FFL: Par-Tay In Orlando!

(finally finishing this up..before it turns into August!)

Medtronic sensors



















This is my quilt square.(#190. Ain't it purty? One hot,hot day in May 2006(?) I slaved over this thing till it was finished.)

















Dinner with friends...















Under the OmniPod Hut! (exhibit hall)















Thursday Evening's Banquet...spot the blogger(s).















The large One Touch Delica.(new lancing device, free samples for all!I'd hate to use one that large, though..)
















The Animas "Underwater" pump bolus exhibit..who can do it the quickest?





The blood sugars sucked...but I didn't really care. I was having too much fun!



















Yes, pets get diabetes too. Meet Jackson, the CGM'ng dog!
























































(cats get type 2, dogs-horses mainly get type 1..and mice, get both kinds) Learned more about diabetes in animals they I could ever imagine..& why they don't try to tightly control bg in animals(risk of severe hypoglycemia, and lifespan too short to develop complications) Made me want to switch careers and become a vet!

Don't drive hypo!



















The outside pool...a thing of beauty. THIS is what a pool should be.






































































Sponsoring somebody.(Charlie Kimball?)















Packing up the Quilt for Life:



















Friday night, there was a young adult/adult dinner sponsored by Tandem. They were giving away an ipad/itunes gift card/camera, and had various diabetes-themed games that one could pick up extra raffle tickets from. The "Jenga" blocks were emblazoned with diabetes questions(wouldn't you know I had forgotten my glasses and had to get someone else to read mine), age appropriate,and that was actually pretty much fun.Sadly, I didn't win the ipad..but it was fun anyway,they had a coffee bar in addition to the food buffet. I sure hope they are repeat sponsors next year!!!

The final breakfast..saying goodbye. Every day was a blast..every day, was unforgettable.

Of Dansk & Denmark

There's a reason they call it Jutland.



It juts, like a thumb, right off of Germany. I never realized just close contact they actually had until I visited there last summer...& it was like, yeah, we just pop over the border whenever we want to stock up on food stuffs.(Germany having a much lower sales tax then Denmark, which is at 25%. And no, that's no a typo..a fast food meal for three at Burger King cost around $25) What person in their right mind WOULDN'T go over to Germany? Buying anything in Denmark is expensive. They are prohibited from buying cars over in Germany though.

Needless to say, they are on much better terms then they were during World War 2,through 1940-1945 they were under Nazi Germany occupation.Denmark didn't put up much of a fight initially(there was really no point, they would have just been slaughtered)but they did positive things during the course of the war in regards to sabotaging the Nazis and smuggling Danish Jews to the safety of Sweden. Denmark, was definatly Germany's sore thumb.(and one that it may have wished at times that it could cut off,but it lived with it,hoping to assimilate it into the German culture) My MIL,who lived in Copenhagen (for her entire youth), then a small child, recalls seeing German soldiers & swastikas & not having much to eat, due to the food rationing. These days, Danes and Germans get along fine. The ugliness of World War II has melted into the past.

(in case you missed it, this was the video I shot last year in Denmark. Germans, Danes, and (2)Americans were all in attendance,and no one was injured,mamed, or killed,in the making of this movie.It was in a very rural area,and no one else was speaking English which definatly made me feel like a tourist,& when a German mistook me for a German & asked me a question(my name may be Heidi but I do NOT speak German) I had no idea what they wanted. Fortuantly,the only word you really need to know is "yeah"(influx on the latter part,like you're asking a question)which means the same in Danish as it does in English. 99% of the questions have this as their answer. This seemed to satisfy the German couple, though I still have no idea what they asked me.(it could have been "Are you really just a stupid American?") I don't know Danish, let alone German.(save one or two odd words)

Anyway, the point of this post is just to ramble..and to reflect (more) on one of the more interesting parts of Europe. Someday, I really hope to go back!


(me in the North Sea. It was way too cold for swimming)

The Somagyi Effect

No brownie points are given for lows.

I wish there were.I wish the lows,canceled out the rollarcoaster highs & didn't, in the end,contribute to glycemic variability(because you know,rollarcoaster blood sugars put one at a higher risk for complications, more so then relatively flat high blood sugars) & a night (like last night)spent stuffing glucose tablets & hearing/feeling the BuzzCom light up/vibrate under the pillow like a substitute fire alarm. Don't get me wrong,it's vastly preferable to the alternative..the glucagon kit is much better unused.

But lows,quite frankly,are just a pain..and night time lows are the worst of all.As grateful as I am that I can wake up,they are A.scary and B.depriving me of what I should be doing at that hour(sleeping). Understandably,said judgement is impaired(from being low,& tired) I usually eat too much & awake next morning,high.I'd really like to have fasting bgs under 100(per endo recommendations) but even with a CGM,I'm scared to death to try it.1 unit will make me drop over 100 points sometimes.(it's hard to have any sort of correction ratio when every night is a different story.Sometimes there's Dawn Phenomenon,sometimes not.) In a perfect world..it would all be predictable. It's also hard to explain to one's endo the fear of going really low & having a seizure/dying in one's sleep.( "Heidi,your average is 150,you are nowhere near hypo and you need to lighten up.") Yeah,easy for her to say.I just want to wake up..normal bgs are optional.

Although,there are the rare times when my Dexcom shows a low..and I don't wake up.My liver rises to the occasion,& pumps out the sugar equivalent of a brownie plus the glass of milk. It's comforting,yet annoying(as I don't have any input in the matter whatsoever,in contributing to the now-high bg) Comforting,that my liver pulls me out of the mess..annoying,that it does such a bad job of doing it.(overshooting the goal)

Low blood sugars only upside is lowering the a1c,& even that seems like way too high a price to pay for the sheer nastiness of all that lows entail.Much better to have an average of 120 (flat)then an average of 60-180.Unfortunatly,it never works out that way..every type 1 I know struggles with lows.(sometimes severe) And many of those strike at night.

