Living with Diabetes

Blog

  • I agree!

    Diabetes In Control Newsletter – A Tale of Two Insulin Pumps

    Diabetes has been an interest of mine throughout pharmacy school. I am now in my final year of school, and I recently experienced a small glimpse into the life of a person with insulin-dependent diabetes. I do not have diabetes, but during my last clerkship rotation, I lived for four weeks as if I did. I tested my blood glucose and injected imitation insulin (actually saline). I was also given the opportunity to wear two insulin pump devices, both unique in their own way.

  • Tips for Saving Money

    Candid Diabetes: Tips For Saving Money With Diabetes

    However, I don’t recommend buying test strips from Ebay. You have no idea where they came from.

  • First Day Survived!

    Managed to go through the day slightly high — 180 post prandia most of the time, and I’d like to be 40 above rather than 40 below, let me tell you!

    Class sizes are great, kids were extremely well behaved, not at all like last year’s algebra kids OR the summer school kids.

    I do quite a bit of data entry when they first come in, keeps everything organixed, and every class waited patiently. 

  • Test Post

    I’m trying out Windows Live Writer.  Looks like a nice interface.

  • School Starts tomorrow

    I’ve had some major victories — I’m usually sick whenever we have workshops, and the week before school starts is usually one of my bad times.

    My blood sugar was fine on Monday and Tuesday, actually great, but I made a bit of a miscalculation on Wednesday and have been having lows almost every day ever since.

    Part of the problem is that I’ve been very conservative on fixing boluses as I don’t want to end up rebounding or being high.

    Here’s the deal, we had a convocation at the American Airlines Center here in Dallas. I figured on sitting still for half a day, but didn’t take in account that I would have to walk between 3-6 blocks to the Airline Center (probably closer to 6).

    When I got to AAC, I had to get help. Which was actually a good idea as it got me out of a mob of people.

    After a tube of glucose and sitting in the cool, I was fine.

    And I did do something smart — I had my lunch all packed and ready to go in the car. That was smart, as when I got back to the car I was at 90. I just got into the line to get out of the parking lot and ate my lunch as I waited.

    The bad news is that my corrections are working too well, and I’ve had at least one crash a day after a correction. The good news, that I have been avoiding rebound highs by actually bolusing for most of the correction.

    I’m looking forward to next week, but reminding myself to check often!

  • Terrorism today

    I woke up to the news that travelers cannot take ANY carryon items, especially those containing liquid and thought — oh, my god, what if were coming back from Pittsburg today.

    And while these new terrorists haven’t actually broke any planes down, they have completely disrumpted air travel. Not just for the diabetics, but everyone.

    Hopefully this too will pass — though Richard Reid’s act of terrorism is still affecting us all today. Making us wear shoes without metal, or making us take our shoes off at airports.

    And Amy, I’ve thought of you this morning too — coming back from Germany will be interesting to say the least.

  • Types of Diabetes

    Notes from Dr. RW: Diabetes type 1.5

    Fabulous article explaining the different types of diabetes. In addition, links to MODY and LADA descriptions.

  • First day back to school

    Never brag about “getting” something. It will bite you. Here’s the deal — I was just bragging to my endo, that finally after 4 years, I had finally figured out workshops, but then two hours after lunch I was at 200.

    At the same time, that’s not NEAR as bad as I was in the old days of workshops. I would have been at 200 at 9:00 am then.

    And I never went over 200.

    So I think I have workshops, I just didn’t bolus enough for lunch.

    And I’m “officially” an old teacher. One of my former students is in our school. Teaching French.

  • Doctors Visits

    I’m doing last minute doctor’s visits before starts.

    Gynocology – which resulted in the self inject victory.

    Endo – numbers are slipping upwards along with the weight.

    Cardologist – insurance won’t pay for the test. Personnally I don’t care but wish they had not freaked me out.

    I still need to talk with someone. Hopefully the cardiologist and I have a mammogram at 1:00.

  • I’m switching depo!

    But not for another 12 weeks.

    I finally got my gynocologist to let me self inject depot by switching to Depo Sub-Q.

    I’ve been on Depo Prevera for over 15 years. I went on it before I went into teaching. I’ve never had any complications except for the lack of period and PMS (and I don’t see that as an adverse side effect).

    Both the doctor and I are concerned about bleeding and he wants me to let him know if that is an issue.

    Since it is non-formulary and there is a generic version (but intra-muscular), it is actually going to be cheaper to get it at the retail pharmacy than it will from mail-order, we think — we being from my looking at the Medco site and my talking to a customer service representative.

    So I have a script and it’s on my list of things to do in 4 weeks.