Diabetes Blog Week Day 3: Just In Case

It's day 3 of the sixth annual Diabetes Blog Week and it's all about about "cleaning out."  
I'm not always neat - but I'm freakishly organized when it comes to diabetes supplies. 
Ironical because I'm a self admitted diabetes hoarder - and I have no problem admitting that. 
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I have shelves in my hallway closet devoted to diabetes supplies. 
Pump supplies needles, and lancets. Extra glucose meters that were sent to me that I’ve reviewed. I keep my own test strips boxes in my desk drawer, all lined according to their expiration date and always within reach. 
I keep watch on my diabetes supplies - making sure I have enough to keep me safe - and then some -and I don’t throw anything out  - I keep everything - Just in case life happens. 
Just in case I get too many error readings on my glucose meter or have bronchitis and go through test strips like water. 
Just case my new infusion site is a dead spot and sucks figuratively, but not literally. 
Just in case I get all dolled up and wear a dress, which requires that I wear Spanx - for both my belly and as a place to secure my insulin pump. SPANX kill infusion sites - every woman who wears an insulin pump knows that. 
Just in case the sticky part of my infusion site stops sticking, or I walk by doorknob that yanks me back two feet and rips out my infusion site quicker than you can say "what the fructose!”
Just in case I’m battling a nasty cold/flu/sinus infection or a cortisone shot that requires me to quadruple my hourly insulin requirements - depleting both my longevity of my infusion site and dwindling my insulin supply. 

Just in case my insurance drops me. 

Just in case of a natural disaster that shuts my local pharmacy down for 6 months. 

Just in case my last bottle of insulin hits the tile floor before my RX is due to be filled.

Just in case is a term people living with diabetes know all to well and live with daily. 

Just in case turns us into diabetes supply collectors - luckily there’s a book for that. 

Just in case has become a diabetes fear, safety net and war cry all rolled into one. 

Just in case is a part of or lives... and our lives with diabetes. 

Stylish & Functional: Adorn Designs Clutch Review & Holiday Giveaway!

I love things that make my life and my life with diabetes easier. 

I also love stylish, sleek and pleasing to the eye things - And I love the opportunity to give my blog readers the opportunity to win something that's all of the above. :) 

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Adorn Designs Elite Collection Clutch In Imperial Yellow Diabetes Supply Bag, out of
the box and in its original wrapping.
Dimensions:10 inches long, 6.5 inches deep & 5.1 inches thick.
Cotton Canvas - Machine washable and super easy to spot clean. 

Just before the summer started, I was contacted by  Lee Ann from Adorn Designs, a Denver based company that manufactures “High-Style/Low-Profile” designer bags for PWDs to carry their diabetes supplies. Adorn Designs line includes; clutches, insulin/meter cases, messengers bags & handbags! 
LeeAnn wanted to know if I was interested in reviewing their product.
I was!
WHY? Because I like bags that are stylish, functional and keep me organized. 
And if that bag will do all of the above regarding my diabetes supplies, I like it even better! 
So I picked out a bag and used it daily. And by “used it daily,” I mean I traveled with it on a plane, in my car and on my person on a daily basis.

I chose a clutch from Adorn's Elite Collection in Imperial Yellow that retails  for $35.   
I LOVE the color yellow and love the idea of clutch, but I never carry a clutch because I can never find one that will fit all my D supplies!  
Adorn's Elite clutch was large and really sleek, not bulky. I could fit it in my carry-on, my computer bag or carry it alone as my clutch for the evening. 
I lOVED that the outside is water proof (and iced tea/coffee proof/ wine proof,) and that all I had to do was wipe off any spill or blood from the exterior with a damp paper towel. 
*A huge plus: I could view all my D supplies out without out actually taking them out of the bag and that feature really came in handy while sitting (and by sitting I mean CRAMMED) in my seat on flight to California this past October. 
I just reached into my bag for the clutch, put it on the tray table and opened it, grabbed what I needed and did what I had to do.  

Everything diabetes (and non D related) at a glance - And after being
spot cleaned! 

