When Pump Tubing Gets Fresh

I SWEAR, sometimes my pump tubing has a mind of its own & can be quite the cheeky little bastard!!

Things That Make Me Go...Hmmmmm?

There are lots of things in life that make me go “Hmmmm.” Some are Diabetes related, some are not.

I have a Mac Laptop, which I love, love, and love! When I get deep into writing (or watching “The Office” episodes downloaded from iTunes) I tend to scrunch my legs and rest the laptop against my knees & over my waist. My laptop battery gets hot, I mean like I could fry eggs on the bottom of it if I had to type hot. Sometimes it rests on my pump tubing and or pump. When I realize what’s going on I move my pump and tubing ASAP. But I still wonder, “Is it to late? Have I just fried the insulin in my pump?” Then I end up testing like crazy for an hour. The answer has yet to be “yes” but still,...you never know!

When I eat sliced celery, carrots, and sweet peppers, should I bolus for them? I don’t normally, unless I’m dipping them in hummus, but should I?

Do I really need to shift into forth if I’m only going 26 miles an hour?

Why do some people "syrup" and some people say "seer-up?"

Why is the guy on the Oxi-Clean commercial YELLING?

Why does Mucinex use talking chunks of phlegm to sell their product? SO DISGUSTING!

Sometimes when I wake up (especially when I use 43 inch pump tubing) I can’t find my pump. IS that normal or do I just require GPS tracking 24X7 for it? I really think GPS tracking, or “The Clapper” for my pump would be a good thing. Not to turn it on or off, but to set off an alarm to tell me where it actually is when it's not on my person. YES, I’ve missed placed my pump in the past.

Why do doorknobs have it out for my pump tubing?

Why is Paris Hilton famous? And why does she have a perfume? Who the hell wants to stank like that, or anyone else for that matter? Please see below post for a more "Diabetes"specific scent example -Say that three times fast!

Why do most on-line and print Editors fail to differentiate between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?? Same for On-air Reporters, freaking drives me NUTS!

Why does Airport Security know what my insulin pump is, but continually pull me aside because of my blood sugar machine?? Do not the two go hand in hand?

Why does the OLDIES station play 80's and 90's music??? They do not fall into the old music category! THEY DON'T BELONG THERE I TELL YOU!!!

How come I’ve cracked the “pump bolus code” for ice cream but the “pump bolus code” for pasta still continues to elude me?

And why does that bother me so much? I mean, I’ve figured out "Blood Sugar Nirvana" for ice cream so who cares about pasta!

I Wonder If It Actually Smells Like Diabetes???

SO Halle Barry has entered the lucrative celebrity scent arena. INTERESTING.

I wander if it actually smells like Diabetes & if so, Type 1 or Type 2?
Maybe the fragrance starts out smelling like T1, but after a few hours it "weens" itself from a Ode d'scent De 'T1 to a Eau De'T2 consideration.
THOUGHTS?

WholeFoods D Meet-Up & The Diabetes Bunch-A'la Tokbox!

LeeAnn & yours truly. Hardcore D Chicklets!

Photo courtesy LeeAnn Thill

Wednesday was quite the Diabetes Bunch Day.

I knew I had work appts late in the afternoon on Wednesday, so I’d Twittered LeeAnn over at The Butter Compartment on Tuesday to see if she wanted to meet me at the Center City Whole Foods for lunch the next day.

My world has been so crazy the past few months and my head was spinning! I always feel better after a D meet up & LeeAnn is one cool Chicklet! She Tweeted back and said she was up for it.

I arrived a little early with a low blood sugar 60, ran in and quickly grabbed a cranberry juice, paid for it, gulped it, & met LeeAnn at the front door.

ME: “I was afraid I’d miss you, I had to run in and get juice – I needed it.”
LEEANN: “Oh no, I just got here.” Then she looked at me and said, “OH, OK.”

Then we just talked about Whole Foods being like this super wonderland of deliciousness, and there was no need to talk about the low, or why I needed juice & felt a bit anxious.

We walk around marveling at all the prepared foods. I settled for a big colorful salad with Qunoi and 3 oatmeal cookies. I was lacking in the veggie department as of late, and WholeFoods was just the place for me to catch-up!

LeeAnn had quite the hotplate of yumminess and we sat down to chat about life, diabetes, growing up with D. We talked about how difficult it must be for parents of D kids. We discussed our pumps, and different pump options we loved, and CGMS technology. We shared with one another the jobs we loved and the jobs we didn’t, and what we wanted for our futures.

What’s really wonderful about Dmeets (big or small) is the unspoken understanding between those attending. No explanations or excuses on testing one’s blood sugars, no “Diabetes Police” questions about the food on our plates. It’s amazing to be able to sit down with someone and not get the “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?” look when you take your meter and lancet.

Diabetes & all the goes with it was part of our conversation, but more importantly, it was an accepted part of what we have to do day to day to just be. Am I making any sense?

