Tallygear.com

This sport case seems very durable and compact.  I like that it has two pouches to hold a pump and CGM or Meter.  The adjustable strap makes it one size fits all.

Here’s my take on it.  I like the case and actually use it for some of the exercising that I do where I’m jumping around (Plyometrics) or constantly moving (Yoga) into different positions.  The case holds my pump nicely so it is out of the way and doesn’t constantly fall out of my pocket.

The only downside I see is that it’s pretty feminine and not something that I think a guy would wear openly, even in the plain black color. Another think I like about the case is that it is made to be hidden and not like a fanny pack worn on the outside for the most part.

A few years ago when I first started on my pump I was doing a good deal of mountain biking.  The biggest fear I had was if I fell off (did this often) and accidentally smashed my pump to smithereens.  That would be a couple grand I’d rather not spend on a new pump.  The second part is that I feared it would fall out of my pocket and get caught in the tires or crank shaft, which is even more scary to think about the infusion site getting ripped out.  Back in the day I used an old neoprene case that held a portable CD player.  Yeah, I am now in the 21st century with ipods, but I held on to the case for only that purpose. This case would be perfect for biking.

Another positive is that I could use this case instead of having to use one of my pockets in my pants/shorts.  With a cell phone in one pocket, there’s only one other pocket left.  If I fill it with a pump, I’m out of storage.  This case would come in handy for trips or vacations where I need my pockets.

What would you use this case for?

Here are some pictures of the case:

A special thank you goes to Donna at Tallygear for providing the tummietotes!

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Best Diabetes Supply (Sport) Case is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

[From the site]

Whether you have type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, healthetreatment can help people learn from the experiences of others.

Mission: Your story is our story. Contribute your experiences to our library of health information so others can learn from your expertise. Your story is our story. Contribute your experiences to our library of health information so others can learn from your expertise.

Our process is simple:

• Tell us about yourself. Let us know your age, where you live, and when you were diagnosed. Your information will be used in the aggregate to help others understand more about your condition.
• See the universe of people with similar conditions. You’re not alone. Our charts & graphs help to paint a picture of who is affected.
• Share your story. Causes and symptoms will vary by individual, but are infrequently unique. The more we know about you, the better we can compare you to others in a similar situation.
• Rate your experiences. Are you the first to trial a new procedure? Have you had disastrous side effects from a particular medication? Has there been a medical breakthrough that has led to dramatic improvement in your quality of life? Well, here’s your chance to tell everyone!
• Learn from the experiences of others. If condition-specific knowledge can lead to improvement in quality of life, what are you waiting for? Work with your doctor to take control of your wellness today!

[healthetreatment.com]

My first impression of this website was, what is the intention or purpose of it.  It wasn’t clear as to what I was supposed to do, if it’s a product site or a service like WebMD.  What I saw first was a line that said, “What is your condition?”.  So after I typed in Type 1, a few options popped up and I selected type 1 diabetes and hit “go”.   Then, nothing happened.  I tried it a few times and the search feature didn’t seem to be working (I tried it in Firefox and Safari).  It could have been my browser, but I’m not sure.  I simply clicked below the search where Diabetes Type 1 was listed as a common condition.  Before I click “begin now” to start the survey, I noticed there are a bunch of statistics and charts about diabetes that appear interesting.

There were six steps that they said would take about 5 minutes to complete.  My survey took more like 10 minutes probably because some of the questions were confusing.  The questions asked about my symptoms and how severe they were or are.  What was confusing is that I didn’t know if the survey was asking about when I was diagnosed with diabetes or as of right now.  That part was not very clear.  Also, there was the ability to enter in symptoms that weren’t listed, which was nice.  However, “thirst” was listed twice, so it makes me question the integrity of the data/survey.

The next step asked me about treatment options.  All of the typical ones were there, but again I was confused because here are two of the options I saw: “Insulin by pump” and “Insulin pump – Novolog”.  I actually use “Insulin pump – Humalog”, but that wasn’t an option so I choose Insulin by pump.  The next step actually showed what everyone else selected compared to me, similar to the step after the symptoms where it showed everyone’s symptoms and it pointed out where I was better or worse.

Next, it jumped from step 3 to step 5.  I clicked the back button just to double check I didn’t click too fast, but I hadn’t – it skipped step 4.   Step 5 asked about my birthday, gender and zip code.  Remember, everything here is anonymous though I did need to enter an email address.  There was also an option to enter a screen name that would be visible.

Finally, step 6 asked what my trigger was for type 1 diabetes.  Personally, I’d really like to know that answer myself.  Most people selected “Autoimmune Disease”, but I picked “Unknown” because I have no idea what caused my pancreas to be “challenged”.  Yes, it’s said that diabetes develops due to an autoimmune disorder, but that doesn’t seem like a true cause.  I wish it was more clear-cut like lung cancer and smoking.

At the end, the site provided graphs and tables that listed a summary of everyone’s responses.  I did find that the transition was a bit slow from step to step with the website.  Here are some samples of what it looks like.  You can see some references in the left sidebar.  In the middle you can see the results from the survey to date.   Being a complete data geek, I wish the graphs and charts had data labels or axis labels to see exactly what the results were.  Also, I would like to know how many people have taken the survey to understand the statistical significance of the data.  It makes a huge difference if 100,000 people have completed it compared to 200.

Here is another screen shot from the results.  I found it difficult to zoom into my exact location without having to do a lot of dragging and zooming in and out.  This is where I learned that most people who completed the survey selected “Autoimmune Disease” as the cause for type 1 diabetes.  I also saw that the vast majority of the people with type 1 diabetes were diagnosed before age 18.

Here is an example of something that makes me question the data.  I’m pretty sure there isn’t someone living under the river filling out the survey.  Granted this may be more of a Google Maps issues, but regardless it showed up on this site.  It was definitely kind of interesting to look and see how many people with diabetes who filled out the survey live near me.

Summary:

The site is definitely a bit thought-provoking and the idea of learning from each other sounds interesting.  Twitter is a prime example where real people with diabetes share insights and information all the time.  I caution about the accuracy of the data without getting more insights. With the people entering the data being anonymous, who knows the person, child or weirdo that might be filling out the survey 50 times just for fun. I don’t think there are any checks to ensure one ip address can fill out the survey only once.  I think a few more quality checks would be beneficial to ensure there aren’t any duplicates in the options.  Also, some up front clarification would have been helpful to ensure the person filling out the survey understands the point in time they should use to answer the questions.

Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments below.  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

If you are interested in a review, please use the contact form or email me at: tony [at] bloggingdiabetes.com.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Healthetreatment [Review] is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

If you take a look at the chart below you will see a typical trend that I tend to notice.

When I leave my doctor’s office, I’m all fired up.  I’m gonna get my butt in gear, clean up the diet and keep my blood sugar under control.  That’s exactly what happens for the first month or so.  Then, as time passes and my last doctor’s visit isn’t so fresh in my mind, things tend to slide a bit.  I may stray from the diet.  Workouts don’t happen on the regular and the blood sugars could prove it.  The chart below just illustrates what I think happens versus my actual numbers.

Should I go to the doctor every other month?  That might help if my doctor actually did anything.  We may tweak a bit, but the next real step is CGM, better logging and tighter control in general.  Back to the chart.  As the months go by the blood sugars go up steadily.  Then, as the next Endocrinologist visit approaches and I know an A1c test is coming, things start to get tighter.

