Living With Diabetes

Came home to two good things -- an new One Touch Ultra -- just went the old one started working again, and a clean house.  It really does relieve a lot of stress and does free me up to do other things.  I cam in this afternoon to find a clean house.  All the trash collected and in the garage, beds made, bathrooms and kitchen clean.  Now instead of looking at dirty floors and thinking I should do something about it, I can focus on bigger projects.  Each time they come, the house is more efficient, and I'm happier.

Even the husband seems to like it.  Hopefully we can continue it -- if nothing else, we might go to once a month, but right now, every other week is often enough the house stays good, and in the right price range.

Posted by at 4:51 PM | Permalink

I hate cold, and I am really glad I didn't go.  It's still under 40 degrees and almost 10:00.  While I've got good clothing for cold conditions, neither the dogs and I are happy with the temperature -- okay, Marcie probably is, but Maggie isn't.

This will give me a day to relax and get some stuff done.  Like the taxes, I have to deal with the STEM money.  They told us it would be tax free when I won it, but then found out this week that it is taxable.

Posted by at 9:43 AM | Permalink

Posted by at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First dog agility day in about two months.  Blood sugar was the best it's been in a while once i remembered to set my basal to agilty.

However, it was cold and dear Maggie didn't feel like doing agility.  She actually felt like looking for food, I think.

I lost Marice in the tunnel in Jumers, and then she fell out of the tunnel in Standard (went in, couldn't figure out what she was supposed to do, and then came back out.

Got Macy her first measurement, she'll be jumping 12" and 8" and we just started training at 12" this month.  Doesn't seem to faze her at all though.  I like to get that done well in advance to entering my dog, then I know what height they jump, don't have to stand in line to get measured before our class and stress out over that.

Posted by at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of my many directions at getting my life and my blood sugar back under control is to post to the blog more.  I'm still having lots of problems with control.  I know that I am not exercising as much as I was before Thanksgiving, though this week has been better.  However, I'm not seeing any changes in my overall blood sugar as a result.

I also know one of my problems is food intake.  I start eating in the late afternoon and can't seem to stop until I get to bed.  That makes the GERD worse and shoots up the blood sugar, especially when I eat carbs.  I've been trying to shift from carb to protein but then that makes the GERD worse.  Makes the sleep worse, makes the wanting to eat worse, vicious cycle.

I've been working "Shrink Yourself" but haven't been able to get past about week 6.  I'm not sure why, but I keep working on it.

The Fit4D people and program has been good -- which is one reason the exericse is getting better. 

If anyone has any good ideas, let me know.

Posted by at 7:27 PM | Permalink

Well, I checked with Dexcom and I did put the sensor in on Saturday morning, so they do feel I got good life out of it.  I am, however, glad to be rid of that box.  I am not sure, but I think every one but that one ended early. 

I am definately going to wait until the morning to insert, but might put it off a few days, just because I'm doing an agility trial and I'm not sure I need the extra hassle.  I also think my skin needs a break.  I'm still convinced it is a bit of a skin issue.

Posted by at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's day six and I just had another sensor fail.  I'm going to restart it, but I don't hold out much hope for it.

And this one was one of the replacement sensors!

Posted by at 7:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a way, I 'm glad I just got a bottle, because I don't have to make a decision yet.  However, I did get charged $62.50. My problem with the previous OTC allergy medications, is that you either could't get it without the "D", which messes with my blood pressure, OR you couldn't get the strength you could prescription wise.

Looks like if I buy from Drugstore.doc it will be 56.97, and if I go with Medco, it's either 25.99 for 100 tables of the generic or 90 tables for 38.99, but that is with a $15 coupon.  So it's 52.99 regular press.  The good news, is that medco's shipping is free, so I'll probably go that route, but now I have to remember to order it.

However, I did add it as a task in outlook so hopefully I'll see it and remember.

Posted by at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First if you are seeing not seeing this at http://www.kweaver.org -- someone is STILL ripping me off. 

