Kids: Did I Ever Tell You The One About My Insulin Pump Reminding Some Guy @ A Party Of His Brother's Kidney Stones/Catheterization?

Kids: Sometimes people tell me stuff that I don't always want to know. #fact
But 9 times out of 10 I listen because the sharing comes from a good place, regardless of the TMI details. Also: It makes for a hell of a story.
And I FTR, I really do hope his Filterfree's brother is OK~
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Recently, my friend asked me to attend a work party and I was more than happy to oblige - I like meeting new people!

I brought a bottle of Spanish Red and went to the get together and was having a really good time. The people were nice, the food was great and the wine was flowing.

In the middle of the evening I ended up speaking with a quirky older couple and about 10 minutes into the conversation, the husband pointed to my insulin pump  and asked all inquisitive like: What's that? 

So I explained what my insulin pump was and what it did and why I wore it. Which meant I brought up my type 1 diabetes, which of course led me to mentioning the Diabetes Online Community and my blog.

Sidebar: I get super enthusiastic when it comes to the DOC. 

And then the husband - Who I shall refer to as "FilterFree" for the rest of this post, said to me: Subcutaneously, that's interesting. Not to bring up my brother's penis into the conversation because you barely know me, and you've never met him. 

But I'm going to bring it up anyway - And him, strictly for medical purposes. 

My brother is prone to kidney stones - we all are my family- which is why I'm drinking water - not alcohol or caffeine. 

But my brother doesn't drink water, not at all. And he's probably going to have to go on dialysis one day because of all the stones he's had - And the last time he had kidney stones, the doctors had to stick a catheter right up the shaft of his penis - And I don't if you you know this or not …. that hurts like hell!

WAIT… WHAT?

Me: Indeed it does - I said and looked him straight in the eye.

Filterfree: Yeah, so you having diabetes and wearing an insulin pump reminded me of my brother having to have a catheter in his penis because of his kidney stones. 

OF COURSE IT DID. 

Seriously, I couldn't make this shit up if I tried.

Me: We'll, I hope your brother's feeling better.

Filterfree: Thanks, but he needs to drink more water.

Me: YES….That would help. Tell him to hang in there (DAMN IT, why did I say that?!) 

Ya.., you both need to keep hydrated. Speaking of hydrating, I need to grab a refill. 

Then, as if to bring home that ever so important point, I shook my empty glass, smiled and said my goodbyes. 

And that kids, would be the true story of how wearing an electronic pancreas clipped to my hip became the catalyst for a quirky, albeit perfectly sober and #filterfree stranger bringing up his brother's kidney stones and detailed penis catheterization - thanks to said kidney stones & lack of proper water consumption, to yours truly - All because my insulin pump reminded him of all of the above - And within the first 10 minutes of our conversation.

Like I said, I couldn't make this up if I tried - But it makes for a hell of a story/blog post~

Diabetesalicious Lite: Let Your Voices Be Heard & Keep Rocking The Diabetes Advocacy!!

All of us living the diabetes life know that test-strip and glucose meter accuracy are two crucial components of maintaining our health when it comes to living with diabetes. We all want and demand to StripSafely. 

And here't the kicker - it turns out that the FDA is willing to discuss that very issue with us a community on Monday, March 31st from 1:30 to 2:30 pm, est. 

Bennett Dunlap will host the chat with FDA Expert Courtney Lias. Here's your (OUR) chance to talk, ask questions, listen, observe & have our voices be heard.  But you in order to do all of that and more -  you need to register -  CLICK HERE !

Another key component is access to every person living with diabetes, including those on Medicaid and Medicare to have access to the latest in diabetes medical technology, 

Catherine Price over at ASweetLife.org wrote a great piece on competitive bidding and insulin pumps for people with diabetes on Medicaid and Medicare - FYI: Diabetes Technology is just as critical for PWDS over the age of 65 as for those under: http://asweetlife.org/feature/speak-out-against-competitive-bidding-for-insulin-pumps-urgent-action-required/

To quote Catherine: We in the diabetes community need to speak out to argue that a. insulin pumps should be removed from competitive bidding and b. that if they remain in the  competitive bidding program, CMS must use a different process to determine reimbursement rates, so that cost-saving does not stifle innovation.

AMEN SISTER!

We have until midnight tonight to tell CMS (Medicare/Medicaid law makers ) our thoughts on competitive bidding and insulin pumps (as well as other DME and supplies) for Medicare and Medicaid - Let you're voice be heard by clicking on the following link http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=CMS-2014-0029-0001

The DOC is an amazing community because of the people in it - Thanks for being part of the awesomeness and keep on rocking the diabetes advocacy!