The reality is that I go to see my doctor in less than 2 weeks and I know exactly how it’s going to go.  Good start, bum shoulder, a lot of excuses and an A1c that I’m not going to be happy with.  Good control, but I’m not one to settle for good.

Does this cycle look familiar?  What does your cycle look like?

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

A1c Viscous Cycle is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

Below are a few highlights from the news release as to why the number is going to grow.

• People are living longer with diabetes (good thing)
• Hispanics and African Americans are more at risk for diabetes and are making up a bigger part of our population
• More overweight Americans

The SNL skit really made me laugh out loud even though it was shocking, but I had already heard the statistic in the news. The skit made light of the fact that type 2 diabetes is an issue for a society that uses fried chicken as bread (KFC). I couldn’t agree more.

Seth Meyers skit , you can skip to the 27 sec mark.

[Source]

I can see people in the diabetes community getting all up in arms about SNL poking fun at a huge epidemic like diabetes. But that’s not the point. The joke isn’t geared towards the chronic illness, it’s pointing out the fact that as a whole, Americans eat like shit.

Back to the news release – can you imaging one out of every three people in America having diabetes? That’s crazy talk.

Did you hear the news or see the SNL skit? What are your thoughts?

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

This Little Disease Called Diabetes is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

About 3-4 days before I am set to travel, mostly for work where the trip is only a few days or up to 3 or 4 days, I start to plan my diabetes management.  By that I mean, I start to figure out when my current infusion set for my pump is going to be ready to be changed out. After doing a quick calculation knowing that I don’t ever go more than 3 days on an infusion set, I will start to plan out my upcoming site changes.

If my infusion set is going to expire while I am away, I will try to change it before I’m going to leave.  I do this for two reasons:

1. I don’t want to have to bring extra infusion set/insulin supplies with me
2. I don’t want to have to change my infusion site while away in a hotel

I have no idea why I do this.  Like, how hard is it to bring 3 extra things that are tiny with me (I typically do this anyway just in case there is an emergency)?  I may just be looking to see if I’m crazy here, but do other people do this?  Do you change a site early so that you do have to change it while traveling?  If I’m going to bring extra supplies with me anyway, what does it matter? 

I keep telling myself this: If I am due to change a site while away and bring an infusion set with me, what happens if the resetting doesn’t go well and I need another one  Then what?  If I change beforehand, I know that it’s working before I leave.  Then I only have one extra with me in case of an emergency.  So here’s my question:

Do you think I’m a little bananas or do you do this too?  I’d love to hear other’s opinion of weird things they may do before/during traveling.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Traveling with Diabetes is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

A question people asked me was If I was going to get a diabetes tattoo. I think they are pretty cool from the ones I’ve seen, but they’re just not for me.  My take on the diabetes tattoo that indicates I’m a diabetic or require special medical attention is this – they are NOT for me.  I still hold onto the hope that someday a cure will be found and I don’t have to check my blood sugar, take shots or carry an insulin pump.  If I had a permanent diabetes tattoo, it would just be a constant reminder of the period of my life when diabetes was my conjoined twin.  I wouldn’t want that reminder and would want to put it all behind me.

I get that some people have them and feel like it would be a reminder of the period of their life that made them stronger.  I get it.  That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right (yes, I know this is a fragment sentence).  I see that opposing point of view, but it’s just not me.  One fan on facebook told me that she was considering getting one for her underage kid to ensure if an emergency was to happen they would be protected if she wasn’t present.  I can see the point there.  Tattoos are a personal preference.  Most either love ‘em or hate ‘em.  So there you have it, my perspective on a diabetic tattoo.

I was surprised to find the disclaimer form the tattoo artist had specifically stated you better disclose any medical conditions of which diabetes was called out.  I talked to him and having already gotten a tattoo while being a diabetic, he didn’t think it was an issue.  He just wanted to make sure I ate and had a stable blood sugar for the next few hours.  I’ve heard that diabetics can have issues with the healing process that might be a concern if getting a tattoo.  My tattoo healed as expected or even a bit ahead of schedule.

If you want to see the final picture, you’ll have to click here and check it out on Facebook.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Tattoo and Diabetes is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

[Source]

I sometimes long for the freedom of no tubing or infusion sets.  I wonder what life would really be like if i was cured.  How long would I continue to test my blood sugar after being cured out of habit or curiosity?  When I am in between infusion sets and showering it’s the best feeling.  I don’t have to worry about the infusion set getting attacked by the towels’ strands. I know I digress, so I’ll get to my point of this post.

There will always be syringes in my house for two very good reasons. 

1. They are a backup for the time when/if my insulin pump dies
2. I use them very effectively for correcting my blood sugar

Anytime my blood sugar is over 300 I will almost always use a syringe to correct it.  I have found through experience that an injection in a different area than the infusion set will bring my blood sugar down faster than a corrective bolus any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  I imagine it that when I am bolusing and infusing insulin in one area, it can tend to get pooled up before it is absorbed.  If I eat a lot of carbs, bolus and then find I am still high, I find it more effective to inject into a different site.

Another benefit of using a syringe is that you take out the unknown of a bad infusion site, pump problems, reservoir problems, bleed backs, gusher, etc.  I know that when I inject the insulin my blood sugar WILL come down.  If I enter a corrective bolus, it’s a crap shoot.  When my blood sugar is really jacked up, I might inject about 70% of the corrective dose while bolusing for the other 30%.

Maybe this is a no brainer and you haven’t even read this far into the post.  Maybe you don’t even have an insulin pump. Quite possibly you don’t even have diabetes.  But if you didn’t know, now you do. A box of 100 syringes has lasted me literally years and only set me back about a $20 co-pay.  It is so worth the money and you will always find some in my case or home.

If you pump insulin, do you correct the same way or do you rely on your pump?

Like what you see here?  Check out our new Facebook page for more tips and insights into real-living with diabetes.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Pumping Insulin: Keep Those Syringes Close By is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

When I was given a pump, no one ever explained anything in detail to me.  It was basically, insert the infusion set and prime it.  There was never any information about the mysterious disk or any complications to watch out for.  I guess it could be used when going to the beach to keep sand out, but I really don’t know for sure.  I even opened a new box of infusion sets to look at the directions to see if there was any information.  None.  Below you can see what the disk looks like.

Let’s run some rough numbers together:

Remember, I change my site religiously every 3 days and have never once gone to 4 days.  Sometimes I have had to change early, but let’s not take those occurrences into account for this example.

• 4 years x 365 days = 1460 days on a pump
• 1460 days / 3 days per infusion set = 487 infusion sets
• 1 = the number of disks I have actually tried to use

Seriously, I have only used one of these besides giving them to my cats, which makes for some good humor.  Milk top rings and infusion set disks are the best cat toys that aren’t really cat toys.  Not too long ago, Kerri wrote a post that mentioned some situations for using these disks, which were:

• Showering
• In ocean
• Intimate moments

When I have been vacationing, I have never used the disk and haven’t ever had a problem with being in the pools or hot tubs.  I have never worn the disk while in the shower.  Finally, I have never, ever……ever, put one of these disks on before or during an intimate moment(s).  Maybe I’m missing out on a new trend, tip or secret that the doctors never told me about.  Will that disk take things to a different "level"?  I’m actually a little scared to think of the possibilities I’ve been missing out on.  In all seriousness, the only reason I can think of to wear this in the bedroom is so the sheets or clothing doesn’t get stuck on it and rip the site out.

