Skaters that Persevere

[victor doom]

I'm starting this thread to find out how many Pals out there have any illnesses or health conditions that make skateboarding more difficult than other skaters. I have been skating for over 30 years with type 1 diabetes that I've had for forty years. Prepping my blood sugar before a session can be very stressful and if my blood sugar drops too low, it will fuck up the day. I also developed retinopathy from being an idiot and had my blood sugar too high trying to avoid having an insulin reaction while skating. On top of that shit, I have psoriatic arthritis which I have under control, but is prone to attack my joints. I'm not trying to have a pity party, just want to know what hurdles other skaters endure for their love for skateboarding

[Lou Strux]

Don’t know if this counts, but I’m on my 2nd titanium femur (in my right leg.) Kinda lost my hops as a result of the additional hardware, but at my age, that was likely to happen sooner rather than later anyway.
...And while the physical pain associated with it is very real, the mere fact that I am still skating (arguably, almost as good as I ever have) in spite of the prognostications that I would probably never even walk normally again, make it all the more enjoyable in this, the autumn of my life.

[fakie nollie]

I’ve adjusted my pop to compensate for how hard my giant gut swings.

[HugeBodBoyle]

I'm 44 and sometimes my body does this thing where it's all "nah bro. We ain't jumping this time" and I just fall to the ground.

I just keep going tho.

[Yonnycage]

Sometimes when I’m pushing my brain knocks me off balance subliminally and I do this weird sideways push that makes me look and feel like a 9 year old who just stood on a board for the first time. It’s fucking demoralizing when it happens in a crowded park cause I know at least one person saw it. Ruins my sesh for the day and keeps me up at night

[Reed Richards]

I'm starting this thread to find out how many Pals out there have any illnesses or health conditions that make skateboarding more difficult than other skaters. I have been skating for over 30 years with type 1 diabetes that I've had for forty years. Prepping my blood sugar before a session can be very stressful and if my blood sugar drops too low, it will fuck up the day. I also developed retinopathy from being an idiot and had my blood sugar too high trying to avoid having an insulin reaction while skating. On top of that shit, I have psoriatic arthritis which I have under control, but is prone to attack my joints. I'm not trying to have a pity party, just want to know what hurdles other skaters endure for their love for skateboarding

I'll put our Fantastic rivalry aside to salute you for going through all that and still finding a way to do what you love.

[victor doom]

Expand Quote

I'm starting this thread to find out how many Pals out there have any illnesses or health conditions that make skateboarding more difficult than other skaters. I have been skating for over 30 years with type 1 diabetes that I've had for forty years. Prepping my blood sugar before a session can be very stressful and if my blood sugar drops too low, it will fuck up the day. I also developed retinopathy from being an idiot and had my blood sugar too high trying to avoid having an insulin reaction while skating. On top of that shit, I have psoriatic arthritis which I have under control, but is prone to attack my joints. I'm not trying to have a pity party, just want to know what hurdles other skaters endure for their love for skateboarding

[close]

I'll put our Fantastic rivalry aside to salute you for going through all that and still finding a way to do what you love.

thanks. Still hate you though

[victor doom]

Expand Quote

I'm starting this thread to find out how many Pals out there have any illnesses or health conditions that make skateboarding more difficult than other skaters. I have been skating for over 30 years with type 1 diabetes that I've had for forty years. Prepping my blood sugar before a session can be very stressful and if my blood sugar drops too low, it will fuck up the day. I also developed retinopathy from being an idiot and had my blood sugar too high trying to avoid having an insulin reaction while skating. On top of that shit, I have psoriatic arthritis which I have under control, but is prone to attack my joints. I'm not trying to have a pity party, just want to know what hurdles other skaters endure for their love for skateboarding

[close]

I know a surprising amount of skaters with Type 1 diabetes. Not sure if it's something about skateboarding or if that's just a thing that doesn't come up in conversation with most people (which makes it something about skateboarding, I guess). If it was easy, it wouldn't be as fun.

