Living with Diabetes

Blog

  • Sharps Disposal

    I’ve blogged about this before, but a conversation came up today and it’s been rolling in my head for a while after reading someone else’s blog entry.

    One thing that was covered in my diabetes training, but something I’m not sure diabetics think a lot about is Sharps Disposal. However, what I was taught in diabetes training is wrong for my community and it might be an issue for yours.

    I was taught to do one of two things:

    Buy a sharps container — which was my choice, because it was quick and easy.

    Take an old laundry soap container, soak off the label and mark it sharps with a “sharpie” pen. When finished, tape the lid down.

    Well neither works where I live. I got a cryptic note from the city the two times I put a sharps container in the trash, and when I finally figured out what was going on, I called. Come to find out, one of our city workers was injured because our city grinds up the trash. Okay, I don’t really get it, but the gist is, we can’t dispose of sharps in trash in my community. You might be able to in yours.

    They thought that the local hospital would deal with it, but they won’t. I did find a guy that hauls sharps for the local doctors who said he’d take them at no charge but it’s a bit out of the way.

    So here’s the solution I use:

    You either contact your pharmacy and order a BD Sharps by Mail kit OR you can order them from an outfit online. The NDC number for the BC Sharps by Mail kid is 08290323488. If you give that number to your pharmacist, they can order it.

    I really like these people though, because they have quart containers I can stash in various places: http://www.sharpsdisposal.com/

    And everything we stick ourselves with is a sharp. Lancelets, syringes, pen needles and even the inseration part of sets. Though the Inset is designed to be disposed in regular trash and I haven’t gotten a nasty note about them.

  • Sharps Disposal

    I’ve blogged about this before, but a conversation came up today and it’s been rolling in my head for a while after reading someone else’s blog entry.

    One thing that was covered in my diabetes training, but something I’m not sure diabetics think a lot about is Sharps Disposal. However, what I was taught in diabetes training is wrong for my community and it might be an issue for yours.

    I was taught to do one of two things:

    Buy a sharps container — which was my choice, because it was quick and easy.

    Take an old laundry soap container, soak off the label and mark it sharps with a “sharpie” pen. When finished, tape the lid down.

    Well neither works where I live. I got a cryptic note from the city the two times I put a sharps container in the trash, and when I finally figured out what was going on, I called. Come to find out, one of our city workers was injured because our city grinds up the trash. Okay, I don’t really get it, but the gist is, we can’t dispose of sharps in trash in my community. You might be able to in yours.

    They thought that the local hospital would deal with it, but they won’t. I did find a guy that hauls sharps for the local doctors who said he’d take them at no charge but it’s a bit out of the way.

    So here’s the solution I use:

    You either contact your pharmacy and order a BD Sharps by Mail kit OR you can order them from an outfit online. The NDC number for the BC Sharps by Mail kid is 08290323488. If you give that number to your pharmacist, they can order it.

    I really like these people though, because they have quart containers I can stash in various places: http://www.sharpsdisposal.com/

    And everything we stick ourselves with is a sharp. Lancelets, syringes, pen needles and even the inseration part of sets. Though the Inset is designed to be disposed in regular trash and I haven’t gotten a nasty note about them.

  • Worst Buy in Lewisville

    To begin with, let me say that I love the Best Buy in Farmers Branch. In fact, I’ve found things at the Worst Buy in Lewisville, couldn’t get service and gone to the Best Buy in Farmers Branch and bought the item.

    Plus there is a guy in appliances at the Best Buy in FB who is out of this world. Besides, buying in Farmers Branch is better for me anyway — we get some sales tax money.

    SO … I met a friend for lunch and we ate at a restaurant right in front of the Worst Buy in Lewisville, and I need a hard drive — which is another story.

    So I popped in, and couldn’t find the hard drives, and couldn’t find anyone to tell me where they were….

    When I finally found them, there was a big heavy stocking ladder thingy in front of the ones I wanted to look at. I finally figured out how to reach one and went to check out.

    Only one person was checking out people and here I was, third in line. They were slow enough for me to start wondering why I was standing in line!

    So I dropped the hard drive down on the counter and left. Told the door person that they had lousy service that day and was leaving. (I would call them a greeter, but he didn’t).

    When I got in the car, I decided to go to the Office Depot in Dallas, just across the bridge from Farmers Branch. When I got there, they greeted me, as did every person I worked by in the store.

