Living with Diabetes

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  • Alternate Diabetes Educators

    Though I do have one issue about a career change — I’m pretty expensive these days — I know I will be making more than $52,000, and might be over $55,000, I haven’t quite figured out the district tables.

    So few non-profits could afford someone like me at this point. However, when I retire that might be an option. I wonder if a practice like my doctor’s could afford someone like me — I might take a moment to ask the doctor.

    But I’m with Wordsmith when it comes to the CDE program. I’ve looked at doing that, and I’ve looked at what it would take, and at my age and income level, it just doesn’t make sense.

    But I also see a place for non-CDE’s. First of all, in a large endo practice, someone like me would not need to draw blood, but would need to be able to interpret the results for patients. I’m quite sure I can handle that. I could certainly teach someone how to inject — which was very difficult for the three CDEs I had since none of them was a diabetic. They didn’t even do the orange thing for me (which is kind of goofy anyway).

    I could certain design curriculum — thats what all my post graduate work has been about. I would be able to design both face-to-face education and on-line. And I think I’d be better at it than a non-diabetic because I know the pressure points.

    I’m not sure I’d be good with small children. I haven’t been around many, but I would be absolutely fabulous with teaching teens on how to take responsbility for their own care. I’ve actually done a bit of that, every one including the nurse sends them to me when they need advice with dealing with their parents. Don’t worry — my advice doesn’t involve how often to inject,etc. but on how to show your parents you are taking responsibility for yourself. Teacher get that all the time, but maybe me more than most, from non-diabetics.

    I really think I’d be best with adult Type 2s as they can tell from looking at me I’m struggling with the environment factors.

    So yes, a non-CDE diabetes educator is a good idea, and could solve a lot of problems including the nursing shortage.

  • I agree

    LifeAfterDx–The Guardian Chronicles: We interrupt our regularly scheduled program…

    Every CDE and every doctor I’ve dealt with says I should become a CDE. However, that means going back to school and taking a huge cut in pay. I’ve done that once for education.

    I have a much better track record when it comes to the education end of things — that’s my training, and I too live with the diabetes thing. Probably can reach Type 2s better than a lot of Type 1s since I understand before diabetes better.

    More when I have more time.
    I think we D-folk should band together to create two new certifications to “compete” with the CDE. The DDE and the FMDE. These would stand for Diabetic Diabetes Educator and Family Member Diabetes Educator.

  • Hit the ground running

    When I got back from Pittsburgh, I hit the ground running and haven’t had time to stop. I’m back in physical therapy with the knee. I think that is a good thing, and I think I should have planned this anyway.

    My biggest goal for the next week (yes, I start back in one week), is to get organized. I see the endo and the cardiologist next Thursday, and am planning to see the primary care physician to make sense of everything the Tuesday after — that wasn’t my plan, he’s out of town.

    I want to get back into the weight loss mode, but I’m not sure how that is going to happen.

  • Good Glucowatch description

    LifeAfterDx–The Guardian Chronicles: Ripped from the headlines

    Really good description of the Glucowatch.

  • The last day

    I made it through the workshop. Blood sugar has been good and sleep hasn’t been bad.

    I was desperate for a protein based breakfast so walked to the Subway and discovered it was closed.

    However there was a restaurant. I managed to find a psuedo Egg Muffin it wasn’t as good.

    However I got a no delivery alarm after breakfast. I checked my set and I was actually disconnected and had been since I had disconnected to shower. The tube half of the set was just stuck in my underwear.

    I have never done that before and was thrilled to death that the pump was that smart.

    So I bolused again for my meal. A hour later my blood sugar was 140.

  • Smart Decision

    I grabbed a box from lunch for dinner. I decided the risk of food poisoning was better than the mess I would get from the Papa Johns pizza.

    It was a good choice! So far no food poisoning.

    Blood sugars have been good all weekend. I’m sure the walking helped.

  • More reasons to hate workshops

    Organizers who schedule sessions from 8:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night.

    Presenters who take exciting topics and make them boring.

    Pizza

  • Problems with Boluses

    I have actuallt missed at least one bolus a day where I swear I entered the bolus in the pump.

    However, I cannot prove to myself much less any one else that it is a pump problem.

    It happened a few times with the old pump but it is happening dailty this morning.

    I do think it might be caused by my own fatique.

  • Why I hate teacher workshops

    Its because the hosts try to kill me.

    Their favorite is by putting me in a room that has a bed on a desk. That is happened years ago here at Carnegie and at a workshop in Arkasas.

    This year they fooled me into thinking we were going to eat. They scheduled dinner for 7:00 pm Pittsburg time whiich is 6:00 Dallas time.

    They opened up beverages, cheese vegatables dip and crackers. I did the Symlin thing and the insulin thing and did 5.00 units my standard wild ass guess.

    At around 8:00 I got nervous and the host said we’d eat in 2 minutes. 5 minutes later he started a game where everyone had to sort themselves and then do something else.

    I did not wait for something else. I took him aside told him I was in trouble and he handed me off to the catering manager who fed me.

    Lesson learned – shoot up and pump when the food you want is in your hand.

    The something else involved people introducing other people. I ate sloly hitting the carbs first.

    FYI: 2 hours later after walking to the dorm I was at 147. Not bad for a wild ass guess. They had really good choclate cake for dessert. I did stay away from rice.

    Betch breakfast is 100% and it a good mile walk away. I think I will have ti my milk duds for breakfast tomorrow.

  • On the way

    I’m at the gate waiting for my flight.

    So far I’ve made lots of mistakes.

    First I didn’t bolus for breakfast. This was good as I was at 124 when we drove into the airport entrance. At last check I was at 170 and did a correction.

    Keep your boarding pass in your hand. Don’t put it in your bag and then put the bag in the xray machine. My second mistake.

    The pump did not set off the metal detector. But they had to send my purse through xray twice because of the boarding pass then.

    My bag with clothing and emergency battery also had to go through twice.

    I do believe everything I packed and put in the car is with me.