TSA As A Diabetes Brain Trust? I THINK NOT!

Once again the Diabetes Brain Trust that is the TSA has made travel for PWDs (people with diabetes) less then pleasant and more dangerous than ever.

On Friday, January 27th TSA actually thought a woman with an insulin pump who'd gone through their advanced imaging technology thought her robot pancreas was a gun!

Apparently, TSA thought the woman's insulin pump resembled something in the firearms category.

At least that's how TSA Agent interpreted the 'image' on the screen.

REALLY???

According to the story, there was some confusion because she didn't hear the agents asking her to stop and step aside.

So TSA called the police, the woman's flight was delayed while they searched retrieved, and detained both the woman and her offending electronic pancreas.

Now we all know the mayhem that is makes up the airport security lines.

But even with all the confusion of security lines,searches and electronic devices - I don't know what planet you have to be from to confuse an insulin pump for a gun and or firearm!

So here's the Cliff Notes version that TSA might want to keep on file re: insulin pumps and what they look like.

Please keep in mind it's not a dissertation on insulin pumps, nor is it a chapter book.

It's more like a short series of pictures with short descriptive sentences - And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that "one of these things is not like the other," absolutely applies to this scenario.

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The above is an insulin pump is called the Medronic Paradigm Revel.

It acts as 24X7 robot pancreas to people living with diabetes and it saves lives by feeding us insulin subcutaneously.

It sort of resembles a beeper, circa 1990 (as do most insulin pumps,) and I'm OK with that.

It is powered by batteries and brain power.

It delivers us insulin.

We need insulin to live.

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This is Animas OneTouch Ping Insulin Pump and it saves lives.

It spends it's entire life acting as an electronic pancreas that a person with diabetes wears clipped to their person 24X7.

And it also looks a bit like beeper.

But once again, I'm OK with people thinking it's a beeper/I'm a surgeon thing. And if I get Doctors parking privileges, even better!

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This is an Accu-Chek Spirit Insulin Pump.

And not to sound like a broken record, but it is a battery operated pancreas; it saves lives.

It transfers insulin from it's reservoir subcutaneously through an infusion set site to a person with diabetes - And gives them what those of us with "the betes" call "the elixir of life," a.k.a., INSULIN.

Hence the reason it is called an insulin pump.

And once again, it is beeper like.

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Believe it or not, this above duo also acts as a life saving insulin pump/automaton like pancreas.

It is called the Omnipod.

And yes, it looks like a pod and has it's own PDM.

There is no tubing attached and it's more circular in shape than the other pumps.

With that being said, it still doesn't look like a gun.

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The above is not a picture of an iPhone and you cannot download your itunes library to it.

It is what those of us in the diabetes world call the Tandem Diabetes Care t:slim Insulin Pump.

It has a touch screen and as of this today, it's not out on the market, yet.

When it finally does hit the market, it will take it's place in the motion control pancreas world and save lives.

And finally.........

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This is 9m.m. Glock: IT IS A HANDGUN.

It eats bullets, not batteries, and in no way can it deliver insulin to you, or for you.

And it is very, very dangerous.

You actually have to have a license to carry gun- And I'm not just talking about a Glock,(now I'm just going to keep saying GLOCK for continuity purposes. Plus, now I can't just can't stop saying GLOCK,) I'm talking about all guns.

And even with a license, you still can't bring a gun to the airport, Glock or not.

Ironically, a few celebrities and the occasional Texan have tried since 911, but even they get it trouble for doing that - Go ahead, GOOGLE it.

And speaking of Google, when you Google the terms: "Handgun for women, or gun that women prefer, or women and guns," just for shits and giggles, the 9m.m. The Glock is one of the guns that comes up over and over, which is why I'm using it as an example.

Now I'm no expert on guns, but the 9m.m. Glock looks like all the other handguns on the Google, and once again not one of those guns looks like an insulin pump!

And just so we're clear, in no way does the 9.m.m. Glock, or any other handgun resemble an insulin pump, beeper, pod, PDM or iPhone.

They resemble GUNS.

And guess what a gun look like On TSA Body Scanners??

A FREAKING GUN.

Seriously, TSA, how the f^ck can you confuse an insulin pump with a gun?

And just as importantly, why is OK that you you're employees mistake insulin pumps for guns, view cupcakes as contraband, steel insulin from pregnant ladies, give the elderly full cavity body searches, profile people because they look different and bust colostomy bags like water balloons

And why are we the ones treated like criminals when you do?

