The Diabetes Goddess
By Barb Wagstaff
The Diabetes GoddessMar 29, 2023
A research update from Melanie Hibbard of DRIF Can
Today I spoke with Melanie Hibbard, the only paid employee at the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation Canada.
Melanie updated me on the research of Dr. Shapiro and his team as well as the recent collaboration with the Diabetes Research Institute in Miami.
Listen to hear why Melanie...and I, are so hopeful to see a biological cure for diabetes in this lifetime. Also learn how Dr. Shapiro's research has the potential to help people living with many other debilitating illnesses.
If you would like to support the work of DRIF Can, go to www.drifcan.com
Remember that all contributions are eligible for a tax receipt in the US and Canada.
Do parents of children with diabetes ever stop worrying?
In 23 years, there has not been a cure for diabetes. We were probably one of the few families who were never told that there would be a cure. We were simply told that there would be technological advances…and there were.
Today people with diabetes are able to use continuous glucose monitors to know how their blood sugars are trending. They have the option to use various insulin pumps.
Times have changed, but one thing hasn’t changed…every new parent asks “Will the worry every end?”
The answer is yes…and an emphatic NO.
Listen to hear my thoughts on how your role changes as you move from parenting a child to being the parent of an adult with type 1 diabetes.
You can hear the story of my son's diagnosis in the Path to Becoming the Diabetes Goddess episode in season one.
For more information on diabetes technology like insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors, visit the Diabetes Advocacy website.
Stand Out: The True Story of Hockey Hero Ajay Baines
Stand Out: The True Story of a Hockey Hero Ajay Baines is an absolute pleasure to read. Over the years I have been sent a lot of books to read and review. Some were fine. Some were not worth my time, but this book is now one of my favourites. So, when I was told that Ajay and Sean would be willing to join me for an episode of the Diabetes Goddess Podcast, I was thrilled!
Ajay Baines is a hockey legend. He is a Calder cup winner who recently teamed up with his childhood friend and author Sean Campbell to launch an illustrated children’s book about his life.
Ajay was a hockey prodigy growing up and despite being diagnosis in his teens, he went on to captain the Kamloops Blazers, score the winning goal in the Calder Cup for the Hamilton Bulldogs (The Montreal Canadian's farm team at the time), and lead some of the best hockey players of all time.
Stand Out: The True Story of a Hockey Hero Ajay Baines is a fun and fascinating story created by two childhood friends. With strong themes of sportsmanship, inclusion, perseverance, and leadership.
Listen now for a fun conversation with Ajay Baines and his childhood friend, Sean Campbell as we talk about diabetes, hockey, and of course...friendship!
You can purchase your copy of Stand Out: The True Story of Hockey Hero Ajay Baines on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters, and Barnes and Noble. A percentage of all book sales will be donated to the American Diabetes Association and Diabetes Canada.
Welcome to Season 3 of the Diabetes Goddess Podcast!
Welcome to Season 3 of the Diabetes Goddess!
Join me every other week as I speak with some of the amazing people in the diabetes community and share my own thoughts and feelings about being a parent of a person with type 1 diabetes.
Follow to ensure you don't miss an episode!
Learn about the YpsoPump with Elaine and Finn
The YpsoPump is an insulin pump available in Canada and a number of other countries. In this podcast episode, Elaine Goudie and her son Finn share their experiences with the YpsoPump insulin pump.
Why it is normal to forget about diabetes
Stephanie, the Thriving Diabetic
Today it is my pleasure to speak with Stephanie DeRita. Stephanie is an educator, a parent, a person living with type 1 diabetes, and the author of children's book, The Thriving Diabetic.
Listen to Stephanie share the story of her diabetes diagnosis.
Learn how a pandemic and a desire to see more inclusive resources for children of colour who have type 1 diabetes led her to write this incredible book.
More resources...
Looking back on 22 years of living with type 1 diabetes
March 17, 2000 our world changed forever.
In 22 years, there have been many changes. We have seen changes in insulin.
LISTEN TO LEARN MORE...
We have seen changes in Continuous Glucose Monitors.
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We have seen changes in insulin pumps. One thing that hasn't changed is the sense of community and support that I have received from the diabetes community.
LISTEN TO LEARN MORE...
Listen to the complete episode with Melanie Hibbard.
Listen to the complete episode with John Whitehead.
Click here to sign up for the Virtual Insulin Pump Expo.
John Whitehead. The Advocate
John Whitehead took himself from experiencing diabetes complications to successfully navigating a 6-day hiking expedition in the Canadian Rockies. With a change in attitude and a lesson in power of words, he has gone on to become one of the Canadian diabetes spaces' most vocal advocates.
In this episode, John tells us how he became involved in advocacy.
Listen now...
He challenges Ontario Minister Christine Elliot to increase funding for continuous glucose monitors for people with diabetes living.
Listen now...
Part 2...