    The hard drives were in a locked cabinet and it took me seconds to locate the employee with the key. Guess what! They had 200 MB hard drives on sale for $80.00 and the WB drive was 80 gig for $90.

    Guess who won?

  • Worst Buy in Lewisville

    To begin with, let me say that I love the Best Buy in Farmers Branch. In fact, I’ve found things at the Worst Buy in Lewisville, couldn’t get service and gone to the Best Buy in Farmers Branch and bought the item.

    Plus there is a guy in appliances at the Best Buy in FB who is out of this world. Besides, buying in Farmers Branch is better for me anyway — we get some sales tax money.

    SO … I met a friend for lunch and we ate at a restaurant right in front of the Worst Buy in Lewisville, and I need a hard drive — which is another story.

    So I popped in, and couldn’t find the hard drives, and couldn’t find anyone to tell me where they were….

    When I finally found them, there was a big heavy stocking ladder thingy in front of the ones I wanted to look at. I finally figured out how to reach one and went to check out.

    Only one person was checking out people and here I was, third in line. They were slow enough for me to start wondering why I was standing in line!

    So I dropped the hard drive down on the counter and left. Told the door person that they had lousy service that day and was leaving. (I would call them a greeter, but he didn’t).

    When I got in the car, I decided to go to the Office Depot in Dallas, just across the bridge from Farmers Branch. When I got there, they greeted me, as did every person I worked by in the store.

    The hard drives were in a locked cabinet and it took me seconds to locate the employee with the key. Guess what! They had 200 MB hard drives on sale for $80.00 and the WB drive was 80 gig for $90.

    Guess who won?

  • Mirapex

    I’ve been seeing this in the news, and finally, curiosity got the best of me.

    Parkinson’s Treatment and the Urge to Gamble – New York Times

    Mirapex is a common treatment for restless leg syndrome. I have taken it in the past, but haven’t noticed compulsive behavior. I believe, but don’t know that I took it at a much lower dose.

  • Mirapex

    I’ve been seeing this in the news, and finally, curiosity got the best of me.

    Parkinson’s Treatment and the Urge to Gamble – New York Times

    Mirapex is a common treatment for restless leg syndrome. I have taken it in the past, but haven’t noticed compulsive behavior. I believe, but don’t know that I took it at a much lower dose.

  • Things I’m learning about Symlin

    Actually it isn’t a lot, but I have learned that Symlin does NOT fix pizza.

    Unfortunately Pizza does bad things to me for days. First, I’m left with high blood sugars for about 24 hours. That causes food cravings.

    I need to learn how to do the pizza bolus but so far, I’ve never gotten it to work.

    Anyway, the weight loss has stopped for a bit, but hopefully stabilized.
    I’m definately still feeling the effects of the symlin, especially on high fiber meals.

    So that’s the second thing I’ve learned — eat lots of fiber when you are doing Symlin if you want to lose weight, it will make you fill fuller faster.

  • Teeth

    My mouth is STILL very sore especially under the cap. Can’t get into the dentist until Thursday morning. I am guessing I really DO need a root canal and I’m not going to fight it. It will be easier to get it done now than wait until after school starts.

  • Driving Mishaps

    This is under discussion right now, on the insulin-pumpers mailing list.

    It’s scary that doctors don’t talk to diabetics about driving. I check my blood sugar before driving unless I just finished eating and I’ve used checked before the meal.

    I also check frequently when making long trips, at least once an hour, as I can think of few things worse than going low while driving. I also keep Snickers minatures in the car and use them to keep from having an emergency — they are about 5 grams of carb each of slow sugar. I also keep a couple of bags of lifesavers in the car for fast sugar.

    Diabetes Care: Diabetes and driving mishaps: frequency and correlations from a multinational survey – Original article: epidemiology/health services/psychosocial research

  • Woke up miserable and early

    Part of the reason I woke up so early was a GERD attack. I ate a baked potato fairly late — hoping that the warm mushiness would make my mouth feel better.

    All day yesterday my mouth had been bothering me. Sore where I’d just gotten a crown in the past month. Finally in the late afternoon, a bit piece of the tooth next to it broke off. That made things feel worse, as it bleed and I’m sure that the nerves are all inflamed.

    Needless to say, I’m calling the dentist when they open and making an appointment.

    I’m getting tired of the teeth thing. No, make that I AM tired of the teeth thing. I’m sort a lot of the dental problem happens to be a complication of the GERD, and I think it’s better than the sore throats and ear infections of the past. I also don’t think it is new damage, but long built up damage.