ABOUT
Hi! I’m Rachel, a thirty-something year old navigating the world with T1D, Hashimoto’s, and Celiac Disease. If you’re reading this it’s probably because you want to know a little more about me. So let’s start with the basics.
The Basics
I have three autoimmune disease, an incredibly supportive and sexy husband (hey babe xoxo), a wildly observant and curious son, and the sweetest most cuddly goldendoodle you’ve ever seen.
I take a natural, holistic approach to everything I do. My diet, what I put in my home and on my body, the way I exercise, my routines, and even the way I talk to myself, because I believe everything we do, think, and say has an effect on our health.
My T1D Story
I was 20 years old when I got diagnosed with type one diabetes. I had all the typical red flags:
- unquenchable thirst
- followed by a ridiculous number of bathroom breaks
- weight loss (as you can see in my skeletor picture below)
- extreme tiredness
- and dry mouth
My Mom thought I had diabetes, but I was in total disagreement. I went to the doctors anyways and wouldn’t you know, Mom was right.
Flying From The Nest
My blood sugar numbers were far from desirable. I knew what to do, and I knew what the doctors were telling me to do, but it just wasn’t working; and I was the one paying for it, not them.
So I fled the nest.
I knew that what I was putting in & on my body (and more importantly not putting in & on my body), what toxins I was exposed to, and even the thoughts I was thinking, had a dramatic impact on my blood sugar numbers and overall health, despite my doctors thinking otherwise.
I remember one of my old Endo’s asked me what I did differently during the past few months to get a better A1C. When I told him, I went Paleo, he laughed at me and said, I doubt that’s it.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I think Western medicine is amazing. Especially in terms of surgery and trauma. But as far as keeping a person healthy & well, I think they’ve missed the mark…big time.
What is T1D Living
I’m not here to be your doctor and I’m certainly not pretending to be one online. The purpose of T1D living is to share with you the things that I’m doing to improve my own health and hopefully provide you with information that can be used as a starting point of conversation between you and your doctor.
Because let’s face it, with a disease that is SO HEAVILY woven into the medical field it’s hard to find anything out there that harmonizes natural living with type 1 diabetes (or any chronic illness for that matter). I hope my story and my journey can get to you to question things about your own wellness and inspire you to research things that you may have never thought of before.
This isn’t a one way street either! I love it when you share with me YOUR thoughts and YOUR experiences. You can open my eyes just as much as I can open yours.
T1D Living is a place for positivity; not horror stories, no pity me parties, and no talk about how hard this disease is. There is enough of that out there and to be honest, I never feel good about myself after reading those kinds of stories, which is a shame because we are some BAD-ASS human beings. Let’s celebrate that! Type one diabetes has one of the strongest communities out there. You are NEVER alone. And THAT is something to celebrate.
18 Comments
I’d love to read more about healthy eating withbT1D. My five year old just got diagnosed and I’m thinking of putting her on a plant based diet but unsure if that’s ok because of her age.
Hi! I personally eat keto/paleo and have found that it helps tremendously with both my blood sugar numbers and overall health. I can’t recommend plant based diets because in my opinion they are not healthy for anyone, at any age. I’ll do a post on this soon! What a great suggestion 🙂
Just found your blog! I feel the same way about natural living/whole health. Can’t wait to follow along 🙂
Thanks June! <3
IM 15 AND FOSTER KID NOW IM IN IDEPENDENT LIVING IM FINDING IT HARD TO BE AS STABLE. LIKE I WAS IN MY LAST FOSTER. HOME BACK IN THE SUMMER. I HAVE 3. AUTO IMMUNE CEILAC THYROID T1D. DO U HAVE ANY IDEAS OF RECIPIES. WITH NOT ALOT OF CARBS WITH NO NUTS IM ALLERGIC MY GO TO THINGS THAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS ARE COCONUT OIL AND CACAO AND FLAX AND CHAI SEEDS. MADE. SO KILLER PANCAKES. DO U HAVR ANY IDEAS
I would look into paleo/keto recipes. Some of my favorite websites for recipes are:
https://www.healthfulpursuit.com/browse-recipes/
http://thetoastedpinenut.com/category/recipes/
https://www.ruled.me/keto-recipes/
Some meal ideas…Chia seed pudding is delicious for breakfast or a snack. I also love doing eggs & sausage for breakfast. Salads/ lettuce wraps are perfect for lunch. And Dinner I typically pair a meat with two veggie sides. I have some lower carb smoothie recipes on my site that you should check out too! They are perfect for snacks:
http://www.t1dliving.com/low-carb-shamrock-shake/
http://www.t1dliving.com/lower-carb-chocolate-peanut-butter-banana-smoothie/ (omit the PB in this recipe)
HI Rachel! I am happy to have found your page, we are very similar, you and I! I was 12 when my Dad was diagnosed at the age of 35. I was 23 when I diagnosed myself and the roller coaster began! I also have a super cuddly doodle, mine is a labradoodle named Jersey. And, am also lucky enough to have a rockin’, supportive sexy hubby, lol. I wear the pump and a CGM and am always looking for ways to be as healthy and holistic as possible.