Does anyone have any solid information on the recommended or suggested use for the disks?

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Infusion Set Mystery Disk is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

You know you’ve over corrected when…

1. Your jaw hurts from power eating for 15 minutes straight 
2. You bolus to correct a future high blood sugar while eating to correct from a low blood sugar (probably the most famous of all)

Share yours!  If we get to 10 comments (unique commenter) maybe I will give out a free book that I have on diabetes to a random person that commented.

Do you like what you see and read here on Blogging Diabetes?  If so, subscribe to our email updates or RSS feed.  Thank you for visiting!

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

You Know You’ve Over Corrected When…. is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

2. Caffeine

3. The Diet

4. Progress

So far I have discussed what the plan and goal is, the amount of caffeine I was drinking and the new diet I have started.  This post will discuss the progress I’ve made in a very short time.  Just to recap, I started with a goal of getting my blood sugars more in control and consistent.  Just like in my golf game, I will take consistency [in range] over distance any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Running & Shins

I’m not a huge fan of running especially for distance.  I played a lot of soccer in my younger days and did a lot of running, but that was much different.  Since high school, a few years back [wink wink], I haven’t done much running.  I will do a little jogging on the treadmill, but nothing that would win races.  The first piece of cardio equipment I purchased and still use was an elliptical, which is much easier on the body than running.  Since writing this post last November, I have wanted to get back into running to be more fit and drop a little weight.  The problem is that I would start with shin splints soon after starting to run regardless of how much stretching I did.  I tried everything, wraps, creams, stretching, exercises, etc. all to no avail.  That is until now… Part of my diet has been no caffeine and at least 8 glasses of cran-water mix per day, which I have been doing with ease and then some.  Well, now that my body is hydrated, I haven’t even had an ache or slightest bit of pain in my shins – none, nada, zip, zero.  It’s such a relief to be able to run, I’ve gone up to 4 miles so far with absolutely no pain in my shins.

Caffeine

After a week of weaning off of caffeine, I went cold turkey on Monday July 27 [3 weeks ago].  I’ve had a few cans of Diet Mt. Dew just to use up the supply I have on hand, but absolutely nothing like before.  Do I have times that I really want some, hell yes.  Does it quickly pass, yes.  I use to never be able to go down the soda isle at the grocery store without buying either a 2 liter or cans of the Dew.  Now, I just walk right by and could care less.  I also miss the Lo-Carb Monster, but not enough to give up how great I feel without caffeine.  No longer do I crash in the evenings.  When my kids are here and want to play, I have so much more energy.  I’ll never go back. Never.  I think people in general underestimate the power that caffeine has on the body and is very addicting.  The last benefit is that even with drinking so much cran-water, I go to the bathroom about half as much.  The soda just goes right through you.

Diet Progress

Remember my goal was to lose a few pounds and start eating more healthy.  I started probably a little more then 200 pounds, but let’s just call it 200.  After two weeks on this diet I was down to 193.5 pounds, roughly 3 pounds a week.  So even at 194ish, I only have less than 10 pounds to go and we’re just 2 weeks into the diet.  I don’t have the stats, but most diets probably fail because people lapse back to their old [poor] eating habits when they reach their target weight.  Not here – I have committed to a lifestyle change.  It’s so refreshing to eat healthy.  I’m not going to lie and tell you that eating salads almost every day is as tasty as a bag of Doritos or a hearty cold cut sandwich, but it’s liberating.  This coming from someone who ate sandwiches every day for years.  I don’t see much difference in the mirror, but feel a lot better. I have also switched to mainly organic and whole foods.  I asked my wife if she thought I look like I lost weight [loaded question].  Her response was, “how are your clothes fitting4″?.  After thinking for a second, I said, “yeah, my shorts are a bit loose and I’m down a belt notch.”  Enough said.

Blood Sugars

For ten years I’ve been trying for consistent blood sugars in the acceptable range [70-140].  I am all over the place and my doctor just says that many of his type 1 patients are all over the board like me.  I do a good job and rarely test less than 5 times a day.  I try to do all the right things, but snacking always kills my blood sugar.  Maybe I tend to underestimate my carb intake, but I am playing the 140, 340, 45, 250 game.  I will say, not proudly, that I can correct the shit out of a 250+ blood sugar without going low.  Put my going to bed sugars at anywhere from 250-400 and I will wake up in the morning between 80 and 150.  Since starting this serious diet 3 weeks ago, my blood sugars have been phenomenal.  I haven’t seen one 300 or even close to it in 3 weeks.  Think about that… I couldn’t go a few days without correcting one of these highs in the past.  Now 3 weeks without one even close.  That’s TIGHT.  The difference is that I’m not eating chips, rice, potatoes, bread or other processed carbs.  I get a ton of fiber and really my only carbs from fruits and vegetables.  Try getting a 300+ blood sugar from eating lettuce, peppers, carrots and sugar snap peas.  You’d have to eat a truck full.   Plus, I get full from these foods because they have very little carbs/calories and I can eat a lot.  I am filling my pump reservoir with about half as much insulin as before and my basal rate is much lower.  Honestly, this has been the most refreshing accomplishment in 10 years with type 1 diabetes.  Now I feel like I can win.  No longer do I feel like I’m fighting with one leg and my arms tied behind my back.

Thank you for all of your support.  I’m truly grateful for my readers and the feedback I receive.  As I’ve noted before, always consult with your doctor before starting a diet or exercise.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Blogging Diabetes – Progress [Part 4 of Series] is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

1. Introduction

2. Caffeine

3. The Diet

4. Progress

This is the first post in a series about what I’ve been up to.  Things here have been quiet for a little bit and here are some details explaining why.

My goal for a long time has been to get my A1c and diabetes in general better under control.  I have good control, but when it comes to my life, I don’t consider good to be good enough.  The reasons I started blogging here was to attempt to focus more on my diabetes instead of staying complacent and grinding it out.  By that I mean, I think most problems with diabetes management is due to the approach.  I’ve had Type 1 for 10 years now.  For the last 10 years I have used insulin to try to lead a “normal” life.  When I wanted a dessert, I had my dessert with an extra dose of insulin.  For a long time I have had trouble keeping a steady BG range.  I get 300s, 40s and everything in between.  I try to eat semi-healthy, but don’t think twice about splurging. 

If you’ve been keeping track, I stated previously that I have been weight training for around 15 years, seriously on and off.  So I’m not a slouch by any means.  My current stats are 5’10″, 200 lbs and good A1c control.

After recently seeing a good friend from high school pass away, our second daughter born and thinking about the future, I’ve decided some changes are long overdo. 

Goal

• Cut back on caffeine
• Get down to about 185-187 lbs and then build back up with lean muscle
• Get and keep my A1c well under 7.0
• Set an example for my daughter in being healthy

The next post in this series will discuss how much caffeine I’ve been drinking, the problems it can cause and my plan of attack.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Blogging Diabetes News [series] is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

While doing some research, I came across this site by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), which lets you choose your state in the U.S. to get more information on.  A startling fact on their site is that approximately 3 billion syringes are used in households each year and require disposal.  That’s a lot of injections huh.  The largest issue with placing used diabetes supplies in the trash is that “it places people at risk of being stuck by a needle and increases their chances of contracting a bloodborne infection” (cdc.gov)

Click here to find out what your state recommends!