Tonight is interesting, I've got a photographer from the Dallas Morning News taking pictures while I'm blogging.  I figured the best way to keep him from completely freaking me out, was to just sit down and write a blog entry.

It's all Amy's fault you know (Diabetes Mine).  She sicced a reporter on me back before World Diabetes day.  However, they decided to focus on children and didn't use the interview.  The bad news, is that this isn't the first time I've been in the paper in the past 12 months. 

The next major milestone in my blogging life is coming up soon -- I will be on my way out of the country, I think I mentioned before in the blog that I'm going on a cruise, teacher workshop, and the day of my blog anniversary is the day I fly out.  I'll try to blog on the phone on the way, and publish when I land in Miami.

Posted by at 9:24 PM | Permalink

I need to do the massage thing more often.  I had a really good agility practice last night, wasn't as stiff and was able to run even.  Very little knee pain. 

Also wasn't as still today, though I really want a nap.

Posted by at 1:37 PM | Permalink

Knowing that I'm schedule for dog agility trials for the next 3 weekends and knowing that I spent the last working, I took today for me.  I found a really good special at a Day Spa (a package deal of massage, facial, pedi and manicure), and took advantage of it.  It was very good.  I like the place and hope to go back someday. 

I do almost do too much.  I ate just before 9:00 am, started at the spa at 10:00 am and finished just as my Dexcom was going off because I had hit "low". I had a good plan for lunch though, which worked out fine, and I'm ready for an evening of dog agility training!  Boy do I hope we're in the building.

Posted by at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by at 11:16 PM | Permalink

I've done 3 doses of Symlin with the Pen Injector today. 

I've forgotten that needles don't hurt going in -- my theory -- the stopper.  Pen needles don't have to go through the stopper. So when I inject with the Symlin, going in doesn't hurt, but the very final push of the plunger does -- from the pH of the Symlin.

I'll let you know after a week how bad it is. It usually takes that many tries before the needle starts getting annoying.

As for the vials -- I have about a month's worth of vials, so I'm going to use the pens "out" and the vials at home.  That will give a good cushion for when Medco decided to drive me nuts -- though they've been good on Symlin.

Posted by at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'll start this out by saying that I believe that Dexcom has the best CGMS technology available right now.

However ...

The last two boxes of SEVEN sensors have not lasted as long as I think they should.  Oddly, I expect them to last SEVEN days.  I've had one person on the Dexcom list already imply it is my fault, and it might very well be part of my normal environment, though I did have a period where the SEVEN's were working well.  That isn't going to change. 

Another problem is the needle pain.  It seems to get worse with each insertation.  I'm actually going longer and longer between sensor changes just because of the needle pain.

I do have two more sensors, plus the one I'm wearing.

I do believe I'm going to spend some time on the phone Monday, before I made a decision.  Of course, I can always change my mind and buy a box.  It's hard to do it the other way.

Posted by at 8:57 PM | Permalink

This is what I was trying to think up -- there are quite a few for sell on Ebay at reasonable prices, so I bought two.

BD Safe-Clip™ Device

The BD Safe-Clip™ Needle Clipping & Storage Device removes insulin syringe needles and pen needles safely and easily.

Posted by at 11:03 PM | Permalink

I have NO idea why I decided to check the Medco site this afternoon, as they said they weren't sending until January 23, but I did.  Not only did it show it was on it's way, but it had a UPS tracking number that said it was delivered.  I called, husband answered, and sure enough it was there, he just tossed the whole thing in the fridge.

The pens are interesting. The 120 pen is set to give two doses, 60 units and 120 units.  It also says you can put it in either the abdomen or the thigh.  I think I like the thigh.  The needle goes in much better -- I do think that stopper dulls the needle, and even though it was a dose after a prime, it didn't burn until the very last of the push.  Thus it is MUCH less painful.

I'm going to use up all my vials (I have around 4) at the house, and keep the pens for traveling about town and at school until I'm out of vials.

The pen does not take up less space than the vial, but the pen needles are easier to deal with.  I do need to find a disposal method for the needles themselves.  I do have some of the needle holders, so I am going to try to snag more.

