The Smart Insulin & The Dumb Patient

"So basically I can't talk much about it, but yes, it will have to do with extending the action of the insulin."

Smart Insulin- coming soon to an RX pad near you!

Now in clinical trials..and the endo talking to our pump group that Monday evening was successfully making all of our mouths water with stories of a Futuristic World With(maybe out) Diabetes.

It's injected 1-2x a week(think UltraLente on speed) and would be that elusive "work-when-the-bgs-need-it,shut-off-when-they-don't" deal we've all been waiting for. In theory, that is. In reality, I'd have to see it to believe it and it would have to also "sense" bg levels & how in the world do you put that capability into an insulin? It won't be coming to market for a longgggggg time. Fascinating concept though, if it worked, pumps would be a thing of the past.(there would be no need for them, the insulin would adjust itself)

Let's just hope it will work better then this: (Apidra, is anything BUT smart)



but in better news, despite the stupid insulins we're forced to use, sometimes we can celebrate things like this:


(moving on down..I have confidence that I can get it under 7 by my December appointment!)

Being a full-time pancreas is a hard job.

Ode To a Low

The journey of a thousand wishes
starts here,in front of the refridgerator
levator scapulaes elevating in silent harmony with the creak of the old metal door
willing,willing,willing it to be so.

Juice dribbles,spills,stains the floor
but the alien quaffing it by the carton takes no notice of this fact
it is not important,it can wait.

Time slows,it stops,there is only the present
and the promise of another dawn is no guerentee.

Wish One is so simple,so pure,like the Florida's pride OJ trinkling down the throat,curing the shakes
restoring peace & harmony to the Universe once again.

Wish Two looks at the cgm
wildly spiking it's merry way to a disastrous high
& wants a cure for this thing called diabetes.

Wish Three,the clock strikes three am
and the PWD staggers off to bed
suddenly too tired to care anymore
for diabetes will still be there on the morrow
and the need for sleep hits hard.

And the rest of life may use up those thousand wishes but the D-ones are pretty high up on the list.


-- Posted from my iPhone

In a Different Light:Turning it Around

I've been thinking of the whole issue of the diabetic psyche,which is,in reality,non-existant.We're ourselves first,and our disease second.That being said..we share so many issues and our responses to those issues tend to be the same.(there's only so many ways you can run with this) We are expected to do x-y-z, get our appropriate complication(s) and ultimatly expire,probably of said complication,because that's how it's done.From diagnosis,we're programmed to expect the worst.
There should be no guilt-it's a progressive disease,after all.But there is,guilt from the medical profession,guilt from society at large,self-imposed guilt.Even if you're fortunate enough to have an understanding medical team and a healthy attitude about your disease,guilt plugs the atmosphere like a block of Limburgher cheese,stinking up a room.What other option is there,if your a1c fails to deliver and there's a complication with a pregnancy or you seriously injure someone to a low bg then to rightly assume,it's because of your blood sugars?

We live with guilt,whether we like it or not.It's the elephant in the room,looming and everpresent.But it also means a second chance..time to put our mistakes behind us and work towards the best future possible.Yes,we make mistakes..and nasty D-stuff happens,but it won't define OR keep us from accomplishing what we want in life.It will remind us why we will do things right..not for any doc,or sense of
moral obligation but because it's best for us, to be the best that we can be.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Diabetes: Touch & Feeling (the video)

Find more videos like this on TuDiabetes - A Community for People Touched by Diabetes


And I know I'm not the world's greatest film maker, but it was fun to make, nonetheless.(would have been more fun if I could have gotten the hubby to fake a diabetic seizure while I could have given a fake glucagon shot but oh well. He'd never do something like that)

Youtube: Parental Fail 101

No 12 year old girl is THAT big, that you need to call 911. Besides it being a tribute to that woman's awesome parenting skills, that she can't control her own kid.

Fashion: Lego Style

JCDC VS LEGO from Four H on Vimeo.

Stuck

I am feeling incredibly discouraged at the moment..and it's not a diabetes thing. It's
a Bartter's (Syndrome) thing. When you've got any disease(double so on the rare ones), you've got to be your own best advocate for your health.

But I'm stuck. Stuck in the 20th century, stuck in the concept of how said disease used to be treated, stuck in a doctor's office where new and novel is not something they want to try. I don't blame them, off label use of something is hardly something most doctors want to do but this is something I want to try. More then that, this is something I need.

