Kudos & Big Props

Kudos and big props to my diabetes, because it played nice and worked well with others yesterday.

As you know, yesterday was the day I had two molars removed. I was scared, nervous, and I kept having the same thought repeating over and over again in my mind: Will diabetes work with me today, or against me?

The Diabetes "force" was with me, in every sense of the term. I woke up yesterday morning with a bg of 132. I had my breakfast, worked all morning and arrived at the Dentist at 11:30 a.m. and was home by 1, sans two molars and the amazing & freakish ability to speak like Don Corleone without even trying.

my blood sugars didn't go above 128, and that's including 2 Vanilla Haagen Dazs & soy milk shakes I had for my lunch and dinner, per Dr's orders of course! ;)

It wasn't all unicorns and fairy dust. I did wake up low twice in the middle of the night at 12:30 a.m. & 4:50 a.m. - but still managed a 7 a.m breakfast reading of 128.

I'm popping my penicillin, drinking my yogurt, and testing my blood sugars like a mad woman.
I'm at work right now, and my blood sugar as of 20 minutes ago was 131.

As much as Diabetes has the potential to throw a "monkey wrench" in our day to day plans, when diabetes agrees to work with us during life's challenges, I'll be the first one to publicly acknowledge and say "thanks" to the Big D for playing nice.

And speaking of thanks,THANK YOU guys from the bottom of this big old fraidy cat's imperfect pancreas for all of your comments, tweets, fb, and emails of support!

A Virtual Ice Cream Request

Today’s the day I get 2 molars extracted. I’ve bitched about said molars for months and a few weeks ago on Twitter I took an informal pole amongst tweets asking if I should get them both extracted at the same time. The answer was a resounding YES that resonated across the Twitterverse from others who’d had similar experiences.

Am I whistling Dixie about having 2 back molars extracted? No indeed I'm not.

Do these two molars need to be removed? Yes indeed they do.

Sidebar: Only I could crack a molar that’s been living under a cap for years and years~

Anyway, I’m a bundle of nerves, but I’m trying to be brave and look at the bright side.

What’s the bright side you ask?

1.These two teeth will no longer be a pain, both literally and figuratively

2. I’ll get to indulge in ice cream and smoothies

3. The gold cap that covers the above mentioned cracked tooth is solid gold and I’ll sell it for more than what I paid for it all those years ago. Yours truly has a small mouth (how ironic is it to type that, let alone read it?) and the dentist couldn’t encapsulate the gold cap in porcelain or it wouldn’t have fit in my mouth, so I got that going for me~

Tomorrow I will be back to blogging about diabetes related issues, but today, it's all about my extraction fear.

Anyway, with me being such a fraidy cat, I’d really appreciate any positive vibes and virtual ice cream you could send my way!

Vitamins/"Vitameatavegamin" WHATEVER- I Gotta Work On This~

I could always go this route!

image courtesy of Timeless-TV.com

Vitamins- I need to take more and I need to take them consistently.

I’ll admit it, I'm not so good when it comes to taking vitamins. I take pills every day to keep my “Diabetes Heart” & kidneys in check, not to mention two baby aspirins for reasons that are “1 in a million,” and then some.

I do pop three tropical fruit flavored Tums Smoothies as a calcium supplement every day - and I really like how they taste. But beyond my required pill RX’s, I never seem to keep the vitamin regimen going.

I start out all gung ho with the selenium, B Complex, vitamin E, folic acid, and a multi vitamin. And then after a week or two, I start to forget, and then I give up…for the most part.

In the summer I drink my daily vitamin dose in the form of breakfast soy smoothies that I drink almost every day. The vanilla soy powder is loaded with vitamins and minerals. But again- I'm not consistent. I drink these smoothies May through September, and then the cold weather sets in and the soy smoothies lose their appeal.

Recently, a friend gave me some Krill Oil pills, which according to various websites, are supposed to help with joint and muscle pain (which I have) and contains omega-3 fats eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and something called canthaxanthin. All are considered mucho antioxidants! And apparently, krill oil pills absorbs into the skin much quicker than your typical omega 3 fish oils.

I was very excited to jump on the Krill Train Express, until I read that if you’re on an aspirin regiment, (which I am,) you need to check with your Dr. first, which I will..