A Challenging Blood Sugar Point Spread & Being "Awesome Baby With A Capital A!"

I don't really do a lot of seasonal sports sayings/euphemisms on the blog, except of course when I do~
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Saturday was a day where my blood sugar point spread was driving me nuts! 

I'd fixed Friday's infusion site issues and had textbook blood sugars from lunchtime Friday afternoon until I went to bed on Friday night.  

But on Saturday morning I woke up with blood sugar of 220. INTERESTING.

No worries  - I had to drop my car off at my mechanics for an early oil change and the 1.5 mile walk home would take care of that pesky blood sugar. Except half way into my walk back I was still 220. VERY WEIRD.

I'd been dealing with some blood sugar issues since Wednesday and I was tired of it. 
So I did another correction bolus and picked up the pace and by the time I'd walked home my blood sugar was 180 and down to 134 at lunch an hour later. 

Cut to 2 hours later and me me walking back to pick up my car and my blood sugar dropping to 82 - YAY - Back on track. 

I had a snack, did some laundry, then jumped in the shower and put on dress. I was attending a fundraising dinner a friend was hosting for a great cause 45 minutes away and I needed to get on the road.

And that would be where things get weird again:  Before I left the house my blood sugar was back up to 235 - so I increased the temporary basal rate to 130% and jumped in my car. 

30 minutes later I stopped at the rest stop o the Parkway and tested - I was 228. I was super annoyed and made the executive discussion to crack the Temp Basal to 157% and then did another correction bolus and got back on the road 

25 minutes later I arrived at my destination. I parked, checked myself in the mirror, applied my lipstick and tested my blood sugar yet again - It was 219. 

I cranked my temp basal rate to 167%, did another correction bolus and tried to remain calm - Being angry wouldn't help my numbers but I was PISSED. 

I walked in the house and was immediately greeted by friends - After hugs and hellos my friend Faye asked me if I wanted a glass of wine - I absolutely did - but I knew I needed to wait and told her I wasn't quite ready. 

I stood there for a good 25 minutes talking, laughing and meeting new people, until our gracious host told us to start filing into the dining room and fill our plates. 

As people headed towards the food, I returned to the vestibule,  knelt over my handbag and grabbed my meter, took a deep breath and tested. 5 seconds later the number 168 flashed up on the screen.   

And before I knew it I had somehow channeled my inner Dick Vitale and screamed words "AWESOME BABY" I rocked my fist in the air - And just as my friend John was walking by with a plate full of food

John: What! Did you win your NCAA team just win? 

Me: Ahhhhh, no - But it's definitely about a point spread. #BGNOW is down by 52 points and I couldn't be happier!

John: WHO? Boston? 

Me: Not a who, a what - As in my blood sugar- AKA, #BGNOW. Now that it's going in the right direction I can eat all this amazing food and have a glass of wine and not worry - So yep: "AWESOME, BABY - WITH A CAPITAL A!

I kept the temporary basal rate cranked to 167 and  my numbers stayed in normal range all night and woke up with a blood sugar of 106 Sunday morning

I'm still rocking a temporary basal rate of 145 - because I'm all sorts of stuffed up and my immune system could use the extra pancreas juice. 

  

But I'm not going to worry about the temporary basal rate number, or how many units of insulin I'm taking while on the Temporary Basal Rate - As long as my blood sugar point spread stays "awesome baby - With a capital A!!!" 

And yep, I believe Dickie V would agree ~ :)  

Of Early Site Changes & Being Stubborn To A Fault~

No, it couldn't be that my relatively new infusion site needed to be changed... Noooooo, it couldn't be that!! 
Actually, it could and it was - And I need to stop being so damn stubborn when it comes to that!
########
The infusion site on the right side of my abdomen was just under 24 hours old - The 219 blood sugar must have been a miscalculation bolus for my evening snack - It had to be. 
After all, I did go a little ape crazy with the crackers and cream cheese - No need for a site change 24 hours into the game. 

Hey, maybe the fact that I had 2 slices of Italian bread with dinner had something to do with it? No that wasn't it, because 2 hours after dinner (and one hour before my snack) I was 150. 

Maybe the fact that I only had 14 units left in my insulin reservoir??? 

Stranger things have happened. So I filled a new insulin reservoir ( I was going to have to do it any,) and wasted the 14 units - which of course made me cringe. 

Then I did a bolus blood sugar correction of 2.1 units and went to bed. 