Diabetes Doesn't Respect A Woman's Right To Change Her Mind.....

Diabetes doesn't respect a woman's right to change her mind, be it, clothing, shoes, lovers or Baked Lays.
I stand by those words 100% and I utter them often- though the Baked Lays part is interchangeable with various carbs, like past, rice, Chinese & Mexican cuisine.

The phrase also happen to be something I tweeted to my friend Kim over at Texting My Pancreas when she tweeted about bolusing for a Baked Lays and then changing her mind about eating them. I could totally relate, because lets face it: We've all been there, done that.

Diabetes doesn't respect or get the fact that I (and by I, I mean we) like cute boots and wedge heels - And I wear them.
And while I'm ranting, I'm going to say that shoe designers don't get (or won't admit too) the fact that just because you have a wide foot in the toe-box area, doesn't mean you want to wear some God awful, ugly ass shoes.

Shoe designers are actually afraid to make shoes available in a WIDE because they think women won't by them.

Forget the fact that majority of women are walking around in shoes that don't fit them properly - diabetes or not.

How about shoe manufacturers/ designers make their MEDIUM widths slightly more roomy so I (we) can be comfortable and consistantly fashionable and my diabetes doesn't blow a proverbial tire???
Diabetes doesn't get that some days I want to wear not so sensible shoes for more than a few hours at a time - it's not my fault I have high arches!

And you know what? I don't want to look like I have three boobs, specifically when I'm attempting to tuck my trusty insulin pump in my bra and thanks to my less than ample boobs, it never seems to look quite 'natural," when stashed there.
In my mind, I hear diabetes (like it was an actual person) say: Tough crap, Kel - DEAL WITH IT. And I DO.

And sometimes when I clip my insulin pump to my pump garter to wear a dress or skirt (and I will admit that it really does depend on the cloth's fabric and draping abilities, or lack there of,) I look like a Drag Queen who hasn't quite figured out the whole "tuck & hide" thing yet.

Yes, there are times when diabetes flips us the finger in the form of a high or low blood sugar and it could care less about the where and why of it all.
And other times, like my friend Kim - I bolus before I eat, and then realize I've changed my mind.

Yes, I could bolus post meal - But my friend Gary told me that I am ever so slightly slow when it comes to insulin absorption rates (basal testing is torture but the results are key - not to mention interesting!) and to bolus sooner as far as meals are concerned is a better option for me.

But here's the thing, I respect diabetes - whether it's being pissy with me or not. And while there are moments when diabetes wins a battle, be it about carbs , triple boobs, shoes or 175 things in between, diabetes WILL NOT WIN the war.

"Dog Pile On The Diabetes, Dog Pile On The Diabetes!!!"

Way back when I was first diagnosed with "the diabetes," Looney Tunes used to air really early on Saturday mornings and occasionally every now and then in the afternoons.

On Saturday mornings I'd get up super early and my oldest brother would usually be walking in the door from God knows where - and we'd watch tv together.

He loved the Looney Tunes and because he did, I did.

Plus, they were really funny!

And I specifically remember the above cartoon and laughing out loud.

I also remember that after I watched said cartoon, I got up and started dancing around the living room singing: Dog pile on the diabetes, dog pile on the diabetes, dog pile on the diabetes!

Yes, I was sort of a weird kid who was highly influenced by what she saw on television.

But here's the thing: Even today, during those moments when I'm kicking diabetes ass and to the curb and go from the diabetes underdog to the diabetes top dog, I still sing out loud:

Dog pile on the diabetes, dog pile on the diabetes!!!

And with any luck, you won't be able to get that phrase out of your head now either!!!

Are you singing it yet??? Are people looking at you at work like your crazy???

YES, My diabetesalicious plan is succeeding!!!

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday: "And We All Shine On....."

" And We All Shine On..."

Photo via my iPhone~

Diabetes Memories: Boil, Boil, Toil & Trouble - Of Boiled Insulin Needles & Other Diabetes Givens Growing Up~

So with three people with diabetes growing up in the house, (four if you count my oldest sister who got married when I was 4) things got pretty crazy, not to mention expensive.

And there were certain diabetes givens in the Kunik household

Like my dad kept his insulin in the butter compartment in the fridge in the utility room, while my sister and I kept our insulin in the fridge in the kitchen.

My dad used Lente as his long acting insulin and I used NPH - And I think my sister did too.