Stuck, in a rut. Stuck, in an endless,expensive, time consuming, rut. The need for magnesium infusions is not going away.4 hours a week..thousands of dollars a month. It's like being on life support.(if we don't go bankrupt first) I've read medical journals, I've heard its possible to administer subcutaneously(much like insulin), but when I asked about it(an endocrinologist and a nephrologist) I get a "no, not possible." It must be, I'd sooner take the word of JAMA, they're up on the latest research. And I've also heard it's possible to administer as a shot, though no one wants to talk about that either. Although I'd much rather use a pump to administer it..double pumping would not be a problem. (have done it before)

I need to get unstuck, I need to go somewhere where they're actually interested in rescuing me from this pithole of a disease. More then anything, it's the money-if they were happily giving away infusions with no effect on the bank account whatsoever, I could deal with it. And it apparently being forever, next of all. Something else has to work, must work, there is another solution to this. A major teaching hospital, is my best bet.I still may stay stuck,but it's my only shot.

The Dental Diaries:#1 with a 'tude

Teeth are like diabetes complications.You
can only slow down/prevent more damage from being done,you can't fix what has been done.

Routine 6 month cleaning,my teeth get the equivelent of a "5.0"(if it were an a1c) I have been a fanatic about oral hygeine,trying desperatly to stave off the impending root canal that my dentist has been informing me for the past year that I'd be needing,at some point.

To no avail. I'd gotten it drained in July,and again in September,buying me a few months but it was time to face the post-tonsectomy music,the durn thing was collecting crud again & hurting up a storm.No amount of brushing/flossing changes the damage done.

So after the cleaning,off I go to the procedure room and the dentist comes in.(new to the practice)

He shoves needle #1 into my gum and I wince,I didn't recall the last time being so painful. Needles 2 & 3 hit bone,and the tears come,spilling down my cheeks like a frigging spigget, he leaves the room.Returns,with his assistant in tow. I'm semi-numb,so he goes in with the drill and HITS NERVE.
I scream,and propel off the chair halfway to the ceiling,promptly bursting into a fresh torrent of waterworks.I am not good at toughing things out,not that this was even on the same page as anything minor,this was more like having one's arm half amputated.The assistant looks on,silently,as the dentist says he'll give me a minute and leaves the room.

This guy is a real JERK.Not only does he wield needles like a toddler toting a semi-automatic,his bedside manner also leaves much to be desired.I can accept the fact that some dentists are more compassionate then others, but apparently the doctor (deity)complex also affects dentists too. 1.5 hours later,bg at 275,I vow never to go back to him,my jaw is a swollen,throbbing mess and I've mortified myself enough for one day.(adequate pain control,what's that?) To top it all off, he insinuated that this happens whenever I have any sort of procedure done(it doesn't,this is a first) and he just isn't getting that it's all due to his lovely tecnique.For the crown,I am getting the senior partner to do it.JERK.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Between a Rash & a Hard Place

Dear Medingo,

I think that overall, your product is quite novel. When I first slapped on the trial-sized pod, I loved the (relative) smallness...the ability to side bolus, the fact that you can semi-disconnect + peel off the infusion part without having to toss the entire pod. I don't think the Omnipod has those options.
I think you're on to something there.

You can see the demo on Youtube:

But after 2 days, I removed the set, because the tape(set base) was half off anyway. And was greeted with this:

A very large,itchy, uncomfortable, raised, rash. I haven't had such a rash since I used the quicksets(some 8 years ago),and the thing took an entire month of hydrocortisone therapy to completely resolve.

So I don't know what you put on your tapes, but I don't think your system is for me. Maybe I'm just unlucky, maybe some factory worker inadvertently spilled cayenne pepper on that one set.I don't think I'll be trying another one to see if the reaction repeats itself. I don't know if putting an tegaderm type dressing under the set is possible, it doesn't look like the short insertion tube would go through it.

Sincerely,

A person with diabetes

3X Thursday: A Meme About... Stuff

(found this over at The Daily Meme..and as I'm incredibly bad at not mentioning That Which Shall Not be Named today, I needed a meme to keep my post on track)

1. Do you have a job? What is it? I'm a student.

2. If you don’t have a job, why not? Are you looking for one? What are you looking to do? If you do, do you *like* your job? like I said, I'm a student. And soon I'll make the leap to "nursing student",look for a degree by the time I'm 50.

3. What do you think of the job market in this country at the moment? Do you think it’ll continue to get worse before it gets better, or have we already seen the worst? it sucks. I hope it gets better,too many people are struggling but I'll believe it when I see it.


Pick 3 TV shows you love, and tell us why. If you don’t watch TV, pick 3 movies.

1. Grays Anatomy. I love it because its pretty believable, medically speaking,and the non-stop romance doesn't feel like General Hospital..its not sickening.