Cut to this morning when I woke up with a blood sugar of 280 - Still, I still couldn't swallow the fact that my infusion site might have been to blame because it was only 30 some hours hours old. It wasn't red, it didn't itch and it had been working beautiful right up until I tested at bed time . 

Yep, Thursday's blood sugars had been between 82 and 170 all day Thursday - until they weren't.  

I did a combo correction/coffee bolus of 6.2 units and got ready for work - I was tired and cranky and I didn't want to be late - And I was purposely ignoring that it might be time for a site change. 

At 10:30 this morning I tested my blood sugar and it was 236 - And I had to admit that it wasn't because of the cracker and cheese binge or the insulin reservoir being low or even the rare appearance of a couple of a couple of slices of Italian bread at dinner.

 Nope, it was none of those things.

 It was because my relatively new site needed to be changed - Like it or not, it was time.

So my questions to you  are: 

1. Am I the only one who is stubborn when it comes to early site changes - especially when the site doesn't look red or itch - And why? 

2. Also: Am I the only one who makes every excuse under the sun (and the moon and the stars for that matter) to avoid early site changes, or am I just stubborn and nuts - I mean more stubborn and nuts than usual? 

Book Giveaway Winners & Endo Appointment Takeaways

First off: The 2 winners of the Diabetesaliciousness Joe Soloweijczyk's 'A Type 1 Diabetes Guide To The Universe,' book giveaway are Becky and Katy. 

CONGRATS ladies! Please contact me at kellykunik(at)gmail.com with your contact info - As in email addresses. 

Secondly: Like so many in the Diabetes Online Community, yesterday was my endo appointment. Seriously, so many people were at their end's office yesterday - At least according to Facebook!  

And it wasn't bad - but I wasn't thrilled with my results.  

The good news: My labs - At least for the most part, were good - Cholesterol, liver, kidneys, etc were all normal - YAY. So was my blood pressure.

#waitingwithdiabetes
Yeserday's Endo Appt - It was OK - But I can do better~

The stuff I need to work on: 

My A1C was 7.5. 

Not terrible but not great. I can do better. I have to do better. 

So, how am I going to do better? 

Dr J and I decided that the best course of action would be to revisit basal rate testing. 

Do I like basal rate testing? No I do not. But that doesn't matter. I need to do it, so I'm going to.

I start basal rate testing for a couple days at the beginning of April. I'll scan and email the results to Dr.J and & also set up a time to meet with Cheryl, the CDE for a tuneup. 

D isn't just for diabetes: 

Like much of the east coast who have been battered by this crazy winter, my labs showed that my vitamin D levels are low. That sort of scared me. But as always, Dr. J talked me off the ledge. "Kelly, this is new and I really think it's because of this terrible winter, the lack of sun, the lack of you being outside etc. Calm down, we can fix this by you taking 1000 mgs of D daily."

SO...that's what I'm going to do.

Like I said, I wasn't thrilled with my results, but I also know: 

1. It could be worse

2. Change is good, change can be a pain in the ass, change can be scary and change is necessary - In life and life with diabetes. 

3. I'm not going to freak out about basal rate testing or the vitamin D. 

Instead, I'm going to get my daily dose of vitamin D on and look at my basal rate testing as a series of diabetes fact finding missions, the results of which will help me reset my Diabetes GPS coordinates and get me on the right track to a new and even more diabetesalicious Kelly~ 

It's easier and much more fun to approach basal rate testing that way - At least I think it is. :) 

Joe Solowiejczyk: A Type 1 Diabetes Guide To The Universe

Yesterday  I wrote about my first friend with diabetes, Joe Solowiejczyk and how he came into my life way back when - And how he reappeared back in my life not so long ago. 
Today I'm writing about Joe's latest amazing endeavors in the world of diabetes (and how you can win one of those amazing endeavors,) and I'm so proud of him!
PS: There are a few blogger.com formatting issues that I have to conquer - but I'm working on them! 
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Joe Solowiejczyk: Type 1 PWD for 53 years, diabetes nurse educator, family therapist and charismatic diabetes motivational speaker - Not to mention beloved Diabetes Guru to many, both online and off. Joe is a diabetes trailblazer because he was one of the first to treat the psychological aspects of living with diabetes, not just the physical.

Some remember Joe from his time at Animas, others first met him at Children With Diabetes, and many of you haven't met him in real life - yet, but know and love him because of his highly successful (not to mention funny and informative) Diabetes Chalk Talks videos. 

Joe Solowiejczyk is very "Jersey" when it comes to his diabetes approach - Always has been. And by "Jersey", I mean Joe speaks honestly, to the point and straight from his heart when it comes to life, and living life with diabetes. It's a no B.S. zone when it comes to Joe and diabetes. And it's his Jersey attitude combined with his intricate knowledge of diabetes that has made him such a charismatic diabetes teacher and speaker. 