I was sad when lunch ended. LeeAnn ROCKS! We both pulled out our cameras and took pics. Unfortunately, my battery crapped out and while the pics are on my card, they won’t download. DAMN TECHNOLOGY!

Lucky for me, LeeAnn sent me over the above pic to post. I can't wait to meet up with her again!

Later that night I was on Twitter and got the message from Sara, that George, & Scott were talking on something called Tokbox. It had been a long day, I was in my PJ’s, my hair was a mess, and I was sans lipstick. Did I really want to chat with my Diabetes buds in real time looking like this? The answer was YES, btw.

Then I got the Twit the Jamie and Charise were chatting as well. I thought I’d just popover and check it out, after all, I didn’t have to actually half to join in, I could just lurk.

But the minute I saw the checkerboard screen a’la the Brady Bunch, with everyone laughing and smiling, and heard their echo-e voices (they sounded like they were underwater-there's some sound quality issues if you don't wear headphones,) and I wanted in!

Cautiously I clicked on the guest sign-in and as my screen image began to take focus, I heard Scottie J say, “OMG its k2.” Then Ninjabetic chimed in,“OMG, it’s Kelly Kunik, this is great!”

Sara said, “k2, turn up your volume, we can’t hear you and say something funny!”
So, I did (turn up the volume that is) and said “Hello everyone!”

IT WAS AMAZING.

The whole group consisted of Sara, Scott, George, Rachel, Windy, Ninnifur, Major Bedhead, Cherise,Jaimie, Amy,(who I think I missed because I'd already logged off) tmana, Landileigh, Tim, Mike, and myself.

Big shout out to G-Ninja for the complete list!

The laughing was out of control and it was sometimes hard to figure out who was actually saying what. BUT:
At one point I said something like, “Hey, were the Diabetes Bunch!”
Charise’s daughter sang her diabetes song.
Sara took video and may or may not have flashed us – For the record, I saw nothing!
Tim wore a silly hat complete with hypodermic needle.
At one point both Sara and Landileigh started to sing the Olsen Twin’s hit “Brother For Sale.”

George grabbed a wig and Scottie J drank his bottle of soda from a paper bag a la 40 ounces for all his Homies in cellblock Diabetes!

I flashed my meter on the screen (with a high of 234 thank you very much) and actually received applause for my number. As a group, our numbers were a bit elevated that evening, and all were cool~

Midway through the conversation I did the universal shoulder tap (my image was next to George at one point) on Ninjabetic’s shoulder, and that started a whole reaction of pokes and prods. At one point I was actually tapping Scott’s skull!

It was just so wonderful to hear my D buddies voices in real time, echo-e or not!
My camera battery was still dead, so I grabbed my phone and took pic.

Not the best quality, but a great shot just the same
Tokbox is pretty cool site, I loved the real time chatting and hearing everyone’s laughter.
Next time, I will be wearing headphones to reduce the echo. I’ll also be wearing lipstick!

All in all, it was a pretty damn fine Diabetesalicious Day! Say that three times fast!!

New Post is Up On The D. O.C. - It's All About Freckles - The One's On Your Fingertips!

New Post is up on the DOC.
It's all about freckles - the ones on your finger tips! You know, the one's you weren't born with! To check it out, click HERE!

Could You Imagine The Dblogville Version?!

Found this video on You Tube & thought, "WOW, this is GREAT! We totally need to have a Dblogville Meetup & do this!" Could you imagine the Dblogville version?! FOLKS, HOLD ON TO YOUR INSULIN PUMPS!
Today's a work travel day but I plan on having a new post post tomorrow. Until then,
hope this vid makes you smile! Enjoy~

Charlotte JDRF's Walk To Cure Diabetes Last Minute $$ Request

Hey folks, HAPPY FRIDAY!

My cousin Ginny Kunik and her awesome daughter Margaret (and my little cuz) are "walking the walk" tomorrow in Charlotte, NC by participating in the Charlotte JDRF's Walk to Cure Diabetes.

They have a goal of raising $200 and are currently at $135 (they lost their Mother-in-law/Grandmother-my Aunt last week, so all fundraising had to be put on hold until after the funeral,) which is totally understandable.

Yesterday they drove from Philadelphia to Charlotte and arrived home late last night - the quest for last minute donations has begun!

If you can to donate a few bucks (because no amount is too small) that would be great !

It's the 3rd year they've participated and are walking for Margaret's good friend Caroline, who is a T1, & for me - which is REALLY COOL! I'm SO proud of them!

If you'd like to donate, click HERE!

If not, please pass the info to someone who might!

Stop on over to the D-O-C & Thanks For Your Kind Words Yesterday!

Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that I'm "Featured Blogger' over at the Diabetes OC this week. Gina's in Spain and I want to make her proud, so "La escala y me dejó sabe lo que usted piensa!" Rough translation: "Stop over and let me know what you think!"

You may, or may not think, "I'm full of it!"

