Living with Diabetes and Lapband

I was a bit disappointed -- I had reduced my TDD on Saturday by 10 units, but on Sunday only by 5 units.  However, that's still quite a bit of a reduction considering that bolus insulin is about 20 units a day for me right now.

Actually that's a lot of insulin.

I also think my blood sugar was trying to elevate from the Lasix yesterday.  My blood sugar was a bit high this morning, though I'm hoping part of that was from being disconnected from the pump.

I also didn't see as much weight loss from the Lasix this weekend.  On the other hand, I have ankles again, which is always good.

This week I'm focusing on getting enough sleep -- both Saturday and Sunday I slept in fairly late and then went to bed at 9:30 last night.  I'm hoping that will get me through the week.  This is my last week before the AP exam -- my major stressor of the year.

He's one of my sports heros -- okay probably my only hero as I am not that much into sports.

He went to public school in Dallas -- next door from my school at W.T. White.  He grew up as a golfer at the country club around the corner.

Plus he's a diabetic.

I'll never forget when I approached my husband about an insulin pump, he said "Cool, Verplank has one and his golf really improved when he went on it."

I also think it's a bit poetic justice since he was one of Bryan Nelson's kids.  After seeing how bad the greens looked and with Bryan gone, I have a feeling this is the last year it will be a "big deal".

Sad, because my kids through the years have really benefited from the Salemanship Club.

Well, I don't consider the lasix thing an experiment anymore, since the endo not only approved it but wrote a script up for it.

I'm still showing a 4-5 pound weight loss, not bad with almost 4 weeks of working with fitness4diabetics.  The approximate is because of the water weight fluxuations.

I have been doing another experiment this weekend, and it's to see how little insulin I can get by with.  If I do a fairly decently low carb meal, and walk for 20 minutes after, I don't need much of a bolus -- I am still doing basal insulin AND symlin though.  So I'm not completely insulin free.  It only saved 10 units yesterday.

I have to watch the low carb -- the more I low carb, the worst the gastric reflux. 

So all in all, I'm still losing weight, still happy with fitness4diabetics, though I have to be careful during the workweek not to get too tired.  Had a couple of bad days of eating as a result of that.

The five pounds I lost are still missing.  I really bounce around on the scales though.  My friend edema.

I screwed up last night's meal -- gave myself 10 units instead of 5.  Didn't sleep well, but I don't think it was gastric reflux as I have not been coughing as much today.  I tend to have trouble sleeping on Monday's as I get home from dog agility late.  Blood sugar was beautiful yesterday evening.

Got yesterday scripts off to Medco.  Decided to go ahead and ship off the new blood pressure pills, may even switch to them instead of waiting.

Wish there was a place to take good but no longer needed medication to.  I've had the same problem with contacts.

More good news, since I've decided to limit my calories (but way higher than fitness4diabetes has suggested), I've been able to do it.  And still off the carbonated drinks.  In fact, haven't touched one today.  Though that doesn't seem to influence the GERD.

He noticed the edema and thought that taking Lasix twice a week probably wouldn't be a bad idea.  He also changed my blood pressure medcation to a new, kinder diuretic that will work better.

Also thought adding Symlin at 5 units back to my evening meal wouldn't be a bad idea -- so of course, when I got home and ate, I did 10 units <rilling eyes>  At least i remembered after.

Also tweaked my morning basal rate some more because I always spend my mornings high.

Not a bad visit. 

Oh, and if you want a Multiclix Lancing device, ask your endo for an Aviva meter -- they come with.  And the devices are $30 bugs now!  I lost my spare -- $37.00 at the pharmacist where the endo is at!

You can occasionally snag them on Ebay.

The weight I lost from the lasix is back --- and so are the thick ankles. Next weekend I'll try two days and see what happens.

I may just be cursed with edema for a while.

I"m seeing my Endo today and am going to ask his opinion too.

I suspect sitting still for most of 4 days had something to do with it -- we've been TAKS testing (state mandated tests) -- but the edema is back and back in full force to the point my shoes are hurting in the evening.