Still, I was bummed out that aspirin (which I can’t stop) might potentially cancel out krill - a supplement I was actually excited to start

Anyway, do you take vitamins and if so, which ones and why?

And how in the name of the islet of langerhands do you keep taking them on a daily basis with out getting bored & giving up?

What's The Point of This Post? I Don't Remember -Damn Lows!

So I eat Greek yogurt just about every morning (5 days out of 7) for breakfast, and about 4 days out of 7 for lunch. It's quick, it's easy, it tastes pretty fabulous, is 0% fat and it's super easy to bolus for.

This morning I had my coffee and Blueberry Greek yogurt, followed by a strawberry Greek yogurt and fuji apple for lunch. Then I decided to run out and do a few quick errands before I went back to do the ever so dreaded paperwork my job requires.

Any who, as I was about to walk into the CVS I began to feel low, like really low. Like can't feel my lips because their so freaking numb & I'm afraid to speak low.
I made a beeline for a place those of us in the Tri-State area know as Wa-Wa. A convenience store whose coffee is the stuff that legends are made of and whose sandwiches are pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself.

I needed to eat and was annoyed because I'd just ate 25 minutes earlier. Did I mention that the OCD part of my brain that's been obsessed with reading labels was like - NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!

So in my low blood sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup Police haze, I went to the freezer section of Wa-Wa, grabbed a Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream bar that was coated in milk chocolate, jam packed with 21 grams of carbohydrates and 22 grams of fat (which of course totally negated the two no fat yogurts) and ingredients that were all recognizable, mostly one syllable and all easy to pronounce, and proceeded to pay $2 and some change to treat my low.
Did I mention it had no HFCS?

Current BG an hour later is 120 and I'm still feeling shaky.
What's the point of this post? I don't really remember. DAMN LOWS!
But thanks for listening anyway!!

Diabetesalicious Lite: 4/23/10 - Embrace Your Inner ABBA

Today, embrace your inner ABBA & "take a chance!"

Yesterdays Lurkers post really rocked my world. I feel connected to a whole new group of old friends who I now know by name & dstory. It was like Christmas, Hanukkah & my birthday all rolled into one! Old friends and new, thank you so much for sharing!

Today is National Take a Chance Day, I'm serious. So embrace your inner ABBA and do something that you've always wanted to do. It can be diabetes related (attempting to log your numbers) or not (attempting a Zumba class or wearing chartreuse) and go for it! At least play ABBA's Take a Chance On Me!"

On the culinary front, A Sweet Life has a fantastic Bacon wrapped Shitaki Mushroom recipe that I'm dying to try. Check it out HERE.

Speaking of Bacon, George over at Ninjabetic has a great post on being pressured by other PWDs that you need to read. Click HERE.

Have a great weekend !

Shout Out to The Lurkers~

Dear Lurkers:

I just wanted to take a moments and say "Hey" and thanks for stopping over.

I know your time is valuable and I appreciate the fact that you read what I write.

My sitecounter tells me that you hale from exotic locals such as Malmo Sweden, Perth Australia, Boone North Carolina, Glendale California and a million places in between.

I wish I knew all your names and stories. I think about what you look like and what you think and wonder what your diabetes connection is.

Whoever you are and where ever you come from, I appreciate you very much.

If you ever want to take a moment to introduce yourself. I'm all for it.

But if you want to remain anonymous, I respect and accept your right to do so.

I feel your presence, I understand your need for privacy, and I'm so happy your here!

Thank-you for your friendship and for taking a moment out of your hectic day to stop by Diabetesaliciousness - it means the world too me!

Much love,many thanks, and lots of laughter!

Kelly Kunik

Diabetes: WWMD?

“MADONNA. Simply saying the word aloud makes me feel powerful, even in voice over! How I have worshiped her ever since I was a little girl! Sorry Angie Joie, Catherine the Great — Madonna is the most powerful woman ever to walk the Earth.” — Sue Sylvester

“Culturally, Madonna’s legacy transcends her music because by and large the subtext of her songs are about being strong, independent and confident no matter what your sex. But more than anything, Madonna’s musical message is about equality and that is something you guys need to work on.” — Will Schuester

As most of you are aware, I’m a GLEEK and I’m more than loud and proud about it.

As I stated in last weeks post, I’m also a huge Madonna fan and have been for years. I’ve always found an empowering message in her music and her attitude - and let’s be honest kids, she’s got some kicking dance tracks!