This past year Joe began working on two majorly fantastic projects that I believe will change the world of diabetes for the better. 

In 2013 Joe Solowiejczyk launched his new business, AMileInMyShoes.com - An offshoot of his successful consulting services for families, couples and individuals dealing with psychological & emotional aspects of living with diabetes. 
AMileInMyShoes.com was created (and I'm paraphrasing) to insure that patients and their families living with diabetes across the globe have access to the most practical and up-to-date information that’s required to manage and thrive with diabetes. 
The site's dedicated to helping PWDS (people with diabetes) and their families/partners thrive, through unique web-based presentations regarding diabetes self management and emotional coping skills - And presented in a funny and engaging way.
And via AMileInMyShoes, Joe will offer sessions with families, groups and couples via Skype.

NEXT: Joe Solowiejczyk has taking his 53 plus years of living with diabetes knowledge and wisdom and written an amazing book called "The Type 1 Diabetes Guide to the Universe", available on iTunes at the beginning of April, 2014.  

"The Type 1 Diabetes Guide to the Universe" is a digital book that is both dynamic and interactive - And it’s unlike any other book on diabetes out there for several reasons: 

1. It’s written by Joe and there’s only one Joe Solowiejczyk

2. "The Type 1 Diabetes Guide to The Universe" engages you - literally and figuratively because It’s the only book of it’s kind to tackle diabetes in the multimedia format that is truly unique to apple's ibook authors.

Joe Solowiejczyk of AMileInMyShoes.com presents:
A Type 1 Diabetes Guide To The Universe~
FYI: That's Little Joey  - He's your official tour guide~

"The Type 1 Diabetes Guide to the Universe" is presented in such away that you as the reader(s) feel involved and engaged but never overwhelmed. And because the ibooks format is so interactive, the reader has no choice but to become engaged in the topic and the discussions. Personally, I love that I was reading all this great info I had the opportunity to hear interviews with others who have walked in your diabetes shoes.

In Joe’s own words: 
The Type 1 Diabetes Guide To The Universe isn't just another book on diabetes management, the book integrates the psychological and emotional aspects of coping and living with diabetes on a daily basis into the warp and woof of the book. 

The book has general diabetes management discussions around injections, tweaking blood sugars results/ patterns and tweaking insulin doses -all that kind of stuff. 

But at the same time the book addresses the psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of living with diabetes. 

Kelly: SPIRITUAL? Psychological and emotional aspects are important, but the spiritual aspects -  I love that!

Joe: Yes, spiritual as in POWER vs POWERLESSNESS. 
The one profound and shared experience that 100% of all parents with a child diagnosed with Diabetes experience is the feeling powerlessness, which is deep and profound. 
And the pain caused by feeling powerlessness can allow you to get stuck in that place of pushing down harder in all aspects. Pushing down harder on blood sugar numbers. Pushing down harder on the nagging the other spouse - That all about feeling powerless - And it's not a good place to get stuck in. 
And then if that’s not bad enough, there's inability to make diabetes go away - you can’t fix this. It’s not about fixing diabetes or making it go away - it’s about managing and moving on with this - It’s about acceptance and letting it go. So in those areas, they are psychological concepts, but I think they’re more related to spiritual in the sense of existential crisis as in coming to terms with the reality. 
Yep, they lie in the psychological realm for sure, but I think they’re more spiritual. 
particularly about he acceptance and letting go and healing in the sense of your heart gets better.

Kelly: I like it. 

Joe: It’s a bit like the Serenity Prayer.
Kelly: I was going to say it has a 12 step feel, without actually having a 12 step feel. Does that make sense? 
Joe: YES  and YES, TOTALLY! 

Joe: It’s the first type of book of its kind from a technological perspective 
because it uses the cutting edge technology of the ibook author software. 
There’s embedded videos and interactive quizzes, videos of me talking with  
families as if they were in my office, being educated and counseled. 
Videos of families talking about their experiences of living with diabetes. 
So my hope is that it will be like a Harry Potter book.

Kelly: It has a very "Daily Prophet" feel to it, a’ la the Daily Diabetes Prophet!
Joe: Exactly! And the idea is for the book to not only be helpful re: information 
it contains, but for the book be healing -THAT’S THE BIG ONE.

Like I said, it's the first diabetes book of its kind. 
There are no other diabetes books out there that really integrate the family and the daily psychological aspects of diabetes. No other diabetes manual,no other healthcare manual for that matter, integrates the interactive elements, etc. 