I kind of get it. But make no mistake, fuck this disease off a cliff

[gsosa]

I have type 1 diabetes as well (have had it since I was 12 I'm 26 now), and while it can definitely require being extra careful (have had a few low blood sugar episodes while out skating) skating takes a big part in making me stay healthy. Drehobl has diabetes too, and Lewis Marnell (RIP) dies from a hipoglucemic episode. All in all, fuck Diabetes but hey there are diseases that are way worse

[cheetahsheets]

I’ve dealt with mental illness in many ways and most people would say I’ve lived a “very hard life”, but I always used skateboarding to escape all that.  I got into skateboarding when I was younger because my parents were going through a divorce. It was and still is my escape when fucked up shit happens in my life. Whenever I’ve had a really bad breakup, had something fucked up in life happen, felt ashamed about being queer, or am dealing with mental problems, I’ve always used skateboarding as my drug of choice. I notice that when I don’t skate due to whatever reasons in life, that I’m just not as happy and have more depressing periods. Like I have a pretty fucking dope life now, like way better then I could have imagined for myself, and really have no reasons to be like sad or depressed, but I deal with bipolar disorder so u always have residual depression. Skateboarding somehow just stabilizes my mood really well. A lot of people ended up dying in my life for like a year period and my parents passed, and I remember I took 2 months off of work, school, everything, during this period, and literally skated from like 8 am in the morning until roughly 12 am that night, and repeated that for literally fucking 8 weeks. Some insane like we are hitting the deadline of a Greg Hunt video type shit, I was goin fuckin hard. Either way, skateboarding has been great to me in regards to mental health, I don’t think there is anything more comparable in the world for that, if u truly are a skateboarder at heart.

[landedprimo]

I'm not trying to have a pity party, just want to know what hurdles other skaters endure for their love for skateboarding

It's not taken that way at all. I'm glad you brought this up. It fucking sucks to suffer in silence. But sadly, that's what a lot of us do.

Diabetes is fucking rough. I've been lucky enough to not develop that. But genetics say I'm susceptible to it.

My issues have always been spinal. Fucked my back up 15 years ago and neglected to have a herniated disc taken care of for 12 years. After having surgery, they believe I have permanent damage to my sciatic nerve.

I feel it in my hip, ass, thigh, calf and ankle, sometimes my toes. So, 15 years of pain and it doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon.

What's worse than the pain is when someone tries to downplay how bad it is, because you've become used to it and don't express it like others. They can fuck off.

Keep your heads up guys and gals. Skate on.

[blunted]

I’ve dealt with mental illness in many ways and most people would say I’ve lived a “very hard life”, but I always used skateboarding to escape all that.  I got into skateboarding when I was younger because my parents were going through a divorce. It was and still is my escape when fucked up shit happens in my life. Whenever I’ve had a really bad breakup, had something fucked up in life happen, felt ashamed about being queer, or am dealing with mental problems, I’ve always used skateboarding as my drug of choice. I notice that when I don’t skate due to whatever reasons in life, that I’m just not as happy and have more depressing periods. Like I have a pretty fucking dope life now, like way better then I could have imagined for myself, and really have no reasons to be like sad or depressed, but I deal with bipolar disorder so u always have residual depression. Skateboarding somehow just stabilizes my mood really well. A lot of people ended up dying in my life for like a year period and my parents passed, and I remember I took 2 months off of work, school, everything, during this period, and literally skated from like 8 am in the morning until roughly 12 am that night, and repeated that for literally fucking 8 weeks. Some insane like we are hitting the deadline of a Greg Hunt video type shit, I was goin fuckin hard. Either way, skateboarding has been great to me in regards to mental health, I don’t think there is anything more comparable in the world for that, if u truly are a skateboarder at heart.

Damn bro. Thanks for sharing. How old were you when your parents passed?

