The good stuff:

I’m Christel.

Former host of diabeticfeed, the first podcast produced about diabetes and diabetes research. (Still available on iTunes.)

Former dlife.com columnist.  (I’m back!)

Former non-profit executive. (I’m back!)

Now? 

T1 since 1983. Wife since 2007. Mom since 2011. Perfect since never.

Current dLife.com columnist with the column Been There, Done That, discussing how my perceptions of diabetes impact the world around me and offering insight on how to survive and celebrate who and what we are.

Current CEO of The Diabetes Collective, Inc., a non-profit corporation created to support and inspire the diabetes community through peer-to-peer support. Founder of The Diabetes UnConference.

Current steering committee member of the Diabetes Advocates, a program of the Diabetes Hands Foundation.

Current behind-the-scenes advisor for a number of national diabetes advocacy programs.

Currently packing the following:

• Disetronic insulin pump Minimed 522 insulin pump Minimed Revel insulin pump
• Glucowatch (Seriously, I had one. It sucked, but back then, it was all that was out there.)
• MiniMed Navigator Dexcom Seven + Dexcom G4 Platinum
• Reg/NPH/Ultralente Purified Pork Insulin Reg/NPH Humulin Humalog
• AccuCheck (1983 version came with a naugahide case!) Various others One Touch/Accu-Chek

I’m not a doctor. I don’t work in healthcare or dispense any medical advice that anyone should take even with a grain of salt or a lemon wedge and a shot of tequila. Heck, I’m afraid of needles and blood, which is why I didn’t go down that path (and the irony isn’t lost on me as a diabetic). So, please. Don’t take what I say as gospel. Most of the time, I’m just as confused as you are.

If you find information on my blog that you think might help you, don’t go it alone. Please. This blog is totally not meant to replace advice or information from your healthcare team. Check with them. Talk with them. Work with them. Anything you read here is based on my personal experience, the personal experiences of others, scientific research that is properly noted, and is meant to compliment - not replace - any medical advice given by your chosen medical professionals. I am reminding you: I am not a medical professional.

This blog is not a medical blog, but it does have medical bits and terminology in it. It’s about my diabetes, my views on diabetes, and my world. It’s meant to be read by everyone (except for people who might be offended by swearing or “adult talk”).

I want to help others navigate the personal roads they travel with chronic illnesses. Think of me as a GPS. I’ll help to point you in the right direction, but you need to know where you want to go first. As an added bonus, I promise not to tell you repeatedly to take a U-turn whenever possible if you missed your exit. You’re welcome.

The bad stuff:

It’s all good, man. It’s all good.

Want to contact me by email?

Sure. Shoot me at theperfectd [at] gmail [dot] com - no spammy spam (even though I love it fried…). Thanks!

Extra gobblygook that is important you know:

If you post on my blog and you provide your email and/or URL to your own site, WordPress will list it. For additional information on the WordPress Privacy Policy, please click here. If you email me a question or want a public response, I’ll keep your identifying information private unless you give me permission to share. We can be secret besties, K? I’m a huge fan of HIPAA, so this is how we’re gonna roll here.

If you leave a response on any blogpost or page on my site, please be aware of the following:

• Anyone posting on my site are, by default, considered non-medical professionals. (Remember, me included, which is why I give the disclaimer above and all through my blog.) If you are a medical professional, it should be mentioned in your comment or in your name (by designation). You (and I, but that’s a given) must at all times behave with a respectful and honest manner in the comment sections.
• If you make racist, sexist, inflammatory, offensive comments or give medical advice in a comment, I may choose to not publish the post, as all posts are currently moderated by me. You will not be notified if I choose to not publish your comment and I reserve the right to not publish any comment I see fit. My blog, my rules.
• Posting advertisements in the comments section anywhere on my website is not allowed. No. No. No.
• Any comment that you make on my blog, if published after moderation, is public and viewable by the big, wide world. My blog is public and available to read wherever there is Internet access and not blocked. If you wish to delete your comment or edit it, please contact me at theperfectd [at] gmail [dot] com and I will edit or delete when I receive your request.
• When you comment on my blog, giving statements about statistics, data, studies and new advancement in medicine - back it up with the website link where you found it and include it in your comment. I love data. I love statistics. So do a lot of my readers. Give us the source so that we can see that it’s trustworthy.
• In the same vein, please only post that which is true or correct to your best knowledge. I’d hate to have to tell you that your pants were on fire.

I’m not paid to write this. (Seriously. Gratis.) I have purchased the domain name and all costs relating to thus website is borne by me. However, if I’m given funding or compensation for doing something diabetes related that I post about here, then I’ll tell you. Cross my heart and hope to…. live a really, really long time.

Advertising & Editorial Policy

All views and thoughts and editorial goodness on this blog is mine, all mine. (Insert maniacal laughter here.) Except for the comments that readers may post - those views and thoughts and editorial goodness are all their own.

If I do decide in the future to offer guest posts, I will update this editorial policy. (If you do want to have a guest post on this blog, let me know. Again, as listed above, you can contact me at theperfectd [at] gmail [dot] com.)

I do not receive any funding from any links, banners, or content from this website.

I currently do not host advertisement on this website. If this changes in the future, you will find information about that here. The links displayed to the right of any pages are for non-profit entities. I do not receive payment for placing them on this website.

This page was last updated on 18 May 2014.