{"id":928,"date":"2014-03-18T13:34:38","date_gmt":"2014-03-18T17:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/?p=928"},"modified":"2014-03-18T19:02:46","modified_gmt":"2014-03-18T23:02:46","slug":"advocacy-with-a-rhyme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/?p=928","title":{"rendered":"Advocacy With A Rhyme"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago I was asked to do a Q&A with 2nd year medical students at (it rhymes with) Mt. My-Oh-My (medical hospital and school). Yesterday was the day. \u00a0I was given very little information other than this was part of the teaching program and my doctor needed info about my T1D diagnosis (June 19, 1979). \u00a0I was also told to be prepared that the students may ask some “weird” questions. \u00a0Weird you say? \u00a0Hell to the yes, count me in!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I ended up being 10 minutes late \u00a0to the meeting spot with my doctor. \u00a0I full-on ran from the subway to the hospital (I despise being late). \u00a0Taking the subway during the conclusion of the St. Patrick’s Day parade was a lesson in madness. \u00a0Out of breath, my doctor also a bit frazzled, I was led into the auditorium. \u00a0My guess is there were about 300 students. There was another doctor presenting an older woman (dare I say elderly?). \u00a0I had missed much of her presentation but as I made it to my seat, I caught that she is a fellow T1D and her doctor was giving different facts about her and asking the students what tests should or should have been performed under specific circumstances. \u00a0After sprinting to the hospital and my heart pounding in my ears, I found it a bit jarring that Cutie Oldie T1D was asked to go into detail about when she had a UTI while on vacation a few years ago. \u00a0Holy Shirt, things got graphic FAST<\/strong>. \u00a0Cutie Oldie T1D spoke about getting a stent in her kidney for 3 weeks and how much it hurt to pee…. (get ready to gag or skip the next few words)… and she was peeing…puss. \u00a0BLECH. \u00a0Why did I agree to this AND what the hell was MY doctor about to say about ME?!?!? \u00a0I frantically searched my brain for gross medical stuff I might have to talk about… oh this was NOT<\/strong> good.<\/p>\n

My turn. \u00a0I sat in a desk chair in front of the 300 students. \u00a0My doctor struggled to find her PowerPoint presentation. \u00a0I hooked up the mic to my sweater dress. \u00a0No turning back now. \u00a0A sea of students. \u00a0I was the last part of the presentation. \u00a0Lots of yawning faces staring at me.<\/p>\n

I looked back at the screen. \u00a0There was the paragraph I’d written about my diagnosis. \u00a0My symptoms, local hospital where I went for blood test, my pediatrician telling my parents to take me to “the best” and sending me to Hahnemann hospital in Philadelphia. \u00a0My doctor got into some specifics about the diagnosis that were not part of my story but relatively universal in many diagnosis stories. \u00a0Then, “Does anyone have any questions?”. \u00a0Ummmm that’s it? \u00a02 questions about my diagnosis. \u00a0Yeah, I was 6. \u00a0I explained I’m about to turn 41 and I am too old to remember all the specifics but I was able to tell them some of my memories and then<\/strong> I was off and running.<\/p>\n

I’m a talker. \u00a0I had the floor (well chair). \u00a0I started answering stuff no one was asking. \u00a0My doctor threw in some questions and explained things like Regular insulin and NPH. \u00a0Before I took my seat, I had heard the doctor who was running this program tell my doctor to take her time presenting because we were ahead of schedule. \u00a0Too bad you let me hear that lady, because I will fill up this whole time slot…. and boy did I.<\/p>\n

My doctor showed an image of some of the insulin pumps on the market. \u00a0I pointed out the one I have and then it happened. \u00a0My doctor asked if I would be comfortable showing the students my insulin pump. \u00a0Ummmm. I said how I probably should have worn something different. \u00a0My doctor then noticed why I said that. \u00a0I was in black boots, black tights and a grey\/green sweater dress. \u00a0Pump squished to my thigh IN my tights<\/strong>. \u00a0She said something about how she should have mentioned that to me earlier and I thought, \u00a0“To hell with this”. \u00a0I stood-up, turned to the side and saw a woman shaking her head “No”. \u00a0 Too late. \u00a0As the words came out of my mouth I just couldn’t stop them…<\/p>\n

“You guys ready for this presentation to get REAL racy?”<\/strong> and there I was with my sweater dress hiked up on my left hip while I traced the outline of my Dexcom on my thigh and my pump right next it. \u00a0I showed how I could move my pump around because my tights were holding it in place but that the Dexcom was fixed in place. \u00a0I talked and talked, looking damn flashy but knowing, this was a true chance to educate and I had EVERYONE’s attention.<\/p>\n

