This article doubts sleep apnea as the cause
NBC10.com - Sports - Doctor Doubts Sleep Apnea Led To Reggie White's Death
Doctor Doubts Sleep Apnea Led To Reggie White's Death
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NBC10.com - Sports - Doctor Doubts Sleep Apnea Led To Reggie White's Death
Doctor Doubts Sleep Apnea Led To Reggie White's Death
Famous Athlete, Reggie White, Dies From Complications of Untreated Sleep Apnea
MSNBC - Sleep Apnea Can Cause Deadly Consequences
Public attention recently turned to the effects of sleep apnea after initial autopsy reports showed the affliction could have contributed to the death of NFL great Reggie White, who died at age 43.
Trouble thinking is one of my "favorite" sympthoms of blood sugar over 180.
Welcome To Diabetes In Control - High Blood Sugar, As Well As Low, Slows the Mind
Virginia researchers say a temporary rise in blood sugar levels in people with diabetes can inhibit their ability to think quickly and solve problems.
I've blogrolled it. Wish it had an RSS feed, I'd read more of it more often.
They are indicating that sleep apnea may have been a factor.
CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - NFL: White died from lung ailment
White died from lung ailment
I REALLY REALLY like my new dentist. He does the teeth cleaning himself -- but I think it's more because this is an area where it is difficult to get hygenist. He still hasn't touched the temporary filling, and I think by the time he does, I'm know him well enough it won't bother me.
He wants me to get them cleaned every 4 months, which I agree is a good idea since diabetics do have problems with gums and gum disease.
Rebel Doctor Web Log: Reggie White Dies
Again, no official cause of death, but a good explaination of how someone could die from OSA.
Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog: Reggie White, sleep apnea, and cardiac death
Reggie White, sleep apnea, and cardiac death
DB's Medical Rants ? Reggie White, RIP
I'm anxious to hear the details about this myself, being a CPAP patient and being extremely compliant.
I've seen two causes listed now, but nothing official and we probably won't get official results for several weeks.
I usually set up a nice web page but didn't get around to it this season.
Well, I threw something together in class to demostrate the techniques to my students, but I never did like anything I put together.
I'll start this entry out, by saying, I've always taken jobs that had excellent health insurance and have stayed in the current job because of the health insurance (certainly NOT because of the pay). Though there are lots of intangible benefits to teaching, like these two weeks off.
Anyway, people "get" me. Tonight, someone contacted me on chat, and started out the conversation whining about people in the next county over who wanted his county to "support" them.
Then whined about how he got denied by SS disability.
Now, I've actually worked for that office -- In Mississippi -- a LONG time ago. Assuming that the standards are similar, they don't turn people down very often.
But here's the point -- in one breath he is whining about other people wanting tax money -- and then wants other people's tax money in the next breath.
Weird.
Sometimes you truly get more than what you pay for. I've been using Movable type for most of the life of the blog. When they went to the pay model, I tried Word Press, but just didn't like it as well.
Well, I had uploaded and installed the latest release, but was having trouble with the upload. I didn't notice that not everything got loaded, and I was seeing some problems with the month and category archives.
I put in a ticket in the Movable Type help system this evening thinking that it would be processed early on Monday. WRONG, I got an email at 11:03 pinpointing the exact problem, and it is now fixed.
I love doing business with companies that have their act together!
Animas has been VERY VERY good lately.
Of course, they recently replaced my pump, but they also handled my supplies promptly. I ordered a bit early, I was due to order January 1, but I was cutting it close on the Inset infusion sets. I've been changing every other day lately, which means I use 45 sets in a 90 day period. I was afraid if I waited and ordered on the 2nd, I would run out and be forced to use the Comfort sets I have.
The Comforts aren't bad, but I have to see the needle and have to manually insert. The Insets are fabulous because I never have to look at the needle. Plus they are virtually pain-free to insert -- every once in a while I hit a nerve, but on the whole they aren't bad.
Anyway, the new order arrived today, so I don't have to worry about running out this cycle.
Note the medication itself, but the way it is dispensed. It is preservative free, so it comes in little plastic vials, in a tube. They are clearly marked, single use only, dispose immediately, do not keep, etc. They are dosed 2 drops, 1 in each eye, twice a day. However, they are packaged in a package of 32. That means, you have to hang onto the vial for the second dose, which is clearly against the other labeling.
However, in the sample pack I was given, they give you a nice little plastic thing, built to hold the vial upright.
Very odd.
I can't decide if it is helping and IF that is the problem. I got new contacts prescribed, and most of the time they work fine, I have really good reading vision and really good driving vision, but occasionally I lose my mid vision. I think it's because my eyes are so dry.
I've got a follow up on Monday and will discuss it then. And keep trying.
