No Diabetes Card Today

Hey, guess what? I didn’t play my diabetes card today – for a change. My co-workers & I went to the Weber Grille for lunch because we had a birthday in our area. It was pretty hot outside today – 90 degrees! I know I'm a wimp. I’m used to staying inside in the nice air conditioning all day. So this was a real stretch for me. Plus, we had to walk 8 blocks to get to the restaurant. What a whiny baby I am! But I know I need to walk to get some exercise – so I did. We were able to walk in the shade most of the way. So it wasn’t too bad.

Now I usually eat lunch around 11 – 11:30 every day. I am a creature of habit – really I pretty much have OCD. But I’ve always tried to stay in a routine to help my diabetes. I know that’s not as important as it used to be before I started on the pump. But I kind of like staying in a routine anyway. I figure it’s not hurting me - so why not? Anyway, I took the leap today to go eat lunch with my co-workers. Our reservation wasn’t until 12:30 – which was really pushing it for me. But I handled it okay. I checked my BG right before our food got there and it was 125 – not too bad.

A friend and I split a meal that had 2 pieces of grilled meatloaf, coleslaw, baked beans, and cornbread. We each had a piece of meatloaf; she ate the coleslaw; I ate the baked beans; and we split the cornbread. I had no idea of how many carbs I had because this wasn’t my usual lunch consisting of crackers & cheese and I wasn’t prepared. Since it didn’t look like I was having too many carbs & we had a long walk back to the office, I decided not to bolus just then. I thought I would wait and check my BG after we got back & I would bolus based on that result. That would have probably been a good idea except for one thing – we had desert, too.

The reason we had desert was because we had such a terrible waitress! Have you ever had this happen? She was awful! She was in such a rush to do everything that she didn’t give us a chance to even hand her the menus. She grabbed them right out of our hands immediately after each person ordered. We thought this was rude enough. But the rudeness continued throughout our lunch. She shoved a plate full of napkins & straws across the table & they almost spilled into the lap of one of my friends. Anytime she stopped back by our table, she acted like we were bothering her to ask her to please bring us a drink refill or anything. But it was the last straw when she started clearing the table when some of us were not done eating yet. One of my friends had started stacking the empty dishes to make it easier for the waitress to get them the next time she returned to our table. But when she got ther, did she thank my friend for doing this for her??? No way!!! She said, "This just won't work!!!!" Well, my friend went off on her at this point about how rude she had been, etc. Then the girl just stomped away. Apparently, waitressing may not be the profession for her.

The next time the manager came by to ask how everything was, my friend spoke up & told him how we had been treated. (This is where the desert comes in.) He apologized all over the place & offered to treat us with 3 deserts on the house that we could all split. We got the key lime cheese cake, the chocolate chip cake drizzled with chocolate sauce and a scoop of chocolate chip ice cream, and the fruit cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Yummy! I had a sliver of each. I know I should have gone ahead and bolused at this time, but by the time I remembered, it was time to start walking back to the office.

When I got back to my desk, my BG was 248 – which wasn’t very good, but not as bad as I had expected. I think the long walk must have helped a little.

But I was proud of myself for not playing the diabetes card today. We had fun (except for the bad waitress) & a lot of good food. I won’t make a habit of it – my wallet & my BGs can’t handle it. But it’s nice to do once in a while. I’ll just keep that diabetes card in my pocket for another day.

Something's Fishy

I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today until I got a call from my general practitioner about my lab work I had done last Friday. (You know – the day of the great hair-cut fiasco. BTW, the hair is doing better now. It’s just gonna need some time to adjust to my head.) Anyway, after the doctor’s office called, I suddenly had something to talk about.

The nurse called & said my A1c was 6.5 & my doctor was very pleased with that. Yeah! Also, my cholesterol was down to 200. Yes, I said DOWN to 200. It had been much higher than that six months ago. At that time, I had stopped taking any meds for cholesterol – mainly because of the nasty side effects. I had tried at least 3 different ones previously & they all caused me to have a lot of muscle pain – especially in my legs – which isn’t good. I was having a difficult time walking to my car in the afternoons after work. Granted, I do have to walk a little distance to get to my car – including going down 5 flights of stairs in my building, walking a few blocks, then walking up 3 flights of stairs to get to the floor where my car was parked – at the other side of the parking garage from the stairs. I intentionally park that far away so I make myself walk a little everyday. But when I started taking the cholesterol meds, I was to the point of crying by the time I got to my car. I just couldn’t handle it. So the cholesterol meds had to go.

I had read about how fish oil was supposed to help with cholesterol. So I started taking over-the-counter fish oil tablets. But when I went back to my doctor six months ago, my numbers were pretty high & my doctor said that the over-the-counter fish oil wasn’t good enough. He explained to me that the over-the-counter fish oil was probably made of the oil from – say - blue gill fish – which apparently isn’t that good. (You couldn’t prove it by me.) He said you could squeeze any old fish & get fish oil. (Yum!) But the higher quality the fish oil – the better. This blue gill doesn’t look too bad in this photo. But I guess his oil isn’t very good.

So my doctor put me on Omacor – which is a prescription “high quality” fish oil. He said it’s made from salmon or some other “high quality” fish. It sounded funny, but I went along with it.

You know – I always thought that a fish was a fish was a fish. But I guess not. I had never given much thought as to the quality of the oil that came from the fish. I try not to think of this too much because it’s kind of weird….

Anyway, the “high quality” fish oil is working & is steadily improving my cholesterol numbers. So they want me to come back in 3 months for repeat labs & see what the results are then. Hopefully, they will be even better.