Last nights episode of GLEE was all about MODONNA and her message of Empowerment to women of any age. I could relate to that on many levels.

Sue Slyvester, (played to perfection by the remarkable Jane Lynch) the show’s villain and Cheerleading coach, a maniacal MADONNA fan who turns her MADONNA obsession into a theme and war cry. Wil Shuster carries that theme over to the Glee Clubs female members and encourages them to “express themselves” through MADONNA’s extensive music catalogue.

Sue makes her “Cheerio’s where Bracelets “WWMD” emblazoned on them.

“WWMD – What would Madonna do? The answer to that question is usually date a younger man …” — Sue Sylvester

I’m not going to do an episode play-by-play, but I do encourage you to WATCH it on Fox or HULU. Hell, you can go a step further and download it on iTunes, which is what I plan to do~

What I have decided to do is give the shows WWMD reference a diabetes spin.

What Would Madonna Do Regarding Life With diabetes?

I’ll tell you what Madge would do my friends. She’d kick diabetes ass and take no prisoners in the process.

Madonna would learn all she could regarding diabetes and own her life with diabetes outright.

Madonna would educate herself on the disease of diabetes and then she’d educate the public in the process.

Madonna would empower and “Express herself” on every level regarding life with diabetes and I guarantee that John and Jane Q. Pubic would no longer think diabetes could be cured by eating a sugar free diet, and the public would FINALLY learn the difference between the various types of diabetes.

The question would no longer be (WWMDRLWD ) "What Would Madonna Do regarding Life Diabetes?" It would be, (WWMDRLWD) "What Wouldn’t Madonna Do Regarding Life With Diabetes?" Let's face folks, she'd do EVERYTHING and then some!

So go ahead, “express” and educate yourself regarding YOUR life with diabetes and become empowered in the process!

This gift will not only benefit you in the long run- but absolutely everyone you come in contact with!

I Need To Start Logging- And Not In The Lumberjack Sense of The Phrase~

This is my Grandpop Maitland - I know, quite the dashing young man!

Maitland was a Logger Extraordinaire in Canada.

Seriously, he was such a great Logger that he ended up owning not only the lumber Mill, But an actual Lumber Company.

Me? Not so much. I lack the mad "logging skills" that he possessed.

But that's about to change!

I had a meeting with me, myself and I last night, and we all came to the conclusion that I need to start logging my numbers. Meaning I need to physically write and record my numbers instead of just hoping that the memory and settings in my glucometer will do the trick. NEWSFLASH: It doesn’t.

I also need to start writing down what I eat so I can be more aware of eating habits, both positive and negative.

Why the sudden interest in getting all OCD with the logging?

The reasons are simple.

1. I test like crazy, somewhere between 10 and15 times a day, and that’s pretty fantastical on my part. The actual testing itself is not the problem, but keeping records of said testing is. I want to be able to look at my Dr. in the eye when he asks about logging and hand some records.
2. I’d like to lose a few lbs. My weight been holding study all winter, and I’m glad for that. I haven't gained any weight, but I haven't lost any either. Those last few lbs I’ve been want to lose are sticking to me like white on rice.

Tweaking my basal rates has certainly helped with the lows, so I got that going for me. But keeping a journal of both my numbers and what I eat will help me attain the goal of losing 5 to 7 pounds.

3. My next meeting with Gary will be remote. It will still be face to face so to speak, but this time it will be over our computer monitors instead of at his office. So the more info I can email him before our actual online face to face the better.

4. Bottom Line: I need to log in order to continue owning my diabetes.

I know "logging is in my blood," both literally and figuratively, but I was wondering if you guys have an advice in the logging area?

Do write your numbers in a book or use a soft program? What works for you?

Diabetes Memory # 379: First Night Home

Cathy & I - Christmas 1978

She bought me the GREASE calendar & Soundtrack - And I was too cool for school~

Circa Late November 1977, the first night I returned home from the hospital after my diagnoses.

My favorite sister Cathy (9.5 years my senior, holder of my heart, my only sister sans diabetes, and my roommate until she went off to college and broke my heart) and I were sitting on our bed in the room that we shared.

She was writing in her diary (whom she referred to as Anne) and I was snuggled up close to her. Side note: A few years later I start writing my own diary, and named it Cathy- in her honor.

