Blog

  • Announcements of Diabetes Diagnosis of Celebrities

    We've got at least one diabetes blogger who likes to announce when celebrities are diagnosed with diabetes.

    Frankly, it seems like gloating, and it seems wrong to me.  Unless the celebrity has issued a press release It really isn't my business or anyone else's.  Isn't that what HIPPA is about?

    Why do I bring it up?  Well, it was announced on an entertainment site this morning that Brett Michael's daughter was diagnosed with diabetes on the show, Celebrity Apprentice.  Well, she wasn't.  I know, because I actually watched the show, and they left the test results as a "cliff hanger".

    The diabetes blogger in question announced it on twitter, and linked to the inaccurate website.

    Celebrities have announced in public that they have been diagnosed with diabetes.  This is usually done after they have become a spokesperson for a diabetes organization or product.  Charlie Kimball comes to mind, who tweets as @RacingWithInsulin and is sponsored by Novartis.  Patti LaBelle is another one, she is a pitchewoman for a blood sugar meter.

    I would not be surprised if it is NOT announced one way or the other if the daughter is diagnosed, unless she has already planned to be a spokesperon.  That is entirely possible.  As it is, her privacy has been broached by her father, even if it was for a good cause.

    Really love the way Michael Johnson's situation was handled.  They never mentioned what his son's problem was (and I do believe he is a minor).

    CORRECTION:  Novo Nordisk (not Novartis) is actually his official sponsor, and his Twitter account is @racewithinsulin (just slightly different from what you listed in the post).

  • Celebrity Apprentice

    There are reports on the internet that they announced the Brett Michael's daughter Raine was diagnosed with diabetes during the show, but that is not true.  I watched it, and he ended it saying they didn't know when the blood test results would be back.

    Michael Johnson (Dallas ISD – Skyline Alumni) did leave because of problems with his son but they were not specified.

    Brett Michaels is doing exceptionally well on Celebrity Apprentice.  He was project manager for the first project, earned $100,000 for ADA Type 1 Camps, and has managed to increase Type 1 diabetes awareness each episode.  Last night, he said that his children had a 50% chance of having Type 1 since he had it. 

    Last night, he had the winning idea for the Right Guard/Gillette commercial. 

    He has treated everyone on the show with respect, even, surprisingly the women, though he is shown picking up women during some of his off time.

    Frankly, even being involved with a show as scummy as Rock of Love puts me off, but he really isn't much worse than Gene Simmons of Kiss.  I'm hoping some of the things he has been quoted as saying in the press are blown out of propotion.

    My biggest problems with him right now, he that he refuses to accept the fact that he has male pattern baldness (else, why the bandanas and hats.  And his refusal to try an insulin pump. 

    Oh, and the whining about his kids having to take shots.  Hey, it's part of diabetes, the shots aren't near as bad as the blood tests, which also comes with diabetes.  I'd respect whining about that more than I would the shots.  You'd think by now he'd either go on the pump, or be over the shot thing.

  • Mental Health Issues

    First, I’ve found a really great provider.  We have an Employee Assistance Program that at least one of my co-workers didn’t know about.  We get six free visits.  The even better part is that I found someone who also takes my insurance and since I’ve met my deductible, that should end up being free or almost free too.  That gives me twenty more visits.

    She sees me at 8:00 pm, so no rearranging schedules.  She’s 15 minutes from the house, and physically, I think she understands some of my issues better than the last guy who disappeared on me.  He was a bit of an athlete so he understood the dog agility some, but not my weight issues.

    So far, she’s helped me get through the initial problem – a total stress fest over a special ed student.  The school district, school and some individuals are being investigated to see if we have violated the kids educational rights.

    I don’t think I have – the issue is that the student was put on homebound and the district’s policy is to only teach those students the core curriculum courses.  I tried – I gave the family the login for the class website, but the student has never made an honest attempt at the assignments.  I pushed and the kid is now in my classroom.  We’re going to deal with those issues next week. 

    The second issue is my family – they always want to go there.  Yes, they are dysfunctional and have never little common sense.  I’ve dealt with that enough I don’t see it as a problem.  I am going to visit family this summer and my plan is to bring the new puppy which should diffuse any situation.  In fact, I may end up taking her with me to the actual workshops I am signed up for this summer.  I am going to take her the first day of the AP Workshop (which is at the instructor’s school), and explain I’m taking her to a pet sitter but that aren’t open yet, and see if maybe I can keep her there.  If not, I will actually take her to the sitter the rest of the week.  She’ll be between 10 weeks and 6 months at that point and few people can resist beagle puppies.  If I get to keep her there, that would give me an opportunity to teach her to be quiet in a crate and I’ll just take puppy walking breaks instead of food or smoke breaks.

    I’m going to do the same at the July workshop.  The hotel they have us at allows pets at $50.00 a day.  About the same price as a pet sitter.

    Having a dog in a stressful situation, and especially a puppy is great.  It keeps me calm and focused on the dog.  People look at the dog and talk about it instead of me, and it gives me something to do.