Oh, they also said that my liver & kidney function results were great so NO DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS there. I am so blessed! And thank God He didn’t make all fish the same!

Bad Hair Day

Today I started out low. And it was my day to get my fasting lab work done so I knew I couldn't over-do it like I usually do. No cookies & milk for me this time! When I saw that my BG was 76 when I woke up, I did what Kerri has suggested - I drank 8 sips of juice - actually it was more like 8 GULPS of juice. Then I went ahead with my morning routine & checked my BG again about 20 minutes later. This time it was 40! Not the direction I needed. So I drank 8 more gulps of juice & by the time I left for the doctor's office, it was up to 107. I could live with that.

My doctor appointment went fine. It was just a visit for labs & to get new prescriptions for my blood pressure & cholesterol meds. Then I went to Hardees, of course, for my morning Diet Coke. The guy at the drive-thru said, "You're late today." It's funny & a little scary that they know my routine. Oh, well, it's nice to be noticed sometimes.

I had some time to kill so I went to Wal-mart to get our weekly supply of dog food & other non-perishable items. I had a hair appointment a little later & needed to kill some time. So I took my time in Wal-Mart -- just like everyone else who was there at 9 am.

Then I headed for the hair salon. I had never been to this place before & had a little trouble finding it. Luckily I made it there about 1/2 hour ahead of time. But that was okay because that gave me time to look through a hair style magazine so I could show the stylist what I wanted. Unfortunately, the stylist I was suppose to have was wayyyyy behind schedule so they gave me a different stylist. Okay; that's fine. I'm sure they all do a good job. Big mistake - I should have just waited for the first one - no matter how long it took. The sylist they gave me looked like she was about 17 years old. Now I know she was older than that, but I'm getting to the age where everyone at these places seems to look 17. But her age wasn't the problem...

She seemed nice & I showed her the picture of what I wanted. The style was very similar to what I had. It was basically just a matter of trimming it up. But did she do that????? NOOOO!!!!! I feel so bald right now. My neck is showing - which I hate. The style is nothing like I showed her. I think it's going to be a while before I can do much with this. And that's not good. My hair doesn't grow very fast & it doesn't seem to grow at the same rate all over my head. The back grows pretty fast, but the front has a hard time keeping up. So this is going to be a challenge.

I had planned on going back to Wal-Mart on my way home to get our perishables; then meet my husband for lunch. But I wasn't up to the challenge of going into public with my hair looking this way. So I just went through the Taco Bell drive-thru, got my chicken quesadilla & went home.

I looked in the mirror & almost cried! I hate this! Now my husband would prefer that I let my hair grow long. I think a lot of men are like this. But I don't have that kind of hair. However, my daughter does. Her hair is beautiful. It is so thick & healthy. And it grows really fast. She donated 12 inches of it to Riley Hospital for Children a few months ago & they got enough to make two wigs for children out of it! And she still has plenty of hair left on her head! I'm happy she has such good hair, but at the same time, I'm a little disgusted - or jealous - whatever.

Anyway, my husband knows my hair isn't like hers so he's just happy if I don't complain about it after I get it cut. This is going to be difficult. Please pray for me. I'm gonna need it.

Groovy Patches

I've seen other people blog about these things, but now it's my turn. I ordered some Groovy Patches a few days ago & got them in the mail yesterday. Let me tell you - they are Groovy!

My husband just laughed when he saw them. But I told him - anything to make this fun.

The ones I got were: Retro 3, Holiday, and Bandanas. As you can see, I've already used the Retro Orange one. I think they're great!

I know no one else is ever going to see them (since I use my abdomen for my infusion sites). But it's just fun knowing it's there and it's not just the plain white edge on my site. It's kind of like my navel ring. I know it's there; but no one (except my husband) ever sees it. And I change it to a different one all the time. I like to be color-coordinated - even if no one else ever knows - I know.

Anyway, I think these Groovy Patches were a great idea & there are so many to choose. It only took a few days to get them, too. So once you've placed your order, you'll be getting them very soon. I'm going to order some more as soon as these are gone.

Be sure to visit their website & see if there's something there you like. I'm sure there is. Happy shopping!

Getting Through Hump Day

I had a boring day today. It was just a usual Wednesday. For some reason, my co-workers in other cities think that having conference calls on Wednesday is a good idea. Aaaahhhh! It’s hard enough to get through hump-day without being stuck on conference calls for half the day (or more).

The only thing that got me through today is knowing that I have the next two days off work! Yea!!!! I have an appointment with my head doctor tomorrow in the middle of the day – no need to go into work for just a little while, then leave for the appointment, then come back to the office – yuck! So I scheduled the whole day off.

I went ahead and scheduled Friday off, too. Why not? I have an appointment with my general practitioner on Friday morning – so he can write new prescriptions for my blood pressure & cholesterol meds. Then I have a hair appointment at a new salon I’ve never been to before. A friend’s daughter went there & loved her cut. So I thought I would give it a try. My usual hair stylist always cuts my hair the same way no matter how I tell her I want it. Maybe it’s not her; maybe it’s just my hair. Oh well, we’ll see what happens at this new place. I hope they can help me. My hair is so out of whack that I’m almost ready to cut it myself again – not a real good idea!

If it turns out good, I may change my picture with Sophie & me. If not, the picture will stay the same. Wish me luck!

Thirst Quenching Facts

Wow! Timing is everything! I've seen at least three articles today about the results of a study that links drinking soft drinks (not just diet ones) to heart disease. I even heard about it on the radio this morning. So I can't believe that I had planned on posting this topic today. Oh well, here goes!

