Category: Blog

 Put a new sensor in this morning and it never did start working right.

Here’s a picture:

So I called Dexcom tech support, hooked up the sensor and sent them the data.  They agreed it was bad, and are sending a new sensor and a return kit.  That’s good, because that gives me a second “emergency” sensor.  I love the way they package the single sensors, as I can just tuck the box in my emergency kit.

That’s the first time I’ve had a sensor start out bad, but I am thinking it is the second sensor in the same lot. 

So far, I’m on my third box of 4, I think, and I’ve had three sensors fail. One was a 3 day sensor and I just put it in wrong.  One failed in the middle, I thought caused by downloading data, and then this one.

Got my labs back this morning vin secure email.  A1C is 7.1 which is a darn site better than the last A1c this summer — 7.7.

I did leave an email asking him if there was any way we could bring it down.

Since my last visit I’ve lost S lbs. Don’t have A1C yet. My biggest concern wasn’t met, which is Symlin. He didn’t know the pen is coming out. He had even see the rep and still did not know. Not a  problem, it is not supposed to be out until December and that is at least 2 weeks away.

I will just email them when it is available.

My runs went better than they’ve gone in a way, but still no Q’s.  I still need to get faster, meaning lose a bit more weight, get better on my conditioning, etc.

One of the judges made a comment I wanted to object to at the time.  We had arrived at the site yesterday to find no electricity, and it was too dark to run in the building.  She said, “remember, this isn’t the cure to cancer” when we were talking about whether or not individual dogs should run.  However, I beg to differ, and several other people with chronic diseases felt the same way.

Dog agility might not be a cure for cancer or another other chronic disease but it IS a way to help me manage and enjoy my chronic disease.  I will be honest, if it weren’t for dog agility I wouldn’t be monitoring my health as much and I would not have a need to be physically active.

However, I still wouldn’t have run with out lighting.  Not only do I worry about Marcie’s older eyes being able to see the course, I had trouble seeing the course.

As it was, the lights came on just in time, and Marcie and I had the first clean standard run in a while.

 Amy blogs about her test strips.

Back in the summer I was having a little fun bemoaning the trail of all those used test strips that seems to follow me everywhere I go.

Diabetes Mine: Test Strip Art

Back when I was sentenced to teach in a portable with no technology (don’t worry, not only did I GET technology going there, BUT I escaped back to my old room), there actually was a trial of test strips from my portable to the dumpster.  Not a thick trail, but definitely could be followed — goes to show how cheap the trash bags my district uses.  Apparently one or two escaped each day they cleaned my room.

Seriously. 

We’ve had some good advances this year.  I’m not sure when the Ultra Mini came out but we’ve got two really small meters now (Freestyle Flash and Ultra Mini).

Symlin is coming out in a pen in a few weeks.

Now Dexcom 7 will work with any meter.

That’s going to make the amount of stuff I have to carry significantly smaller.  All good things.

YES!!!!!!!   YEAH!  This will make life easier.  I had to come back home on Monday because I forgot my cable and had just started a new sensor.

DexCom Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM) Friday said it received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to calibrate Seven, its seven-day continuous glucose monitoring system, using any FDA-cleared blood glucose meter.

DexCom gets FDA OK to calibrate Seven, its continuous glucose monitoring system

Again, I won’t add happy.  But please fill out the Diabetes Technology Survey

The “Dallas-area police officer” was one of my best friends.   Honestly, I’m not sure he even deserves to die at this point, since it is something he wants.

Rodriguez, one of the “Texas 7” convicts who escaped from a state prison in 2000 and killed a Dallas-area police officer while on the lam, has dropped his appeals and wants to die.

‘Texas 7’ convict’s desire to die stalled by courts | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News

I actually THOUGHT that yesterday was the 9th.  But just in the evening.  Think I was wishing for Friday.  But then, since I was probably the first diabetes blog and certainly the oldest dblog maybe posting early was a good idea.  Besides, the way that life is lately, I might not have gotten to it today.

FYI, my first post was in February 2003!  That’s OLD in blog years.

I got into blogging because one of my dreams is to write a textbook for my students.  I haven’t decided which group of students, but that’s okay, it will come some day.  Teachers write textbooks when they are frustrated with the ones in existence.  And I have written much of the curriculum for my kiddos.

Everything I’ve read about writing, is that you have to practice the skill, just like any other skill.  I know I’m not a story telling.  That’s okay, because the writing I’ve done all my career has been technical writing, and textbook writing AND this blog is just an extension.

Career — technical writing — yeah, I identify myself, first and foremost as a programmer.  As I tell my students, if you can’t document what you do as a programmer, you might as well not.  I am quite sure that over 60% of what I did professionally involved writing documentation, not code.

Picking diabetes  and my overall health secondary was a good choice.   It allows me to vent when I get frustrated and allows me to collect information and share it.  Lots of times I’ve been a pioneer in using something.  Both Symlin and Dexcom come to mind.  Especially since I’m often one of the first Type 2’s to try new technology.

Anyway, blogging has been good.  I’ve tried and do have blog about teaching, but there are a lot of things I just can’t blog about when it comes to my teaching life. 

I can’t say Happy when it comes to diabetes, especially since for me, it’s a dark shadow that follows me always.  Watching someone die of diabetes was NOT fun.