Episode 1 – T1D and COVID-19

In Episode One of “The Phunky Diabetic Podcast,” I explain why I decided to create the podcast, why I spell funky with a “ph-,” and what I envision for future episodes. I also share my experience with contracting COVID-19, and explain why the virus can be a lot more dangerous to a diabetic’s health.

For up-to-date information from the American Diabetes Association as to how COVID-19 is affecting diabetics, a diabetic’s legal rights during the pandemic, what to look out for in terms of warning signs and possible symptoms, and more, click here.

While I’m in no way dispensing medical or legal advice in this or any future episode of the podcast, I am hoping that by sharing my COVID-19 experience with you, I can provide some degree of reassurance that contracting the Corona virus isn’t an automatic death sentence, even if you’re in a high-risk population. It’s no walk in the park, and for some, it has caused significant harm and/or death, but it looks like the majority of people who’ll get it will survive it.

I can’t say this will work for everyone, but for me, the most important things I did were regularly checking my temperature, blood sugar, and ketone levels, staying hydrated as best I could, taking the meds the ER prescribed me to keep the fever down, and getting plenty of rest. I also did warm salt water rinses for my throat.

The entire world is in this together. We may not have all the answers or all the solutions yet, but there are so many selfless people out there, working hard to treat those suffering from the virus, helping to test people for the virus, and working to find a way to eventually end this pandemic. I’m so grateful to each one of the medical professionals, law enforcement officers, those in the distribution chain for food and goods, postal workers, and everyone else making this time a bit more tolerable for us all.

I’m hoping to interview some inspiring and fascinating diabetics in the coming months, and I hope you’ll stay tuned for them!

In the meantime, while you’re participating in social distancing and self-quarantining, please do your best to stay healthy, not just with diet and exercise but also by taking care of your mental and emotional health.

Feel free to contact the podcast if you have any questions or comments regarding this episode, or have any thoughts on what you’d like to hear discussed in future episodes.

Soon, I’ll make the podcast available on other listening platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Google Play (which I misidentify as “Apple Play” in the outro for this episode).

‘Til the next episode, stay safe, stay healthy, stay well.

All my best,

Kate