Blog

  • Traveling

    Well, we didn’t do well today. I feel good about the first course, but she didn’t do ANYTHING right, not even the things she is good at. She even left off the stay at the start!

    The JWW run was better, but I blew that one. I didn’t know the course well enough as I expected to be blown off again, but she was with me.

    Traveling itself is going well. I would have done fine with out the food, I think, but it was nice having a good dinner waiting for me. And having breakfast here was nice too.

    I’m going to plan better on food next time. Lunch was something that needed to be heated, so I left it behind. I ended up eating consession food instead.

    I didn’t think to bring the book I was reading, so I picked up one I’ve already read. I didn’t MEAN to, but that’s okay. It’s easier that way, and I don’t remember how it ended.

    Oh, and I dropped my blood sugar monitor in the dog’s bowl. I’m having a real problem with the case provided by Therasense for my monitor. The monitor slides right out of the case when I get strips out of the test strip container. How it managed to land in the water bowl, I have no idea.

    It’s not a real problem — I have a spare. I immediately took it apart, and shook out all the water I could. I have it drying out now. I did this with a cell phone and it survived so we’ll see.

    I need to remember to use test solution to check it.

    But at least she is well. She’s had a pulled muscle at class right before Memorial Day and then an ear infection and a hot spot right where her collar sits.

  • First trip on an insulin pump

    So now I am on my first trip away from home with an insulin pump. I am in Monroe, LA with one beagle, and we’re entered in an agility trial here. I have a NICE hotel room, Holiday Inn, and it’s a suite room. I found years ago that helps the sleeping problem.

    I did notice that my blood sugar was a bit elevated driving. It makes sense, since you aren’t moving around much and people driving around you do goofy things on the road. I also had some edges of thunderstorms and some road construction to deal with.

    Not eating sugar as I went wasn’t hard. A bad habit my father taught me — eat sugar to stay awake. FYI: It makes diabetics sleepy. This is NOT a good thing.

    I ended up eating fried chicken and salad on the road instead of Diet Gourmet when I got to the hotel, but the calorie level worked out fine. Maybe a touch over.

    I only woke up once, and my blood sugar was a tad high. It was low when I went to sleep — 125 and the last time — Wednesday — it was that low, I woke up three times and had to treat it. Instead I ate a Snickers minature without insulin. Thus I was a little high when I woke up too. I treated the high with a half insulin correction since right now I’m on my dawn syndrome basal.

    I did leave the dog food and my running shoes behind — it was starting to storm and I wanted to get out of town before it did. Luckily I only managed to get hit by the leading edge. Stopped and got dog food in south Dallas, and will deal with the shoes sometime today.

  • What I learned at my teacher workshop

    Free food isn’t really free. I would have done MUCH better if I had brought my own food.

    I still lost weight though. We’ll see if I maintain that over the weekend. I just had to feel a bit deprived in the evening. I probably could have eaten half — but it’s a mind set thing. Once you figure out how much insulin, and administer YOU have to eat whatever you decided.

    My basal rate is probably a bit high for a normal day for me. We will see over the weekend.

  • Traveling

    I am making my first trip and going to be away from home for the first time since the pump.

    My “day” pack already has enough supplies in it for a week, so that should be fine. I’ve packed clothing, taking my electric cooler — LOVE this thing, and will be packing CPAP and meds in a bit.

    I’m going to take an extra vial of insulin — just in case.

    Big dog and I are going to an agility trial in Monroe LA. I may do some other out of town agility trials if this goes well.

    I’ve done everything I can to make it convenient — suite hotel, fridge and microwave in the room, free breakfast buffet, taking the food, and high speed internet access — all the comforts of home. Probably won’t do much of that on later trips.

    The LAST trip I made, I did the same type of thing. No dog, first time on insulin injections, and did the “suite” hotel thing.

    So wish us luck. I’d like to get an Excellent leg. We’ve been an obstacle short for a time.

  • Weight loss

    I was going to push back my sleep doctor’s appointment because I just knew I would gain weight this week. Face it, sitting all day in the same chair for 4 1/2 days does not burn calories. HOWEVER, I’m wrong. Something has happened because this morning I weigh 5 pounds less than I did on Sunday.

    I’m not counting it as “real” weight, since it hasn’t shown up on Sunday morning, but it is encouraging.

  • Medco in Trouble

    Medco Layoff Hits Quietly

    It worries me. I haven’t been pleased with either Caremark or Medco. Insulin handling with both are stressful, though Caremark was a bit more considerate.

  • Suing HMOs

    DB’s Medical Rants » Patient’s rights and managed care

    And of course, this is one that I’m going to be on the side of — if the doctor orders, the insurance company should pay.

    I feel 100% better because of my pump. The cheaper alternatives just weren’t doing it for me.

    Insurance should cover it.

    There is a deal going on now — the insurance company denied a claim on a CPA machine because my doctor didn’t show medical necessity. Who requests a CPAP machine for someone who doesn’t need one?

    Okay, the true issue is that my CPAP machine was over 5 years old and we all agreed it needed to be replaced since the newer technologies have compliance information and apnea information.

    The rest of the issue is that the insurance companies tend to deny new masks unless the doctor’s have proof that the patient is compliant. Bit of a catch 20/20 here. At least we’re talking $600 and not $6000.

  • Teacher Workshop

    I’m surviving.

    I did the BEST thing I could do today, I took “big dog” to agility, just her and I to an advanced class. She is feeling well enough to compete this weekend, even if she does have a punk beagle haircut.

    This will give me the choice to skip her class tomorrow evening if I am tired. Though I probably won’t.

    It was very nice for her to have her mom to herself, and have a “fresh” handler. She’s had to deal with a tired handler, and one with low blood sugar at that — I’m still fighting the lows.

    I woke up feeling funny three times last night, but my blood sugar was low when I went to bed. No danger of that right now, 186!

    1 and 1/2 days to go, and then I’m off to the dog agility thing.

  • This is how I ended up paying out of pocket for my pump

    The Health Care Blog

    If you don’t care to go back to the archives, a short recap ….

    My doctor and I decided that I should go on the pump because I was gaining weight on MDI and had what I felt was inadequate control with shots.

    It was the right decision, but the idiot HMO said, NO, you have to throw all the diabetes meds in the world at her in combination before we’ll approve it.

    I’d had my full of diabetes drugs after the first one, and besides, insulin really is better and the pump is the most efficient way to deliver it.

    And by the way, I’ve been steadily losing weight again.

  • Insurance Frustration

    Family Medicine Notes: Psychiatry Archives

    Any time I get frustrated with my doctor or insurance I’m going to go back and read this.