Lasso'd By My Insulin Pump Tubing - AGAIN

So this happened the other night.

Just spent 2minutes tethered 2stove b/c my #insulinpump 's tubing inexplicably wrapped around a burner knob that refused 2 loosen! #diabetes

— Kelly / Diabetes (@diabetesalish) January 23, 2017

And lucky for me, DOCers on the twitter related and laughed with me. 

Basically, yours truly walked into her kitchen, turned the corner and was literally lasso’d by one of her stove's gas burner knobs. 
The knobs (dials?) rest on the front of the stove and directly above the oven door, not on tap, which keeps things interesting

The more I tried to untangle myself, the more tangled up I became. 

And of course I reached for my phone to document, but it was in the other room... on the couch. 

I tried the stove's knob/dial, but that sucker was on there tight and having hand surgery didn’t help the situation.

I finally disconnected from my pump infusion site and was able to pry the knob off with my hands, then I slowly untangled form the 1/2 an inch metal part thingy that the dial/knob fit on. 

Crisis averted and I laughed out loud because:
A. It was funny
B. Nothing terrible happened, being mad would have been wasted energy.

It’s not the first time my pump tubing has been lasso’d by my stove’s burner knobs, or the second, or third. 

Thanks to my pump tubing, I’ve also been lasso’d by doorknobs, ledges, edges, my car’s emergency break, seat belts, the occasional belt loop (mine and others,) body parts, (mine and others,) and everything in-between. 

It’s part of the living with the “job” that is diabetes, and wearing an insulin pump with tubing. 

And yes, I know that I can tape the tubing to my abdomen, but my belly real-estate is limited.  

BUT I may try taping the tubing, thus making it look like an actual lasso.... Also,  

Squad Goals

I think we can all agree that if we didn't laugh at the D craziness, we'd go nuts. 
And personally, I need more laughs as of late. 

So if you’ve been lasso’d with your pump’s tubing or some other D accessory, feel free to share ... or not. 

Either way, I hope this post made you smile! 

Free Write: Diabetes In The Storm

I took a break from the work I was doing because of all the thoughts swirling in my head. So I set the timer on my phone for 8 minutes and did a free write. 

Here's what I came up with. 

#####

Four days of great blood sugars and lower insulin totals, immediately followed by a few days of higher numbers in both categories.

Four days where my blood sugars behaved, followed by waiting out a 328 and changing out a newish infusion site before bed last night.  

Drinking 16 ounces of water, peeing like Secretariat, and waiting until my blood sugar started going before I could shut my eyes and fall asleep.  

The alarm went off this morning and like the mythical Phoenix, I rose from the ashes, aka,  the warmth of my bed, downed the first of 2 cups of coffee (instead of my usual 1.5,) and went on with the business of living,working, and doing.  

Here, in the middle of a Nor’easter, I sit in my office and at my computer, rain boots by the door and lights flickering on and off - like a movie. 

The wind howls, windows shaking, and I'm doing my best to to get through my list of work  that needs to be done - and thankful that I forced myself to go to the store before dinner last night, when I realized I was precariously close to running out of juice. 

Diabetes means never running of  juice... or insulin.... or meds; pump supplies, test strips and the likes there off -but always worrying about all of the above. 

Diabetes In storm or clear skies, means thinking ahead, as well as in the moment. 

Diabetes forces us to bring backup with us, no matter where we go... or how far we have to march.

Diabetes means doing; fighting, and moving forward while simultaneously having moments were we are forced to sit and wait for diabetes to catch up. 

Diabetes means battles within and fighting exterior forces at every turn. 

Diabetes is close to the cuff and our hearts, even when we aren’t thinking about it. 

Diabetes is me, you, and everyone who we love - living with diabetes means fighting for our rights, our physical and mental health - our lives. 

Diabetes makes us fight not to be labeled by a disease we didn't choose. 

Diabetes makes us fight for ourselves and others - a silver lining of strength and solidarity in the storm, a silver lining that makes people with diabetes forces to be reckoned with, and no matter the sky.  

Diabetes And Not Being Forced To Wait "It" Out.

Sometimes diabetes forces us to wait, sometimes it doesn't.

