are they an over-purchase that the vendor can’t move? Are they a loss-leader to get people into the store? Are they completely out of season or imported?

If budget buying means driving an extra 5 minutes, the petrol is minimal compared to the favour you’ll be doing your bank account, your body and your budget.

Similarly for meat – buy what’s on special at the butcher’s but don’t buy rubbish meat that looks like it’s about to go off. With low-carb, you NEED the fat! Don’t think buying low-fat will save you anything. It won’t. You can buy cheaper cuts that need long, slow cooking, or mince that can be made into any number of tasty low-carb dishes.

Buy in bulk and store appropriately, eg freezing or in long-life vegetable bags. If you’re not in the city and you need vegetables, then buy direct from farmers or go to local farmers markets. At the end of the market, that’s when the produce is often cheaper.

Buying larger quantities of cold pressed oils is often more economical. Take your calculator to the store or make use of the one in your mobile phone – I do, often!

Buy cheese in bulk  - as much as you think you can eat before it goes off.

In Australia, if you know someone with an ABN, then get a Campbells card and go bulk shopping. It’s a huge money-saver.

Another trick is to shop like many Europeans do – don’t go to the store with a meal in mind. Go to the store with an open mind. See what’s on offer. If chicken is cheap, that’s what’s for dinner. If lettuce is expensive and cabbage will stretch further, then make a cabbage salad instead (recipe below). If the Roma tomatoes you want are expensive, then see what other tomatoes are on offer.

Eggs can be  a cheap or expensive meal. In the city, often your only option is a choice between organic, free range or battery hen eggs. In Australia, there’s a huge difference in price between these options. In rural areas, find a local farm which sells eggs and buy in bulk! In the city, go for free-range at the very least, if you can afford it.

In Australia Aldi supermarkets sometimes have a two-for-one on chickens. That’s a great way to get 2 or 3 meals (for two) out of a low carb ingredient. Or a large pack of steak, at a reasonable price.

Go shopping at the end of the day if possible – that’s when specials often appear.

If you work, then take your lunch. A salad with some meat and cheese is easily transportable, so is tuna and any number of other low-carb lunches. Put your homemade salad dressing in one of those tiny containers and only open it right before you’re going to eat the salad.

Here’s a salad dressing I keep made up in one of those chefy squeeze bottles at home. It’s not only used as salad dressing but as a marinade or a splash of it across some BBQ meat.

SUSI’S SALAD DRESSING

Fill about 3/4 of the squeeze bottle with good olive oil – the best you can afford (cold pressed if possible)
About 1 teaspoon of Mustard – I use wholegrain, mild (love the crunch when eating the salad)
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 large Clove of  Garlic, finely grated
Red Wine Vinegar – a quarter volume of what you already have  in the jar – try half that first, taste and add as needed

Close the lid and shake. Taste! If it needs more of something, add it. 

The dressing is better after a couple of hours. Can be kept in the pantry up to a week.

Another cheap option is cabbage salad, especially in winter. This salad tastes great with fatty dishes. The vinegar in the salad seems to cut the fat.

HUNGARIAN CABBAGE SALAD

Also great for a crowd

Half a head of plain old-fashioned cabbage (sugarloaf cabbage is ok too), shredded into long strands  (must be shredded very finely or the salad doesn’t work) .

Half a mild Onion (use a whole one if you love onion), very finely chopped or sliced
5 tablespoons of plain vegetable oil (this salad doesn’t work with olive oil or any other flavoured oil)
3 tablespoons of plain white Vinegar – don’t use red or any other type of vinegar
3/4 – 1 teaspoon sweetener (I use Splenda, but you can use whatever you want, including sugar – there’s not enough sugar in there to make a huge difference if you consider 1 tsp sugar is around 11 grams of carb).  
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Note about the vinegar: you may like more vinegar, I do, I put about equal amounts. It won’t taste good right away. 
Combine the dressing first, then pour over the cabbage

IMPORTANT: once the dressing is on the salad,  get your clean hands in and squeeze the cabbage to get the juices out of the cabbage. These will dilute the dressing some so what you think might be too much vinegar, isn’t after the salad has been sitting for a while. 

This salad is much better made a few hours ahead and is great the next day. 

There are definitely ways to make eating low-carb much more affordable. If you’ve not tried low-carb because you think you can’t afford it, give the budget way a try! Your waist-line will love you and so will your blood glucose!

And please don’t start on me about ‘healthy whole grains’! When you have diabetes (of any kind), there’s nothing healthy about whole grains. The body does not need this kind of carbohydrate, despite what you may think. Carbs are also converted in the body from about 58% of protein and 10% of fat, as well as from low-carb vegetables. Plenty for your body’s needs! You don’t need high-carb fruit or high-carb vegetables when you’re trying to get your A1C into a normal range and further down into a range that won’t cause complications. It goes without saying that grains aren’t necessary.