Living With Diabetes

I've done everything on the district tests I"m going to do. We're going to have to get it back from the word processers one more time, but I'm going to let one of the other teachers handle it. It's a 30 minute drive there and back for me.

I am almost done with my master's class -- we have a test on Wednesday and that's it. I need 11.5 points for an A and there are 21 points on the test -- and one point it a bonus question with no wrong answer. Only need 1 1/2 points for to pass.

I'm getting ready for my flight on Friday/Saturday. I put my pill medications out every Saturday for the week, and decided to go ahead and do it for the next two -- emptying a script bottle, so I decided to put 4 days of meds in a script bottle, and have printed out my history from medco, and put it with the boxes with the scripts for my insulin / needles and testing supplies.

Hopefully the TSA can live with that concept.

I think I'm going to get a twin sized "bed in a bag" for the dorm room. That's something I can pack back up and put in a closet for the next one of these types of trips.

Posted by at 10:40 PM | Permalink

Well, I was afraid of this -- I think the adhesive to plastic ratio is a bit too small on the inset. But we'll see. This is one reason I feel that you have to try a whole box before you can determine if you like an infusion set or not.

I was loading a new laptop bag -- I really like this one, because it has a seperate carrier for the laptop. But that's another story.

Anyway, I pulled the set off, bending over. So I got to put the new set in. I was able to do it by glancing at the instructions, though the procedure is a bit time consuming.

I hope they come out with a tubeless version by the way, as I just threw away some perfect good unused tubing.

Posted by at 3:20 PM | Permalink

I was REALLY dreading having my mammogram done. I've been going to the same place which is close to the house (RHD Medical Center, which should really be called Robert H. Dedman Hospital and was for YEARS), and it was a real pain.

You'd call, make an appointment and they wouldn't be available for months, and it would take up most of an afternoon.

Not this trip. Though its start out frustrating. The doctor doesn't have the right number for scheduling, and had to call the number he had twice before I got an answer and they gave me a number that didn't answer at all after two calls. I called the main hospital number and they did verify the second number. That trip, I got someone on the first ring.

AND they were able to schedule me the next day, for this morning.

My appointment was for 9:30, and was told to arrive 30 minutes early for paperwork. I went through express check in -- which wasn't available before and sent right to Radiology (that was true), waiting only minutes, and was in and out. Arrived back at the car at 9:30.

Can't beat that service and it wasn't even painful -- I remember it being painful before.

I stopped and told registration how pleased I was life was better.

Posted by at 4:31 PM | Permalink

My needle phobia is well earned. This incident is also the start of my medical problems.

Back when I was in college, I was very physically active, and especially did a lot of bike riding. In fact, since gas prices were so high, I drove almost to campus, parked at a friend's apartment complex and rode to campus on my bike. When I was done from classes for the day, I'd go back and tutor him. It worked out well ...

Until one day when I rode all the way back to the apartment. I was having problems with the car, so I'd left it where it was and took my bike home. I was the night and weekend manager of the complex, and one of our groundskeeper hit me with his car. I went through his windshield and fell face first into gravel.

I almost lost my eye, and broke the edge of my jaw, though no one knew it until a few years later when I started having ear problems.

Anyway, I had to have about 20 stiches in my face, mostly around the eye area, and so not only couldn't have I have much in the way of general anesthisia, but had to keep my eyes open while they stitched.

As a result, needles really bug me, especially the ones coming out of me, going in doesn't seem to bother me as much.

You'd think after two years of diabetes and the associated needles I'd be over it, but I'm not. I just tolerate them.

And yes, insulin was MY idea.

Posted by at 1:58 PM | Permalink

I like it. It comes in a small tub, and has a built in inserter. This is the first inserter I've used, and I find the whole experience better. I have needle phobia -- well earned -- and removing the needle always makes me squirm more than putting it in. Weird, but like I said -- I earned it.

We'll see how delivery goes and how the second one goes. I'm concerned because like the Simple Choice set, the plastic part of the set seems to be raised and easier to catch on things than the Comfort is.