I read an interesting article in my local newspaper a few days ago & I thought I would share some of the information in it. Now this article is talking about what to drink to stay hydrated - not necessarily what is the healthiest in the long run. Just thought I should throw that in before I got started.

Anyway, the article begins by talking about how as the weather heats up in the summer, people start thinking about staying hydrated in the warm/hot weather. There is a lot of information floating around about what people should or shouldn't drink.

A registered dietitian & nutrition-culinary expert who contributes to INshape Indiana says it is important for people to know the facts so they can make good, informed decisions. She says there are some myths out there about what is good for you & what isn't. (NOTE: She doesn't claim to be any kind of diabetic expert, but since she's a registered dietitian, I thought I would give her a listen - plus I liked what she had to say.)

"Myth 1: Only water hydrates." That's right; this is a MYTH - not a fact. I've been trying to say this for years! I've mentioned before that I drink a lot of Diet Coke & very little, if any, water. About the only time I drink water is when I'm having an extreme high - and the water has to be very, very cold. Any other time I try to drink water, I just gag. I can't handle it. Some people have commented to me that I'm doing a lot of damage to my body by drinking carbonated beverages & not drinking water. Well, listen to what else the registered dietitian has to say.

Contrary to popular belief, water isn't the only drink that hydrates. In fact, most beverages, including soft drinks, tea, coffee, sports drinks and milk are at least 85% water. And the Diet Coke I drink every afternoon? It's more than 99% water! She says to choose beverages that you enjoy. Several studies show that children & adults consume about 45 to 50% more liquid when it's flavored versus plain water.


So I've been getting water all along & didn't even know it. I've just been disguising it as Diet Coke! LOL!

Myth 2: Caffeine dehydrates. While caffeine can have a mild, short-term diuretic effect in people who don't normally consume caffeine, studies have shown that this is not the case for people who regularly consume caffeine."

She's definitely talking directly to me now. I DO regularly consume caffeine so continuing to do so shouldn't have a bad effect on me as far as hydration goes.

Wow! I feel better now. It's time for another Diet Coke.

Entertaining Angels

I've been reading a lot of blogs & TuDiabetes lately where people talk about having a seizure or blacking out when their BGs were out of whack. Well, this is my Diabetic Coma Story.

When I was 16 years old, I had started to feel really sick – like I was getting the flu. I think I was kind of in & out of it during this time because I don’t remember all of it. But I must have gotten really bad because my mom took me to the emergency room where they said that I probably just had a bad case of the flu & sent me home. Well, that didn’t get it. Because after that, I vaguely remember leaning my head on the passenger side window of my mom’s car as we were on our way to the doctor/hospital. I was admitted & it was determined that I actually had a bad case of Appendicitis! By this time, I was in/out of a coma & saying all kinds of things. One of the things I said was that there were men in the corner who were going to take me away.
SIDE NOTE: If any of you have ever seen the movie “City of Angels” (great movie) with Nicholas Cage & Meg Ryan, I personally think I was beginning to have one of those experiences where the angels come to take you to heaven. I really believe those “men” (angels) were there to do that. Anyway, that’s my explanation for it.


Back to the story – The doctors didn’t want to take me to surgery to remove my appendix until I came out of the diabetic coma. My blood sugar was something like 699 at this time. I did finally start to regain some sort of consciousness & I remember my boyfriend - who eventually became my husband Terry & my mom saying goodbye to me as I was wheeled me off to the operating room. After the surgery was over, things started to settle down & I was able to go home in a few days.

Isn’t it amazing how something like appendicitis can cause a person to go into a diabetic coma??!! After my appendix were gone, I was fine. I’m just glad those angels – ‘er men - were there – just in case.

It's Anniversary Time

Yesterday was our anniversary. My husband, Terry, & I have been married for 27 years. We got married when we were babies. No, really - I was 17 & he was 19. But we’ve known each other basically our whole lives. My parents & his parents were going to the same church when I was about a year and a half & he was about 3 years old. So I don’t really remember much before I knew him. I’ve had diabetes since I was seven so he’s seen me through all my diabetic years. He’s treated me for nighttime lows, helped me through 2 slightly difficult pregnancies where I ballooned up to weights I can’t even believe, & stayed with me. He can tell if I’m low or high. He asks what my BG is even when I don’t him to know what it is. (I think he does this so he will know what kind of mood to expect me to be in).

One time, soon after we were married, I had a REALLY BAD LOW. I mean the kind you don’t remember. We had been to the east side of Indianapolis to arrange the pick up of our new truck camper shell. I stayed in the truck while he went in. I guess when he got back in the truck, I was acting really weird – more weird than usual. LOL! So he stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken & got me some food. Again, I waited in the truck while he went inside. (These were the days before KFC had drive-thru windows. Can you believe it?) Anyway, while he was inside, my aunt saw me in the truck & came over to talk to me. To this day, I don’t know what I said to her. I don’t know if she noticed anything strange or not. But when Terry got back in the truck, I started eating the mashed potatoes right out of the Styrofoam bowl – without using a spork or anything! Then when we got home to our apartment, I walked up the stairs to our second floor walkway & leaned myself against our apartment door. I think my neighbor thought I was drunk. But I never asked her about it. Then Terry unlocked the door, dragged me in & called my mom to let her know that something was really wrong with me because by this time I was trying to eat the bone of my chicken leg. It was about that time, that I started to regain consciousness. I started to cry and said that I thought somebody had drugged me. It was the weirdest feeling. Poor Terry – only 19 years old & having to already deal with a teenage diabetic wife who was having an extreme low episode. But he knew what to do & he handled it well.