Posted by at 10:53 PM | Permalink

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I've been feeling guilty about the cleaning service until I remembered something.  We've had landscaping service for years, and Rich hasn't lifted a finger on anything.  We got it, because he drove me nuts.  I think that the grass has to be mowed every week. Unfortunately I can't do it, because I am allergic to most of the pollen in Texas (both grass and trees).

They came Tuesday -- I got to be home, and they did a terrific job.  It's very nice to have a clean house and not have to do it yourself.

Please it frees me up for other projects.  Like my office.  i can actually work in here now, and I have room in the closet for storage again.  Speaking of which, if I put computer equipment out for the trash, I swear it's gone in 5 minutes.  It['s really a hoot. 

We've also had the handyman over, and he's got my new TV mounted on the wall so it's comfortable to watch on the treadmill.

Posted by at 6:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Protonix DID arrive today!  At the same time, I got an email from Medco saying I had a new order being processed and then the Medco database showed they were processing Protonix.  Oh well, they will hold until March 15.

Symlin pen still hasn't shipped.

Posted by at 10:17 PM | Permalink

I am saddened everytime I read about this case.  First, I enjoyed reading Flea's blog, very much, and feel very betrayed, sad, etc. because he was sued for malpractice.  The malpractice? The patient he had seen DIED OF UNDIAGNOSED TYPE 1 DIABETES.  I'm not sure how long ago that the child was actually not diagnosed, but surely a simple blood glucose test?  Okay, and I'm still mad that my mom was being treated for an infection that would not go away and they didn't do a simple blood glucose test the entire year she was being treated. He was not the primary doctor on the case, but still...

New York Personal Injury Law Blog: My Interview with Robert (Dr. "Flea") Lindeman

In May 2007 Robert Lindeman, a pediatrician from the Boston area, found himself uncomfortably in the public eye when the Boston Globe exposed his pseudonymous life as a blogger in a sensational front page story.

Posted by at 7:12 PM | Permalink

I really thought that January 14th as a shipping date for my Symlin pens was a bit optomistic.  They are now showing a ship day of the 17th.  The good news is that the pen needles are already on their way.  They will go mule train, and the Symlin will probably come UPS, so they might arrive at the same time.

It's fun keeping watch though.  Haven't heard from the local pharmacy, I think I'll give them a buzz tomorrow.

Posted by at 11:26 PM | Permalink

YEAH!  It shipped out today!  I am so happy that battle is won -- though it is not over until it arrives on my door step.

Symlin is still showing will ship today (I will be amazed if that happens). 

Posted by at 2:05 PM | Permalink

The Medco database was updated in the last couple of hours. 

There is now an entry for my Symlin pen injector, and it shows 6 packages -- that means they are sending 12 pens and a pen is supposed to last a week (22 1/2 injections, according to the math I did, which Symlin verified as correct).

They are also showing a ship date of January 14 on the Symlin pens, one day before the pen needles!  I'm sure that will change though. The good news, is that I do have some pen needles hanging around the house, plus I could get Albertson's to go ahead and fill those if the injector gets here first.

The bad news is that there is no shipping date showing for the Protonix, when it did have one.

Posted by at 12:57 PM | Permalink

Went to the local rec center for a health fair.

First the rec center is NICE.  It's 4 years old now, and I wondered when it was open, if they would keep it up.  Of course, they would make sure everything was working for the health fair, but there were no out of order signs every where, the ladies locker room was immaculate, and lots of equipment.  Since membership is $10.00 a year, I think, I probably will join in the near future.

The health fair itself was nice -- the Fire and Police department had a contest for a blood drive, the local hospital was there doing screenings.  Lots of local businesses were there with reduced offers, including curves.

It was worth the few minutes of walking around.

Posted by at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by at 5:53 PM | Permalink

Medco is showing Protonix ordered, and shipping on January 16. 

The doctor's office called in a Symlin 120 30-day prescription to my local pharmacy and have faxed a 90-day prescription for the same thing to Medco.  The Symlin hasn't shown up in the website yet.

My blood sugar was a bit better this morning, and my 2 hour after meal breakfast was good so now I think I'll focus on lunch. Corrections seem to be working most of the time too.

I also put in a Dexcom sensor.  I put it in a totally different location, as I've been using the same area of my body for the last 6 months.  We'll see how all that goes.

Posted by at 1:51 PM | Permalink

Now this one I can get on board with! Hopefully it will happen about the time I need a new pump, BUT I think I need a pump next year.

DexCom(TM) Announces Joint Development Agreement with Animas Corporation: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ: DXCM - News), a leading provider of continuous glucose monitoring systems for people with diabetes, today announced that it has entered into a joint development agreement with Animas Corporation to integrate DexCom’s continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology into Animas® insulin pumps.

Posted by at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday was a yikes!  We had an awards ceremony down town, food was very different and I didn't bolus.  Thus blood sugar this morning was 185.  I think I'm going to focus on corrections today, rather than mealtime boluses. 

I wish I had checked BEFORE I'd bolused, but I managed to do the math and "fix" it.  My spreadsheet which has the rules of 1500 and 1800 says that my correction factor should be 28, not 30, which is what I had programmed in the pump.  I just added the difference and we'll see if that helps.  Yes, .15 units of insulin can make a difference for me.

Posted by at 6:41 AM | Permalink

I'm back to "normal" days, so I am working on adjusting my pump again.  I'm focusing on breakfast right now -- my blood sugar was 207 after breakfast, so I had to do a correction.  Therefore, I'm going to up my carb to insulin ratio.  I just changed it from 7 to 6.

As to Dexcom -- I've decided to give my skin a rest -- the entire area where I have been using the Dexcom is raw and scratched up.  I think I've been doing quite a bit of itching.  It will be interesting to go back to the old way of doing things.

Posted by at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another sensor died.  This one really never lived -- started dying in the evening last night and had put it in the morning.

Dexcom is replacing it, but it's such a hassle.  I have learned to sit out a few hours, let skin heal, and take a real shower before I try a new sensor.

It's still sad.  They said I had a lot of noise and it just shut down.

Posted by at 10:53 PM | Permalink

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Maybe someone at Medco has been reading the blog?  Here's why.  I am still working on the Protonix thing.  Doctor called last night and said that the coverage review was done and that the Protonix had been approved.

Medco still showed it not ordered -- seen this before -- so I called the 1-800 and talked to a REALLY nice lady.  She said, yes, the coverage review had been done, and it had been approved, but Prontonix needed two reviews, one for the drug and one for the extra amount.  However, that review from the drug was still good, so they should be able to ship it.

She transferred me to customer service.  He said something about my account being flagged and that he might not be able to talk to be and might have to transfer me to someone else -- WEIRD!

Then came back and said, no everything is fine, let's review -- and yes, the Protonix was approved and they could ship but needed to contact my primary care physician for a new script.  I said, hey, my gastro did the review paperwork and sent the script on December 26th, could they use that one.  He went away again, came back and said yes, and it would be here in 4-6 days.

Then I said.  Thanks, but I'm on my last day or two of medication.  What do we do on that -- he said that the local pharmacy would be able to fill based on the coverage.  I called them and they said they would try it again.

Fun Medco games.  Wonder what is going to happen with the Symlin....

Posted by at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since Thanksgiving, maybe a bit before food has been realloy hard for me, and even the last few weeks being active has been.  Well, yesterday went really well, partly due to my principal -- he gave us most of the day to work in our curriculum areas.  The good news, I'm the only one in my area, so I managed to get a ton of stuff done, paperwork wise.

I had three really good dog agility classes in a row, each of the dogs doing really complicated stuff.  And the best news -- my blood sugar was done to 126 on the meter when I woke up this morning.  

We'll see how the rest of the week goes.

And on the Symlin front, there are a ton of news releases and other articles on the Google Alerts showing that the Symlin injector pen is available.

Posted by at 6:41 AM | Permalink

I was checking my Protonix / Medco status this evening -- it is still showing that it is under coverage review, though the doctor claims she got a fax saying the medication was available -- and on the way out of the website, I decided to check on Symlin.  YEP!  It shows the 60 injector pen and 120 injector pen.

Can someone do the dosage math for me?  I've never been good at chemistry math.  The prescribing inforamtion shows that it is a 2.7ml disposable multidose Symlin 120 pen-injector containing 1000 mcg/mL pramlintide.  Does that mean I multiply 1000 mcg/mL by 2.7 (getting 2700) and dividing by 120 for 22.5 doses?  Which means that I should get a pen a week? (And that DOES make sense).

I should have my comments turned on, if not email me at kathleenw at gmail.com

Posted by at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by at 9:44 AM | Permalink

Today and tomorrow I'm going to leave settings alone since this is a "weird" day.  We're doing staff development all day, which means sitting still and maybe even getting stressed by the information.

I don't know how I did yesterday, either, because I had my pump off for about half an hour.  Today was a full site change, both infusion set and sensor.  I tend to be very slow this mornings.

Posted by at 6:58 AM | Permalink

Posted by at 12:24 PM | Permalink

So I download my data again today.  I'm looking at two important numbers -- my blood sugar from this morning and from yesterday morning.  Yesterday morning my blood sugar was 156 and today I was at 146, so I am probaboly doing in the right direction.

Breakfast was looking okay -- my blood sugar at breakfast was at 141, and two hours after my blood sugar was 156.  I am suspecting that the problem is with corrections, but I'm not sure about that yet.  

Posted by at 9:21 AM | Permalink

Someone on the IR2020 list was asking about whether or not boluses were working and I realized that mine weren't.  Not surprising as I have not been exercising as much and have been eating more. So I decided to document the process of updating everything while I was doing it.

• Download my pump using EzManager.
• Open my daily total logs and copy the data from it to my Insulin spreadsheet.  Basically this is a spreadsheet where I keep 14 days of TDD and then I use the Rule of 500 for estimating my meal rates and Rule of 1800 to estimate my corrections.  
• Meal correction should start at 8 now and corrections should start at 30.
• Next connect my pump to EzManager and check and see if those numbers are close to what are in the pump.
• Both were off on the pump from the spreadsheet said, so I've tweaked.

My next steps will happen over the next few days.  I will be watching breakfast first.  If I am within target at breakfast, then I'll start watching lunch, etc.  After I've fixed all the meals, then I will focus on the corrections.

By the way, this is easier to do as you go.  What I usually do on a normal basis, is down load easy manager, and again, watch breakfast, then lunch, and then dinner and I'll document that process as I do, mainly to keep myself back on track.

Posted by at 1:01 PM | Permalink

My gastro doctor called last night and said she had not received the coverage review paperwork for me, but had for other patients.  She also wondered if there was another medication we could use that wouldn't cause so many problems.  So I called Medco last night, they told me I had to call the coverage hotline to get the paperwork sent and that all other medications that could be used instead also had to have coverage review under our policy.  Also called the coverage hotline and they are supposed to send in the paperwork.  She also said that she'd have her people call the 1-800 number.

On my part, I'm experimenting with going with 1 tablet a day instead of 2, and see if there is a difference in my sleep.  Scary, but I am going to give it a try.

The best part though, is the samples from the endo's office, because now I can relax a bit and don't have to have the protonix TODAY.

And the gastro doctor did call in an emergency supply but the insurance doesn't want to pay for it.  (According to Alberton's pharmacy).

Posted by at 12:48 PM | Permalink

At least, I assume that giving patients samples are no big deal to most doctor's office.  I have had a few, especially primary care physicians, that always made sure you had enough medication samples that you'd "covered" the copay. 

However, for me it's a BIG deal. My prescription bottle of Protonix is going to run out the middle of next week.  Right now, Medco is still showing that the gastric doctor hasn't asked for the coverage review -- though it could be that she has, and they haven't done it yet.  At any rate, it isn't shipping.

