Diabetes Rant

D365 Day 11

2007-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Two Things.

There are two things that can upset me in the morning.

1. An unexpected high blood sugar.
2. An bad espresso shot.

Happily I solved the past week's espresso problem. It was simply a
case of badly ground beans.

If only the unexplained highs were so easy to fix.

D365 Day 10

2007-12-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Technology.

Stopped into Starbucks on our way home from dinner to pick up some coffee beans.

A. asks me, "Want a hot chocolate?"
A quick check of the Dex gives me my answer.

I really like D technology.

D365 Day 9

2007-12-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

Treat.

A hot chocolate treat following wreath hanging. Blood sugar be damned - It is snowing!

D365 Day 8

2007-12-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Test Strip.

They are everywhere.

D365 Day 7

2007-11-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

9.6

I tend to eat very healthy well balanced meals. Also - over the past six months I have been eating 90% local foods.

I got home on Friday - and realized that the only local food I had in the house were potatoes, onions, and a single green pepper. Luckily I had a canned some tomatoes early this fall - and was able to throw together this very carbs heavy dinner.

I called the dish 9.6 after the units of insulin I had to take to cover it. It is going to be a long carb heavy root vegetable based winter!

D365 Day 6

2007-11-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Kit.

I love my diabetes testing kit.

I find them at Kate Spade. This is my third one.

D365 Day 5

2007-11-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Work.

Health Disparities. It is an issue that my boss works on. I'm luckily that I get the opportunity to occasionally help others with diabetes get the help they need.

The article can be found here
.
The sentence read “grants will, for example, allow Worcester's health department to open an office of healthcare equity, pay for a mobile information van that helps consumers better understand the complexities of doctor's recommendations, and develop methods for better educating patients about diabetes.”

D365 Day 4

2007-11-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Logging.

I hate to log. It is my diabetes nemesis.

D365 Day 3

2007-11-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

Late Night

I hate falling asleep on the couch - then after dragging my sleepy self to bed - realizing I need to change my pump before actually getting into bed.

D365 Day 2

2007-11-25T19:41:00.001-05:00

Seaview and Parker.

I went for a run at my parent’s house this morning. I love to run in their quiet Cape Cod town.

Instead of taking my usual right hand turn back to their house on Wianno Ave. I went left to follow Seaview Ave to Parker Road. It added 1.5 miles to the run.

It occurred to me as I made my way down Seaview, the sun shining on the ocean and through the trees, that I wasn't running for my diabetes.

I run because it is peaceful, quiet, and beautiful. I run because it feels good.

I run in spite of the diabetes; in spite of the blood sugar drops, the lifesavers and dexcom in my pocket, and the need to carry my cell phone.

D365 Day 1

2007-11-24T20:57:00.001-05:00

The Perfect Day.

What could be a better way to jump into the diabetes photo pool than with a day in range.

80 to 160

It's a start.

One post per week

2007-01-12T16:28:00.000-05:00

It is only the second week of January so I think I should still try to carry out my annual "to do" list. It's Friday and I did say one blogger entry per week - so here I am.

I had planned to sort out some feelings on my borrowed DexCom - but I am still don't know what I am going to do. I plan to bring it back from the four week trial at my d appointment next week.

The reason I haven't sat down and laid out the pro's and con's yet - Jury Duty.

Most people in the state of Massachusetts serve 1 to 3 days. Me - three weeks, And for the second time. Last time I served it was a four week trial. I honestly don't know why people trust me to be fair and impartial. Maybe it's the blond hair and the innocent face.

So for a lack of having an interesting d-related entry - I'll answer questions that have shown up in my comments section recently. I'm a proud lurker - even on my own blog.

1. Gay and Diabetic... Yup. The few, the proud.
2. Family Plans.... still working that out. Subject of blog posts to come.
3. Diabetic Milk Powder.... I don't exchange links. Sorry.

Hopefully I'll do my DexCom list tomorrow.

A few thoughts on 2007

2007-01-03T14:32:00.000-05:00

I don't believe in resolutions. They seemed doomed to failure.

I make a "To Do" List though.