2. TLC's "What Not to Wear." I always feel better about my clothing choices after viewing the abysmal choices of others.

3. Discovery Health's "18 Kids and Counting." Ot reminds me of my childhood,and memories of growing up in a large family.(but not THAT large)



1. When you’re stressed out and you need comfort food, what’s your favorite? Why?
Chocolate. It releases serotonin, to soothe me.

2. What are your top 3 favorite comfort foods?
1. Chocolate Chip Cookies
2. Chips and Dip
3. soup

3. Speaking of comfort foods, are you a sugar fiend? What’s your sugar food/candy/food of choice? If you’re not into sugar, what’s your vice that you just can’t avoid? Oh heck, yes. I cannot live without my seasonal sugar rush..candy corn/cider in the fall,peeps/chocolate bunnies in the spring,cotton candy/marshmallow smores in the summer, eggnog in the winter. Smarties, year round.



1. How organized of a person would you describe yourself as being? Not very. Really, really, not very.

2. Are you good at separating how organized you are from how organized (or disorganized) someone else is? Why/why not? Yes. It's always easier to figure someone else's life out then it is your own.

3. Which do you think is better: being organized or being messy? Why? Being Organized. The few times that I have been, it's been nice, being able to find things you're looking for.


1. Do you use Facebook? Why/why not? Do you like it? Why/why not? yep. It's the only way to connect, with some people.

2. Do you use Twitter? Why/why not? Do you find it useful? Why/why not? Yes. EVERY DAY, I'M ADDICTED TO TWITTER. I can annoy the world with my senseless updates.

3. Do you do (or have you ever done) any other type of social networking thing? If so, what? If not, why not? Tu(X) Which I don't get on much.


1. Did you get any type of vacation in this summer? If so, what did you do? If not, why not? Yep, several days in California, a few days in Florida, and 2 weeks overseas touring Denmark/England.

2. If you could take the summer off (Say, June 1 – September 1), what would you do with that time? I'd volunteer at a camp for children with special needs.

3. Is there anything resembling a ’summer vacation’ anymore? Why/why not? No, life is too busy.



1. Where do you live? Do you like it there? Why/why not? The East Coast-near water. I'm not getting too specific here.

2. What kind of people make up where you live? What kind of jobs are most prevalent?
commuters, fishermen.

3. Are there any unique, “must see’ sites where you live? DC. Annapolis.(the Naval Acadamy) Baltimore, the inner Harbor.



Name and describe 3 things that motivate you in general. Why do they motivate you?
1.my faith
2.my family
3.my dreams

Name and describe 3 technology-related things you do everyday, and why they’re important.
1. Use my iphone
2. Use my medical devices(keeps me alive)
3. Use my computer


1. Did you watch cartoons as a kid? If so, which ones? If not, why not?
Speedy Gonzales, Wily Coyote, etc.
2. Do you watch cartoons as an adult? If so, which ones? if not, why not?
Rarely. Sometimes we'll watch the Simpsons.
3. If you have kids, do you let them watch cartoons? Wy/why not? If you don’t have kids, would you let them watch cartoons? Why/why not? No kids. I would let them watch some pre-approved cartoons.(the ones that aren't totally inane)



1. Was Michael Jackson’s death a surprise to you? Why/why not? No, when you're a celebrity you've got twice as much pressure/stress to keep it all together, and the temptation to turn to alcohol/drugs/etc. can be overwhelming. I am not surprised to hear of any celebrity's death by drugs.

2. Are you/were you a Michael Jackson fan? Why/why not? If you are/were, when did you start listening to his music? If you quit, why did you quit? If you never liked him in the first place, is there a reason? No, it's not the sort of music I listened to, growing up.

3. Do you think any *good* came from Michael Jackson’s death? If so, what? If not, why not? maybe it helped someone wake up and get serious about their own health..50 is not that old. Drugs can kill you, at any age.(and people have heart attacks with drugs all the time)



1. Do you collect anything? If so, what? If not, why not? Pins from places I've been, Red Cross memorabilia, stamped pennies. Old "that-which-shall-not-be-named" magazines.

2. Is there anything you’d like to start collecting? If so, what? Banana Peel stickers. Which may sound odd, but I've always wanted too.

3. What collections of things that people have accumulated over the years do you like the most? Why? old coins, old stamps, doll collections.


1. What’s the weather like today? Describe it. Overcast, with a 101% chance of rain. Low 50's, and chilly. Fairly typical, for this part of the US.
2. Did you/are you going to do anything productive (sure, it’s relative) today? What did you/are you up to? Absolutely, but I haven't figured out what yet.
3. Do you need to make some phone calls or send some emails to people that you haven’t heard from lately? If so, who? Here’s your reminder to do it!
Yep-don't we all!