One of the things I'd missed most while I was in the hospital was my big sister Cathy. She was and has always been my protector; the person I looked and look up to, my cheerleader, and my best friend. She was the sibling that never yelled at me or made me cry. she'd take me along wherever she was going, and protected me from the crazy eruptions that happened in the Kunik household.

We shared a room, we shared a bed, and we shared memories, both good and bad.

Our nightly ritual was simple. She'd write in her diary while I read a book. I was a night owl and she went to bed early on school nights, so even though she was in High School and I was in 3rd grade, we were somewhat in sync. And even when she had other plans (which was a lot come to think of it,) she'd still sit with me before I went to sleep. When she was finally done writing, she'd read me what she wrote; tuck me in, and I'd go to sleep.

Looking back, I'm sure she edited her diary entries, I mean of course she did!

But to my 8 year old self, it was if she was sharing all her secrets only with me. It made me feel special, it made me feel important, and it made me feel loved.

My first day back home from the hospital is mostly a blur. I know it was a cold, gray November day, and I know my next door neighbors Grace and Willie dropped off gifts including an argyle sweater with a crazy color combo of maroon, cream, and electric blue all mashed together. The very same sweater I would eventually where when my big sister Cathy finally took me and my friends to see Star Wars a few months later. And stop rolling your eyes re: the sweater. It was the 1970's and it was considered quite styling.

The other gift was a heartshaped necklace with multi colored faux gemstones. That's about all I remember from that day long ago - until it was time for bed.

I got in my PJ's, grabbed a book (most likely Encyclopedia Brown, Romona, or Little House on the Prairie) and we snuggled up tight. I put my book down and didn't bother to read. I'd missed her so much while I'd been away and I just wanted be.

She wrote while I waited - finally she put her diary down and looked at me.

Cathy: Want to hear what I wrote pretty girl?
Me: Yep.
Cathy: Do you want to hear what I wrote the night you were diagnosed first?
Me: Yep.
Cathy: Dear Anne, I can't believe it, my baby Kelly was diagnosed with diabetes today & all of us are devastated! I cried when I found out- so did everyone else.
Me: You...cried?
Cathy: Yep.
Me: I'm so sorry I made you cry Cathy.
Cathy: I'm so sorry you have diabetes Kelly - I wish it had been me.
Me: I'm glad it wasn't.

I don't remember the rest of the conversation or the diary entry from that day long ago.

I just remember us hugging tight for a very long time and I don't really remember who let go first.

Left Hand Needs To Let The Right Hand Pick Up Some Of The Slack – At Least Where Diabetes Is Concerned.

I’m left handed- always have been, but since I grew up in a right-handed world, I’m ambidextrous out of both necessity and force.

While I write with my left hand (and bat and catch,even though I haven’t actually done those things since like, the 5^th grade) my right hand picks up the slack in other areas.

Like scissors. When I use scissors I use them in my right hand- thanks to the fact that in nursery and grade school the teachers only had 2 green rubber coated left-handed scissors in for each classroom. I was impatient and didn’t want to wait my turn, so I learn to use the right handed ones and never looked back.

I poor coffee and use a spatula in my right hand, simply because the coffee maker, the graphics on a coffee mug, and the slant on said spatula were designed for those whose dominant hand is right. Go ahead, check your spatula and favorite coffee mug- you’ll see I’m right.

Mastery of cheese graters (the old fashioned kind with the crank) eludes me to this day – and my attempts at mastering the fancy cheese grater cause much laughter during big family diners.

Doorknobs and door latches are almost always on the right side of the door.

Don’t even get me started on my car. Everything including but not limited to the; ignition, gear shifts, radio & air conditioning, plus almost all other controls are on the right side.

I think that I’ve proved my point that the world is designed for right-handed folk.

Ironically, when it comes to fingerstick testing, I prefer testing the fingers on my LEFT hand instead of my right- weird, right?

Anyway, after years and years of testing on my left hand, all 5 fingers are riddled with calluses and drawing blood (even with popping two baby aspirin a day) isn’t quite as easy as it once was.

I’ve now made a conscious effort to test on my right hand. The lancet feels strange and maneuvering that ever so tiny drop of blood on a test strip with a right-handed slant is awkward to say the least.