Kelly: Will the book interactive format, allow for periodic updates? 

Joe: It will. Every 6 months there will be different videos , different quizzes and different information updated to keep it current and to keep it fresh and changing and dynamic - sort of like diabetes is. 

Kelly: Will those upgrades be included with the initial price of the book, which is $34.99?  

Joe: YEP!

Kelly: OK, That’s a great deal! 

Kelly: I read somewhere there that there's a recommended order to the book, but that there is no real order to the book - Is that true? 
Joe: That is correct - You should start at the beginning  & go to the end, but the way that the book is constructed, you can jump around from place to place if you want. 
Stay in one place if you want, but lets say that you’re in a chapter on insulin dose adjusting and there’s a video about Sebastien Sasseville  & you want to learn more about him you, can go to that chapter. 

It’s geared to allow people to do it in their own diabetic style. 
So if you want to use more video, fine. 
If you want to use more content, fine. 
Maybe you want to jump around a little bit, fine - You'll always be able to go back to where you are. 
The video content is reminiscent of a road-trip in itself. We started interviewing people at ChildrenWithDiabetes, and then continued interviewing people throughout the US and Canada,then the UK, Australia & New Zealand. SO there are videos from all around the world. 

Kelly: it’s global in every sense of the word. 
Joe: Including that the book contains info in both milligram per deciliters and milligrams. Because the book is an international one, so there’s no adjusting or conversions. The information Is clear and concise and you'll know what you're looking at.

Kelly: So.... What do you think our friend Dr. Lester Baker would think of this book? 

Joe: I think he’s looking down and smiling and telling me it’s about time! 

But I think he’ll give me a little dispensation/wiggle room -The ibook technology wasn't available until recently and that technology is key because it allows the readers the choice of accessing each chapter's concept by reading the content or accessing it  by watching the video, so the reader will be able to get feel of what the chapter is about.

So yes, I think Lester Baker is happy... And I think he’s smiling in a knowing kind of way - And I think he’ll be happy it’s dedicated primarily to him and a few others Kelly. 
Kelly, Lester is in every page of it.  

Kelly: So you're telling me that I’m going to hear my old pediatric endo’s (Dr. Lester Baker’s) voice?

Joe: Yep he’s embedded in it, like the videos. 

Kelly:That makes me very happy. 

Sidebar: I did hear Dr. Baker’s voice throughout the book and absolutely made me happy.

Kelly: Will there be any follow up books? 

Joe: There will be follow up books! One on celiacs and diabetes and another on diabetes and exercise with Sebastien Sasseville. 

Kelly: What about a book tour? 

Joe: Yep, I'm working on it! 

Kelly: So Joe, what’s the one thing you want people to take away from reading this book? 

Joe: I want them to feel healed I want them to feel safe and healed... and not alone. OK, that’s 3 things. 

Kelly: That’s OK, considering all you're giving us, I’ll let you slide~ ;) 

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Are you guys excited to read A Type 1 Diabetes Guide To The Universe, when it comes out on iTunes?  
Would you like to win a copy? 

You can! Just leave a comment on this post as to why you're stoked about Joe's 
book & you'll have the chance to win one of two digital copies of "A Type 1 Diabetes Guide to The Universe," that Joe has generously donated to Diabetesalciousness! 

Since the book is digital, it doesn't matter if you live in the US or abroad - You're 
still eligible to win a copy~ 

All winners will be chosen by random.org and the 2 winners will be announced Monday Morning!  GOOD LUCK!

Joe, My Very First Friend With Diabetes & How Life Comes Full Circle~

Writing about Joe, my very first friend with diabetes was difficult because there were so many ways I could tell the story. 
For me the story represents a tale of friendship and diabetes and life coming full circle -  With a dash of wonder thrown in. So that's how I'm going to tell it. 
###### 
Once upon a time and in the summer of "77," there was a little girl named Kelly who started to feel "not quite right," and right before she entered third grade. 
That was the summer where Kelly grew really tall and lanky and down right thin. 
And that was also the summer where Kelly was always so incredibly thirsty that no amount of water, soda or juice could quench it. And of course always being thirsty meant that Kelly was always running to the bathroom.
Finally on Halloween, Kelly’s parents drove her Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, (CHOP) where she was was diagnosed with diabetes and admitted - And where she stayed for three weeks. 
It was there Kelly met her Peds Endocrinologist, Dr. Lester Baker. 
Dr. Baker was a kind man with a deep voice and a big laugh, and who always told Kelly that she made him smile.  And he never failed to give Kelly a big hug whenever she saw him - which was a lot. 
On day number two, or maybe number three of her hospital stay, Dr. Baker introduced Kelly to Joe, who turned out to be Kelly’s very first friend with diabetes. 
Joe looked like a grown up, except he didn’t act like one. 
True, he worked at CHOP and in tandem with Dr. Baker, but Joe was still in school.
Kelly didn't know what he was studying or what school he was attending, she just knew Joe was really funny and smart - And that college or not, Joe was just a big kid. 
He was tall with black hair that fell just above his shoulders, with a thick New York accent and a goofball sense of humor. 
Joe always made Kelly laugh and Joe encouraged Kelly to talk about the good, the bad and diabetesalicous of it all. Joe talked with Kelly about life with diabetes and didn’t dumb it down - And the fact that Joe talked to Kelly and with Kelly, and never at her, made all the difference.