Posted by at 1:51 PM | Permalink

Monday I went to a lingerie shop and am wearing a bra size smaller. Good hint: I go to a very old fashioned store, they specialize in medical applications and do their own alterations.

They put a small little pocket in each bra to hold my pump, which improves things a lot. Dresses and shirts don't ride as high, etc.

Well, I picked up the new bras today, and dropped off the old, and probably for about $25.00 they will alter each of them so they are the new size. MUCH cheaper than buying new. I figure each bra can probably be altered twice, but I might be wrong.

Also went clothing shopping today, and brought home a skirt that fits and is two sizes smaller than I was wearing at the end of the school year, and I suspect those clothes were actually too big.

It's hard to tell, since most of the clothing I wear is "multi-sized". It does last longer as you lose weight, and hopefully looks good as long.

And I have a good exercise program going -- I haven't missed a workout all summer, though I have rearranged some. I didn't even miss during the one week workhshop.

I've set my alarm clocks and going to try to start out on the schedule starting tomorrow.

Posted by at 3:15 AM | Permalink

The good news, is that my blood sugar was much more stable this summer than last. I'm coming up on my 1 month pump aniversary, it's about two weeks away. I only napped a few days, and those are days that for some reason I just couldn't sleep. Last summer, I ended up napping almost every day, I'm sure from an elevated blood sugar.

Tomorrow is my gynecologist appointment. I'll get a depo shot -- speaking of which, it's interesting because I've seen where it is not indicated for diabetes and I've seen where it is.

Frankly it works for me. Before depo (and I've been on it over 10 years), I had very painful cycles, and problems with mood swings. Also problems with acne. Now, about a week before my shot is due I break out -- which is a good reminder. I don't notice an elevated blood sugar after the shot, but sure did after a cortsone shot.

I suspect a pound or two of my weight and a bit of insulin resistance might be caused by the shots, but the benefits outweight the disadvantages.

Especially since I'm getting that "age", they tell me I won't even know when I go into menopause, which will be nice.

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The other guys were okay, but face it, when you have gotten used to a system, it's hard to be comfortable with a new one.

Here's the deal.

I used to run a mailing list at http://www.click-l.com Well, with the number of spammers running around, you get labeled one, or at least treated like when when you run a mailing list. Sad but true. Anyway, one of the ways the server farms have been trying to combat the spammers, is they are limiting the number of emails that go out during a specific time period.

I was not told what was going on, just all of a sudden most of the mail was being returned and I had to deal with it.

I tried the new guys and they had to pull the same thing.

Oh, I should give credit where credit IS due. The server I use is at http://www.techark.com and Monte does a super job. Very little wait time on any requests, and he usually gets it on the first try, especially when answering questions.

The other guys, are http://www.webhostfreaks.com -- they have a potential of being a great service, but don't have 24/7 service yet, which is a problem. They also have a site at http://www.phpfreaks.com which is super if you want to learn php.

Posted by at 7:38 PM | Permalink

Long story but I'm moving the weblog back to my original server... Expect some service interruption.

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I changed my basal's anyway. I went through a basal test, realized my activity level was WAY down watching the clock, and even had a few minor spikes. I find doing basal tests very stressful, which probably invalidates them.

So I have dropped my basal from 8:00 - 12:00 by .05 unit ANYWAY and have seen some improvement in my morning fasting level. That means I've reduced my basal by only .20 units anyway... My philosophy is very slow and cautious changes.

I've also set up a second exercise basal rate.

So now I have 3 basals. One for not exercising in the morning. One for exercising at 6:00-7:00 and one for exercising for 8:00 - 9:00. That's working out a WHOLE lot better.

Posted by at 4:13 AM | Permalink

The New York Times > Sports > Baseball > Pager-Size Pump Helps Detroit Pitcher Fight Diabetes

Posted by at 2:21 AM | Permalink

Entrez PubMed

The effects of a combined strength and aerobic exercise program on glucose control and insulin action in women with type 2 diabetes.