There’s lots zippered compartments for diabetes supplies in the clutch, but it also allowed me to have space non d items like my favorite lip gloss, a mirror and comb &  
a compartment where I could keep my money/receipts organized when I traveled. 

The clutch also fit easily into my beach cooler and I was able to put a frio in it, no problem! 
For weekend trips to friends in other states, the Adorns clutch was key. 
I put all my D supplies in that clutch and threw it in my black over night bag. The Imperial Yellow color made it easy to find in a black lined bag.  
Also: Regarding the interior. I did manage to have blood spatter drop pattern, that was CSI worthy while I was traveling. 
I waited a good month (I’d love to say I was SUPER BUSY, I kind of was, but I was also being really lazy,) before I put a little SHOUT on tooth brush, scrubbed and rinsed under cold water. It took all of 5 minutes to remove the spots and I wish all my laundry was that easy to clean.

Bottom line: I LOVE my Adorn Elite Clutch in Imperial Yellow - I really do! 
It’s functional and beautiful and id defies Murphy’s Law when it comes to diabetes and blood letting.
Also, I used it as actual clutch a few times (wish it had a wristlet so I could swing it around my wrist :) and non PWDs were like: I LOVE YOUR BAG and I was like: THANKS, ME TOO! 
And it was wonderful to go out with smart looking clutch sans the worry of “where will I put all my diabetes crap!” 

Now for the giveaway part of this post: You guys have a chance to win an Adorn Clutch!

Here's How: Leave comment saying why like to win one. 

If You’re A Dude: No worries, you can choose from one these fine cases!

Who Can Enter: Anyone with diabetes or who loves someone with diabetes.

RULES: The Adorn winner will be announced on Monday morning, December 22nd, which means you have until Midnight Sunday the 21st to leave a comment. 
And please, if you leave a comment under “Anonymous” or under your Google+  account, make sure you leave your email address. If you win and I can’t contact you - The Adorn bag goes to someone else. 

Bonus: Even if you don't win, you can still get 15% off your Adorn Designs purchase by entering 15off at checkout - So you everybody wins!

All comments are approved before published. 
Winner chosen by Random.org

My Carry-On Bag at a glance. 

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Jackpot Test Strips - A Still Life~

Ahhh… the wonders to be found at the bottom of my meter/diabetes supply case.
Yep, this is what happens when I try not to leave a test-strip trail~
"JACKPOT." 

Diabetes Art Day #StripSafely Edition: Navigation

Diabetes Art Day - StripSafely Edition:

A sea  of glucose test strips in the ocean of my diabetes life~

A sea of glucose test strips in the ocean of my diabetes life,

Spindrift's of swirling numbers that never stop  -

Continuous swirling test strips and bg numbers that leave me spinning like a top. 

Numbers generated directly from my blood and the diabetes technology that are the tools to live this diabetes life.

Tools that are my blood sugar compass, Diabetes GPS, and life preserver, all rolled into one - 

Telling me how to navigate with insulin, in order to keep this diabetes life from coming undone. 

Navigation demands accuracy in all dimensions, be it by land or air or sea - 

But especially in glucose test strips and meters, accurate blood sugar coordinates are key.

And Right now glucose test strips are  anywhere between 10, 20 and some say as much as 40% off their marks - 

And that leaves people living with diabetes to navigate the Diabetes Ocean in the dark. 

AND THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.

Kelly Kunik~

Diabetes navigation tools~

Diabetes Blues Clue~

Saturday Silliness via the diabetesaliciousness Facebook page & based on a diabetes reality~

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So can you spot the diabetes blues clue? 

Diabetes Blog Week: Day 6: Diabetes Art.... At My Fingertips~

This 'Diabetes Blog Week' post is a day late, technically it was supposed to be up yesterday - Blame my car's muffler & exhaust pipe cracked 50 miles away from home on Friday night. 

Long & expensive story, but all is well. Anyway, this post is about is about how diabetes inspires art in all it's mediums. I wrote this post back in January 2008, two months after I started my blog - And I still think it rings true today, and And I hope you like it. Click HERE to read/ see more posts about Diabetes Art~

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Freckled Finger Tips

My fingers tips are freckled with dots.