I told them about how much I’d agonized for 3 years about getting a pump. \u00a0How, like so many other T1D’s, I wish I’d done it a lot sooner but that my advice to them, if they ended up in endocrinology, was not to force a pump on anyone. \u00a0Plant the seed, water it, show it some sun and then see what happens. \u00a0I needed to want a pump on my own. \u00a0I had to deal with my own issues of being attached to something, and my own issues of self consciousness, and meeting other people using technologies (especially Dexcom). \u00a0On and on I went. \u00a0I told them about how important it is for me, the patient, to work with my doctors like a team.<\/p>\n

My doctor told them about the benefits of insulin pumps and different types of boluses. How a square wave bolus works and and I explained to them my enemy… pizza.<\/p>\n

And then the questions… Someone asked about the psychological impact<\/strong> of wearing a pump. \u00a0Alleluia!<\/strong> \u00a0So I explained how I’ve had a pump for 14 years and how amazed and hopeful I am when I deal with kids, many times they are not diabetic and how they will tell me there is a kid on their (insert sport) team who has a pump too. \u00a0He\/she is diabetic. \u00a0That’s it. \u00a0They NEVER, EVER see it as a big deal. \u00a0That it’s the parents of that kid who are more likely to see it as a big deal…. so-and-so’s kid is diabetic and HAS TO BE ON A PUMP. \u00a0I told them my belief that these generations beneath me, live in a different, much more open minded world and they (the doctors) can help foster that.<\/p>\n

I told them how it is hard dating and being in relationships. \u00a0I can control how I present information and why I have an insulin pump but I have zero control over someone’s reaction to it and that can be hurtful no matter what age you are. \u00a0How I have no control over the internet and when you Google diabetes it isn’t a pretty picture. \u00a0How I look like the picture of health most of the time. \u00a0I am in the best shape of my life right now, but people think my being diabetic could\/will mean I will go blind, have all my limbs amputated and will die when my body can no longer handle dialysis.<\/p>\n

More questions and more screens of the Dexcom. \u00a0I explained how the Dexcom is a Godsend for me. \u00a0That I live with a dog who is useless in giving me glucagon or getting me carbs. \u00a0That I don’t always feel myself go low in my sleep and sometimes I manage to sleep through the Dexcom and how I feel “lucky” when ‘i see the graph the next day. \u00a0I poured it all out and how freaking scary being alone and treating a low can be. \u00a0My doctor explained the Dexcom arrows and I gave them my real world reactions to those arrows and how they are my very personal warning system.<\/p>\n

I told them how I hate admitting it, but that I worry every single day about what this disease is doing to my body. \u00a0I workout like crazy because it makes me feel good, it reduces stress, and it is keeping my heart and circulation going BUT it is a battle to keep glucose levels in my target range with exercise. \u00a0I told them how frustrating this can be and how quickly the workout “high” fades when battling a dropping or rising blood glucose level. \u00a0I explained that there is a ton of trial, error, doctorly pointers and glucose tabs that dissolve in the wash in my gym pant pockets.<\/p>\n

I ran out of time. \u00a0There was applause. \u00a0My voice felt scratchy. \u00a0 Student thanked me as I walked from the stage. \u00a0Before I left I thanked them for listening and to please become GOOD doctors. \u00a0I was smirking. \u00a0I couldn’t hide it. \u00a0I took that presentation in a different direction and I flooded them with stories and information. \u00a0I shared my passion.<\/p>\n

My doctor walked me out and informed me that 3 people in the class are T1Ds and another 2 students have siblings who are T1Ds. \u00a0She thanked me for getting a discussion started. \u00a0I’m not sure about the discussion part (it was the end of the day on St Patrick’s Day) but I did feel like I did my thing.<\/p>\n

Advocacy. \u00a0Go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago I was asked to do a Q&A with 2nd year medical students at (it rhymes with) Mt. My-Oh-My (medical hospital and school). Yesterday was the day. \u00a0I was given very little information other than this was … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[346,174,66,48,38,15,218,219],"tags":[549,12,400,3,544,282,542,84,399,398,355,352,5],"class_list":["post-928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advocacy","category-animas-2","category-diabetes-education","category-diabetes-notes","category-doc","category-jdrf","category-t1d-2","category-type-1-since-79","tag-advocacy","tag-cgm","tag-change-the-world","tag-dexcom","tag-diabetes-education","tag-do-good-feel-good","tag-doc","tag-dsma","tag-future","tag-hope","tag-insulin-pumps","tag-passion","tag-t1d"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2tD0n-eY","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=928"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":932,"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928\/revisions\/932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.surfacefine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}