Posted by at 2:16 AM | Permalink

I've lost 20 pounds now, with the help of iShape. It's a really neat program, and I've been very happy with it. I can change my membership on the 16th, and I'm going to go with a full year.

Posted by at 3:49 AM | Permalink

I woke up this morning at 101. It's just TOO close to 100 to make me happy. Plus I had to treat a low last evening with candy before I went to bed ...

SO,

I've added a new basal time period (I tried this before the 1 week work shop and ended up going back to the old basal rate) from 8:00 pm to 12:00 midnight, and I have backed down the basal from 1.00 to 0.05. That means I'll be decreasing my TDD by a whole .20 unit

I'm going to give it a few days, see how it goes and then try to do a basal test.

I just don't want to risk waking up TOO low in the morning.

Posted by at 6:34 AM | Permalink

It's working VERY well. My blood sugar was around 112 this morning --a tad high, but I went to bed with it at 220, and didn't want to correct and risk a low. (I've only fixed the night basal).

I'm probably going to end up backing down on the daytime insulin too. I'm still a bit low in the late afternoon and in the evening.
I've done a lot of "cushioning with my boluses". I had a salad and only did enough insulin for the dressing in the afternoon, and didn't bolus at all for a salad I ate before agility class.

I also probably need to start using my temp basal with agility class. I'm on my feet most of Maggie's class, and moving a lot, since we're starting to run small courses.

Marcie's class usually isn't a problem, because we run longer courses, with more recovery time.

Posted by at 4:09 AM | Permalink

Since I ended up spending the entire day fighting lows -- and always 4 or more hours after meals, I ended up changing my basal rate from 12:00 - 4:00 and the basal rate from 4:00 to 8:00 am. -- by .05 unit. Not a big decrease in insulin at all (I think it ends up being something like .3 unit. Of course, I couldn't make that kind of adjustment with MDI. I'd have to cut the dose by a unit and be high until I adjusted to it.

I woke up at 104, so it's definately not a problem.

I meant to go on a temp basal at 6:00 so I could walk without going low around 7:30-8:00, but I mucked that up -- I think I programmed it in and then forgot the last step -- hit go.

So I'll eat a few extra carbs for breakfast, but short the basal by about a unit and I'll probably be able to walk without eating more.

I really just want to avoid having to eat extra to avoid the low -- yesterday I ended up eating 100 calories more than I wanted to.

Posted by at 12:59 PM | Permalink

A good blog post on the dangers of sleep deprivation.

code blog: tales of a nurse: Sleepin'

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Gastric bypass surgery has its risks, including divorce

Not a place I really want to go.

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This is probably as "vanilla" a week I'll get this summer -- well, not exactly true, but close. No workshops, no class meetings, just dog stuff.

My fasting blood sugar has been lower each day, and dropped down to 98 today from 155 when I went to bed, so I left a message with my CDE and told her I was going to drop my basal by .05 per hour from 12:00 - 4:00. That's the most danger time to go low, and the biggest pain to treat. I had to treat a couple of lows the first night of the workshop (I over basaled for sitting still all day), and it was an absolute pain. Woke up twice and had to get up and deal with it.

One of the goals my CDE and I have, is for me to have uninterrupted sleep -- which means having the right blood sugar at night, not too low and not too high, because either means waking up and dealing with something.

Posted by at 9:01 AM | Permalink

The New York Times > Sports > Baseball > Pager-Size Pump Helps Detroit Pitcher Fight Diabetes

Wish he'd asked sooner.

Posted by at 5:18 AM | Permalink

I decided to add Google Adsense to the right. I do have a lot of regular readers, since I occasionally get email or IM comments on the site.

Please click on and follow the links if they look interesting, so far the ads I've seen look reasonable.

Posted by at 10:28 AM | Permalink

Something I've noticed ... when I have a bad food day, my insulin usage goes up for the food I've eated.

Depends on how much food, how much insulin and how many calories I've over eaten, but the affect can last for several days. I can really see it in the bolus doses.

