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After driving to Duluth, Minnesota and back for a teacher workshop, I’m back in Dallas.  I am .7 pounds lighter than I left, which isn’t bad considering I’ve been doing a lot of sitting.

Very happy to be back and able to get back on track.  I’ve got an agility trial this weekend, and don’t report back to school until the 24th. 

Had a good time, met Scott Johnson on the way back.  Had a lot of thoughts reinforced.

I’ve been through several years of diabetic burnout now.  I’ve getting better, but I’m still missing some finger sticks – last night was a good example – why finger stick, I know my blood sugar is too high, I don’t really want to correct as I’m away from home, only have Dulce to help me, and I don’t want to go low in the night. 

Lots of those scripts go through my head.

Sometimes I just get really busy.  I’m going through a normal teaching day and I’m too lazy to pull the meter out of my bag.

Sometimes I forget to put the meter in my bag.

Sometimes I forget to put extra test strips in my bag and run out.

But the real reason really has to do with a lot of denial, a lot of depression, and a lot of resignation. 

BEING DIABETIC isn’t fun.  In fact, it can be painful, it can be awkward and it just isn’t a fun lifestyle at all.

Training and traveling with Dulce is helping me get a handle on it, but I’m not perfect.

So we have been in Duluth since Sunday.

A lot of the time, people don’t notice her. It’s because she is only 12” tall. I haven’t had anyone say anything negative about her in Duluth. However, there are a few times I have decided to give her a few minutes off, like last night at dinner. It’s cooler here, found some shade, and I was eating. Shouldn’t be having a low, and if I were, I was already doing something about it.

Sometimes I think people didn’t notice, but then they say something.  It’s all rather different.

Some of the time, it slows things down.  People want to meet her and want to hear the whole story.  Some times I feel a bit funny about the part that she is self trained.  I don’t look like an expert dog trainer, but then what does an expert dog trainer look like? 

My latest issue?  How do I get to Baltimore and back in October with her?

Also we’re meeting with the ADA Committee on Tuesday morning.

Seriously.

We were at the Mall of America.  Loud, busy place, especially on a Saturday afternoon.

Microsoft store.  Popcorn  on the floor, children around, even really nice handicapped children who asked to pet the puppy.  She was doing the normal Tesoro beagle thing to do, acknowledging her adoring public and looking for the person handing out ribbons.  Not as obnoxious as it sounds, they are pretty gracious at it.

So I’m talking to an employee about buying a computer (price is a bit too rich for this school teacher), when she jumps on my leg. 

Whoa!

This is NOT normal Dulce behavior.  She does NOT jump on my leg.  In fact, when we’re out in public unless I have cookies, she’s working the public.

So I excuse myself to check the blood sugar, and yes, it is dinner time.  In fact, as far as it was to decent dinner, it was just in the nick of time.  So I excuse myself, and we head for the nearest restaurant.

They were great, I would have rather have been in the back, but they put me next to the iron railing which was perfect to tie someone’s leash too.  Dulce was very public, but we did find some extra bread crumbs in our way.  She did get a bit of the risotto (risotto with chicken, corn and heirloom tomatoes).  And a perfect 150 after.

Thank you Dulce, because a full out crash wouldn’t have been fun.

Blood sugar was in range all day.

Had no trouble traveling with Dulce. Two comments about not being able to bring pets in but were retracted as soon as I reminded them she was a service dog.

Seriously her vest is as big as she is.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Here’s one with the dog.

Notice that the average is smoother, and there are more readings.

Here’s a blood glucose chart from my pump before I started working with the diabetic alert dog.

She is really good at picking up the knot on the leash when she smells the sample of “high” scent.  She hasn’t put it together with my being high. 

However, when my blood sugar is high, she pulls “stubborn” beagle on me.   And I think it’s more the process of an escalating blood sugar than an actual high.

She does the same then when I have a crashing low.  I get “stubborn” beagle. 

By the way, I’ve seen “stubborn” beagle before.  You have to understand that I have beagles that listen to me, do what I tell them to do, but when my health isn’t right, I get stubborn beagle.  Stubborn beagle won’t listen, won’t do what I want them to do,

In her case, she won’t stay in the open cage, pulls on the leash, doesn’t want to stay near me.  Means it’s time to check my blood sugar, lock her in the cage, and ignore her until things normalize.  Pretty interesting.

Be nice when we have a communication system going.  I think it will come soon.

She is well behaved in public.  Usually snoozes when we are in workshop situations.  Walks nicely on a leash, and when people are watching, puts on her runway walk.  Does pretty good at restaurants, though all bets are off when someone drops food on the floor (no self-respecting beagle ignores the opportunity to eat calories).  Cafeterias are hard, and its best if we pick a quiet corner.

So far, no issues with access.  Of course, walking in with confidence and 100 degree plus days helps.

So I am finally going in the right direction and am at lightest in a long while.  Not at my smallest, still carrying a lot of weight in my midsection, and I am not physically feeling the weight loss.  Weird.

Stress level is good.  House is organized, almost finished with the staff development of the summer and at a good place at curriculum development for the district.

I’ve got about three more weeks of summer, and headed to the far north of the country for almost a week.

Weight is going down at a nice slow steady pace.

It’s nice.