Diabetes Blog Week

Plans change.

This wasn't the original topic of my Friday blog post. Instead, I had planned on attending a JDRF Support Group on Thursday evening and writing about it after the fact. But, a two-day trip to Chicago earlier this week for a conference put me behind on deadline and meant staying home to work, rather than going to the meetup on the northside of Indy. Sometimes, D-Advocacy gets put on hold because of work deadlines and real-life time issues. So sad, but true.

Yet, a different line of blog post was already in the works for the Corner Booth.

A fellow D-Blogger Karen at Bitter-Sweet Diabetes recently wrote about an idea that's spread like wildfire through the Diabetes Online Community. It sets up a seven-day agenda for specific blog topics May 10-16. Each day's listed topic is a starting point, where the blogger can write as much or as little as they want and see where it goes. There's also a Wild Card Topic for a day when the block comes on for any particular listed topic.

Few rules exist but there are endless possibilities. Plus, this is a great way to compare the differing perspectives of all kinds of People With Diabetes - men and women, younger and older, newly diagnosed to longtime veterans... Our D-Community all tackling the same topics simultaneously for maximum effect. Here's a sneak peak of what's to come here at The Diabetic's Corner Booth next week, and what you're likely to find at the sites of nearly 100 other D-Bloggers participating in this inaugural D-Blog Week 2010.

Monday 5/10 - A day in the life . . . Take us through a quick rundown of an average day and all the ways in which diabetes touches it. Blood tests, site changes, high and low blood sugars, meal planning, anything that comes along. This can be a log of an actual day, or a fictional compilation of pieces from many days.

Tuesday 5/11 – Making the Low Go Away. Tell us about your favorite way to treat a low. Juice? Glucose tabs? Secret candy stash? What’s your favorite thing to indulge in when you are low? What do you find brings your blood sugar up fast without spiking it too high?

Wednesday 5/12 – Your Biggest Supporter. Sure, our diabetes care is ultimately up to us and us alone. But it’s important to have someone around to encourage you, cheer you, and even help you when you need it. Today it’s time to gush and brag about your biggest supporter. Is it your spouse or significant other? Your best friend, sibling, parent or child? Maybe it’s your endo or a great CDE? Or perhaps it’s another member of the D-O-C who is always there for you? Go ahead, tell them just how much they mean to you!

Thursday 5/13 - To carb or not to carb? Today let’s blog about what we eat. And perhaps what we don’t eat. Some believe a low carb diet is important in diabetes management, while others believe carbs are fine as long as they are counted and bolused for. Which side of the fence do you fall on? What kind of things do you eat for meals and snacks? What foods do you deem bolus-worthy? What other foodie wisdom would you like to share?

Friday 5/14 - Exercise... love it or hate it? Do you have a regular exercise routine? Or do you have trouble finding your exercise motivation? How do you manage your insulin and food to avoid bottoming out during your workout? Today is the day to tell us all about your exercise habits, or lack thereof.

Saturday 5/15 - Diabetes Snapshots. Inspired by the Diabetes 365 project, let’s snap a few d-related pictures to share today. Post as many or as few as you’d like. Be creative! Feel free to blog your thoughts on or explanations of your pictures. Or leave out the written words and let the pictures speak for themselves. This one's particularly good for me, as I'd started with the D-365 Project but put it away after hitting the Flickr Free Account Limit of 200 photos and not wanting to pay anything for a Pro Account Unlimited Status.

Sunday 5/16 - Dream a little dream about Life After A Cure. To wrap up Diabetes Blog Week, let’s pretend a cure has been found. We are all given a tiny little pill to swallow and *poof* our pancreases are back in working order. No side effects. No more insulin resistance. No more diabetes. Tell us what your life is now like. Or take us through your first day celebrating life without the Big D. Blog about how you imagine you would feel if you no longer were a Person With Diabetes.

Wild card - Blood Sugar Nirvana or Moronic Moment. (inspired by Kelly Kunik at Diabetesaliciousness) Blog about the time you ate a meal that tends to spike you to the moon, but your perfectly calculated and timed bolus kept your blood sugar happy. Or tell us about that time your brain had a little diabetes-blip and you did something you think is “stupid”. (Because chances are, we’ve done it too!!) Go ahead, brag about your triumph or commiserate about your d-blooper.

So, that's that. Despite not being able to get to that JDRF meeting on Thursday night, we have an active week of interesting D-issues ahead! Come on back, and let me know what you think each day.