I’m curious- are there other lefthanders (or right-handers) out there who’ve experienced a similar phenomena regarding fingerstick testing?

Do you have a favorite hand to test on?

If you do, is it your dominant hand?

Is Kelly ”k2” Kunik on to something, or is she just plain weird?

VOGUE + GLEE - With A Twist of D

So I'm a GLEEK- a total a GLEEK, from the very first episode. I couldn't wait for last nights episode and wasn't disappointed- IT WAS GREAT!

I did a lot of theater in H.S and after college and sang in the chorus all through grade and middle school. I was (and still am) considered a geek so I relate completely to the whole outsider aspect.

Believe it or not, yours truly encountered many a mean girl in high school - not so much because of my diabetes, but because of my theatrical talent and the fact that I wasn't very comfortable in my own skin. I was intimidated and shy (yes, I really was,) and I kept a lot in. My sister was sick, my home life was crazy, and theater was my outlet. I wanted to be anyone else but me and being on stage allowed that to happen.

I had some good friends, but it wasn't till my senior year when the Kelly you know now, the one who sticks up for herself and anyone else that needs sticking up for, came to be. I told those mean girls exactly what I thought of them, and where they could stick their attitude.

I'm also a COLOSSAL MADONNA fan - like HUGE. I've seen her in concert twice and she was amazing both times. Madonna's music and attitude gave, (and still gives) me confidence whenever I started to feel self doubt.

With all her many incarnations and changes, still remains who she is and I like and respect that about her.

The Above brilliant video was a preview for next weeks TOTAL MADONNA episode on GLEE.

Jane Lynch's Sue Slyvester doing Madonna's VOGUE video = FANTASTICAL BRILLIANCE and I can't wait for next weeks show!

What's this have to do with diabetes? Not much - I'm just incredibly excited.

But if I was to give it a Diabetes twist, the following questions come to mind.

1. When you go Vogue-ing (dancing) and "Let your body move too the music," do you take less insulin before your go out?

2. For those of you who wear a pump, what's the best way to keep your pump from flying out in the opposite direction while you "Strike a pose?"

3. And finally "Diazons with an attitude and Dia-fellows that are in the mood," how did you give "Good Face" when it comes to Diabetes ?

Another Attempt At putting An End To My Test Strip Trail......

Test Strips on Tin- A Study~

Taken with my iPhone~

Another attempt of putting an end to my never ending Test Strip Trail~

My first attempt resulted in a what I called "Test Strip Bottle Art," and what some others called crazy.

This attempt is more minimalist in nature.

So how do you keep your "Test Strip Trail" in check, or do you?

What's worked & hasn't worked for you in this area ?

Children With Diabetes Worry When You Worry

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.” Ambrose Redmoon

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it”

Keep your fears to yourself but share your courage with others. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

FYI: It's both "ironical" and telling that my friend Bennett (and parent D blogger over at YDMV) wrote about the same article and subject matter today- and much more articulate than my attempt. Checkout what he has to say HERE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was an article in my Google Alerts last night with the title: Children's Diabetes Control Poorer When Parents Worry," based on a Norwegian diabetes study. It hit home and I tweeted a link to it. As a grown up (though some would argue that fact) former child with diabetes, I agree. Stress- whether it's our own or others, can cause numbers to go crazy.

Children with diabetes hear the fear in their parents voice and see it in their parents eyes when their numbers head north or south. Knowing that our disease hurts our parents is something we carry with us into adulthood. Trust me on that- I know from which I speak.

As children we mimic our parents behaviors- both good and bad and carry those behaviors (and fears) into our adult life.

For years I felt the guilty for being diabetic child number 3, child number 6. I watched my parents reactions regarding high and low blood sugars, I saw how they stressed about our health and would hold their breath at Dr's appointments. I started to fib about my numbers in the 6th grade, because I was worried about my parents- not my numbers. I wanted to be the good and perfect and stress free child to my harried parents. Looking back, I think the worry absolutely affected my numbers.

I understand parents fears - even though I'm not a parent. Your children are your world and to see them suffer in anyway is heart wrenching. And your children (especially children with diabetes) are highly intuitive and not only want to please, but want to alleviate your suffering as well.
As a child, I had no idea what my parents went through, but as an adult who has the benefit of the DOC, I have a much better understanding and am incredibly grateful to my parents.
They past along some fears, but past on to me so many strengths.

