Interesting change — I went to the eye doctor today and she said my astimigatism changed from 75% to 60% cylinder. Changing the contact DID help the vision.
And I’m now wearing a bifocal contact in one eye. It isn’t bad. I’ve lost a lot of far vision to get good near vision, but I was corrected 20/15 for over 20 years. I think wearing these a few days will help a lot too.
Probably moving my monitor closer would be a good idea also.
My eye doctor — who has Lasik services at her office was saying essentially the same thing.
She said that the prices on the radio are without any astigmatism, and that they always find some and charge more for it.
Texas actually spells out what has to be covered!
Someone in the diabetes network told me that a) the FDA isn’t approving pumps with more than 200 unit cartridges anymore and b) the Humalog had finally been approved for the pump — which a group of pump users are allergic to, me included.
I related this to my husband, who exploded — and you have to know him, he rarely reacts strongly to anything. He response? How can they regulate insulin so strongly but keep ephedra on the shelves.
Yeah, I want to know too.
First, cartridges cost money, and yeah, I’ll be reusing them. Second, changing insulin every day and a half is a pain. One of the reasons I have the pump I have, is that it is a 300 unit pump.
Also, I care about the humalog thing, because I’m afraid my insurance will try to push the Humalog issue. I’m sticking to state law, reminding the doctor endless I’m allergic to humalog, etc. Yeah, it’s $80 every 90 days instead of $50, but the crap makes me itch! Even injecting in the site makes me itch.
ARGH!
Unfortunately there isn’t a web link for this article — it came from the ADA — Diabetes E-New Now!
Insulin: Early and Often
Insulin will lower your blood glucose levels whether you have type 2 or type 1 diabetes. When you maintain lower blood glucose levels, closer to the nondiabetic level, you lower your risk of the long-term complications of diabetes. The U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) showed this was true for people with type 2 diabetes in 1998. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) showed this in people with type 1 diabetes in 1993.
Yet even today, insulin is not used early enough in the course of type 2 diabetes. And it´s not used often enough (three or four shots a day instead of the usually inadequate two shots a day ) in type 1 diabetes. The result is too many people with vision loss, kidney disease, and amputations.
If I do find a web link, I’ll post it.
For me, this shows I made the right decisions — going to insulin when I first saw that drugs weren’t doing a thing.
MSNBC – Diabetes treatment response varies
First, I’m not a doctor, I’m not a medical researcher by profession, I”m just a patient, but this article is one reason I think a “cure” for diabetes is just downright impossible given the current level of technology.
I believe there are a whole bunch of “diseases” that all have the same group of symthoms we’ve been calling diabetes.
I figure there are several types of Type 1, and a whole bunch of types of Type 2.
However, I don’t think I belong in this group. My blood sugar was “normal” back in my 20s.
It’s been a tough year — last January I had just started daily injections and I was just starting to see some improvement in blood sugar numbers.
It’s been my toughest teaching year so far. I’ve never had this many resistant students.
Of course, the last 4 months with the husband on crutches has been tough — but he was released off of them on Monday. The really fun part, is that the doctor has released him to ride bicycles — he suggested that Rich start with a stationary, but has not released him to walk as a form of exercise. More good news — he doesn’t see the doctor again for 6 weeks.
I’m really glad I went to the insulin pump. I don’t think I would have dealt with the issues I have dealt with as easily.
I talked with a woman who was considering the pump the other day — and I just can’t imagine relying on daily injections again. Even if I were on a better insulin, I can’t image control being better controlled by the pump, versus controlled by a time released insulin. You sure can’t adjust for exercise — something we were talking about yesterday on the email list.
Anyway, I’m glad I have made the decisions I’ve made. I am glad I didn’t wait on the new insurance to see if maybe they would cover the pump. I’ll see soon how they work out with the supplies.
Most Effective Exercise to Reduce Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes
I’ve started back on resistance training again at the Country Club. Bought a package deal and having one of the personal trainers help me. I find it REAL important to get help. I get lazy fast.
I also find that you get better service on a regular basis from ALL the employees, if you employ a personal trainer.
A side note in this week’s issue:
DID YOU KNOW: Reports in the lay press are suggesting that it’s dangerous for patients to stop low-dose aspirin. This comes from a small study. It suggests there’s a higher risk of heart attacks shortly after stopping aspirin in patients who already have heart disease. Aspirin’s protective antiplatelet effect is reduced within several days of stopping the drug. In fact, some experts recommend NOT stopping low-dose aspirin for most dental and medical procedures. In many cases, the risk of clotting outweighs the small increased risk of bleeding. Encourage cardiac patients to stick with their aspirin. Mayo Clin Proc 2003;78:1392-6.
Diabetes In Control Dot Com. The weekly newsletter for medical professionals in Diabetes care.
DID YOU KNOW: Reports in the lay press are suggesting that it’s dangerous for patients to stop low-dose aspirin. This comes from a small study. It suggests there’s a higher risk of heart attacks shortly after stopping aspirin in patients who already have heart disease. Aspirin’s protective antiplatelet effect is reduced within several days of stopping the drug. In fact, some experts recommend NOT stopping low-dose aspirin for most dental and medical procedures. In many cases, the risk of clotting outweighs the small increased risk of bleeding. Encourage cardiac patients to stick with their aspirin. Mayo Clin Proc 2003;78:1392-6.
Need for More Aggressive in-Hospital Glucose Control
This was an issue for me when I had my hand surgeries. Okay, at the time, I was on MDI (Multiple Daily Injections) — but I definately saw a difference in how I was healing based on high and low blood sugars. I managed to get an infection the first time around, because I got a tad careless. Soon as I got a hold of antibotics, and got things back under control, the infection was gone. I did MUCH better on the second surgery after I learned my lesson the hard way.
But if we can get the surgeons in on the act, I think we’ll all be better off.