I don’t think I had another experience like that until my kids were about grade school age. It was early in the morning & I have no idea what I was doing to make Terry think I was having a low. I remembered going to bed the night before & the next thing I knew I was sitting in the kitchen & Terry was trying to get me to eat a Twinkie. (Actually he was stuffing the Twinkie in my mouth when I “woke up”.) Then I became a little more alert & saw my two kids standing there with these really scared looks on their faces that I will never forget & hope I never have to see that look again. But again, Terry took care of me.

Now I’ve had other lows throughout my life. But none as bad as these. Actually, I feel very fortunate that I’ve not had more of them. But if I do, I know Terry is going to be there to give me the Styrofoam bowl of KFC mashed potatoes (maybe he'll give me a spork this time) or stuff the Twinkie in my mouth – whatever it takes. Thanks for taking care of me, T.

Ouch!

A couple of days ago when it was time to change my infusion site, I chose a spot on the right side of my stomach right about at my waistline. I thought that would be a good place because I hadn't tried that spot before & most of my pants sit just below my waist. So my clothes wouldn't interfere with this spot. But as soon as I pushed the button on the inserter, I knew something wasn't right. Now I've had it hurt a little, but this REALLY hurt! But I tried to get over it by going about my business - thinking it would settle in & get better. Well, it didn't. It kept getting worse.

Then it was time to bolus - I had a big supper where I didn't figure my carbs very well - oops. So I needed to bolus 1.9 units. As soon as the insulin started to go in, the pain got worse. I thought - this is silly. This thing is only pushing in .1 unit at a time so I shouldn't even be able to tell it was doing anything. But I sure could.

Now I hate to waste a new infusion set - these things aren't cheap. But this was getting to be too much. Finally, I gave in & took out the set. It's a good thing I had a tissue handy because the flood gates opened & blood started pouring out of that tiny hole! It was awful. Finally, it stopped bleeding & I was able to put a new infusion set in a spot a little higher on my stomach & everything was fine. I couldn't believe it made that much difference! I don't think I've ever had that problem right after putting one in. I have had them bleed pretty bad on a couple of occasions - but that was probably because I had left it in too long - my bad. So I try not to do that. But I have no explanation for this one.

I'm probably going to be a little leary of trying this spot again - even on the other side of my stomach. It's got me a little gun-shy. Maybe one of these days, I'll get brave & try using my thighs. But I have a couple of reasons for not wanting to do that.

1. When I used to take daily injections, if I gave it in my outer thigh, it almost always bled - plus it hurt like you-know-what.


2. I just know that I'll rip that sucker out when putting on or taking off my pants. I know, I know - TMI! But I'm just clumsy enough to do it.

I've read where some of you like to use your thighs & maybe one day I'll try it. But not yet. I'm going to have to get a little more brave & a little less clumsy first. We'll just have to wait and see if that ever happens. ha! Until then, my stomach going to have to handle it.

Sophie's Birthday!

My post today has nothing to do with diabetes. But it's about something that's important to me.

I don't know how I did it. I was so wrapped up in myself yesterday that I forgot to mention that yesterday, July 17, was my Sophie's 2nd birthday! She still looks like a puppy, doesn't she? While I think she looks a little disgusted in the first picture (I had just brushed her & put in a new yellow bow), I think she's winking at the camera in the second picture. What a show-off!

I personally don't think she noticed that we forgot. She gets treated like royalty everyday anyway. After I leave for work in the morning, my husband doesn't have to leave for work for about another hour. So he has kind of a dog party every morning. He plays with the big dogs; then they go outside to run off their energy so they'll sleep all day while we're at work. But Sophie stays inside. She sits on my husband's lap, leans up against him, & he rubs her belly while he watches TV. She is so spoiled! But we love her!

Happy Birthday, Sophie!

I Love This Number!

I had a BG reading today that always makes me smile. I know it's silly. But there's something about seeing the number "100" on my meter. I guess it's because the number "100" just seems so perfect. You know, it's the little things...

Additionally, I had my quarterly diabetes check-up today. My A1c was up to 7.0 this time! (I don't love that number.) That's up from 6.4 three months ago. But my endo didn't freak out. So I knew I was okay. I kind of had a feeling it was going to be higher this time because I've been struggling the last few weeks with Highs in the middle of the night & early in the morning. These used to be my Low times; so this was really weird. Anyway, my endo changed my basals slightly & that was that.

On a happier note - I lost 5 pounds! I know that's not really a lot in 3 months' time. But if you've ever struggled with trying to lose weight by eating less, adjusting your basals, not wanting any lows that make you eat too much (haha!), etc., etc., etc., 5 pounds isn't that bad. My endo thought it was pretty good - especially since he knows that I sometimes struggle with Lows. He told me if I go see the dietician (which I haven't done yet - shame on me!) & she changes my diet, that I can probably expect those Lows again at first. Then he'll re-adjust my basals again & we'll start over. This trying to lose weight thing is going to be a slow process. Plus, I haven't gone to see the dietician yet. First things first. Oh well, at least I didn't gain any weight! Then I would have freaked!

Oh, and I got my back-up meter today, too. So all-in-all, it was a pretty good day.

Insulin Pumps Are Everywhere!

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Joann Fabrics to find new fabrics for the pump packs I make & sell on Insulin Pump Packs for You. I found some great stuff that day! It seems to be difficult to find fabric that is suitable for boys & men. But I found some new camo, Spiderman, Batman, & Aliens fabric that I think will do for now. I also found some nice, soft flannel material that I really liked. I haven’t made a pack out of all the material yet. I usually just sew a few each night after I get home from work. Well, some nights I’m lazier than others & don’t get any done. But I’m working on it. Plus, I’m always on the lookout for fabric that is different from what I already have that I think people will like. I go to Wal-Mart for something at least 2 – 4 times a week. So I always peruse my way through their fabric department to see what’s there. I just love looking for this stuff.

