Living with Diabetes

Blog

  • Living the Diabetes Life

    Diabetes Mine: Amylin’s Colorful CEO, and AOL’s Stake in Diabetes Blogging

    The Type 1 bloggers are very upset by the Amylin’s statement that she tests her blood sugar once a day to “live the diabetes life”, and rightly so.

    One thing to keep in mind, is that Byetta is potentially a bigger money maker than Symlin, and Symlin is exculsively for Type 1 at the current time. So her largest market share is Byetta.

    However, they also forget that is often the Type 2 Diabetics life. When I first was diagnosed, I was given a prescription and told to test my blood sugar. I was given this schedule:

    Monday: Test in the morning
    Tuesday: Test before lunch
    Wednesday: Test before dinner
    Thursday: Test before going to bed
    Friday: Test in the morning
    Saturday: Test before lunch
    Sunday: Test before dinner

    Why? Well many insurance plans will only cover 50 strips a month for non-insulin using diabetics. Some only over 100 strips. Over a long time period, this will give the doctor a picture. Not an inaccurate picture.

  • Today

    I think my blood sugar is slowly lowering.  We’ll have to see.

    Today was a teacher work day.  Got my student’s grades back.  They had a very good passing rate on the final and a better overall passing rate.  This is good as all of my students are repeating their class.  As a result, I am starting to get a little bit of “big head.”

    My knee is in horrible shape.  The bad news is that the elevator wasn’t working and I ended up going up to the second floor a bunch of times.  Unfortunately there is no elevator between my room and the main building, but it’s easier to up and down that flight slowly — for one, it’s steeper.

    I’m worried about tomorrow.

    Good news: there is very little change between my 1st semester roll and my 2nd semester roll for my ELI classes.
    Bad news: There is a massive change in my repeaters classes.  They are all over 25 students now.  We had quite a few students who had flunked only 1st semester of Algebra I, they were also enrolled in Geometry and they are all gone now.  (They all passed).

    It’s going to be an interesting day.

    Sure hope my truck is back.

    I have some decisions to make.  If I want to move to the new school, there is a January 31st deadline to apply.  I don’t think I want to go, but I don’t want to burn that bridge.  Also, my principal tells me that he has a computer science opening (I knew this).  Of course that status could change, but I would have seniority.  Of course that didn’t count last year.

    So do I want to teach computer science?  Or math?  I’m leaning towards math.

    Do I want to stay at my building?  My biggest problem with my building right now is temperature control.  It’s great out in the portables — that might be a plus for a new school.  My old classroom was incredibly hot in the winter time.

    Decisions!

  • Interesting

    I watch this sort of thing, as the target group describes one of my favorite students.

    I have an non-English speaker, recent immigrant from South America, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes when she was screened by our intake center.

    Outcomes of a diabetes disease management program

    Persistent change in CVD risk factors can be made through diabetes disease management; changes in glucose control, however, are more difficult to sustain in spite of continued use of medication. Further research must be undertaken to help improve glycemic outcomes over time.

  • Summer School

    The truck breaking down as been the “final” factor in my decision.  I’ve been kicking around the idea of teaching summer school.  I haven’t before, but the extra money is now needed, especially since I’ll probably have to get a new truck soon, and maybe a new car for my husband.

    The biggest factor though, is my blood sugar.  It has been extremely difficult to control over winter break, and it is definately easier to control when I’m teaching.

    So as soon as sign up is available, I’m on it.

  • I am missing my workouts!

    After reading about patello-femoral syndrome and hearing from one commenter who suffered problems for almost a year — I decided to lay off working out until later on this week.  I am starting to miss it!

    First, my insulin usage is way up and so is my blood sugar.

    I’m really worried about school starting back up, since the stairs are doing such a number on me — we have extremely steep stairs at school, and there really is no other way to get from my room to the building — yep, we’re not ADA compliant and it will take something like $50,000 to get that way.  They are hoping the overcrowding solution will solve that problem.

  • Interesting rebuttal

    Edinburgh Evening News – Opinion – Letters – Dose of reality, please in diabetes debate

    The author is referring to this article

    Diabetics in treatement delay row

    While I have a needle phobia, that certainly isn’t what drove me to the pump. And I personally don’t think that is a valid reason for going to a pump.

    However, if you are on a drug OR insulin regemim, you are required to keep to a strict schedule if you want as good as control as I am getting on the pump with my random schedule.

    However, the patient really seems to be complaining that the injection regimim isn’t working, especially if he is having problems with thrist and double vision.

    Of course, they don’t mention the ongoing costs, just the initial cost. You do end up using more insulin, plus the sets when you are pumpimg.

  • This year is NOT starting out right!

    I’ve been having problems with my truck — it has been locking me in — and out.  When I went to Kroger’s yesterday, I couldn’t get in when I got done.  The power unlock didn’t work, nor did the key.  This happened on Friday too, and I drove over to the Ford place and got an appointment to get it fixed.  I could get it open by pulling on the inside latch.

    The fun part, is that you can’t leave the truck unlocked while it is rolling. 

    Took it in this morning, and they also found a major engine leak.  <sigh>  $3000 later and not done until Wednesday.  That’s about 6 car payments!

    I have a cute little red Chevy from the rental car place to drive until it’s fixed.

  • This year is NOT starting out right!

    I’ve been having problems with my truck — it has been locking me in — and out.  When I went to Kroger’s yesterday, I couldn’t get in when I got done.  The power unlock didn’t work, nor did the key.  This happened on Friday too, and I drove over to the Ford place and got an appointment to get it fixed.  I could get it open by pulling on the inside latch.

    The fun part, is that you can’t leave the truck unlocked while it is rolling. 

    Took it in this morning, and they also found a major engine leak.  <sigh>  $3000 later and not done until Wednesday.  That’s about 6 car payments!

    I have a cute little red Chevy from the rental car place to drive until it’s fixed.

  • Our food is back!

    Sounds weird — doesn’t it?  We useDiet Gourmet for our food.  They take the Christmas holiday off, last pickup was on December 21, and today was our first pickup.  It’s much easier to use their service.

    First, no choices at meal time.  I make the choices in advance.  That means I’ll probably make better choices. 

    Anyway, it’s nice to have my regular food back.  My blood sugar has gotten progressively more out of control.  Though I’m sure part of that is due to taking some time off from working out to let my knee heal.

  • Our food is back!

    Sounds weird — doesn’t it?  We useDiet Gourmet for our food.  They take the Christmas holiday off, last pickup was on December 21, and today was our first pickup.  It’s much easier to use their service.

    First, no choices at meal time.  I make the choices in advance.  That means I’ll probably make better choices. 

    Anyway, it’s nice to have my regular food back.  My blood sugar has gotten progressively more out of control.  Though I’m sure part of that is due to taking some time off from working out to let my knee heal.