April, 2015
Taming the Type One Diabetes Dragon Together 
Welcome, Dragon Tamers...

Thanks for joining our online community by subscribing to this e-newsletter from WaltzingTheDragon.ca, THE trusted online resource for families living with type 1 diabetes in Canada, a place to share technical info and practical tips on living well with diabetes.

Let's Dance!

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Feature Recipe
Creamy Lemon Squares


A yummy lemon-flavoured cheesecake with a crunchy graham cracker base.
Mix it up by serving with canned pie filling over top (just remember to adjust the total carbs).
Can be made deliciously gluten-free by substituting Kinnikinnick GF graham crumbs and GF all-purpose flour (containing xanthan gum). 


1 cup graham crumbs (63 carbs)
½ cup all-purpose flour (42)
¼ cup packed brown sugar (51)
⅓ cup cold butter

250g cream cheese, softened (17) 
1 cup sugar (200)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp flour (11)
2 tsp lemon extract (or emulsion is better)
1 Tbsp lemon zest (opt)
¼ cup lemon juice 
¼ tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8" square pan with foil (keep ends of foil longer to extend over sides); set aside.

Combine crumbs, ½ cup flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and 2 Tbsp. flour; mix well. Blend in lemon extract, lemon zest (if using), lemon juice and baking powder; pour over crust.

Bake 25-28 min. or until centre is set. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. 

Cut into 16 even pieces for a total *carb count of 23/piece or you can weigh a piece and use a **carb factor of 0.51. 
 



* Actual carb count will vary according to the brand of ingredients used. For guidance on calculating carbs for baked goods, check out: How Do I Figure Out the Carb Content for Mixed Recipes & Home Baked Goods? 
at WaltzingTheDragon.ca

**Actual carb factor will vary according to the brand of ingredients used. For guidance on using carb factors, check out: Carb Factoring


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On Waltzing the Dragon

We are all individuals within a larger community...

...Different Strokes for Different Folks

Insulin doses are as individual as the people who use it; changes are needed for different bodies, at different ages, and under different circumstances. Last month in our series on adjusting insulin using an insulin pump, we talked about tweaking basal rates as a foundational step in building individually-appropriate insulin doses. This month we add the next layer by exploring strategies for assessing and adjusting insulin-to-carb (I:C) ratios.  An I:C ratio specifies how much insulin is given to cover the carbohydrate-containing foods your child eats. But do you know if the I:C ratios you programmed into your child's pump several months ago are still working? How do you do test the effectiveness of the current insulin doses? How can you ensure the test results are valid? How do you use the data you gathered to make changes to the existing ratios? Find out in Waltzing the Dragon's Level 3 Blood Glucose Management section: Assessing and Adjusting I:C Ratios (for pumps).

...It Takes a Village

Momentum is gathering from many different directions as the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) work to develop standards and guidelines for the care of children with diabetes at school. As parents, we're not asking for a extra burden to be placed on teachers; we're not asking for the needs of other students to be disregarded; we're just asking for a review of what our kids need, what's working currently and what's not, and what solutions could be developed to ensure that when they're at school, every child with diabetes all across Canada is safe, healthy, and available for learning. As a starting point, check out Waltzing the Dragon's article on Diabetes in School: Roles and Responsibilities. If you want to get involved, visit the CDA's Election Central website and WTD's News and Events page for more information on how you can contribute to advocacy efforts.

...If Everyone Else in the Village Jumped Off a Bridge

With all the talk about dietary restrictions for people with diabetes, it's easy to get lost in confusion, even to feel the pressure to conform to what works well for someone else. But what about meal plans? If someone else you know uses a meal plan, should you? Are they an outdated way of managing diabetes? Or are there specific circumstances when a meal plan is beneficial, or even necessary? To decide if a meal plan fits for your family's circumstances, check out Food and Meal Planning in Waltzing the Dragon's Level 1 Basics section.

D-Community

CDA and "Vote Diabetes"


From east to west, May is Election month! With provincial elections occurring May 4 in P.E.I. and May 5 in Alberta, the Canadian Diabetes Association has launched Election Central, the go-to website for information on how you can Vote Diabetes in your province's upcoming election. A common theme for both is the Care of Students Living with Diabetes at School, and all of our kids need your support. For more information on the CDA's advocacy priorities and how you can add your voice, check out Election Central: Alberta and Election Central: Prince Edward Island.


Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes-JDRF


Events are happening across Canada, starting in May to support JDRF. Register now for an event in your area: to meet other families living with diabetes, to unite with others with a similar passion, and to raise critical funds for research focused on curing, treating and better preventing T1D. Over 45,000 Canadians walk, share stories, and connect at approximately 70 sites across Canada and become one community with participants in six other countries!

Parent Support Meetings


Check out parent support coffee meetings across Alberta. Send us your coffee meeting details from across Canada, and we'll add them to our Events page!
 

Have a community event anywhere in Canada that you would like us to share with our readership? Contact us.

 


Children Living with Diabetes: The Unique Challenges

Life changes for the whole family when a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Many parents worry about how diabetes will affect their child’s life. How it may affect their future. How they can continue to live a normal life. This month's sponsored article looks into factors to consider when your child has diabetes, including ways of managing blood glucose, the impact of HbA1c, and the unique challenges of managing diabetes in children.

 

*Article Brought to you by Medtronic Canada
 

Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Helpful Hints for Success

Image 4

Whichever CGM system you’re using (a CGM-enabled insulin pump or a stand-alone system) here are some quick tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your CGM experience... what is the key to successful sensor insertion? how can you keep that sensor stuck? can you calibrate if your blood glucose is falling? what could cause RF communication problems? what should you know about passing through airport security with your CGM system?

 

*Article brought to you by Animas Canada 

All the best to you and your family as you tame the Diabetes Dragon!

From us, Michelle & Danielle
(Michelle MacPhee and Danielle Krause, Co-creators, WaltzingTheDragon.ca)

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More information on living well with diabetes | www.WaltzingTheDragon.ca

What is Waltzing the Dragon?

WaltzingTheDragon.ca is a Canadian website for families dealing with type 1 diabetes, created by two parents of children with diabetes: Danielle, a former Registered Nurse, is a mother of three teens (one of her sons has had type 1 diabetes since 2001); Michelle holds a Masters degree in Psychology and is mom to two young children, including a school-aged son (who has had type 1 diabetes since 2008).

The articles on Waltzing the Dragon have been reviewed for content accuracy by the clinical staff at the Diabetes Clinic at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, ensuring the material is grounded in science and best practices. Then, as parents, we provide the practical, experiential layer, sharing “tips from the trenches” and what has worked well in our families. At WaltzingTheDragon.ca, we strive to make the dance a little easier by sharing with you the science of effective diabetes care, as well as the art that makes one truly successful. We hope that, as a result, all of us can focus less on the dragon and more on life.

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