John shares how it feels to have advocated for change and won that right for many people with type 1 diabetes in Ontario. He shares tips on how to access this new ADP program and who will qualify for full coverage of their Dexcom or Medtronic CGM.
Listen now...
To access the full ADP guidelines for CGM coverage in Ontario go to Type1 Together Ontario on Facebook.
John Whitehead. The Turnabout T1D
John Whitehead, by his account, was a "bad diabetic". With the support of his wife, the help of his diabetes team, and a change in mindset, John has turned his life around, improved his health, and is now making a difference in the lives of other people living with type 1 diabetes in Ontario and around the world.
John: Even though I seem to do so much with diabetes now, I am actually doing a whole lot less than I ever was by ignoring it."
Listen to hear more....
John realized that by changing his words, he could change how he felt about his diabetes care. "Its easier not to do a test because you can't fail a test you don't take."
Listen to hear more...
To sign up for the Diabetes Advocacy Virtual Insulin Pump Expo sponsored by Diabetes Advocacy and Tandem Diabetes Care go to https://products.diabetesadvocacy.com/spring-ip-event
Siva Swaminathan. Chef and person with type 1 diabetes
In today's episode, I chat with Siva Swaminathan. Siva was initially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes because of her age and ethnicity. Thankfully on November 14, 2005, she was correctly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Her journey hasn't been easy but Siva shares her incredible insights and her love of food in this delicious episode!
You can follow Siva at www.sivaswaminathan.com, on Instagram, or on Twitter.
The first year was hard
After we went home from the hospital, I remained out auto-pilot. I attended to all of the tasks that I was required. I made sure things were exact. Diabetes didn't care if I was diligent. It would show me how unpredictable it could be. Eventually, all of those repressed feelings spilled down my cheeks as I fully realized the scope of this burden for my son.
Hello Season 2!
Thank you so much for joining me for another season of the Diabetes Goddess Podcast!
This season you can expect to hear more about my life as a parent of an adult with type 1 diabetes. I will also be sharing insights from inspirational people in diabetes community! So get comfy and let's get into another season of the Diabetes Goddess Podcast!
PS. If you are enjoying the Diabetes Goddess Podcast, don't forget to leave a review and share it with your friends!
Things to remember in an emergency with Melanie Hibbard
In today's episode, I chat with Melanie Hibbard. Melanie is the sole employee of DRIFCan, a diabetes research organization and the mother of two adults with type 1 diabetes. She will share with us a horrifying experience that she and her youngest son had during a recent visit to the hospital.
As a bonus, Melanie also shares with us a glimpse into the work of Dr. Shapiro and their hope for a cure!
So get comfortable and listen to my conversation with Melanie Hibbard.
You can follow the work of Dr. Shapiro and DRIFCan here or donate to the HEADingto2022 here.
Interview with Kristen Garland, Dietitian and person with diabetes
Kristen Garland understands diabetes better than most. Her life changed dramatically when her daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Kristen was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as an adult but it was her daughter's diagnosis that sent her down a new career path and made her more accountable for her own diabetes care.
Kristen shares how she handles the stress of diabetes as well as how to become friends with food again.
So sit back, get comfortable and enjoy this amazing conversation with Kristen Garland, parent of a child with diabetes, person with diabetes, and registered dietitian.
What parents of children with diabetes want you to know
When I first read the post What a person with diabetes wants you to know, I cried. After I wiped my tears, I sat down and wrote my own post. I wanted to share what parents of children with diabetes want our children to know. I also wanted the world to know how parents of children with diabetes feel about the many remarks that are often made. This post went viral at the time.
Since it is now Diabetes Awareness Month, I felt that it was a perfect time to share with you again my feelings about being a parent. Get comfy while I share with you what I hope our children with diabetes understand...and what I want the general public to know about living with diabetes.
What if people weren’t blamed for having diabetes?
Dealing with diabetes during Halloween
Halloween means costume parties, trick-or-treating, and of course, candy! When you live with diabetes, especially if you have children with diabetes, this season can bring on a lot of stress. How can you enjoy the holiday while managing diabetes? It can be easier than you think! So get comfy while Barb shares tips on dealing with Halloween Candy for both adults and children with diabetes.
You can read the full article from the Diabetes Advocacy website at Six Tricks to Enjoy Halloween with diabetes. - Diabetes Advocacy
Momma Bear and Rufus Navigate the Dark Times
In this episode I talk about Rufus the Bear with Diabetes. He is a little bear that was created to help children with diabetes but his support is much more far reaching. Get comfortable and listen to how he helped me and why I hope you have a Rufus of your own for support.
Your A1c is a navigational tool
Let’s talk A1c. Your A1c looks at your blood sugars over the past three months. It isn’t good or bad. It is a tool. In this episode, I will talk about a recent conversation with my son about his A1c. I will also share my thoughts on the subject. So get cozy and let’s talk A1c.
