Category: Current Status

The quick note was left because I had received a few emails asking if I had gotten back.

The trip itself was a success. Nothing happened I couldn’t handle, and I did manage to get all of the supplies with me. The two things I forgot — dog food and shoes — were easily replaced. Actually I didn’t bother to do anything about the shoes.

I was able to maintain my weight while I was gone. Still with the same very slow but steady weight loss.

I did have some eating issues on Sunday, I think that was the stress from not doing well at the show, the stress of the drive, it was raining most of the drive and severe rain for a short period of time. Since I’ve gotten eating problems down to about once every week and half, I think I am doing well on that. I would like to get that to even lower, but if I work on it too hard, it aggravates it.

So the trip was a success, even though the agility trial itself wasn’t.

Right now, those courses are just too long for me to do well on. But I am not giving up yet.

I did get back safely. Just too tired to post or deal with anything besides unloading.

And have to hit the ground running this morning.

Well, we didn’t do well today. I feel good about the first course, but she didn’t do ANYTHING right, not even the things she is good at. She even left off the stay at the start!

The JWW run was better, but I blew that one. I didn’t know the course well enough as I expected to be blown off again, but she was with me.

Traveling itself is going well. I would have done fine with out the food, I think, but it was nice having a good dinner waiting for me. And having breakfast here was nice too.

I’m going to plan better on food next time. Lunch was something that needed to be heated, so I left it behind. I ended up eating consession food instead.

I didn’t think to bring the book I was reading, so I picked up one I’ve already read. I didn’t MEAN to, but that’s okay. It’s easier that way, and I don’t remember how it ended.

Oh, and I dropped my blood sugar monitor in the dog’s bowl. I’m having a real problem with the case provided by Therasense for my monitor. The monitor slides right out of the case when I get strips out of the test strip container. How it managed to land in the water bowl, I have no idea.

It’s not a real problem — I have a spare. I immediately took it apart, and shook out all the water I could. I have it drying out now. I did this with a cell phone and it survived so we’ll see.

I need to remember to use test solution to check it.

But at least she is well. She’s had a pulled muscle at class right before Memorial Day and then an ear infection and a hot spot right where her collar sits.

So now I am on my first trip away from home with an insulin pump. I am in Monroe, LA with one beagle, and we’re entered in an agility trial here. I have a NICE hotel room, Holiday Inn, and it’s a suite room. I found years ago that helps the sleeping problem.

I did notice that my blood sugar was a bit elevated driving. It makes sense, since you aren’t moving around much and people driving around you do goofy things on the road. I also had some edges of thunderstorms and some road construction to deal with.

Not eating sugar as I went wasn’t hard. A bad habit my father taught me — eat sugar to stay awake. FYI: It makes diabetics sleepy. This is NOT a good thing.

I ended up eating fried chicken and salad on the road instead of Diet Gourmet when I got to the hotel, but the calorie level worked out fine. Maybe a touch over.

I only woke up once, and my blood sugar was a tad high. It was low when I went to sleep — 125 and the last time — Wednesday — it was that low, I woke up three times and had to treat it. Instead I ate a Snickers minature without insulin. Thus I was a little high when I woke up too. I treated the high with a half insulin correction since right now I’m on my dawn syndrome basal.

I did leave the dog food and my running shoes behind — it was starting to storm and I wanted to get out of town before it did. Luckily I only managed to get hit by the leading edge. Stopped and got dog food in south Dallas, and will deal with the shoes sometime today.

Free food isn’t really free. I would have done MUCH better if I had brought my own food.

I still lost weight though. We’ll see if I maintain that over the weekend. I just had to feel a bit deprived in the evening. I probably could have eaten half — but it’s a mind set thing. Once you figure out how much insulin, and administer YOU have to eat whatever you decided.

My basal rate is probably a bit high for a normal day for me. We will see over the weekend.

I am making my first trip and going to be away from home for the first time since the pump.

My “day” pack already has enough supplies in it for a week, so that should be fine. I’ve packed clothing, taking my electric cooler — LOVE this thing, and will be packing CPAP and meds in a bit.

I’m going to take an extra vial of insulin — just in case.

Big dog and I are going to an agility trial in Monroe LA. I may do some other out of town agility trials if this goes well.