I asked the fitness4diabetics wellness coach about trying it again -- I'd done what the cardiologist nurse said to do, which was to be on it for a wekk -- though I quit after 5 days when the blood sugar shot up.  She asked if it was a comfort issue or a health issue and I think it's a bit of both.  Here's why.

I took a Lasix yesterday morning after weighing myself.  In 24 hours I lost 2 pounds!  Surely lugging around two extra pounds of water weight isn't good healthwise.

The good news is my blood sugar was 101 this morning so I didn't get the blood sugar effects -- yet.

As to the weight thing -- since I started and weighed for fitness4diabetics at the end of my last lasix experiment, I've lost 5 pounds not just 3.  That might be magical thinking and the 2 pounds will probably be back by the end of the week, but it helps.

 It will be interesting to see what does happen to the weight -- and as tempting as it is, I'm NOT taking another one until next Saturday.

Since starting fitness4diabetes, I've lost 3 pounds!  That's a pound a week so that isn't too shabby!

I've also dropped my TDD from 80 units a day to 50 -- of course, contributing to the weight loss.

I'm definately pleased with the program.

Well, that type of testing too -- but we're doing the TAKS test.  State mandated tests, some for Exit Level, some for NCLB. 

First of all who ever came up with the idea of giving teenagers an untimed test needs to be shot.  Though today wasn't too bad.  I think I finished directions at 9:15 and I believe the first test was turned in around 1:00.  That's for the "hardest" of the tests -- 11th grade Math.

But here's the deal.  I was supposed to be the test administrator's go-fer.  I didn't really want to do it but decided I didn't want to make a fuss.  I ran a few errands for him at 7:30, then opened the lab for my early kids, then kicked them out and started running errands again at 8:30.  Well my first errand was to go get a missing test proctor.  When I got back and reported that she said she wasn't supposed to test today, they said, yeah we figured that out and you're replacing her.

This at 8:40 and we are supposed to start at 8:40.  They got someone to carry the materials upstairs for me, I ran by my room to pick up my directions, and I got going by 8:45. This is a tough test because not only do you have to keep up with tests and answer sheets, but you have to keep up with graphing calculators.  Never my favorite thing.

I get everything started, start watching the kiddos and take my first break.  Come back to find the state test monitor in the room (argh!), and am followed in by one of our runners who needs the money for lunch.  Whoops -- I forgot to collect money for lunch.  (Hey, not bad), and they needed $2.90.  I handled $3.00 to the runner without taking my eyes off the kids (okay, I had to look down twice), the whole time the monitor is watching.

Oh, and because surely we have to be cheating, proctors have to keep their eyes on the students at all time.  We're supposed to talk around but the room I was in was so tight, I can take maybe 5 steps max.  Oh and then my phone starts vibrating and vibrating.  I forgot to turn it off.

So finally the monitor leaves -- and the phone stops buzzing but now the pump is buzzing.  Check blood sugar and I'm at 290! 

My high was a 341.  But it finally started dropping. 

I never got sick -- like I did on Monday -- another story, and made it without getting the munchies.

I talked to a union rep afterwards -- and in the future I need to be insistant that I have a set schedule and it not be changed without a 2 hour notice.  It's for THEIR benefit as much as mine -- if they "kill" a proctor, it will be hard to replace one.

At least it ended well.

Need idea -- not the only one out there, but a slightly different implementation.

It's designed to hold and protect vials.  One of the big problems when having to use insulin, symlin or any other product available only in a vial, is that they are breakable.  In fact, I've dropped and broken two vials.

That's where Secutee Blanket comes in.  They kindly sent me a free one for Novolag and for Symlin.  They are nice.  They are made of that rubberized fabric used for wet suits, which makes them protective from drops and easy to grip. 

Very nice, and very nice packaging.  I'm wishing them good luck in marketing as it a product that needs to be out there.  I assume they are available on Ebay as that is how they reached me.

One other family also produces an similar item, also sold on Ebay.  Either device works equally well.