Like I said, Joe was Kelly’s first friend with diabetes. Turns out Joe had been diagnosed with diabetes as a child, so Joe “got it.” 

Kelly and Joe would have most of their heart to hearts by the fountain in the atrium across froth the McDonalds at CHOP. 
Yes, it was the 1970s, things were much more loosey goosey and there was indeed a McDonald's at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Times have changed, and today CHOP has an actual Food Court. 
Anyway, that's where Kelly and Joe would hang out, eat their Cheeseburgers (after clearing it with both Kelly’s nurse and dietitian of course,) loaded with extra pickles and ketchup and drink their Diet Cokes and talk about everything under the sun.
 Joe would tell Kelly: Kel, you know what I’m going to do when they find a cure for diabetes? I’m gonna rent out the whole Breyers Ice Cream factory and throw a party for all my friends with diabetes and we’re gonna to go crazy! 

Kelly would laugh and tell him she couldn't wait until that day, and then she'd try and crack jokes about diabetes - not necessarily funny, but not bad for an almost 9 year old. 
And after trying to make him laugh, Kelly would talk to Joe about her big sister Debbie who also had t1 diabetes and how she was so sick. 
Kelly told Joe how Debbie kept getting worse instead of better and how Debbie being sick, made Kelly scared and mad all at the same time. 

Sometimes Kelly’s parents would sit in on those sessions - AND looking back - they probably met with Kelly’s friend Joe by themselves. 
Lets face it, being a parent to a child, let alone 3 children with diabetes wasn't easy then, and it's not easy now~ 

Finally, Kelly was allowed to go home and she did OK her first few years with diabetes. But at the end of 6th grade she was readmitted to CHOP because Kelly was having some issues and her A1c had hit the double digits. 
I have it on very good authority that Kelly was furious with her parents for readmitting her to CHOP - and she refused to say goodbye to them at the 3rd floor elevators when they were leaving after settling her in - And between you and me, she still feels kinda bad about that. 
During that week in the hospital, Kelly cried her eyes out to her friend Joe - and on a daily basis.

Joe let her cry and Joe also told her she needed to "get it together" if she wanted to live a good life and talked with her about doing just that. 
And Kelly knew in her heart that Joe was right. 
The week ended, Kelly went home and things with her diabetes were better for a time. 
Her friend Joe left CHOP for places unknown & Kelly never got to say goodbye. 
But she never forgot Joe - And every time she thought of him, Kelly smiled. 

Over the years and whenever she met a child with diabetes - Kelly talked with them and to them - Not at them - Just like her friend Joe had done with her. 

For years and well into adulthood, she’d talk of her very first friend with diabetes named Joe - And how he’d made such a positive impact on her life, and her life with diabetes. 
Sidebar: Every time Kelly saw a movie with Ron Silver in the cast, she thought of her old friend Joe, because the actor reminded her of her long ago first friend with diabetes. 

Cut to the end of 2008/ beginning of 2009. Kelly was getting ready to move, but was procrastinating in the name of diabetes. She was checking out the Animas website and had clicked on the " Animas Employees with Diabetes," video link. 
She decided to cut the procrastinating and kill two birds with one stone. 
So she listened to the Animas employees with diabetes interviews while she was cleaning out her walk-in-closet. 
And as Kelly was packing up her clothes in wardrobe boxes, she heard a familiar voice with a thick New York accent. 
And Kelly was all like: NO. WAY. No way, no way, no way!! 
Kelly hadn’t heard that voice since she was 12 - And that voice literally stopped Kelly in her tracks. 
IS THAT MY FRIEND JOE? She asked asked herself out loud. 
Kelly poked her head out of her walk-in-closet and looked at the computer screen - And there on the screen was her old friend Joe, wearing a fez hat and talking about life with diabetes. His hair was much shorter - but it was Joe. 