I remember my dad, Debbie and I always busting out needles before we ate our meals, right there at the table - no matter who was at the table. That was our diabetes reality and if you ate at the Kunik table, you were bound to see some hypodermics being injected before the main course.

I remember glasses of orange juice measured out perfectly to treat a lows and the the anxiousness in which we drank down the orange juices.

I remember Tab and Fresca and Diet Pineapple Fanta and diet Orange Shasta always being on hand - Same goes for Diet Pepsi.

I remember that when I was first diagnosed, I used Sweet N Low in my cereal, while my father used something called Sweeta - A liquid sweetner that I thought was heinous.

And those are just a few of the many diabetes memories that enter my clogged mind on a daily basis!

I also have these very vivid memories of my father (and my mother for that matter) boiling our insulin needles over the stove in a tiny little tan pot with a brown handle - which is something they started doing way before I came to be.

Because back in the Diabetes Dark Ages, needles were made of glass and required boiling and sterilization before each use. So my parents spent of time pre Kelly boiling needles over the kitchen stove.

By the time I was diagnosed, needles were disposable and came in boxes filled with at least a hundred. But my dad still boiled mine to make them last longer, which taught me a few diabetes lessons early on. Lessons like:

1. The numbers and lines on the needle started to become faint and difficult to read after it’s been boiled a few times
2. Much like “blunt lancets,” the more you use a needle (after you boil it, of course) the more blunt it gets!

My eight year old self would have major arguments with parents regarding boiled needles and how much they sucked.

And I remember my dad talking about the cost and then singing an intangible and entirely made up english version of O' Sole Mio in a mock yiddish accent while boiling the needles and waving the tongs around to make me laugh and get me off the subject.

Looking back now, I realize how much they had on their plate - And I’m still amazed at how they did it all.

And I’m reminded how far diabetes care has come - And how O' Sole Mio no longer applies~

Do you have any diabetes memories from growing up with diabetes?

Diabetes Skycam On A String

I wish diabetes had an instant replay capabilities - sort of like my own diabetes Skycam.
Maybe if I had a camera on a string hovering over me like the NFLers do, I could capture and replay all those little moments (and rare) that led me to my diabetes victories, both big and small.
You know, like when I get a carb count right for an insanely filled carb meal or when I cut my temporary basal rate pre workout whilst figuring out and ingesting the perfect snack for said pre-work out activity (because every workout activity requires a different snack and temporary basal rate) so I don't have to stop mid-workout to fuel up. And I'd really appreciate the diabetes camera on a string zipping around on a day when my numbers seem to achieve Blood Sugar Nirvana without much effort and I'm not really sure why.
It's not that I don't remember what I did, because I do.... to a degree.
But it's those little nuances (portion size or food combos; wholegrain verses non whole grain, infusion set location/ deadspot issues, stress factors, mental status, time of the month - ladies, you know what I'm talking about, activity level(s) or the moon' s gravitational pull for that matter,) that seem to make the difference - And I don't always remember them... or the order in which the occur.
Same goes for when my numbers are all screwy for no real reason except because diabetes feels like being bitchy - which happens a lot more than I'd like to admit.
On the other hand, the more I think about having a diabetes Skycam zipping around my world on a string, the more I think it wouldn't work. First, it would be super expensive, not to mention inconvenient and bulky. And second, Diabetes Skycam on a string would only capture my diabetes movements from exterior angles, not interior ones.
It wouldn't capture my diabetes inner workings or my brains for that matter- And as we know - that's a pretty big part of diabetes. Not to mention the fact that it's completely unrealistic - but a hell of a visual!
Plus, I'd have to hire an announcer for the they diabetes instant replays - And again, that would be ridiculous expensive, incredibly annoying - not to mention creepy~

Debbie - 21 Years Goes By Like THAT.

Debbie, Santa & Kelly

Debbie-

21 years goes by like THAT..... And there's still some much I remember.

Today, I choose to remember how you were on this day, how we both we're.

We were happy and we were laughing and we didn't have a care in the world.

I think about you everyday,Deb - And I miss you very much - And I wish I'd been more patient at times.

Today, diabetes is so much different and you wouldn't feel alone.

You'd feel more empowered and you'd be part of amazing diabetes on-line community that would just continue to amaze you everyday - TRUST ME.

I find comfort that Mom and you are together again, because she missed you so much!

Still, I'm jealous that she's with you because I really miss her!

But I remind myself how long you both waited to see one another again and I can only imagine the party that you and Dad had when she got to heaven.

Take care of her, and Daddy too.

Love,

Kelly~