hey everyone! ;)

my name is vanessa, and i have been a type 1 diabetic for a little over 10 years. i am one of the really weird people who accepted it from day one- and i can honestly say- i like having it. i feel it has made me the person i am... it made me want to go into a career in nursing.. it has made me not take like for granted... it made me passionate about teaching others about the "big d"... and i feel that is is a part of "me". 

may 14th, 2011 i will marry my best friend... who i have been engaged to for almost 4 years! haha.. took us long enough. we have 5 dogs.. and they are literally my children- its pretty sad really. 

i am originally from pennsylvania, but 5 years ago i moved all by myself at the age of 19 to new york city... and there i met my fiance and have since moved to long island. 

i LOVE music, tattoos, movies, food, and shopping... i have a pretty wild fashion sense- and an obsession for weird clothes. i love thrift store shopping- and always buy things that are wayyy outdated from the 80's and 90's- then revamp them into something more fashionable for this generations style. i have over 300 pairs of shoes, and a whole bedroom as a closet. sad, i know. however, my friends dub me the "clearance queen" because as i said, i am obsessed with thrift stores- and also clearance racks. 

i am tall (almost 5'11"), loud, and sometimes inappropriate. i do know when to behave though. 

i recently graduated nursing school, and i am currently working as the director of nursing at an assisted living community. i am continuing my education with becoming a diabetic educator- and within the next year i plan to work one on one with people just like us! ;)

i am always up for meeting new people- and its very exciting to meet others who share in the same issues. i am particularly interested in finding a few other type 1's who, like myself also have insulin resistance. i am one of the lucky few type 1's who was taking such high insulin doses (especially for my weight and age) that i was put into a study for type 1's who along with their insulin, also take the type 2 drug metformin. i take 2000 mg per day of metformin (glucophage) and it has cut my insulin intake nearly in half!! my blood sugars are much better- and i lost some of the weight i put on from the high doses of insulin. i also have hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. i take medication for both. fun fun... 

soo... lets be friends! <3