Recipes for someone who doesn’t love to cook

Posted on January 9, 2020 by janekdickinson

I cook because if I didn’t it would be take out or canned/frozen food every day/night. I feel responsible for my kids’ health as well as my own, so I cook. Interestingly, breakfast and lunch don’t bother me. It’s supper (dinner to some) that I don’t enjoy.

If it were up to me I could honestly live with the same six dishes I’ve found that are quick and easy (and taste good to me). I do have one offspring who complains about that, so from time to time I attempt to branch out.

I’m also one of those people who stresses out when I have to make a meal for company or – even worse! – take a meal to someone who is sick or just had a baby (getting meals delivered after delivering babies was one of the highlights of having children, so I definitely pay it back; unfortunately I have two things I can make and deliver, so don’t have multiple babies if you know and live near me).

I am one of those people who cooks what I have in the house. I cook basic, non-fancy meals: protein, vegetable, starch. I never make “combo” foods (casseroles or “hot dishes” for any mid-westerners reading this) because it’s impossible to know what you’re getting in terms of carb. Plus I tend to avoid cream-based anything. (I’m actually not a picky eater – if someone else prepares it I’ll eat just about anything!!)

I recently discovered the recipes that are often included in the diaTribe newsletter (Making Sense of Diabetes). Catherine Newman contributes these (mostly lower-carb) recipes and I’ve actually made some of them. They’ve been delicious and relatively simple. No obscure ingredients! What I love most is Catherine’s sense of humor. I’m laughing to myself (or out loud) the whole time I’m preparing supper. How refreshing for someone who finds it a chore to cook!

Another opportunity for 2020: make even more new dishes.

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#TCDiabetes 10th Anniversary

Posted on January 2, 2020 by janekdickinson

Teachers College (the Graduate School of Education, Health, and Psychology at Columbia University) launched the world’s first Master of Science in Diabetes Education and Management (#TCDiabetes) in September, 2011. That was the first time academic preparation for the specialty of diabetes care and education became a reality.

Since then, passionate students have been studying and discussing diabetes and how to make life better for people living with diabetes. So far, 27 people have graduated and gone out into the world to do just that. Some are in clinics, some are in hospitals, some are or have gone on to earn doctoral degrees, and some have developed diabetes education programs.

In September of 2020, TC will celebrate the 10th academic year of the solely online and asynchronous MS in Diabetes Education and Management. Learn more about #TCDiabetes on their website, or Facebook, or Twitter (@TCDiabetes).

Be sure to spread the word about this important program. And consider applying!

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2020 Year of the Nurse

Posted on January 1, 2020 by janekdickinson

nurse stuffWhat a great title for our new year and new decade. The year of the nurse. In much of my work I discuss the negative impact of labels, yet nurse is a label I wear with great honor and pride. I came to the nursing profession in a round about way. I had a mad crush on my nurse “Sue” when I was hospitalized with a new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in 1975. Oddly, it wasn’t then that I wanted to become a nurse.

It wasn’t until my sophomore year in college, when I was rethinking my major (I realized I had to drop chemistry as my major when I couldn’t live with the definition of an orbital: the area in space where an electron may or may not be). It was my mother who informed me that I needed to become a nurse. She reminded me that I wanted to work with people, I loved science, and I wanted to teach. I have no idea how she knew those things described nursing (just throw in the word “care/caring” and you’re about there). There have been no nurses in our family as far back as I know.

I finished my undergraduate degree (in biology – because it’s the study of life and very concrete) and went directly on to a program where I earned my RN and master’s degree in nursing. While that was pretty intimidating at times (especially clinical rotations where I was learning to practice at an advanced level when I didn’t even have my RN yet…), it was the best path I could have taken. I gained a strong foundation in nursing as a caring, teaching science.

I am proud of the work I get to do every day, and nursing principles have shaped every aspect of it.