Anyway, back to Joann’s. I don’t go there as often as Walmart because it’s a little out of my way so if I go there, I have to make a special trip out of it. So I generally get a lot of material while I'm there. On this particular day, I had my usual cart-full of material. When I went up to the fabric cutting table, there were two women working there that both helped me. One of them I had already talked to a week or so before about what I made with all this fabric. So she knew I made insulin pump packs. But the other one started asking me questions about what I was going to make. I told her I make & sell insulin pump packs & showed her mine. She thought it was really cute. Then she mentioned that her grandmother was on an insulin pump & wanted to know how to get in touch with me. I told her the prices, etc. & gave her one of my business cards. I told her if she had any questions, to just send me an email.

Then another woman who worked there came up & started helping cut the fabric. And she asked what I was making. I told her the same thing. She said that her son had just started on an insulin pump about a week ago & was still a little nervous about it & how to wear it. So she asked for a business card, too.

It sometimes amazes me how many people are using insulin pumps these days. I don’t know why that surprises me; but it does. Diabetes affects so many people & a lot of them are using the insulin pump as their diabetes treatment. I’ve met so many of you who use the pump through our blogs or TuDiabetes. So I guess it shouldn’t surprise me. A lot of people I talk to are related to or know someone who uses the pump & that’s great. More & more people are taking advantage of the benefits of using the pump as opposed to taking multiple daily injections. (I hated those!) They may still work well for some of you & other people. And that’s great. But it is nice that we actually have options in how we treat our diabetes.

I am so happy with mine. Like I’ve said before, things aren’t perfect, but they are so much better than they were before. And better is the direction I want to go.

My Meter(s) Died!

Yesterday morning, while I was on my way to Hardees for my morning Large Diet Coke, I felt hungrier than usual. Most of the time, I just drink some juice for breakfast on my way to work. (Then I drink my Diet Coke, of course.) But yesterday, I was hungry & wanted some real food. So I needed to check my BG first. I took out my Accu-Chek Compact Plus meter & couldn’t get it to work. This is a little frustrating while you’re driving down the road. But I was determined to not eat anything unless I knew my BG was fairly good. I kept on pushing the button for the strip to slide out & it kept giving me some weird message. So I opened the top & moved the drum around hoping that would help. I tried this several times & finally got it to work as I was about a block from Hardees. My BG was 129 – good enough.

So I got a Sausage biscuit – it was so good. And it was nice to actually eat something for breakfast for a change. Life was good.

But two hours later, I had the same problem again. (At least I wasn’t driving this time.) The reminder went off on my pump for me to check my BG. So I got out my meter & expected to everything to work as usual. But it didn’t. The same thing happened all over again. I tried about 20 times & couldn’t get it to work. Luckily, I thought, I had a spare meter in my bag for “just in case” situations. Well, this was the perfect “just in case” situation. So I attempted to use it to test my BG. I said “tried”. This one wasn’t working either. It would shoot out the test strip about halfway and then stop. If I pushed the button again, it would spit out that strip entirely & send out another one about halfway again.
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was an older meter (just like my other one) & was in pretty ugly shape. It had been dropped countless times & I think one of the dogs had gotten a hold of it once & chewed part of the battery cover off the back.


I actually had duct tape holding the cover on it. It was a sight! But it had worked the last time a tried. Why now? Why were my meters doing this to me? I know that I check my BGs a whole lot more now that I have the pump. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that they seem to be wearing out a lot quicker than they used to. But both of them at the same time! Give me a break!

I was hoping they would last – at least until next week when I go to see Dr. Sam for my quarterly diabetes check-up. I knew he would just give me another one then. But my meters died early. I really didn’t want to bother his office this close to my appointment. So I checked online for the prices of these meters & thought I would just buy one at the pharmacy on the way home. After I saw the prices, I quickly changed my mind & got on the phone with Dr. Sam’s office. His nurse said she had one of these meters left – what timing! I told her what had happened & about the duct tape. She just laughed & told me to stop by their office on the way home & I could pick up a new meter. She also said that when they get another shipment of them in next week, she will hold one for me so I can have another back-up – one without duct tape holding it together.





So I left work early & picked up my new meter. After I got home, I checked my BG & it was 72. Good thing I didn’t wait until next week to pick it up. I’m just not that good at guessing my BG anymore. I used to be able to guess the result real well. (I miss those days.) But after 37 years, I’ve become a little less sensitive to the lows & highs. I don’t miss the other stuff from the old days – urine testing, having to go to the doctor’s office for them to draw blood to get my BG once in a while, my mom making me eat all my food exchanges even if I wasn’t hungry, etc.

I am so dependent on this meter now. I couldn’t even go a few hours without knowing my BG. But that’s okay; I’m probably in better health (diabetes-wise) than I was as a kid.

Morning Highs

I’ve been having a lot of morning highs lately. I used to have more morning lows, but I think because I stay up later at night may have something to do with it. My basal rate between 12 & 2 am is 0.5; then from 2 - 9 am, it’s 1.2. I think 1.2 is kind of high for night time. When I first got my pump last July, my overnight basal was 0.4 & I seemed to do okay with that. I would set my alarm for 2 am & check my BG & make sure it was okay. Well, as time went on, it seemed kind of silly for me to wake up in the middle of the night & check this since it usually was okay. So I stopped doing it.

