Trauma-Informed Advocacy

Healthcare talks (not enough) about trauma-informed medical care, which is summarized best by what its name so states.  But what about trauma-informed advocacy?

This could easily become a dissertation or a thesis topic, and, fair warning, I may pick your brains in the future if/when I pursue another grad degree.  In the meantime, if you want to read a dissertation, or even a SparkNotes version, on trauma research, you have to put in the hours.  For those interested in learning more, some recommended starting points would be to look at how trauma is clinically-defined, to read the DSM V PTSD diagnostic criteria as examples, and so forth.

Just as physical health can impact mental health and vice versa, so, too, can trauma.  For example, we know trauma changes us on a cellular level, is linked to autoimmune disease, and can negatively influence mental health.  This can, in turn, greatly diminish an individual’s quality of life, while also hurting society (lost work production, etc.).  For years I have been preaching that trauma is a public health crisis that costs us so much- financially, emotionally, physically- and this article wowed me in how well it articulates those points.  While not all trauma is preventable, much of it could be prevented/lessened if human beings simply treated one another better, and if healthcare provided more opportunities to cope well.

But, for today, this blog post is fodder to perhaps get us thinking about our advocacy.

Not every person, nor every advocate, has experienced trauma.  Yet, when I have looked around the room at healthcare events in the past, I have seen the battle scars of those who may have publicly or privately disclosed their painful histories with us.  Admirably, advocates have chosen to help others, to be intellectually curious, despite their own hardships.

Havoc-wreaking health conditions. Bloody medical procedures. Abuse and/or neglect. Poverty. War. And, sadly, the list could go on much longer.

We may have been brought together, on Twitter or at a conference, for example, because of our mutual interests in healthcare-related topics.  And yet, I often find there is another common denominator in the room: trauma.

Diabetes fireside chats often ask: Which came first, the diabetes or the depression? (Or perhaps, a little of both?).  Knowing what we do about the health effects of trauma, this theme remains prevalent.  Trauma often begets trauma.  Maybe workplace harassment trauma triggers an autoimmune attack, and then the difficult reality of living with a chronic physical health condition compounds, molding trauma upon more trauma into a teetering Lego castle of human life.

I recently tweeted that in educated adulthood, I often find myself wondering about the manageability of my own diabetes if the inflammatory effects of trauma history were not involved (i.e., would type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition, be more tamable without trauma?).  Probably.  In layman’s terms, cortisol is released when stressed, leading to insulin resistance, and around we go.

The “five types of diabetes” headlines are all abuzz recently.  Yet, I believe that there are much more likely to be 5 gazillion types of diabetes, all manifesting across a spectrum that caters to our individual genetic makeup, environment, and so on. This includes our traumas, or lack thereof. Just as other major autoimmune diseases go through times of “flares,” so does type 1 diabetes, in my opinion (and despite our reluctance to use the term). Trauma can potentially be the cigarette lit by the gasoline tank, and it is not far-fetched that this could set diabetes aflame- a “flare” going off in the night.

While I will surely be critiqued for my subjectivity here, I can tell you that behind closed doors many big wig diabetes doctors have entertained, and even suggested, some of this material. Recognizing that trauma may make my diabetes more wily, at times, does not mean that I am giving up or copping out.  It has actually provided my healthcare providers and I with some much-needed peace (which, I might add, can positively affect emotional health and blood sugars, and don’t we love how complex this all is?!!!). We can forgive ourselves for the moments where we do everything “right” and the outcomes remain frustrating, and we can draw a more practical game plan moving forward. Although the scenario is not ideal, there are options instead of dead-ends.

The truth is, no one knows exactly the impact of every minutiae of each diabetes story, or healthcare story, or an individual’s overall life story, and we probably never will.  But is that any excuse for our healthcare ecosystem to lack supportive resources for folks withstanding the tough stuff?  How might we provide quality, holistic care earlier, and better?

Some other Stanford Medicine X (#MedX) Scholars and I tweeted aloud on this idea: What would our healthcare stories, and current health experiences, be had trauma support been different? And, if our healthcare stories were different, how would the larger fabric of our stories as humans be changed?

We unanimously agreed that, at the very least, life would have been easier physically and emotionally.  Having that validation that it is okay to hurt, and to seek proper support for what you know is real, can be the difference between being stuck in the quicksand of an overwhelming health condition, or keeping one’s head afloat.  I can only speak for myself, but groupthinking about this was incredibly powerful and a lot less scary than Ally-alone-thinking inside my own skull.