Natural or not(who knows,maybe I actually was sleep eating) the power of a low & the need to whack that number into the atmosphere is something that is more pronounced at night.Daytime lows,I can exhibit some self control..but nights,are just a lost cause.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

FFL: The Power of One(plus One)

As I snuck into Tom Karlya's "Advocacy" session,it was obvious that I was pretty late to the game on this one.There was a slide with a flowchart of the governmental "pecking order",presumably to guide one in the "how do I make a difference?" process,& the conversation was on school nurses,etc.(& non-medical personal giving glucagon shots) I know nothing of IEP's and 504's and all that,I never had need of it but it's something that every parent of a kid with D needs to have in place,it seems.Then,the conversation switched to EMS & why they couldn't just give glucagon shots instead of IV's.That,I do know something about..but I do not understand people's reluctance toward IV glucose,if you need it,you need it.(seizing,etc) However,there was alot of confusion as to how the process actually worked..& who was responsible for those decisions & basically the room went dead silent for awhile. In my area,it was the medical director who wrote EMS/Fire protocols & I always figured it to be state law but I don't know.The medical director is an actual MD(& presumably based in Emergency Medicine?out of the ER where they take the patient?) but don't quote me on that,it's been years since I did that stuff.However,when you are unconscious,checking bg is something that should be on EVERY protocol,nationwide,there's no need to call up your local EMS unit & tell them you have diabetes.It's a "duh" moment that any loss of consciousness could be bg related(after ruling out heart,brain issues). (But it is always a good idea to wear medical identification jewelry,regardless) As a Basic EMT,I could give glucagon shots but never got to give one,the paramedics were generally all over the LOC with an IV line pumping D50.
Otherwise,it was treated with glucose gel,each ambulance carrying a grand total of three(not very useful for repeat diabetic calls),but then again,most EMT's have the idea that 15 grams glucose should bring you(in five seconds flat) from comatose to being able to run a marathon. Not quite how it works.(I blew through 3 & the bag of D-50 one day). However, I did see the need for parents,PWD to know slightly more about the process..you can't just call up local EMS & tell them this is how you want your lows treated.I don't even know if having a heart-to-heart with the medical director would result in protocol change.(likely not)There should be a national database where one can look up the protocol for "diabetes" related events so one can know what to expect. There's things EMS can do,and things they can't, & education is needed at both ends of the spectrum.It really bothers me that there's not more knowledge about this issue..& they complain about past experiences because they assume the EMT knows everything about D? (news flash,they don't.They know how to save a life,not how to restore a normal bg)

Regardless,Tom Karlya is one inspiring speaker & made me want to go out there & kick some diabetes posterior!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Heidi's Top Ten Cooking Rules

(not in order of importance)

1. The sweet and the salty SHALL NOT MIX. (As separately identifiable in the same dish)Celery does not belong in a Waldorf Salad, if it's going to be a fruit salad,do it heavy fruit style & if it's gonna be a Chex type deal break out those pretzel sticks & ranch dips. Chocolate covered pretzels don't really rock my taste buds either, though I can tolerate one or two. That's one of the weird food intolerances I have.

2. Splenda-cize as much as possible,it will cut down on those empty calories.

3. Diet Coke goes with everything,& the best thing is not having to figure out "Red or White?" because it comes in one color,black.

4. If it's dry,wet it.If it's wet,dry it, & if it's perfect..it didn't come from my kitchen!

5. Burned items seem to have fewer carbohydrates,& extremely burned items are bolus free.

6. Spaghetti, like pump tubing,tends to cling to everything it's not supposed to. I want to eat the Spaghetti, not decorate the strainer with it.

7. Fried insulin really doesn't smell the same as fried eggs.

8. If all else fails, drown it in ketchup.

9. Rubber(processed) cheese is one of the most digesting things on the planet,& who cares if it's fat-free. Who actually likes it?

10. Cooking apps totally rock..if you can manage to avoid drowning your $$$.$$ phone in a buttery grave. Do not place phone near the mixing bowl!
(what else would you add to this list?)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

FFL: One Eye at a Time

The left eye. Pipelined from the aorta, it is an important indicator of A.heart health and B.the beginnings of an d-related eye problems,they will start here.(generally)

One of the great things about FFL, every year they have an ophthalmology team that does eye screenings everyone with diabetes. Grandparent to child, they don't care..they just want the word to get out there & you to show up. You fill out a questionairre, they do a bp/pulse screening, and take pictures of your eyes with a high-res camera.(without eye dilation drops) It doesn't substitute regular eye dilutions, but its something you can take to your ophthalmologist should something pop up. This was my second year going, so I was somewhat anxious to see what, if anything,had changed from last year when they said I had minor deposits on my right eye lens. This is common enough on artificial lenses, but still not something I wanted to madly spread/cloud the vision/require YAG laser to burn a hole though. Fortuantly for me,it hasn't spread, and both retinas look happy & healthy.(knock on wood)If you're there next year..definatly schedule an appt.,eye health is something every PWD needs to take seriously.

FFL: The Future is in Your Hands

What does Friends for Life mean to me, as an adult type 1?

It's never felt like I didn't belong. Yes, my first conference I only knew 5 other people, if one could call it "knowing."(brief acquaintance three months prior) Now, five years and 4 conferences later,it's become a part of my life that I couldn't give up. I've learned so many things.. met hundreds of amazing people,& had the time of my life in the process. It's the highest concentration of type 1 diabetes on the planet,every few people you'll see a green wristbands,reminding you that you aren't alone.
I'm moving into that middle adult area(no longer a young-young adult) FFL has changed,and yet,it's changed for the better.(as the teens all grow up) In the past,they've attempted adult integration (unsuccessfully,but with few adults going that can be expected) But for next year,if you are planning to go(or have any ideas for sessions), I encourage you to go over to Scott Johnson's diabetes blog & share those ideas. I don't know if they'll ever change the name..but if you've ever been,the name is irrelevant. There's something for everyone,at FFL.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

FFL: A Prelude

Tuesday started off on a positive note,moved lock stock and barrel from the less expensive hotel (near Universal) to the gargantuan,sprawling,Marriott World Center. The taxi fee,was not cheap,but at least it was cut in half.(being for two people)

CWD registration was open,so my roommate & I went to register.She knew everyone there,so it wasn't quite a 5 minute deal.I knew a few people there,but it's like you don't want to shove yourself into the convo when they clearly think you are as interesting as a stick in the mud.(which maybe I am,but I don't like being treated like that) So I said hi to a few people,chatted at length w/one of them.
I can say with certainty that the very first thing you should say to someone(after not seeing them for a year) is not "Hi! are you pregnant yet?"

Not cool. If I were,I'd probably still deny it till the actual due date,given that PWD's have a inborn tendency to expect disaster(fueled by the endo's ever-present stories & dire threats). So no,I am not pregnant,but gee,how 'bout this doggone 100+ degree Florida oven? Feels just like home!

Registration over, I clipped on my sturdy CWD pedometer & commenced to pounding away toward the 5,000 step goal.(at which point,you could turn it in and get a tshirt.) Went to Walmart,to stock up on Diet Coke/snacks.Considered going to the Volunteers reception,but my roommate said it was lame so I went to a restaurant w/some friends & her instead.And the food was great. I'd given up on bumping into any Roche bloggers but did meet George (that one-in-a-million-hallway-thing),& that was awesome.Roche bloggers were on a tight schedule,& the hotel was so massive,that it just wasn't practical.And by 11,I was ready to crash(not to awaken for 9 hours & 59 minutes) just plain worn out by hotel moving,walking,bg swings,etc.

