Living with Diabetes

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  • New Med Blog

    Interesting blog. We’ve got a bit in common, I am doing an online — almost virtual master’s. We have to meet face-to-face before each test, which actually helps.

    I’ve had border collies. There is one thing that border collies are not capable of herding. BEAGLES! The beagles bite them on the dew claw when they get too obnoxious. Got to feel like getting your finger slammed in a car door, the way the poor BC’s reacted.

    Unfortunately only one of the BC’s was a good dog. However, I even ended up sending him off after drug dog training to be a drug dog. For a while, he was partnered with TWO officers and worked TWO shifts. Yeah, they are that intense.

    The second BC had idopathic epilepsy and ended up going into statis. I didn’t realize that happened to people too, but we lost a student that way this year.

    And the third BC was a mismatched rescue. He’s in a good home now, and doing very well in agility.

    I seriously doubt that I’ll be getting another border collie. Just too much dog. Besides, I like my beagles.

  • Sleep Doctor Aggravations

    Went on a three week followup with the sleep doctor.

    Oh, and the last couple of days — since the major bad night on Sunday — I’ve been sleeping better. Haven’t woke up lately.

    Good news
    Oximeter study was excellent, never go below 90%

    Gave me more Provigil to play with. I really only like it in an emergency. It only falls the falling asleep thing. It fixes nothing else.

    Since they couldn’t find the oximeter study, doctor and I had time to converse and he asked GOOD questions about the pump. I kinda of wish I had been dressed to show if off better. I was wearing a long dress.

    SoSo News
    Compliant 6.8 or so hours on the machine. And nap times showing as compliant. First, I knew I had some bad news in the 3 weeks. Second, I keep telling them I’m compliant, sad it takes data to prove it.

    Bad News
    Got on me about my weight. Yeah, I know it didn’t change. It was 3 weeks, I’m trying to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. So 3 pounds can be the salad I haven’t finished processing. Plus the nurse just writes down a number close to what the scale says and never weights for it to settle.

    Not gaining was a good thing with the lack of sleep!

  • Good Death

    Medrants asked if a good death is important.

    I think so. My father had a good death. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure (this was 20 years ago), sent home, and was given some home nursing and equipment and basically left to die. It did take 3 years, and some of it was painful, but he did adjust well. We had plenty of time to talk and resolve issues. The only invasive procedure was a catherization, but that was his choice, he wanted to make sure why he had congestive heart failure. Most was congenital.

    My mother-in-law had a good death too. She and my father-in-law were in a car accident and she was killed instantly. They had just been visiting their grandchildren and were on their way to a card show. They were in good health and she just went.

    Even my father-in-law went relatively easily for him because he never regain consciousness. However, my husband and his sister had to deal with decisions. They did put him in hospice care and died a few weeks later without gaining consciousness.

    However, my grandmothers didn’t fair as well. For different reasons, they were put in nursing homes and had all the care needed to keep them alive. One is still living, and has been reduced to the mental age of about 1 1/2 years. It’s very sad, and I wish she could die.

    I’ve had friends deal with parents with lingering illnesses.

    If I had my choice, I’d go the way the inlaws did, especially mother-in-law. I certainly don’t want to spend my last days in a hospital poked and prodded, especially by strangers.

  • WordPress

    I can’t believe how easy Word Press is. Of course, Word Press was installed automagically by my server software (Fantastico) and importing my Movable Type entries was easy to.

    It is much more user friendly. Blogging is much easier.

    My reason for moving to this, wasn’t the licensing, it’s free for me, since I only do the one blog and the photo album. For me, it’s frustration. Movable Type 3.0 is a dog (software wise).
    This is MUCH easier.

  • The secrets of sleep

    The secrets of sleep

    Health education teacher Pacy Erck remembers what it was like back when Edina High School students had to show up by 7:25 a.m. “The kids were always very tired,” she recalls. But these days, Erck rarely has a kid nod off in class. That’s because in the fall of 1996, officials at this Minnesota school decided to ring the first bell an hour later, at 8:30 a.m. Sleep researchers had reported that teens’ natural slumber patterns favor a later bedtime, and the school wanted to ensure that its high schoolers weren’t being shortchanged by an early wake-up call. The change means that students average five more hours of sleep a week, and teachers can see a difference. “You don’t have the kids putting their heads down,” Erck says. “The class is livelier.”

    My school district changed times for high school kiddos LONG before this research and I definately saw a similar change. It’s also easier on me.

  • Server Problems

    Well, the server administrator didn’t cooperate, so I moved this domain today. Things went alot better with this move, but then I wasn’t moving much data.

  • Minimed recalling sets

    Medtronic MiniMed – Patients and Families

    Knew this one was coming. The sad part, is that they were so callous about changing the set, ignoring user compliants, then finally acknowledging the problem.

    Of course, they have a history of this. B&D Logic Meter, waterproof problems with 512/712 series etc.

    So far, Animas problems have been quickly and quietly fixed.

  • Server Issues

    Well moving the mailing list site over to the new server foobarred. Obviously because I don’t know what I’m doing. I started out by putting in the wrong dns names , and didn’t catch that until the next day.

    Still don’t know where those came from.

    I’ve asked the old server guy for some help. If he provides, then I’ll keep this site here, and my classroom site here.

    If not, I’ll be moving. I have several options going right now, if the phpfreaks site doesn’t work out.

    This site isn’t going away.

    And Movable Type is still foobarred, but I’ve learned a lot from it. FYI: I’ve based a classroom website on Movable Type ideas.

  • ishape — 13 weeks later

    As I have mentioned in several posts, included the last one, I’ve been doing iShape — http://www.iShape.com It’s owned by the people who do Shape magazine and Muscle & Fitness (I think), they have a men’s fitness magazine too.

    It’s working well. I’ve lost somewhere between 15 and 20 pounds, and that’s comparing doctor’s scales too. And iShape isn’t just for women.

    In 13 weeks, I’ve gone from using 70-110 units of insulin to 50-70 units. I’ve rarely gone above 70, lately.

    Here’s what I am doing.

    I delete their meals, and log mine. I already use a local service called Diet Gourmet. If you are in the Dallas area, they are super, deliver, and prices can’t be beat.

    That accounts for about 1600 calories a day, and then I pick and choose as much low carb snacks as I can, but maintain saturation.

    My goal is to eat 600 calories less than iShape says I burned. I don’t always do that but it averages out.

    I’ve got it set up to give me weight workouts 5 times a week. And I also have it set up to give me 7 cardio workouts, but it usually only gives me 5.

    I usually do exactly what the weight workout says. If I don’t have the equipment, then I change the exercise that does have it. I have a stability ball, 3, 5, 8, 10, and 15 pound weights, and that seems to be enough. I keep watching for when I might need to buy 20 pound weights.

    I always do what the cardio says as a minimum. I usually do 20 minutes on the off days, but sometimes I do take them off. Lately I’ve been adding swimming.

    Other good news, is that I’ve been able to get up in the mornings and work out.

    I do have to watch my blood sugar levels more carefully. I have had to made some adjustments, and I figure on making more as we go along. I am seeing my CDE once a month right now, so I know I have help coming at any point. In fact, I see her on Thursday.

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