If there is a MedX reunion in the future (please!!!), I believe it would speak volumes to collectively gather as advocates initiating this conversation from such a platform.  This does not mean that everyone would use a megaphone to discuss things they may not be comfortable sharing.  Far from it.  Rather, I imagine us simply standing together in unison, acknowledging the common denominator of trauma-truth that is so often overlooked in healthcare.

So, today, I wonder aloud again.

Without trauma:

What would my diabetes be?

What would my mental health be?

Who would I be?

Would I even be an advocate?

Will there be a day when the common denominator in the room is our access to equitable opportunities and resources to achieve our potential, to live full lives despite whatever we have endured, and to feel supported?

What would our society look like, then?

Are we really okay with the current status quo?

How might we talk more about this?

Are we listening?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*This post was updated after the original publication for clarity purposes.

Medusa

 

I don’t really like this picture

the Medusa hair

the empty, searching eyes

behind the mask of a smile.

 

“Emotional support” animals exist

because “emotional support” humans

sometimes falter

with their words.

That unspoken empathy

sometimes best fulfilled

by a creature

weighing less

than two pounds.

 
“Can you bring me my baby?”

I’d asked my mother

“Birthday cake

wasn’t sugar free

after all”

I’d sighed.

 

Unfairly pushing the blame

of an insidious condition

onto another

in the exact ignorant manner

I have grown to detest

in the abundantly phony

“Tame Your Diabetes!” articles.

 
My vision blurry

I already knew the number

was 400+ and climbing

without having to look

at the faded screen

of an overused machine

supposedly meant to sustain life

while the cure lingers

just out of reach.

 
“Can you bring me my baby?”

 

 

No Rules Poetry

Docto Interview

Many thanks to Docto for our fun interview, which can be found here.  I enjoyed learning more about the Docto app, which uses algorithms to predict blood glucose levels an hour in advance (docto.me)!  I believe there is great potential with this app not only in terms of physical health outcomes, but also in easing the emotional concerns that go hand-in-hand with diabetes.

Having detailed knowledge as to where my blood sugar might be headed an hour from now would allow me to make more informed insulin dosing decisions.  It would also mitigate my anxiety in that the unknown, sometimes-scary diabetes stuff will become known before it even happens.  Docto literally makes the unpredictable more predictable, which is music to my ears from a holistic diabetes management perspective.

Docto did not ask me to write this blog post, but I want to say it:  I am impressed with Docto’s dedication to making diabetes management better for our community, as well as their genuine interest in learning more about the diabetes experience from those who live it firsthand.  Our interview renewed my hope that the diabetes burden will become lighter for all of us in the future thanks to healthcare innovation and teams like Docto.  I encourage readers to visit docto.me to learn more.

Ah-Ha!

Video of our 2016 Stanford Medicine X panel, Ah-Ha! moments in mental health and chronic disease management, can be viewed here.  The panel speaks for itself; it was brave to participate; it was brave to be a member of the live audience- at Stanford and/or online; it is brave to watch the video; it is brave to reflect on mental health and chronic disease management.

Many thanks to Charlie, Danielle, Sarah, Mark, and so many others in the MedX family for making our 2016 panel such an empowering and enlightening experience for so many.

img_7279

Photo credit: Stanford MedX Flickr

 

Featured image photo credit: Mark Freeman

+1

25 years on a Lilly medal + 1 test strip representing another year = 26th diaversary

Last year I had many words, and blog followers reported that they kept Kleenex in business while reading.

This year, only a few terms come to mind:

Anger.  Insulin.  #weneedacure.  Emotional Health.

If diabetes takes a backseat in life, it is not for lack of trying.  Rather, it is for resetting and rising again.

Reese has taught me to appreciate the simple joys of reliability, and love.

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Here’s to more +1’s.

 

We need a cure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naked and Not-That-Afraid

Admit it. You clicked. But I pinky-promise Very Light, No Sugar is not about clickbait. Instead, let’s have a good time with this one.

The Discovery Channel hit a homerun with its series Naked and Afraid, which drops made-for-TV couples in the middle of nowhere and challenges them to survive together with few resources. Heavy emphasis on few resources. Because oh yeah, the individuals are naked while doing all of this, their not-so-PG-features blurred out with video editing and then broadcasted all over cable television.

I’d argue living with chronic illness presents similar trials. At diagnosis time, your entire world was rocked. You were thrown into unchartered waters with a leaky inflatable raft and asked to somehow make it all work. And you did. Some days are better than others, but even on the worst of days, you’re still floating.

