Random Friday Blobs

#1 I'm home today,quite unexpectedly,the plan was for another research study visit. However, the research coordinator is MIA (really, really, not like her..no email or phone confirmation, and phone messages go straight to voice mail) and I am not driving 8 hours round trip without some sort of confirmation. Call me unreasonable,but you can't even get into the building(unless someone lets you in) & I am not making that trip for nothing. I'm kind of worried about her,because she also has diabetes and I just hope she is ok. I also hope someone answers her voicemail & tells me what to do next, because I'm days away from (study supply) depletion, and while I have no problem using my own, I really don't think that is protocol & I don't wish to be kicked out of the study for that. I have the endocrinologist's (home) phone number,& may use it(I think this classifies as worthy to be bugged about)

#2 Hand Surgeon is back from his vacation,& a date is now set in stone.Unfortunately(again,sheesh, is this Friday the 13th?) the two (date) options were November 10 (wedding anniversary) or December 8. I really don't want to have surgery on November 10,but waiting till December really seems un-doable,it hurts too much. The only good thing about it is diabetics always get moved to one of the first surgeries of the day,because we've been fasting and might crash and burn if they don't do it asap. Not true, when one is on a pump,but I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth,let them believe what they want to believe. It won't be hand surgery,it's at the elbow-an anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve (sub-muscularly,which the surgeon feels is more effective for thin,younger patients). Cast for 10 days.(no blogging/Internet except for what I can do one handed) Goodbye, (online) social life. I am glad I am in this research study, though,because it is a heck of a lot easier to fill/insert an Omnipod one-handed then it is a traditional set.(or reservoir fill) As for the Dexcom..I may just put one in right before and hope it lasts 10 days. It's darned if you do, and darned if you don't sometimes..you can only hope & pray that surgery does more good then harm.
I want it to fix everything but I'm aware that in some people,it causes permanent damage.

#3 On October 6, the diabetes community was saddened by the passing of Christopher Saudek,MD an endocrinologist at Johns Hopkins, and a real insulin pump pioneer. I enjoyed his talks with the local pump group,& he was a really nice, decent,interesting individual.(far and beyond his passion for all things diabetes) His is a legacy rich in helping thousands of people with diabetes (throughout his 35 years in practice) Unfortunately, he didn't get to see a cure but he believed in one passionately. I will never forget him.

(he wrote this book,and autographed it for me)

Reruns

Last night, as I flipped the stations to ABC's "Private Practice",(read-extreme boredom, is a show with absolutely no plot and I never never watch it, all they do is sleep together + deliver babies vs Greys Anatomy which at least has interesting story lines and good actors interspersed with all the mushy stuff) as luck would have it, its a back episode. A kid-patient with an insulin pump and the doc calls the prescribing physician to run a "check" on the pump serial number(uh-shouldn't you be calling the pump company and would they even give you that info if you weren't the police?) and finds out the kid is reported missing, the father kidnapped him. So he and the kid go back to his office for a little heart-to-heart chat and the kid confesses they left because the mom's bf was abusing him. And then, the kid collapses on the office floor and has a seizure. The doc immeadiently jumps in to action, sticking a humongous needle into the kids KNECK(what an interesting place) and gives him something, presumably glucagon. Cut to gurney speeding towards the ER and the dad saying "But I checked his pump five hours ago!" (very, very, classic ABC) Later the doc tells the dad that his pump malfunctioned and over delivered insulin.(which no normal pump has done in like 15 years?) And it shows the kids infusion set, which looks like an Inset(pink, no less, not many boys would stand for that) and it actually does look like an infusion set-tubing and all. Someone tips off the cops about the dad, and the doc dumps a bag full of D supplies on the bed and tells them to get going and remember to take your insulin, check your bg, blahblahblah. They are out the door in like 9.99 seconds and the cops don't get them. No repercussions for the doc.
There were so many inconsistencies in that episode it was hard not to gag all the way through it. Dear ABC, do the world a favor and leave diabetics(especially pumpers!) out of your story lines.
And tomorrow, they are doing surgery for the port..my veins are officially toast + they're doing it tomorrow,right before the holiday week. It is under local anesthesia but not exactly any less stressful. (still get duped out)Port=semi-permanent infusion set. Till one doesn't need it anymore and they take it out. It could have waited a couple of weeks but paying for the entire thing(fresh, new deductibles) circa New Year
is every bit as scary AS the actual surgery. No thanks.

The Dark Side

Deep, dreamless sleep.
Abrupt ascent back towards reality...
I was thinking about oxygen,and it's over already?

