Living With Diabetes

Speaking of dog agility ... (and I lied, I ended up walking 60 minutes today because I wanted to eat more).

We placed every run we finished. This afternoon we waited around too long, and it was too hot, and I decided to end the run in the middle. She's a mostly black dog, and being a drug dog handler for a long time, you just don't do anything to spoil the dog's mood. Or at least I work that way.

So we took 1 1st pace, 2 2nd places, and a 4th place. I'm running easier, actually breathing once in a while, and was in front of her a few times. Mostly because I was short cutting and because she was hot, and has to run in a fur coat. She's a beagle, mostly black as I said early, and experience shows that they get hot fast.

But working out and losing weight is paying off, even if it is taking forever.

Posted by at 3:35 AM | Permalink

Bariatrics Surgery Successful Last Resort

6:14 p.m. CDT May 28, 2004 - Holly Wilbur now leads a different life from the one of just five months ago. A life-altering surgery reduced the size of her stomach and allowed Wilbur to lose about 60 pounds since undergoing the procedure.

Wilbur, 19, said she started gaining excess weight at an early age.

Funny, but I just told someone I was 44 and felt I was too young to make a drastic change to my body.

Actually the biggest objection I have for this article, is that it feels like a commercial for the doctor. Of course, the whole situation is very sad.

Posted by at 1:25 AM | Permalink

As I predicted the other day, my insulin usage is really dropping. I'm consistently under 50 units a day this week. I am using the 1800 and 500 rule for calculating corrections and boluses.

What you do is you divide your average usage by 1800 and 500. So, of course, the less you use, the less you need.

I'm down to a 10 carb unit to insulin unit, and correction of around 38 blood sugar units to insulin unit. And of course, as those go down, total usage goes down. Actually my program says 11 carbs to 1, but I've only been on the 10 carb to one for two days, and that's working okay. I don't want to go on the high side.

You do too many corrections, and you end up roller coastering. Yesterday I stayed between 110 and 150 all day, except for two hours after breakfast, and that one was definately a wild ass guess.

Weight is going down too, but man is it slow. Something like .5 pound per week. Part of that is my choice as I don't want to go much under 600 calories a day under what I burn. In fact, this weekend is hard for me because I'm not doing any extra exercise -- we're doing the dog agility thing, and that would just be too much pressure.

Posted by at 11:30 AM | Permalink

one of the reasons to stay with movable type is I bought software for the treo to blog with.

Posted by at 7:29 AM | Permalink

I signed out yesterday and am now out for the summer.

For those who are wondering, it isn't a complete vacation for me. I have about two weeks worth of staff development and most of that is scheduled for June. I did that on purpose. Get it over with.

I am also writing a test for the district, and that's about 40 hours of work. I also plan to get as much of that done early as possible, but that depends on my partner's schedule. In fact, I really want to get the first draft in by the 15th.

I'm going to do some dog agility, have one trial scheduled already.
I'm also taking one course towards my Master's.

Last summer, I had serious control issues. Part of it was the schedule. For example, today, I slept in, but did get up and work out by and got all that done by 10:00.

On staff development days, I'll have to be up and out earlier. Plus those are sit in one place days, and can be very stressful, since we're often covering new material -- some material that we DON'T want to cover.

But I have the tools now, I think to manage things better.

Posted by at 7:54 AM | Permalink

I have stopped wearing my medical ID because it is UGLY. I did find someone at http://www.beadin-beagle.com who makes pretty medical jewerly and ordered some.

By the way, you go to a different company to order the engraved medical parts, they ship to Beadin Beagle, and she makes them. Mine are all detachable, because I will probably order other styles.

The bracelet is here:

and the necklace is here:

Posted by at 5:47 AM | Permalink

I moved back to Movable Type. Yes, it's a bear, but it's a bear I am familar with. Plus the licensing deal isn't bad. I did get on the beta tester list, so I do get it half off.

Posted by at 5:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I finally have a decent picture of Maggie.

http://www.kweaver.org/photo_archives/cat_maggie.php

Someday soon I’ll convert that to WordPress.

Posted by at 8:50 AM | Permalink

The New York Times > Health > Restless Legs: Uncomfortable and Overlooked

I'm told that this is one of my sleep issues. I am wondering more and more if this is being overlooked.

