Things I learned about Diabetes this month... May edition

-I may have said this before, but I am putting an end to ice cream. Every once in awhile we forget how much it messes with Elise's BG, and we try it again, only to have crazy high blood sugars 3 - 4 hours later. So from now on our motto will be: Ice cream... just say no.

-Travel with a toddler with D is doable, but very, very tough. This is our third trip now, and our longest one by far. Being away from my comfort zone is hard. Not having access to our "base foods" is hard. Trying to time everything and still have time for fun is hard. But the memories we are making as a family are so, so worth it.

-Although we have family and friends in the area, we opted to stay in our own place and ended up renting a condo in the downtown area. Having our own kitchen was great. We ate breakfast in every morning, and it meant we could prepare some meals and snacks for the day to take with us. I think the condo even ended up being cheaper than a hotel. From now on, we will always get a place where we have access to a kitchen.

-Travelling will cause you to blow through test strips. I don't remember this as much with our other trips, but this one we have been much more active (lots of walking, hiking, playing), been completely off schedule, and eaten foods that Elise is unaccustomed to and therefore we have no idea what it will do to her BG. The cool thing is that I found out Elise likes Hot and Sour Soup (a yummy Chinese soup), and Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli). Two of my favourites too! Anyway, we've experienced LOTS of semi-lows (70s), and had to give LOTS of extra carbs to keep up. That leads to a LOT of extra testing.

-Time zones wreak havoc when it comes to trying to stay on schedule. Our first day in Vancouver, we had to eat dinner at 3:00 pm. My brain was so fried trying to figure out just what time it was.

-Your child doesn't always need the "perfect snack" of complex carb + protein. Sometimes sorbet will do. I've always tried to make Elise's meals and snacks a good balance of the nutrition and types of carbs that she needs. Sometimes, especially when you're away from home, it just doesn't work. And that's okay.

-Travelling with D makes you need a vacation from D. Of course, that just will never happen, but a gal can dream, right?