[Sila]

I've dealt with crippling depression and mental health issues for the last 12 years and even more severely in the last six. I've gone through having case workers, multiple therapists, and done the usual meditation/yoga/healthy diet/exercise routine to stay as balanced and clear as I can.

 All things considered I seem to be somewhat treatment resistant or there's still some secret to dealing with this black cloud I haven't discovered.

Just came back to skateboarding this year and not much beats the feeling, but it can be equally as hard to enjoy at times when i'm super low and almost chronically bed-ridden. But often it's the one thing that gets me outside and interacting with the world. What skateboarding represents as far as discipline and perseverance is particularly important to me at this point in my life. It constantly reminds me to not give up on things.

[landedprimo]

...

Really sorry to hear about your parents. Also, I just feel the need to say, don't ever feel ashamed of who you are.

[Roisto]

I'm starting this thread to find out how many Pals out there have any illnesses or health conditions that make skateboarding more difficult than other skaters. I have been skating for over 30 years with type 1 diabetes that I've had for forty years. Prepping my blood sugar before a session can be very stressful and if my blood sugar drops too low, it will fuck up the day. I also developed retinopathy from being an idiot and had my blood sugar too high trying to avoid having an insulin reaction while skating. On top of that shit, I have psoriatic arthritis which I have under control, but is prone to attack my joints. I'm not trying to have a pity party, just want to know what hurdles other skaters endure for their love for skateboarding

Fellow type 1 diabetic here. 30 years I've had it. So far I've got no complications from it. Treatment can be tricky though as sometimes the blood sugar just doesn't seem to follow any logic. I have to say that the biggest improvement for me has been getting a FreeStyle Libre sensor and MiaoMiao reader for that and then installing Spike on my iPhone. Now I can check my blood sugar pretty much real time from my Apple Watch.

For me skating lowers my blood sugar like mad usually but normally it happens after the session rather than during. So I pretty much always gotta load up on carbs right after a session. Sometimes before too and during. Sadly skating doesn't work for me at all if my blood sugar is low. Then I just gotta chill after getting some carbs and wait for it to normalise and only after that can I get back to skating. Also if I happen to load up on carbs too much before the session the high blood sugar just fucks with my mind and I end up hating skateboarding until I've managed to get the levels back to normal. It's a fine balance for sure. But it also is what it is and something we have to deal with, so no point in wasting too much energy hating it. Even though I can manage quite well with my type 1 diabetes, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. That's one of the main reasons I had a vasectomy. Even though it's not super likely my kids would get diabetes, it is more likely than for the average person and I couldn't live with myself if I had a kid who got diabetes just because I had to spread my seeds.

[geezer]

I'm 46 and just had surgery to repair a torn hamstring.  Looks like about 6 months of down time.  I'll let you know how it goes... I'm not done.

[DirtyBurger]

Expand Quote

I'm starting this thread to find out how many Pals out there have any illnesses or health conditions that make skateboarding more difficult than other skaters. I have been skating for over 30 years with type 1 diabetes that I've had for forty years. Prepping my blood sugar before a session can be very stressful and if my blood sugar drops too low, it will fuck up the day. I also developed retinopathy from being an idiot and had my blood sugar too high trying to avoid having an insulin reaction while skating. On top of that shit, I have psoriatic arthritis which I have under control, but is prone to attack my joints. I'm not trying to have a pity party, just want to know what hurdles other skaters endure for their love for skateboarding

[close]

Fellow type 1 diabetic here. 30 years I've had it. So far I've got no complications from it. Treatment can be tricky though as sometimes the blood sugar just doesn't seem to follow any logic. I have to say that the biggest improvement for me has been getting a FreeStyle Libre sensor and MiaoMiao reader for that and then installing Spike on my iPhone. Now I can check my blood sugar pretty much real time from my Apple Watch.

For me skating lowers my blood sugar like mad usually but normally it happens after the session rather than during. So I pretty much always gotta load up on carbs right after a session. Sometimes before too and during. Sadly skating doesn't work for me at all if my blood sugar is low. Then I just gotta chill after getting some carbs and wait for it to normalise and only after that can I get back to skating. Also if I happen to load up on carbs too much before the session the high blood sugar just fucks with my mind and I end up hating skateboarding until I've managed to get the levels back to normal. It's a fine balance for sure. But it also is what it is and something we have to deal with, so no point in wasting too much energy hating it. Even though I can manage quite well with my type 1 diabetes, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. That's one of the main reasons I had a vasectomy. Even though it's not super likely my kids would get diabetes, it is more likely than for the average person and I couldn't live with myself if I had a kid who got diabetes just because I had to spread my seeds.

I'm surprised how many people here have diabetes. I'm 26 and got it when I was 11, I'm curious what kind of treatment application you're using? I had a pump for about 5 years, but I broke about 10 of them from skating or I'd rip the cord out. I'm also super sweaty so the new ones without the cord would still come off like the older ones. Doctors always look at me funny when I try to explain that syringes are still the easiest option for me.

It's also kind of frustrating when I have friends who are going on a trip somewhere and I have to plan out how much insulin to take and where I'll be able to store it. I definitely envy people who can just pick up and go with no consequence. This also gives me anxiety whenever I watch an apocalypse movie picturing myself in that scenario.

Also always gotta have an OJ with me when I skate, it seems to work the best for me with surprise lows.

[Roisto]

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I'm starting this thread to find out how many Pals out there have any illnesses or health conditions that make skateboarding more difficult than other skaters. I have been skating for over 30 years with type 1 diabetes that I've had for forty years. Prepping my blood sugar before a session can be very stressful and if my blood sugar drops too low, it will fuck up the day. I also developed retinopathy from being an idiot and had my blood sugar too high trying to avoid having an insulin reaction while skating. On top of that shit, I have psoriatic arthritis which I have under control, but is prone to attack my joints. I'm not trying to have a pity party, just want to know what hurdles other skaters endure for their love for skateboarding

[close]

Fellow type 1 diabetic here. 30 years I've had it. So far I've got no complications from it. Treatment can be tricky though as sometimes the blood sugar just doesn't seem to follow any logic. I have to say that the biggest improvement for me has been getting a FreeStyle Libre sensor and MiaoMiao reader for that and then installing Spike on my iPhone. Now I can check my blood sugar pretty much real time from my Apple Watch.

For me skating lowers my blood sugar like mad usually but normally it happens after the session rather than during. So I pretty much always gotta load up on carbs right after a session. Sometimes before too and during. Sadly skating doesn't work for me at all if my blood sugar is low. Then I just gotta chill after getting some carbs and wait for it to normalise and only after that can I get back to skating. Also if I happen to load up on carbs too much before the session the high blood sugar just fucks with my mind and I end up hating skateboarding until I've managed to get the levels back to normal. It's a fine balance for sure. But it also is what it is and something we have to deal with, so no point in wasting too much energy hating it. Even though I can manage quite well with my type 1 diabetes, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. That's one of the main reasons I had a vasectomy. Even though it's not super likely my kids would get diabetes, it is more likely than for the average person and I couldn't live with myself if I had a kid who got diabetes just because I had to spread my seeds.

[close]

I'm surprised how many people here have diabetes. I'm 26 and got it when I was 11, I'm curious what kind of treatment application you're using? I had a pump for about 5 years, but I broke about 10 of them from skating or I'd rip the cord out. I'm also super sweaty so the new ones without the cord would still come off like the older ones. Doctors always look at me funny when I try to explain that syringes are still the easiest option for me.

It's also kind of frustrating when I have friends who are going on a trip somewhere and I have to plan out how much insulin to take and where I'll be able to store it. I definitely envy people who can just pick up and go with no consequence. This also gives me anxiety whenever I watch an apocalypse movie picturing myself in that scenario.

Also always gotta have an OJ with me when I skate, it seems to work the best for me with surprise lows.

