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• My First Month Experience on Dexcom

  I started wearing the continuous monitoring system (CGM) approximately one month ago. After having the equipment since May 2015 my intention was originally to compete with it as a figure competitor. Due to the stress and anxiety of preparing for a competition, it was difficult for me to consider trying something new at the time.   Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Two years ago I stopped wearing an insulin  pump. I had been on two separate pumps; first a wireless and then I switched to a tube pump. It had been burdensome with the rigorous training schedule to stay on an insulin pump. The pump would fall off easily no matter what kind of adhesives I would apply. The cannula always affected me and I often had irritation and rashes. I was hesitant to switch back to shots because I was used to wearing a pump. So, I took a pump break and went back on insulin injections and currently two years later I am still taking insulin injections.  There is always a good possibility that I will go on a pump ...

• Pageants and Insulin Pumps: An Interview with Miss America 1999 Nicole Johnson

  Nicole Johnson, DrPH, MPH, MA  has worked professionally in diabetes for over 17 years and has lived with Type 1 diabetes since 1993. She is most well known for her time as Miss America 1999. In recent years, Nicole has gained a reputation for her engagement in diabetes research focused on quality of life, psychosocial issues, and family dynamics in diabetes.  At the University of South Florida, Nicole serves as the Executive Director of Bringing Science Home, a $6 million diabetes research program that focuses on those very topics.  Nicole is also the Chairman of the Diabetes Empowerment Foundation, an organization focused on adults with Type 1 diabetes. Examples of the foundation’s work include the programs Nicole created Students With Diabetes, Young Adults With Diabetes and Diabetes Partners. Over the years, Nicole has served on many diabetes advisory boards including the JDRF International Board, the American Diabetes Association National Board, the Florida Governor’s Diabetes Advisory Council and the National Institutes of Health Council of Public Representatives. Since 1999, Nicole has helped raise more than $27 million for diabetes research and programs In her journalism career, ...

• Diabetes and Pageants: An interview with Miss New Hampshire 2016 and T1D, Caroline Carter

  Miss New Hampshire 2016 and T1D, Caroline Carter You can keep up with Caroline by visiting her official Facebook page, Miss New Hampshire Caroline Carter Alissa:   When were you diagnosed with diabetes? Caroline:  I was diagnosed on November 17th, 2008. I was just about 10 years old. Before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I had been dealing with Mononucleosis.  Then something changed. I lost 13 pounds in one week despite the fact that I was eating a lot. I was urinating frequently, and losing muscle alarmingly fast. Ironically, the day I finally went to the doctor I had eaten a bag of nacho chips and a pint of ice cream to keep my weight up. My blood sugar was 545. Alissa:   Does diabetes run in your family? Caroline:  No, an environmental factor eventually led to my diagnosis of diabetes. No one else in my family has diabetes before me, or after. Alissa:   Being diagnosed as a child must have been challenging. How did you learn to cope with your new norm? Caroline:  When I was diagnosed my mom told me that “Everyone has something.” She ...

• Having a Blast – A FitAlissa Interview with 15 Year Old Champion Whitewater Kayaker/Olympic Hopeful and T1D Sage Donnelly

  I recently met Sage Donnelly while she was training in San Marcos,Tx 45 minutes south of Austin,Tx just before she was to make the 3 day trek with her mom back home to Carson City Nevada, in a comfy van which is their home away from home.  This is the first of a 2 part video interview, where we discuss topics ranging from how she manages her diabetes when training and competing to the 2020 Olympics, to her favorite shopping in Texas!  Find out what makes this up and coming world class athlete tick, and how she manages her diabetes while competing at the highest level.  I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed talking with Sage! Sage Donnelly( image from www.SageDonnelly.com ) Here is a bio of Sage, from her website www.SageDonnelly.com Named Canoe and Kayak Magazine's 2014 Female Paddler of the Year and is currently the World Freestyle Jr. Women's Champion, the US 2014 C1 Women's National Slalom Champion and 3rd in Women's K1 Slalom, at 15, Sage Donnelly is a rising star in the world of whitewater kayaking, ...

• Curious about my Diet ?

  A question I get asked frequently is what my diet is like. I deviated from my regimen last night . I went out for my trainer’s birthday for about an hour at a later time than I usually go out.  My life is very routine - I try to eat at the same times every day, work out at the same times, and wake up and go to bed at the same time.  In the time that I was out, I danced briefly; however, my last meal had no carbs and left me with an empty stomach.  In other words, I didn’t have any food in me when I went dancing, so my blood sugars went low. When your sugar goes low, you go into panic mode.  You worry about fast acting carbs , when will they work, will it be enough, is it going to affect my weight, my sleep, my morning routine.  Unfortunately my body required more than 60 carbs overnight which left me exhausted this morning.  Not only did I lose an hour of sleep due to ...

• Professional Snowboarder and T1D Sean Busby won’t let Lupus diagnosis slow him down – FitAlissa Interview Part 2

  This is the second and final part of a 2 part interview of Professional Snowboarder and T1D Sean Busby.  Click here to read the first part Professional snowboarder Sean Busby accomplishes his dreams as a Type 1 diabetic (T1D)   Riding On Insulin founder, Sean Busby, is a professional backcountry snowboarder with type 1 diabetes who travels the world exploring remote corners of the globe on snowboarding expeditions. In 2004, while training for the 2010 Olympics, Sean endured a complicated diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Considering leaving snowboarding all together, Sean was inspired by reading stories he found through JDRF’s Children’s Congress. It was the stories of 5- 7- and 13-year-olds that inspired him to keep living his dreams despite living with diabetes. He founded Riding On Insulin—which is now a nonprofit organization—to honor all the kids who inspired him to keep living. Today, Sean’s wife Mollie runs Riding On Insulin and Sean makes appearances at the organization’s global action sports programs (including ski/snowboard camps) for kids, teens and adults living with T1D, while managing his personal backcountry snowboarding career. In February 2014, Sean ...