8:59 am. I awake in a panic,acutely aware that I'd probably missed half of Kerri/Amy's focus group & that wasn't the plan at all. Make it there,for about half the session & slowly piece together that the room has alot of dbloggers in it..Scott,Bernard,Lili,and Chris. I enjoyed the session..I was reminded of the fact that the Internet has no delete button,once you publish something,it's out there.If you don't want someone to know something,don't publish it..no matter how safe you think you are.There are alot of weirdos out there. And unless you have a very common last name,your name will be "linked" forever to diabetes.Great if you're working in that field..perhaps not great if your future employer Googles you.I prefer not to have my last name out there,but there are links(w/my maiden name),set in stone,forever there.Links I can't erase. If I had a d-related job it might be different,but I'm not sure I want to go into that..I'm more interested in Cystic Fibrosis .(as a career path) Time will tell.I'm also not Advocacy Girl, I enjoy my anonymity. But to those who are "out there", I think they reach alot more folks affected by diabetes & I applaud their decision to do that.If it weren't for them,the DOC would not be nearly as an effective place.

It was really great meeting all of the aforementioned bloggers..you feel like you semi "know" someone right off the bat.I try not to be an obnoxious stalker type person,& not reference any sensitive subjects..you have to respect one's private life.And in the blogging/Twitter world,that can be difficult. (if I had any sort of PR job,I'd likely be fired faster then you can say "Great Gallons of Juice!" namely because I have difficulty keeping my mouth shut & differentiating between things I can talk about/things I can't.It has to be spelled out for me.)

Next up,I went to Tandem's showing of their prototype touch-screen insulin pump. It was quite intriguing..& I'm not supposed to talk about it.(although somehow they missed giving me the "swear not to take this info out of the room" sheet. However,it's no secret that A.it exists and B.it's touch screen.
Not quite the pump for a typical 9 yo though.(would be broken within ten minutes)

Brief lunch break..

Then,I went to the JDRF Artificial Pancreas project focus group. That was quite enlightening, & also depressive as all get out. (because there is really no timeline for all of this)Basically,there are 6 steps toward the creation of a AP,& the first is to minimize the extreme highs/lows.Don't ask me what the others were..although I took notes,somehow I cannot find them.

We voted on various issues,& how big of a nuisance they were in our lives/ parent's of kids with diabetes lives.Nighttime hypoglycemia was a biggie,as was dawn phenomenon/breakfast spikes.Hypos post-exercise didn't seem to be an issue for this group of folks. Basically,you can hope for improvement w/this project but trusting your life to it is a pipedream a million years down the line. I am not expecting this to be a "cure." Cures mean normal bgs,being non-diabetic.And the insulins/sensors we have now can not accomplish that.
I wasn't really aware of any other bloggers until Kelly K.made a comment.It was like being smacked on the head with a 2 x 4,that there were other DD folks still around.(voice--twitter picture--blog---identity) I didn't get to meet Kelly,she had to leave for the airport.I did meet David E.(of Diabetes Daily) though.Twitter=instant knowledge.

The last session of the day was with Disetronic.(where they showed off their newest infusion set) Although I think their presentation of it sucked,I liked the insertion device & the set itself. Everyone else really lit into them,there was nothing but criticism. I mean,yes,it wasn't terrific but it wasn't all bad. I've never been in a session where the atmosphere was so negative,sheesh,cut them a break.I think their set has a pretty good chance.

There was an afternoon snack break,where they served popsicles/Diet Pepsi.( making more then one diabetes blogger very,very happy,as there was plenty to be given away)

At 6 pm,the Exhibit Hall opened.There was utter mayhem in there for the next 3 hours. Dinner was served outside, so one could just grab a quick bite to eat & resume whole sale raiding.

At 9, the exhibit hall closed,& that ended the day for me.
(to be continued)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Pre and post CWD conferance,I spent some time at Islands of Adventure/Universal Studios. It was extremely hot & crowded,bit everything I wanted to see/do, I accomplished.(thanks in part,to friends with the equivalent of fast passes.)
Butterbeer,while being insanely delicious,proved impossible to bolus for.Despite the fact that it was at least 60+ carbs(an icy,cream soda-ish concoction) I ended up scraping hypoglycemic bottom 3 hours after both times that I had it.I swear it was like it had negative 60,because I really only corrected for the high.(insulin plus walking equals insane dropping power though) It was very,very worth it though.(would be that I could treat lows with that for the next billion years!)
























(Ollianders and the Owl Post had lines of 1-2 hours to get into..and they were just shops.The main HP ride was more like 2-4 hours,& the entire area was so jam packed one could barely breathe)










The Forbidden Journey ride was excellent.(albeit on the wild side of things)I don't like rollarcoasters,so I skipped the other ride.



I did manage to squeeze in le candy shop,where I acquired Every Flavor Beans,Fudge Flies and a Sugar Quill.(somehow appealing to my hyperglycemic state,it was like my body CRAVED DKA) I did not eat them,because I wanted something to bring home to my husband.I thought about stuffing sugar in my mouth.(the urges of D can be totally senseless) It was like one of those diabetes myths about diabetics alternately craving/killing themselves on a sugar overdose.As I'd had my treat,(and bolused)I resisted the urge to eat even more.It is hard though,when there are fat & happy non-diabetics all around you eating precisely what they wanted.At that moment,I just wanted a normal pancreas...a normal pigout.

Unfortunatly,there were no stamped penny machines & no time to go on the ride a second time...so the journey ended there.(hastened along by the impending rain/no cover) It was pretty cool though,& definatly something I'd recommend if you are a HP fan.(& are in/around Orlando)


Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day in the Life,Round 2

Woke up this morning
counted my toes
slipped on my glasses
lanced my finger
relanced my finger
sighed at the result
bolused a correction
trotted downstairs
devoured two waffles,sunny side brown
checked my email
tripped over the cats
drove to the airport
kissed my husband goodbye
got frisked by a TSA agent
felt the whoosh on the downside of the 3.0-3.5 hour bolus
popped two tabs
squished in an airplane seat
ate half a granola bar
arrived in a hot place
downed a big Mac
drank diet coke #2
rescued my luggage
waited on a shuttle
gave bad advice
arrived to a broken ac
went to a theme park
drank diet coke #3
skyrocketed 200+
ate a salad
drank diet coke #4
walked my legs off
corrected again
ate half a pizza
recounted fingers & toes
bolused madly
smelt the fresh goodness of smashed insulin
conked out
dreaming of a diabetes-less world
until A. I wake up high
or B. I wake up low.
more harm then good?
perhaps,but at least I gave it all I had,& therein lies the victory.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Diabetes versus Six

Sometimes,I think that's why it will always be "juvenile"...(to some degree-we'll always be treated like a little kid)











- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Different Type of Hypo

Today,I learned something.I learned that certain things do not mix well in the chemistry lab that is the human body.I learned that labels on products are not there to take up space,& should be read.And I learned that liberal applications of topical lidocaine based ointments(for a rash) will slowely absorb into one's blood stream & hit,like a brick,on a 85+ degree Sunday morning.At which point you will read the back,and freak out,as you've been applying large amounts daily,for the past 3 days.