I told the sleep doctor last time that I see no difference in my sleep whether or not I take Mirapex.

Unfortunately my husband has never observed the restless leg--he doesn't sleep with me, he hasn't seen it when he comes by my room when I'm asleep.

I'm wondering if it all means that the Mirapex isn't working.

Posted by at 8:31 AM | Permalink

A User Perspective on Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII) Therapy

For this patient, clinical benefits of CSII are complemented by quality-of-life benefits. CSII allows her to eat, exercise, work, and socialise similarly to non-diabetic peers, mitigating psychosocial impacts of insulin dependence. Tailoring insulin dosage more precisely to meet insulin requirement has allowed her to pursue educational and personal goals while maintaining a healthy weight and an optimal HbA1C,
without severe hypoglycaemia or diabetic ketoacidosis.

Posted by at 8:20 AM | Permalink

My insulin usage is down again. It had gone up -- I'd had a couple of sleepless nights, which made for sleepy days which always makes me eat too much and the wrong foods. Why are we convinced that sugar will make us stay awake?

Anyway, the average usage is down to 58, so I've pulled all my correction factors down accordingly.

Which will make things fun as that will bring my total insulin usage down a bit more. Which makes it easier to lose weight.

Posted by at 6:55 AM | Permalink

Abbott Laboratories Press Releases (2004748)

Apparently the merge (Abbott bought Therasense) is doing the Precision products some good.

Still anxiously awaiting the Navigator.

Posted by at 10:26 AM | Permalink

Man, this software is EASY! I upgraded to the latest release version, and it only took a few moments.

MUCH easier to use than Movable Type!

Posted by at 10:24 AM | Permalink

Suit over insulin pump settled

A middle school administrator who confiscated a girl's insulin pump in 2002 has paid $10,000 to the family and the school board must make sweeping changes in the way it handles diabetic students, under terms of a settlement signed Friday.
The A.P. should have known better, and got what he deserved. I do hope that this reimbursed for the medical care she needed.

Posted by at 10:22 AM | Permalink

I finally got around to looking it up in the RIGHT place, and yes, a known side effect of Provigil is increased blood sugar.

I am DEFINATELY saving it for emergencies.

Posted by at 9:58 AM | Permalink

Good visit with the CDE. She did, however, confirm that I hadn't lost weight. I actually think I've been shifting fat around to muscle, but not enough to show on the scales. The scales at home are showing a slow amount of progress, but progress none the less.

She agreed however, that 1500 calories was too few and that what I was doing was fine. She is also concerned about the Provigil's affect on bloodsugar and thinks that might have some influence on the weight. (Provigil is a drug for keeping people awake -- but it ONLY does that, it doesn't allieve any of the other symthoms of not sleeping).

I personally think keep it for emergencies and that's it.

You know, when you positively can't sleep and as a result can't stay awake the next day, even if you have to drive.

Anyway, we both decided to blow off the sleep doctor, and I did ask her to see if she could find me a new one.

Posted by at 4:55 AM | Permalink

Interesting blog. We've got a bit in common, I am doing an online -- almost virtual master's. We have to meet face-to-face before each test, which actually helps.

I've had border collies. There is one thing that border collies are not capable of herding. BEAGLES! The beagles bite them on the dew claw when they get too obnoxious. Got to feel like getting your finger slammed in a car door, the way the poor BC's reacted.

Unfortunately only one of the BC's was a good dog. However, I even ended up sending him off after drug dog training to be a drug dog. For a while, he was partnered with TWO officers and worked TWO shifts. Yeah, they are that intense.

The second BC had idopathic epilepsy and ended up going into statis. I didn't realize that happened to people too, but we lost a student that way this year.

And the third BC was a mismatched rescue. He's in a good home now, and doing very well in agility.

I seriously doubt that I'll be getting another border collie. Just too much dog. Besides, I like my beagles.

Posted by at 12:31 PM | Permalink

Went on a three week followup with the sleep doctor.

Oh, and the last couple of days -- since the major bad night on Sunday -- I've been sleeping better. Haven't woke up lately.

Good news
Oximeter study was excellent, never go below 90%

Gave me more Provigil to play with. I really only like it in an emergency. It only falls the falling asleep thing. It fixes nothing else.

Since they couldn't find the oximeter study, doctor and I had time to converse and he asked GOOD questions about the pump. I kinda of wish I had been dressed to show if off better. I was wearing a long dress.

