Living with Diabetes and Lapband

My dad was actually on the list for the Jariv 7 when he died.

Home Is Where the Pump Is (washingtonpost.com)

He could have lived the way this guy Michael is -- in fact, Michael has a much "richer" life than dad did when he had congestive heart failure.

Dad was told not to leave the house, primarly because he was on oxygen, and the doctor's were also afraid any respiratory illness would have been the end.

He couldn't eat and take a shower in the same 4 hour increment. He was in really bad shape.

But it's nice to see that the artificial heart is getting people somewhere -- this might have gotten him far enough and well enough to have a transplant, if the technology would have been available.

I'm really glad to see this.

Saw the sleep doctor and at least got one thing I wanted, a different mask. I really don't like the one I have now. We're going with a full face mask and I wonder why we did'nt do that before, as I have no problem with wearing the mask -- this will elimate the need for a chin strap, so no more guilt about not wearing one. I'm sorry ,but I have very thick curly hair and anything I put on my head slides right off.

I want a new CPAP. Mine is 6 years old, and I find it hard to believe it won't fail someday. And if it DOES fail, it will be in the middle of the night and I won't be able to sleep. It probably WILL fail on a Friday night. I am not someone who deals with having one thing that I rely on that much.

Anyway, most of the conversation was about weight. I've gained 20 pounds since I was there last. I really don't know want to know what I weighed last month.

I wish there was an answer, but I don't think there is one. At any rate, I am very depressed over the whole visit.

Tomorrow will probably be the first day since I bought the treadmill that I haven't used it. Why -- well, if I do a physical stress test -- I understand they do it chemical sometimes -- I'll be using the doctor's treadmill.

Besides, I'm scheduled not to do cardio on iShape tomorrow, and I really do think I need to take a break soon.

FYI: I am really happier right now, now that I have the home gym set up. I do need to take the dog cages out of the truck and run over to Oshmond's and get a bench. I think it will make things a bit more interesting to have more than the stability ball to work off of.

I have also been kicking around getting barbells, I think I will need to get some soon.

Missed Mealtime Bolus Is Major Cause of Glucose Control Problems in Insulin Pump Therapy

Been there, done that. In fact, once today. It wasn't that I forgot, I put it off.

New Blood Sugar Sensor Improves Diabetes Control>

The stress test was interesting. Next year, he wants to do a chemical one.

They did say it was all normal. that's GOOD news. Agreed I was smart to see them before meeting them in the ER. Saw both a nurse practioner and the cardiologist.

They also suggested losing weight and suggested weight watchers and lap band surgery. Been there dont that on weight watchers. I'm not ready for surgery yet.

I spent yesterday evening filling out the paperwork for the endo, downloading data and printing out logs for the doctor. Obviously that was more stressful than I thought.

Couldn't sleep at all when I got down. Finally went down, soaked in the hot tub, finished a book and got exhausted enough to sleep. I think today, I'll just take a sleeping pill if I found myself not sleeping.

Yep, this is spring break, go to the doctor week. I'm seeing an endo today, doing a cardiac stress test and seeing a cardiologist tomorrow, seeing my sleep specialist on Wednesday, and the podiast (sp) on Thursday.

I ought to do something kind of fun on Friday.

Yeah, NOT about diabetes but about the thing near and dear to my heart.

'No Child' Requirements Eased for Rural Teachers (washingtonpost.com)

I like the attitude this article shows. I believe strongly that the education system is broken and it needs to be fixed. I personally think that "No Child Left Behind" is a good start, and when the conversation about it starts in the teacher lounge, I walk out of the room. Much better for the blood pressure.

As long as the Powers that Be, can wake up and smell the coffee and fix things on the fly. They did with LEP (Limited English Profiency -- I hate that acroynmyn), and eased up on testing standard on kids new to the country.

Yeah, I've dealt with those babies. I can't help them much until they hit Sheltered Algebra or Sheltered Geometry -- and I did a good job with the two batches I got dealt with. I only taught math my first 6 years of teaching, and may be back to that. And I'm doing a fairly decent job with the group I have in the unmentioned, not certified to teach class.

I am SICK to death of dealing with children who were not taught the basics before they got to my room. Personally I think we need truant officers to go to their house and investigate every single absence in 1st grade, and then 1st and 2nd grade, and then 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade.

My good students attend class each day. Very few students can keep up without attending -- I have one this year who could in regular Computer Science, and I am regretting that she didn't take PreAP last year EXCEPT she's disappeared. I'd have loved to see her in my AP program, but she has since disappeared. (See they have to come to school every day).

After we get every kid coming to school every day, THEN we need to make sure they learn everything they are supposed to learn in their grade level. If they don't, they should have to go to summer school, and if they still don't, they should be held back. The threat enough was enough to fix my sister and her child.

But about this article. I should not ever ever teach a class I'm not prepared to teach. (Nor should ANY teacher) I did it last year and I'm doing it this year. I don't like it, I'm not happy with it, and it shouldn't be happening. It's not good for the kids. It's one thing to teach webmastering -- I AM trained in it, and I HAVE been figuring out how to get those kids to try it. Spending last summer in an online course on teaching it really helped. The key is remember that their heads implode if you try to get them to do two different things in a single class period.

Hopefully I got it through this year's Dean head, that life would be better if I taught Geometry. I'm certifyed in math, that's my best math education test score, and you can bet your boots, I'll be signed up and in every staff development on geometry this summer if I am teaching it. I did that when I got stuck with 3 units of webmastering!

However, if you want me to teach the other class, that I am NOT certified in -- you as my principal need to pay for me to get certified in it. I'm already certified in 3 teaching fields (math, computer science and technology apps). If you really need me to teach in a 4th teaching field, you have to pay me to do it. And make it worth my while.

Besides, I should have had two classes of regular CS I, 3 of webmasteirng and one combined PreAP/AP. I'm hoping next year to have 2 regular CS I, 1 PreAP, and 1 AP, and the rest webmastering. Again, if I don't make that count, have me teach geometry.

Okay, off my soap box and back on diabetes.

I like him. He did have me change my nighttime basals. Oh, and suggested I lose weight -- my response -- I'm good at losing weight, not the keeping off part, and that I'd lost 10 1/2 pound in 3 weeks since I put together my home gym.

I really like his RN CDE, and I have a feeling you see more of them anyway. She likes math teachers -- and computer science teachers are just super math teachers -- I said this, she didn't, but agreed:

CS teachers, and math teachers are very anal and controlling, so we do well as diabetics. Plus we understand numbers.

She wrote my script for test strips the way I wanted and also got the doctor to do a C-Peptid test since one hadn't been one before. That will be interesting.

Cardiologist in the morning.

My blood sugar is back where it belongs!

WHEW! That was no fun. And much easier to fix than shots were.