Navigating the Holidays with Diabetes
Featuring DPAC Champions and DPAC staff
How do you accommodate for holiday feasts?
- “I typically bolus for carbs once per hour and then see what happens. I try to not stack more than one bolus per hour and make sure I'm drinking water and moving as much as the situation allows.”
Sarah Auletta
- “I take a bolus as I normally would before a meal, and then part way through the meal, I take another bolus because I know I'll definitely be getting some dessert.”
Joshan Bajaj
- “Christmas at my siblings homes are non-stop food and hilarity! Also, I have made the transition to an assisted living facility, with residents’ families bringing in homemade cake and candy! What’s a girl to do? I have to tweak my boluses for carb-loaded meals daily. Thank heavens for my CGM and insulin pump! I’d be in DKA before the new year if I didn’t utilize them! Cheers to my fellow diabuddies this holiday season!”
Kaye Peterson
- “I bolus for big meals the same way that I vote – early and often!”
George Huntley
- “The extended bolus on my pump lasts for 2 hours max. However, when I eat a big meal, my blood sugar rises around 3-4 hours later, so I use the extended bolus at first, but after around an hour, I cancel it and set a new extended bolus with more insulin, so that I can be continuously covered for the 3-4 hours I need. This doesn’t completely prevent me from going high, but it does help a lot if I’ve somehow managed to get all the numbers right.”
Amanda Kaufman
Do you make any temporary adjustments to your treatment, medication, or schedule?
- “I am a big fan of med reminders on holidays when sleep schedules are different and routines get disrupted. I see a reminder on my phone for 9 am, noon, 3 pm, 6 pm, and 9 pm to take meds sort of as a fail-safe for my own peace of mind.”
Sarah Auletta
- “I start each day with walks, and I take part in all of the physical activities that are going on so I don't need to bolus as much for meals. The biggest temporary adjustment is giving myself grace – though maybe that should be a permanent thing! I remind myself that it's tough being a diabetic, especially around the holidays, so don't beat up on myself!”
Joshan Bajaj
- “I am a long distance runner and have multiple basal rate settings including one called ‘Off,’ which takes me down to the lowest level the pump will allow without giving constant alarms. This allows me to keep the pump on while exercising but minimizes the amount it gives me even if it thinks it wants to… I sometimes turn off Contol IQ during a run for this same reason. The ‘exercise’ activity setting on the pump is rarely good enough for long, intense exercise.”
George Huntley
A lot of these holiday-time activities tend to be sedentary. Do you utilize exercise to manage your blood sugar? If so, what’s your exercise routine?
- “I love to include physical activity just prior to these large holiday meals! My exercise of choice is running, but any physical activity increases insulin sensitivity and makes bolusing easier, especially when carb counts can be tricky!”
Crystal Diaz
- “I try to do light yoga and walking to help balance physical activity during the holidays. Not only does it help with my anxiety, but it helps manage my glucose levels too!”
Destiny Islas
- “Walking between meals is a big way I try to maintain my blood sugar. I'll use it as an opportunity to walk the dog or connect with my brothers doing a quick lap of the neighborhood.”
Sarah Auletta
- “I definitely go on extra walks, and in general, I try to remain active throughout the day by putting away people's plates, getting their drinks, etc.”
Joshan Bajaj
What’s your advice for traveling for the holidays with diabetes?
- “When traveling for the holidays, I make sure to pack an extra two sets of everything I need! I always try to prepare myself if an emergency happens where I lose supplies or have non-working medication. Anyone that travels with me, gets informed of the medicines I carry and most importantly how to utilize my Baqsimi, just in case that is needed.”
Destiny Islas
- “I usually forget at least one thing so I've started leaving post-it notes around my apartment that say insulin in all caps by the fridge, the door, toothbrush, etc so I can't forget anything.”
Sarah Auletta
- “I have a whole bag dedicated to my supplies. I always pack double of what I expect to use -- that goes for transmitters, sensors, insertion sites, cannulas, cartridges, syringes, and insulin. The insulin is kept with the food in a cooler to make sure it stays cold for the drive.”
