Special Topics in Type 1 Diabetes: Top of Mind Topics in 2021

Special Topics in Type 1 Diabetes: The Connected in Motion team surveyed the community to find out the topics and themes that were top of mind as we launched into 2021. This is what we’ve learned from you and what we’ll be focusing on addressing in the year to come. Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments! 

Each year as we’re planning Slipstream programs, there are so many amazing topics brought to us by community members that don’t quite fit into one of our standard streams (mental health, tech & innovation, exercise & adventure, or food & nutrition) but that we know are so important to be shared with the community. These become part of one of our favourite streams: Special Topics.

There are some things that you likely just don’t discuss with your diabetes team. Perhaps your relationship doesn’t feel close enough. Perhaps their expertise doesn’t quite align with your needs. For whatever reason, there are a lot of sex and hormone related topics that just get missed with it comes to formal provider led-diabetes education. 

We’ve heard from the community that all too often, the lack of education in these areas leads to a bit of a ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ scenario. If no one ever taught you that progesterone and estrogen can impact your blood sugar levels, how would you ever understand and plan for their effects? If you have only ever had erectile and sexual dysfunction shared with you as ‘what will happen if you don’t take better care of yourself’, how comfortable are you going to feel asking questions about these things to your nurse educator? (If you want a brief overview of the ways that hormones can impact blood glucose levels, check out Beyond Type 1s article, here.) 

It’s easy to read a book about diabetes and pregnancy (in fact, we highly recommend THIS ONE by Ginger Viera and Jennifer Smith) but so much value comes from meeting other women who have managed T1D during pregnancy.

And if you’re a woman looking at options for birth control, did you know that your choice of contraceptive can impact your diabetes? We didn’t either! Until we met Dena at a Slipstream. 

Interested in this Type 1 Diabetes Special Topic? Check out the following Virtual Slipstream sessions: 

Our bodies are amazing, interconnected things. Even though we think of our diabetes as a problem with our pancreas, it impacts so much more.

It was not long ago at a Slipstream weekend that Slipstream Coordinator, Julie De Vos, mentioned her frozen shoulder, only to find that three other women in the small group she sitting down to coffee with also had frozen shoulder. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. This spurred Julie to do some more research, finding out that 10-20% of people with diabetes will experience frozen shoulder at some point in their lifetime, compared to only 2-5% of the general population. Whoa. (To read more, check out this great article by our friends at Diabetes Strong.) 

Since then, we’ve heard so much from our community about how little is taught, shared, and talked about when it comes to our bodies and diabetes. I mean, we all know we need to go to the eye doctor at least once per year, but what are they actually looking at and what can we do to make sure we’re on the right track to healthy eyes? Is there anything we can be doing to avoid things like frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel, and other musculoskeletal conditions that people with diabetes face more than others? 

And then there is the complications side of things. For a long time, complications were used in the healthcare system (and in some cases, still today – I bet some of you have stories!) as a scare tactic to keep you ‘in control’. It’s scary to think of how many of us have heard it: “If you don’t be careful, you’ll lose your vision.” We heard from the community that it’s time to change the conversation around complications. No more fear tactics. Much more open, honest conversations led with care and empathy. What do we really need to know about complications and how do we deal if we find one on our plate? We heard that you want to connect with others who have been navigating similar complication paths. 

Interested in this Type 1 Diabetes Special Topic? Check out the following Virtual Slipstream sessions:

As many of you know, 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin. It’s crazy when you think about it. The first insulin injection was given only one hundred years ago. Perhaps even crazier to think about is that major advancements in insulin technology really didn’t happen until fairly recently. The first synthetic form of insulin wasn’t created until 1978. Advancements in insulin and diabetes device technology have allowed many people with Type 1 diabetes to be living longer, healthier lives than ever before, but we’ve heard from you that the community has some catching up to do. 

When Connected in Motion was founded in 2008, it was because there was a large gap in the diabetes community for adults living with Type 1. In Canada, there was a successful camp program for youth with diabetes, but there wasn’t a whole lot on the other side. Since then, we’ve seen an incredible variety of programming for young adults (like College Diabetes Network, and the Diabetes Hope Foundation mentorship program), as well as some amazing groups for specific segments of the population (like Diabetes Sisters and Riding on Insulin). What we’ve learned as we’ve seen more groups and organizations emerge, is that there is such value in connecting with people who may share similar experiences. Two of the most popular ideas that the community has brought to us centre around the concept of age. 

Have you ever experienced low blood sugar the evening after a particularly strenuous or out of the ordinary exercise bout? (Or, let’s be real, maybe after every time you exercise?) Have you wondered why that happens? When you exercise, diabetes or not, your body depletes glycogen stores so that it has enough energy to… move! When these stores become depleted, they need to be replenished with more glycogen. That glycogen can come from carbohydrates consumed immediately after exercise. If carbohydrate following exercise is not available, glycogen stores replenish, instead, when the body is most at rest, typically at night, by converting glucose in the blood to glycogen stores.[2] 

We’re excited to be offering two sessions at Virtual Slipstream to help fill these gaps. Lissie came to us with the idea of connecting with other people who were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as adults to share stories of the unique challenges that come along with being diagnosed past the age of 18. Many of you (shoutouts to Janis and Michel, specifically) shared that gaps also exist for folks who are nearing or living in retirement and seniorhood. This is an area that has fewer resources than any other area of diabetes we have seen to date. 

Interested in this Type 1 Diabetes Special Topic? Check out the following Virtual Slipstream sessions:

There’s something so special about sharing a story with people who ‘get it’, with people who don’t need the extra disclaimers of what “I’m low” means, or how high-BG-thirst really feels. That is part of the magic of Slipstreams. People get it. You feel instantly connected.

We continue to hear stories from our community that inspire us, that make us think, and that provide ‘aha’ moments. We are honoured to be able to provide even more opportunities to create story-telling magic at Virtual Slipstream. 

Interested in this Type 1 Diabetes Special Topic? Check out the following Virtual Slipstream sessions: