Living with Diabetes and Lapband

Retina Checkups

She's actually the second or third diabetic I've heard of lately going through this, and frankly it's nuts.

I go to a really good place called Contact Lens Center and they do retinal mapping:

http://www.c-l-c.com/clc_services_opto_map.html

Catches a ton more than diation and they have like 6 years of history on me. My doctor knows instantly what she is looking at, and compares previous visits.

Quoted from http://sixuntilme.com/blog2/2009/01/appointmentd_out.html:

Six Until Me.: Appointment'd Out.

Thursday had me with dilated pupils at the retinologist's office. Of all the appointments this week, this eye one was the least ... awesome.

Traveling - Day Trip to San Antonio

I took a day trip to San Antonio on Saturday.  Flew out on the first flight, hopped in a cab to my destination, and at the end of the day did the opposite.

Flying was much either this trip, but I didn't take a CPAP machine. In fact, I packed really light, perhaps a bit too light.  I didn't bring any contact lens supplies, and I should have, since I might have ended up staying the night. 

The best part was TSA -- I had complained about this in an email in February -- and this time it was fixed. Of course, I flew different airports, but before they started the screening, they brought the bins over to me.

Cruising!

This IS cool.  Last night I ran across a blog post by Alfred Thompson about teacher workshop in February.  It's on the Celebrity Century and I am SO excited.  Microsoft is footing half the bill. 

 

I have NEVER been on a cruise, so feel free to give me diabetic and CPAP hints. I already know to take a loaner pump. I'm going to check to see if that is possible or if there are other better arrangements.

 

It's not like they can FedEx something to a ship.

 

It's a short one -- 5 days, and we stop at Key West and Cousomel. 

Well, she meant well

I've been a good patient and have been getting my mammograms at the same place for years -- local hospital radiology department.

On the way out, the xray tech tells me (after seeing my insulin pump), that one of her other patients has lost a ton a weight and gone on oral meds after having lap band surgery.

ARGH!

I'm just not in the mood to go into the ways this is so wrong.

Bret Michaels - Reality Show

Since Amy blogged about it and it's been in all the diabetes media, I took the time to watch the show tonight.  Besides not much on TV anyway.

It was the motorcross episode.

The show makes Gene Simmon's family look smart.  Also Shannon and the daughter are much more attractive than any of the women on the show.

My husband joined me before the end of the show, and he wasn't impressed either.

It's really sad if that truly is the only way he can meet women. 

On the other hand, it looks like it is pretty easy money. And probably a lot of fun for a single guy -- though it would be nice if they could have found better women.

Police: Diabetic Man Missing After Being Kicked Off Train - Local News Story - KPHO Phoenix

 Yes, I've decided to track these.  It's REALLY getting to bug me.

A 65-year-old St. Louis man is missing after Amtrak personnel, mistaking his diabetic shock for drunk and disorderly behavior, kicked him off a train in the middle of a national forest, according to police in Williams, Ariz.

Police: Diabetic Man Missing After Being Kicked Off Train - Local News Story - KPHO Phoenix

Beyond We're Alive

Some one on the insulin pumpers list posted today emphasizing that while there isn't a cure, diabetics are living longer. the post pointed out that before 1920, Type 1 was a death sentence. I can relate and probably more intimately. My father and I were diagnosed in the same birth year. He was sent home with urine test strips amd told not to eat sugar. His pilot's license was revoked. I have choices and technology he didn't have, 25 years later. There are oral meds, injectables, and the insulin pump to choose from. And now there is CGMS. So far I have remained active and able to do what I want. At this stage, my father was housebond, on oxygen, with congestive heart failure. iA big positive difference.

Blogger unmasked, court case upended - The Boston Globe

Oh man, how do I even start.  Flea was on my RSS feed for years, and I really did enjoy what he posted.

In his blog, Flea had ridiculed the plaintiff's case and the plaintiff's lawyer. He had revealed the defense strategy. He had accused members of the jury of dozing.

Source: Blogger unmasked, court case upended - The Boston Globe

But read this whole article and then come back and find out if you are as shocked as I am as to what he was charged with:

The wrongful death suit alleged that Lindeman, who works at Natick Pediatrics, failed to diagnose that Jaymes Binns had diabetes on March 11, 2002, Mulvey said in a court document. Less than six weeks later, the boy died of diabetic ketoacidosis, said Mulvey, who described the condition as "diabetes gone haywire."

I really liked what Flea had to say about the vaccine controversy and what he had to say about over treating patients.

But to think that somehow he was involved in a young child dying of diabetes in this day and age ... man it so blows me away.

I can't understand how such a diagnosis could be missed.  Of course, we probably won't know the whole story.

Doug Bums-charges dropped

I am very happy to hear that charges against Doug have been dropped.

I wasn't very worked up about because I do have faith in the system, especially here in Texas. However, I wasn't too sure about California.

Hopefully everyone learns from the situation. I Know I am being more careful about being prepared.

Snide Remarks

Last night I was working on a project with someone, and I felt my cognitive abilities start to slip.  It was an hour after I normally eat. 

So I said "I have to eat now".

She wanted to keep going.

I said "No, you don't understand, I HAVE to eat NOW.  I'm diabetic".

She said, "Everyone in the world knows you are diabetic".

I acknowledged that was true -- as it is.  And left her and  ate.

I felt much better later.  But I had so many thing I wanted to say, but bit my tongue.

Yes, I'm out there with my diabetes.  Preventing complications -- which I've managed to do so far -- is number 1 with me.  It comes before my dogs, my husband, my students.  It comes before even a project I'm working on.

Why?  Because if I don't take care of it, I won't be able to do anything else.

I watched my dad die of diabetes, and it was not a fun way to go.  He made it fun, but it wasn't.  I don't want to be that way.

I want to be the woman who does a really good job running an Agility World Course with her beagle -- which I did last night.

I don't want to be house bond and on oxygen like my dad was.