I've never had a pump. I'm now on Tresiba and Apidra. Works pretty good for me if my activity levels don't change much. If i'm very inactive for more than a few days it seems like Apidra almost stops working. I need to inject a lot more and the lag can be hours. I've never thought the pumps would be very good and also it seems like something I'd break too. Nowadays with the closed loop systems ppl are hacking up, getting closer to a real "artificial pancreas" I see much more point in it. I'm quite sure I'd be thinner if I were on a pump cuz then you could cut out a lot of the snacks I take just because my blood sugar is too low.

I've been in tropical conditions and hot and dry conditions for months with my insulin with me, not kept cold. Nothing happens to it. I read some research before I went and they had stored commercially available insulins in hot ass conditions for up to year I think and the loss of efficiency was like 1% max. So I don't worry about my insulin with regards to temperature as long as it doesn't freeze or leaving it some hot car or shit like that.

I also do kinda get bummed on never being able to be careless really. I think that has shaped me mentally in many ways and lead to other issues in my life. I pretty much always have a bag with me because I have to lug around my insulin, blood glucose meter (not anymore, thank fuck) and a bunch of carbs. I'd love to be able to just go out the door and go about my day without worrying, but I can't, ever. So I try to think that that's how it is, these are the cards I was dealt and I gotta make do with that.

[shredder sequel]

I have Andersen Tawil Syndrome. Symptoms include periodic paralysis and ventricular tachycardia. I’ve had a pacemaker since I was 7. Started skating at 5 or 6, so I’ve always had to deal with that stuff. None of it was a problem until I was 15, when the paralysis started. That’s too long of a story to get into. Pacemaker wasn’t a problem until I broke a lead in 2009–possibly while skating. That went real bad and freaked me out about slams.

[landedprimo]

I have Andersen Tawil Syndrome. Symptoms include periodic paralysis and ventricular tachycardia. I’ve had a pacemaker since I was 7. Started skating at 5 or 6, so I’ve always had to deal with that stuff. None of it was a problem until I was 15, when the paralysis started. That’s too long of a story to get into. Pacemaker wasn’t a problem until I broke a lead in 2009–possibly while skating. That went real bad and freaked me out about slams.

Damn, my heart goes out to you. It's fucking badass that you never let any of that hold you back.

[Far from relevant]

I used to suffer from gout which makes the joints in your feet very inflamed and sore making it painful to walk let alone skate, suffered from that for probably about a year before realizing what it even was. I tried to change my diet and lifestyle but a love for beer and rich food made it very difficult. After I got married last year my wife and I started doing the keto diet and ive lost almost 50lbs and my doctor is very pleased with my results. Now i very rarley get a gout attack and when I do its very mild and usually only lasts for a day or so, where as before it would be a couple weeks at a time.

Found it very hard to skate because only skating once every few weeks felt like I was constantly trying to relearn everything. Im very greatful where im at now and anyone who is going though the same thing I would say dont give up on skating even if its hard to do.

[greendoubt]

I owe everything in my life to skateboarding, like Cheetahsheets I've always struggled with depression, and it is a great way to get your mind right and allow you to realise what really matters, which is having fun. We have so little time on this Earth to be comparing our lives to others and feeling sorry for ourselves when we could be out doing great things! I've spent my whole life feeling sorry for myself and its done me no good, I'm happy that I am still young and realized it now. Skateboarding is the best thing to ever happen to me Keep your head up everyone you all matter.

[shredder sequel]

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I have Andersen Tawil Syndrome. Symptoms include periodic paralysis and ventricular tachycardia. I’ve had a pacemaker since I was 7. Started skating at 5 or 6, so I’ve always had to deal with that stuff. None of it was a problem until I was 15, when the paralysis started. That’s too long of a story to get into. Pacemaker wasn’t a problem until I broke a lead in 2009–possibly while skating. That went real bad and freaked me out about slams.

[close]

Damn, my heart goes out to you. It's fucking badass that you never let any of that hold you back.