According to my trusty diabetes resource, the American Diabetes Association, proper disposal of syringes is to safely snip the needle off the syringe, which requires a special device so the needle doesn’t go flying into someone’s eye or something.  Yeah, like people are going to take the time to snip each needle and used lancet…  The other method they recommend is to place the used object into “a heavy-duty plastic bottle with screw cap or metal box that closes firmly”.  The first thing that comes to mind is that a plastic soda bottle would definitely not be puncture proof. 

Not really satisfied, I called my pharmacy where I get my supplies and they told me that they just refer people to their doctors.  I called my Endocrinologist who doesn’t believe in answering the phone unless it’s between 10:24 and 10:29 in the morning with nobody checking in.  Call me crazy, but doesn’t it seem like there should be a universal location that is readily accessible to everyone where medical supplies can be disposed of properly and without added cost?  My guess is that the doctor’s office would take them and include them with medical waste.  But what if you live far away (like I did while attending the Joslin Clinic) and it’s not convenient? 

I did find a service that you could purchase to have safe containers shipped to you (3 of them) with prepaid shipping back, but the cost was like $170 -  ‘F’ that.  Like we don’t have enough to pay for…

In the end, I learned that in Maryland, all you need to do is place the used supplies in a puncture proof container (which can be purchased everywhere like Target) and put it in the regular garbage.  I’m not sure why there isn’t a Federal mandate that covers all states when it comes to this issue that obviously crosses state lines.   Amazon sells a package of 12 for $32, which would last a while.  Each state may have different laws and regulations, so check before you follow what’s listed below for Maryland.

Maryland’s Guidelines (source):

Recommends that sharps be:

• wrapped securely in paper or other material;
• placed in tough plastic or metal containers with tightly sealed lids, such as detergent containers or coffee cans; and
• placed safely in the trash can.

It also includes these warnings:

• Sharps cannot be recycled.
• Sharps should only be properly disposed of.
• Sharps should not be tossed in the trash haphazardly.
• Sharps should not be placed in soft containers such as milk jugs or cartons that can be easily punctured.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Disposal of Used Diabetes Supplies is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

"Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) said today that it has initiated a recall of specific lots of Quick-set® infusion sets that are used with MiniMed Paradigm insulin pumps. An infusion set is a thin plastic tube used to deliver insulin from an insulin pump to a diabetes patient, and is typically replaced by the patient every three days. Affected infusion sets are reference numbers MMT-396, MMT-397, MMT-398 and MMT-399 with lot numbers starting with the number “8.” Medtronic recently discovered that approximately two percent of “Lot 8” Quick-set infusion sets (which represents approximately 60,000 infusion sets out of an estimated 3 million infusion sets currently with customers) may not work properly. The affected infusion sets may not allow the insulin pump to vent air pressure properly. This could potentially result in the device delivering too much or too little insulin and may lead to serious injury or death." (source)

Click here to access Medtronic’s web page regarding the recall with instructions on what to do.  It got a little fuzzy when I tried to figure out how to exchange my sets for new ones.  I called my supplier and they said I should be receiving something from Medtronic or getting a call back from them with further instructions.  It seems that Medtronic is pointing to the suppliers and the supplier is saying they are awaiting more instructions from Medtronic. 

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm Quick-Set (Infusion Sets) Recall is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

In the last few weeks I have gotten back on the bandwagon with weight training and cardio at least 5 times a week, coupled with a tight diet of more greens, salads, and fewer carbs.  It’s no surprise that my blood sugars went from getting into the 200s on the daily, to having to tweak my basal rate because I’m going low a lot.  I am finding myself in the 80s, 90s, and low to mid 100s for the majority of my testing.

Seriously, this isn’t rocket science.  More exercise and a better diet can only mean good things for someone with diabetes.  For me, it’s such a wave of relief.  I was constantly asking myself why my sugar was going high so often.  Now I am correcting to keep from going too low.  Granted, I haven’t been going to bed until almost midnight because I’m working out after my kids go to bed.  But, it’s so amazing to see the 90s and 100s so often again.  Losing about 10 pounds and getting better control has me so motivated it’s scary.  I’m not giving in to complacency and my doctor saying I have “good” control.  I want excellent control.  I want to see my kids grow up and think of their dad as an inspiration instead of a statistic. 

The Holy Grail to winning the battle against diabetes is simply exercise.  No excuses, period.  If I can do it with a 3 year old, 8 week old and full-time job, you can too.

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Disclaimer – always consult your physician before changing your routine or introducing exercising.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

The Holy Grail For Diabetes is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

And yet…….

I still have to freakin’ code my meter every time I get a new bottle of test strips where the code is different than the one I’m using.  WHY?  Seriously?  I find it very hard to believe that this annoyance can’t be overcome very easily.  I also wonder if the code really matters.  For example, does putting in the wrong code and testing give a different result than the correct code?  This calls for a little experiment.

My Experiment

Below you will find the results of 10 consecutive blood glucose tests.  The first 5 were done using the correct test strip to meter code.  The second 5 tests were done where the code was not correct between the meter and test strips.  The results are interesting.

What immediately stands out is the variance between the average correct and average wrong test, which is 63 mg/dl.  That really blows my mind.  In essence, you could expect a 63 mg/dl swing down when the code is incorrect.  The second thing that jumps out is test 5 where the number went from being around 145 to 207.  A 61 mg/dl swing between two tests for no apparent reason is cause for concern.  Keep in mind the 5 tests were done within minutes of each other if not 30 seconds or so apart.  The results and variance is pretty scary because I would certainly treat a 207 differently than a 146.  I use the OneTouch UltraLink meter with LifeScan One Touch test strips.  I’m not trying to be critical of LifeScan or Medtronic; I’m simply trying to understand the accuracy and coding need.

[Image source]

What They Said

This was the first time I actually read the little folder paper in the test strip box.  LifeScan has a caution in the writing that says:

“Matching the code on the meter and the code on the test strip vial is essential to obtain accurate results.  Each time you test, check to make sure the code numbers match.”   …”a clinical test was done and showed that the variability from test strip to test strip in blood tests was 3.2% or less.” [LifeScan]

Here is a quote from a study done that warns about miscoding meters:

“In this study, for certain miscoded meters, the probability of insulin error of plus or minus 2 units of insulin was 50% as compared to 8% for correctly, manually coded meters.  The probability of insulin dose error of plus or minus 3 units of insulin was 23% for the miscoded meters but only 0.5% for the manually correctly coded meters.”

Summary

My test using a very small sample size yielded a 6% variance mainly due to the test #5 that threw off the average.  Besides #5, the results were very close when the code matched from the meter to vial.   On average, there was a 63 mg/dl variance between when the meter was coded correctly and when it was not.  Make sure you code your meter correctly when changing test strip vials.  Seriously, this could mean a severe life-threatening episode by simply having the wrong code entered into the meter.  Although I still don’t understand WHY I still need to code (after 10 years), I do understand the importance of accuracy and will take extra care to ensure correct coding.  Coding may seem like an annoyance, but it could also cause a high/low just for the code being wrong.  We have enough to deal with as insulin dependent diabetics – can’t we get rid of the code?

Question

Does anyone know really why we still need to code meters?  They say it’s to match the vial of strips to the meter for accuracy, but WHY?  I know there are some meters on the market that are codeless.  Are they less accurate?  I doubt it. 