Dots that rest on callouses,

Calluses caused by continually pricking them with a lance,

Which pierces my finger tips for a blood drop -

A blood drop that is placed on a strip.

A strip that is placed in a machine

A machine that's a quick study.

5 seconds later a number appears

If the number is high, I feel tired and guilty

And I bolus accordingly.

If the number is low

I already know before it appears,

I shake, sweat, and feel light headed

My appetite is insatiable.

Quickly I grab the juice box and I try my best to remember the rule:

15 carbs at a time to treat a low blood sugar - yeah right!

If it's in the golden range of Blood Sugar Nirvana - I'm proud and relieved..

Until the cycle starts all over again. 

And the blood sugar testing never ends.

I find test strips everywhere,

And in places they were never meant to be.

The type 3's in my life yell at me regarding my test strip trail

I will never be a hand model...But that's Ok, 

Because life is sweet and I go with the flow~

Everything Comes Out In The Wash.......

Including test-strips!
And I have a feeling that you might be able to relate ;)  

SURVEY SAYS: On Average, How Many Times A Day Do You Test Your Blood Sugars?

So we all know that insurance companies can be stingy with the test-strip allotment.

We've all bitched and moaned and complained about it in the past and where likely to bitch and moan and complain about it in the future.

Seriously, how many of us PWDs (people with diabetes) have had heated discussions with our perspective insurance companies about how many test strips they will actually cover, verses how many test strips we actually use on a daily basis???

Personally, I test my blood sugar between 10 and 15 times a day and have the polka dot finger tips to prove it. But knowledge is power and I need all the diabetes knowledge I can get in order to live my best life.

So I'm asking you dearest diabetesalicous reader to share how many test strips on average you use, the type of diabetes you have and the amount of test strips your insurance will actually cover. And anything else you think is important.

Diabetes is not a cookie cutter disease and Your Diabetes May Vary.

Diabetes is never the same disease two days in a row and there are some days were we MUST test like crazy in order to keep our numbers in check!

Why am I doing this?

1. Blood sugar testing is so important to us and it's critical to a healthy future. And testing can be a costly and combative issue when it comes to durable medical equipment coverage.

2. I believe that insurance companies need to see test strip usage in black and white and from a variety of different sources - WHO ACTUALLY USE SAID TEST STRIPS. Not numbers cruncher who works for the insurance companies who doesn't know the diabetes facts while continuing to perpetuate diabetes myths.

3. If someone is trying to to test their blood sugars more often and is having a problem committing, maybe reading your comments will incourage them to test more often - And that would be wonderful!

Postcard From The Diabetes Edge

Postcard from the Diabetes Edge 'Use your optical test strip illusion" photo via my iphone

Postcards From The Diabetes Edge," a series of on-line "post" cards from me to you, with a diabetes twist!

XOXO

k2

Coming To Grips With A Kelly Kunik, Cold Hard Fact

The other day I realized several things about myself, and I thought I’d share:

1. I’m extremely hard on handbags & shoes
2. Not only do I leave a test strip trail, but a triple AAA battery trail as well.

Let’s start with the handbag. A few months back I scored an eggplant colored leather bag with antique brass colored metal zippers and shoulder strap rings. Said snazzy bag was 60% off and cause me $16 bucks, cold hard cash!

I was happy, I was styling, and I still had money in my wallet.

And not to brag too much, but everyone who saw said snazzy bag was like: Oh my God, I totally love your bag!! And that just makes a girl all types of happy and proud~

But after a month, the side metal zipper started to stick a bit and last week, that very same side zipper lost a tooth (in case you don’t know, zippers actually have teeth) and no longer zipped. It was time to take my prize handbag to the cobbler and hope for the best.

I dumped the bag of its contents and noticed a few things.

1. I carry a lot of crap

2. Finding $10 at the bottom of your handbag never gets old

3. I found a receipt that I’d been looking for all week

4. There were 5 used test strips in the one of the inside pockets of the bag

5. I had at least 2 triple AAA batteries rolling around in there – And I wasn’t sure if they were used or not!

After testing both batteries, I realized that they still had plenty of juice and promptly put them in one of those tiny little Ziploc bags lancets come in. I keep them to carry spare batteries in – same goes for those fancy little cloth jewelry sacks.

