Category: Blog

I got to Pittsburgh, though a weird thing happened on the way, I was sitting in the truck trying to change my set and insulin out as I was running out of insulin and the set was itching.  I swear to god, I filled a reservoir and put it where I could find it — got distracted by something else and cannot find it.  Seriously, there is a black hole in my car.  Still haven’t found it, and it is dead, I’m sure because it was sunny and in the low 90s here.

I have everything else, enough sensor, enough test strips, enough insulin, sets, reservoirs, etc for two of me. 

I’m really glad I drove.  Didn’t need the two pillows but having decent towels and my comforter are nice and also have a choice of clothing, though will have to do laundry by Wednesday.

Didn’t sleep well last night, took forever to get to sleep, and woke up early.  I finally got up at 5:00 am and got the last couple of things out of the truck (wonder how many times I’ll think that?).

I also have some food.  By the way, does anyone reading this think $8.00 for breakfast is reasonable?  Yeah, it’s all you can eat, but a) who wants to, and b) who eats $8.00 of breakfast.  Especially a college dorm.  Maybe once, I’ll try it.

I did find a good new breakfast food — Panera Bread souffle — it was very kind to my blood sugar and was only 36 carbs.

Website blogging about Dexcom 7 

A couple people have asked if I am blogging about my new Dexcom 7 continuous glucose monitor system (CGMS).

Adventures with Comrade Dex

Bernard has some information on Dexcom 7 

I see some traffic on various mailing groups and I’ve spoken with Dexcom service/sales about the new device. So I now have a little additional information that I wanted to share (because there’s so little out there in webland).

Google Reader (100+)

It’s really sad, because we almost had a good visit.  She obviously did not like what I wore out of the house today but she didn’t say why.

She also didn’t like what I was wearing last night either.  Funny thing, she gave me the top.

Actually I don’t think it was WHAT I was wearing but the body under it.  Hey, I don’t like it much either, and I am doing all I can to change it. 

I may a point today to say something very nice to every person I came in contact with.  Even the very noisy child at the table next to me at Cracker Barrel.  When I finished eating, I said, “you sure are a cutie, and to her parents said, hope you have a nice trip,”  By the way, after the depo failure I’ve been in two situations that have reminded me why to make sure I’m on depo.

I’ve made it to Virginia, and hope to spend a few minutes with my Aunt in Pittsburgh.

Stopped at a Krystal’s in Trenton, Georgia.  It’s cool here, both temperature wise and scenery.  Two reasons for the Krystal’s stop — I worked at several in Mississippi and I love them, plus a chance to get an internet fix, as they have free wireless.

I got a bit of a stare from a fellow patron as I injected Symlin, she’ll get over it.

The pleasantness of the visit with my mother soon ended <sigh>  I called her to tell her I made it to I-20, and she asked me if I was at my heaviest.

I called her later in the afternoon and she said something about not dressing professionally and other snarkie comments about my weight.  I read her the riot act.  Told her that she was adding negative energy — and that negative energy was what made me gain weight.  I told her she wasn’t helping anyone in her family about talking to them or about them in a negative way.  She could see that I was making good choices while I was there.  Hopefully she’ll listen but she is 70.  She has always been about negative energy.

We’ll blame the french fries on her.

Good reading — he’s a new diabetic and a new pumper.  He expresses a lot about how I feel about pumping and not being on injections — however, I was on Humalog 75/25 — I fondly call it dog insulin. 

Best of all I know that the chemical that is keeping me alive is constantly attached to me and can be altered to better fit my activity alot of weight was lifted off my shoulders yesterday and I can’t express how happy I am to be pumping.

Ring The Bolus: My Purple Pancreas

This is not my week.  Today was my day to take my depo prevera SubQ.  So I pull it out, try to follow the directions and then have problems when I go to push the plunger in.  Medication ended up all over instead of in me.

Of course, it’s the Fourth of July and the doctor’s office is closed.  Also, I’m leaving for Pittsburgh tomorrow.  ARGH!  And will be gone for two weeks.

So I call the manufacturer.  They tell me to save everything but can’t give me any answers (trust me, I’ll call them tomorrow).  The answer I want is that they will send me a new Depo Prevera so I’m not out that dose.

Next I call Medco, as the Depo Prevera number suggest they should refund it.  I also want to make sure I won’t have any pharmacy problems.

Finally, I take a chance and call the doctor’s office.  Hours are 7:30 am to 4:00 — that is good — in fact, I might go back to them to get injections as I can do that at 7:30.

So right now, the plan is to call the doctor’s office at 7:30 and see if they have Depo in stock.  If not, I’ll have them call the Walgreens around the corner and order it, I’ll pick it up and let the nurse give it to me.

I am not sure why I wasn’t happy with my second sensor, but I will say that every time I shut it down and restarted it, it became more accurate.  I got a lot of calibration errors with it and I don’t know if it was the sensor, the situation (dog agility trial), or the meter.  It finally stopped working on day 8.  Yes, I stopped getting data from it.  I tried several restarts, but couldn’t get it to budge.

I had the same problem with my third sensor.  Come to find out, I did not insert it correctly.  Dexcom gave me a credit for it, which I’ll be able to receive with my next order.  They are also sending me a return kit for it. 

Needless to say, I am definitely going to call tech support and have them walk me through inserting the next few.  I skipped a step and maybe I’ll remember next time, but a) tech support is very nice and patient, and b) it doesn’t cost me anything to use their resources.

The fourth sensor, which I put in last night is working as well, if not better than the first sensor.  That’s good because I’m driving to Pittsburgh tomorrow.

 I actually DO think Symlin does help me with this — but it just can’t overcome stress eating.  Wish it did.

As many of us know to our dismay, the desire to chow down fatty, sugary food can be very strong indeed. In a recent six-week study of 88 obese, non-diabetic men and women, Symlin, a synthetic hormone currently used to dampen diabetic blood sugar swings, was found to dampen those very desires.

Symlin Curtails Fast Food Binges in Weight Loss Study – Diabetes Health

Interesting — and I certainly believe it is true.  First of all, what doctor wants to be bothered every three days?  I have to adjust boluses pretty often either when I lose or gain weight — or just eat too many carbs for a few days. 

In a real-world study, patients using a dose self-adjustment algorithm had significantly greater fasting plasma glucose reductions (P<0.0001) than those randomized to standard physician-driven adjustments, said Luigi Meneghini, M.D., of the University of Miami, and colleagues.

ADA: Patients Beat Physicians at Insulin Dose Adjustment