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Blood Glucose Meter Test Strip Experiment is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

This is a guest post submitted by Lorraine who is doing an excellent job managing her son’s (Caleb) type 1 diabetes.  I met Lorraine through twitter, which is an excellent medium to talk real-life diabetes.  From our first few conversations, I knew that she was doing a lot of things right for Caleb and keeping his A1c numbers near perfect.

I want to thank Lorraine for sharing her story and tips to help manage type 1 diabetes.  Thank you Lorraine and keep up the great work!  Caleb may be too young to understand, but someday he will thank you for all the hard work you put in to help him live a better/longer life.

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Managing Caleb’s blood sugar, from a self-admitted neurotic mom

Background:

My son Caleb was diagnosed almost 2 and a half years ago at the age of 3 (almost 4). With so few non-D years behind him, and so many D years in front of him, I have made it my mission to bank as many years as I can with near-normal A1Cs in hopes to minimize those ugly complications when he is older. Caleb has been pumping for just over 2 years, since about 3 months after he was diagnosed. I never set out to achieve a certain A1C.  All I know is I do whatever I can to keep his blood sugars in range.  I am often unsuccessful.  But lots of the time we achieve what we want to. I have never been given any specific guidance on targets or acceptable ranges.  Caleb’s Endocrinologist has always reviewed his results and found them acceptable and not mentioned what precisely they “should” be.

Guiding Principles:

1. I check Caleb’s blood sugar about 12 times a day, including overnight.  Sometimes less, sometimes more.  I check, assess and act.  
2. Everything he eats, I weigh and measure whenever I am able.
3. I do not limit what or how much Caleb eats.  I manage it, but I do not limit it.  There are foods I prefer to stay away from, but I won’t ever tell him he can’t have something because he has diabetes.  Even at school and birthday parties, he eats what the others do.  It usually means 100 plus carbs for a snack and a few extra BG checks, but he smiles as he shoves the cupcake and other junk in his face and that makes me smile.  Everything in moderation – that goes for him and my other, non-D kids.
4. Caleb typically eats 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.  That frequency allows me to be a little aggressive on dosing when I have unknown carb counts.  If I have an uncertainty, I will check and hour and a half after a bolus and if it’s lower than I think it should be, it’s usually around snack time and I can just decrease the bolus of what he eats to mitigate that low without disruption to his schedule.  
5. Caleb seems to go through “waves”.  His insulin needs creep up, up, up….plateau, and then go down, down, down…plateau, and over and over again.  Perhaps all diabetics are like this.  I attribute the waves to growth, but who knows.  In order to keep up with the waves and still keep his sugars in range without constant corrections, I track all his dosing and stats in a spreadsheet.  I used this religiously for months.  As I have learned from it and things have become more predictable, I do not use it as much – only in periods of lots of unexplained BGs.
6. I keep a pretty close pulse on his basal rates.  If there’s a low or high 2 days in a row and I am confident that food is not an issue, I will adjust basal rates.  I know that .05 will have about a 30 point impact on his BG.  
7. Food – Pizza, Ice Cream, Chinese, Bagels, Pasta, anything fried – they all break the rules.  I have charted Caleb’s BG’s for months when he eats these foods and have been able to develop specific extended bolus’ for each.  I keep them in my spreadsheet and in my cell phone.  I continue to tweak them since things are ever-changing, but I at least have a baseline and don’t have to completely freak out when we indulge.
8. Super Bolus.  Of course there are occasions when that nasty 300 pops up.  I don’t mess around.  I find John Walsh’s Super Bolus to be very effective: bolus the calculated correction plus the amount of basal to be delivered for the next two hours.  Then turn off basal for the next two hours.  This front loads the insulin to bring the BG down fast, but prevents bottoming out since the basal is turned off.  This has been particularly useful when we are about to eat a meal that would be awkward to delay (like at a party).  But I am careful with this at nighttime – not quite as aggressive.  For Caleb, I find I need to add a little insulin for those high highs – his normal correction factor needs a turbo charge to tackle those numbers – but of course YDMV.

Those are the highlights.  I’ve been thinking about this as we go through our days to make sure I have everything covered.  I think a big thing is keeping on top of things at night, particularly since that’s about 10 or 11 hours for Caleb.  I check a minimum of two times while he sleeps, but in times of change or when he eats a challenging food, I will check more.  And if a correction is needed, I will always check 2 hours after no matter what.

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One thing that quickly jumps out at me is the care and effort Lorraine puts in to managing Caleb’s diabetes.  She doesn’t just check and react.  There is much more planning, trending and analysis put into his diabetes management than I would expect most diabetics put in, me included.  The theme here is to not be complacent and just wing it.

If you are interested in providing a guest post, please contact me for more information.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

8 Tips For A Better A1c is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

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If you peeked into our house, you would see what looks to be a normal family with a normal life. Unfortunately, our life changed forever a little over 4 years ago. Tristan was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in March of 2005. He was 16 months. He is now 5 years old. I was asked by Tony to share what it’s like to parent a child with diabetes and how we manage the day to day routines that other parents just execute without really thinking about it.

At school

Entering Tristan in school was a joyful moment. Our baby was growing up. J It also brought on a lot of stress and worries. Most parents register their child, maybe meet the teacher once before the school year starts, drop their kids off on the first day and life is normal. They go to work and they come home. Pretty straight forward. For us, registering Tristan meant, 504 plan, meeting with the school principal, nurses, psychologist, parent coordinator and other people that I can’t even remember at this time. For us it meant educating people to make sure that they are aware of the potential danger, that they stay alerts to the signs and that they can react in any given situation. Another issue that came up this year is emergency evacuation of the school. The problem that came up was that Tristan can’t just be put on a bus, driven to another school without qualified personnel with him. After much stress and frustration, the conclusion was that Tristan would be with the nurse at all times. She would be in the bus with him and remain with him until either I or my husband could come and get him.

When at school, Tristan gets his blood sugar checked between 11 and 13 times per day. Before going to PE, he needs to have his blood sugar checked and most of the time, he needs to have a snack to tide him over. Unfortunately, he does at time have to miss things at school because of his blood sugar. He misses class time, PE, music etc. It is very frustrating for him and it makes him sad. I often get the comments from the nurses “I don’t know how you do it”. We don’t have a choice

At Home

The situation at home is a little different. Because there’s only him and his brother, we are able to pay closer attention to him. Therefore, at home, he usually only gets his blood sugar checked 8-9 times per day. Of course, we check him before any meal, usually 2 hours after meals, before we go to bed and around 3:30am. This does not include all the checks that we have to do it based on his behavior. When diabetes is not a factor, when a child has a temper tantrum or a meltdown, that’s what it is. Period. With Tristan, we never know if it’s Tristan acting up or if we are dealing with the big D Monster. So before any discipline can be done, we need to check his blood sugar to know what we are dealing with and handling the situation appropriately.

Tristan has been wearing an insulin pump for a little over 1 year. It does make life easier for us. It affords us more freedom when it comes to meals and snacks. The routine doesn’t have to be so strict. There is also less restriction on intake of food than when he was on shots. When he was on injections, we really had to think twice before allowing him a snack because it meant additional injections and he was already getting a minimum of 4 per day.

With the pump, he only has to deal with needles every 2 days when we change his site. The problem with the pump is if the site doesn’t go in properly. We then have to deal with changing the site again and the possibility of ketones.

