New Toys

I finally got around to messing around with the One Touch UltraLink meter I got for free from Medtronic several weeks ago. I love it! It's so convenient for it to transmit the result right to my pump. It doesn't require as much blood and it gives results in only 5 seconds. It's like a miracle. I know - it's pretty sad that I get excited about such little details. But I think many of you feel that same way, right?

Unfortunately, it does have a few drawbacks, too. It's not as convenient to carry. But I ordered a new cute, little bag from Stick Me Designs that I'm sure will work better & take up less room. I can't wait to get it. I'll post pictures later. Rickina has some really cute stuff over there. Take a look if you haven't already.

Back to the new meter - The test strips aren't already in a little drum inside the meter. And the lancet device isn't attached to the meter. But I think I could get used to these things. It's like anything else. You have to take the bad with the good. Or is it the good with the bad? Whatever. Just as long as it's not the Good, the Bad & the UGLY.

But I've always loved my AccuChek Compact meter, but I seem to burn them up pretty quickly these days. I like how quiet it is & the strips are always in the meter so I don't have to carry them around separately. But I killed another one on Sunday. It would act like it was going to work. Then it would send out the strip for me to put the drop of blood on & then it would spit it all the way out. It continued to spit out one strip after the other until I banged it so hard on the table that it stopped - probably out of fear. But when it was spitting out those test strips, it was like trying to give medicine to a 3-year-old & making them swallow the medicine. Not an easy task, right, parents? But I digress.
I have another AccuCheck meter that my endo gave me at my last visit. I like to have an extra on hand - just in case. It's come in handy more than once. And it's a good thing I have that extra meter right now because the One Touch UltraLink only came with 10 strips. Such a tease.

I had a similar meter when I first got my pump, but if I remember correctly, my insurance company didn't want to pay for the strips (since they were more expensive.) So I just kept using my AccuChek. I'm very fortunate in that I don't even have to pay a copay for those strips. I don't know how I managed to get insurance like that. But it's not all moonlight & roses - believe me. Some of my other benefits really stink. Pew!

But I have a friend at work (who has the same insurance, of course) who has a daughter that goes to the same endo as me. They love him, too. My friend said they had our endo contact the insurance company and got them to agree to pay for the One Touch UltraLink strips just like they were paying for the AccuCheck strips. So I think I may check into this, too.

The only catch is that I'm going to have to keep using my AccuCheck meter as long as possible. I have a nice stock of test strips to go through & I don't want to waste them. I hate to waste stuff. But I love new toys!

Some Gave All

This Memorial Day weekend, there will be a lot of outdoor activities, family gatherings, barbeques, picnics, sleeping in, watching The Indy 500 (not me - even though I live in Indiana - I'm a NASCAR girl & will be watching the Coca Cola 600 later Sunday evening), etc...

But I had to remind myself that Monday is actually Memorial Day - which was originally known as Decoration Day. It was meant to honor Union soldiers who lost their lives in The Civil War. It was later expanded after World War I to honor those killed in any war or military action.

So while we're all enjoying our activities this weekend and on Monday, don't forget to honor those who have died defending our freedoms.

And of course, I have a video clip to go with this topic. Most people remember Billy Ray Cyrus for Achy Breaky Heart (and being Miley Cyrus' dad). But he also had a few other lesser-known songs. This one was one of the best. The name of it is Some Gave All. (Please disregard the mullet - if you can - and listen to the words.)



Thanks to all of those in the military who are defending our freedoms today & in the past. We appreciate all you do to keep us free.

Speechless

Today, I am speechless - seriously. For those of you who are familiar with Steven Curtis Chapman, you will understand the title of my post today. God has used his music to get something across to me on more than one occasion. Now he & his family need our prayers. In case you haven't heard, there was a terrible accident. The story is here from his official website. Get your tissues ready. That's all I'm going to say because I'm Speechless.

Running on Empty

Yes, that’s right; I’m going to use a song in my post again today. Yesterday it was country music; today it's late 70's rock – Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty.”

A week or so ago, I wrote about how I thought it was so cool that I got down to 0.00 on the amount of insulin in my pump when it was time to change it out. That was great. No waste!

But yesterday, I got the “Low Reservoir” warning (vibration) when it got down to 20 units. Then later, I got the same warning when it got down to 10 units. Fine. Then just before I was getting ready to leave work to go home, I checked my BG = 177. A little high, but fine for driving. But I wanted to go ahead and bolus. So I pulled out my pump thinking I may still have a little insulin left since it hadn't vibrated yet. But when I looked at the Status screen, it indicated 0.00 units. What? Where was my warning for this? No vibration; no nothing…. I guess I should count my blessings that my BG wasn’t any higher than it was.

I guess I need to dig up my manual on this Minimed 722 & figure out why it warns me at 20 & 10 units. But when it’s empty, it keeps it’s mouth shut – so to speak.

Anyway, it turned out okay & all is well now. So here’s my musical tribute of the day. It really has nothing to do with running out of insulin, but I couldn’t resist. Enjoy!

Checkered Flag

I'll just say it. I LOVE NASCAR! I love the competition, the personalities, the excitement, the speed - all of it. I look forward to every weekend so I can watch another race & I'm disappointed on weekends when they don't have one. Then when the season ends, I am devastated.

The thing that gets me through NASCAR's off-season is watching football. I love it, too. But NASCAR is my favorite.

All the races & tracks are different. Some races are during the day; some are at night. Some tracks are a little boring; then others are always exciting - like Bristol, Talledega, Daytona, Richmond. Those are always good.

I have my favorite drivers, too. My #1 driver is the #24 - Jeff Gordon. He grew up in a small town not too far from here. I've always liked him and I realize some people don't like him so I'll stop talking about him now.

There are several other drivers that I like -
Jeff Burton (and his older brother, Ward - but he's not racing anymore),
Tony Stewart - also from Indiana,
Bobby Labonte (and his older brother, Terry - but he retired),
Michael Waltrip - what a character!
Dale Earnhardt Jr - why not?
Carl Edwards - love the back flip when he wins.

While all of this NASCAR stuff is enjoyable & exciting for me, I got a different kind of surprise during the telecast of the Richmond race last Saturday night. I saw a commercial I never thought I would see the likes of during a NASCAR race. It was a commercial for One Touch and the Hand project from TuDiabetes. I was actually on the computer at the time & didn't see the entire thing. So I didn't realize what it was until I caught a glimpse of the hand at the end of the commercial. I almost cried. Wow!

Diabetes & NASCAR - a combination I never thought I would see. Diabetes - something I don't like, but have to deal with 24-7 and NASCAR - my favorite sport to watch. What a surprise! We're just popping up everywhere now! How cool is that?!

Then I started thinking about all the different flags they wave during a NASCAR race & how they are similar to our lives.
We get the green flag when we're diagnosed with diabetes - new green flags are waved everyday when new people are diagnosed.
Then come all the caution (yellow) flags. We get those all the time throughout our lives with diabetes. Highs, lows, unexplainable A1Cs, miscounting carbs, stress, etc.
Hopefully, we never see the red flag when the race is stopped because something really bad has happened. I don't like those. Complications - lets just leave it at that.
But then - if only there would be a checkered flag to signify the end of diabetes & we all win. That's a flag I would like to see.

Here's to that checkered flag!