My morning BGs are usually over 200 lately. So I’m wondering if I’m going extremely low in the middle of the night & not realizing it & my liver is taking over – making me have the really high readings in the mornings.

I’m thinking that I may want to start getting up in the middle of the night again to check my BG – just to be sure. I awoke Tuesday night (without the help of an alarm clock) at 1:30 feeling very low. I checked & it was 44. So what did I do? – the usual. I stuffed myself full of milk & cookies. (I am so bad!) Of course, when I got up at 5:30 Wednesday morning, it was 314 – surprise!

Last night, I woke up at 2 am & my BG was 202. So much for the theory that I was going really low in the middle of the night. Oh well, I bolused & went back to sleep. When I got up this morning, it was 121. So that was okay.

Anyway, I think I’m going to make sure I check it in the middle of the night for a few more nights before I make any changes. Or I may just want to wait until next week when I go see my endo, Dr. Sam, for my quarterly diabetes check-up. I’m sure he’ll know what to do. And if he gets upset, I know I’m in big trouble! (See yesterday’s post)

Dr. Sam

I didn’t realize it until just a few days ago that my endo is such a celebrity. If you've read about diabetic kids in Russia on Children With Diabetes, you've probably heard of him. He is Samuel Wentworth – or as my kids & I have always called him, Dr. Sam. I mentioned in my July 4th blog about how my endo has traveled to Russia & helped the diabetic kids there. I didn’t even mention his name in that blog. Then Heidi sent me a reply back asking if my endo happened to be Sam Wentworth. I said yes, how did you know? She said she had read about him on Children With Diabetes.

So I went to the CWD website & found some information about Dr. Sam & the work he has done to help the Russian kids with their diabetes treatment. Then I went out to the internet & did a search of Samuel Wentworth & was pleasantly surprised by all the hits I found. Again, most of these were related to his work with the Russian kids. But it was kind of eye-opener for me.

I have always just thought of him as my Diabetic Doctor who is really nice & has a very calm demeanor. I guess I just didn't realize how popular he was. You would never know if by talking to him. He's such a regular person & a humble man. But he is very well recognized in the diabetes community. He has received the Sagamore of the Wabash award. He was the recipient of the 2005 Eli Lilly and Company LillyforLife Achievement Award for outstanding achievement in the professional hero category. He is the co-founder of the Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana. He also leads the No Limits Diabetes organization for teens & young adults.

I have mentioned before that when I was pregnant with my first child & having all kinds of diabetes-related problems that my mother prayed that God would send a doctor to our area to help take care of me & my baby. Soon after that, my regular physician suggested that I go see a diabetes specialist that had just moved back to the area – you guessed it – Dr. Sam. He has been treating me ever since. He has also been the pediatrician for my kids from the time they were born until they were adults. Both of my children were a little sick when they were first born & Dr. Sam was there with us every step of the way. Now both of my kids are very healthy adults & I consider myself to be a very healthy diabetic - especially after 37 years. Dr. Sam has treated me for approximately 24 of those years. I take several meds everyday, but my diabetes is still under pretty good control – thanks to the good Lord & Dr. Sam.

He has a very laid back manner that just makes you feel at ease. I’ve always thought (either when he was treating me or one of my kids) that if I ever saw Dr. Sam get upset, I would know to worry because something must be terribly wrong. I’ve been very blessed that hasn’t happened up to this point in my life.

I realize that someday, Dr. Sam will eventually retire & I will have to find another endo & that kind of bothers me. I'm so spoiled & have become so accustomed to him & his mannerisms that I hate the thought of having to get used to someone else. My friends who have diabetes don’t feel as comfortable with their endos as I do. Their endos seem to be so uptight about everything. Of course, that doesn’t make me feel very much at ease.

One of my other friends has a daughter who sees Dr. Sam – even though they live 2 counties away from his office. They bypass all the endos in Indianapolis & go to Dr. Sam. I think that says something. My friend’s daughter has been to camps for kids with diabetes with Dr. Sam & she is just as comfortable with him as I am. He still does these camps & I think that’s great. The only problem is that I have to find out when the camps are held so I know to schedule my quarterly diabetes check-up when he’s back in town. But that’s okay. I know a lot of kids are benefiting from him being there helping them with their diabetes.

Maybe Dr. Sam will continue practicing endocrinology until after I’m dead and gone & maybe I will never have to get used to someone else. He doesn’t seem to be slowing down any yet. Like a lot of other people, we hope he continues practicing for a long, long time. Thanks for everything, Dr. Sam.

Another Motorcycle Trip

My son usually comes over on Sundays for good home-cooked meal. He’s 20 years old, just bought his own house & is living on his own now. He doesn’t eat much through the week – which would explain why he’s lost so much weight. So when he comes home to our house, I try to make sure he gets a good meal. Anyway, his band had a performance last Sunday & he wasn’t able to come over. (But he did come over on the 4th so I guess that was his good meal for the week.) Anyway, since I didn't have to cook a big meal, my husband & I hopped on the motorcycle to enjoy the great outdoors.

When we first left the house, we were planning on just going out to eat for lunch. But once we got going down the road, we decided to take a little road trip in the opposite direction of where we usually go. We went to a small town about 20 miles west of our house & ate at – of all places – Long John Silvers. I know it’s not the best choice, but he likes it – plus I had already memorized the carb counts of what I usually get so I knew I was safe. I didn’t bring my glucose meter with me because I had checked my BG right before we left – 246! I’m not sure what that was all about – other than this was the weekend. So I just went on and bolused, as usual. Anyway, after we ate, we decided to go on further west. We ended up two counties west of ours – which was mostly out in the middle of no where. But it was beautiful. The weather was gorgeous & there wasn’t much traffic. So it was a nice ride.

