After pounding the corridors of the Adelaide Convention Centre, it was nice to have a quiet weekend of recovery, coffee and sleep.

And I caught up on lots of World Wide Web happenings. Here are some highlights.

LET’S TALK ABOUT COMPLICATIONS.

I am always saying how lucky I feel to have friends with diabetes both online and IRL. I always get a kick out of meeting people in person who I have connected with on social media. Kim Hislop is one of those people. I met Kim for the first time at the ADA conference in Boston this year and then again at Friends for Life in Orlando.

Last week, Kim guest-blogged for Kerri at Six Until Me about living with complications and her post is required reading for anyone affected by diabetes.

Complications are spoken about as an ‘end point’: if you do this/don’t do this, you will get this. Full stop. Threat, threat; blame, blame; guilt, guilt.

Where is the discussion about what happens next? Actually, what DOES happen next?

Kim’s piece starts to answer those questions and open the dialogue. Thank you for writing it, Kim!

NERD ALERT

THERE IS A PERIOD TABLE OF DIABETES!!!! I am too excited to write anything more. (And busy memorising it….)

periodic table of diabetes

(Click on pic for source.)

STICK TO THE FACTS TO COUNTER THE ANTI-VAXX

My heart broke a little last week when one of my favourite artists, cartoonist and poet Michael Leunig, had a cartoon published in The Age newspaper that could only be considered as anti-vaccination propaganda.

I adore Leunig and pretty much all he does – we have a Leunig drawing on our wall and I have barely been able to look at it since I saw the cartoon in the paper.

An article I read today in MJA says that perhaps we need to reframe the way we try to deal with those sprouting anti-vaxx rubbish. The message from this study proposes that instead of shouting about the irrefutable scientific evidence which demonstrates that vaccines are safe we should show parents what vaccine-preventable diseases actually do.

This makes sense. Most people have not seen what diseases such polio or measles actually look like. Thanks to the success of vaccines, most of these infectious diseases are uncommon. Instead of sprouting stats, show pictures

ARTY

I’ve written before about how we love the artwork of Josh ‘SHAG’ Agle and Derek Yaniger. Last week, I was introduced to Cliff Roberts an artist who illustrated the gorgeous (and unfortunately out of print) The First Book of Jazz.

My new project is to find a copy of the book and also some of his prints to adorn our walls.

Cliff roberts

Artwork by the wonderful Cliff Roberts

ICYMI

Last week was the ADS-ADEA annual scientific meeting. Click back through last week’s posts to see what went on. And read Ashley’s take aways from the conference over at Bittersweet Diagnosis.

COUNTDOWN TO WDD

Somehow, tomorrow is September. Which means that we are a mere two and a half months away from World Diabetes Day 2015. The IDF has launched its campaign for WDD this year and you can read all about it here.

The theme this year is all about healthy eating and its importance in diabetes management. Which it is. Even type 1 diabetes. I can already hear the ‘food has nothing to do with type 1 diabetes’ protests, but how about instead we consider how healthy eating is important to healthy living. And that includes those of us with an under-performing pancreas.

Healthy eating is a right – one that is not afforded to everyone. And this is a campaign that is worth supporting.

PRETTY THINGS

Prikkedief is an originations from The Netherlands making some pretty gorgeous diabetes fashion. You’ll find beautiful buttery leather awareness bracelets, pouches to hold diabetes supplies, cheeky t-shirts and fun wall art. Find them on Facebook here. (Their website seemed to be down at the time of writing this.)

Pretty pastels from Prikkedief.

Pretty pastels from Prikkedief.

ONE FOR THE WOMEN AND ONE FOR THE MEN

Diabetes Victoria is holding its annual Women’s Weekend in October. Details are here.

If you are thinking about possibly attending, but are just not sure, I would absolutely urge you to book. The previous two events have been hugely successful with attendees being overwhelmingly going home inspired and armed with new strategies to live well with diabetes.

And men are not forgotten. There is also an event exclusively for men living with type 1 diabetes coming up in  information session coming up in October. Details here.

FUN FACT

The plural of pancreas is pancreata. You are welcome.