The Prince who turned back into a Frog

Back in September, when I returned from Italy, I made the announcement that I was engaged. After that, we chose a date (9/30/07), started our planning. My sister was engaged within a few weeks of me, so we were planning our weddings together. They were going to be 6 weeks apart- hers in mid-August and mine at the end of September. Dresses were bought, reservations were made with the church, photographer, DJ, and the reception hall over the course of October and November. And then December came. And it all fell apart. It's a long, "dark and twisty" as Meredith on Grey's Anatomy would say, story. It ended 12/20/06, for reasons he gave that made it clear that it was for the best. And as those of you who read this blog know, I'm moving on- in so many ways. School has been one of the best things I've done, and work is going well. Come September 30th, 2007, I will be walking in the local ADA Step Out for Diabetes walk, which I am on the Planning and Fundraising committee for. Next week I will be working at the local ADA office to set up a Myspace page for the ADA walk- watch for the link to it here. Also, for those of you with Facebook accounts, there is an ADA group on there already. My family has been wonderfully supportive, as have been my friends. My dress for my sister's wedding came in recently, and it looks great!
So, while one chapter has ended, attitude is everything and I believe in looking at this as an opportunity for new beginnings.

Reflections on the Journey......

Sometimes the ordinary tasks in life are the ones that you need to pay attention to- I've been thinking about this experience and mulling it over and was finally given the inspiration to share it.

A couple weeks ago, I took a drive to an unfamiliar town. I was due to be at my destination after nightfall, so I doublechecked my directions and headed out as the sun set behind me. The first 15 minutes were well lit, and the most familiar part. As dusk fell, the clear sky above began revealing it's stars to me. I was grateful for the full moon that had risen as these were country roads with stretches of pure land with no human inhabitants. My journey took me along a river and the moonlight danced off the water. Every now and then I'd have to refer to my directions and make sure I was on the right course. Once or twice I missed a turn and had to find my way back, reorient myself in this strange land, and set off again. The serene countryside had a calming effect, eventhough I was in uncharted teritory. It inspired a reflective mood and to realize how much of the beauty in everyday things we forget to notice. The way the stars travel across the sky, the way the seasons change. If we take the time to listen, nature will tell us one simple truth: change is constant and most of the time it is for the better. Sometimes in a moment it is hard to see, but time, perspective, and quiet reflection reveal what we need to learn about ourselves. Sometimes we have directions, or someone who is a guiding light, who has gone before us. And other times we seem to get lost, when in reality it was only a lesson in where that road may lead.

Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night"

A Leap of Faith

Have you ever been reading, and had the words seem to jump off the page at you? Or feel like someone wrote those words just for you? Well, I had that experience as I was reading the "The Up Side" section of my Guidepost magazine last night. Readers send in inspiring and positive quotes to share, and this one was written by John O'Hurley who was on Seinfeld and more recently Dancing with the Stars champion.

"When we leap, we must leap as though the net will appear. A leap in life, however big or small, is an act of commitment with the expectation of success."

As I had mentioned when I started this blog last April, I'm an RN who enjoys teaching and I was hoping to get into diabetes education. I did investigate that, and enjoyed it, as I always enjoy teaching patients how to manage their disease and prevent future complications. However, for many reasons now is not the time for me to be in diabetes education. So, I had to start back at what I thought was square one figuring out how to use my talents and what I value most in nursing, and my almost 6 years experience to develop my career further. I have my Bachelors of Science in Nursing, and had been encouraged by my professors to go on for my masters. At the time, I wasn't sure in what, and desperately needed both real-life work experience and a break from writing papers that I wasn't sure how were going to apply to work situations. About 6 months ago, after 3 years away from school, I started to get the desire to take a class or two, still not sure what exactly in. I knew that I wanted to apply myself even more to my masters if I decided to go back, so I wasn't going to do this halfway. I take awhile to make the "big" decisions (because I like to think all the pros and cons through), but once I'm committed, I'm determined to make things work. After spending the last month or so job hunting and tired of jobs that were not fulfilling to me, I decided it is time for me to pursue my Masters of Nursing Education. There was even a spot open in one of the classes this semester, so my first day back as a student is this Saturday! I am also starting a new job.