As an adult with many strengths, I still have to talk myself down from the fear that a "challenging" number, or series of numbers for that matter. Because like parents of children with diabetes, people with diabetes worry too.

If you can find a way to get all "Robert Lewis Stevenson" (see above quote) on your fears- your children will follow your lead.

I havea few mantras regarding diabetes & blood sugars, and some contain a few four letter words including one that rhymes quite nicely with truck.

A couple that really help me and aren't terribly salty in nature:

One number at a time.
Just like shit (or poop for the kiddies), blood sugars happen.

And.....Diabetes happens.

The Basal Testing Chronicles - Part Deux~

Gary and the data - research in motion~

So I walked in Gary Scheiner's office at Integrated Diabetes Services and I was nervous.

Nervous because of what we’d find, and nervous about what we wouldn’t find due to the swan dive into the commode that I referred to in yesterdays post.

And I was nervous because I hadn’t done such a great job on the basal tests and fasting, and as far as me logging my numbers- Um, not so much.

We said our hellos and got down to business. Gary downloaded the info from the Dex into his laptop and all sorts of graphs popped up on the screen. More on them later

Gary asked me several questions including the make of my pump (MiniMed 512 -I know it’s old) my current basal settings (I had 3), carb ratio (15), insulin sensitivity 50%) and target blood sugar 97.

Gary: Why 97 Kel?

Me: Because I like The Old 97s.

Gary: Oh, OK - that makes perfect sense.

Me: Of course it does.

Then he asked me to hand over my meter (a lovely chartreuse One Touch Ultra Mini whose time & date settings I had somehow managed to overlook) so he could down upload the info to his computer.

And that’s where we ran into a problem, because my Ultra mini was first generation (circa 2008ish and didn’t have upload capabilities that the more current ones have. He immediately replaced it with an upgraded chartreuse One Touch Ultra Mini.

Then he attempted to upload the info in my 512 and ran into the exact same problem.

Gary: Do you have any written records?

Me: No, because I thought all the info was in my meter and your Dex.

Gary: OK, let’s pick your brain and then compare it to the data.

The data resembled maps, and as you’re all well aware, I’m no Magellan.

Gary on the other hand, navigated through the graphs and charts like a champ. He noticed a few issues with a portion of the chart and had to deal with my total lack of the written record, and the fact that I almost killed the Dex.

He picked my brain about meals, lows or highs that stood out, etc.

He printed the charts and put them on the table, along with a worksheet titled: CGM Result Analysis, and began to explain to me exactly what my deal was.

According to the CGM info and Gary’s mathematical skills, my average blood sugar was 166. My numbers were above target range 40% of the time, in target range 56 % of the time, and below range 4 %. These numbers would equal an A1C of around 7.2

I thought the low range number would be higher because I’d been having late afternoon lows and middle of the night lows as of late. But I was impressed with what he was telling me and I continued to listen.

Gary: Kelly, I’m noticing that your boluses seem to take 4 to 4.5 hours to complete working whereas many people see their bolus activity finish in 3-4 hours. Nothing to be concerned about, you just need to be patient and allow your bolus time to do its thing. And it's best to continue giving your boluses before eating to prevent the post-meal spikes.

Me: Patience when it comes to lowering high blood sugars? OH MAN! So does this indicate that something else is going on? Is this a diabetes complication?

Gary: No, that’s just how and who you are. Don’t worry about it.

Me: So it’s not a complication?

Gary; No Kelly,its just you- I swear.

Me: OK then. Gary, let’s talk about food. I’m barely hungry at all during the day- I actually have to remind myself to eat. But I’m starving at dinner and snack most of the night.

Gary: You mean you graze bolus.

Me: Well if you put it that way, yes indeed I do.

Gary: Do you eat a snack before bed?

Me: Well…. I kind of have a problem with peanut butter and jam on a spoon. I kinda have a problem with lots of things in that particular genre~

Gary: How about committing to a snack every night at 10 with a predetermined amount of carbs- consistency is key.

Me: OK.

Gary: You can eat whatever you want- can you live with a snack totaling 25 grams of carbs?

Me: YEAH.

Gary: Now we need tweak your basal, carb and insulin sensitivity settings.

Let’s take your insulin sensitivity from 50 to 45 and change your target blood sugar from 97 to 110- can you live with that?