Anyway, I dropped of my snazzy bag and if all goes well, I should get it back from Mr. Cobbler Man today.

Now, rewind to a few days ago, I went shoe shopping and bought a spiffy new pair of boots by a company called Naot. Not only were these shoes boots pretty,(here's a pic) but damn if they weren't comfy too boot! And yes, pun intended!

But seriously, Naot has some great shoes that will literally make your feet do a happy dance! Yes, they were expensive, but they were worth every penny!

I don't need to wax poetic about diabetes and feet and how hard it is to find shoes that look AND feel good, but I will tell you when I find a shoe brand that does and Naot did!

Which brings us to yesterday, when I was cleaning out my desk drawer and found 2 infusion sets, one canister of unopened test strips and 3 more triple AAA batteries. Two were dead and one worked just fine.

And that made me come to grips about a Kelly Kunik, cold hard fact: I’m a diabetes supplies hoarder who happens to have a thing for snazzy bargain leather handbags and pretty shoes.

Yep, it's true - And I can totally live with that~

Diabetes Has........

The post was inspired by a #dsma chat from a few weeks ago: http://diabetessocmed.com/2011/diabetes-fill-in-the-blanks/ So I guess this means it's now part of the #DSMA Blog Carnival!

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Diabetes has made me many things.

Diabetes has made me an insulin whore – except I don’t turn tricks for insulin – but I do pay through the nose to inject myself with this pancreatic elixir of life!

So maybe I’m more of Insulin John – but that doesn’t really have the same ring to it!

Diabetes has made see and appreciate the dark humor of life. Every person I know with diabetes has a strange, wonderfully mccobb, sick and twisted dark sense of the funny – At that’s a great thing!

Diabetes has made me an idiot savant at looking at the food on my plate and gustimating the carb count.

Seriously folks, I can eyeball a cupcake carb count based solely on said cupcakes circumference & icing ratio.

Diabetes has given me a faulty pancreas.

Diabetes has allowed to recognize and experience that little changes = big ones.

Diabetes has made me become a proactive and empowered patient.

Diabetes has turned me into a hoarder of triple AAA batteries, glucose tabs, samples from my endo, test strips, used testing and pumps supplies and all things D related.

Diabetes has allowed friends and loved ones to find me via my Test Strip Trail.

Diabetes made me realize that I was more high tech than I thought possible!

Diabetes has turned my fingers into pincushions and the skin on my abdomen into valuable real estate

Diabetes has made fearless regarding needles and fearful of pasta.

Diabetes has made me worry about the small stuff – And that bullshit’s got to stop, NOW.

Diabetes has made me grateful for the small things in life – And that is a gift that keeps on giving.

Diabetes has made me part cyborg – And I’m not the only member of the Cyborg Clan of D.

Diabetes has allowed me to flip my Diabetes Bitch Switch whenever needed.

Diabetes has taught me to speak in acronyms and diabetes code words like: CWD, PWD, totally bolus worthy, Diaversary, Blood Sugar Nirvana, #bgnow #dsma, - Just to name a few.

Diabetes has made me tough and fragile all rolled into one.

Diabetes has given me a passion and a sense of purpose in my life – And I also owe a big part of my passion & purpose to the DOC.

And diabetes has given me AMAZING FRIENDS, trusted allies, who KICK ASS!!

So my diabetesalicious friends: What has diabetes given you?

I Woke Up This Morning And What Did I See?

HUH?

Whaaaaat?

So I woke up this morning,

And what to my wondering eyes should appear?

Not eight tiny reindeer's - NO, it was something much more cavalier.

I stared straight at my pump tubing tangled in the tassels of my snowflake PJ's

Not knowing how to start to untangle my pump tubing maze.

After unplugging myself from my tethered confines

I unraveled my heavily travelled pump tubing line.

It's always something with diabetes you see

Be it being told by the D-Police to try Cinnamon enemas for a cure, or drink ginormous gallons of green tea.