Joshan Bajaj
- “I pack one infusion site for every day I am gone on short trips. It’s overkill as I usually only change sites every 3 days or so, but if you get a bad site while changing you want some backups! I usually take twice as many cartridges as the math would dictate in case one has a problem. Sometimes the Tandem cartridges will cause the needle to clog so you can’t fill the cartridge after you’ve cleared the air in the cartridge because the first penetration of the needle into the cartridge plugs it. I have to use a second needle to then fill the cartridge.”
George Huntley
In your experience, what are some foods that secretly have more carbs than you expect?
- “Beans have a lot of carbs! Beans are my favorite, but I always have to make sure I bolus correctly when eating them.”
Destiny Islas
- “Charcuterie always gets me because I'm not counting the crackers I'm eating and couple that with the beginning of cocktail hour and the alcohol hitting. But that's ok and I try to ride a little higher to be safe.”
Sarah Auletta
- “Turkey when it has stuffing! Charcuterie boards too.”
Joshan Bajaj
- “Sometimes there will secretly be dried fruits in things like salads or stuffing! And anything that has any element of jam in it, like a fancy brie dish. Sometimes fruits and spreads hide in secret places... and then you’ve eaten a plate of salad thinking you’re safe from carbs, but surprise!!! There were like 20 dried cranberries in there with the walnuts!!!”
Amanda Kaufman
Ignorant, unsolicited, or awkward comments are difficult to deal with in general, but they can feel especially taxing during this time of year. How do you deal with these sorts of comments from those around you?
- “I had a therapist once tell me to imagine them being on a rollercoaster and you can hear them screaming as they go on the loops and hills but can't make out what they're saying – so I take that approach. If the comments are ignorant, that's none of my business and I just tune it out. If it's fairly I'm going to see again I try to sprinkle in some light education but other than that it's not my job to educate ignorant humans.”
Sarah Auletta
- “I mentally prepare myself ahead of time that people will be silly, and I warn my close family ahead of time to help intercept if I'm unable to end the conversations quickly.”
Joshan Bajaj
We asked our champion advocates for FUN FACTS! Here are some family traditions, funny stories from previous years, favorite holiday foods, and more!
- “My favorite holiday food is my grandpa’s pandesal, a staple Filipino bread roll!”
Crystal Diaz
- “My three younger brothers and I think it's absolutely mandatory to wear Santa hats in the house during December.”
Sarah Auletta
- “I one time fixed a low by chugging sparkling cider from the glass bottle. No regrets.”
Joshan Bajaj
- “My family always makes it a tradition to get pan dulce and hot chocolate for the holidays. A fun fact for me, is that one of my favorite pan dulces is rebanada de mantequilla (slices with butter). It is bread with butter and topped full of sugar. As a little girl, I would always see my grandmother eating only half of this bread, since she was told it had too much sugar. She was living with diabetes, but she always made sure to still take part in the tradition. Now that I look back at this, it all makes sense now that I got older. When I eventually got diagnosed with type one diabetes at 20 years old, I had to also make those kinds of changes to my life too. However, I always eat my full rebanada de mantequilla, because it brings back memories and always makes me happy.”
Destiny Islas
- “One family tradition of ours is playing cricket in the backyard! It doesn't matter how cold it is, and how unathletic we all are, we make sure it happens! Only my parents' generation really knows how to play, so it's always very chaotic and filled with yelling to the referee (my grandmother, who is very biased and bribable)”
Joshan Bajaj (again)
- “Back in the 1990’s I was traveling staying at my in-law’s house 5 hours away from home when my pump battery failed at 3am. Back then the batteries were proprietary and you couldn’t just use a common AA or watch battery. All of my backups were dead and the pump was now dead and my BS was over 300. I took a shot of Humalog and drove 5 hours home arriving around 8am. When I got home all of my other backup batteries were also dead except one set from a different Lot # that worked. I took a nap and drove 5 hours back to my In-law’s and switched pump manufacturers as soon as the warranty expired. They are no longer in business.”
George Huntley (for whom this is a “funny story”)