I am proud to be called a nurse and I’m incredibly proud and honored to practice nursing. This is an exciting time to be a nurse. Nurses have vision, nurses have passion, nurses are doing amazing work. Enjoy 2020: year of the nurse!

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Opportunity 2020

Posted on December 26, 2019 by janekdickinson

3roaring-20s-1-638Instead of resolutions, I’d like to suggest opportunities in 2020. Most of us who are alive today didn’t experience the “Roaring Twenties” of the last century. What a decade it appears to have been – full of boldness (and dancing). I hope we can be bold in 2020 by seizing opportunities and making them reality.

One thing we’ve been making slow and steady progress on in the 20-teens is the language movement in diabetes. This actually started decades ago, although few may be aware of that. We know now that stigma is a very real and serious problem in diabetes. Unfortunately the stigma around diabetes is ingrained and the messages used about and toward people with diabetes align with that stigma. It’s time to change that once and for all.

There has been a lot of discussion about particular words and their negative impact on people with diabetes. There have been suggestions for replacing them. This is all good and exciting. What’s most important, though, is that we understand why the language around diabetes needs to change. It’s much more than any one particular word; it’s the mindset, attitude or approach behind it.

This is true for health professionals talking and writing about (people with) diabetes, the general public, and even people living with diabetes ourselves. Each of us has a role in changing this mindset about diabetes and we can lead by example to make sure it catches on.

Once we take on an attitude/approach of partnership, ownership, acceptance, strength, and empowerment, the appropriate words will follow. Let’s do that in 2020! Let’s not just meet people where they are, let’s accept them where they are. Let’s partner for improved outcomes – improved communication and relationships between patients and providers, and more engagement in self-care.

I imagine opportunity begets opportunity. Let’s find out!

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No Restarts

Posted on December 10, 2019 by janekdickinson

“No restarts” is the message I got after I tried to hack the system because I forgot to bring a new CGM sensor when I was traveling this past summer. I followed the instructions to a T, and it didn’t work.

Luckily I was able to use my meter, lancet, and strips for the remainder of my vacation and I made it just fine. Unlike this particular scenario, there are restarts in diabetes life. Managing diabetes is all about do-overs. We learn every day – what works, what doesn’t work, what works better. We figure things out and make adjustments. We start over and over and over. There are many times when people with diabetes may feel like there’s no restart. It’s easy to get discouraged and feel defeated. The language and messaging around diabetes often does not help.

When the message is “no restarts,” we have an opportunity to be creative, to draw on our strengths, to persevere. I’m looking forward to 2020, a new year with yet another restart.

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Thankful for CDN

Posted on November 28, 2019 by janekdickinson

It’s Thanksgiving, and instead of writing about carbs, like I often (usually) do, I want to say that I’m thankful for the College Diabetes Network (CDN).

I recently came across some journals and letters I wrote during college. I also have one “kid” in college and one about to go next year. As a result, I’ve been thinking about my own college experience a lot lately. It was a hard time! I remember wishing someone had sat me down and explained or at least discussed how things would be in terms of managing diabetes and dealing with food. Not that anyone has the answers, but a little guidance would have been nice.

No one really knows what any particular person’s college experience is going to look like. And then came CDN. What a fabulous resource for college students and those leaving home to live on their own! They have pamphlets, a website, support groups, meet-ups, etc. While I wasn’t necessarily looking for other people with diabetes to hang out with, it would have been really comforting to have someone to ask questions or bounce things off of from time to time.

I went to school pretty far from home, so I didn’t go home for Thanksgiving. Every November I spent this holiday with relatives about an hour from school. We developed fun traditions that I looked forward to every year and still miss today! That made adjusting to being far from my family so much easier. And CDN makes adjusting to living well with diabetes during college do-able as well.

Today I’m thankful for CDN. Check them out!

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CGM coverage

Posted on November 22, 2019 by janekdickinson

Over thirteen years ago it became possible to have a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for personal use and now more and more people are using them. Continuous glucose monitoring (also CGM) has gotten so good (reliable/accurate) that I’m even using one (for more on that journey click here).