Be it sneaky doorknobs, or bolus worthy crisp apple strudel

Stubborn bg highs and plummeting lows

Or a leaving a test strip trail right under one's nose.

On this morning instead, I chose to laugh out loud-

And decided that the best course of action would obviously be...

To blame it all on Kerri's post yesterday, over at Sixuntilme.

Way Back Wednesday: Freckled Finger Tips REVISITED

This poem was originally posted 1/8/08 - way back when Diabetesaliciousness was only a few months old. Not to many folks were reading the blog and I was learning all the wonders of the Diabetes On-Line Community. I'm still learning all the wonders of our community and I'm so grateful for that. Anywho, I thought I'd reintroduce you to Freckled Finger Tips - Hope you like it!

My fingers tips are freckled with dots.

Dots that rest on callouses,

Calluses caused by continually pricking them with a lance

Which pierces my finger tips for a blood drop.

A blood drop that is placed on a strip,

A strip that is placed in a machine,

A machine that's a indeed quick study.

5 seconds later a number appears.

If the number is high, I feel tired and guilty

and bolus accordingly.

If the number is low

I already know before it appears.

I shake, sweat, and feel light headed

My appetite is insatiable.

Quickly I grab the juice box

And I try my best to remember the rule;

15 carbs at a time to treat a low blood sugar - yeah right!

If it's in the golden range of Blood Sugar Nirvana

I'm proud and relieved -

Until the cycle starts all over again.

IT NEVER ENDS.

I find test strips everywhere

In places they were never meant to be.

The type 3's in my life yell at me regarding my test strip trail

I will never be a hand model...But that's OK....

Life is sweet and I go with the flow~

Photos courtesy of my iPhone

YES, Even In My Beach Cooler~

Yet another addition in my "Test Strip Pictorial' series~

So I was cleaning out my beach cooler last night...and Iook what I found lurking at the very bottom...

YES- Even in my beach cooler~

Snapped w/my iPhone~

THEY GET EVERYWHERE !

Things That Make Me Go Hmmmmm? - The Start of Summer Edition

Things That Make Me Go Hmmmmmm?

It’s been a while since I’ve published my list of things (diabetes related and otherwise) that I just don’t understand no matter how much I try.

These following things make me go Hmmmmmmm...

The insulin Dawn Phenomenon – Don’t get it, don’t understand it completely,don’t like experiencing it.

Why do people think that those of us with type 1 Diabetes have “the bad kind?"

Why are people so bat shit over someone named Justin Bieber ?

How come my blood sugars can be all sorts of perfecto and than go completely nutburgers for no reason what so ever?

For the life of me, I don't understand why my wonderful, smart, and beautiful 14-year-old cousin is obsessed with the Kardashians

Why is anyone obsessed with the Kardashians?

What’s with used test strip always ending up every place except the trash can?

I have no idea what I’d do for a Klondike Bar, but I do have a whole list of things I wouldn’t do for a Klondike Bar:

1. I wouldn’t sell my soul to the devil
2. Commit any type of illegal acts- let your imagination run the gambit here folks, the list of illegal acts is way to long to go into detail
3. Shave my head and get a map of the world tattoo on said shaved head
4. “Dance with the devil in the pale moon light”
5. Bungee jump off a bridge, building or cliff
6. Walk or crawl through broken glass
7. Swim in shark infested waters
8. Walk into a lions den
9. Fight a grizzly bear
10. Spend 24 hours in the desert sans food, water, sunscreen, and tent
11. Wrestle an alligator
12. Knowingly walk into a den of circus clowns
13. Watch any of the Hellraiser movies
14. Break bread with racists
15. Eat tripe or chickens feet
16. Sky Dive
17. Listen/watch Glen Beck
18. Listen/watch Rush Limbaugh
19. Follow Justin Bieber’s tweets
20. Listen to people perpetuate diabetes myths and stereotypes and not utter a single word.

