I have seen some of the training video. It’s well done.
I like the fact that they give you a card with an index, telling where each part begins.
Author: kathleen
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Glucowatch Software
Okay, I have a SERIOUS problem with this. When you fire up the program, you’re presented with a user id and password login. The login information should be on the CD case, not in the help file.
Oh well.
So far, I’m disappointed as there doesn’t seem to be a way to export data.
Oh well.
I’ll figure out a way.
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Glucowatch — It arrived!
I just added a new Glucowatch category — and will move the other entries on it to this category.
The software and watch arrived, the autosensors are due tomorrow evening.
I am currently installing the software.
It came in a box with a CD, and the CD case has a “quick install” and information on getting help for the CD. Personally, I like to keep the manuals to a minumum, so it’s okay for me. Heck, I rarely read anything but the quick install these days.
New computer users might want more.
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Good Reading
One of the absolute best articles I’ve seen on diabetes, and covers BOTH types.
GreenvilleOnline.com – Planning helps diabetic students cope at school
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Apologizing
There are two points to this story — to illustrate another way that apologizing isn’t acceptable —
And to illustrate what happens when blood sugar is out of control.
A couple of years ago, right after being diagnosed with diabetes and
with a blood sugar of over 400 … a teacher aide interrupted one of
my classes. I politely asked her to leave, and when she continued to
interrupt my class time by standing in front of the computer I was
doing the demonstration on, I yelled at her to get out of my room.
Probably a bit strong of a reaction, and if my blood sugar had been
lower, I might have not yelled as quickly. Woman never DID budge.As a result, she complained to one of the administrators, and I
refused to back down. Geez, it was MY classroom, I was teaching MY
class, and she was interrupting. I ended up discussing it with the
principal, and no one ever did acknowledge interrupting me put her in
the wrong.To mollify everyone involved, I agreed to let her come up to my
classroom, introduce her to my students, and apologize to her in front
of them. She wouldn’t accept anything less.My students were appalled! I told them what was happening the day before she came.
And after she left, I let them know that while the witnesses agreed she was in the wrong, third parties had determined that I needed to apologize and it wasn’t a big deal for me. I truly
shouldn’t have yelled, even if she wasn’t listening.Good things came of it. My students learned that apologizing for
misbehavior — justified or not — is not that big of a deal, and the
aide and I are at least cordial, and she sees things my way now.She also hasn’t interrupted a class of mine since.
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Glucowatch
UPS tried to deliver my glucowatch sensors this evening. It was weird, because it was just around UPS time so I decided to check to see if it had been dropped off — they often drop the package off and ring the door bell — but for some reason, usually we’re in the backyard, we don’t always hear them. And I’m not sure they always ring the bell.
Driver had just driven up, so I walked up to the truck and talked to the driver, and he showed me where it was dated 9/8 — last Wednesday. I refused delivery, so we’re all okay now.
And he admitted that it should have been delivered last week, and that it was marked all over “temperature sensitive”. Sigh.
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Gluowatch — waiting on it…
Well, here’s the deal on the Glucowatch.
The guy who runs the insulin pumpers list (whom I have a problem with anyway) claimed he had a working Glucowatch that people could try.
So I told him to send it and ordered a minimum order of autosensors.However, when it came, it was missing 5 components: the recharger, the self test unit, the autosensor press, and the batteries. Batteries wasn’t a problem, it has two rechargable but takes a regular AAA.
The problem is, you can’t make it work without the autosensor press.
It wasn’t a complete waste, because I got to see the video tape, which was well done, and reasonable. I didn’t open the other materials, as I figured out pretty quickly it wasn’t going to work.
So I called the Glucowatch people and was going to cancel the autosensor order but they had shipped the day before. So then I decided to bite the bullet and buy the watch.
Friday arrives — two days after the “temperate sensitive” auto sensors were supposed to have shipped and NO sensors. And Diabetic Promotions is out of the office at 4:00 pm Friday (EST). I don’t even get off work until 4:00 pm Friday on (CST), so that was problematic.
I phoned first thing this morning, ready for a battle, but yes, they had shipped, and UPS lost the order! I wasn’t completely convinced until UPS called, so now I’m waiting for both the watch and the reshipment of the autosensors.
And so far, Diabetic Promotions have been okay to deal with.
Going through the Glucowatch 1-800 is hookie, because they are on California time, and don’t answer to 10, and Diabetic Promotions are on Eastern time, so I’m not even going to mess with the Glucowatch 1-800 from now on. Especially since before 8:00 am our time is an ideal time for me to mess with stuff like that.
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Good CDE Visit
As of today, I’m 28 pounds less than I was when I first went to their office!
I’m really thrilled to death with both the doctor and the CDE. We did have an interesting conversation, because the doctor didn’t want me to waste my money on the Glucowatch, but they both decided — like I did — if anyone on the planet can get it to work, I can, and because I’ve done so well with everything else, we might as well give it a shot.
Believe me, I’ll hammer the Glucowatch people with tech support requests. More on that, next.
Anyway, the CDE and I had an interesting conversation — I’m one of her very few Type 2’s on a pump (I might be the only one), and she’s not sure if she would put me on the pump if I was a new patient. She acknowledged she would have to work with me for a while.
I also admitted I wasn’t as anal about numbers until the pump — but why be, if you aren’t influencing the numbers by your behavior?
We also agreed that I will see her after I see my sleep doctor and that if he has anything negative to say about my part of my care, I’m walking out of the office!
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A time when litigation MIGHT be helping patients
This is an interesting article and I hope more doctors and hospitals see this information. And the good news, here is where a doctor involved in litigation has been something that may lead to some good. (Note that the cases were sent to him to review because they were in litigation, not that the researcher was sued).
Diabetes In Control News – Researchers Devise Way To Detect Brain Swelling In Diabetic Children
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Glucowatch
The Glucowatch people have reduced the price on their watch and on their sensors. I don’t want to try it though, unless I have good reason to know it works, and works well for me.
The insulin pumpers group has shipped a Glucowatch G2 to me, and I’m going to order autosensors from them on Tuesday to try it out. I’ll report here.
Though I have it on at least one user’s advice that it caused serious skin irriation for him, and was always around 50 units off.
It would be nice if it worked.
The glucowatch samples every 10 minutes and produces a 20 minute average, alarms when low or high, and is downloaded. It would certainly solve the need for basal tests if it worked.