I've been able to consistently exercise since before Thanksgiving. I've been following iShape suggestions, except for their off days. I do take their strength exercise off days, but in the interest of maintaining blood sugar, I do 20 minutes on the cardio off days.
As a result, I've been able to reduce my bolus rate to around 12:1.
Actually that's the weird part, I've noticed that I do better if I do the following:
breakfast rates: 13:1
lunch rates: 12:1
dinner rates: 11:1
Though my CDE didn't seem to think that was a bit strange. But I found that if I used the lowest rate, (13:1), all day, I would slowly start running right later in the day. If I use the highest rate, I do low in the mornings.
I can probably go a tad higher, but I am never change anything too quickly.
My lowest bolus rates have been 5:1 -- my best has been 15:1, until the brief set back I had in October.
And I'm pretty proud of how it turned out.
Mexican food itself is fairly difficult for diabetics to deal with -- which is a shame, because there is a high risk of diabetes in hispanics. But I digress. Last night, husband and I decided to go to El Chico's and I wanted a break from measuring everything, etc. So I did an extended bolus with 15 units of insulin for 3 hours. Then I checked two hours after the last of the insulin was delivered and did a correction. It was temping to do another correction, as my blood sugar was climbing instead of dropping, but I resisted.
Woke up this morning and fasting blood sugar was 105.
Not bad!
I think I'll extend the bolus longer next time, though don't worry, next time will be a few months away.
And I have improved -- I have switched to fajitas rather than eating a chimicanga.
I always get a full eye checkup from my contact lens doctor this time of year. Yes, the place is called Contact Lens Center, and the practioners are ex-Bausch and Lohm employees, and most have designed contacts.
I got a clean bill of health on my eyes -- they have a new camera which the doctor is very proud of (he and his wife are co-owners of the place). It uses a laser to look at the retina and he said they were spotting problems much earlier than ever before. He said that I had absolutely no problems. FYI: They have at least 3 offices and only charge $30.00 if you need the retina camera only.
I am wearing several steps down from my prescription.
He also suggest Restasis since I'm having such problem with dry eye -- so I am feeling more and more like a pharmactical commercial. He did send me home with samples.
I really love the Inset devices, and I have just put one in and have 7 left. I'm trying to stretch them out to 3 days -- WHICH is normal, but I just can't seem to wear an infusion set past two days, no matter what.
I have a whole box of Comforts, which I can use, but man I don't want to.
The Insets are so much easier, I was dreading site changes before the Insets. It was easier to make the Comforts last a third day since I dreaded the process so much.
Of course this is for Type 1's.
The multicentre study will commence immediately at diabetes clinics in Link?g, J?ping, Bor峬 Malm?almstad, ֲebro, Queen Silvias children’s hospital in G?org and at the Astrid Lindgren hospital in Stockholm. The study is headed by Professor Johnny Ludvigson of Link?g University. The patients included in the study are children and adolescents between 10-18 years of age who have not been diagnosed with diabetes for longer than 18 months. The study is double-blind, random and placebo-controlled.
It's dated 2003-12 and mine was dated 2003-08 so it is a tad newer. Whoever had it rubbed on the case quite a bit. It took a bit of time to program the new pump.
I'm waiting for DHL to come pick up the old one now.
Went to the CDE for my monthly, keep on track, visit.
Last month I was very depressed, having problems with all my health issues.
This trip was different. First, I had lost 4 pounds since the last visit, which I DID not think had happened. I've now lost 25 pounds since I started seeing them.
I took them the lab results from last weekend, and they were also very pleased.
Nice to see that I'm headed in the right direction.
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From my Treo
it's funny, but a few moments ago, it hit me that tomorrow I'm getting a different pump and am sending this one back to the factory. Yes, it's just a small electronic devlice but it has made my life so much better.
This weekend, I was doing agility trials, and my blood sugar stayed within 120-140 all day. Not bad. Didn't have to worry about lows, and didn't have to worry about spikes. I sure didn't get that with shots.
Of course, the new pump will be almost the same, but it is still with a little sadness I'll be sending this one back.
Today's my birthday and one of the milestone years. It's also one year closer to when my father was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The good news, is that I'm pretty good shape. My lipid levels are better than they have ever been -- or at least I can remember. My blood sugar has been very stable lately. I'll have a few excursions due to pulling out a site or miscalculating, but I haven't a forgotten a bolus in ages, and the basal rates are working pretty well.
I haven't been losing weight lately, but I also haven't gained any. I am seem to be at a "critical" mass, and seem to be bouncing between two weights in a 5 pound range. I figure getting through the holiday season without gaining weight is a major accomplishment for me. And I'd like to lose about 5 pounds over the two week break.