Me: Yes indeed I can live with that.

Gary: As far as Carb Ratios go, let’s put your carb ratio at 14 at midnight and at 11 a.m. let’s switch it down to 12.

Me: OK- so know I have 2?

Gary: YES. And as far as your basals go; At midnight let’s keep your basal set at 0.95. At 6a.m. let’s take it to 1.30 and at 1p.m. let’s bring it down to 1.00 and then let’s take it down to 0.80 at 3p.m. to prevent those late afternoon drops. At 6p/m let’s bring it back up around 0.95.

ME: OK, WOW. And in my head I was thinking “Wile E. Coyote, GENIUS!

Gary: Kel, I’d like for you to attempt basal rate testing with finger stick testing and don’t stress out about completing the whole thing. Whatever info you get helps- completed basal test or not.

Me: OK, great!

Gary: I’m sorry the basal testing gave you so much trouble, I really wanted the basal testing to be a good experience for you- I’m sorry you had so many problems.

Me: Gary- I psyched myself out. But I will do this - I will make it happen.

And I absolutely will, because if Gary was able to give me this amount of info without a successful basal rate test- I can’t imagine what his findings will be when I actually complete them!

The Chronicles of Basal Testing Continue

So most of you know that I attempted basal rate testing with a Dexcom on loan from Gary Scheiner last week.

I say attempted because last week presented quite a challenge in the basal rate-testing department.

First off, I was running higher than normal most of the time I had the cgm (and several days before) and I wasn’t sure why. The higher than average numbers could have been because my sinuses were causing me major problems, which in turn aggravated a molar in my mouth that needs to be pulled.

The elevated numbers could have been because I was so stressed out about basal rate testing that I actually psyched myself out. Now I can talk in front of an auditorium full of people, no problem. But when faced with the task of fasting and keeping records, I literally fall to pieces.

Or (and this is a real possibility as well,) my higher than normal numbers might have been exactly what my body was doing – no excuses needed. High numbers happen in life.

Anyway, me being the procrastinator that is k2, I put off basal testing for 4 days.

For the first four days I wore the Dex, it was interesting to see my numbers go high and or low right before my eyes. I ran into some technical problems where the screen would “???” or there’d be a graph line that had a blank spot here and there, but for the most part- it was pretty OK.

Unfortunately for me, my trend graphs usually resembled the Letter W or the letter M and that stressed me out big time.

After two false fasting starts on March 29^th and 30^th, days were I woke up ready to start fasting, but with high blood sugars through the roof! I was finally able to start fasting in earnest on Wednesday March 31^st.

My goal was to fast from 1pm until 10pm and I was gung ho! Of course right before noon my numbers started going south quickly and I that fact made me nervous. I ate an extra large lunch and kept my fingers crossed. Just before 1pm I gave myself a tiny bolus and started fasting. After 1 pm my numbers started to rise and again and the nerves set in.

They held steady and didn’t go above 250 – the magic number where Gary said the fasting would end. My numbers started to drop around 4pm, and they dropped fast! At 6:30 the Dex’s alarm went off several times wen my blood sugar was under 80 and I ignored it. Finally, when my number was well under 70, I knew I had to stop.

And that would be the point where I burst into tears- and tweeted about it.

I felt so alone in basal testing. The last time I’d basal tested I had literally JUST switched to the pump and was living with my ex boyfriend – who was many things- both good and bad. But as far as the diabetes and basal testing were concerned- he was a tremendous help. This time around I felt alone and sorry for myself. I’d been through a lot worse than basal testing (HELLO, does 1 in a million ring a bell?) so why was basal testing causing me to not only stress out, but to feel so damn sorry for myself?

Thanks to the support of many on-line friends and off, I realized that I wasn’t alone, far from it~ I had friends all over the world that understood my diabetes and basal test frustrations and who gave me words of encouragement that gave me the boost I needed to pull myself up by my bootstraps and forge ahead.

To my friends and Tweeps- THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

The supportive tweets and emails I received literally allowed me to look at basal testing with a new set of eyes and a fresh attitude. I decided that I’d take a 1-day break and start basal testing again of Friday, April 2^nd at 9a.m.

Thursday April 1^st was the day I maintained near perfect numbers and achieved Blood Sugar Nirvana. And because I was feeling good about my diabetes, my numbers, and myself, I was excited to start basal testing again the next day.