And I've learned,that because you feel really horrible & shaky (& bg is holding steady) & decide that it might be a good idea to go to the Emergency Room,they tend to take said matter very seriously,despite there being plenty of other sick people there.Near immeadiete EKG,bloodwork,IV line.The technician came back & escorted me to the waiting room..front of the line pass.There must have been something amiss on that EKG because,short of dying,you will always wait several hours,not ten minutes. Heart monitor applied when I got to a room. I learned that there are no blood measurements for lidocaine but enough of it will A.kill you B.make you have a seizure or C.mess up your electrolytes & screw with your EKG which is apparently what it's done to mine,given that I have no cardiac history.I learned that doctors will still throw in a good diabetes lecture while they're lecturing you on the toxicity of lidocaine. I learned that magnesium,given without saline,still burns the entire groin/stomach & gives a buzz.(and not the one from Toy Story)

5 hours later,I'd improved a whopping .2,to .8. They'd maxed out on the amount they could give (outpatient) so they decided to admit me.The new doc came by and asked if I have any cardiac history,my potassium was low too. Finally, I'm wheeled upstairs.It's late at that point so no new orders have been written for more mag,until I get upstairs.I am not having a heart attack,nor do I feel any chest discomfort but the monitor stuff stays on,because low electrolytes mess up the heart rhythm.All I want,is to feel human again,the infusion process cannot go fast enough. Round #2 with the magnesium infusion.(it's mixed with saline that time) Sleep. Get poked by 6 am vampires. Give up on sleep. Eat a tasteless breakfast, wait on the doctor to come by & deliver blood results. Still only 1.1. Eat lunch,swallow more potassium pills,have another round of magnesium, re-wait on the doctor,have more blood drawn-it's now 1.4 & the potassium is 3.8 so it's good for discharge. Eat supper, have paraphenalia removed/etc. discover that you have a tape allergy & you're now a brilliant red from the monitor patches.Won't be treating it with lidocaine,needless to say.Discharged/home/bed.Sleep 12 hours,wake up to a 306 and two units left in the resevour.Change resevour,set. Schedule nephrologist appt. Dip briefly to 200,go right up again to 300-400 where you remain most of the day.(despite boluses,despite everything) Discover that car ac is broken,on one of the hottest days of the year.(and hubby is at work) Discover that driving to the appt anyway is not a good idea as you have a dizzyness attack & turn the appt into a recovery/cold cloth/fluids session. Make it down to the lab,give up more blood. Drive home. Change infusion set,take a shot,collapse into bed-the week can only get better from here, I want to get these levels back on track so I can enjoy myself in Orlando.Had to miss going to pump group & swimming lessons because of all of the above.I am so worn out,both physically and emotionally it's knocked me through the loop.I don't want it to get worse & do anything else,it's done more then enough damage.
But most of all, I've learned that I was lucky,it could have been worse. Dumb luck is my forte.(that,or my guardian angel works overtime)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Jackpot at the Endo's

Congratulations are in order.

Or not. Depends on which part of the appointment with my endocrinologist you witnessed.

On the one hand, I have broken the 8.0 barrier. (dropped from 8.4 to 7.9) On the other hand, it would have been better if I'd not had (2) 400's and 1 (500's) in the past week. I was sort of dissapointed, because I have had weeks of utterly stellar bgs otherwise and was hoping to have broken the 7.0 barrier. So no dancing on the exam table for me. Lowering an a1c is hard work.(impossible work)

And a recheck of my thyroid levels have turned out normal. Yay,yay! And it's time to get my eyes rechecked.(ugh,ugh)

And here's where I confess to being a slobby, no-good-at-keeping-complete-record-books PWD. Although I generally put in an effort the week before an appt. Add that to the practice of sometimes bolusing for meals/correcting via syringe, and not putting the carb count in my pump & the result is a very frustrated endo so I got the whole "we can't help you if you don't keep complete records," etc. It then turned to,"it's better but an average of 160 doesn't cut it if you want to have an a1c in the 6's and your average should be in the low 100's." And displeasure at my post-meal blood sugar being 310.

All in all, there were two minutes of feeling great about myself and 18 of mentally wishing I was 2,000 miles away. Exhausting doesn't describe it. It all needed to be said, for the purposes of the future plans,but more and more you just feel like your endo has turned into Dr. Jekyll from Dr.O'Awesome. Do, or do not-there is no try. Icing on the proverbial cake..news that I may need to switch from Apidra to Humalog (at some point in the future). What fun that will NOT be.(Humalog sticks around forever)

But coming home to this..



















courtesy of Diatribe (signed by the great James Hirsch himself) made the day slightly better. I am a winner.(if not at diabetes, at least at various contests)

A Taste of June 15

(the real question is-will it survive drops/dunks in the sink/etc. as well as the le trusty (old) 3G?) The thing looks really, really fragile. Regardless, I'm very excited to get one! (hello,quadruple memory upgrade!!)

Eye(d)

It's been 11 years since that day. Eleven. (forgive my obsession with sort-of-pointless anniversaries.I don't consider this one to be that,though.)

Eleven years since my mom and I got in a car,in the early predawn hours,for the hour ride to the hospital.We were late,because my mom got a ticket for cutting between the sides of the interstate on the emergency access road. I guess blindness wasn't an emergency to the State Highway patrol.

I was epically high that morning(370) but none of that mattered.All that mattered,was that I couldn't see anything.The world was a 20/400 blur.On the way to the OR,I tripped,banged,and felt my way behind the orderly. And then fell,to the mortification of any modesty I had left. Entire body exposition,as my gown fell off. That's pretty much the experience,in a nutshell.(naked & blind,roomful of opposite sex health care professionals.Sole comfort was not knowing how many people were in there)

I went out.And came back,to a competely white world (no,it wasn't heaven). One eye,bandaged. The other,dysfunctional. Stood up,black dots streaked across the landscape of bad eye.Lay back down again,quickly.

