Living with Diabetes

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  • Best and Worst Jobs

    Trying to get back in the habit of blogging.

    My best job

    The one I have now. I love teaching. I am certified to teach computer science, mathematics, and technology applications. By far, I like computer science the most, but it is hard to get enough students to teach it all day, thus the other certifications.

    That can be a curse, or a blessing. This year it started out as a curse as I was teaching math only all day. Next year I’ll teach 4 sections of CS and Webmaster the other classes periods.

    Frankly, Webmastering doesn’t turn me on. First, the kids don’t know what it is about when they take it. They think it is going to be a class where they can sit and play on the internet. Nope, we need to write webpages. I also don’t like teaching it because I am not good at drawing. So between fighting with students who don’t want to do anything and trying to get people to draw who don’t like it, it’s not fun. Besides, I don’t think I am accomplishing as much.

    When I teach computer science, I have two groups of students — a small subset that are really good at computer programming and usually had no idea they were when they started. And then a group of students who will just learn how it all works and will be able to better cope with it in the future.

    When I teach math, I get the struggling kids since I’m guaranteed not to have taught them before. I can really make a difference to them, as I can reach them a bit differently with the computers.

    My worst job

    Programming for Zales. In fact, that was my last full time programming gig. I wanted a job that was low stress, come in and do it 8 hours a day, and be done with it. It started out that way, but within a short time it wasn’t that way. I left after 3 months, and haven’t gone back to professional programming.

    By the way, teaching isn’t exactly a low stress job either — but the stress doesn’t last very long.

  • Getting There

    We’ve got 2 weeks and a day to go. We’re hitting all our milestones.

    Today was the first day of senior finals (rolling eyes — I have never figured out why we let them out two weeks earlies, but then there you go, it’s been going on for fourteen years.) I’ve got two more classes with seniors tomorrow and one more on Thursday.

    Got my schedule for next year. I’ll be getting my old schedule back.

    My insulin usage has gone to just over 40 units, but I’m still not losing weight.

    And best yet, it was warm enough to swim in the pool today.

  • Jaime’s School Lunch Project

    I’m hooked. Okay, I’ll admit I’m a TLC junkie anyway, but being both a diabetic AND a teacher, Jamie’s School Lunch Project was guaranteed to grap me. I’m DVRing it right now.

    Here’s the deal. Jamie Oliver, a chef, decides to tackle the British health issues at a “source”. School lunches. I’ll be upfront, I don’t think our lunches are as bad as the ones they were showing. My favorite of the school lunch items is our salads. We have various versions of Chef Salad — Southwest, with chicken, corn and beans in it, Tuna salad and Chicken Salad. They are super and cost 1.25. The key is shaking them in the box with dressing. Kids taught me that several years ago.

    We have lots of versions of TexMex food, burritos, tacos, etc. Those are some of our biggest sellers.

    However, our lunches are high fat, high carb and high salt. They could be better.

    Any back to Jaime. He actually DID get Great Britian to put more money into their school lunches and they are doing a better job.

    FYI: I am a victim of school lunch myself. For years, the only way I would eat rice is if it had brown sugar and cinnimon on it. Not the healthiest way to eat it.

  • Lifescan Ultra II

    I picked one up tonight at CVS since they were $69.98 and have a rebate for up to $70. Not a bad meter, it has the best features of the Ultrasmart — backlight and ability to make comments.

    It is not smaller though, it’s the same size as the old Ultra and not significantly smaller than the Ultra Smart. However, it is lighter.

    Downloading data works fine, after I downloaded the software update. However, right now, I don’t konw how to make it work with EzManager, I have an email out to EzManager support.

  • May 1

    I am still exhausted, which makes blogging harder.

    However my TDD (Total Daily Dosage is still dropping). I’m just about at 43 units right now, which is great, since I had hit 65 units a day a few months ago.

    I have figured out that pain is what is the biggest factor in keeping me from sleeping, so I’m doing Bextra — I have a few months of it left. I tried doing without an anti=flammatory for a week, and I think I was the most exhausted then.

    I am still doing the treadmill 6 days a week, and weights 5 days a week which is definately helping the TDD.

    We’ve got 2 weeks, 3 days and finals to go! Yes, I’m counting. And we get rid of the seniors next week.

  • TDD is going down!

    It’s been a major effort, but my TDD is slowly going down. If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ll know I have had some major stress in my life, plus I injured my knee slowing down my workouts. My TDD got back up to over 60 units a day, 80 a few times, even doing Symlin.

    Well, I’ve been making a effort to follow my iShape workouts every day and I’ve done very well with that. At first, the workouts were just smoothing out my blood sugars, but finally I started having to eat after working out to avoid a lot. In fact, I’m still having to do that, even though I lower my basal to 50% for exercise.

    I have also been making better choices. Choosing lower carb snacks when I absolutely positively have to eat. My favorite meal is one of the packaged Ceasar salad, add a bit more salad dressing and either chicken or tuna. The bulk helps the most.

    Anyway, I’m celebrating as I’ve gotten my average TDD to 45 units a day, my bolus ratios and correction ratios are also decreasing — yeah, it all works that way. I think I’ve stopped gaining weight and I’m hoping to start losing again.

  • CGMS Article

    New Devices May Free Diabetics From Constant Monitoring

    The technique she’s helping test is called continuous glucose monitoring, and it’s a goal researchers have chased for nearly 50 years.

    Though from my research, I’m wondering if Animas was right — that an implant in the blood stream will work infinitely better than intrestatial fluid (too tired to look up the spelling).

  • To Dexcom or not to Dexcom

    Got an email from a Dexcom employee today, my doctor has trained so they just need a letter of medical necessity.

    Obviously it isn’t covered by insurance yet. I don’t suffer from a lot of hypos, BUT my performance at work is affected by blood sugar. Example, I was feeling tired, cranky and out of sorts this afternoon. Tested and was at 252 (but only tested because it was “time”). Cause: my infusion set was bloody, so I assume that was the reason. Don’t know why, blood sugar was fine before lunch, didn’t do anything different. Weird.

    I have unexplained highs and lows like any diabetic, just not as high and low as a Type 1.

    I’ve got an email out to my doctor.

    So do I hold out for the Navigator, which will probably work with the Cozmo — and I wouldn’t mind going with a Cozmo pump, next pump.

    Or do I go with the Dexcom which already has a deal with J&J (the meter it pairs with is a Lifescan)?

    Or do I wait for insurance.

    FYI: I’m predicting a price war.

  • More on the cost issue

    dLife Today: Penny Wise and Pound Foolish?

    A recent UK decision highlights one of the problems with universal coverage, and interestingly enough, it isn’t that different from an issue faced by Americans under many managed care programs – cost pressures that deny life-enhancing drugs.

    This definately bit me in the rear when I first went on an insulin pump. My diabetes care and my life has improved significantly since I started pumping insulin. However, the HMO I belonged to, wouldn’t fund it, and I did it out of pocket. I’ll probably have to do the CGMS system out of pocket too, I just have to decide if it is worth it.

  • Got in the pool yesterday

    We’ve had record setting temperatures in Dallas this week and I actually made it in the pool and swam some laps.

    Since I had just finished 35 minutes on the treadmill, I disconnected.

    Sorry for the light blogging. I’m still exhausted from the time change.