Thanks for creating a positive space to share ideas and tips. I look forward to checking out your blog and being inspired by you putting one foot in front of the other and doing what it takes to live the best life you can, despite challenges presented in a diabetic life. I like that you are keeping a positive spin on it. It can sometimes be easy to be bogged down in the struggle. Thanks for shining a positive light and sharing it with others, it was just what I needed to see today.
Take care, Tammi
Tammi, you just made my day! 🙂 and funny, we do have A LOT in common!! I’m so happy that you’re following along <3
Hi Rachel, we also have a lot in common, however, I was diagnosed 11 years after you. 🙂
I have been adopting a similar diet as you, and have gotten my A1C down to 8, but am still not as low as I would like to be. Do you find there are any tips outside of diet and exercise? or, tips regarding making the diet not so boring? lol. also, did you mention you are using a pump, or only a CGM. I have used both dexcom and freestyle libre, and have found them super helpful, but slightly obtrusive. they sometimes fall off too easily dependent on your activity. Thanks for creating this blog. I of course found it doing research. 🙂
Hi Jamie! Congrats on the A1C! I think you’ll find this blog post helpful: http://www.t1dliving.com/4-steps-to-how-i-lowered-my-a1c/
I am using both a pump (Omnipod) and CGM (dexcom) and absolutely LOVE them! Dexcom just release their G6 model which has a slimmer profile so it won’t get knocked off quite as easily. Plus it has a self inserting system, so good-bye to the intimating harpoon! hahah
I really like Grif Grips too, for helping to keep Dex on. You should check them out <3
Hi Rachel,
Just stumbled upon your page as I was searching for a good fat bomb recipe. I am 30 living with Cystic Fibrosis, diabetes related CF and a double lung transplant 3 years ago due to CF. My old lungs left me very malnourished and medically anorexic because it took so much effort just to breathe each day. After my miracle lungs came I had a veracious appetite and my new healthy lungs didn’t need to work so hard to keep me alive. Here I am 3 years later, a lot of weight gained (mostly fat) and diabetes slowly getting more and more out of control. I decided to take control of my life and realise for the first time I needed to change eating habits for my diabetes and my overall health. I started Keto about 3 weeks ago and have seen a slow loss, I am also fighting against steroids every day. More importantly, my blood sugars are staying under 180 every day. I have a Tslim pump and am still using almost the same basal rate as I was before I stopped eating carbs, but I bolus very little and barely have to correct much now. My diabetes is related to CF so it is it’s own category, but does behave sometimes like type1. I can’t wait to dive deeper into your website for recipes and overall diabetes health while living a low carb lifestyle.
I am so happy and relieved to have found your blog on Pinterest. I’m a 30 year old type one diabetic as of 20 years ago. I have grown to the same approach to my health as you seem to have. I am especially excited to dive into the effects that t1d has on hormones and vice versa, since I have just been discovering this within the past year (believe it or not). My mom and I also have a fashionable medical id jewelry company called n-styleid.com, she started when I got diagnosed, that you all should check out! Anyways… I’m looking forward to following your blog! Thanks!
Hi…I’m Christine and was just diagnosed with Type 1 in September at the age of 52. I’m trying to sign up for your emails, but it’s asking me to select a list? I don’t see a list…please help
Hi! Sorry that the email sign up is being difficult! I will into it and add you to the list 🙂
Hi! My name is Jill and I’m 35, I was diagnosed with T1D at age 31. I found your page through Pinterest, the article about your menstral cycle and the rise in blood sugar- that’s me too! Thanks for website and the community it offers. I look forward to reading more!
So glad to find this place. Nice(for me that is, but not so much for you) to see someone that has multiple issues like I do including digestive issues. I’ve had crohn’s disease for over 20 years, AI arthritis & AI liver disease for 10, and T1 in 2018. Still trying to understand everything and have had a difficult time as so many of the foods that are good for a crohn’s diet are horrid for a T1 diet and vice versa. Not many docs really knew/know what to do. It helps me feel not so alone.
<3 You are not alone. Welcome to the tribe <3
I am so glad I found your page! 21 yrs type one and about 10 years into celiac. Things are tough right now trying to repair my small intestine among other things!!! I look forward to hearing your stories and advice! I can relate!! Also I have my year old golden doodle Hank. He is a treasure 🙂