After 30+ years, Kelly found out that Joe was not only alive and well, but that he was still doing what he did best - Helping children and families with diabetes and had gone on to do wonderful things in the world of diabetes. 

And finally after 32+ years of talking about her friend Joe, she actually learned his last name - It was Solowiejczyk. 
And the fact that Joe Solowiejczyk was still alive and doing what he did with such gusto made her smile and it made her very happy. 
Kelly, who had mastered the art googling, emailed her old friend Joe but didn’t hear back. 
Cut to less than a year later in Orlando, Florida. Kelly was attending the Roche New Media Summit at The World Marriott,which happened to piggy backThe Children With Diabetes Friends For Life Conference, which was being held at the very same hotel that year. 
While Kelly was talking at the bar with a group of Diabetes Bloggers - she spied her old friend, Joe. 
So she took a deep breath and walked up to him, tapped him on the shoulder and said: 

Kelly:  Are you Joe, Joe Solowi..? 

Joe: Yep, I'm Solowiejczyk!

Kelly: Oh, OK. Hi. I don’t know if you remember me or not, but my name is Kelly Kun.. 

Joe: You're Kelly Kunik!  You were my 3rd patient ever - I can still see your patient card in my mind  - OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOU. YOU MADE IT -YOU”RE STILL ALIVE. 

And it was like all the years that had passed had magically melted away and Kelly and Joe hugged one another tight (and their eyes may or may not have gotten misty,) and it was as if no time had passed - Except of course it had. 
Now they had both grown up and they were both in the diabetes world - which and not so ironically, isn’t as large as you might think - It's actually quite small. 

Joe Solo & Kelly
Old friends and friends for life - ADA 2012
Philadelphia, Convention Center~ 

Now they see each other every year at Children With Diabetes, Friends For Life and a few other D conferences - And they keep in touch in real life. 
And Kelly,(who FTR, normally never writes in the third person) blogs about living with diabetes. 
And she (OK, me,) recently had the opportunity to read her old her very first friend with diabetes, Joe Solowiejczyk's amazing new ibook: A type 1 Diabetes Guide to The Universe & interviewed Joe about his book and his website AMileInMyShoes.com,via the Skype. 

You’ll get to read all about it tomorrow - You’ll also have the chance to win a copy of the book for yourself!  

So what’s the moral(s) of this story? 

It's pretty simple. The world is smaller than we imagined and everything in our world does indeed comes full circle.  

One person makes a positive impact on many - And in the world of diabetes, friends become friends for life~   But I have a feeling you've already experienced that last part ;) 

#Sweatabetes @ Lunch & Turning This Muesday Into A Productive Tuesday ~

Today started off as one of those days that made me long for a winning lottery ticket and a long vacation. 

Sometimes you got go all nike like and just do it!
####
I woke up late - Too late to get my fasting labs done for next tuesday’s Endo appointment - but just in time to shower and get to work. 

I felt like I hadn’t slept in a week and I could literally feel the 2  thoracic ribs in my back that have been popping out when ever they felt like it these past two weeks, stabbing into my upper back. 

My morning projects kept running into invisible walls that sprang up out of nowhere and by lunch I was ready to loose it - not my lunch mind you, my temper.

But I didn’t. 

Instead, I took my blood sugar (125) lowered my insulin pump’s temp basal rate to 46%, downed a Greek yogurt in like 6 spoonfuls and without bolusing. 

Then I grabbed  a bottle of water and a tube of glucose tabs, switched out my shoes for sneakers, tweeted the following tweet to my twitter workout buddies - A group of friends on the twitter and led by the fantabulous @SurfaceFine  who encourage one another to keep working out - And between you and me, I needed to step up in the working out department. 

@SurfaceFine @lifeont1 @JennMamaBear @BrianKurzweil @kellysc @salguodmai going4 a lunchtime walk 2shake the #tuesdaythatfeelslikeamonday off
— Kelly / Diabetes (@diabetesalish) March 11, 2014

I set the alarm on my phone for 45 minutes and walked out the door and didn’t stop moving. 

I needed to shake off the case of The Mondays on a Tuesday, otherwise known as Muesday and get my #sweatabetes on before I tackled the afternoon.  And since I committed my intentions to my twitter #sweatabetes buddies - I had to follow through. 

I could take my lunch  & enjoy the sunshine and rare warm weather and focus on the moving and the feeling of the sun on my face - Or I could stress out at my desk. The choice was a no brainer. 