Why the hell was this article about a little 11-year-old boy who's England's youngest Bee Keeper with “severe diabetes” even allowed to be published? It’s wrong on every diabetes and journalistic level possible! It’s perpetuating diabetes myths and stereotypes to the public and giving them the wrong diabetes info.

The person who wrote should either be fired for writing sensationalist tripe or write a retraction and redo the story with a positive diabetes spin and correct diabetes facts!

Why are food manufacturers downsizing the foods and raising the prices?

Why is Hollywood doing remakes of EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN? I just saw stills from the Mildred Pierce remake and rumor has it “My Fair Lady” is the next movie to get a makeover! Give us a break!

How come insurance companies only allow us to get new insulin pumps once every four years? Seriously, that’s ridiculous! It’s an intimate object that we wear 23 hours out of 24, 7 days a week. It gets bumped, banged, and bungee pumped (shoutout to http://bittersweet-karen.blogspot.com/ for Bungee Pumping ref) daily. If we put the wear and tare on a car, it would implode into a million pieces of scrap metal in 1 year’s time. Time to rethink your insulin pump limits insurance folks!

Diabetes Supply √Checklist - Just To Walk Out The Door In The Morning~

Hannah from Dorkabetic tweeted something today that really got thinking:

@dorkabetic Murphy's Law of Diabetes:The day you forget 2bring extra pump supplies 2work,something will cause you 2have pump issues. UGH.

She's right! Every single time I walkout the door I have a multitude of things I must bring with me. Like Hannah (and like all of us,) I've been in the situation where I've needed Diabetes/pump supplies at the most inopportune of times and have been without.

So because of Hannah's tweet, I started typing a Checklist of sorts.

On a typical workday the following items leave the house with me.

Extra Pump Supplies √

Tester & Test Strips √

Insulin - just because you never know when you might need it. √ FYI - I don't always carry insulin with me just to walk out the door for the day.

Extra Test Strips/lancets just in case √

Lara Bars √

Apple √

Two 24 ounce Water Bottles, because girlfriend needs to hydrate! √

Spare pump battery √

Lunch and or lunch money √

Penny to unscrew lid on pump in order to change said "spare battery √

Emergency $$ just in case I really get hungry and need more food/batteries/shiny things √

Movie size box of SweeTarts in side pocket of driver side door for behind the wheel lows √

Extra infusion sets in consul of car - just in case √

Cell Phone √

Work Bag √

Work documentation in said work bag √

Reading glasses/regular glasses, extra contacts & contact case w/saline. Why? Because since the whole 1 in a million thing happened, I need to be able to switch up my vision options @ will. Sometimes my eyes get tired and I need to switch from my contacts to my glasses. √

Sunglasses √

Sunscreen √

Favorite Lipstick (s) √

Whether I like it or not, I'm a high maintenance kind of gal. Yes, a big part of the reason is diabetes related, and the other "BIG" reasons are Kelly/ "k2" related.

What's on your checklist? Have you ever been in a situation where you needed backup diabetes accoutrement /supplies and been without?

Day 6: A Short Test Strip Pictorial ~

Day 6 of Diabetes Blog Week is all about pictures (as in pictures having to do with diabetes) and was inspired by the Diabetes 365 project.

So with out further adieu, May I present: A Test Strip Pictorial ~

Heads up: Any green lettering in the post below are links that lead to the original posts that the pictures are from and or inspired by.

Testing our blood sugar is our GPS System. It let's us know where our body is, what direction it's headed, and what direction it needs to go in.

TESTING is something we do OVER, and OVER, and OVER, and OVER, and OVER, and OVER, and OVER again.

We use a hell of a lot of test strips in the process.

And sometimes we lance ourselves in the oddest of places and aren't even aware!

Click HERE to find out how this happened.

Testing can cause all sorts of scatterbrained confusion, and could no doubt confuse even the most seasoned of CSI.

Test strips magically appear everywhere. Sometimes it even snows test strips.

And every once in a while, like when my tester case exploded in my handbag, they show up in the most unexpected of places and at the most inopportune of times. Like when I was about to attend a dMeet-up and wanted to make sure my breath was all types of minty fresh~

Even with all he trials and tribulations, we keep testing.

Because we must.