My experience with CGM (almost 18  months now) has taught me that every person with diabetes needs one of these. It’s incredible what this information can tell us and how it can help us make adjustments that can lead to improvements in the way we feel and our productivity. For me, the most important thing about managing diabetes (and the only reason, quite honestly, to do it) is to put ourselves in the best position to live life fully. CGM helps us live well with diabetes so that we can truly live. (Unfortunately, having a CGM has also shed light on how inadequate our existing/available insulin is and how desperately we need “smart” insulin, or at least insulin that works a lot faster and more predictably!! but I digress).

Anyway, our friends at diaTribe have created a guide on Medicaid coverage for CGM. At the very least it’s interesting to know which states cover CGM and what the requirements are. At the most, we may want to start talking to our legislators about fixing this situation in (many) states that don’t have sufficient or any coverage. It’s that important. CGM can and will change diabetes management and outcomes for all people with diabetes. CGM will help us advance diabetes research.

I never thought I would be ready to give up my blood glucose meter. I didn’t think I minded poking my finger multiple times a day. Now I know that CGM is better. It gives me more and better information with which I can make more informed and better decisions for managing my diabetes. It’s time for all people with diabetes to have this life-changing tool.

 

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Solidarity in Diabetes

Posted on November 14, 2019 by janekdickinson

I saw a post on Facebook that says, “Type one diabetes, not caused by eating too much sugar or lifestyle.”

I immediately (and somewhat frantically) typed this response: Type 2 diabetes is also not caused by eating too much sugar or lifestyle. There are at least 11 factors in the body (most of them non modifiable) that lead to type 2 diabetes. Please stop the stigma, blame, and shame around diabetes (all types) once and for all. We all need to keep sending the public this important message.

I didn’t post it (there) for at least a couple reasons: 1) I don’t like to engage in discussions like this on social media. It’s rarely productive. 2) I didn’t want to make the person who posted it feel bad.

However, I do want to say that messages like this are incredibly short-sighted. They contribute to the stigma, blame, and shame that surrounds both types of diabetes and even worse, it pits people with one type of diabetes against people with another type. Don’t we all have enough to deal with? Can’t we use some solidarity?

I realize there are people out there who desperately want the names changed so that their type (or their child’s type) of diabetes is seen as different from “the other kind.” However, there is research showing the possibility that all diabetes is related on some level. Some scientists say it’s just a continuum and we all fall somewhere along it.

No one brought diabetes on themselves; no one deserves diabetes. Diabetes is no one’s fault. Instead of working against “the other side,” let’s work together for good. It’s time for all people with (type 1, type 2, gestational, and everything in between) diabetes to stand together for change.

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Time Spent on Health Care Bills

Posted on November 6, 2019 by janekdickinson

I was going to post this article two weeks ago and decided to wait. In that time I’ve spent (no joke) 5 more hours on the phone with my health insurance company and with my provider’s billing office. Insurance people say they paid the bill; billers say they didn’t get it. Billers want proof it was paid; insurers say they can’t share certain information.

This is a vicious cycle where the customer (who is dutifully paying their insurance premiums and co-pays) gets caught in the middle. It’s a time consuming nightmare. I’m told to call my senator’s office and they will get to the bottom of it. I certainly hope that’s true. No one has time for this and no one should have to deal with it.

This is one of the many reasons why our health care system needs help. I won’t support any new “ideas” until they’ve addressed all of it. It’s not a quick fix. Get the right people at the table and start talking, please!

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One More Thing

Posted on October 30, 2019 by janekdickinson

So it turns out we’re not exempt. Don’t we have enough going on already? But seriously, even though it’s one more thing, it’s important. Women with diabetes still need to get screened for cancer and other health concerns (and it turns out we often don’t). Put it off no longer, friends.

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