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  • Dulce Alerts!

    When I’m high.  I don’t think I’ve ever been treatable low around her, but I’ve been high twice around her lately.  It’s not that socially acceptable.  She climbs up on my lap and licks my face, probably to get the sugar from my sweat.

    But it’s something to work with.

    It also means we have something to train with.

    So we’re all good, vest and cards are here.  Bringsel should be on its way.  My alert of choice would be her to grab the bringsel and bring it to me.  I would like her to do that anytime she thinks I should check my blood sugar, when the pump goes off, when I’m high or when I’m low.

  • Diabetic Alert Dogs

    I have been doing a lot of research.

    I think the biggest problem is demand is vastly bigger than the supply.  I have found some great resources.

    http://www.diabeticalertdog.com/index.php

    There is a Dallas area trainer who is very helpful to me so far,and has some nice looking dogs but I haven’t met him personally:

    http://brookslabradors.com/

    So far, access hasn’t been an issue.

  • Weight Loss

    I’m doing really well since my last fill.  I go in on Thursday I think, need to double check the calendar.  Only problem is that I stay constipated so I’m not always sure how much weight I’ve lost.

    The Aria scale shows I’ve lost six pounds this month.

  • Issues around self trained medical alert dogs

    First, how do you train it?

    Of course, training any performance dog, be it an obedience dog or a narcotics detection dog, is an on going process.

    Every situation is going to present a new challenge. 

    Spoke with a director of student disabilities at a local university today and mentioned that the dog was self trained and an ongoing project.

    Last night presented some real challenges that have really made me rethink things today. Do I want to fight the battles…   

    Sent from my Windows Phone

  • Lab work back

    My A1C is the best it’s been in a while – 7.7

    Last A1C was 9.4 and 8.9 before that, so I’m doing much better.

  • I hate traveling

    I don’t do it enough, and every time I do, something happens.  Especially when I fly.

    This time it started out with @TSA dumping all my items on the floor.  Unfortunately nothing seems broken but I haven’t opened up the two spare insulin bottle boxes.

    Once they broke three vials of insulin.  Well, I dropped them and broke them because I was following their liquid rules.  I don’t do that any more with insulin.

    Also, when I got to the hotel, they gave me a wheelchair room.  Which was very odd, as I had specifically asked for a corner king.  I had paid for the extra space as I figured correctly that the room would be quieter.

    It was fixed very quickly but with a few minutes of extra concern and inconvenience.

    But I’m here in California, missing my dogs and my truck and my husband.  Yeah, in that order, though maybe the truck more than the dogs.  Have already run into two already friends, and one new one.

    Scott Hanselman inadvertently advised me that @TSA are just people who didn’t get to be real cops, and since I used to train real cops, I really DO get them.

  • Diabetes Alert Dogs

    I have decided that I am going to train Dulce to be a diabetes alert dog.

    I am a former drug dog handler and trainer.  I had completely dismissed the idea for years because the people who were doing it were completely had no scruples.  In fact, the Texas Attorney General was after too – and the man is in a wheel chair, so for god sakes, he has to be looking out for the medically disadvantaged, right? 

    In fact, I had stopped watching DLife, because they were giving one of those groups free advertising.

    Anyway, it seems that we actually do excrete something that dogs actually can detect when we go low and when we go high.  Or last least those of us who don’t produce insulin and I think I live in that boat.

    There are a lot of logistics that need to be worked out.  Where does she ride in the car, as I am absolutely against having any dog loose in the car, and how does she alert when we are in the car.

    I’m in a plane right now, and where does she ride in the plane, there is no freaking room for her here.  Not that I fly often.

    The rest of its easy.  I just have to go high a few times (not hard – and capture that – and go low a few time (harder, scares me to freaking death, who wants to help with that party?), and train her.

    Peace of cake.

    Besides, the child desperately needs a job.

  • Flying

    I hate @TSA  This time, they dumped all my belongings on the floor. A friend recently reminded me that if they were real cops, they would be listed in the Texas Penal code.

    Fortunately nothing seems to be broken, but I haven’t checked the insulin.  All three bottles are in their factory bottles.

    I did positively reinforce the young man who recognized my insulin pump.

    Not a word about battery or CPAP.

    However, a US Airways representative stuck his mouth where it didn’t belong.

    Tweeting about that.

  • Adjusting

    Spent the full night in the new mask.  Was a bit uncomfortable at first, but stuck it out.  Should be fine now.

    Now trying to find the best solution for my emergency battery.  Hoping to find my repair person!

  • Finally summer workouts

    I had been doing physical therapy all spring so had cut down on my regular workouts. Just doing cardio on the days I wasn’t doing PT and occasionally arm workouts.

    I am back to about 30 minutes on the recumbent bike, weights and working up to 30 minutes of walking in the pool which i have to be careful with, since i tend to go low there.

    Especially since the gym is without vending machines. <snarl>
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