TRANSCRIPT
Barb Wagstaff…Today I wanted to share a little bit about your A1C. Nerves around A1c, and that good old A1C report card! So, what I'm about to share is some insights that I had in a conversation that I had with my son recently that I thought might be something that's relevant to some of you. Something that you can possibly kind of--resonate with you. Because, A1c, your good, old diabetes report card! Stress. Excitement. I don't know that anybody really gets excited about it, but some people do anticipate seeing what they hope to be some great results. So, here's our thoughts, my thoughts, on A1c after recent conversation with my son.
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7:14…Its that thing about words isn't it? It's not that they're asking. It’s how they're asking. it's making you feel like you are being judged. Making you feel like you're sitting in the principal’s office and you've just got failing grades. We don't want it to be that way. We want you to understand that it's a compass. It's something to work forward from. It's a tool to work with your diabetes team, hopefully, to make those changes.
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10:29…So that leads me to option #2, where you take as much of their information as you can. And you appreciate it. And then you go and you educate yourself. You go and look on the Diabetes Advocacy website. You go and check out the JDRF site. You look at people like Gary Scheiner and maybe read his books or set up a consultation with him.
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Or read the complete transcription on the Diabetes Advocacy website.
Not everyone needs to use an insulin pump but everyone should have choices.
You don’t have a choice to have diabetes but you should have a choice in how you manage it. Let’s talk about why people use insulin pumps and why they don’t! Grab a beverage and listen while we talk about insulin therapy options. To learn more about insulin pumps go to www.diabetesadvocacy.com/diabetes-care/everything-that-you-need-to-know-about-insulin-pump/
From the episode:
Barb Wagstaff: Insulin pump therapy is something that I believe strongly in. I really think that pumps are important and helpful tools. And if it were me living with diabetes, the first thing I would do is get an insulin pump. That being said, there’s a lot of things to consider when choosing an insulin pump.
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3:35 Some people also don’t like the fact that changing an infusion set takes a lot of time. Now some people feel that, for the amount of time it takes to change an infusion set that only happens once every two to four days versus an injection that happens every single time? But for some people that time that it takes to put it in a fusion set? It’s just not worth it. They just really don’t want that kind of hassle.
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13:40 Some people also feel that an insulin pump, because it is delivering such a small amount of insulin on a consistent basis, that it will help to reduce the amount of variance. And, it makes it so that you are less likely to have extreme episodes of hypoglycemia. It’s not going to totally stop you from going low. Extreme lows will happen, if you’re not really, really careful. If you’re not exceptionally vigilant. But the feeling is, is that with an insulin pump you have that little bit of extra control. That you don’t have quite the same variations in absorption levels that you do when you’re using certain… longer acting insulins. and you’re injecting.
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But my point is, is that choice is so important. It was important for us to have that new insulin pump that he went on to use right up until he was 16. That’s when he switched to a different brand of insulin pump and only because that pump was no longer on the market. But that was the best choice for us, and I always, always advocate how important choice is! I’s important we have choice in the marketplace so that there can be competition and things can improve. And it’s important because your diabetes may vary. Your needs are not the same as my son’s needs. Your needs are not the same as your friend down the street. Everyone’s needs are different and what they need and want an insulin pump is different.
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The Path to Becoming the Diabetes Goddess
Becoming the Diabetes Goddess is a journey that has taken years. The beginning was messy. I knew nothing about diabetes and never knew what type 1 diabetes was. All of that changed in March of 2000. This episode shares the raw emotions of that day. The day my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I will share with you my guilt and my terror as I learned that my 2 year old son had diabetes and it was killing him.
For more information on the signs of diabetes see https://www.diabetesadvocacy.com/digital_diabetes_downloads/high-and-low-blood-sugar-download/
Transcript...
Barb Wagstaff: Welcome again. This week I thought I’d take you back to where it all began. The story of how I went from having no real knowledge of diabetes to being dubbed the diabetes goddess. So get comfy. This was a very bumpy ride.
So, I had really never had any real knowledge of what it meant to have diabetes or what was involved in diabetes care prior to March 17th of 2000. I had seen type one diabetes in the wild before. My mom had a friend who’s son had type one diabetes. When we went over to play he was sick a lot. He was laying on the couch. He got to sit there and kinda chill and watch TV while we got shoed outside and had to go and play. As an adult, I met one or two people who had diabetes, but they seem to just take a needle, which I never really would see and they drank diet pop. When we were out it really seemed like no big deal. Until I found out exactly what a big deal it was. But that didn’t happen until March of 2000 as I said.
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3:36…He was a bit fussy he was tired, but again he was two. There was teething. There was flu season. There were all sorts of excuses for why he was the way he was. But it all kinda got to be too much after a bit.
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15:37…He weighed hardly anything. He was like 7 pounds when he was born. He was 2 1/2 years old and he’s weighing 22 pounds. How did I not see that? How do I miss how skinny he’d become? I didn’t know. I mean I had great reasoning behind it. He was always my slimmer child. He was so active keeping up with his older brother. It didn’t surprise me that he was thinner, but he was beyond thin. How did I miss that? What kind of parent was I that I missed that?
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