We drove over the bridge that crosses Raccoon Lake & there were so many boats on the water that it actually looked crowded out there - and it's a huge lake! The first thing I thought when I saw all of them was the scene in the movie, Titanic, when the boat had finally sank & they show all the people splashing in the water. That's what it looked like to me. It’s kinda weird some of the things I think of at first glance… But I digress.

We also saw other interesting things like:

• an Amish family in their wagon trying to pull onto the highway. I hope they made it; but I'm sure they do this all the time.
• a stone implement business that had a huge gorilla with a walking stick - interesting...
• at the same stone implement business, there was a big sign that said, "Elk meat for sale." - also interesting.

You just never know what you're going to see when you take off out into the country on a motorcycle.

Then we stopped at Dairy Queen where I got my favorite Dairy Queen treat – a mint Dilly Bar! It was delicious! I guessed at the carbs – you would think I would have memorized that since it’s my favorite, but I didn’t. When we got home about ½ hour later, my BG was 123. Not bad for guessing – plus this was the weekend. I’ll count it as one of my many blessings. Maybe the weekends aren’t ALL bad for my diabetes after all.

Oh, I did get a little sun. Since we originally didn't plan on being out so long, I didn't put on any sunblock. So my shoulders got a little red - but nothing like when we went on poker run a few weeks ago. So it was a good day.

Medical ID Bracelet

I can't believe it. Do we diabetics think alike or what? On Saturday, I got my new medical alert bracelet in the mail from Custom Medical Bracelets. So I decided that was going to be my blog topic for today. Before I posted this, I was reading Dee's & Drea's blogs & they both mentioned Medical bracelets! Imagine that.

Anyway, my new bracelet is beautiful & fits perfectly. Last week, I received a phone call from Custom Medical Bracelets to verify the size of the bracelet because I had filled out the order form incorrectly. They didn’t just guess & send it to me that way; they called to verify. And it was true; I hadn’t read the form correctly. If they had sent it to me the way I ordered it, it would not have fit right. It would have been too small. I was very impressed that they called to verify. You don’t get that kind of customer service from everyone.

Like everything else related to diabetes, there have been a lot of advances in the field of medical identification jewelry. There are a lot of websites out there that sell medical id jewelry. For some reason, I started looking a few weeks ago & found one that I really liked from Custom Medical Bracelets. The one I chose will look good with both casual & dress outfits. And they had a lot to choose from. They also sell just the beaded bracelet portion so you can use the one id tag, but have other interchangeable options to go with it. Personally, I think I may try to make my own extra bracelets - more on that some other time.

Anyway, Drea was having a difficult time with the place she purchased her bracelet, I went back to the Custom Medical Bracelet website to check to see if they had a guarantee and this is what it said: "If your Custom Medical Bracelet breaks within 90 days of the date we ship, you are covered at no charge one time under our guarantee. After the 90 day guarantee is up, the charge to repair is: $8.00 for bracelets, $12.00 for watchlets + Shipping." So I guess that's better than nothing.

Now I’ve never been one to advertise my diabetes to the world. That’s become a little more difficult now that I’m wearing an insulin pump. Don’t get me wrong; I love my pump. But I try to keep it out of site – generally I keep it in one of the pump packs I make & sell on my website, Insulin Pump Packs For You. So I am getting used to that. I think people thing it’s a cell phone case or something like that. But I haven’t worn diabetes identification jewelry since I was a child. There really wasn’t much to choose from then. You had to get one those ugly dogtag-looking necklaces from the pharmacy. (Some people may like those; but I don’t think they go real well with my office work attire.) Anyway, if you wanted information engraved on one of those dogtags, you had to find someone to do it yourself. No offense, but it just wasn’t the prettiest jewelry in the world & it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Below is a picture of my new bracelet. It's really prettier than it looks. Sorry the photo is a little blurry. (I really need to invest in a new digital camera.)




Hopefully, I will never be in a situation where I will actually need it. But it’s kind of a relief to know that I don’t have to worry about it now. Plus, it looks enough like regular jewelry that it won’t stick out like a sore thumb like those old dogtag necklaces!

I've joined!

I just got confirmation that my blog has now been added to the list of blogs on Diabetes Daily. Thanks, Dee, for mentioning that your blog had just been added the other day. That’s what made me follow up & make sure my blog was out there. I know I should have followed up a long time ago, but didn’t. Anyway, I’m listed now. So everybody can start blogging back.

I've also joined TuDiabetes! Thanks to Bernard for mentioning it to me. That's was something else I had meant to do for a long time. Sometimes, I just need a few reminders....

Have a great day & a great weekend!

Middle-of-the-Week Weekend

Well, yesterday, July 4, was just like a weekend for my diabetes. My BGs were all out of whack. When I went to bed last night, it was 144 – I thought - not bad after eating a little more than usual. So I bolused the .4 as directed & went to bed. Then when I woke up at 5:30 this morning, it was 302! I quickly checked to make sure I was still attached to my pump & everything was secure. It was; so that wasn’t it. So I bolused the 3.6 units as directed & continued getting ready for work.

When I had breakfast (sugar-free cran-grape juice) at 7 am, my BG was 237. Well, that’s was a little better – on its way down anyway. I checked it again at 9:30 & it was 172. Again, that’s a little better, but not quite there yet. When I checked it before lunch at 11:00, it was down to 73! Why couldn’t it be somewhere in the middle? These results that go from one extreme to the other are something else!