SoSo News
Compliant 6.8 or so hours on the machine. And nap times showing as compliant. First, I knew I had some bad news in the 3 weeks. Second, I keep telling them I'm compliant, sad it takes data to prove it.

Bad News
Got on me about my weight. Yeah, I know it didn't change. It was 3 weeks, I'm trying to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. So 3 pounds can be the salad I haven't finished processing. Plus the nurse just writes down a number close to what the scale says and never weights for it to settle.

Not gaining was a good thing with the lack of sleep!

Posted by at 12:10 PM | Permalink

Medrants asked if a good death is important.

I think so. My father had a good death. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure (this was 20 years ago), sent home, and was given some home nursing and equipment and basically left to die. It did take 3 years, and some of it was painful, but he did adjust well. We had plenty of time to talk and resolve issues. The only invasive procedure was a catherization, but that was his choice, he wanted to make sure why he had congestive heart failure. Most was congenital.

My mother-in-law had a good death too. She and my father-in-law were in a car accident and she was killed instantly. They had just been visiting their grandchildren and were on their way to a card show. They were in good health and she just went.

Even my father-in-law went relatively easily for him because he never regain consciousness. However, my husband and his sister had to deal with decisions. They did put him in hospice care and died a few weeks later without gaining consciousness.

However, my grandmothers didn't fair as well. For different reasons, they were put in nursing homes and had all the care needed to keep them alive. One is still living, and has been reduced to the mental age of about 1 1/2 years. It's very sad, and I wish she could die.

I've had friends deal with parents with lingering illnesses.

If I had my choice, I'd go the way the inlaws did, especially mother-in-law. I certainly don't want to spend my last days in a hospital poked and prodded, especially by strangers.

Posted by at 11:57 AM | Permalink

I can't believe how easy Word Press is. Of course, Word Press was installed automagically by my server software (Fantastico) and importing my Movable Type entries was easy to.

It is much more user friendly. Blogging is much easier.

My reason for moving to this, wasn't the licensing, it's free for me, since I only do the one blog and the photo album. For me, it's frustration. Movable Type 3.0 is a dog (software wise).
This is MUCH easier.

Posted by at 12:40 PM | Permalink

The secrets of sleep

Health education teacher Pacy Erck remembers what it was like back when Edina High School students had to show up by 7:25 a.m. "The kids were always very tired," she recalls. But these days, Erck rarely has a kid nod off in class. That's because in the fall of 1996, officials at this Minnesota school decided to ring the first bell an hour later, at 8:30 a.m. Sleep researchers had reported that teens' natural slumber patterns favor a later bedtime, and the school wanted to ensure that its high schoolers weren't being shortchanged by an early wake-up call. The change means that students average five more hours of sleep a week, and teachers can see a difference. "You don't have the kids putting their heads down," Erck says. "The class is livelier."

My school district changed times for high school kiddos LONG before this research and I definately saw a similar change. It's also easier on me.

Posted by at 12:19 PM | Permalink

Well, the server administrator didn't cooperate, so I moved this domain today. Things went alot better with this move, but then I wasn't moving much data.

Posted by at 9:11 AM | Permalink

Medtronic MiniMed - Patients and Families

Knew this one was coming. The sad part, is that they were so callous about changing the set, ignoring user compliants, then finally acknowledging the problem.

Of course, they have a history of this. B&D Logic Meter, waterproof problems with 512/712 series etc.

So far, Animas problems have been quickly and quietly fixed.

Posted by at 1:08 AM | Permalink

Well moving the mailing list site over to the new server foobarred. Obviously because I don't know what I'm doing. I started out by putting in the wrong dns names , and didn't catch that until the next day.

Still don't know where those came from.

I've asked the old server guy for some help. If he provides, then I'll keep this site here, and my classroom site here.

If not, I'll be moving. I have several options going right now, if the phpfreaks site doesn't work out.

This site isn't going away.

And Movable Type is still foobarred, but I've learned a lot from it. FYI: I've based a classroom website on Movable Type ideas.

Posted by at 2:46 AM | Permalink

As I have mentioned in several posts, included the last one, I've been doing iShape -- http://www.iShape.com It's owned by the people who do Shape magazine and Muscle & Fitness (I think), they have a men's fitness magazine too.