Sick days are always very difficult. A simple cold for Tristan is not just a simple cold. Most of the time, it affects his blood sugar which in turn, has the potential of creating ketones. At that point, we have to deal with the cold, his blood sugar being too high or too low and ketones. It means extra insulin or extra food (trying to get a child whose not feeling well to eat/drink something is not a walk in the park), it means blood sugar checks every 1 or 2 hours and it means checking his urine every time he goes to the bathroom. Sick day are stressful and unfortunately, we can’t protect him from catching a common bug.

This week Tristan just started t-ball. Again, something that should be fun for us means stress and planning. We don’t know how his blood sugar will react to the excitement and physical activity. It’s another situation where we have to do trial and error to find the exact course of action that we need to take before, during and after to ensure that we maintain his blood sugar level where it’s suppose to be. It means pulling Tristan out when he’s having fun to figure out what’s going on. It also means having him miss out of some of the fun because he either needs to drink and/or eat something. But most important, it means that once again, Tristan is different. Let’s not forget the looks from other adults/parents that we have to deal with.

All of these things, as much as they suck, have become routine. It’s our life now. What is harder to get a handle on is the emotional aspect of it. Tristan is at an age where he feels different. He knows that he’s not the same and that we need to take extra precaution. The other night, after having tried his site in a different location, he was crying and telling me how much he hated being diabetic and how he wished that he wasn’t. When he was 2 years old after an injection that had hurt him, he looked at me and yelled “mommy you hurt me”. It’s hard. Those are scars that will never go away. I can learn to count carbs and give injections. I can learn what to do in an emergency situation. I can do all that because I know that I don’t have a choice. I need to perform these actions to keep him alive.

However, I can’t learn how to deal with the emotional aspect of the disease. My son has a disease that could possibility kill him. My son has a disease that he hates. My son has to deal with injections that hurt him. My son feels different from other kids his age. And there’s nothing that I can do about it!

Diabetes is a disease that not only affects the patient, it affects the whole family. We constantly have to find the right balance to deal with Tristan as a person, Tristan with diabetes and my other 2 year old son who does not have diabetes. I feel like in March 2005, I was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, right along with Tristan.

On top of all the stress of dealing with diabetes, we also have the concern of Connor, our 2 year old getting it. Because Connor has a sibling with type 1 diabetes, he has 5 percent chance of getting it. I know that you are thinking, 5%, that’s not much, it’s nothing. You right, in the big scheme of things, 5% is nothing. Tristan had less than 3% chance of getting diabetes! He got it.

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If you are interested in providing a guest post, please contact me for more information.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Parenting a Child With Diabetes – A Real Story is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

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I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in the fall of 2002 at the age of 28.  I wear a Minimed pump with the Minimed CGM.  Since starting to run in September of 2009, I have participated in two 10Ks, two 10 mile races, a 200 mile relay with 11 other Type 1 Diabetics, the GO! St. Louis Half Marathon and will run the Chicago Marathon later this year.  I am not a doctor and don’t have a medical background, but I like to share my experiences to help and inspire others with T1.
Tony asked me to write about my experiences with the before, during and after care that goes with extraneous physical activity, like running with T1 diabetes.  What follows is what I *try* to do every time I run.  I am far from perfect, but I have a good plan.  Most days everything will go just fine , but others… well, let’s just say every day is a learning experience. 

Preparation
Preparation and planning is the key to a good run.  Having T1, I can’t simply go out for a run at anytime.  I need to be aware of what I have eaten and how much insulin I have on board (IOB).  An hour before a run I will set my basal down to 10% of the normal level and depending on the distance I’m planning to run, I will leave it at 10% for another 30 minutes to an hour.  I like to start my runs with my BG around 120-150 and trending upwards.  To do this, I’ll eat 15-20 grams of carbs about 15 minutes before heading out.  I’ve found that eating right before starting has little or no affect on my BG, so 15 minutes seems to be the right length of time for me.  A lot of other Type 1 Diabetic runners that I know prefer to start with fairly high BG levels.  I perform much better with a lower BG level, so I like to be in the normal range.  If I am high before my run (220+) , I will do a correction that is equal to about 50% of a normal correction.  Having too much IOB is a sure way to have a nasty low while running.  If my BG is in the 200-220+ range, I would skip the 15-20 grams of carbs before the run and naturally let my BG levels come down.

While Running
During runs I will eat 25 grams of carbs approximating every 30 minutes.  I prefer GU Energy Gels, because they are easy to carry and easy swallow while running.  I NEVER, repeat NEVER, go out for a run without at least 2 GUs.  They literally keep me going and out of trouble.  I’ll have a GU after my first 2 miles and if my BG is holding steady, as a result of BG testing or keeping an eye on my CGM, I will delay the second and subsequent GUs as long as I can.  I like to keep my BG numbers between 120 and 150 during my runs.  My CGM really helps me with this, but as soon as I see it start to trend down I will eat a GU.  Since the CGM has a bit of a delay compared to a BG meter, a low can occur faster than the CGM will react to it, so keeping a close eye on the graph is critical.
In case of emergencies I wear a wrist Road ID with my contact information and the fact that I have T1.  I also try to carry a cell phone.  But the main thing is staying out of trouble in the first place.  This can be done with proper preparation and just being smart about the situation.
If you have a the luxury of running with a friend, make sure they know what to do in the case of emergency.  I have a friend that I run the majority of my long runs with.  We talk a lot about T1 and he knows what to do in case of an emergency.

After Running
After running I have two scenarios to deal with.  The first is going high soon after finishing.  Right after a run, my body is low on insulin and potentially high on carbs.  In some cases, I have had my basal set at 10% of my normal level for nearly 2 hours while also eating 50 – 75 grams of carbs.  My practice is to bolus the amount of basal I have missed during my run.  Typically, this would be about 2 units for an hour long run.  I also try to eat at least 30 grams of carbs afterwards to help my body recover more quickly.  I will simply bolus the normal amount to cover these carbs.  The second issue is going low later in the day.  About 5 hours after a run, I will set my basal down to 50% of the normal level for 3 hours and also try to remember to eat a carb/protein snack to prevent late afternoon lows.

Running a marathon has been a life-long goal of mine and I’m not going to let diabetes stand in my way.  Sure, there are a lot of challenges that I have to deal with to be safe, but in the long run better overall health and improved control is worth it.  So, get out there, have fun and enjoy life to its fullest!

