Living with Diabetes

Blog

  • Argh!

    I was able to go to bed early, but woke up about 11:00 and can’t go back to sleep — just tried, so I took a sleeping pill and am going to try again in a bit.

    Right now, my biggest problem is that I can’t get over how one individual treated me this year. She made my job infinitely harder by not doing her job, and she stood by literally and kept her mouth shut when someone else was tearing me down.

    It’s sad, because I’ve had respect for everyone else that’s been in that position. In the past, I’ve worked with those people extensively for a mutually beneficial relationship for the school and the kids. In fact, I just heard from another person that the last person in that position thinks the world of me.

    Yeah, this is real cryptic but I’m trying to work it out without revealing too much to the world. Lots of people have been hurt in the workplace by inappropriate blogging.

    It was a good school year though, even with the problems. The test scores were actually very good, the kids that didn’t put any effort in flunked, and the kids that did put effort in it did well. One of the things I like most about my district is that they hire teachers to write finals for all the courses. I know a lot of teachers don’t like that, but this way, I know if I covered what I was supposed to or not. It would be nicer if I would know BEFORE the time the finals come out, but at least this confirmed it.

  • Last day

    I don’t have to think about work until the first week of July. I am doing 3 days of staff development and a conference then. Plus I have my classes.

    The first of my agenda is get things taken care of that I’ve been putting off. Saw the primary care physician today about sleeping meds. I’m not sure I’m going to need them tonight. I’m exhausted.

    I’m seeing the contact lens doctor tomorrow, the dentist and CDE on Tuesday.

    Then I’m concentrating on the car and the house. Inspection is due on the car plus the $#@#$ check engine light is on. The outside lights aren’t working.

    The rest of my time is resting, exercising, and taking care of myself.

    And in a few weeks, I’m going to an 4-day agility trial in Monroe and hopefully my family will visit.

    I think I’m going to try to take some bus/commuter train day trips. I threaten that every year.

  • Surviving

    It’s the last day, and I’m waiting for a teacher to finish using one of my student computers.

    Blood sugar was okay this morning, so yesterday did not throw me too off track. Unfortunately Thursday is my late night, so I got to bed late, and then woke up at 4:00 am not able to go back to sleep.

    Well, I was tired and able to go back to sleep at 6:30, but that was when I need to be up and moving.

  • Good news!

    Got the blood sugar down where it belongs without insulin.

    When I got home, I did 20 minutes, even though it’s an off day and snacked on protein. If I can just keep this all under control and not lose it this time.

  • That was well…

    I have lots of thoughts… Met with my stessors, well, only one. They wanted to tell me where my classroom will be next year. It’s seriously not a problem and not worth a meeting.

    Though the blood sugar shot up to 270. I’m on my way downstairs to walk it off.

  • Special Treats

    A Shot in the Dark: Bloody Peach Vanilla Cake!

    I was reading this article and feeling sorry for both Josephy and his mom, Sandra. I can imagine nothing harder than being a mother of a child with diabetes. As a high school teacher I watch parents and students struggle with each other all the time and I’ve glad I made the choice to be a bystander and not a participant.

    Anyway on the treat thing — I’m comparing it to this week here at school. I’ve avoided two events completely because they had the wrong timing for me and the wrong foods. Having just come off a massive non-compliant episode, I just didn’t need the events. I am honestly — scheduling a meal at 3:00 pm doesn’t work for me at all. It’s either too late or too early. The other event was at 1:30, which isn’t much better.

    This morning, I did “give in”. One of our long term teachers who is retiring brought a little bit of everything: fruit, chocolate and crackers. Of course, everything she brought turns to sugar, but at least everything was prepackaged, easily countable, and portable. I grabbed an apple and a small piece of chocolate (one of those minatures), and brought them upstairs to eat after my postprandial reminder went off.
    She was super pleased with herself for thinking to bring stuff that people like me could eat, and I sure wasn’t going to burst her bubble — besides, I could have choosen to toss the items and she would have none the wiser.

    Social situations can be hard.

    The person or persons bringing the food honestly do so out of pride, admiration, or just a way to show that they care. Too many people take rejecting food they give as rejecting them or at least the recipent can feel that way. It’s even harder when they are trying to do the right thing — I’m learning though to tell people that it isn’t the right time for me to eat, and take it and find a way to get rid of it later.

    I’ll say, either I just ate and I’m full, or give some other legimate excuse. That usually works.

  • Just when you think you have it figured out…

    I’ve gone a couple of months without pulling a set off, but managed to do it yesterday morning.

    I had been pretty pleased with myself, though I do faithfully carry extras and I have been worried about having to float.

    The biggest danger time for pulling a set off, for me, if the first few hours after a set change. I alternate sides plus I was wearing slacks instead of a dress.

    Just as I yanked, I could feel the tubing in my hand, but it was too late.

    Lots of reasons I HATE doing that. First it hurts. Second, sets aren’t cheap. $10-15 a piece, and the insets run the high end. Third, everytime you put a set in, you run into the danger of having it inserted wrong. The good news, is that I can’t remember the last time I had an Inset set fail, the last time was months ago, and I had pulled the set towards the end of the set life, and pulled the cannella out without pulling off the adhesive.

    I was able to change the set in my classroom without anyone noticing, but mostly because I was wearing a two-piece outfit, and could get to the set without disrobing.

    My plan is to be able to buy all new clothes at the beginning of the school year (having lost weight), and high on that plan is to make sure everything I buy is seperates. I’m going to miss my walk in closet.

    You see, I absolutely refuse to change a set, test my blood sugar or inject in a room that has a toilet in it. Especially a public restaurant. Have you see the studies where they show how the entire room has a high bacteria count and that they find particles of feces and urine in the air and stalls. There isn’t enough alcohol in the world to prevent a infection in that situation. It gives me the willies thinking about it. And those were “clean” restrooms.
    We’re lucky if they get serviced once a day and that’s usually just to remove the trash.

  • Stressors

    I was hoping to finish the school year without having the stressors bother me again, but no such luck. Got a note in my box. I vow though that this time I’m not going to let it get to me.

    Three times it has caused me to stop sleeping, three times it has pulled my energy level down, and three times it has affected my eating. I’ve finally got everything under control. I don’t need this.

  • Seem to have reached the bottom

    At least for a little while — blood sugar is still stable and part of the issue may be that I’ve loosened up on choices a bit, but my blood sugar isn’t as low as it was and my insulin use is stablizing.

    I think I’ll end up with a TDD under 50.

    Energy level is definately improving.

    I’ve gotten almost everything out of my classroom — I give my last final tomorrow morning and thankfully they are my best class.

    Check out is Friday morning, and I’ll have to wait until grades come back. I think I’ll go in a bit later than 8:00 am since they won’t be in that early.

  • Beadin’ Beagle ID Bracelets

    Now you know why I had her make mine with white beads, and use both the flat tag AND a dangle.

    And do what I did — ask a couple of paramedics if they would notice it. I swung by the fire station to ask mine. It also isn’t a bad idea if they know you, but then I live in a small town (suburb of Dallas), and the fire station is less than 3 minutes away from a phone call.

    Diabetes Mine: Too Pretty to Save My Life?

    The consensus was that they were at least as likely to notice that as a plain steel bracelet, but they think they would notice the tubing and pump first.

    Of course, you don’t pump, so you don’t have visible (to a paramedic) signs available.