1. One blogger entry per week. It's not like I can use my thesis as an excuse any more.
2. Look for new job. The shiny new Masters degree should come in handy.
3. Get that A1C under 6.5. I think the new Dexcom is going to help with that.
4. Start family. I have said it to myself - and of course A - but oh my - it's scary to see it out there for public viewing.
5. Read at least one book per month. This is my annual To Do item.

I think the above items will give me enough blogger fodder for several weeks. Thank God.

But I'm not dead yet!

2007-01-03T14:04:00.000-05:00

Text message to A around 3:45 yesterday afternoon.

Good news will reconsider. Recessing till 4:30. We get a do over. We're not dead yet!

It started at 2 pm yesterday. The first anti-marriage vote passed at 2:34. There was then a motion to reconsider - which, to quote state house legal council, means "a do over." The reconsider motion passed. At 3:45 I was hopeful. So about 4:35 I made my way back to a television set to watch the debate.

Didn't happen. No debate. Back from recess and they went straight to a vote. We lost .... again.

There was nothing we could do. Yesterdays vote by the Massachusetts Legislature was a power struggle between two men, who were trying to prove whose (insert your own noun here) was bigger.

So it's a new day and a new Legislature. We are one step closer to a nasty ballot battle in this state. But at least we're not dead..... yet.

More info here.

The email I just sent

2006-12-11T15:59:00.000-05:00

to my CDE

Hi S,

I wanted to give you a heads up on my appointment tomorrow. I do not have great records- and my blood sugars have been running high since thanksgiving. I am about 99% sure that it is due to stress. I am currently finishing my thesis for my masters and it is due on Friday. I cannot remember a time that I have been under this much stress. I really don't think any changes to Basel rates etc. would be appropriate until my schedule settles down next week.

I would like to make my appointment as productive as possible. I am also training on the dexcom after our appointment - so that might be enough to discuss. Is there anything else that I can do or think about before we meet? (Blood sugar and stress management might be worthwhile as well).

Thanks,

E

Thank god I have the best CDE in the world. I love that I can send an email to her less than 24 hours before my appointment - and she'll work with this. No blame.

Another point - I cannot believe what prolonged stress does to blood sugars. I haven't seen so many 200 and 300 sustained numbers in a couple of years.

I can't wait till Friday

A post from the edge

2006-11-09T12:50:00.000-05:00

It's d-blog day. I would love to to put something out here that is good and touching - but I don't have the time or energy.

I work in politics. It's a hard business in November. And thank god this year we have gotten something for the blood, sweat, and tears.

But for me - it's not over. I am back at the Massachusetts State House again - because once more they are voting on my marriage.

Guess what - you do not get to vote on my marriage until your the one who

gets up in the middle of the night to get me juice.
sits quietly with me why I recover from a 400 blood sugar
reminds me to test frequently because I've been at polls for 12 hours and have been eating donuts all day
hates this disease more than I do because she can't take it away
still hopes for a cure - because I can't anymore

Once you do that - then we can talk about my marriage

One more thing

2006-10-25T16:54:00.000-04:00

Add New Jersey to the list of states I can visit!

So now we got
Vermont
Connecticut
and New Jersey.

(I include Rhode Island on that list too - but it's not really official)

Let's just hope that New Jersey goes the whole way with the marriage license. No need to reinvent the wheel here.

A brief return

2006-10-25T11:33:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, and it will probably be a while again. (I'm blaming it on the thesis due in 45 days that only has 3 pages written!)

But it's that time of year again.

Campaign Season.

Of course every two years you can count on those "love thy neighbor" folks heading to polls to try and stop the immorality that has taken hold of this country.
(You know- the war in Iraq over WMD, Enron, and the lack of affordable health care.)

A. found this ad last night. You've probably seen the Michael J. Fox one - but this is just as good and not being shown on national tv.

Because sometimes you just need to laugh

2006-07-28T12:13:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to post this for the past week- but only getting around to it today.
oh well.

John Stewart's take on the Stem Cell Veto. (From Crooks and Liars)

The first veto

2006-07-19T10:27:00.000-04:00

After 6 years in office, Bush will finally pick up his veto pen.
Like Republicans before him - will it be to veto federal spending that has ballooned under his administration.

Nope- he is vetoing the stem cell research bill, HR 810.