It's working well. I've lost somewhere between 15 and 20 pounds, and that's comparing doctor's scales too. And iShape isn't just for women.

In 13 weeks, I've gone from using 70-110 units of insulin to 50-70 units. I've rarely gone above 70, lately.

Here's what I am doing.

I delete their meals, and log mine. I already use a local service called Diet Gourmet. If you are in the Dallas area, they are super, deliver, and prices can't be beat.

That accounts for about 1600 calories a day, and then I pick and choose as much low carb snacks as I can, but maintain saturation.

My goal is to eat 600 calories less than iShape says I burned. I don't always do that but it averages out.

I've got it set up to give me weight workouts 5 times a week. And I also have it set up to give me 7 cardio workouts, but it usually only gives me 5.

I usually do exactly what the weight workout says. If I don't have the equipment, then I change the exercise that does have it. I have a stability ball, 3, 5, 8, 10, and 15 pound weights, and that seems to be enough. I keep watching for when I might need to buy 20 pound weights.

I always do what the cardio says as a minimum. I usually do 20 minutes on the off days, but sometimes I do take them off. Lately I've been adding swimming.

Other good news, is that I've been able to get up in the mornings and work out.

I do have to watch my blood sugar levels more carefully. I have had to made some adjustments, and I figure on making more as we go along. I am seeing my CDE once a month right now, so I know I have help coming at any point. In fact, I see her on Thursday.

Posted by at 1:14 AM | Permalink

Test

Posted by at 11:21 AM | Permalink

Decided I should test this since I hadn't. And comments are still fubarred.

Posted by at 10:23 AM | Permalink

Decided I should test this since I hadn't. And comments are still fubarred.

Posted by at 10:23 AM | Permalink

"I just want a diet that works!" That's the plea from confused people who feel overwhelmed by today's many diet options, or frustrated that their diets seldom bring long-term results. The diet that works for you, however, will be the one that removes or reduces the foods you overeat in a way that you can live with permanently. There are plenty of options to consider.

I've been doing iShapes, logging everything, and concentrating on eating 600 less calories than I've burned and it's working out well.

Posted by at 7:49 AM | Permalink

Well, I built a test blog and copied all the templates over to this blog. Checking now to see if it works.

I do like the new style sheet.

Posted by at 6:14 AM | Permalink

My comments are broken, none of the templates on their website work right

I know it will get fixed, but I can't decide what to do.

I'm also having problems with my website ISP. Well, and maybe my at home DSL ISP too.

Let's see. I've had excellent service for years with the local DSL ISP. They've been bought out there, and so far, nothing has changed. I'm not holding my breath though, and have several plans if things change. Either go to cable modem, or straight to SBC.

Okay, so now the website ISP. I have 4 domains hosted with the same provider with a reseller account. One of those is http://www.click-l.com where I run the clicker training list. This is a mailing list that has been around FOREVER. I bet we're on 10 years now.

We've been on server different servers, I've been ripped off several times by providers, and this one is almost enough to make me give it up.

No mention on the website, or any fine print I've seen, but we're limited to 300 emails an hour. I just hit 287 members, which is small for us, and instead of holding the mail, it bounces it all back and everyone, included me, gets unsubbed.

Took me a couple of days to email the provider to find out if he knew what was going on. At least he was upfront, and made it plain he had no intentions of changing it.

I went to PHPFreaks and moved it, and am waiting on the domain change to take place.

So now I'm trying to figure out what to do. The classroom site will be in development over the summer and I don't even have to host it if I don't want to. I do want to park it somewhere though.

The hardest part is the blog. I just uploaded a ton of photos, and I really like that photo album. I can stay on movable type for free, I only have the photo album site and this one. Or I can go to one of the blogger services, I am playing with TypePad.

So my internet life is up in the air.

Oh, and my comments are broken. If you do have input, email me at kathleen_w-weblog8301@mailblocks.com Especially if you can recommend providers.

Posted by at 2:35 AM | Permalink

Fabulous article

Call it ‘BP’ – before pump – and ‘AP’ – after pump. After the pump (insulin pump), he can actually control his old miserable sidekick – diabetes. Before he had the insulin pump, he had to rely on a daily regimen of daily injections, administered by guess who, and it seemed like he never could get it right. ">