Category: Blog

I have been utilizing just about every resource the school district gives in trying to fix my diabetes control issue including the BCBS nurse.  I think they sent her to me.

Well she called this afternoon and asked how I was doing.

I told her, well, you probably haven’t heard this one before, but I’m doing loads better and it’s because I decided to train my own diabetes alert dog.

She thought it was awesome and very cool and couldn’t wait until she told her supervisor.  She agreed that it really didn’t matter how I got there, as long as I did.  I explained how it worked – that Dulce alerts when I’m just out of range so I can fix the problem before it gets too bad.

Now if I can just do a better job on controlling my environment!

Today I got up with the following plans:

Get nails done
Go to the gym
Deal with small problems

Didn't actually end up doing things in that order but picked up a small mocha on the way to nails and dosed for half, knowing the gym was the next stop.

Nail salon took longer, and Dulce alerted her way, stretching placing her feet in my knee several times and making eye contact. Dog was right, blood sugar in the 240s, did a half adjustment and headed for the gym where we are now.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Okay, the electronic CGM’s are easy.  You go high, you give yourself some insulin and you wait for your blood sugar go down.

Isn’t that simple with a Diabetic Alert Dog.

By the way I was just asking for advice – what do you do if the dog comes up with an alert different than what you want, do you go with it, or do you train for the alert.

Well, Dulce decided today to go for the alert I wanted.  Not sure why.  She’s been putting her paws on my lap and making eye contact, but I have a leash with a knot in it on the living room floor and she went for that today.

I even decided I wasn’t out of range – there we go with that assumption again – I know I have hypo and hyper glycemic unawareness.

But she alerted, I tested and fixed.  Now we wait.  But turning her off isn’t that easy.  She’s nagging now.

Yesterday I was in a situation that kept my blood sugar high.  It was totally out of my control and was completely unpredictable.

So setting a temp basal was out of the question. 

I had no idea when it would end, or how it would end.

Basically I was screwed.

It was hard on both me and the dog.  She kept alerting that I was high.  I kept testing and adjusting my blood sugar – I believe this may be called “rage bolusing”.  The good news is that I was just at the edge of my high range.  Nothing super dangerous, just really annoying.

I know if I get into this particular situation again, the best thing is to just walk out of it – walking out would have not changed the outcome, but it would have not endangered my own health or outset the dog.  All we can do is learn.

The best news-  keeping your blood sugar in range keeps the diabetes alert dog happy.

Can’t talk publically about the weird part yet.

But I had a Type 1 person come up to me at a dog agility trial and tell me that if I completely changed my eating habits my diabetes would go away.

Okay….

So which type am I?

I’m definitely insulin resistive.

I’m definitely don’t produce enough insulin to live.

I am both hyper and hypo glycemic unaware.

I have been on insulin only up until recently, at least 9 years.  I’ve been on an insulin pump for 8 years.

Weird.

Type 2 diabetes, by contrast, is brought on by inactivity and obesity, mainly in adults, and is characterized by the body’s inability to make efficient use of insulin

Wrong Call: The Trouble Diagnosing Diabetes – WSJ.com

Snarl, snarl, snarl.  I know plenty of active, non-obese adults with Type 2 Diabetes.  Or just active obese adults with Type 2.

Or then there is me, who might very well have both types.

And at least I’ve been smart enough to demand insulin from almost the onset.  We’re doing metforum now, but figure I’ll be off it sometime.

After driving to Duluth, Minnesota and back for a teacher workshop, I’m back in Dallas.  I am .7 pounds lighter than I left, which isn’t bad considering I’ve been doing a lot of sitting.

Very happy to be back and able to get back on track.  I’ve got an agility trial this weekend, and don’t report back to school until the 24th. 

Had a good time, met Scott Johnson on the way back.  Had a lot of thoughts reinforced.

I’ve been through several years of diabetic burnout now.  I’ve getting better, but I’m still missing some finger sticks – last night was a good example – why finger stick, I know my blood sugar is too high, I don’t really want to correct as I’m away from home, only have Dulce to help me, and I don’t want to go low in the night. 

Lots of those scripts go through my head.

Sometimes I just get really busy.  I’m going through a normal teaching day and I’m too lazy to pull the meter out of my bag.

Sometimes I forget to put the meter in my bag.

Sometimes I forget to put extra test strips in my bag and run out.

But the real reason really has to do with a lot of denial, a lot of depression, and a lot of resignation. 

BEING DIABETIC isn’t fun.  In fact, it can be painful, it can be awkward and it just isn’t a fun lifestyle at all.

Training and traveling with Dulce is helping me get a handle on it, but I’m not perfect.

So we have been in Duluth since Sunday.

A lot of the time, people don’t notice her. It’s because she is only 12” tall. I haven’t had anyone say anything negative about her in Duluth. However, there are a few times I have decided to give her a few minutes off, like last night at dinner. It’s cooler here, found some shade, and I was eating. Shouldn’t be having a low, and if I were, I was already doing something about it.

Sometimes I think people didn’t notice, but then they say something.  It’s all rather different.

Some of the time, it slows things down.  People want to meet her and want to hear the whole story.  Some times I feel a bit funny about the part that she is self trained.  I don’t look like an expert dog trainer, but then what does an expert dog trainer look like? 

My latest issue?  How do I get to Baltimore and back in October with her?

Also we’re meeting with the ADA Committee on Tuesday morning.