Yesterday the only thing I had to wait for was my car's oil to get changed. 

Diabetes wasn't exactly on it's best behavior, but it didn't force me to wait "it" out, either. 

YAY. 

#####

After 3 days of stellar blood sugars, I was greeted with an out of the blue 300 bg yesterday and in of all places, a Honda dealership parking lot and after a lunchtime oil change. 

The reason? Honestly, who the hell knows. 

It might have been because it was a Muesday; I might have miscalculated my breakfast carbs, maybe 35 hour old infusion site was circling towards craptacular, my seatbelt might have inadvertently rub against my wool coat and the infusion site the wrong way, or the the diabetes gods felt like effing me just because they could. 

Whatever the reason, it made me cranky, thirsty, and frustrated.  

I changed out my site exactly where I was, in the drivers seat of my parked car, in the of dealership’s parking lot. Then I did a correction bolus, gulped down 10 ounces of the 30 ounces of water in my recyclable water bottle and hoped for the best. 

And thankfully the best outcome happened. My numbers started coming down and I went about my day.

As much as I hate to cop to it, the glucoaster ride made me tired, and visions of a ginormous iced green tea flashed through my head. 

Did I mention I’ve been cutting back on my afternoon caffeine - as in I'm trying not to have any? 

Well I am and it’s annoying. 

My numbers were normal and stayed that way, I kept drinking water, ate my lunch, and continued forging ahead - and nobody was the wiser. 

I had a list on my desk that didn’t involve diabetes in anyway, shape, or form. 

Shit got done and I wasn't forced to wait "it" out.  
And after a month of "waiting it out," re: wrist and hand surgery - not having to wait was indeed a beautiful thing.

And I'm sharing because I know you guys"get it."   

It Doesn't Matter If You're Red Or Blue, Pre-Existing Conditions Don't Care

It doesn’t matter if you sit on the red side of the fence or the blue - pre-existing conditions don’t care. 

It doesn’t made if you’re a Democrat, Independent, or Republican - pre-existing conditions don’t care. 

Do you have a broad interpretation of The Constitution or a narrow one?  
Doesn't matter, pre-existing conditions don’t care. 
But here's the thing, insurance companies do - and thanks to the Senate voting to repeal ACA, soon insurance companies will be able to deny you and your pre-existing condition(s). 

If you have a diabetes... or a heart condition, a leaky gut, thyroid issues, blood disorders, cancer - If you have ANY health condition, you may soon be penalized and punished for it, because at 1:30 this morning, 51 Senators agreed to repeal ADA and the pre-existing condition clause was put back on the table.

And if you don’t have a pre-existing condition? 

A. Good luck with that - genetics and age have away of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. 

B. If you fall into any of the following categories - your lives will be changed for the worse: 

1. Pre-existing conditions
2. You have young children on CHIP
3. You have young adult offspring currently on your health insurance plan
4. Take birth control meds (WOMEN)
5. If you get your insurance through your employer, the same rules (and more,) all the new will apply to you, too.

 Insurance companies will, if ACA is successfully repealed, be able to deny you or your loved ones insurance coverage for all of the above. 

Best case scenario, they will do what they did before ACA, make you wait a year before they agreed to pay for anything having to do with your pre-existing condition. 

Every drop of insulin, every cholesterol pill, every viagra pill, or chemotherapy treatment will come out of your pocket. 

Worse case scenario. They can legally refuse to cover you because you have a pre-existing condition. 

We have individual voices, and collectively they can are powerful – we must use them to protect ourselves and others living with pre-existing conditions!

Click HERE and "ACT" now to protect every single person living with diabetes and other pre-existing condition in the United States: 

DiabetesPAC makes it incredibly easy for you to email your Reps directly from the above link

DPAC provide a letter template with space for you to tell your own story – and as long as you know your ZIP Code, your email goes directly into your Reps inbox with the click of a button.

Also, pick up the phone and call (and tweet) your reps in the Senate and Congress, NOW and tell them how you feel about bringing back the pre-existing conditions clause, the repeal of ACA and all that we stand to lose.

 We have a hell of a fight ahead of us and #WeAreInThisTogether!

