Category: Blog

ExpressScripts took over Medco and pretty much left me alone. A few of my copays went up and a few went down.

Until today, though I had a warning from other diabetics.

Yep, they took Bayer Contour and Novolog off my formulary.

Now I have no idea how accurate their substitute strips are but Bayer Contour is approved to work with my CGMS.

Oh, and I am allergic to whatever Lilly adds to their injectables and I itch something fierce when I use them. Probably something similar to what is in the Dexcom sensors.

Refills ordered, emails off to doctor and battle lines drawn.

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I’ve been using the Medtronics Minimed Sof-Sensors since this summer. It’s gone well.

Years ago, I’d tried the Dexcom Seven system and found that I was allergic to something in the system, and I would end up rejecting them. I haven’ had that problem with these. I’ve had some placement issues, but as I use them I get better at it and hadn’t had an issue in quite a while.

The biggest side effect is that I’m getting better at checking my blood sugar and my A1C continues to go down. Weight has also continued to go down.

For many years, we used a food service. I didn’t cook. It was nice, because we picked up food twice a week, and it had full nutritional information.

They changed how they were doing things and was no longer convenient for us. We tried a different service, but they didn’t have our food half the time and it was even less convenient.

So I started cooking. First, we were wasting a lot of food. Part of the problem is that I grew up cooking for a family of four, and I’m still used to cooking those amounts. Also buying supplies was hard. We weren’t using a full ½ gallon of milk, dozen eggs, or loaf of bread before it spoiled.

Problem solved – was on ham radio one evening when one of my ham radio buddies mentioned he had a freezer that needed a home. I bought the freezer from him along with some meat, and he delivered it to the house. It’s a chest freezer, but by adding some freezer crates from the Container Store it’s very easy to organize.

So I still cook for four, but I freeze the extra portions individually. When it comes time to use the extra portions, I tweak the results – adding fresh ingredients, and making a new meal.

I freeze portions of bread, and plan to start freezing milk. I don’t freeze eggs, but I boil my eggs when they get old and have them for lunch.

For lunch, I take a lot of small portions of lots of individual things – a boiled egg or two, fruit, sweet bread, peanut butter, etc and a couple of snack packs. That way, I can eat a little at a time – something I need with my lap band.

I managed to do a few strength exercises both Saturday and today. Not a full strength workout, but a few. It’s a bit harder with Dulce, and I probably need to take a different bag with me. I don’t need to buy a different bag, just need to find one that allows me to take everything with I need.

And I’m ready to do it during prime exercise time – to many people though there is a gal who keeps offering to work out with me, and I might take her up on it.

Working out with the dog can be exhausting – it’s the constant questions that wear me out.

Blood sugar management was better yesterday, managed to check my blood sugar more often and do a better job of bolusing

Work up at 107

Also means I am right about now taking Riomet (liquid glucoplage).

Off to the gym.

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I’m not on track on anything. Seriously.

I get my job done, but feel completely overwhelmed – but then again, I am teaching 5 different somewhat unrelated subjects.

I do get my sites changed every three days, but I don’t check my blood sugar enough or do anything else well enough.

I do get to the gym most of the time – though I did let a dog sitting favor get in the way the last two days (made it today though).

I start out each day planning on doing everything right, but don’t get it done.

“I should get put a vest on my dog and train them.”

This has been said to me about three times. Once at a rest stop, twice by another teacher on another campus, and once today. It usually makes me want to slap them because I know they don’t have the training chops.

I’ve trained and handled the number one obedience beagle. I’ve trained two dogs who went into service as police dogs and I have trained several police officers to train their dogs.

And as my husband says, they get to have the chronic, life threatening illness too.

Yes, she makes mistakes. She jumped on a caterer’s waiter tonight, which he was gracious about and she got corrected for. Thankfully she weighs all of 15 pounds. She also peeked under a dressing room – I usually get a handicapped one but they were busy today – all the handicapped parking spaces were actually taken. She also missed the opportunity to earn a people treat.

When I first started entertaining the notion of a Diabetes Alert Dog, I really didn’t know anything.

First, I thought the dog would only alert for emergencies. Man was that so wrong.

Second, I thought we needed an elaborate alert. Wrong again.

Third, I thought it was going to take a lot of training. She’s done most of the work.

Dulce alerts when I just need to eat a bit early, or need a snack. Great solution – eliminates the wild grabbing of carbs, and I can be more thoughtful about what I was eating. Instead of a massive amount of carbs, just need a couple of lifesavers, or better yet, schedule an earlier lunch.

I thought we needed an elaborate alert, but really just need her to put her paws on my knee.

And guess who figured all this out.

Yeah, the dog.

Yes, it’s taken a lot of training. Especially the day to day behavior stuff. But a lot of the alert stuff is stuff Dulce does naturally and I’m not sure that is true with most DADs.

I was at a meeting, Dulce was some what restless.

Then she jumps up on me.

I test.

I am at 89. Eat something.

I am good.

She gets a cookie.

We are all happy.

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I’ve been getting compliments on Dulce’s behavior – especially at a restaurant at dinner – and she is so new at that. I stopped using a cage when we were eating in August.

My answer: thank you but she’s a service dog, she’s expected to be well behaved but also graciously accept compliment since she is self trained.