So, now back to why the quote jumped out at me. As you can see, I'm taking a two leaps of faith in myself at the moment. I also signed up for The OC New Me Challenge to work on my A1C goal. Each of these things will be challenging. They will require hard work and perseverance when life throws me a surprise or two. And continued reliance on my wonderful family, who has been super supportive, my true friends, and this wonderful OC Community. Because that's what life is really all about, isn't it? Being able to rely on community, contributing back to it, and living your life to the fullest.

Funny post to start the New year with but.....

I had to! Boston Creme is one of my weaknesses when I'm actually inside a Dunkin Donuts (which isn't often) so it was too funny that it was the result of this funny quiz. Even funnier that it describes me pretty well. And I figured it was better to post this before my "ways I'm going to improve in the new year" post

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you.
But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft.
You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily.
You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.



http://www.blogthings.com/whatdonutareyouquiz/

Smiles and Sharing

Recently, Scott posted a gift to those of us who will be needing it:

And so when I ate my Christmas dinner with my family, I must have cashed in on this token unknowingly. I used my dual wave bolus, hoped I had guessed right on my carbs, and checked my blood sugar 2 hrs later. I was 95! We were ready to eat dessert at that time, and I somehow managed to have a 112 a few hours after that. So, thanks, Scott, for your token, and the smile it brought to my face as I remembered it when that 95 appeared on my screen.

A holiday favorite

You may all recognize these following lines from the beloved tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss. For reasons I may or may not explain later, I've been thinking about it a lot since yesterday. It's one of my favorite holiday stories, for the reasons in the lines below:

"It was quarter past dawn...
All the Whos, still a-bed
All the Whos, still a-snooze
When he packed up his sled,
Packed it up with their presents! The ribbons! The wrappings!
The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!

Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mount Crumpit,
He rode to the tiptop to dump it!
"Pooh-pooh to the Whos!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!
"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
"The all the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!"

"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch,
"That I simply must hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow...

But the sound wasn't sad!Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!

He stared down at Who-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!"
It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"
And what happened then...?Well...in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch's small heart
Grew three sizes that day!

***************************
So as the year draws to an end, let us all be clear, the best gifts of all are of good cheer.
Hugs from family, well wishes from friends, time spent together- that's what lasts to the end.
Happy Holidays everyone!

Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only he can see. -Corrie ten Boom

This quote was on a friends website and it is so true- sometimes it's hard to see what's down the road for us and and we just have to have faith that even if we don't understand now, it will work out for the best in the end. It was a reassurance I needed now that I'm trying to figure out where my talents best fit. I haven't quite found my niche yet and it's been a frustrating though educational. Michael W. Smith, one of my favorite songwriters/singers expressed it well with his song Missing Person:

1st Verse:
Another question in me
One for the powers that be
It's got me thrown
And so I put on my poker face
And try to figure it out
This undeniable doubt
A common occurence
Feeling so out of place
Guarded and cynical now
Can't help but wondering how
My heart evolved into
The rock beating inside of me
So I reel such a stoic ordeal
Where's that feeling that I don't feel

Chorus:
There was a boy who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace he disappeared into the void and
I've been searchin' for that missing person

And his song "My place in this world"
Words: Michael W. Smith and Wayne Kirkpatrick
Music: Michael W. Smith

The wind is moving
But I am standing still
A life of pages
Waiting to be filled
A heart that's hopeful
A head that's full of dreams
But this becoming
Is harder than it seems
Feels like I'm
Chorus:
Looking for a reason
Roaming through the night to find
My place in this world
My place in this world
Not a lot to lean on
I need Your light to help me find
My place in this world
My place in this world

If there are millions
Down on their knees
Among the many
Can you still hear me
Hear me asking
Where do I belong
Is there a vision
That I can call my own
Show me I'm

Chorus

* * * * * * * * * * * *

I know I'll find my niche, I'm just slowly running out of patience for it to happen.

Busy season, remembering the reason!