Thanks. Credit goes to my parents. They treated me like a kid with no health issues. I acted like a kid with no health issues. And they rolled with it when I went against doctors’ advice.

[Crack Whore]

I owe everything in my life to skateboarding, like Cheetahsheets I've always struggled with depression, and it is a great way to get your mind right and allow you to realise what really matters, which is having fun. We have so little time on this Earth to be comparing our lives to others and feeling sorry for ourselves when we could be out doing great things! I've spent my whole life feeling sorry for myself and its done me no good, I'm happy that I am still young and realized it now. Skateboarding is the best thing to ever happen to me Keep your head up everyone you all matter.

word

[Soft Boiled]

That black kid on perpetual Chocolate flow, Johnny something. Basically his entire family all died in a car accident last year. His mother and 2 sisters I believe. That is so rough, and it’s gonna take a ton of perseverance to keep going. My heart goes out to him.

[cilantro]

I started skating when I was 16. I had a serious drug dependency that started when I was young that had taken over every aspect of my life. Even after being put in the hospital, i had nothing to really live and try to better for, so I just kept on with the daily self-abuse.
One day, a friend mentioned through social media that he was building a mini ramp and I thought he was bullshitting, so I had to go check. It turned out he was telling the truth, and the idea of riding ramp was so exciting I was convinced I had to try it.
The next time I showed up to his house to check out the completed ramp, he and a few other dudes had put together a junky board for me to ride on my own.
Flash forward seven years, and they’re still my closest friends. My issues with drug abuse didn’t end there, but skating was the foot in the door I needed. I’m four years free of anything that’s not the usual alcohol/weed/nicotine.
Sometimes when my family and I talk about the past hardships we experienced together, I like to share that skateboarding is what helped me grow and understand better about what we went through. The sort of trauma we experienced growing up left me a very hollow, lonely empty child. Skateboarding taught me discipline, goals, exercise, the importance of therapy, the importance of boundaries, communication, the beauty of life in the face of uncertainty.
I attribute skateboarding to the growth of my relationship with both my father and mother. I hated my dad, but the last two years he was alive he had me working with him. So every day for two years, i made sure to get to work early to cram in a little skate session. That therapy was just perfect to be able to face a man whom I had so much bitterness towards.
I’m rambling, but you get the idea. I don’t think I persevere anything, but sometimes I can’t help but be amazed at the turn my life took at that crucial age.

[iKobrakai]

Shit, I almost feel ashamed to put my heavy opiate addiction in here, because it was all my fault and you have problems beyond your control. Four treatments, plenty detoxes and multiple hospital visits.

I will put my anxiety here, though. That shit is so fucking terrible.

Anyway, cred to all you fighters!

[theSketchLord]

Damn there's some fucking soldiers on here.
Makes my "I once broke an ankle kick flipping and now I'm too scared to land my back foot" seem fucking lame in comparison.

I recently developed epilepsy but after daily pills it seems to be under control, although it scares me that it may end up developing into something worse.

[artichoke]

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I'm starting this thread to find out how many Pals out there have any illnesses or health conditions that make skateboarding more difficult than other skaters. I have been skating for over 30 years with type 1 diabetes that I've had for forty years. Prepping my blood sugar before a session can be very stressful and if my blood sugar drops too low, it will fuck up the day. I also developed retinopathy from being an idiot and had my blood sugar too high trying to avoid having an insulin reaction while skating. On top of that shit, I have psoriatic arthritis which I have under control, but is prone to attack my joints. I'm not trying to have a pity party, just want to know what hurdles other skaters endure for their love for skateboarding

[close]

Fellow type 1 diabetic here. 30 years I've had it. So far I've got no complications from it. Treatment can be tricky though as sometimes the blood sugar just doesn't seem to follow any logic. I have to say that the biggest improvement for me has been getting a FreeStyle Libre sensor and MiaoMiao reader for that and then installing Spike on my iPhone. Now I can check my blood sugar pretty much real time from my Apple Watch.