And the next day,felt the joy of restored vision & the gratitude of a 2nd chance. I cried,profusely.(probably everyone does) 2.5 weeks of worry melted away like a cloaked nightmare. I will always have to wear reading glasses(they hadn't perfected to whole near-far lens implants yet) but to me it is a small price to pay. I will do whatever it takes to keep my vision. Diabetes was to blame(months of high blood sugars wracked havoc,pre-diagnosis) ,but modern medicine does win occasionally, & when it does,there's a sense of stickin' it to the D. I'd have a considerably different life,if it weren't for those surgeries. To me,they meant everything.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Veni, Vidi, Visa

(I came, I saw, I bought)


Diabetes is very expensive.Even if you have really good insurance,even if you can afford the latest & best.

Last year, I had the not-so-enviable experience of throwing my Dexcom transmitter into a Danish trashcan,which eventually made it's way to a Danish landfill. I usually put a layer of Opsite first(and then insert the sensor,snap the transmitter in place,good to go for the next two weeks) and when it's finished,I rip it off & put it all near a new sensor for the next insertion.Fine if you're not on vacation,rushed for time,and feel like crud from respiratory crud.In a fevered moment,I must have ripped it off and threw it in a trashcan(not the suitcase)5 days later(and on the other side of the Atlantic)as I'm systematically searching & triple-checking my suitcase, said transmitter was no where to be found. Dexcom,unfortuantly,does not replace them as a one time courtesy..it was $375 for a new one.It's one of those situations where you can't say no,because you NEED the darn thing.Whip out the VISA and watch the money dissapeir.(and never,ever,ever lose another one)The major mistakes of my diabetic existance usually lead to my actually learning to prevent from doing them in the future,but the list of future mistakes is endless. Diabetes is fun that way.
And so,I have baked insulin & test strips,had to buy a temporary meter(because the one you bring on vacation just has to die), drowned a pump in Betadine, and done many other things to add to the existing cost of diabetes. It just seems that there is no room for being human, in any of it.Insurance companies are so strict,& most limit you to the bare necessities.Beyond that,you can spend any amount of money on D-stuff.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Top Five 'Betic (& not) June Deals

#1. MEDCO.

MHS10, tenoff,MHS20,10off, gets you $10 (or $20 off) your purchase of $10+. New accounts only. Shipping is only .99, so you can get a boatload of cheap glucose tablets. Or whatsoever else your heart desires. And if Medco allows it, you can use another code for another cheap order. (its very YMMV with these codes)

#2. Nationwide FREE a1c test, courtesy of CVS pharmacy. This is pretty awesome for the uninsured/underinsured folks out there, it raises some level of awareness that something might need changing. And you can do it anytime,at any Minute Clinic CVS pharmacy. As luck would have it, Massachusetts,Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Nevada are the only four non-participating states,and of course, I live in one of those states. Way to go, CVS!

#3 Odwalla.com FREE tree(in your honor) planted.(when you vote for your favorite national park)Because generating a small city's worth of medical waste(yearly) should be offset somehow.

#4 Friendly's FREE ICE CREAM,Sat. June 5 (12 pm-5 pm) Just in time to ruin my a1c.(just kidding,it is what it is,and a serving of ice cream will not change that)

#5 FREE admission to any museum, Sat. Sept. 25,2010.(must preregister) It has nothing to do with diabetes,unless you're visiting a urological museum...but it's a good deal!

The American Finale

Dear Fox,(aka American Idol)


You had us all captive last night, what with an unexpected Brett Michael's appearance and a literal Pants on the Ground rendition. To be honest, it was a bit overkill(hurry up with the results already!) but I guess you wanted to make Simon's last night memorable.

I can now see why Simon really,really wants to get out-American Idol has degenerated into a "tween girl appeal" vote. You can be the best,but unless you're appealing to the younger set,you will not win American Idol.

And Crystal Bowersox was, quite simply, the best. The judges can't say so but the real champion last night walked away without the title. Crystal-you've inspired a nation & helped bring awareness to type 1 diabetes(in addition to being an amazing singer). And my hope for you, is that you get a record deal & outsell Lee DeWyze into obscurity. I hope you have only the best diabetes care from here on out,no one should have to beg for a medicine that keeps them alive. I hope you know that you are the REAL CHAMPION.

As for you, Fox,I hope that someday A.I. will be more then a popularity contest. Perhaps you should consider having two champions..a male, and a female. Until you do, the hearttrobs will continue to take the title & the really good singers will never win.

Signed,

A-sometimes-watcher-of-American-Idol-when-the-mood-and-the-circumstances-align

Fear Factor, x 100

What is it like?



















It's like strapping on a jumpsuit and doing things out of anyone's comfort zone each and every day of our lives. We all have things that take us there..a brutal gym workout, an exhaustive medication regimen,an evening with the Food Nazi's. What scares me might not scare you, and vice versa. For me, it's bolusing for carbs. Each and every day of my life, I jump off that (alligorical) building, trusting that everything will work out..the parachute(aka carbs) will slow the descent, the Dexcom will navigate me to a good postmeal,and that other things won't pop up to complicate the whole landing process. Most times it works, sometimes, I crash and burn. The fact that you've done it a million times without incident doesn't make up for the hundreds of times you haven't. Because the bad thing is knowing that you may not get it right, and it's not like practice makes perfect, diabetes can change on a whim.You just have to trust there is a ground,and the risks are quite low that anything will happen.The goal is to try to minimize those times you crash and burn.(double-checking carb counts,glucose & extra supplies on hand) Diabetes is one heck of alot scarier then even skydiving.

The Waiting Game

Waiting.

Wishing the email would come & put me out of my wondering misery.

I am really glad there are people like Ellen Ullman,tireless advocates for the rights(and needs) of not just kids with diabetes,their families,and adults with diabetes.I've known Ellen since forever(through CWD for 10 years,& met her for the first time in 2005) she is just amazing.(both in person & online) She is an article guru, sent me an article,name & email info for this guy at Yale who is big in the world of Bartter's research,suggesting I inquire about DNA research.I didn't have anything to lose,it's not like the NIH has anything (that I can find)going on in terms of research into the disease.To hope that they might give me a $2000 genetics test (for free) is a hope I didn't want to let myself feel.(yeah,I'm good at getting freebies but not that good) The researcher promptly emailed me back with all these questions,namely to determine if it was just a pointless exercise,if it was Classic Bartter's you don't need a genetics test to confirm that. Then he wanted a boatload of medical records,which (because of vacation & school & doctor's offices being a typical PITA) took 1.2 months to acquire,sort,fax relative info to him.