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Running With Type 1 Diabetes is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

1. Basal Delivery – When I was on injections, I would take my dosage of Lantus every night before bedtime.  Lantus is a long lasting insulin that did it’s best to keep my blood sugar down over 20-24 hours.  It was pretty good and I thought it was better than Humalog.  Basal rates on an insulin pump are used to deliver a set amount of insulin each hour and are programmable.  You can set many different rates for different times of the day.  Basal delivery is much more effective and safe than using Lantus or long lasting insulin. 
2. Snacking – I’m not sure what’s going on with my appetite lately, but I tend to snack quite a bit.  If I want a few crackers, that would equate to 1 unit of insulin, BOOM – a few buttons later, I have given myself the insulin needed.  No need to inject a unit or two with a needle.  Historically, I would forego insulin with small snacks because I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of injecting such as small amount.
3. Less Injections – 15 injections versus 1 infusion set.  If you give yourself 5 injections a day for 3 days, that comes to 15 injections.  With a pump, I change my site every 3 days, which only requires one site injection.  You’ll feel less like a pin cushion.
4. Exercise - This could have gone along with #1, but it deserves its own category. The temporary basal rates are excellent for when doing more or less physical activity than usual.  With long lasting insulin, you either need to plan your day the night before or over/under snack to compensate for the difference in activity.  With a pump, you can increase/decrease the basal rate on the fly.  This is a huge benefit that I use all the time.  When I play a round of golf, the temp basal rate comes in very handy.
5. Incognito – The technology is there to have your pump hidden and deliver a bolus (insulin) with a wireless receiver.  Instead of being in a restaurant and having to break out the insulin vial, needle, alcohol, etc., you can push a few buttons and deliver the insulin without much fuss or horrified looks from other patrons. 
6. Analytics - My Medtronic pump connects wirelessly to my computer and uploads data to an online program (CareLink) that I can use to track my blood sugar, carb totals, insulin delivery, average daily insulin delivery, and other analytics.  This is a huge deal, especially for those that don’t want to use manual log books.  Also, the reporting from CareLink is nice to bring to the Endocrinologist to show the daily/hourly trends.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some drawbacks to pumping insulin.  However, the benefits vastly outweigh the negatives when it comes to managing my diabetes.  Also, the American Diabetes Association has their list of advantages/disadvantages of an insulin pump.

What do you think is the biggest advantage to pumping insulin?

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Top Insulin Pump Advantages is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

From time to time I will get a series of highs that will drive me crazy.  I review what I ate, how much insulin I took, if my basal rate stopped working or even if my pump battery somehow died without warning me.  To no avail, everything will seem to be right.  A few extra crackers won’t send a blood sugar from 125 to 290 within a few hours.  So what gives, Mr. Diabetes?  When I get a series of unexplained highs or my blood sugar doesn’t come down after one or even two correction boluses, I start to go through my mental checklist.  If you pump insulin, I’m sure you can relate and probably have defined your own system for troubleshooting the highs.

Unexplained Series of High, what I do:

1. First, I review my carb intake vs.insulin taken to ensure there wasn’t a snack consumed while I was “sleep walking” or something.   If everything checks out, then…
2. Take a correction bolus and don’t eat or drink.  If that doesn’t work, then…
3. Take a correction injection and remove the infusion set, then…
4. See if there is a gusher or a fair amount of blood from the site, then…
5. Check the infusion set tubing to see if it looks like it was kinked or damaged, then…
6. Insert a new infusion set at a different site.
7. In the rare instance (happened maybe twice in 10 years) that the next infusion set doesn’t resolve the unexplained highs. I throw away the insulin and get a brand new one from the fridge.  I have had two instances where the only thing I can logically explain is that the insulin was bad.  When this happens be sure to save the vial and report it to your pharmacy.  They have a way of tracking the lot number on the vial to see if others were reported.

[source]

When these unexplained highs happen, it’s so demoralizing.  You try to do everything right like, count carbs, basal rate is “dialed in”, eat right and exercise only to find out the site was bad or the insulin was bad.  Scott, who has type 1 diabetes and writes for Diabetes Daily, said it best:

“We are in this imperfect war, fighting unbalanced battles, sometimes barely winning the fights, and almost always taking a blow to give a blow. It is not easy…” Scott K. Johnson via Six Until Me blog

The title of this post is right; all the trouble with infusion sets isn’t an issue if you are on injections.  You can’t really mess up an injection, unless the insulin is bad.  That said, I wouldn’t trade my pump for injections.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Insulin Pump Disadvantage is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

Just recently, she was not herself.  After a few days of being “off” I started to think the worst.  I thought, “She’s drinking a ton of juice and water, she’s going to the bathroom a lot and has been pretty cranky”.  I got that sunken feeling in my chest and dropped my head, thinking – oh no.  Please no.  Don’t be right on this one Tony. 

I went and grabbed my meter and brought it to the kitchen.  My wife saw what I had in my hand and said, “No, you think it could be” (the word “diabetes” was never said and didn’t need to be).  I replied, “There’s only one way to be sure”. 

[source] Not mine

First, I checked my own “number”, which is what my daughter calls it.  “Hey, daddy, what’s your number, she says”.  I told her what I was doing and that it may pinch for a second, but that the pain goes away quick.  Next, I said, “Now we’re going to check your number”.  She got excited because it was something new and fun for her.  I picked her biggest finger and was visibly shaking as I pushed the button.  I was certain she was going to flip out and start screaming.  To my astonishment, not even a flinch, whine, tear…nothing.  She got big props from us for being a “big” girl.

Now the worst part; the five seconds that took an eternity 5…….4…….3…….2 (Tony thinking, please God let me be wrong)……..1……..ERR (just joking).  The number was 98.  I was so relived and let out a huge sigh.  Phew.

As a parent, the fear will ALWAYS be with me until there’s a cure.  It’s just another thing I need to deal with as a parent with diabetes.  Until the next time I notice her going to the bathroom a little more often than normal, ciao.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Parents with Diabetes Biggest Fear is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

About 18 months ago, I wanted to try a new location to give the others a “break”.  Logically, I wanted to use a location that I could easily reach and didn’t involve a crease in my skin when sitting.  Some areas around my abs tend to crease when I sit; so the set will become irritated or lose its stickiness.  Where did I end up? The top of my thigh.

[source] – not an actual representation

I am not really overweight, but could lose maybe 10 pounds.  I was always playing soccer, lifting weights or running growing up and developed very strong leg and quad muscles.  But I thought, what the heck, why not try a new location.  What’s the worse that could happen?  Famous last words, right?

I used the quick set tool to set the location on the top of my thigh.  What came next was intense pain.  I’ve never, ever, had a site go this terribly wrong.  I couldn’t move my leg without the pain shooting up my body.  So I very calmly started FREAKING out.  Another tid bit of information is I don’t typically shave my legs (hey, it was winter), which contain a bit of hair.  In hindsight, there wasn’t a whole lot of logic or thought put into the removal part. 

I hate to scare people because some insulin pumpers may use their thighs all the time with no problems.  It really just depends on the person and their body type.  I basically had to rip the infusion set out, which started the river of red down my leg.  I applied pressure until the blood stopped and said to myself, that was a bad f’n idea.  After that day I have never ventured below my hips for an infusion set, ever.

Maybe I’ll try my upper chest next time.  At least the infusion set will look like an electrode for an EKG machine.  That might be a good summer look and chalk up a few weird looks…

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Insulin Pump Infusion Set Location is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

This is the second post where I am attempting to be honest and give some real-life insight where a doctor probably wouldn’t.  The first post, discussed the sporadic jump in my blood sugars for no apparent reason.  This video will tell you about something that happens every so often when changing an infusion set. 

I am not trying to scare you with this post; just trying to tell it like it is in the real world of living with type 1 diabetes. 

If you’re an insulin pumper, you will probably have an incident like this, if you haven’t already – it’s just a matter of time.  When it does happen, be calm, know that you aren’t alone and to apply pressure for a few minutes.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

What The Doctor Won’t Tell You – Part 2 Gushers is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

Blogging Diabetes:  How old are your twins when were they diagnosed with diabetes?

Kim:  My girls are 8 1/2 years old and were diagnosed in July 2007 and September 2007 with Type 1.  Originally we thought they were fraternal twins, but now the doctors believe they are identical.