"You're awake,c'mon, let's get a sugar."
Darn. How do they always know?
Can't a person catch a few more ZZ's?
Ok, 357. Infusion set is probably dead,
as I bolused a correction prior to surgery.
Request 5 units IV,
which isn't a major deal(Anesthesiologist quickly approves)

I'll never join the dark side, never!!!!!
"It is your destiny- especially if you keep running blood sugars like that,"
Darth Surgeon drily remarks.
I want to say something, like shut up you idiot..I just had surgery, what do you expect?
but I think my (listening)parent would be overly shocked/horrified if I said that. Besides, it's not nice to insult the person who just did surgery on you, even if it's true.
Open eye. "Surgery isn't exactly conducive to normal blood sugars, you know."
That was ok, just the right touch of overt sarcasm mixed with the stinging overlay of truth. And really not that rude, either...
"Yes, but if you go on like that, etc...."
I've heard enough, time to tune out. Close eye. Everyone's an expert in Endocrinology. If
you think you can do better, you're more then welcome to get a pancreotomy and see what
a total joyride diabetes is.

4 PM-Clinic time, time for the grand ripping off of the patch.
And, wow. Never seen that before, door and wall melt into one fantastic 3-D image. The door is covering the entire wall-yet it is on top of it. I was expecting something of the sort, so its not overly freaky.
"Ok, we've got that wayyy overcorrected, I see." Adjust a few stitches.

Things are looking straight again. Stagger off for an eye test, just to make sure things are good before the surgeon cuts the stitches. Pass eye test. Come out of test room, fall face first onto carpet. Maybe its the anesthesia that's making me so loopy, but stuff is periodically doubling every few feet + I'm not used to this. I'm ok, just dizzy. Get transported to exam room + scowling resident checks my blood pressure. "You're fine." I don't think he enjoys checking blood pressures.
Surgeon comes back in. Resident holds me down, while surgeon sets to work adjusting the stitches. The drops + tears flood down my face, run down the back of my throat, numbing my tongue, while it's tie, snip, and adjust to the perfect specifications. Cataract surgery was such a cakewalk, this is so differant. Surgeon says stuff might still double off/and on for the next few days, thats normal.
Geez. It's finally over. Finally, finally over. Eye is doing ok, the last of the anesthestics have exited my system + my blood sugars are (kind of)back on earth. I wasn't back to work the day after,though. I need to wear sunglasses-coworkers have been asking me A. who beat me up and B. do I have pinkeye. It isn't looking too pretty yet.
And why do Endocrine appointments always seem to fall on highly atypical blood sugar weeks?
(Either you've got really awesome #'s, or everything is complete crud + you're asking yourself where the heck you begin with it all..)
I don't wanna go, but I guess I gotta.

Presidential (Day) Treatment

Early Afternoon....
Caller ID: Unknown flashes across the screen, but I know exactly who's calling, and that I'll have to call them back ASAP.(whether I want to or not) At least they waited till a respectible time, not during the church service, so there won't be any prompted jokes about phone calls from Heaven later on.

"Hi, it's X, checking back about the message you left."

"6 AM-Surgical Family Suites, nothing to eat after midnight. You're his first patient of the day."

Surgical Family Suites, what an utterly stupid name for the most unromantic of places. It's raw guts and blood, not flowers, champeigne, and nurses dabbing at your fevered brow(whensoever you wish it)

But on the plus side, diabetes has, once again, secured the coveted
lets-just-get-this-over-with-NOW spot in line. Even if I'm not on shots. Even if I'm perfectly able to adjust basal rates + keep things in check.

I'm of the opinion, that 99% of surgeries should be spur of the moment decisions, so that one doesn't have the time to obsessivly worry about it. The longer you have to think about it, the less likely you are to go through with it.. We've talked about it. And talked about it. And talked about it some more. We've been discussing it for over 2 years.And I'm still not sure I'm going to go through with it.

Because its my eye. And the consent form you sign, lists every known complication in the book. Anything could happen. But to be able to back up a car, judge periphial blobs, and to know the differance between a D thing versus weird eye thing would be great. (weird eye thing is NOT diabetes related)

When I am very nervous, I can only do two things...

Clean:

Cook + Eat:

Perhaps it all makes up for post-surgery, when all you want to do is sleep. Hopefully, I will be back to work the next day, but it depends on whether they can get it right the first time + not have to reoperate.

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Just a reminder.. Tues, Feb. 20 is International Pancake Day. Go to IHOP, and score a free shortstack. (if you're so inclined)