Living with Diabetes

Author: kathleen

  • Weird Dog Sports

    Dog Dancing – My beagle and I try America’s weirdest pet hobby. By Emily Yoffe

    After reading this, I decided to write her — and then decided to post my email to her here.

    Before getting into this — People I really like and spend weekends with occasionally do Dog Dancing. I don’t.

    People I like and spend weekends with occasionally do Dock Diving. We get along and our dogs get along, but the beagles eye them with suspicion because they actually LIKE being wet.

    So here’s the email:

    Okay, I have to start out by admitting that the beagle I tried dog dancing with WAS the Number 1 Obedience Beagle in the country (for 8 years, bless her), so both of us were a bit more motivated than you and Sasha. Also a lot more prepared, she actually did things when I told her to do them.
    Sometimes. Always when I had food in my hand.

    The bad news, was at the time, I think she was 9 years old, too blind for the obedience ring, but however DID walk to the beat of one of the Peanuts tunes, and did do spins and stuff. We tried it for a couple of weeks and I can’t remember who decided if it was for the border collies … she or I. (And no, I didn’t have border collies at the time, and I’ve sworn off them).

    Okay, I promised the weirdest dog sport. Big Air is almost the weirdest dog sport — it was on Great Outdoor Games this weekend, however, those people came up with a weirder one. The Launch. At least Big Air demands the handler to actually throw something. The Launch only requires the dog to run down a dog and grab a dummy suspended in air. The dog that grabs the highest one wins.

    Sorry, that’s weird.

    My husband and I were discussing it in beagle terms — I would get one of the girls on a boat dock, point out the dummy suspended in air, convince them to run down the dog with food, and then when they saw the water, they would put on the beagle brakes — curse at me in beagle curses — silent in Marcie’s case, very loud bellows in Maggie’s. And I would NEVER EVER get them on a boat dock again.

    And I’m someone dumb enough to compete in Dog Obedience for 8 years (but be really good at it), and play dog agility now — not good at it, but we have an much better time at it than we did with Dog Obedience.

    And yes, I cheerfully acknowledge that it is a weird hobby, but a) keeps me off the streets and b) keeps me from killing teenagers (I’m a teacher).

  • Weight loss

    Today is my “official” weigh in day and I weigh the least I have since Spring Break and all the stress started in. I’m not quite to that weight yet, but I have hopes.

    The symlin has helped the most. Between the side effects of satiety and the reduction in insulin, I’ve been able to cut down on both the insulin I’ve used and the amount of food I eat. I haven’t had to change my basal or bolus rates, yet though, but I think I might be getting close.

  • Feeling at the end of the tunnel

    I just turned in my last assignment for my “district” class. I still have the project to do, but that’s it for that class. I’ve also got major progress done on it.

    I have the major assignment done for the other class, and we’re still doing our discussions, but I’ve led mine and so I feel like this is going to end too. I have a final, but I’m not worried about it at all.

    So I am finally feeling like I’m going to graduate.

  • Cool — they are studying people like me!

    Blackwell Synergy: Diabet Med, Vol 22, Issue 8, pp. 1037-1046: Insulin pump therapy vs. multiple daily injections in obese Type 2 diabetic patients (Abstract)

    Insulin pump therapy vs. multiple daily injections in obese Type 2 diabetic patients

  • Tooth Good News

    Nothing like going in, expecting a $280 crown (I know a good price) and leaving with a $40 filling.

    I still can’t help but wonder if part of the problem was the slightly elevated blood sugar this weekend. Of course, the filling could have caused it too. (The old chicken and egg thing).

    It’s at least incentive to keep things under control.

  • Tooth Good News

    Nothing like going in, expecting a $280 crown (I know a good price) and leaving with a $40 filling.

    I still can’t help but wonder if part of the problem was the slightly elevated blood sugar this weekend. Of course, the filling could have caused it too. (The old chicken and egg thing).

    It’s at least incentive to keep things under control.

  • Sharps Disposal

    I’ve blogged about this before, but a conversation came up today and it’s been rolling in my head for a while after reading someone else’s blog entry.

    One thing that was covered in my diabetes training, but something I’m not sure diabetics think a lot about is Sharps Disposal. However, what I was taught in diabetes training is wrong for my community and it might be an issue for yours.

    I was taught to do one of two things:

    Buy a sharps container — which was my choice, because it was quick and easy.

    Take an old laundry soap container, soak off the label and mark it sharps with a “sharpie” pen. When finished, tape the lid down.

    Well neither works where I live. I got a cryptic note from the city the two times I put a sharps container in the trash, and when I finally figured out what was going on, I called. Come to find out, one of our city workers was injured because our city grinds up the trash. Okay, I don’t really get it, but the gist is, we can’t dispose of sharps in trash in my community. You might be able to in yours.

    They thought that the local hospital would deal with it, but they won’t. I did find a guy that hauls sharps for the local doctors who said he’d take them at no charge but it’s a bit out of the way.