More on the bill and veto at ABC News. Also watch Michael J. Fox's interview from GMA this morning. And the News Analysis from the NY Times.

Also - JDRF email action alert from yesterday. Call the White House. (And keep trying if it is busy.)

Subject: Senate Vote Results and Action Alert

Congratulations!
Today
the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act by a
vote of 63 to 37. Your hard work and dedication made this achievement possible!

The U.S. Senate now joins the U.S. House of Representatives in passing
legislation—with broad bipartisan support—to expand the current federal
embryonic stem cell research policy. This vote marks an important and historic
step forward in our collective efforts to expand the current policy.

It is clear that your efforts in contacting your Senators have made a difference
and has resulted in great strides on this issue. We received feedback that
Members' offices were flooded with calls, emails, and faxes. During debate on
the Senate floor, Members spoke of JDRF Children's Congress delegates, and
juvenile diabetes was one of the diseases most often discussed.

H.R. 810 will be sent to President Bush and he has stated that he will veto it tomorrow (Wednesday, July 19). If the President vetoes H.R. 810, the U.S. House of
Representatives will vote to override the veto immediately thereafter. We ask
that you continue to help by doing the following:

1. Call the White House to ask that the President sign H.R. 810 into law. The White House Comment Line is open beginning at 9:00am Eastern: (202) 456-1111.

Here are a few
talking points you may use in your message for the President:

• I am calling to ask that President Bush sign H.R.810 into law;
• Stem cell research has the potential to benefit millions of Americans who suffer from debilitating diseases and disorders like diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and
spinal cord injuries;
• We need to give our scientists the best tools to fully explore the promise of this research;
• Expanding the current embryonic stem cell research policy is supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans.

2. Call your U.S. Representative and ask them to vote in
favor of the veto override for H.R. 810 if it comes before them.
Representative XXXX XXXXXX
(202) 225-XXXX

See below to learn how
your Senators voted on H.R. 810.
Tomorrow we will send you another alert
asking you to thank the Senators who voted in favor of H.R. 810 but for now we
need your help with contacting the White House and your U.S. Representative.

If this bill is indeed vetoed by the President and the override effort
falls short, JDRF will continue to work towards our goal of expanding the
current policy. We will need your continued efforts, so stay tuned for future
communications asking for your help.

With sincere thanks for your hard work and support,
JDRF Government Relations

U.S. Senate Roll Call:
H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005

Yes (63):
Senator Lisa Murkowski—AK
Senator Ted Stevens—AK
Senator Blanche Lincoln—AR
Senator Mark Pryor—AR
Senator John McCain—AZ
Senator Barbara Boxer—CA
Senator Diane Feinstein—CA
Senator Ken Salazar—CO
Senator Christopher Dodd—CT
Senator Joseph Lieberman—CT
Senator Joseph Biden—DE
Senator Thomas Carper—DE
Senator Bill Nelson—FL
Senator Daniel Akaka—HI
Senator Daniel Inouye—HI
Senator Tom Harkin—IA
Senator Richard Durbin—IL
Senator Barack Obama—IL
Senator Evan Bayh—IN
Senator Richard Lugar—IN
Senator Mary Landrieu—LA
Senator Edward Kennedy—MA
Senator John Kerry—MA
Senator Barbara Mikulski—MD
Senator Paul Sarbanes—MD
Senator Susan Collins—ME
Senator Olympia Snowe—ME
Senator Carl Levin—MI
Senator Debbie Stabenow—MI
Senator Mark Dayton—MN
Senator Thad Cochran—MS
Senator Trent Lott—MS
Senator Max Baucus—MT
Senator Richard Burr—NC
Senator Kent Conrad—ND
Senator Byron Dorgan—ND
Senator Judd Gregg—NH
Senator Frank Lautenberg—NJ
Senator Robert Menendez—NJ
Senator Jeff Bingaman—NM
Senator Harry Reid—NV
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton—NY
Senator Charles Schumer—NY
Senator Gordon Smith—OR
Senator Ron Wyden—OR
Senator Arlen Specter—PA
Senator Lincoln Chafee—RI
Senator Jack Reed—RI
Senator Tim Johnson—SD
Senator Lamar Alexander—TN
Senator Bill Frist—TN
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison—TX
Senator Robert Bennett—UT
Senator Orrin Hatch—UT
Senator John Warner—VA
Senator James Jeffords—VT
Senator Patrick Leahy—VT
Senator Maria Cantwell—WA
Senator Patty Murray—WA
Senator Russ Feingold—WI
Senator Herbert Kohl—WI
Senator Robert Byrd—WV
Senator John Rockefeller—WV