    My biggest issue is why do I sabotage myself?  I keep losing the same 5 pounds.  I might be ready for another fill.  I was doing well until the stress fest and then had to get half the fill taken out.  However, I still cough up food occasionally.  Sometimes because I eat too much and sometimes I eat two fast.  I’m going to work hard on this for the next few days.

  • Lost Power Last Night

    I am pretty sure a drunk hit something, but husband swears that he saw no damage.   Of cuorse, it was around 2:30 and he was pretty worthless.

    Dogs interrupted me, they wanted fed, so I check and got a Mocha. 

    Yep, someone hit the pole.  Managed to miss our fence, but there is a chunk out of the pole.

    Fortunately I had my CPAP, but I don’t think I got much sleep.  It took about an hour total to call the electric company and them get a truck out and get it fixed.  Good job @Oncor!

  • Had one of my bad diabetes days and nights

    I woke up last night to my insulin set poking me. Yes, was disconnected, and too tired to care.  I pulled it off, rolled over and let my pump deliver insulin where it wanted.

    And isn’t Easter a bad day for most diabetics?  Wish I could have stuck to hard boiled eggs, but wanted a rabbit and some jelly beans.

    My blood sugar is slowly going down below 200.

    Best news if that I actually got to eat lunch today, uninterrupted.

    I have to test students on line for the next three days, but I don’t have to deal with our favorite student so I am getting a bit of a break.

  • Food Revolution – Jamie Oliver

    The thing that bothers me about the whole Jamie Oliver thing, is that I think it a huge publicity stunt and that the hard work is already done.

    Remember, I teach high school and I have been in a Texas (Dallas), urban school for 17 years.  When I first started at my school, they had pie at every meal and the neighborhood would order and buy them. 

    That was the first to go.  Two problems, the possible abuse of money and the fat and sugar in the pies, but man or man, they made fabulous Chess pie.

    Then the cookies left.  They had huge-mongous cookies for $.50  Former students would sneak in at lunch time to buy them a few times a year.

    I think the fry vats are finally good, one of the last to go. 

    Our cooks cook and man they can make a mean whatever they make.  Most of the prep work is done at a central location, but is fresh food.  They have chicken at least once a week, baked, and very good.  I will admit that the most popular items are pizza and burritos.

    By the way, I don’t have problems with breakfast pizza – what is the difference between breakfast pizza versus a bisquit, eggs and meat?  It will get kids to eat breakfast, all the power to you.  It depends on the fat, processed sugar, and processed content.

    Oh, yeah, and when I wouldn’t breakfast, my mother made low fat and low sugar oatmeal.  Just enough to bind the stuff and make it seem like a cookie.

    Our vending machines are off until after lunch, along with any other food fundraisers.  In fact those don’t happen until after school.

  • Finally, slowing on the losing side

    Made a quick mention of this, this morning.   I’m at my lowest weight since the lap band process.  That means I am more than 40 pounds down from my heaviest.

    It is STILL frustrating.  I don’t lose in a smooth progression.

    My biggest problem is stress, and I am on the downside, I hope of a very stressful situation.  I haven’t slept all night since spring break.  I am having trouble even going to bed, as I anticipate problems.  Last night I finally forced myself a little before 12:30 pm.  Even skipped the computer, but woke up around 5:00 am and just laid there for a while.

    I might try sleeping pills tonight, but I don’t really like the way I feel the next day.

    Best news, it is does seem to have affected my insulin usage.

  • Weight Loss

    I am finally at a lower weight again.  I got a fill in December, it was going well, got a stomach bug at Christmas and after all of that hit my lowest – a 40 pound loss.

    Then I hit a series of events that caused a lot of stress and my band tightened.  I couldn’t get my normal food down, and ended up gaining about 10 pounds.  This was frustrating in itself.  Got an unfill of half of the original fill.

    I’ve slowly lost that 10 pounds, and I am at 40 pounds loss again.  I am at the weight I was before I was made Campus Tech, and I was at the weight for about two years. I have lots of clothing from that time period and that’s a time period I was very successful at agility.

    Everything I’ve been going through has been very difficult and this is the first spring that I’ve really looked forward to the end of the school year and especially this early.

  • Blood Sugar and Heat?!

    Does anyone else have trouble maintaining their blood glucose/insulin levels in heat?

    Our chiller isn’t working, so we have no cold air yet (though I swear it was one Friday afternoon late).

    Custodian is on it.

    FYI: If I do get caught in my classroom with no clothing on, it will be because the room is 95 + degrees and there will not be another teacher there – besides, Spanish and French go together, but what goes with Computer Science?

  • Dietician – Diabetes Visit

    Last week, I saw the TLC Dietician because I’ve been having problems with my blood sugar.  I think it was a combination of not knowing how to estimate carbs and carb stacking.

    My blood sugar was in the 300’s just about every evening and between 150 and 200 in the mornings.  Not good.

    Good news, she seems to have helped.  She gave me some hints on estimating carbs which is always scared me a bit, because I hate going low.

    Since I’ve been to see her, my evening blood sugar as been in the 200-250 range, which is a heck of a lot better.  Morning blood sugar has been better too.

    Think the weight is going better if this morning weigh tells me anything.  I also stopped obsessing about my TDD for a while.