I also wanted to thank all of my DOC friends for checking in on me yesterday.
My Aunt Betty's funeral was very sad and it was an emotional day for our whole family. Your kind words, emails, & tweets meant the world to me!
If you have the chance, try connecting with your Uncles & Aunts. We don't realize it always, but they are a huge part of our lives, and when they leave this earth, your world really does change forever.

For those of you on the East coast - go out and soak up the sun! After 3 days of rain, we all could use some extra vitamin D - but please Diabetesalicious compadres, wear your sunscreen!

When Earth's Last Picture Is Painted

"When Earth's last Picture Is Painted," is one of my absolute favorite poems. I discovered it in college when I was reading an article in "Smithsonian Magazine" about Kipling while sitting in the Dentist’s office. It was so beautiful it made me cry. A few years later I was asked to read the poem as part of a shared eulogy at my friends father’s funeral. Turns out, it had been one of his favorites as well.

I lost a loved one this week, the funeral’s today and thought this would be a nice way to honor her.

R.I.P Aunt Betty, give Tommy, Lexie, Debbie, & Daddy each a big hug & kiss from me.

This amazing photo is courtesy of the Hubble Telescope. It's a cloud nebula and not only reminds me of this poem, but a Maxfield Parrish painting come to life and what heaven must look like, all rolled into one.

WHEN EARTH’S LAST PICTURE IS PAINTED
By Rudyard Kipling 1892

When Earth's last picture is painted

And the tubes are twisted and dried When the oldest colors have faded
And the youngest critic has died
We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it
Lie down for an eon or two

'Till the Master of all good workmen
Shall put us to work anew
And those that were good shall be happy
They'll sit in a golden chair
They'll splash at a ten-league canvas
With brushes of comet's hair
They'll find real saints to draw from
Magdalene, Peter, and Paul
They'll work for an age at a sitting And never be tired at all.

And only the Master shall praise us.
And only the Master shall blame. And no one will work for the money.
No one will work for the fame.

But each for the joy of the working,
And each, in his separate star,
Will draw the thing as he sees it.

For the God of things as they are!

Of Gorgeous Buggles and Broken Bellies

Gorgeous "buggles" curtesy of eipcscreensavers

A few months ago, my friend’s three-year old daughter wanted to know why I wore my insulin pump. I told her that “my belly was broken and the insulin pump gave me medicine that my belly needed to turn all the stuff in food into energy.” I kept it simple and she seemed to understand. She asked about the infusion set and the tubing and told me that she was happy to hear I had medicine for my belly.

Now, whenever I see her, she keeps a lookout for my boo-boo, and makes sure I'm OK.

A few days ago I went over there, and Cutie Pie (not her real name) and I had the following conversation.

Cutie Pie: Kel, you still got the boo-boo on your belly?

Me: Yep, right here.

Cutie Pie: So your belly's still broken? Awwww, does it hurt??

Me: Sometimes, but for the most part no. I’m just really happy it gives me the medicine I need.

Cutie Pie: Is your boo-boo starting to itch?...When it itches it means it’s getting better.”

Me: REALLY? No, it’s not itching yet.

Cutie Pie: Well, let me and Mommy know when it is, OK?

Me: OK, I will.

Cutie Pie: AND DON'T SCRATCH IT..it'll get infected. It’ll be OK Kel. Want to blow some buggles? Buggles will make your belly feel better.

Me: Would love to blow some buggles, thanks.

Cutie Pie: I’ll blow them, you pop them.

Me: OK, sounds like a plan.

Cutie Pie blew a bunch of bubbles, looked up at me and said: Aren’t the buggles gorgeous? Gorgeous buggles on a gorgeous day.

Me: They’re gorgeous and you’re more gorgeous!

Cutie Pie: Your so gorgeous! Love you Kel, lets blow more buggles.

Me: OK, I love you too.

So we blew more buggles...and the gorgeous day continued.

I Love The Dollar Tree, But This Is Ridiculous!!

SO, I was at the DollarTree buying gift bags & tissue paper for various friends (and my friends kids) birthday gifts. I have at least 10 birthdays in the next two months and I think gift bags are pretty (not to mention convenient) so I figured I'd stock up.
Hey, I love a good Dollar Store, and This Dollar Tree was the Size of a Target and had pretty much anything one could dream of for under a buck. We're in a recession after all and I'm all for a good deal.


I kept it simple, sticking to bright solid colors and pretty sparkly tissue paper, something for everyone so to speak.


Anyway, I took my array of brightly colored gift bags and sparkly tissue paper to the register and waited semi patiently in line. After placing my purchases on the counter,
I looked up and saw.......
..........

THIS:

Pregnancy tests at the Dollar Tree...REALLY??

Four packs of Big Red or Juicy Fruit for a dollar - YES, a complete bargain.

Glue?? Maybe if I'm in a pinch for glue, which never happens, so maybe not.
Lighters might be suspect so I don't really see myself lighting my charcoal briquettes with those.

BUT PREGNANCY TESTS? Come on People. I don't even need to explain!
BUT...It did make me laugh out loud and thought you might to so I took a pic!