I'm actually handling this holiday better than most. My husband is making it pretty special. I'm not a big fan of the holidays -- we don't have children and it's a bit of too much of a big deal. My father was diagnosed during the Christmas season and died shortly after. And one of my best friends was killed Christmas Eve about 4 years ago.
I did something I haven't done in ages. My husband wanted to take me to Crystal's (think White Castle), and I turned him down. I might let him take me there tonight, but I had already eaten dinner and ingested enough calories for the day. My first non-family - paycheck job was at a Crystal's in Jackson, MS, and I love their burgers. I really want to go for one of the breakfasts but it is way out of the way.
Well, big dog and I are off to an agility trial. I think we'll let little dog ride along, enough though it's a bit cold for her. We're entered in two USDAA classes. So far, big dog and I are always one mistake from qualifying, so I'm hoping we'll have it together and give mom a "Q" for her birthday.
I come home and find a HUGE box on my door step. I open it to find a cooler with 3 gel packs inside and one dose of depo (yes, that's right, I ordered one dose).
First thing wrong with the picture -- it's supposed to be stored at controlled room tempature.
Second thing wrong? Well the last shipment of insulin came in an insulated bag with one gel pack and it's supposed to be stored refrigerated.
Oh well.
These are the people with the glucowatch...
I got the "bill" off the internet today and they charged non-formulary price, so now I'm getting two drugs for the price of one formulary copay ($62.50) -- NOT bad. But I wonder why they didn't tell me that. Weird....
And the depo arrived today -- at least it's on the doorstep -- husband will have to bring it in. Apparenlty the generic isn't available yet, but it was $42.00 instead of $56 which is what the regular pharmacy charges. Since it is cheaper than a copay, I pay for the cost.
Now if I could just sleep
After gathering serial number and rev number from the pump, they are shipping a new pump for Monday. She kindly explained, and I agreed, that the pump was still functioning, I just have to remember it isn't water tight anymore.
Whew!
The New York Times > Business > With New Sleeping Pill, New Acceptability?
The approval could clear the way for people to use Lunesta, and possibly similar drugs, for longer periods and turn sleeping pills from a market laggard into a much more widely used category of medications, sleep specialists said.
Claire de Lune: The FDA has just approved a new sleeping pill, called Lunesta:
Well, I'm about to see what kind of service I get from Animas. I was changing my batteries tonight, the pump tipped over and the corner of the battery door chipped off, which I think means the pump isn't water tight any more....
I did call this evening -- 12:43 am there time, and they said leave a message if it is urgent, and since the pump is still functioning it doesn't seem urgent.
I'll call first thing in the morning, and remember to keep my pump dry!
This is cool -- my primary care physician has a telephone line that you can call and get and leave messages. I had several medical tests done -- fluids were obtained Saturday and he left my test results on the system today.
News was good. Creatin was 0.9, thyroid was normal and albumin < 5.0 123, good was 47, ldl was 61. He said chrostreol was "awesome".
Looks like what we are doing is right.
Just testing to see if I accept comments from TypeKey users.
The New York Times > Business > A Sleeping Pill for Longer Use Wins Approval
So far, Ambien hasn't helped me much. It really doesn't put me to sleep, and I wake up a tad hung over.
It's almost the end of the year, and we STILL don't have a continuous blood glucose monitor for patient use. Right now, Minimed has one that doctors can order and you wear for 3 days, but there is no real time readout.
Both Therasense -- now owned by Abbott and Minimed were supposed to have one out by the end of the year.
Well, we have a couple of weeks yet, but I'm not holding my breath.
Medco makes me wonder some times... I decided to stick with Depo, and I've being charged full price for Depo. If I go with the new generic, it is still is pretty costly, but if I use the mail order portion, the price drops substantially.
So I called the ob/gyn office and requested a script and sent it out, and now I'm waiting for the Depo. The really good news, is that I don't need it until around the 10th of January.
One of the side effects of sleep apnea going without treatment for so long is chronic insomnia. I'm VERY weird. My bedroom is at the front road side of the house and most of the time it isn't a problem, but we had a drunk hit the electric pole across the street at 2:00 am which woke me up. Then the power company was repairing it the rest of the morning. Between the police flashing lights, the TXU lights, their trucks and the dog being scared, I just couldn't sleep and haven't been able to since.
I'm waiting for a few hours, as I am almost completely strung out, and I'm going to hit the bed and I'll probably be okay as long as I can sleep uninterrupted.
My record was during the time period from the time my good friend Aubrey Hawkins was killed by the Texas Seven on Christmas eve, until about a week after they were caught. I couldn't sleep at all then. And had trouble again when I found out they were staying at a hotel a few miles from the house. But I think just sleeping one night through will do the trick.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
I tend not to read blogs unless they have an RSS feed (using Sharp Reader), but I'll make a point to keep up with this fellow, since
a) I have sleep apena
b) most of my extended family live in Brandon, MS, a surburb of Jackson, and the neice is in training to be a nurse in there.