Picture the tabula rasa of #doc Adam and Eve in the Garden of Endocrinology. They have no shame. They have not experienced the “diabetes police,” the misinformed stereotypes, the media onslaught. They are simply there, together. And naked. Except for those button-looking health technology thingamajigs attached to their skin.

Eve may have come from Adam’s rib, but the missing aspect of the story is that she came wielding prehistoric weapons of mass destruction: CGM inserters. Hence, Adam’s rib pain. From there, they took turns replacing insulin pump infusion sets for one another, the very first example of putting the “care” in healthcare. There were no deductibles or tense waiting rooms. This was solely Adam and Eve, charting the course together.

When they found the apple, they wondered how much to bolus for the carbs.

“This looks like a McIntosh. What do you think? 15 grams?” Diabetic Eve asked, squinting at the red and green hues.

“I don’t know. That’s kind of big. Won’t Endo yell at us if we don’t get this right?” Diabetic Adam fretted.

“Don’t be a wuss, bae,” Diabetic Eve retorted.

And so they each took a bite, tossing the apple back and forth. A few minutes later, the CGM beeped, its graph entering the yellow “high” territory just in time for the dreaded Endo appointment.

*****

As I previously wrote, I received my Dexcom supplies last week after fighting for far too long to obtain them from various avenues.

The new Dexcom transmitter has been great, from what the box still holding it tells me. After all of the drama in reordering the Dexcom, I would have bet money that I’d insert a sensor and begin the 2-hour warm-up within minutes of the package delivery.

But that did not happen. I do not exactly know why, but I have some educated guesses:

I got so burnt out by the process that I wanted nothing to do with health tech once the battle was won.

This is not for lack of being thankful; I am eternally appreciative of the positive impact of diabetes technology. Instead, this is about needing a break, to not think about something that consumed my thoughts for weeks as I awaited its arrival. Considering I use insulin pens instead of an insulin pump, my body is momentarily device-free. Now I’m working on such a literal and figurative diabetes reprieve for my psyche, too.

Perhaps the tech hiatus is also a “screw you” to our ridiculous, convoluted system. The healthcare loop-de-loop may have briefly stripped me of my dignity, but this tech vacation affords me some “control” again. I have the ability to make my own decisions about my body, mind, and soul.  This is the first step in putting my anger aside to do so.

Years ago, the conversation would have played out like this:

“You’re so stupid! How can you be so ungrateful? After going through all of that to get a new Dexcom, and spending all of that money, you’re just going to let it collect dust in the corner?!! Just so, so, stupid. So selfish.”

Many conversations with compassionate friends and healthcare providers later, I know now that the people who said those harsh things to me could never handle the constant nature of diabetes if they had to live it. I can. It is not always graceful, but I do it. I’m not stupid. Or ungrateful. Or selfish.

Tired? Yes. But every new morning is a “reset button.” This time I will not be pressing the button on a tech device; this reset button is an emotional one that cannot be objectively quantified. Its name is Freedom.

Diabetes is a catch-22, a continual give-and-take, a balancing act on a tightrope that is jostled every few minutes. Sometimes we have to weigh the risks and benefits, the pressing concerns and the long-term impacts. In doing that, I recently realized that my emotional needs trump the physical safety ones provided by Dexcom, in this immediate moment.

Although I miss Dexcom alarms alerting me to problems overnight, I have to trust my own intuition again. Strip it down, back to the basics, Diabetes 101. Simplify.

I set nighttime alarm clocks and hope that now is not my time to go via an unshakeable low blood sugar in my sleep. And if it is my time to go, well, that’s mostly in God’s hands, anyway. My gut tells me that a Dexcom break for a few weeks will do more good than bad, so I’m running with that idea. I am trusting in Him, and trusting in me.

When I am ready, I will definitively return to CGM. Without Dexcom, I find myself looking back at my apartment whenever I climb into my car, sensing that I left something behind, like I am reaching for a familiar hand that suddenly is not there. I miss slipping into Dexcom’s added diabetes security blanket like it is a favorite pair of boots, the perfect fit.

For now, though, I am going to enjoy the little things again: the long, hot showers; the consumption of McIntosh apples with old-fashioned carb-counting and blood sugar checking a few hours later; the silence of a room devoid of vibrating tech devices; what it feels like to be Ally in her own skin- skin that is entirely her own real estate right now.

Like Diabetic Adam and Eve, I am naked and trying my best to remain strong, and good.

I am naked and not-that-afraid.