Diabetes Blog Week Day 3: Just In Case

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

Just in case my insurance drops me. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 ~ :)  

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

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

Diabetes Art Day #StripSafely Edition: Navigation

Diabetes Art Day - StripSafely Edition:

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

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

Spindrift's of swirling numbers that never stop  -

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.

Kelly Kunik~

Diabetes navigation tools~

Diabetes Blues Clue~

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

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So can you spot the diabetes blues clue? 

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

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

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

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Freckled Finger Tips

My fingers tips are freckled with dots.

Dots that rest on callouses,

Calluses caused by continually pricking them with a lance,

Which pierces my finger tips for a blood drop -

A blood drop that is placed on a strip.

A strip that is placed in a machine

A machine that's a quick study.

5 seconds later a number appears

If the number is high, I feel tired and guilty

And I bolus accordingly.

If the number is low

I already know before it appears,

I shake, sweat, and feel light headed

My appetite is insatiable.

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

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

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

Until the cycle starts all over again. 

And the blood sugar testing never ends.

I find test strips everywhere,

And in places they were never meant to be.

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

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

Because life is sweet and I go with the flow~

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

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

Postcard From The Diabetes Edge

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

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

XOXO

k2

Coming To Grips With A Kelly Kunik, Cold Hard Fact

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. I carry a lot of crap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Woke Up This Morning And What Did I See?

HUH?

Whaaaaat?

So I woke up this morning,

And what to my wondering eyes should appear?

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

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

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

After unplugging myself from my tethered confines

I unraveled my heavily travelled pump tubing line.

It's always something with diabetes you see

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

Be it sneaky doorknobs, or bolus worthy crisp apple strudel

Stubborn bg highs and plummeting lows

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

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

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

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

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

Things That Make Me Go Hmmmmmm?

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

These following things make me go Hmmmmmmm...

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

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

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

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

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

Why is anyone obsessed with the Kardashians?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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