Holiday Travel: The Time I forgot My Medical ID 300 Miles Into A 700Mile Road Trip.

I started writing this article about 10 days ago, then I had surgery.

Most of my stitches were removed to day - more on that later.

Anyway, here’s what happened to me on my Thanksgiving road trip and some disclosure. 

####

On the drive home and wearing my Lauren's Hope bracelet the Saturday after Thankgiving, somewhere
in North Carolina - I-40 

I love to travel. 

I’ve been to a boatload of countries and an “OK” number of states. 

I fly a lot and as much as I hate airports, I can navigate them - for the most part. 

Trains? I’m cool with trains - I love taking trains. 

I’ve gone on lots of road trips in my life. Some good; some great, some neither, all memorable. 

But I’ve never actually done a solo -beyond my local tri-state area, road trip. 

Maybe it has something to do with my irrational fear of reading maps, maybe in a past life I became lost on a journey and never made it to my destination, maybe it’s because I’ve gotten lost and ended up in some gnarly parts of cities and states where I thought no one would ever find me. 

Or maybe it’s because I’m a big effing baby, but whatever.

Drop me in the middle of an unknown city on foot, and I can figure it out no problem. 

Tell me I have to drive to and around a city I’ve never been to and I start to get anxiety. 

Needless to say, GPS navigational systems have been a game changer for me - I don't worry about getting lost anymore.

In September I was invited to my cousins in South Carolina for Thanksgiving and I decided I was going to drive instead of fly. 

I was going to bypass the mess that is Philadelphia International Airport at Thanksgiving, and get out of my comfort zone re: driving long distances by myself.

Yep, I was going to drive the between 600 and 700 miles each way solo because I'm a big, brave, grownup lady.

I mapped out my route (thank you talking Google Maps,) for the more than 600, but less than 700 mile journey each way, booked my hotel, (could not deal with doing it all in one day,) had my car checked over, and marked the departure date on my calendar. 

The night before the trip I finished packing everything. Clothes; extra diabetes supplies, gifts for my cousins children and a special bread from a local bakery that shall remain nameless. 

Then I put my laptop/charger in my work bag, placed my Lauren’s Hope medical ID bracelet next to my charging phone and went to bed.

The next morning I loaded my car up with my luggage, computer bag, bread, and a cooler packed with apples, water, kind bars, and baby carrots. 

And after several false starts, I pulled out of my driveway at 10 a.m.
Cut to 4:30 pm and me checking into my Richmond, VA hotel and settling in my room. 
That would be when I noticed I wasn’t wearing my ID bracelet. 

No big deal, I figured it was in my makeup bag... except when I checked it wasn’t. 

And I got nervous. 

Did I lose it or was it still at home? 

What if something happened while I was driving to The Carolinas ?

I remembered a time when I hated wearing medical IDs and would only wear one when I traveled. But things change and we live and learn. 

I tried not to think about it and went down to the lobby to meet a friend for dinner.

The next morning I was on the road by 11 a.m. and all was going well - Thank you talking google maps! 

FYI: When you're drive long ass distances by yourself you have a lot of time to think. 

You think about the beautiful scenery, and you think about your life and the roads not traveled, blah, blah, blah. 

And you keep thinking about traveling the day before the busiest travel day of the year and the "what if’s" of not having your medical ID bracelet on your wrist. 

Basically you become hyper focused on all the horrible things that can happen on the road, at a rest stop, anywhere and not being able to let anyone know about your diabetes, etc. 

FTR: I have D and non D medical info noted on my Lauren's Hope Medical ID bracelets. 

When I reached I-40 I had a 140 miles to think about all of the above before I needed to consult with Google maps - and the more I thought about not having my bracelet, the more uncomfortable I got.

BOTTOM LINE: I FREAKED. 

My somewhat irrational fear of driving almost 700 miles by myself was replaced by the very real fear of not having my medical ID on my person.

I was mad at myself for forgetting my bracelet.

And I was scared.

60 miles into the uninterrupted 140, I stopped for gas. 

Then I went through my email contact list and called my contact at Lauren’s Hope and left her a message. It was my “hope” that she could overnight a bracelet to my cousins house - if that was even a possibility on their end. 