For me skating lowers my blood sugar like mad usually but normally it happens after the session rather than during. So I pretty much always gotta load up on carbs right after a session. Sometimes before too and during. Sadly skating doesn't work for me at all if my blood sugar is low. Then I just gotta chill after getting some carbs and wait for it to normalise and only after that can I get back to skating. Also if I happen to load up on carbs too much before the session the high blood sugar just fucks with my mind and I end up hating skateboarding until I've managed to get the levels back to normal. It's a fine balance for sure. But it also is what it is and something we have to deal with, so no point in wasting too much energy hating it. Even though I can manage quite well with my type 1 diabetes, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. That's one of the main reasons I had a vasectomy. Even though it's not super likely my kids would get diabetes, it is more likely than for the average person and I couldn't live with myself if I had a kid who got diabetes just because I had to spread my seeds.

[close]

I'm surprised how many people here have diabetes. I'm 26 and got it when I was 11, I'm curious what kind of treatment application you're using? I had a pump for about 5 years, but I broke about 10 of them from skating or I'd rip the cord out. I'm also super sweaty so the new ones without the cord would still come off like the older ones. Doctors always look at me funny when I try to explain that syringes are still the easiest option for me.

It's also kind of frustrating when I have friends who are going on a trip somewhere and I have to plan out how much insulin to take and where I'll be able to store it. I definitely envy people who can just pick up and go with no consequence. This also gives me anxiety whenever I watch an apocalypse movie picturing myself in that scenario.

Also always gotta have an OJ with me when I skate, it seems to work the best for me with surprise lows.

[close]

I've never had a pump. I'm now on Tresiba and Apidra. Works pretty good for me if my activity levels don't change much. If i'm very inactive for more than a few days it seems like Apidra almost stops working. I need to inject a lot more and the lag can be hours. I've never thought the pumps would be very good and also it seems like something I'd break too. Nowadays with the closed loop systems ppl are hacking up, getting closer to a real "artificial pancreas" I see much more point in it. I'm quite sure I'd be thinner if I were on a pump cuz then you could cut out a lot of the snacks I take just because my blood sugar is too low.

I've been in tropical conditions and hot and dry conditions for months with my insulin with me, not kept cold. Nothing happens to it. I read some research before I went and they had stored commercially available insulins in hot ass conditions for up to year I think and the loss of efficiency was like 1% max. So I don't worry about my insulin with regards to temperature as long as it doesn't freeze or leaving it some hot car or shit like that.

I also do kinda get bummed on never being able to be careless really. I think that has shaped me mentally in many ways and lead to other issues in my life. I pretty much always have a bag with me because I have to lug around my insulin, blood glucose meter (not anymore, thank fuck) and a bunch of carbs. I'd love to be able to just go out the door and go about my day without worrying, but I can't, ever. So I try to think that that's how it is, these are the cards I was dealt and I gotta make do with that.

Yo, really stoked I clicked on this thread! I've had Type 1 for about a decade now. Roisto, thanks for sharing your experiences with the pump. I've had countless doctors pitch it to me and explain "Oh, we get all types of athletes with a pump" when I tell them that i'm just going to break it skating. Part of that CGM/pump 'artificial pancreas' sounds appealing to me, but another part of me is really terrified of the idea that i'd be putting my life in the hands of algorithmic logic. I stick with pen injections and bringing bags of gummies in my bag for the session.

[artichoke]

Also, yeah, relying on synthesized insulin instead of being able to produce my own has significantly shaped the course of my life. Needing to work enough to buy insurance / insulin definitely forced me into my career, which has in turn taken time away from skating and other creative pursuits. I think I would have traveled more frequently and taken greater risks if I didn't have to worry about spending at least $600 a month on medical expenses (between insurance premiums and prescriptions,) but what can you do? My A1C is pretty close to where i'd want it and I still find time to get out and hold onto to the tricks I have left once or twice a week, so life is good.