T1D dietitian

Tandem t:slim trial part 1

Tandem t:slim X2 with Control IQ has recently become a well known name in the Katie T1D household – and a bit of a tongue twister 😉 Hi friends! Remember about two months ago when my old-school Omnipod kicked the bucket? I was in a bit of a pickle, and it forced me to start figuring out alternate insulin pump options. Because I work in diabetes care, both Tandem and Medtronic offered me a trial of their automated insulin delivery (AID) systems. I was thrilled! And yes, I very much acknowledge my privilege. Tandem was first up. Tandem Trial – the preamble Honestly, I was impressed by some of Tandem’s outcomes. Ever since the AID pumps came onto the market, I had been somewhat dubious on how they would respond to my diabetes. This is an important component to consider. I’ve done extensive research into these systems over the years, […]

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Diabetes Awareness Month – let’s advocate

Today is December 1st, which means we’ve just left the month of November – Diabetes Awareness Month. This post is a reflection on this year’s Diabetes Awareness Month, and the role that I – as a person with T1D, and as a person working in T1D – played in it. Diabetes Awareness Month: the preamble Two days before our diabetes month began, I shared a short story to a large group of T1D researchers and influencers on a day in the life of T1D – my T1D. I am a member of the Breakthrough T1D Lived Experience Advisory Group. And this presentation was part of the Breakthrough T1D Centre of Excellence annual meeting. For my part, I talked about how diabetes tech is amazing, super amazing … until it isn’t. This was the story of the day both my insulin pumps spontaneously combusted (okay, maybe it wasn’t quite that extreme,

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Halloween carb counts to help manage type-1 diabetes

Halloween and T1D strategies

Halloween and type 1 diabetes – not exactly a match made in heaven, right? But it doesn’t have to be a nightmare either. Here’s how I’ve learned to manage the candy, the chaos, and still enjoy the fun.

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Pregnant with T1D – the weight anguish

Once upon a time I was pregnant with T1D, and in that pregnancy I struggled greatly with preserving my mental health. The reason: the constant, incessant, judgemental focus on my weight. My son turned 13 last month – how is that even possible??? Some days, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was pregnant. But, friends, I am so happy it was not just yesterday. Overall, my pregnancy was not a difficult pregnancy. But, because I have type-1 diabetes, I had to attend many, many healthcare provider appointments that often made the experience feel extremely difficult. Some of these appointments included: Maternity clinic High risk obstetrician Diabetes and pregnancy clinic, which featured appointments with an endocrinologist, nurse, and dietitian Non-stress tests Multiple ultrasounds Etc., etc., etc Of all, it was the diabetes and pregnancy clinic that had me constantly fretting about weight gain in pregnancy. Pregnant with T1D:

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T1D and tasting menus: oh the challenge

T1D and tasting menus are not an easy mix! My husband and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary last weekend, and it was a full-on trial and error experiment with regards to my T1D. We went for dinner at The Mackenzie Room with our dear friends who were married the same day, same year – how cool is that?! Our friendship started just shy of 3 years after our weddings, and we’ve mostly been celebrating together ever since. For dinner, we opted for the chef’s tasting menu: 12 dishes served over 5 courses. T1D peeps, you know the struggle, don’t cha? Here’s what I love about tasting menus They are social. We were sharing the same dishes, chatting about the foods, and everything else, and comparing favourites from course to course. They are experiential. If we were to limit ourselves to just one or two dishes, we would not have

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