120 miles into the 140, my contact called me back and I pulled over to the side of the road and told her my dilemma. 

She listened, calmed me down, and told me that they overnight jewelry all the time. 

I gave her my cousins address and she told me that she’d send me a gold colored steel cuff. 

I felt better and I felt safe. 

After getting stuck in crazy traffic the last 40 miles of my journey, I made it to my cousins house, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving at dinner time. 

The next day, at 1pm, EST my Lauren’s Hope bracelet arrived via FedEx - which impressed me on many levels because hello, it was the day before Thanksgiving and who the hell wants to drive in that mess.

Also, I wish I could have given the FedEx person a hug, but they didn’t ring the doorbell - which I understand, because THANKSGIVING WEDNESDAY.

Anyway, I wore my bracelet on my wrist for the rest of the trip.

My Thanksgiving was wonderful and happy and my family made me laugh like crazy . 

The trip back home stretched out over two days and except for the crazy traffic on 95 once I hit Baltimore - everything went off without a hitch. 

I’m confident that I can drive anywhere now - as long I have a talking GPS at my fingertips. 

And I’ve decided to leave one of my LH medical ID bracelets ( I own 4,) in my locked glove compartment because I never want to worry like that again. 

I don’t want worrying about the what-ifs (diabetes or otherwise,) to hold me back from traveling and exploring life.   

Disclosure1: Lauren's Hope didn't charge me for my bracelet. 
I told them I was going to write about what happened because I was so damn grateful and felt/still feel that if it could happen to me, it could happen to you and knowing that there's a solution is key.
 I didn't expect anything in return, but it was nice gesture and greatly appreciated.  

Disclosure 2: I own four LH bracelets (3 before Thanksgiving,) and after my road trip, I decided to become a LH affiliate.

That means I will get a very small percentage if you place an order with LH, via clicking on their here.

Any money earned will go towards domain renewals for both diabetesaliciousness and IwishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes.Org .

You can learn about LH affiliates program, HERE. 
You can read disclosure policies of this blog, HERE. 

I never want you to think I'm not being honest, so I'm telling you upfront. 

Lastly, it doesn't matter to me where you or your loved ones get your medical IDs. 

What matters most to me is that you and your loved ones actually WEAR your medical IDs - and if you forget to bring yours on a trip or lose it while traveling, you're able to have a replacement sent to you within 24 hours. 

I Need A Hand

So...hand & wrist surgery on my other hand in a few minutes.

Any and all positive vibes would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks guys! 

December Diabetes Reminders

As if people living with diabetes don't have enough to do without scrambling for end of year RX refills, dr's appointments, etc. But we don't have a choice -we must. 
January 1,2017 isn't only New Year's Day - it's the day our yearly insurance deductibles start all over again. If you've met your 2016 deductible or not - get those refills, tests, and end of year appointments done, ASAP!
And yes, it's a pain in the ass - but it's important!
#####  

The following is your December reminder(s) to refill your end-of-year prescriptions; look into getting new eye glasses, get fitted for orthotics, ( Medicare covers both orthotic inserts and one pair of "diabetic shoes, every year,) and most insurances cover orthotics (fully or partially,) if you have diabetes. 

Make sure your up to date on your pump, CGM, and tests strip supplies. 

Schedule and all last minute appointments and Lab RX/test requests for December, before your 2017 deductible kicks in. 

If you've met your deductible for 2016, December is time to order your new pump, if you're due. And once deductibles have been met and according to your plan, your RX medications may be reduced in price or on some plans, free.

If that's the case with your plan/plans, today would be a great day to call your doctors up and get your one-month prescriptions for December changed into three month RXs, fill them ASAP, and save some money in the process. 
Heads-up: It might not go exactly as you planned on all fronts - but it will still save you some money.

December is also a great time to stock up on insulin pump double/triple AAA batteries- most stores have batteries on sale this time of year - thank you Christmas/Hanukkah toys!

And not like we have enough to do, but December is also the time of year for many to research, pick, and choose 2017 healthcare plans. 

Ut's going to be a long and expensive winter, folks -and a little prep goes a long way~