Now I wait, and try not to be impatient.(but with every "ding" to my email inbox,it just intensifies the feeling)Perhaps they should just scrap the whole mess & name a disease after me so no one will have to scratch their heads any longer.I'm still afraid to hope for the genetics test(although if anyone could afford it to give 'em out,it would be Yale),but the input will (regardless) be invaluable to me,whatever he says.Cross fingers & toes. In the meantime,I wait...be it a week,a month,or a year.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Top Fourteen Lisence Plate Ideas

The Top Fourteen Diabetic License Plates
1. TYP WERD (type weird)
2. CURE 4ME
3.A1C ROCS
4. MY IPUMP
5. SUGR LOW
6. DM SUCKS
7.GR8 ENDO
8. DRV HYPO
9. THE OC
10.BLEED RD
11.5MOR YRS
12. NO SHOTS
13. BETA BUM
14. DKA PRO
And plates I have actually seen..
1. ISLET TX
2.MINIMED
3. NSLN PMP
4. SWET PEE.

I love trying to figure out what the abbreviations on lisence plates mean.

Day 7: Wishin' for Bliss

There are many things that would
make up the day of a just-cured PWD. Freedom...from absolotuly everything D-related, dropped on one like a bomb.I'm not sure I would fully grasp the utter magnitude of such an occasion until it actually occured.But the biggest thing,for me, would go beyond the disengagement from food restrictions.(any food and in any quantity at any time of day,with no worry about blood sugars,amount of carbohydrate,etc. would still be awesome, don't get me wrong) It would be the freedom NOT to have to do ( a multitude of) diabetes tasks.

For over 11 years(since Day #1) diabetes care has been my responsibility, a 24/7/365 proposition.As you know,most docs don't even know anything about it & so you're just flying solo,no one can take that from you.Even if you're really sick,you can never stop the responsibility.They'll treat you for the other stuff,but the D is up to you.But for 32 hours in my life,it was not my responsibility,it was not my concern,& I kind of liken the feeling to being cured. My diabetes care(all of it) was in the hands of an endocrinologist & I was not permitted to even know my blood sugar for a 10 hour stretch. Weirdest experience of my life.She'd read the blood sugar that the lab tech would hand her,& tweak basals or bolus or make me eat and otherwise attempt reasonable control & I'd just sit/lie there,wondering what my blood sugar was & what I was really doing there.( besides watching bad tv,earning $12/hour and being completely useless) It really didn't feel like my diabetes,it felt like I was her human science experiment.It's like forced disengagement from something you cannot ever forget,& while being incredibly difficult it was kind of nice.(not to have to worry) It's just hard,giving up all that "gotta know" patient perogitive.(FTR,she did such a good job of it you'd think it was her diabetes;after the study ended she informed me of my bgs) And so,I think that first day without diabetes would probably be spent carbogorging & checking once or twice anyway,just to be sure I really didn't have diabetes anymore! I would need that reassurance.

I also think that I'd want to stay up for the full 24 hour stretch...to just enjoy the awesomeness of an entire day without diabetes. No highs,no lows,no food restrictions,party till the beta cells come home. Perhaps basking on a beach somewhere,Margarita(s) in hand,without a care in the world.That'd be glorious.(and man,I cannot WAIT.) I want it to be right now.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 6: Snapshots of a D-Life,part II

The Happy Couple.(registered at Animas and Dexcom)



JDRF walk! (hangin' with the cow)




Yeah...I should do more of that.(class ends in 4 days,maybe I'll have more time...)




Worth it,worth all of the 6.9 unit bolus.



Every 'betic girl should have a pair!(or diet pepsi,whichever you prefer)

Day 6:Snapshots of a D-Life(part 1)

(BlogPress is not cooperating,so this will be in two parts until I can make it to a real computer to combo it)


(about two days worth,boy do they accumulate rapidly)



My insulin holder.(necessity is the mother of invention)



Supplies!(for the next 6 months)



Extra,Extra-read ALL about it!(another reason to attend FFL,it's a really funny newspaper)


Case in point.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Exorcisest

Somewhere on the East Coast...

It's 4 pm, and a PWD is preparing to go to the gym.But first comes the mental checklist:

-pump?(check)
-Dexcom?( check)
-workout gear?( check)
-money?(check)
-iPhone/music player?(check)
-glucose tabs/juice?(check)
-syringe/insulin?(check)

Moderatly satisfied that she's covered every possible scenario,she heads out,first stopping at the fast food place for a salad. She checks her blood sugar(167),boluses for the salad, and waltzes into the gym,intent on a productive workout.All goes well,until she snags her tubing on the door to the locker room & yelps in pain as the infusion set rips itself out. Guess what-no backup set.She decides to keep an eye on it,& just keep the workout short.

First Stop,weights.That goes well,but the line on the Dexcom soon skyrockets.(stupid anaerobic activity) Ends at 238 mg/dl.

Takes a correction,via shot.Does 15 minutes of running.Feels like it's going nowhere, so ends early.Dexcom dips slightly.

Gets home,starving & proceeds to eat most of everything in the refridgerater,& invariably goes low anyway.

That's why I hate exercise,it makes me twice as hungry (no matter what I eat before,or during) ,sends my bg all over the map,and makes me ache all over. I don't go to the gym as often as I should,but I do get exercise around the house with housework,etc.(and walking to my classes 2x a week)I want to learn to swim this summer,that would be alot more fun the sweat-a-thon that the gym is.Exercise is too much work for very little reward.(or so it feels like)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carb-o-nation

"I never met a carb I didn't like."(Author unknown)

"Food, glorious food!" -Oliver Twist

I love food, but it doesn't love me. Anything beyond 40 grams of carbs has immediate and disastrous effects upon my blood sugar..but I still love carbs. Doughnuts(with the cream filling), spaghetti,cereal waffles,bagels,Twinkies,chips n'dip, ice cream with decadent dripping chocolate syrup,all variety of pasta dishes,pizza,subs,biscuits 'n gravy, mashed potatos, breads,you get the general idea. I cannot live on egg whites and celery sticks. I can generally do pretty well with reducing the after-meal spikes(especially thanks to help of Le Symlin)but there are still foods that are really, really, disastrous and I fail every time.

Like cereal. Any kind or brand, hello 400 mg/dl.

And Chinese food. Not quite a 400, more like 260 for 3-4 hours while I bolus repeatedly and wonder if it will ever come down.

So I restrict those,(as in, eat once or twice a year)and I try to not eat humongous carbohydrate meals.(not just for the aftermeal spike, but because all that insulin catches up and makes me plummet. And its not just a matter of poor timing,it's when I take a good deal of insulin for a meal,the action of it gets pushed out several more hours(for some bizarre reason),it's like Superbolus and it takes forever to out of the system. I guess that's good if you plan to eat again anyway,but sometimes I'm simply not hungry and there's no freedom in being married to your insulin. I guess I could get the cereal bolus down(with some experimentation)but anything involving a pre-meal bolus of 30+ minutes has me more then a little leery. There are other breakfast foods that are more predictable(that don't require pre-bolusing) & I'd rather stick with them.