I've been keeping busy lately. As you can see I put up my Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and had fun creating my blue and silver theme for this year. I've also started knitting again as a way to keep my hands busy and make some scarves for friends for Christmas. Last night I attended a neat church service that was developed with U2's permission using their songs and reminded us all that during this time of year it's important to do something for those whose holidays may not be so bright. Whether that be simple gifts or cards for your local nursing homes residents who don't get many visitors, to reaching out to a local food pantry or other community services that need a helping hand at this time of year. U2 also requested that churches who used their songs donate their offering that day to an organization such as the One Campaign: http://www.one.org
Jack and Grubby are getting bigger and they just reached another milestone-the all important 6 month all day vet visit. They continue to manage to get into trouble though, especially since Jim has his tree up. One time he found half the garland pulled off of it when he had been busy doing chores in another room. Here are some updated pictures of them. They had been running around after their new laser pointer and were a bit parched, which is why Jack is sticking his tongue out.
And here's one of the two brothers hanging out near one of their favorite rooms- the bathroom. They are forever playing in the bathtub, teasing eachother from the other side of the shower curtain.
"Must....conserve....energy for next play fight...."

What's your favorite blood sugar range to start the day in?

And I start with this question for a reason- I've been quite frustrated recently with my fasting blood sugars. They have ranged from 170-300 without apparent predictability. I've done some night time testing and I know up until 3am I'm at or near normal range- right around 100. So am I spiking after 3 then? But it isn't consistent, and I live alone, so I fear waking up low. It doesn't seem to matter whether I've had a snack before bed and bolused appropriately or not. I know that my hormones to tend to make me more resistant to insulin in the am especially- my insulin to carb ratio is 1:3- and no that isn't a typo! So, I thought I'd asked my wonderful blogging community for some thoughts on what to do- I've adjusted my basals some but it's a tricky thing when I can't be up every hour checking to see what my BG is doing. Plus, the rest of my numbers lately have been pretty darn good-working on getting that 8.7 HbA1c down by Jan 18. But these mornings are counter productive. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Kitten Update

"Whatcha doing?"
Grubby and Jack are doing well and like their new scratching toys. They were occasionally using the carpet and once or twice the furniture to scratch so we had to curb that behavior now. We purchased a cardboard scratching post that is on an incline which came with some catnip. They seemed to like the texture of that very much so hopefully they will learn to scratch it instead of the carpet, etc. My prediction of who would be the lap cat was completely wrong though. Jack is much more of a lap cat and demands affection. Grubby is much more content to find someplace to plop down to relax alone when he isn't playing. They both like to follow the mouse all over the computer screen too, so they have had to be trained to not do that. As you can see, Jack likes sleeping on the keyboard to Jim's extra computer. Any other thoughts to antiscratching training would be appreciated!

Taking Action

Tomorrow is Election Day. A day when any registered voters the age of 18 and up get to have a say as to who is making decisions that affect us and our families and communities. So please go out and vote tomorrow. Find out which one of your local represenatives support healthcare initiatives, our schools; who makes changes that count. And if you don't get a chance to vote tomorrow, or do and the people you wanted in office don't get voted in, let your voice be heard other ways. The ADA needs advocates willing to just send a simple prefilled out email to their representatives as issues come up. They do all the work for you, all you have to do is take a few minutes to go to the website. Senators Clinton and Collins are trying to pass a bipartisan bill that would help support research and proper care for gestational diabetes. Check out the link below for more information about the bill: http://www.diabetes.org/advocacy-and-legalresources/federal_legislation/Gestational.jsp

All you have to do is go to their advocacy center to sign up to get email notifications to take action on bills that effect diabetes healthcare in general.

Another movement to keep an eye on and sign their petition is Unite for Diabetes at http://www.unitefordiabetes.org/ It was an eye opening reminder to me that we live in a wealthy, priviliged nation where we don't have to worry about refridgerating our insulin, or even obtaining it for that matter. Diabetes is considered a pandemic, and if prevenative education measures are not made by the global community, it will only continue to effect more and more people. Who may or may not have access to the healthcare we do in this country (yes, I realize that there are about 44 million uninsured people in the USA, but that is a whole other debate for another day).

Diabetes facts to ponder when considering how to help:

1 in 10 healthcare dollars are spent on diabetes in the US each year.

22% of the US population, or 50 million adults have Metabolic Syndrome which places them at high risk to develop Type 2 diabetes and heart disease if they don't change their lifestyle.

41 million Americans are considered to have pre-diabetes, or fasting blood glucose levels between 100-125. These individuals often already have signs of the effects of above normal blood glucose on their blood vessels.