Here's a example:

My last bad day was Thursday, with a slightly bad day on Friday. Both on Saturday and Sunday, post prandial (2 hours after meal) blood sugars were in the 160's range. Today, they are down to 140's, even though I'm eating "known" food. Stuff I've eaten before and stuff that is constant in calories.

Interesting...

Posted by at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last week ended up being a rough week. Not completely sure why, but I do know that the sleep doctor's appointment had a lot to do with it.

Sunday, on the way back from Monroe, I got tired. I was depressed because not only did the dog not run well, but one person, who I have a lot of respect for, was nasty about it. So I started the trip a bit discouraged. And it was a LONG drive. I haven't been on a driving trip by myself for over a year, and this one was longer than that one. I didn't realize what a problem that would be.

Anyway, about 3 hours out, I got tired and resorted to my father's solution to tired when driving which is eating. At least I started with protein.

Ended up using 58 units that day.

The next day was okay, but as the doctor's appointment got closer, eating got harder, and ended up with 3 days in a row at 50 units of insulin! The day of the appointment itself, I used 62 units.

One thing I've found is that if my blood sugar is under control and I can keep my insulin usage down to around 40 units, I currently lose weight. Any useage over 45 units results in weight gain, and fast weight gain at that. Very frustrating.

So I'm re-losing weight again.

The good news, is this week should be calm. Nothing scheduled.

Posted by at 3:13 AM | Permalink

The New York Times > Business > Your Money > Spending: Over the Counter, Yes, but Out of the Insurance Plan

In fact, my prescription plan tries to force me to two OTC medications: Prilosec and Claritin.

Fortuantely, (or unfortunately), Prilosec stopped working for me and I have been moved to Protonix and Claritin was ruled out years because because it raises my blood pressure.

They still want to limit the amount of Zyrtec (allergy) medication to 60 pills every 90 days, instead of taking it every day as prescribed. However, I'm allergic to dust and work in very old buildings. In the summer, I end up in 5 or 6 different buildings and during the school year at least 2 others for workshops, etc. And even my own building aggravates my allergies.

Buying OTC is much more expensive than going through doctor and pharmacy service.

Posted by at 6:26 AM | Permalink

Although not related to diabetes, I've been thinking about this a lot in the past couple of days.

DallasNews.com | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News

How unlucky can you get?

First, why do we need to know how these people are? I don't know how that serves anyone.

In case you are wondering, rabies is a serious problem in Texas. We are under a state wide quarentine, and theorically law enforcement can stop you and demand proof of rabies vaccine. I've never had it happen and haven't met anyone who has had it happen.

I've never attended a class where I didn't have to provide proof, and I always insisted on it when I taught obedience. I've known of obedience instructors who didn't and had gotten bitten by dogs who had not ever been vacinated AND had no history -- came from a shelter.

It is serious enough that back when I was teaching dog obedience I was seriously considering getting a rabies vacination. Main reason I didn't, was that the rabies vaccine while available, is more of a problem getting access to it, then getting access to treatment.

We've had a lot of cases of rabies in the area. We've had whole litters of puppies given away "free to a good home" infected with rabies.

By the way, the only way to diagnose rabies is to remove the brain and do some testing. It does not happen overnight.

And hopefully none of the health care workers involved have rabies. Nasty stuff.

Posted by at 4:08 AM | Permalink

I really should have seen her yesterday afternoon, but I did see her today and it really did conteract the sleep doctor. I need to remember, that I want to see her the same day as the sleep doctor.

She was happy to see the weight loss, and happy on how I was managing everything.

Happy to see the reduction in basal rates.

Everything was good, including the blood pressure and the lipid levels. Unfortunately we didn't H1ac

Posted by at 6:27 AM | Permalink

I almost forgot to post this. I mentioned to the doctor that my equipment was denied and he wrote the letter on spot and called the rep as I was leaving.
moblogged with Treo

Posted by at 4:58 AM | Permalink

I survived my appointment.

I've lost a little over a pound a week since I've been there last. Probably less than he wants but it works for me. My goal is to have a lifestyle I can live with.

moblogged with Treo

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