But on Thursday night I ran into major technical difficulties with Dex. Or should I say that Dex ran into technical difficulties with me. As I was removing my sweatshirt to take a shower, the Dex unclipped from my yoga pants and flew up in the air in what seemed like excruciatingly slow motion. The Dex hovered midair, like the flying saucer from "Planet 9 From Outer Space" (sans the horrific special effects - FYI -WORST MOVIE EVER-but hilarious to watch) before taking a swan dive in the commode!

It was only submerged a split second and I quickly dried it off. All that kept going through my mind was: NO, NO, And NO!!!!! This is Gary’s Dex, not mine. OH GOD- please let it live!! And don’t let it have Gremlin like tendencies regarding water!!!

I grabbed my hairdryer from under the sink and painstakingly dried the Dex and it's innards on a warm low setting for about two minutes.

The screen showed my graph but it looked a bit strange.

Then an alarm went off and the dex shut itself off. I tried recharging and it turned back on.

I decided to let the Dex run out the battery completely (I’d planned on recharging Thursday night while I slept anyway) and let the battery drain. I’d recharge it on Friday morning.

I didn’t get much sleep Thursday night because I was stressed about the fact that I might have committed crimes against both society and the cgm.

Cut to Friday mid morning when the Dex battery finally drained. I recharged it and called Gary after lunch.

Gary: Hey Kelly, what’s up?

ME: Gary, I have to be honest with you- I think I might have killed your Dexcom. Northing like blurting out the truth when you've screwed up BIG TIME~

Gary: OK, what happened? Sidebar: Gary was cool as a cucumber and very nice about it.

Me: It unexpectedly took a swan dive in the commode during a sweatshirt removal procedure.

Gary: was it submerged?

Me Yes, for like a second. GARY I’M SO SORRY.

Gary: It’s OK Kel; did you try drying it with a hair drier?

Me: Yes, and I let the battery drain afterwards and now it’s recharging.

Gary: It’s OK Kel; it’s going to be OK. Let it fully recharge and go through it’s warm up and see what happens. I’m more concerned about your sensor. It’s been in a long time.

Me: If I broke the receiver- I’ll pay for it.

Gary: Stop worrying Kel, everything is going to be fine.

So I calmed down and waited for it to finishing recharging and warm up.

Late Friday afternoon I started to see a trending graft and I breathed a sigh of relief – life was good, the sun was out, I hadn’t committed murder! Can I get a Hallelujah from the D congregation please!!!

And then the graph disappeared and the following words flashed on the screen.

FAILED SENSOR.

Yeah- I definitely picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue!

Tune in for tomorrow's show, where Kelly and Gary discuss trends, graphs, insulin absorption, consistency in snacks and the time travel continuum~

Embrace The Daffodils

Daffy-down-dilly came up in the cold,
Through the brown mould
Although the March breeze blew keen on her face,
Although the white snow lay in many a place.

Anne Bartlett Warner- Daffy-Down -Dilly

in time of daffodils (who know the goal of living is to grow)

forgetting why,remember how.

e.e. cummings In time of Daffodils~

****Pictures of daffodils are courtesy of my mother's garden.

Daffodils make me happy for a multitude of reasons.

Daffodils remind me of my mother because they are sunny and bright, strong and sturdy, and to be honest, every single time I see daffodils, I smile and feel all types of glad.

Daffodils give me hope, they always have- since I was a little girl. During the horrific winter that was 2010, I felt hope when I saw daffodils starting to peak out through the snow. These gorgeous flowers that seem so delicate, are deceptively strong and incredibly resilient.

They refuse to shrink back when times get tough. They make their tenacity known regardless of the elements and remind us on the dankest of days that spring is just around the corner.

Daffodils don’t disappoint- that return every single season. Some seasons are more successful than others- just like life. Some years the bulbs flower like crazy, while other years there are more stalks than actual flowers (due to the fact that the bulbs are getting crowded & need to regroup, just like us) but they always return.

I think that PWDs (people with diabetes) are like daffodils.

Some folks think that we are delicate, but we are deceptively strong.

We have a tough interior and an amazingly beautiful exterior.

And like daffodils, PWDs make me smile….and give me hope.

So I say, embrace the daffodil ~