This disease isn't going away. It isn't the only disease out there, and I fully support research for other devastating illnesses. This one happens to effect billions of people around the world in ways no one without diabetes can understand. Unless they are a parent (=hero) of a child with diabetes or know someone with it, most people don't get that diabetes isn't "just a touch of sugar" or that there is no such thing as "borderline diabetes". But we can change that. One voice at a time.

Flu Prevention Season

It's fall again, which here in the northeast means leaves changing color and falling off the trees, shorter days, and cool, rainy weather. It also means that it's time to think about getting the flu vaccine to prevent getting the flu between now and spring time. I worked at a few local flu shot clinics this past week and because of some comments I heard I thought I should share what I know with the blogging community.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Flu Fact Sheet:
"Every year in the United States, on average:
5% to 20% of the population gets the flu;
more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and;
about 36,000 people die from flu.
Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications."
For as long as I can remember, I've had a flu vaccine every October or November and never had the flu or any reaction to the shot. Some people, such as those who have had severe reactions in the past to it, or are allergic to eggs should not receive the flu vaccine because they could have an allergic reation to it. Please see the CDC website above or talk to your MD for a full list of who shouldn't receive the vaccine. For the purposes of this post, I'm just going to mention a few scenarios that might apply to you and would be good reasons for someone to consider receiving the flu vaccine.
1. You have children, work with children, or volunteer in your child's classroom on a regular basis. Children 6 months and older can receive the vaccine.
2. You are a healthcare provider.
3. You take care of an elderly relative on a regular basis- who should also receive the vaccine if possible.
4. Any elderly person who lives in assisted living, nursing home, or any housing that has common eating and living areas shared by many.
5. You are not a hermit, come into contact with the general public a lot, and have diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or any other chronic illness that puts you at higher risk for becoming sicker than most. Most people are contagious at least 1 day before they are truly sick and 5 days after symptoms start.
6. Anyone who doesn't like the idea of being sick for 3-7+ days.

The flu is one of the most preventable illnesses- but it's up to you to decide whether to get the vaccine or take a chance and hope that you won't get it. Currently the vaccine is in good supply, though there is some concern about future shipments. Flu season peaks between late December and early March, so now is the time to talk to your doctor about whether you should receive the vaccine this year and where to get it if they aren't giving it (the clinics I ran were at local pharmacies). Anyway, that's my public service announcement for this season, my next post will be back to my usual topics. Here's to a happy and healthy fall!

Welcome to the family Grubby and Jack!

On Friday Jim and I adopted two adorable 3 month old kittens. They are brothers from the same litter and are adapting quite well to Jim's house. Grubby, though named before he found every cobweb behind Jim's furniture, is sweet and adventerous. I think he'll be more of a lap cat than Jack.

Jack is playful though shy at times and has already found two favorite hiding spots.
He was almost named Grrr until I spoke up and said he looked more like a Jack to me. He's orange like the jack o'lantern and he likes to be in charge like two TV characters named Jack. He does growl when he gets excited playing with his toys. Jack isn't a fan of sharing with Grubby, especially this one he's playing with below. They are too funny- a constant source of amusement.

Here Grubby was trying to play with the toy also, and Jack claimed it. At one point that day Jack actually dragged this toy by it's feathers away from Grubby. Not that Grubby doesn't know how to stand up to his brother. And he's certainly no chicken- he was the first to check out some of the more hard to get to spots in Jim's house. Well, I'll post more about them soon. They're too cute to not take plenty of pictures of.

Mountains to climb

Since it seems like there's some frustration going around about the day-to-day management of diabetes, I thought I'd make a quick post with a few things that help me to stay on track.
1. Check out www.onetouchgold.com It's free for anyone to register, you don't have to use their product, and they will outline a meal plan, free recipes, tips on avoiding complications and everything related to dealing with diabetes. It's Lifescan's best kept secret. They even have articles about dealing with the psychological side of this chronic illness.
2. Make time for silly moments. Sometimes I need a reminder from my fiance to do this, but he's great about making me giggle when he knows I need a good laugh. Laughter really is good medicine.
3. Although it's easy to think no one else "gets" it, every day the blog's I've discovered so far remind me that I'm not alone in this. And for those of us who rely on someone greater than ourselves, this song reminds me that He's always there for me. It's called Mountain of God, by Third Day. Even if you don't believe that there is a god, it's still a great song about knowing that there is someone who has gone before you, who understands the journey isn't easy, empathizes and walks our journey with us.