    So here’s the solution I use:

    You either contact your pharmacy and order a BD Sharps by Mail kit OR you can order them from an outfit online. The NDC number for the BC Sharps by Mail kid is 08290323488. If you give that number to your pharmacist, they can order it.

    I really like these people though, because they have quart containers I can stash in various places: http://www.sharpsdisposal.com/

    And everything we stick ourselves with is a sharp. Lancelets, syringes, pen needles and even the inseration part of sets. Though the Inset is designed to be disposed in regular trash and I haven’t gotten a nasty note about them.

  • Sharps Disposal

    I’ve blogged about this before, but a conversation came up today and it’s been rolling in my head for a while after reading someone else’s blog entry.

    One thing that was covered in my diabetes training, but something I’m not sure diabetics think a lot about is Sharps Disposal. However, what I was taught in diabetes training is wrong for my community and it might be an issue for yours.

    I was taught to do one of two things:

    Buy a sharps container — which was my choice, because it was quick and easy.

    Take an old laundry soap container, soak off the label and mark it sharps with a “sharpie” pen. When finished, tape the lid down.

    Well neither works where I live. I got a cryptic note from the city the two times I put a sharps container in the trash, and when I finally figured out what was going on, I called. Come to find out, one of our city workers was injured because our city grinds up the trash. Okay, I don’t really get it, but the gist is, we can’t dispose of sharps in trash in my community. You might be able to in yours.

    They thought that the local hospital would deal with it, but they won’t. I did find a guy that hauls sharps for the local doctors who said he’d take them at no charge but it’s a bit out of the way.

    So here’s the solution I use:

    You either contact your pharmacy and order a BD Sharps by Mail kit OR you can order them from an outfit online. The NDC number for the BC Sharps by Mail kid is 08290323488. If you give that number to your pharmacist, they can order it.

    I really like these people though, because they have quart containers I can stash in various places: http://www.sharpsdisposal.com/

    And everything we stick ourselves with is a sharp. Lancelets, syringes, pen needles and even the inseration part of sets. Though the Inset is designed to be disposed in regular trash and I haven’t gotten a nasty note about them.

  • Worst Buy in Lewisville

    To begin with, let me say that I love the Best Buy in Farmers Branch. In fact, I’ve found things at the Worst Buy in Lewisville, couldn’t get service and gone to the Best Buy in Farmers Branch and bought the item.

    Plus there is a guy in appliances at the Best Buy in FB who is out of this world. Besides, buying in Farmers Branch is better for me anyway — we get some sales tax money.

    SO … I met a friend for lunch and we ate at a restaurant right in front of the Worst Buy in Lewisville, and I need a hard drive — which is another story.

    So I popped in, and couldn’t find the hard drives, and couldn’t find anyone to tell me where they were….

    When I finally found them, there was a big heavy stocking ladder thingy in front of the ones I wanted to look at. I finally figured out how to reach one and went to check out.

    Only one person was checking out people and here I was, third in line. They were slow enough for me to start wondering why I was standing in line!

    So I dropped the hard drive down on the counter and left. Told the door person that they had lousy service that day and was leaving. (I would call them a greeter, but he didn’t).

    When I got in the car, I decided to go to the Office Depot in Dallas, just across the bridge from Farmers Branch. When I got there, they greeted me, as did every person I worked by in the store.

    The hard drives were in a locked cabinet and it took me seconds to locate the employee with the key. Guess what! They had 200 MB hard drives on sale for $80.00 and the WB drive was 80 gig for $90.

    Guess who won?

  • Worst Buy in Lewisville

    To begin with, let me say that I love the Best Buy in Farmers Branch. In fact, I’ve found things at the Worst Buy in Lewisville, couldn’t get service and gone to the Best Buy in Farmers Branch and bought the item.

    Plus there is a guy in appliances at the Best Buy in FB who is out of this world. Besides, buying in Farmers Branch is better for me anyway — we get some sales tax money.

    SO … I met a friend for lunch and we ate at a restaurant right in front of the Worst Buy in Lewisville, and I need a hard drive — which is another story.

    So I popped in, and couldn’t find the hard drives, and couldn’t find anyone to tell me where they were….

    When I finally found them, there was a big heavy stocking ladder thingy in front of the ones I wanted to look at. I finally figured out how to reach one and went to check out.

    Only one person was checking out people and here I was, third in line. They were slow enough for me to start wondering why I was standing in line!

    So I dropped the hard drive down on the counter and left. Told the door person that they had lousy service that day and was leaving. (I would call them a greeter, but he didn’t).

    When I got in the car, I decided to go to the Office Depot in Dallas, just across the bridge from Farmers Branch. When I got there, they greeted me, as did every person I worked by in the store.

    The hard drives were in a locked cabinet and it took me seconds to locate the employee with the key. Guess what! They had 200 MB hard drives on sale for $80.00 and the WB drive was 80 gig for $90.

    Guess who won?