No
(37):
Jeff Sessions—AL
Senator Jon Kyl—AZ
Senator Wayne Allard—CO
Senator Mel Martinez—FL
Senator Saxby Chambliss—GA
Senator Johnny Isakson—GA
Senator Charles Grassley—IA
Senator Larry Craig—ID
Senator Michael Crapo—ID
Senator Richard Lugar—IN
Senator Sam Brownback—KS
Senator Pat Roberts—KS
Senator Mitch McConnell—KY
Senator Jim Bunning—KY
Senator David Vitter—LA
Senator Norm Coleman—MN
Senator Jim Talent—MO
Senator Christopher Bond—MO
Senator Conrad Burns—MT
Senator Elizabeth Dole—NC
Senator Ben Nelson—NE
Senator Chuck Hagel—NE
Senator John Sununu—NH
Senator Pete Domenici—NM
Senator John Ensign—NV
Senator Mike DeWine—OH
Senator George Voinovich—OH
Senator Tom Coburn—OK
Senator James Inhofe—OK
Senator George Voinovich—OH
Senator Rick Santorum—PA
Senator Jim DeMint—SC
Senator Lindsay Graham—SC
Senator John Thune—SD
Senator John Cornyn—TX
Senator George Allen—VA
Senator Craig Thomas—WY
Senator Michael Enzi—WY

Diabeetis

2006-07-14T10:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! Go visit Wilford and his diabeetis videos.

The sky is falling

2006-07-11T12:27:00.000-04:00

Literally.

The ceiling of the 14 billion Big Dig Project fell last night, killing a women from Jamaica Plain. Yet the Massachusetts state legislature is set to spend more hours taking about my marriage.

It's heartbreaking. I think we have bigger problems than what E. and A. do when they go home at night. (make dinner, fold laundry, feed cats, load the dish washer, watch "The Closer")

On a blog related note- the d is going pretty well. Struggling with similar weight issues that Nicole has been writing about, planning on talking about Symlin with the doctor.
I am also planning to blog again - just need to find some time.

To the girl across the crowed room

2006-05-17T07:45:00.000-04:00

May 17th 2004. The first gay couples get legally married in Massachusetts.

Rev. Kim K. Crawford Harvie signing Goodridge plaintiff's, Rob Compton and David Wilson, marriage license.

May 17th 2005. E. and A. get their own marriage license.

Looking back at the good (and bad) A1Cs, eye appointments, food poisoning - twice, and too many infusion sites to count, I can say its been a wonderful year. I couldnt have done it without you A. Thanks again for being my person.

Happy May 17th. Go visit MassEquality today.

A new pump

2006-04-24T15:43:00.000-04:00

I just saw that MiniMed has received FDA clearance on their new cgms sensor pump. Even though the Nurse tempered my excitement about the new cgms systems at my last appointment I find this pretty interesting.

I am planning on getting the "baby-ready" A1C (6.0) without the use of a cgms system. Until my last appointment - I had been looking at the sensor systems as to final step to the "baby-ready" A1C. But the folks at Joslin assure me that I can do it without the new technology.

But maybe by next winter.....

MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time

A young feminist's reading list

2006-04-12T16:38:00.000-04:00

A Book Meme from Julia. I am feeling pretty good right now- but then again I read the majority of these before I finished high school.

Instructions: Bold the ones you've read. Italicize the ones you've been wanting/might like to read. ??Place question marks by any titles/authors you've never heard of?? Plus I'm adding this, as Turtlebella noted that the choice of books by each author is a mite idiosyncratic: put an asterisk if you've read something else by the same author.