Verse 1:
I thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid,
But you were there with me,
Yes, you were there with me
And then I didn’t even know
that I had lost my way,
but you were there with me,
yes you were there with me

Bridge:
And until you open up my eyes I never knew
That I couldn’t ever make it without You.

Chorus:
And even though the journey’s long
And I know the road is hard
With the One whose gone before me
You will help me carry on.
And after all that I’ve been through
Now I realize the truth,
That I must go through the valley,
To stand upon the Mountain of God.

Verse 2
And as I travel on the road
That you have led me
You are here with me,
yes you are here with me
And I am made for nothing more
Oh now that I have found
That you are here with me
Yes you are here with me

I confess from time to time I lose my way
But you are always there to bring me back again

Chorus

Sometimes I think of what it is I’ve come from
And the things I’ve left behind
But all that I have and all that I possess
othing can quite compare
To what’s in front of me,
To what’s in front of me.

Chorus:
And even though the journey’s long
And I know the road is hard
With the One whose gone before me
You will help me carry on.
And after all that I’ve been through
Now I realize the truth,
That I must go through the valley,
To stand upon the Mountain

Yes, I must go though the valleys

To stand upon the mountain,

Yes I must go though the valleys

To stand upon the mountain…..

End: (quiet)
I thought that I was all alone

Broken and afraid,

but you are here with me,

yes, you are here with me.

Change is in the Air!

It's the first day of fall, and we've been engaged for 1 week now! Jim and I had an amazing trip to Italy, complete with seeing all the sights, getting lost in Venice, and eating great food with some wine tasting too. The picture to the right is from inside the Colosseum in Rome. We also saw the Forum, Pantheon, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St Paul's Square in Rome. We were also able to see in person some of the places mentioned in Dan Brown's Angel's and Demons such as the Fountain of Four Rivers (part of which is shown at below and on the right).
"Where's Kate?" Find me on the Spanish steps (also in Rome).
It never ceased to amaze me what detail and talent went into the art, architecture, and design that was around every corner. Local tour guides with specific training for each town or city we visited told us the history and meaning behind it all. In Florence, known in Italy as Firenze, we experienced medeivel entertainment complete with court jester and lords and ladies in costume who danced, sang, and played music for us. The court jester would choose participants out of the audience for different games to play. Jim was chosen for a contest where he and another man had a rope with a cork on the end tied to their middle belt loop in the back of their pants and they had to figure out how to blow out a candle on the floor using the cork. Jim, of course, figured it out first. I was chosen later to hold onto keys that would free one of two "ladies" who had been chosen from the audience and their "lords" had to complete a task and then find the keys. Here's a picture of the two of us at the palace this dinner was at. The next day we traveled to Venice, and stopped at a winery along the way for lunch. We had fun learning about the process it takes to make the Chianti country wine, and of course tasting it. After that it was on to the city made up of many islands, Venice. It is one of the most quaint, romantic places I've ever been. They only allow cars on one of the islands, and all the other transportation is water taxies or walking. Once we dropped our things off at the hotel, we headed to St. Marc's Square, which is a special place by day and magical at night. We met up with our tour guide and used our portable radios to hear what she had to say about the gorgeous mosaics, marble, and domes inside the St. Marc's Cathedral. We had to be quiet because there was a service going on at the time, and couldn't take any pictures inside to preserve the art work. After that, our group was ready to head next door to the Dolges Palace for our tour there. Jim and I were near the back of the group, and he came up behind me and took my headphone out. I turned around and asked him what he was doing, and he dropped to one knee, and took a ring whose sparkle was only magnified by the afternoon sunshine out of his pocket. He asked "Will you marry me?" and all I could manage in my surprised state initially was "yes" which I said a couple times. As we are promising to love each other forever, not only our tour group but also a random Asian tour group are taking our pictures, and I imagine others that I wasn't even aware of. Until our group converged on us to congratulate us, it was like we were the only two people in that great big plaza. On the L is a close up of St Marc's, below is a picture of us right after it happened with St. Marc's in the background. I think we both heard about 10% of what the tour guide said about the palace we toured next- our heads were up on cloud 9. We haven't set a date yet, but I'll keep everyone posted. It's time for me to go spend some time with my fiance, so I'll update some more later.