I'd like to find a doctor like him in the north Dallas area. I'm not as happy as I could be with my current doctor.
First Human Trials Scheduled for Diabetes Vaccine - Elites TV - Your Elite News Source
One of the reasons I suspect stem cells won't be successful is the same reason that Islet transplants haven't been very successful. There is something ELSE going on.
After we fix the something else, the body will probably regenerate or THEN islet transplant will be successful.
There are photos of the beagles with Santa. I'll have our Christmas website up tomorrow -- I'm going to use that to demo to my webmastering students.
http://www.kweaver.org/photo_archives/christmas_2004/index.php
What happens when patients find out how good their doctors really are?
Very fascinating reading and I wish that the ADA would get in on a similar bandwagon as the CFA has.
Welcome To Diabetes In Control - Topamax Not Effective for Obesity, Diabetes
Johnson & Johnson last Wednesday said its epilepsy drug Topamax was not effective as a treatment for obesity and diabetes.
I'm watching this show -- I think it's the third episode I've seen, and they are down to six and cutting them lose -- no longer on teams.
Some of what they are doing makes sense -- they showed a temptation dinner -- which was typically of a family, church or work "spread". Will it seems cruel, the participants saw it as something helpful. They used the experience to find the right food, and stay away from the wrong food.
I still think there are a lot of wrong things about the whole premise. Weight loss isn't necessarily less calories eaten and more burn. A lot of other factors go into it, for example, read the article on sleep I posed about earlier. Insulin is also a factor for me.
Want to lose weight? Don't forget to hit the sack
Now a growing body of research is pointing to a third possible key to weight control: Get a good night's sleep.
And in my case, I tend to eat to stay awake.
So maybe I'll blog a bit more.
See Sharp MT Site
Oddly enough, it came up somehow today at an agility trial. Weird coincidence, but a lady see at agility trials, and who has the same size dog, actually has had successful gastric bypass surgery. She told me that the biggest things I needed to figure out, is
a) can I live without whatever food gives me down -- can I give up eating full meals, sugar, and lots of other things
b) what size do I see myself, and can I "be" thin.
And I think the answer to those two questions right now are no.
It's not going as well as I would like lately.
However, I feel I'm mostly recovered from the few weeks without exercise. My bolus ratios are still low, but my daily insulin usage has gone done substantially AND my blood sugar levels have stabilized again.
The good news, is that I lost the weight I had temporaily gained and now I am not gaining.
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From my Treo
I have been thinking about surgery since if I am going to do it, I need to do it this year.
Lots of reasons not to though -- first, I can always wait a year, and it wouldn't be that big of a thing.
I am afraid I would be trading one set of medical problems for another.
There is a huge possiblity insurance won't cover it, and I'm definately a believer that you don't rely on insurance 100%. In fact, I just talked to someone who has had the surgery, happy with it, but has already paid for over half, and I wouldn't be surprise if she doesn't end up paying for all of it.
FYI: If you don't count on insurance covering things you won't be rudely suprised. Been there, done that.
I am still afraid that going with WLS means trading one set of health problems for another. In fact, I only have one health condition that will probably be solved by weight loss surgery, and I consider it the least of the problems (GERD).
I also consider that waiting a year means that I'll have a stronger case, I definately am getting good documentation on weight loss via the CDE.
So I really think I'll not be doing surgery. It really only comes up with me when I realize that it's six months until June AND I'm depressed about weight loss, or lack there of.
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From my Treo
Achieving Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes
This paper will review currently available oral therapies, with a focus on the unique attributes of the insulin sensitizers for patients with type 2 diabetes.
I'd heard this on a diabetes awareness piece but had posted anything about it here yet, because I didn't have time to confirm it.
BUT, according to this article and the news item I watched, oral agents only reduce A1C by 1.5 - 2.0 % --
I suppose most people start out with diabetes more gradually than I did. Before my glucose tolerance test, my fasting blood sugar was never over 200, and I think (but don't remember), it was between 150-200.
My blood sugar was elevated to over 500 at the end of a glucose tolenance test, and never went below 400 until I went on insulin, no matter what I ate or did.
And it took weeks on insulin to get it down to something reasonable.
I still haven't "recovered" from that excusion, my blood sugar hits over 300 if I forget to bolus, and it climbs to 200 if I get disconnected from the pump for several hours (like gets pulled off at night).
I don't think oral meds would have solved the problem even if we had played with combinations. And man, I didn't enjoy the side effects.