Blogging Diabetes:  That’s fascinating how they both were diagnosed within a few months.  Can you please explain how it happened and what the symptoms were?

Kim:  It began on Sunday afternoon, and by the time I brought her in to the pediatrician on Monday she had become dehydrated and lost 5 lbs. overnight. I thank my lucky stars for our pediatrician, who was able to tell just by looking at Britany that things were more serious than just strep or the stomach bug.  While she ran a throat culture in the office she also did a urine analysis and found that she was spilling ketones. So off to the emergency room we went, when we were admitted her BG was over 700. Britany spent 12 hours in ICU before moving to a regular room and our Crash Course in Diabetes began.  After wrapping our brains around all that was happening our next concern was for Britany’s twin sister and her older sister. Our twins were always thought to be fraternal twins and everyone assured us that both of our daughters were only at a 5% greater risk of getting diabetes because they had a sibling with it than the general population. 11 weeks later one of our worst fears was realized when Hailey exhibited symptoms. Which had we not already had a child with diabetes, could have been explained away. It was an unusually hot September weekend with temps in the mid 90′s and humid as anything. Of course we were all drinking more, so naturally using the bathroom more. But that little voice inside of me kept nagging and we checked her BG and it was elevated. We repeated in the morning and it was elevated again. A trip to the pediatrician confirmed our fears.  Fortunately, we were better equipped to deal with the new diagnosis.

Blogging Diabetes:  Does diabetes run in the family?

Kim:  No, there is no history of diabetes in the family.

Blogging Diabetes:  How long did they use shots to control their diabetes?

Kim:  When the girls were first diagnosed they were on NPH and Humalog; one injection pre breakfast and one injection pre dinner. In July 2008 both girls went to a basal bolus routine and we switched to Novolog and Levemir. Now in January 2009 both girls have gone on the insulin pump.

Blogging Diabetes:  What pump did they chose and why?

Kim:  After a lot of research and numerous pump information classes we chose the Medtronic Minimed Paradigm 522 with the QuickSet Infusion Set; one in blue and one in purple. We narrowed our choice to the Medtronic and Ping pumps. I guess our final decision came down to personal recommendations from three others we know with Type I and all use Medtronic and have done so for many years.

Blogging Diabetes:  Do they like pumping versus injections?

Kim:  Still getting into the swing of things with pumping but the girls are loving not having to get 6-8 injections per day. Not sure what the summer will bring as the girls are both like fish and absolutely love the pool and beach. We may go back to injections for the summer or may use the pump for their bolus and use injection for basal dose. Still not sure about that, besides we have a few months to figure out what will work best for our lifestyle.

Blogging Diabetes:  Does diabetes hold them back from being typical kids?

Kim:  Absolutely not. Both girls continue in all of their extracurricular activities including basketball, softball, jiu jitsu, swimming, biking and trampoline. They haven’t given up any activities; they just need to be prepared.

Blogging Diabetes:  Does their school provide adequate care in terms of the nurses and teachers being educated about diabetes and the warning signs of high/low blood sugar?

Kim:  Hands down our school has been fantastic. Britany was diagnosed over the summer so I was in contact with her school even before the year began. I met with the principal, school nurse and classroom teacher in August and laid out her school orders. Our nurse had prior experience with diabetes as there was already a student a few years prior and there was another already in the building. Having been very active in the girls school I was well acquainted with the principal, who was more than willing to make sure Britany was well taken care of while at school. When Hailey was diagnosed in September three weeks after school started again I met with the nurse, principal and classroom teacher. And again they were all knowledgeable and willing to do whatever Hailey needed. All of the classrooms, nurse’s office, special areas (Art. Library, music and gym) and cafeteria were equipped with juice and snack should either of the girls experience a low blood sugar. All of the teachers and paraprofessionals were made aware of the girls diabetes and instructed on signs and treatment for low blood sugar. There was not a doubt in my mind that the girls were in a safe environment when they went to school each day. This school year the girls moved to the Intermediate Center and again I was able to meet in the previous Spring with the building principals and school nurse to review the girls requirements and then met with the principal, school nurse and classroom teachers in August before school began. Again all areas of the school are equipped to handle low blood sugar in the girls and all staff has been instructed about the girls.

Blogging Diabetes:  How do you plan for the unexpected highs/lows when they are just doing typical kid stuff?

Kim:  We carry glucagons, juice, snack and ketosticks with us at all times and are vigilant with BG testing. The girls typically check blood sugars every three hours. In cases where they will be participating in sports activities, we generally test them before they begin and when they are done. Also, all three of our girls are educated to know the signs of low/high blood sugars.

Blogging Diabetes:  Have you ever had a hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event? If so, how high/low was their blood sugar?

Kim:  Haven’t had any real hyperglycemic events but battle hypoglycemia pretty regularly. Unfortunately, both of our girls usually cannot feel their “lows”. Each has gotten to below 40 and not felt a thing. They’ve been known to go skipping into the nurse’s office at school for normal testing only to find their BG at 42. It continues to be our worst fear and we are hoping the pump will help alleviate these events.

Blogging Diabetes:  What is your biggest challenge as a parent of twins with diabetes?

Kim:  I think our biggest challenge as the parents of twins with diabetes is the same as that of parents with only one child diagnosed. We strive to make the girls feel the same as all of the other kids and worry daily about their long-term health. Having two kids with diabetes also means we have to be that much more organized with life in general; keeping track of everything times two.

Blogging Diabetes:  If you could give other parents with children newly diagnosed with diabetes some advice, what would it be?

Kim:  My advice for other parents with children newly diagnosed with diabetes would be relax, take a deep breath, educate yourself, surround yourself with a good medical team (ours is amazing), be open about diabetes and don’t be ashamed of it. We have been very “public” if you will with the girls’ diagnosis. They test when and where they need to. The girls’ friends and classmates all know about their condition and they freely answer any and all questions when asked. A piece of advice that was given to us by another mom of a diabetic child was “tell everyone”, it will be that many more sets of eyes on your child in the event you aren’t there and something doesn’t look right. An adult might think twice if your child’s coloring is off or they seem out of sorts. Lastly, when you spend a night in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit your perspective on life really changes.  Diabetes sucks, but at the end of the day life could be much worse and we can live with it.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Interview of Mom With Twins Having Type 1 Diabetes is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

“The gang of Pro Bowl football players had been gathered around the tables, swapping stories, when suddenly the Broncos’ quarterback had 300-pound Nick Mangold pushing from one side, 310-pound Kris Dielman holding the other and his cell phone swindled into the hands of a coy Peyton Manning.

Cutler’s radar had gone up, but he never had a chance.

Splash!

“We gave him a Pro Bowl baptism,” said Dielman, the star offensive guard of the rival San Diego Chargers.

Great fun. Big laughs. There was just one problem. Cutler is a Type 1 diabetic, and in his pocket was his blood-sugar monitor. 

“That was a prank where I thought we were smart enough to get the cell phone out of his pocket,” Dielman said. “But then, ‘Oops.” [Source]

I bet Peyton felt pretty stupid after his little prank.  I guess this just goes to show that we need more awareness and education around diabetes and the tools we have become accustomed to using every day.  Maybe one day I won’t get the funny (eye brow raised) looks when I’m testing my sugar at a restaurant.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

It’s All Fun and Games Until… is a post from: Blogging Diabetes