Allcott, Louisa May Little Women
Allende, Isabel The House of Spirits
Angelou, Maya I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Atwood, Margaret Cat's Eye
Austen, Jane Emma
??Bambara, Toni Cade Salt Eaters
??Barnes, Djuna Nightwoodde
Beauvoir, Simone The Second Sex
Blume, Judy Are You There God? It's Me Margaret
Burnett, Frances The Secret Garden
Bronte, Charlotte Jane Eyre
Bronte, Emily Wuthering Heights
**Buck, Pearl S. The Good Earth
Byatt, A.S. Possession
**Cather, Willa My Antonia
Chopin, Kate The Awakening
Christie, Agatha Murder on the Orient Express
Cisneros, Sandra The House on Mango Street
** Clinton, Hillary Rodham Living History
??Cooper, Anna Julia A Voice From the South
??Danticat, Edwidge Breath, Eyes, Memory
Davis, Angela Women, Culture, and Politics
??Desai, Anita Clear Light of Day
Dickinson, Emily Collected Poems
Duncan, Lois I Know What You Did Last Summer
DuMaurier, Daphne Rebecca
Eliot, George Middlemarch
Emecheta, Buchi Second Class Citizen
??Erdrich, Louise Tracks
Esquivel, Laura Like Water for Chocolate
Flagg, Fannie Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Friedan, Betty The Feminine Mystique
Frank, Anne Diary of a Young Girl
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins The Yellow Wallpaper
??Gordimer, Nadine July's People
**Grafton, Sue S is for Silence
Hamilton, Edith Mythology
Highsmith, Patricia The Talented Mr. Ripley
Hooks, Bell Bone Black
Hurston, Zora Neale Tracks on the Road
??Jacobs, Harriet Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Jackson, Helen Hunt Ramona
Jackson, Shirley The Haunting of Hill House
Jong, Erica Fear of Flying
Keene, Carolyn The Nancy Drew Mysteries
Kidd, Sue Monk The Secret Life of Bees
**Kincaid, Jamaica Lucy
**Kingsolver, Barbara The Poisonwood Bible
Kingston, Maxine Hong The Woman Warrior
??Larsen, Nella Passing
L'Engle, Madeleine A Wrinkle in Time
??Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness
Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird
Lessing, Doris The Golden Notebook
??Lively, Penelope Moon Tiger
Lorde, Audre The Cancer Journals
Martin, Ann M. The Babysitters Club Series (Remember #3 where we find out that Stacey was a diabetic)
??McCullers, Carson The Member of the Wedding
??McMillan, Terry Disappearing Acts
??Markandaya, Kamala Nectar in a Sieve
Marshall, Paule Brown Girl, Brownstones
Mitchell, Margaret Gone with the Wind
Montgomery, Lucy Maudâ Anne of Green Gables
??Morgan, Joan When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost
Morrison, Toni Song of Solomon
Murasaki, Lady Shikibu The Tale of Genji
Munro, Alice Lives of Girls and Women
??Murdoch, Iris Severed Head??
Naylor, Gloria Mama Day
??Niffenegger, Audrey The Time Traveller's Wife
Oates, Joyce Carol We Were the Mulvaneys
??O'Connor, Flannery A Good Man is Hard to Find
??Piercy, Marge Woman on the Edge of Time
Picoult, Jodi My Sister's Keeper
Plath, Sylvia The Bell Jar
??Porter, Katharine Anne Ship of Fools
Proulx, E. Annie The Shipping News
Rand, Ayn The Fountainhead
Ray, Rachel 365: No Repeats
Rhys, Jean Wide Sargasso Sea
??Robinson, Marilynne Housekeeping
??Rocha, Sharon For Laci
Sebold, Alice The Lovely Bones
Shelley, Mary Frankenstein
Smith, Betty A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Smith, Zadie White Teeth
Spark, Muriel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
??Spyri, Johanna Heidi
Strout, Elizabeth Amy and Isabelle
Steel, Danielle The House
Tan, Amy The Joy Luck Club
??Tannen, Deborah You're Wearing That
??Ulrich, Laurel A Midwife's Tale
??Urquhart, Jane Away
**Walker, Alice The Temple of My Familiar
Welty, Eudora One Writer's Beginnings
Wharton, Edith Age of Innocence
Wilder, Laura Ingalls Little House in the Big Woods
Wollstonecraft, Mary A Vindication of the Rights of Women
Woolf, Virginia A Room of One's Own