I'd emailed my endo's office at the beginning of this saga (on Monday, December 24, when this all started on December 22), and asked for Prontonix samples.  They've actually been able to hook me up before, so I was hoping.  I'd even called the Primary care physician but they were out.

Well, the endo's assistant was back in this week -- he's still out -- and she gave me a huge bag of Prontoix samples.  Enough to last me over a MONTH!  I didn't realize just how much at the time, I always think it's rude to look in the horse's mouth when it's handed to you -- so I didn't look until I got back home.   So I can relax a bit now.

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Posted by at 10:02 AM | Permalink

This is scary until you read the explaination and then it makes sense. And yes, I have documented restless leg syndrome from two sleep studies.  I wasn't a believer in it until they put me on Requip.  It seems that some patients respond to it and not to the other medication (which I was on and saw no difference in sleep).  Luckly, I still find gambling boring (a side affect of these medications).  And a good pun, now that I think about it.

Restless legs and heart... - Blogs - Revolution Health

 

artery disease. Over 3000 men and women were evaluated in the Sleep Heart Health study, a large ongoing group of patients being evaluated for various sleep disorders. About 7 % of the women and 3.3 % of the men had RLS.These people were then compared to the people without RLS for the likelihood of having either ccronary artery disease (heart attack) or stroke. People with RLS were about 2 times more likely to have one of these conditions.

Check the URL of the website -- this content is currently being stolen.  For legimate content, see http://www.kweaver.org

Posted by at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know I was! I still miss my local gym -- I worked out there for years and really enjoyed them. Used their personal trainers, etc. Since they closed I built a home gym. I've never really been happy at any of the chain gyms, even those that specialized in women.

The gyms at Texas Instruments was great too.  A benefit I really miss.

Quoted from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/local-gyms-outpace-the-national-chains/:

Local Gyms Outpace the National Chains - Well - Tara Parker-Pope - Health - New York Times Blog

If your New Year’s resolution includes going back to the gym, you may be happier at a local club than a national chain, according to a new survey by Consumer Reports.

Posted by at 8:29 PM | Permalink

Actually a combination of a couple of these items happened during my first period class.  My Dexcom reciever kept going during my first period class -- I teach computer science so random beeping always disturbs the class.

I pulled out the receiver and said, "whoops, I'm high". My kids said that was the first time a teacher ever said that to them, and it was the first time that they realized it probably wasn't a good thing.

Quoted from http://www.diabetesmine.com/2008/01/you-know-youre.html:

Diabetes Mine: You Know You're Diabetic When...

You say that you feel "high" in public and then wonder why people around you give you weird looks.

Posted by at 12:12 PM | Permalink

My content is being stolen again <sigh>.

If you are reading this anywhere but with the domain name http://www.kweaver.org then you are reading stolen content.  Funny thing is, I happen to be female, not male!  At least I'm being referred to as male at http://my-diabetes-blog.com/

If you do find me elsewhere, drop me an email at kathleen at gmail.com and let me know -- like I said, I know about http://my-diabetes-blog.com/

FYI:  My 6 year blog anniversary is coming up soon.  So I guess I should take content theft as flattering.

Posted by at 10:43 AM | Permalink

2007 was an iffy year for me when it came to diabetes.  First, my blood sugar and other health problems have been more difficult to deal with.  My A1C has been higher this year, dog agility has been harder (my ruler for fitness), and over all just haven't been doing well.

However, I've also taken advantage of some new advances -- the Dexcom CGMS, though I am not sure that it me manage diabetes that much, and Fit4D.   They've really helped me figure out what I need to do to improve diabetes management, but short term, it often doesn't seem worth the effort. 

As for 2008, I'm going to focus on trying to improve all of the above.  My highest priority right now is to work on sleeping better so I'm not tired all the time - that still has been a problem.

For every one reading -- have a Happy 2008, and let's hope it is better for all of us.

Posted by at 3:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)