Sensor Update

I am enjoying my sensor, and learning a lot about how my blood glucose responds to food and insulin. I've already started to pick out a few patterns even without downloading my information. The other thing I have discovered is that if you don't attend to a blood glucose alarm it will get more obnoxious so you will (hopefully)notice it. It's been really nice to see where I need to adjust my overnight basals, since before I was always wary of adjusting them too much and having a low. Now I know that whatever my bloodsugar is at 9pm it pretty much stays there until 3am, at which point it starts it's gradual rise. I had suspected that, but now I have the proof, without having to set my obnoxious alarm clock to wake me up in the middle of the night. Well, that's about all I can think of at the moment, but I'll keep updating periodically. I hope everyone is enjoying the last days of summer, because I know here in the Northeast it's getting pretty cool at night so fall is on it's way.

Sensor Day 1

Well, the sensor has been in since 945 this am and I'm loving it! It seemed to be fairly accurate fairly quickly with me, even though I was warned that the first 8 hours or so can be a little off. Having my low alarm at 90 was a wise choice- I dipped down to 67 just before dinner and my sensor thought my blood sugar was 82 (well within the 20% difference that is possible). But this time the low was mild, and it didn't catch me off guard because I already knew I was coming down quickly from my correction. I don't think though that I'll wake up if it's alarming- it's no louder than the other audible beeps for low battery or low resevoir. And as my family can tell you, I've slept through thunderstorms that would wake the dead! I had pizza for dinner, and surprisingly my bloodsugars stayed very level- either it was because I was coming into the dinner low or I counted my carbs well. Either way, it is so neat to be able to press a button and see what my blood sugars are doing. If anyone has any questions in the next few days, just leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer them. For now, it's time for one last calibration for the day.

It's been a busy couple of weeks. So busy I didn't realize how long it'd been since I last posted. So, I thought I'd provide a brief update for the moment and I'll add more soon.

I thought I was going to have my REAL Time sensor training starting Wed, but that was changed to this Monday. As soon as I have some feed back to give, I'll be posting on that. One thing I have done recently in preparation for our trip to Italy is wear my Minimed 507C to see if it is in good working order. I didn't use it when my pump malfunctioned partly because it was tucked away and I wasn't thinking of it at 12am. But, now I know that it works just fine in the event that I need to use it in Italy. It did amaze me at how much improved the menus and buttons are with the more recent pumps. It took me a minute to remember how to program my basals in fast enough since the 507C goes back to the main screen after an 8 second pause. I have my basals at 3 hr intervals so it took some time to program it.

Recently I've exprienced a couple downright tiring lows. The kind where I go into my autopilot "eat the fridge" (That 'I need food now and will eat until upper brain function starts reminding me to slow down' feeling I get with a moderate low). The kind where I know I'm coming back up when my thoughts start making sense again, and, while I feel a little better, have the tendancy to send me into a rebound that keeps me feeling more lethargic than the low. I lowered a couple basals by a bit, which seemed to help. I will definitely be adjusting my basals to where I think I'll want them in Italy while I have the sensor- so I can see what basals might keep me in a nice, safe blood sugar range. And, of course, it's a good excuse to go to the Chinese buffet to tweak my almost perfected dual bolus technique for Chinese food. Currently, I do my best guestimating my carb intake, use my bolus wizard to correct if needed and give myself 70% of the bolus now and 30% over an hour. That usually has me down to 180 or so 2 hrs later, which is a big improvement from the days of injections.
I've also been trying to learn a little Italian, though I've heard that most Italians know enough English for me to get by with "Grazie" (thanks). One factor that is helpful is that some words like "insulin" (l'insulina) and "syringe" (la siringa) are very similar to the English. Then there are the word like "gatta" for cat that are very different. Only 20 days to take off and I can't wait!

No Coincidence Here!

