Living with Diabetes

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  • Medco Games

    Medco has been jerking me around, yet again, over Protonix.  During spring break, I went to see the primary care doctor to see if there was something different we should about my GERD, since I was almost out of Protonix and to let him know we were playing the Medco game.

    He is fed up with, decided I needed to be scoped anyway since it had been a while, so he sent me to a gastric doctor (I think I’ve posted about this, sorry for the repeat).

    So I saw the gastric doctor.  She decided I also needed a gall bladder ultrasound since gall bladder stones can cause a backup of bile, looking like GERD.  She also gave me a medication, Carafate which is supposed to help if it is bile reflux.

    It doesn’t seem to help.

    She also prescribed Reglan which set off all sorts of red flags because it counteracts Symlin.  I tried it for a few days, it doesn’t seem to help.

    Then the Endo said to back off on the Symlin — so I went to 10 units.  Amazingly enough it didn’t seem to affect my blood sugar.

    I have had to make another change to the Symlin, unrelated — I’ve been having trouble with crashing in the evening during my new workouts, so I’ve changed my evening meal, so that I take no insulin and no Symlin.  I can’t decide if that is helping or now, and I’m still low at night.  That means I still need to eat something before I got to bed which DOES affect the reflux.

    Anyway, back to the Medco games.  Gastric doctor prescribed Protonix, 2 x time which is the only thing that helps.  Most of the time.  I still get break through depending on how much I have to eat to fix the nightly low.

    So Medco needs an authorization for Protonix, because it isn’t Nexium.  Then they need a second authorization for the amount of Protonix, because it’s an extra amount.

    So the gastric doctor had to fill out both authorizations — and I think that is where everything got screwed up at the primary care physicians.  The good news is that I’m authorized for the extra dosage until October and I’m authorized for the medication until April.

    I had the sonogram on Friday and am supposed to get the results back tomorrow.  I’m getting scoped tomorrow, early in the morning.

    All this, because Medco has to play games on GERD medications.

  • Trial Report – Final

    Running Maggie didn’t go well.  First, it was snowing.  Maggie is a bit deformed — she has no outer coat — and she was freezing.  At one cold trial, she stopped and cussed me out for making her run.

    She actually attempted the JWW course, got ahead of me twice and came back.  Wouldn’t have been too bad, but she took a jump and you’re not allowed off courses.

    Standard was actually worse, we were whistled off — she took the trap, and then was on the wrong angle for the A-frame.  Four paw rule came into affect — if they put all four paws on an obstacle and bail, they can’t retake it.  Even though I didn’t call it, we were whistled off.

    Got in 11553 steps so far, blood sugars have been perfect, came home with a 135! 

  • Trial Report 2

    Marcie and I ran clean in our second run but were probably way over time.
    I was at 135 when I left the truck with her and came off that run feeling low. I tested anmd was at 124 but am eating a bag of goldfish crackers anyway.
    I am at 5692 steps and haven’t started with Maggie.
    More later…

  • Trial Report 1

    I have run Big dog – Marcie – I am not fast enough for to have confidence in me and she blew a pole.
    I have walked the second course and am 4700 steps!
    More later…

  • Second Workout

    Today went better.  I’ve gotten to 11360 steps so far.

    First, I’m off from work today — inclement weather day.  I got in 4 5-minute walks earlier in the day.

    I think I’m finally finding a good tweak for my workouts.  I shut my pump to 0% at about 3:00.  I ate dinner around 5:00 pm, no Symlin and 1/2 bolus.  2 hours after eating I was at 145.  The best thing is that I didn’t crash.

    I’ve got to do a lot of work on food.  That is not going to happen overnight.

    All in all, it is going well.

  • First Workout

    Today was almost too much, but I did get in 9817 steps today.

    First, they suggested that I add two 10 minute walking sessions.  I did one round during my planning period, and another round during lunch — but that was only 5 minutes. 

    I got home a bit late — had a group of students trying to earn more points for the six weeks.  Worked on weave poles with the girls — and I turned my pump to 0 delivery for an hour at about 3:30.

    Ate dinner, did my normal Symlin and insulin dose. 

    Managed to get in 20 minutes on the tread mill, work out on the Weider Max, and started the stretching but started feeling a bit funny.  Sat down to record what was going on in an email to the fitness expert when I realized I was low — 89!

    Ate two GS Samoa cookies, and let my blood sugar climb enough so I could get something to eat — I need to have my blood sugar stable enough so I can drive and get a gall bladder sonagram done in the morning.

    Just a bit too much, but I think I will adjust.

  • New EzManager?

    Just saw the April 510(k)s from the FDA web site.  Apparently there is a new version of Ezmanager — called EzManager Max.  Unfortunately the documentation does not mention using Palm.  Or Pocket OS.

  • Fitness4Diabetics – Week 2

    I just got an almost overwhelming amount of documentation from them. 

    From my fitness coach, I got documentation on my exercising in general, with some specific notes on what is happening with my blood sugar when I do exercise and some suggestions.

    I’ve got a set of stretching exercises, which is good, because I haven’t been doing that.  Hopefully that will help my stiffness and my knees.

    Two sets of weight exercises, some with the stability ball and some with my Weider Max.

    Suggestions for cario exercises.

    From the nuitrion coach, a suggestion of 1800-2000 calories a day.  YEAH!  I wrote her this morning and that’s been a problem.  Most nutrionists look at me and assume I sit still all day and put me on a 1200-1500 plan.  That puts me in starvation mode.

    So I’m busy sorting all this out!

    Plus it’s the end of the six weeks.

  • Scrawny Boy With Type 1 Diabetes Becomes Mr. Universe – Diabetes Health

    Background story on Mr. Universe.  And Jackson, MS could be brutal to outsiders so I image the backwoods of Mississippi would be  worse.

    The reigning Mr. Universe, he’s two hundred pounds of sheer muscle and the picture of good health.

    Source: Scrawny Boy With Type 1 Diabetes Becomes Mr. Universe – Diabetes Health

  • fitness4diabetics – Week 1 almost done

    I have a few more hours and log entries before my first week is up.  So far I am happy.

    My meter 14 day average has gone from 173 to 152 though we can attribute some of that to getting Lasix out of my system.

    Have they changed anything my routine.  No.  But I am logging and thinking about what I am doing.  Could I do that on my own, yes.  Have I been, no.

    I am supposed to be getting workout stuff and nuitrion stuff in the next few days.  It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

    So far, I’m happy.