I think by the time I get recovered from this mid-week holiday, it will be time for the weekend & it will all start over again. You think I would be used to it by now….

Maybe if I get my new Medical ID bracelet or my new One Touch Ultra Mini monitor in the mail today, it will make me feel better. I love getting packages in the mail! In the meantime, I’ll try to stay positive!

Happy 4th of July!

Today is July 4th – Independence Day in America! If you're in America, let’s all remember to be patriotic / respectful on this holiday. Go out – enjoy the fireworks & the happiness of family & friends. Be thankful that we have this holiday & are able to celebrate it in this country. And be mindful that there are others in other parts of the world that are not so fortunate & don’t really know what freedom is.

Those who are diabetics in other parts of the world don't have the luxuries that we enjoy - such as access to the latest & greatest insulin pumps, glucose monitors or even an adequate supply of insulin. I know sometimes I get disgusted when I have an infusion set that the tape gets a little weird & doesn’t sit just right. What I should remember is that I am so blessed to have this infusion set in the first place & plenty of insulin to fill the reservoir in my insulin pump. I can pretty much check my blood sugar at any time of the day or night & know how much insulin I need or if I need to eat something to bring up a low.

My endocrinologist sometimes travels to Russia (or whatever they call their country these days) & helps diabetic kids with their diabetes treatment. He’s told me stories of the diabetes treatment (or lack, thereof) that these kids have to endure. We are so fortunate!

I usually get this way during a holiday. I think it’s because I have the day off & don’t have to worry about things going on at work. I can get out of the rut of everyday living and reflect on life a little more.

I have a car that gets me where I need to go.
I can easily pick up all the groceries, cleaning supplies & dog food I need in one easy stop & be home in 15 minutes.
I can stop on my way home & pick up something to eat (sometimes the most nutritious idea), but I can still do it.
I can (and almost always do) stop at the Hardees drive-thru for one of my daily large Diet Cokes.
I can call my kids on their cell phones & see how they’re doing.
I can hop on my zero-turn Cub Cadet mower & get some sun (with appropriate sunscreen, of course) while making my lawn look nice.
I can just take it easy or relax by enjoying making some new pump packs with new fabric I got the other day. (I found some really cute stuff & can’t wait to make them so you can see them on my website!)
I can watch my dogs playing king-of-the-mountain on the gravel pile in the back yard – they love doing that & it is hilarious to watch!
My husband & I can take a ride on our Harley & enjoy the scenery.

These are just a few of the many blessings I have. But the list could go on & on & on.

The 4th of July is also a time when we remember my husband’s uncle whose birthday was on the 4th. We all used to get together for a cookout to celebrate his birthday & the 4th at the same time. His uncle was also a diabetic so he & I had that bond. He passed away several years ago, but we always remember him on this day.

Sorry to drone on, but these are some of the ways I feel God has truly blessed me. He has been so gracious by giving me these things & making it so I could be born in a country where I can easily enjoy all these blessings.

Happy 4th of July everyone! And God Bless America & everywhere else!

Laughter is Good

My local newspaper (which I read online, Indystar) is always having interactive ways to get the readers involved in something. I usually don’t pay much attention to these things, but one caught my eye last week. I t was called Indypaws. It is a database where people can enter information about their pets, including a profile & pictures. Well, I just had to put my little Sophie out there. It was so much fun! You enter your pet’s information like it was your pet doing the talking. Check out Sophie’s here. She has lots of pals now, too. I was checking out different dogs on this website almost all day Sunday. I laughed until I cried. My husband said he hasn’t heard me laugh like that for a long time. Maybe that’s all I needed to get me out of the blahs. Of course, I love my little Sophie. And reading about how much other people love their pets just made me feel good. If you want a good laugh, check out some of these. They’re worth reading. I hope they make you laugh, too.


P.S. I ordered my One Touch Ultra Mini glucose meter. I'm getting the pink one. I can't wait to get it! It looks so cute!

Weekends!

I know last week I said I was going to try to not be so blah on my blog. But I just have to get this out of the way.

The weekends just hate my diabetes! I just can’t seem to keep things in any kind of control on the weekend. I guess it’s because my schedule is so different than it is through the week. My weekdays are all pretty much on the same schedule. I get up at the same time, eat at the same time, etc. But the weekends are another story. I usually sleep later & don’t eat at the same time. I usually don’t eat as much on the weekend, but you would think I was woofing down chocolate cakes every Saturday & Sunday! My blood sugars are usually in the 200 – 300s. Then, all at once, all that bolusing catches up with me and my blood sugars end up in the 20s or 30s. Then I go into my panic mode. I always go overboard when I start to panic. Then I’m back in the 200 – 300s again.

I just don’t have the discipline in me to just drink the eight sips of juice like Kerri Morrone does; I never have. I’ve always eaten something & more of it than I should. I eat cookies, candy bars, Little Debbie cupcakes, something like that. Then for some reason, I'll crave some milk, too. Now milk is my mortal enemy – even if I don’t go overboard on what I’m eating. If I drink a little milk, my blood sugars are sure to go through the roof! I just don’t have the patience for juice. It takes too long to make me feel better & I want tot feel better NOW! It’s like when my blood sugar starts plummeting, I freak out! I think it’s because I feel like I’m losing control. I don’t like to lose control.

Okay, I admit it; I’m a control freak. I guess that’s my problem. I’m not sure what to do about it, though. I think I’ve always been this way. That’s why it’s so difficult to change. But I know I need to – I just don’t want to. Oh, by the way, I’m a little bull-headed, too. ...just a couple of things I need to work on, huh? I definitely have my work cut out for me.