I went for moving and walking in the sun with gusto and I know it’s going to sound all flowery, but I don’t care - I  felt like a sunflower who was following the sun with and I felt great. 

I didn’t focus on the distance I walked or the calories I burned - I didn’t listen to music and I didn’t think about fasting labs or deadlines or anything for that matter.  

I just walked and enjoyed being outside in the warm weather and sunshine. 

Now I’m back to work with #bgnow of 145 (not bad for not bolusing for lunch and walking) and I’m ready to plow through the afternoon. And I thought I'd share because if anyone one could understood getting out there and moving and doing and being and maintaining a good blood sugar while rocking the #sweatabetes - I figured you would! 

Also: Embrace your inner sunflower and get out there! 

Low Blood Sugar Squall

Low Blood Sugar: Self explanatory - You’re blood glucose drips, you feel like shit and you need to eat, ASAP
Squall: A sudden, violent gust of wind, often accompanied by rain, snow, or sleet.
1. A sudden disturbance or commotion.sudden, violent gust of wind, often accompanied by rain, snow, or sleet.
2. A sudden disturbance or commotion.

Low Blood Sugar Squall: 
1. A low blood sugar that comes from seemingly out of nowhere and causes a sudden disturbance and commotion from within and causing to you feel like you’re going to pass out and you pray that that the food you just shoved down your throat kicks in before you drop. 
2. Time seems to stand still while the battle wages from within and you’re waiting for your numbers to go up. 

3. It’s scary and it sucks and I do not recommend it. 

#######

The low blood sugar came out of no where and so quickly that it reminded me of a  squall that moved from sea to the shore in a flash and had the potential for destruction. - Except the disturbance was from within and it was my low blood sugar causing all the commotion, not the weather. Hence the whole “Low Blood Sugar Squall,” name. 

I had just sat down and set up my laptop at the local library for an evening of uninterrupted writing, . 
As soon as I sat there ready to read my typed notes, I got that feeling in my stomach. 
You know that feeling - Where it feels like your standing at the top of the Empire State Building and all of a sudden you drop all 102 stories in 15 seconds flat, land on your feet - but you feel like you’re still dropping? Yeah that feeling. 
At the same time I could feel myself breaking into a cold sweat and I was so glad to be already be sitting. I dug into my handbag and grabbed the mounds bar I’d thrown into my handbag without thinking, tore off the wrapper and shoved the the two mounds pieces (didn’t there used to be three pieces in a Mounds Bar) and I ate the whole thing in 4 bites and then took my blood sugar. I was 55.

I’d battled elevated bgs for most of the day and had changed both my insulin reservoir and my pump site a few hours earlier. Obviously, the new set and site work. 

I looked around and realized that the two men sitting near me were blissfully unaware that I was getting the shit kicked out of me by my diabetes. 
And for the very first time in a very while, a low blood sugar made me feel incredibly vulnerable and alone. 
It’s not like I didn’t know what to do - I totally knew what to do - And I did it. 
Treating a low blood sugar has become both second nature and instinctual - And has been ingrained my head since the time of my diabetes diagnoses.
EAT FOOD NOW, KELLY! EAT FOOD NOW, KELLY! EAT FOOD NOW, KELLY! 

And I did. And I ate more than the 15 grams they tell you to. 

I ate 29 grams of Mounds bar goodness - But I didn’t even get to enjoy the Mounds ride because I ate so fast. 
And as I waited out the low the minutes were ticking by slower than molasses and I tried to keep calm and fight back the water works at all costs. 
I  stayed calm - But for a split second, I considered texting or calling my friend and letting her know what was going on - Just in case. 
She was literally minutes aways, but: 

1. I thought I might be overreacting 
2. I didn’t want to expend any unnecessary energy digging into my hand bag for my phone. 

I needed to stay calm and keep my mind clear - My Facebook page looked back at me from my laptop and and I typed the following status: 

And then Scott Benner commented:

And then others started commenting: 

And people texted and dm'd me and I felt surrounded by others who "got it" and who were there for me even though I was sitting by myself.

And I realized I wasn't alone in spirit - And that made all the difference. 

And in the end everything worked out. 

The Blood Sugar Squall left much quieter than it arrived and things went back to normal. 

 I felt better - I still felt like I’d been kicked to the D curb - But I had been able to get back up and things could have been so much worse. 

I tried working on the article I was supposed to be working on, but I ended up writing this post instead. 

And then I went home and chilled. 

Today is another day and a busy one.

And today, like everyday,  I am thankful for the Diabetes Online Community for always being there for me. 

I am a lucky duck indeed~