I've been in the process of becoming a certified product trainer for Minimed, but one thing that was holding up the Continuous Glucose Monitor System (CGMS) certification was lack of an extra pump for me to use. Well, a pretty neat turn of events have helped that along. Thursday night I had to change my pump site, but for some reason the pump was not acknowledging that there was a full reservoir there. It just kept pushing the plunger along, instead of showing the amount of insulin that had been primed and letting me stop it! Luckily, I didn't let it waste too much insulin, before calling the 1 800 number. I was told I'd have to leave my pump off and use shots to manage my diabetes until a replacement pump arrived the next day. I had been using a 512, and they didn't have any 512's available to send me, so I mentioned that I was going to be a product trainer, and asked if I could get a 522(the newest one that communicates with the sensor). The customer service rep said he didn't have one available, that I'd be getting a 515. I thought, well, ok, I need to learn the differences between the 512 and the 515 anyway, and it's a "free" upgrade, so that works too. I managed to avoid having more than trace ketones by the am, and my BG's weren't too bad either. The pump had to be delivered to work, since I needed to sign for it, and it came by 1000. I tore open the box, and found a brand new 522 ready for me to use! I sat down and programed all my info it, and played with it for a bit. Now I just have to wait for the Diabetes Nurse Specialist who is training me to get back to me about when a sensor is available for me to train on. Jim and I are going on a tour of Italy in 40 days, so the pump malfunction really was prefect timing for more than one reason. (I know Medtronic has an office in Italy, but we're changing cities every couple of days so it'd be tricky to plan a delivery.) And for those of you who aren't familiar with insulin pumps, the malfunctions are few and far between. I've been on a pump for 7 years, and this is only the second time I've had to send a pump back for a new one. Which, considering that it's worn 365 days a year and gets bumped into, dropped, etc occasionally, is pretty good. So I don't consider this malfunction that led to me getting a 522 a coincidence-like a coworker said, I couldn't have planned it.

Why we walk for a cure

Yesterday I was sent as my work's representative for the Team Kick off luncheon for the local Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation(JDRF) chapter's walk in September. The last JDRF meeting I'd been at was a tad dry, so I was in for a surprise. The main support group for kids with diabetes in this area, "The Sugar Free Gang", was there and 8 of them played a part in talking about why we walk for a cure. First though, was the mom whose daughter has had diabetes for several years (since she was 5). Her mom told this story to illustrate what motivated her to be the Family Team chairperson. "The day before my daughter's 6th birthday, I found her sitting quietly on the front porch, not playing with the other kids. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was thinking about what she'd wish when she blew her candles out the next day. When I asked her what she'd decided to wish, she said, 'That I was 4 again, because I didn't have diabetes when I was 4.' (at this point there were several people moved to tears, myself included). "My daughter, at 6, had the wisdom to know that things had changed forever because she had diabetes, and that until there is a cure she is going to have to deal with this disease." I know that there were many people in that audience wishing the same thing for that little girl-that she didn't have to deal with the burden Scott mentioned in his journal of the daily grind of it all.
And then, because the theme for the walk this year is The Wizard of Oz, 4 of the Sugar Free Gang kids were dressed up as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man. And one at at time they led up to the stage older kids, ages 12-19 who each shared their stories of why diabetes requires a heart, a brain, courage, and a home. The themes that ran through each of them were of kids who had to grow up too fast- be brave and strong even though there were times when they just wanted to cry about it all. Learning to do what it takes to live a healthy life, hoping to avoid complications. Knowing that the consequences of not doing what they need to do could cause problems years beyond when their young minds can comprehend. Who wants to think about the possibilities of complications creeping up on you in 20 years when you haven't even been alive 20 years? I know I didn't want to when I was a teen. But it was there, that nagging knowledge in the back of my mind everytime I made a decision about food, insulin, exercise, etc. There were times when I wondered if it would be better, easier, to deal with diabetes if I didn't know everything I had been taught about the possible problems it could cause. And everytime I decided that it was better I knew, so I could work towards prevention. I give the kids who spoke a lot of credit for sharing their experiences and showing the corporate teams the faces of diabetes-the young women starting college, the little girls dreaming about what they want to be when they grow up. So, while I'll be in a plane flying back from Italy the day of the walk, those stories will be in my mind as reminders of why I am working on my certification to be a diabetes educator- to empower those living with diabetes until we find a cure to live healthy lives. If you want to walk in your local walk, or find a team to sponsor, you can go to the JDRF's website.