I’ve done everything I can to make it convenient — suite hotel, fridge and microwave in the room, free breakfast buffet, taking the food, and high speed internet access — all the comforts of home. Probably won’t do much of that on later trips.

The LAST trip I made, I did the same type of thing. No dog, first time on insulin injections, and did the “suite” hotel thing.

So wish us luck. I’d like to get an Excellent leg. We’ve been an obstacle short for a time.

I was going to push back my sleep doctor’s appointment because I just knew I would gain weight this week. Face it, sitting all day in the same chair for 4 1/2 days does not burn calories. HOWEVER, I’m wrong. Something has happened because this morning I weigh 5 pounds less than I did on Sunday.

I’m not counting it as “real” weight, since it hasn’t shown up on Sunday morning, but it is encouraging.

I’m surviving.

I did the BEST thing I could do today, I took “big dog” to agility, just her and I to an advanced class. She is feeling well enough to compete this weekend, even if she does have a punk beagle haircut.

This will give me the choice to skip her class tomorrow evening if I am tired. Though I probably won’t.

It was very nice for her to have her mom to herself, and have a “fresh” handler. She’s had to deal with a tired handler, and one with low blood sugar at that — I’m still fighting the lows.

I woke up feeling funny three times last night, but my blood sugar was low when I went to bed. No danger of that right now, 186!

1 and 1/2 days to go, and then I’m off to the dog agility thing.

So far, none of our lunches have been under 1000 calories, and I shudder to think what the snacks have been (I skipped the snacks).

Don’t get me wrong, it’s GOOD food. Yesterday was a box from Jason’s Deli. Good food, but when I entered it in iShape, it totaled over 1000. I’ve been averaging about 600 a meal lately, so that’s been different.

Today was Taco Cabana. Again, good, but adding it all up, 1200 calories! Slow carbs too

I’m still “clean eating”, but it isn’t going to be easy this evening. I’ve also managed to workout. Though tomorrow I have to force myself to get on the treadmill, or I won’t make it. Same goes with either Thursday and Friday. I’ve been doing the workouts in the afternoon but I’ve got dog agility both evenings. Decided to “spoil” Marcie and let her have a dog agility night to herself for a change.

Survived yesterday. I am convinced though that I turned down my temp basal instead of up, but have not proof. I have asked Animas yet again, to provide that information.

By surviving, my weight is less than it was yesterday morning, and my blood sugar was at 108. Kind of wish I’d switched to the exercise basal, and I really had time to walk even though I didn’t but I am having heel spur problems.

I can always walk afterwards anyway. And I probably need an off day after the 55 minute walk yesterday.

—

On the friend’s job — well, she took the SS early retirement. Which I am very much against, it never should have been available anyway. I’ve never really understood the whole thing, but she ends up with $827 more a month, and supposedly can get her job back. Supposedly they have to post it. Okay, right now, I’m not believing much of what she says since she spent so much time and energy lying to me, and what was the point? It really wasn’t nice to freak me out like I was yesterday.

But it doesn’t change. The things I like about my job are staying the same. The things that bother me, change and always do. I like the neighborhood kids. I would even consider living in that neighborhood, if it wasn’t in Dallas, and didn’t have Dallas services and politics. We live in a suburb with a less than 5 minute response time on emergency services, and a city council who runs things and doesn’t drive people nuts.

Funny, but when I really analyze what is going on, it gives me more time in the classroom and more time to concentrate on what matters. Teaching 5 preps — the norm for me — is hard. One class never gets my attention. 6 was worse, two didn’t. I’ll be down to 3 preps, and I will be able to spend lots of energy on PreAP which is where I should concentrate. A good PreAP program will make a really strong AP program which is what people want.

I get paid pretty well for a teacher. I consistently take home $45000 a year, and may top that this year. I get lots of time off, after this workshop, I’ll actually have summer — I still have 2 days of staff development in July, but I understand most of that is on line.

They are paying for a master’s degree and I’ll have the majority of that work done soon. The classes I’m taking are pretty easy, more paperwork than anything. Most of that is online too.

So why change?

And I’m going to walk in and turn up the basal to 20% (not down) and test all day. And get through another workshop day.