I eat alot of protein,to help smooth the spikes(sometimes too much and that has bg effects too) And multiple snacks throughout the course of day-like cottage cheese, graham crackers w/pb, soyjoy bars,popcorn w/cheese,ham sandwiches.All carbs are fine(in moderation) and if 3 chocolate bars equaled 45 carbohydrates you can bet I'd eat 'em all. Unfortunately,that's not the case.(and that's not to say that I don't go carb wild and eat like I haven't, for a week) It all depends on whether or not you can get(and keep) those numbers where you want them. For me, small meals and frequent snacks work better.

Sometimes it may appear that PWD don't have any freedom in their diet..but in reality,we're like most of the rest of the non-pancreotically challenged crowd.It's a matter of intake vs.outtake,& the rest of America has to deal with that issue too.
(if you eat too many calories, whether from fat,protein, or carbs, you will gain weight)As a nation, we eat too many calories(and carbs are a major contributor to that)But carbs aren't evil if you can handle the calories/bg rise.(it's the diabetes that's evil) Although, if you're type 2..it may be a whole other ballgame,I'm writing this from a type 1 perspective. If I don't have carbs, I just cannot function. That's my take on the whole issue.

My Type Three

I had planned a better post then this,but A.I'm drop-dead exhausted from school exam stuff B.I have a massive stabbing pain in my lungs and C.Its raining cats and dogs.My biggest supportor is my husband,& he deserves all a better post then this.If I survive another day,I want to give that to him.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

GoGo, Mr. Low

My favorite way to treat a low(besides not having one in the first place) is juice or glucose tabs. If I'm 50-70,I drink a 25 carb juice box. If I'm 60+, I drink half the juice box. And if I'm below 50, out come the big guns(3 tabs, plus the juice). Or glucose liquid, which is the fastest thing short of glucagon in me.(and has saved my butt on multiple occasions) It just depends on how fast I am dropping, how much IOB is on board, and & whether or not CVS just ran a sale on post-holiday candy. (like peeps,sweettarts,smarties,Airheads,jellybeans, candy corn,cotton candy,and similarly fast-acting carbs)I like them all, but usually don't crave them when I'm not low.(so it's not a great temptation) There are a few things I don't like at all(low or not)-orange juice,any type of coke,and orange glucose tablets.(everything else is fair game)I drop very quickly,the last assisted low I had,(Halloween '08) despite drinking two juice boxes I went out of it 20 minutes later(fortunately it was at the infusion center,so all they had to do was swap out the magnesium bag with D50 & ship me down to the ER,if a low could be termed convenient, that would be it. Consequently, I would rather overeat(and be at least 100+ mg/dl). It's not the best thing for my a1c,but it's best for my peace of mind.(and the pocketbook,who wants to spend hundreds of dollars on ER copays)

Then there are the times when the hungry gene just doesn't turn itself off & after treating the low, I just eat and eat and eat myself into a massive high blood sugar.Anything and everything goes down the hatch.(you know you're hungry when you eat week old beet salad,ewwww) Moderation is the key..you just have to find something that works for you,and be comfortable in that knowledge. Sometimes that's easy, and sometimes it's not,but that's the goal.

Diabetes Blog Week-A Day in the Life

(It's National DBlog Week,(courtesty of Karen at Bittersweet Diabetes),and though my life is generally pretty dull..I'm doing this post regardless. If you haven't committed yet, join in the fun!)

4 AM- My bladder wakes me up,my Dawn Phenomenon has gone to town and jumped from 150(10 pm) to 298. I am not going to waste precious sleep time trying to determine just whats gone wrong here,set,insulin,delayed fat kicking in,other hormones? I whip out a syringe and mainline 3 units of precious liquid into (plenty of)adipose tissue.Need this sucker to come down, quickly.

7:30 AM- Wake up, blood sugar check. Now down to 112. Dexcom confirmed to be in the same ballpark, at 121. Shoot up 15 mcg of Symlin. Eat breakfast(usually 2 waffles w/syrup,1/2 cup cottage cheese,a fig, and Diet Coke)Bolus for breakfast.

9:30 AM- Insert 2nd pump set, prime and fill Deltec for magnesium administration. Hook up, let run.(opposite side of body) Can someone say Bionic Woman?(2 pumps,Dexcom,iphone continuously on/near person)

10 AM- take multitude of other meds(amiloride,claritan,advil,Nasonex,multivitamin).
Wish it wasn't just diabetes to take care of every day. It's a full time job,keeping all these other meds in line.(or it just feels like it-I know it's really not(comparatively,to those individuals who take half the pharmacy on a daily basis)
Study. Check blood sugar again. (176)

12 PM- 101 mg/dl. Eat lunch. (Sandwich, chips,piece of fruit)

1 PM- Call CDE, review recent overnight bgs.

2PM- CDE calls me,to tweak overnight basals.(with Endo input) It's definatly a basal issue...repeated overnight checks show this to be the case. Switch times of when basal #2 starts, to handle dawn phenomenon.

3-6 PM- Class. Check blood sugar,doodle on iphone, and occasionally, yes,learn something.

4 PM-299. Crap. (didn't bolus enough) Bolus for that.

6 PM- 67, and tanking like a log. Treat. Drive across the street to McDonalds and order 100+ worth of carbohydrates from the menu and gorge down every one of them. Another Symlin injection. I have no self-control.

7 PM- Decide not to go to the gym.(claim blood sugar exhaustion) Head home,clean up.
Twitter.Facebook. Watch TV. Do laundry. Put out recycling and next day's trash.

8 PM-155. That's a decent number, postmeal.
9 PM-BRAAAP.(crosses the 180 mg/dl mark,which is my "high"mark on the Dexcom) Bolus correction.
10 PM-BRAAAP. (dips below 180 briefly,heads over it,and sits on 181) Durn delayed fat.
10:30 PM-BRAAAAP.(dips below 180) Finally heads down, for real.
11:30 PM-144. With that, it's off to bed. Looking forward to doing it all over again tomorrow!

The Forecast Diaries

I'm always excited when I get a new issue of Diabetes Forecast. Back when it was ADA Forecast, that is.


They are,for the most part,non-existant & rarely come up on Ebay.(every few years) I have some from the 40's,50's,and 60's,and this one is from 1971.My goal is to own the complete shebang(it may not even be possible,how many people keep outdated diabetes mags circa 1954?)I used to have most of them from the mid 1980's to 2005,but I had to get rid of them (due to space constraints,I had 200+ magazines in my small apartment) I kept the Dec.1998 issue,(for obvious sentimental reasons) and the May 2001 issue(because of my Reflections article in it). The modern day stuff is nothing great,but I love collecting the old issues.(as time goes by,I might even bump the "old" criteria to the 1980's,officially making myself into an antiquity as well) I don't know when Forecast became Diabetes Forecast...sometime in the late '70's,perhaps?

So when it arrived,I eagerly tore into it,searching for "Dave's Diary" (when we last left our hero,he was out to a picnic lunch with his fiancée,which he handled perfectly and had lovely blue urine tests to prove it.)Much to my dissapointment,o'le Dave had semi-retired from the article updates,but he came back this one time to "thank" the lady you see on the cover, for her many years of helping diabetics with their diets.(she contributed to the Forecast food articles) So there was that,she sounded like a very selfless,giving person.(as a Catholic sister)

There's usually at least one "real life" interest story in the magazine,and the one in this one was a real humdinger of one. The individual was Lowell Palmer,who by 1971 had already lived 51 years with diabetes,49 of those with insulin.Dx'd as a junior in high school,he was basically told by the doc to take it easy,no exercise,limited carbs.Advice he ignored,and pretty much did as he wanted.(with regards to extreme exercise) And that worked in his favor..he didn't deteriorate quite as fast.I don't know about you,but prior to my diagnosis,exercise was the very last thing on my list of desired activities.It just made me drink 4 gallons a day vs 2. And I dropped off the basketball team,it was just pure torture. It must have helped preserve his beta function.(individuals really vary in the time they go before being dx'd) He put off going to collage for a year,but when he did,he started to rapidly deteriorate,despite being on the restricted diet.(1200 calories a day,40 carbs,69 grams protein,89 fat) Tanked 15 lbs to 120,& the doc actually did bloodwork which showed his bg to be 280 with high urine sugar.He didn't have the money to go to a diabetes specialist & no one knew about the discovery of insulin.Went back to school,got
sick during exams.He went home,went into a coma.(when your beta cells finally do poop out you get really sick,really fast)His room mate then called his doctor.The doc came out,&assissted by the roommate,put him in the back of the doc's Model T Ford and away they zoomed(in the middle of a December Blizzard) to Massachusett's General Hospital where he got the first ever injection of insulin.(that they'd ever given) He briefly came out of the coma but went back in it when they ran out of insulin.They got more in,& he came out of the coma.In 2.5 years,he lost 50 lbs(weighing in a scant 112 lbs at hospitilization). Insulin was not yet "standardized" in terms of how much a unit would lower blood glucose,and how much carbohydrate it would metabolize.A vial of insulin only contained around 50 cc.(and cost $2.50) In 1923 this was no small expense,as he went through a vial a day.In exchange for free insulin,he volunteered to be a lab rat & help (Eli Lilly?) them standardize the insulin concentration.He kept careful food records along with collecting urine & (simultanious)blood samples,(storing them in small vials) which he took to the lab each night.Eventually the H-10 gave way to U-20 and U-40 insulins gave way to U-80 and U-100,and the long acting insulins hit the market(in the late 1930's).It's interesting how we have come full circle and (popular opinion) dictates that short-acting insulin is (in most cases) the best way to go again.Diabetes fads rise and fall,but the realness of the disease remains.
After graduation,the issue of employment arose.To circumvent the issue of discrimination(the job required a physical exam,& if said urine test showed sugar there was no way the employer would hire him), he went to a HR rep who had diabetes himself(and I guess,fudged the results).40 years later,he retired(with only 30 days of time taken off for health reasons). That's pretty incredible.

Tune in tomorrow for the start of #dblog week!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blue Cross Blues

Dear Blue Cross and Blue Shield,

I'm writing to you today because I feel that the best thing you could possibly do for me is to NOT put me on your case management program.I know it's helped alot of PWD,but it never did a whole lot for me.I've refused to call you back(for quite some time,actually I think it's been 3 years) ever since the last convo that took place...

"Hi, I'm Sue! Can I speak with Heidi???!?"

"This is she."

"Oh,hi Heidi! I'm a nurse case manager with BCBS and we're helping people manage their die-uh-be-tus better. Can I ask you a few questions today?"

"Sure."

"How many times a day do you check your blood sugar & what do your numbers run?"

"7-10 times a day...they range from 50-400."

"That's just horrible. Have you discussed thus with your doctor?"

"Yes.That's just life with diabetes."

"But it's not normal,are you following your diet?"

(Mental headslap as it dawns on me that taking this call was a huge mistake)

"I try to eat healthy,yes."

"You really need to monitor everything so that you won't have any complications.Do you know what can happen with uncontrolled blood sugar levels?"

"Yes." (grrrrrrrrr)

"Oh,good.I can send you some information about diet and exercise,would you like that?"

"Thanks,but I have all the info I need,I see my doctor and educator reagerally."

"And have you had the A-1-C test?"

"Yes,many times,the latest was 7.9."

"Oh that's much too high.You need to get that down."

"I realize that,& I'm working on it."

By the end of the conversation,(besides feeling like I wanted to bawl) I vowed never to engage in conversation another one of your copy-and-paste phone nurses about any aspect of my D. A promise I kept.

Until today,when I politely let it be known that I wanted off the Bug The Patient To Death list. I know more about my diabetes then you guys do,& what I don't know I have a CDE/Endo who are totally awesome.I am satisfied with the care I get there, please just leave me alone. Neither your diabetes knowledge nor your bedside manner is anything I'd wish on a newly dx'd diabetic.


Sincerily,

A Not-So-Enthused Plan Member





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Almost There

As the semester winds down & final exams loom ever nearer,I've come to the realization that I don't care two beans about being accepted into Big State School's BSN program & would much rather do the community collage thing. It's cheaper,it's nearer,& it's much friendlier to my overall health.Of course,the soul two determinants on that are A.county residency and B.GPA.They go down the list of applicants and pick the top acheivers.Based on previous years,I'd probably make it in but not if there are 15 more people like my overacheiver,A+,taking 13+ credits classmate.One just never knows.All I can do is survive the next 18 days...and wait for the aftermath.There's an endocrine/reproductive exam,my presentation,a cumulative final,and a CPR refresher course to finish things up.It's hard to believe that I'm really there,that I've survived two semesters of anatomy,a boatload of psych courses,microbiology,chemistry,
two math courses,and a million other courses that I've been working on for the past ten years(while working FT).It's hard to believe that it's really all done,that I can actually go to a degree program now.If I don't get in this fall,I'll just apply again,maybe take a course to improve my gpa slightly & beef up the resume,etc.I just don't feel like I can commute two hours a day to do that other program.It'll be hard enough.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone