tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89798603746306455532024-03-05T22:19:54.613+08:00SugarFreeSweetyMy diabetic adventures.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-27639660615404072372015-02-17T13:00:00.000+08:002015-02-17T13:00:22.470+08:00Waking up LowI've had more morning lows than I care to count. <br />
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When I have a low in the middle of the night it usually wakes me up. I don't know what it is that wakes me but I'm so grateful that my body recognizes the low enough to rouse consciousness and alert me to the situation. I stumble around in the dark and get some glucose in then usually just crash back into bed. <br />
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When I wake up with a low I immediately have a headache. Sometimes I get this strange feeling that a low is pulling me deeper into sleep. That kind of scares me. If I don't wake up... how low will my blood sugar drop? Sometimes I get migraine like symptoms with a low. Bright spots in my vision, bright spots when I close my eyes in the shower. That makes the headache start to pound. <br />
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Morning lows put me in a bad mood. After having kids, I've become less of a morning person anyway. Add a low to the morning routine and I'm basically an angry bear in the morning. Sigh. <br />
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Lows always suck. But lows in the morning... those are the worst! <br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-46223292724795425462014-11-02T21:03:00.001+08:002014-11-02T21:03:26.324+08:00A year laterIt's been roughly a year since I received a whole lot of bad news, blogged<a href="http://sugarfreesweety.blogspot.sg/2013/12/part-2-new-doctor-lots-of-tests.html" target="_blank"> here. </a><br />
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In the 11 months since that time, I've had quite a LONG year in my diabetes (and overall health) care. However, I am happy to say that I just had my blood work repeated and everything came back within normal ranges with the exception of thyroid to which my doctor has made a very small change. When I received this news yesterday I was ecstatic. The past year has been such a struggle and I am so happy to learn that all of my hard work is paying off and I'm once again kicking diabetes to the curb. That's a really good feeling. <br />
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The major thing which has changed for me this year is gluten. Last year when my doctor saw my numbers he said I fall within the range that could be considered a Celaic diagnosis. I took him seriously and slowly began removing wheat and gluten from my diet. It was a struggle. really, really difficult at times. I am STILL not perfect at it and it is still very difficult here in Singapore but I am doing so much better and I FEEL so much better too. And now, my blood work shows that it's working for me too. <br />
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There's so much more to be said about what has happened in the last 12 months and what's yet to come for me and my care but I'll leave it at this for now. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-16172651179168419982014-10-12T16:09:00.000+08:002014-10-12T16:09:21.914+08:00Insulin Pump Set Change ProcessBeen a long while since I've blogged. There's a lot behind that and I'm not sure how to get back "in to" it except for to just jump right in. I may have written this before but I just don't like to focus on my diabetes all of the time. I'm glad that there are diabetes blogs out there for others to read should they do so but I don't always have the head space to make it MORE a part of my day than it already is. I'd rather focus on living my life as the normal person that I feel I am. That isn't to say that I don't focus on taking care of myself because I certainly spend plenty of effort doing that, I just don't care to blog about it (or even talk about it) constantly. You won't see much about diabetes on my Facebook page or on my family blog. There is MORE to ME than just diabetes, diabetes news, diabetes articles, diabetes research... I am so much more interesting than all of that.. and again I don't mean that in a negative way. <br />
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ANYWAY, I have realized recently that there are some people who are interested, possibly curious, about my life with diabetes. And that, I don't mind sharing. I have lived in my new location for just about a year and many of the people I now associate with, my friends, don't know a whole lot about diabetes like some of my friends whom I've been associated with longer have already learned from me about my condition. So, for their benefit I've been posting little snippets on my Instagram and Facebook. When the reaction is positive, I tend to be more willing to share more... a little. <br />
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SO... Here's what I've recently shared. It's nothing new. It's stuff people who wear insulin pumps already know, but for some of my new friends, they were fascinated. They had no idea I could chose where I want to put my site, that I could move it every three days, and that I could wear my pump in any place I want to. I wear my insulin pump on the belt clip and apparently in the same location on my waistband that one of my friends thought it was permanently in that spot at about four o'clock on my belt. <br />
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Without further ado, I give you the process of changing out the insulin pump set in a step by step post. <br />
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Going from right to left, top to bottom here are the steps of changing out my site- or my pump.<br />
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1. (not pictured) I rewind my pump, remove my old site and throw away the tubing, reservoir, and infusion set.<br />
2. (top left) fill the reservoir with enough insulin for three days (300mL for me)<br />
3. (top middle) attach the reservoir to the tubing (the little blue thing that's on top of the insulin vial in photo 1 is thrown away<br />
4. (top right) I insert the full reservoir (now attached to the tubing) into the pump... I should have taken a different photo.<br />
5. (bottom left) Fill or prime the tubing by holding down the ACT button. In this photo you can see 2.6 units being primed into the tubing. I hold that down until it reaches about 14 units and then I see drops coming out of the needle and no air bubbles in my tubing. Sometimes it takes more units and sometimes it takes less. I like the longer tubing ( I think it is 42 centimeters long or something) so it takes a few more units of insulin than the shorter tubing but that length just works better for me.<br />
6. at this point I attach the insulin pump- see next photo<br />
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7. This needle goes into<br />
8. my arm, hip, or stomach (let's be honest, I NEVER use tummy sites- bad experience)<br />
9. I pull the needle (blue piece and attached metal needle) out and the plastic cannula 6mm long stays inside of my body for the next three days. <br />
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Just as a bonus here's a BRIEF explanation on how pumping insulin works. <br />
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I use fast acting insulin only mine is called Humalog but there are a few other brands and names. I have programmed my pump with the help of my doctors and logging my blood sugars to meet the needs of my body without food or exercise throughout the day. This type of insulin delivery is called BASAL insulin. It is like my baseline. So hypothetically if I am fasting all day long this is the amount of insulin I need throughout the day and night. <br />
The second way I give insulin is through BOLUSING or a BOLUS. I give a bolus of one unit of insulin for every gram of carbohydrate I eat. So, if I eat a meal of 30g. of carbohydrates I need a bolus of 4.2 units. <br />
To take it a step further, my pump and my glucometer (blood tester) communicate with each other wirelessly (blue tooth) so at a meal time I will test my blood sugar and the value gets beamed to my pump. Then I count the carbs in my meal and enter my bolus. If my blood sugar is high I need one unit of insulin for every 25 points over 100 mg/dl that my sugar is. So... if I were eating a meal of 30 carbs and my blood sugar was 125 I would need 5.2 units instead of 4.2. <br />
Conversley, if my blood sugar is low then I need a little less insulin. So if I tested and my blood sugar were like, 65 then I would take about 2.2 units instead of 4.2. <br />
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Wow! It's a good thing I know how to do a little math! But don't worry because really my insulin pump has all of my own calculations entered and it really does all of the math for me! ;) Maybe I'll do some screen captures and photographs of insulin deliver for my next series of Instagram photos. <br />
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PS: If you're still way down here reading this entire post you can look up on this blog for my tag "a day in the life" and see the series of posts I did back in 2007 for a more comprehensive look at my daily diabetes routine. Not much has changed even though it's been 7 years, diabetically speaking. <br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-68894590863689596152014-01-29T10:25:00.000+08:002014-02-09T16:14:48.010+08:00Busted PumpWent to take my lunch bolus the other day when my pump just up and broke. The most ironic thing about that was on my to-do list for that very day was to call Medtronic and see if I needed to replace my pump due to a crack in the battery chamber that had been there for over a month. I was probably going to make that call about an hour after my pump just quit working on me.<br />
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So, I went to take my bolus for lunch and my pump wouldn't deliver the insulin. This is the error I received. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RVEE5Z1fpBqNkV90P_W_iik3bs91obZlQLPYFU7tpmGGxbuF02KA2yhUcabnyUR7BLB0D19Ao6HirotuoeYEnDZZKUxDGA8ExfSICklQQZSoBFqoohoFHeFAaGCyH8xF-GqmhMjzcrRd/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RVEE5Z1fpBqNkV90P_W_iik3bs91obZlQLPYFU7tpmGGxbuF02KA2yhUcabnyUR7BLB0D19Ao6HirotuoeYEnDZZKUxDGA8ExfSICklQQZSoBFqoohoFHeFAaGCyH8xF-GqmhMjzcrRd/s1600/018.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crumbs on the table give it a special touch, don't you think?<br />
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So, I did what any reasonable diabetic would, and commenced to FREAK out. I rewound the pump and reloaded the reservoir (after disconnecting) and came upon the Motor Error again. A good friend was helping me through the freak out and suggested I try new tubing and reservoir. I did that and still got the same error. I tried it with a new battery and still got the Motor Error. <br />
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I called Medtronic in Singapore after searching for their number. Left a frantic voice mail and continued freaking out. I was pretty well panicked but somewhere in the mix I took an injection to cover my lunch. I called my husband and he was able to dial internationally and connect me with Medtronic in the US. </div>
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Thank goodness, because I hadn't heard back from the "local office" at all. </div>
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I went through with support at Medtronic and they confirmed that my pump was indeed busted. They told me that my pump is covered under its' warranty until June of 2015 so they would send me a new pump. THAT'S when I told them that I don't actually live in the United States and that I in fact live 9,000 miles away in Singapore. The customer service representative wasn't really quite sure what she should do but she said they'd send me a pump through their global office and that "global" would be contacting me soon. </div>
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I searched through my diabetes cabinets for my back up pump and couldn't find it. I guess I gave it to Hurricane Sandy victims? I can't remember. <br />
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With the help of a friend, I was able to calm down enough to figure out a reasonable number for a Lantus dose and take that (about an hour after my pump died). I called my local doctor and left a voice mail for him to call me back so that I could make sure I'd taken that Lantus shot correctly, to let him know that I was taking injections, and to tell him that my pump was broken.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busted Pump aftermath </td></tr>
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By the way, if your pump breaks, it's good to have a back up pump. But if you don't have that, it's a wise idea to have some long-acting insulin on hand. I'd also suggest having your basal rates, correction doses, and carbohydrate ratios written down. Luckily, I had a Lantus pen in my refrigerator so I was able to switch over to Multiple Daily Injections (MDI) until a new pump arrived. I didn't have Humalog (or anything similar) in pen form, which kind of sucks, but I had syringes and plenty of bottles of Humalog so for boluses and corrections, I just used that method. </div>
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I'm not sure if it was just by coincidence or what but later that day, the Medtronic rep was at my doctors office and after I called them back a second time, the two of them returned my call. My doc told me that I was taking my Lantus the way I was supposed to and that the Medtronic rep had a loaner pump I could use until my new pump came from the states. <br />
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Here's how I figured out how much Lantus I should take. I added up all of my basal rates to find my daily basal total. I took that amount divided by two every 12 hours. Technically, you could take the whole thing in one shot every 24 hours but Lantus doesn't quite work as well as fast-acting insulin so if I only took an injection every 12 hours, then I could adjust that amount in 12 hours instead of waiting an entire day to do so. </div>
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It wasn't until the end of the next day that the Singapore office received word that the US team had received a report on my pump being broken and that a new one was en-route. They figured it would take about a week. Something I hadn't realized before was that ALL Medtronic pumps come out of California. Asian, European, Australian, and American pumps all come from the same place. Huh. Guess that just hadn't occurred to me before. At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it works. </div>
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Anyway, about a day and a half later, the Medtronic rep came to my house with a loaner pump. I was sure relieved to go off of MDI even though it had only been about 36 hours. I hooked that sucker up and was off and running. </div>
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The next day, in a moment of clarity, I suddenly remembered where I'd stored my back-up pump. I felt like an idiot for not remembering, but was still comforted by the fact that I did indeed have a back-up should I ever need it. Since I was already using the loaner pump, I didn't bother getting my own back-up pump out. While thinking I had donated it to the Red Cross was a lovely idea, I'm glad I have a back up. Especially now that I know a replacement is going to take a week to get here. <br />
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It was exactly one week to the day that my replacement pump arrived. The rep was nice enough to come out to my house again and deliver it. I gave him back the loaner pump and hooked in to my new pump. It's been working well since then. <br />
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When I tweeted, posted on Facebook and Instagram a picture of my "Motor Error" I was really surprised to hear from many Medtronic users that they'd experienced the same thing. One follower told me he's had SIX pumps with errors needing to be replaced. With the exception of my 508 having an unfortunate run-in with the banister thus cracking the screen, I've never had to have a pump replaced until the Revel. This is now my third Revel pump. I'm really curious if they'll be a recall on this pump due to the motor error sometime in the near future, but I suppose time will tell. </div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-74221728313113169642013-12-16T19:53:00.000+08:002014-01-19T19:56:09.705+08:00Part 2: New Doctor, lots of TestsSo my new Doc, Dr. Lee, decided to have me get a full panel of blood work. I was to be fasting and have all of the blood in my body drained out for testing. Not really, but this list was LONG! I was actually really glad though, because I've been wondering about some things and feeling like others weren't properly treated. <br />
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Anywho, I got a taxi after 40 minutes of waiting in the rain and headed down to the medical center for labs. Little did I know, the results were gonna be scarier than that dang needle. <br />
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The same day that I had my labs done, I went to my doctors office to have a CGM inserted for my blind trial. Again, he wanted a blind trial so that I wouldn't be interacting with the CGM but rather to collect the data and make adjustments to my insulin regimen. <br />
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One week later, I went back to the doc to upload the CGM data, review that, and talk about my labs. <br />
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The week that I was wearing my CGM, my doc wanted me to be recording all of my blood sugars, meals, and insulin doses. Introducing the mySugr app. Very cool, highly recommend it! It was a great little app on the iOs and I found it was easy to use and maybe even a little entertaining. I logged everything really well for seven days and haven't used it since. What can I say? I gave up on logging a LONG time ago! Plus I log all of my calories on MyFitnessPal so that's just way too much time on logging! <br />
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I digress. So, I went back to see Dr. Lee. First we went over all of my labs. <br />
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Testosterone & Estrogen tests were normal: no PCOS (whew!)<br />
Lipids (Cholesterol): bad (CRAP!)<br />
Hashimotos (thyroid): still uncontrolled even though I take thyroid meds (SIGH)<br />
Uric Acid (proteins in urine detecting kidney function): high (SHIT!)<br />
Celiac (allergy to wheat): Positive (double SHIT!)<br />
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Then we went over my CGM and it was fine. <br />
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So, basically, my blood sugars are under control and I don't have PCOS but other than that I'm a complete mess. <br />
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This was REALLY HARD news for me to swallow. Really. Hard. <br />
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I'd seen a doctor about my thyroid and possibly having Celiac previously but I was never actually tested for Celaic. I played around with gluten free for about a month and then I decided to move across the globe and basically forgot about all of it. <br />
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This time though, it's time to face the facts and realize what I already thought I knew. Celiac. Positive. And no more wheat for me! That SUCKS! <br />
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As for the Cholesterol, I'm just gonna go ahead and say that I had already had a high cholesterol come back and this one wasn't really a surprise. In the states though, my beloved Dr. Day told me I could wait until I was 35 before starting on any medications. Not this Doc. He wants me on a low dose of Statins. It took me almost a week to take that first pill. So far no bad side effects so I think I"m good there. And if it protects my heart, then I'll do what I gotta do. <br />
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Hashimotos. or hypothyroid. So I've got that. I have been taking thyroid meds for quite some time and I knew they weren't enough. I saw some whack job at the beginning of last summer and he wasn't doing it for me so I quit him and ignored it. Until now. I'm on double my dose from before and finally able to wake up in the morning! Hooray for that!<br />
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As for the Uric Acid, I got to do the ever so enjoyable 24 hour urine collection. I never heard back from them so I'm assuming that test was fine. Geez! I don't want to find out that my kidneys aren't working well. Guess I gotta stay vigilant and do everything I know to keep this dreaded diabetes under control.<br />
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Celaic. Damn. I can't believe I have Celaic. <br />
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Switching over to gluten free has been difficult. I think that's compounded with the fact that I live in a freakin expensive country and it's hard to pay for regular groceries let alone switch it all up and eat a different way. I had some really good go-tos back in the states when I tried this before. Some of those things just aren't available here and I've resorted to eating eggs all the time. Not really, but... really! I am so bored and need some good gluten free meal ideas. Particularly lunch. <br />
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I guess after a few months of focusing on the big move, and home-schooling my oldest due to some unforeseen circumstances, it is time to focus on me and my health again. It's hard when you're a mom and have another life outside of taking care of diabetes 24/7. But it's wake up calls like this that kick your butt into gear. <br />
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I didn't reach out to many in the DOC about all this, but it's time I put this story out there. <br />
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Update on my progress to follow. <br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-51240094919260289082013-11-15T21:54:00.000+08:002014-01-19T19:40:12.817+08:00New Country, New Doctor (part 1) I've totally neglected this blog. And at this point I'm sure no one is reading it. I'm not sure if I should just delete it or... try to keep it up better. I think the stories I tell (about Diabetes) are important and valuable for some to read and I really love it when someone has a question about something specific and I realize that I've written a nice long post on the topic. The only problem I have with consistently blogging about diabetes is that I HAVE ANOTHER LIFE. I mean, Diabetes is my life, but it's NOT my life and I don't want to spend ALL of my time talking about it, or writing about it. So. Yeah. That's why I don't blog here much. <br />
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HOWEVER, there have been a few things recently that I should really put out there. <br />
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So most of you know that I recently moved to the other side of the world and now live in Asia; one degree above the equator, in the tropics, on a tiny little island, city, country called Singapore (no, not Japan or China or the Philippines). Anyway, there are a lot of things about diabetes which were affected by my diabetes, or maybe it's the other way around. <br />
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First of all, I had to find a new doctor. I asked some really great resources for help on referring me to a doctor here in Singapore. Several people suggested this one doctor in particular so I figured he would be a good one.<br />
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I basically waited until the last minute to book an appointment. I'm not sure why I was dragging my feet. Maybe because I had plenty of other things to adjust to what with living in a new country or whatever, maybe it's because I REALLY like my old doctor and didn't want to face the fact that I am going to be seeing someone new for the next two or three years. Dr. Day, if you retire before I get back, so help me! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to go see my doctor. I was so nervous! </td></tr>
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He was. or... is, or whatever.<br />
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The first appointment I had with him went REALLY well. I was very pleased with the experience and found him to be VERY thorough in getting to know me, my diabetes, and my health history. He took my HbA1c and looked at my blood glucose data. He decided that he'd like more data and asked me to do a week on a blind CGM so that he could use the information to adjust my basal and bolus rates. He also ordered a FULL panel of blood work. <br />
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I wasn't really pleased with my a1c but given the disruptions to my life the previous three months, I decided to give myself a break about it and aim for better next time. <br />
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Stay tuned for part two. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-16078562229073325992013-11-08T19:01:00.000+08:002014-01-19T19:05:04.086+08:00Making Friends Met a new friend. Decided to go on a hike with this friend. The hike was intended to be a long one. About 3 or 4 hours. So, naturally, being diabetic, I had to think about ways to prepare for low blood sugars along the way. My sugars were doing really well, staying within the normal ranges so I decided to lower my basals by 50% like I would during any exercise and carry three packages of mentos with me. That's more than enough to cover any lows I may have had on the trail, as well as share some with the boys, and their new buddy. <br />
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It's really awkward, you know, meeting someone new and having to jump right in with, "so, I'm diabetic and..." But... I feel like, when doing this kind of activity, it's probably better to bring it up right away rather than, you know, try to explain while having a low or something. </div>
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New friend has a kid. This kid is basically a big fat brat. He's asking for my stash of candy pretty much right away. I tell friend that it is hard to have candy in front of kids when, you know, they're gonna want you to share, but that I always explain to my classes (substitute teacher) that they'd much rather NOT have the disease than share my candy, or juice, or orange or whatever it may be that I'm treating with. And, I don't go out of my way to openly eat it in FRONT of the kids, but sometimes you have to, especially in my profession. </div>
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So she says to me, "yeah, and I guess if they eat too much candy they can get diabetes too" UGH! Really? So I politely say, "no, not really, actually you're more prone to get it by genetic predisposition than by eating too much sugar" "Oh, I guess I don't know that much about diabetes anyway". </div>
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Right, I hadn't noticed.<br />
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Had tea with another friend and when I explained to her that I wear an insulin pump because I have diabetes her reaction was, "Oh, you have it THAT BAD?" "yeah", I said. </div>
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I mean, I don't expect everyone to know everything about diabetes, not by a long shot. But since moving, I've noticed this kind of becoming an issue for me. </div>
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I'm usually one to meet friends pretty easily. I'm outgoing, friendly, talkative, and usually that ends in me rapidly making good friends with a lot of people. I'm usually really open about diabetes. Don't mind telling poeple about it, don't mind people asking about it. Until recently. </div>
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I've had kind of a hard time adjusting to my new life here, in Asia, thousands and thousands of miles away from home. For some reason, well, I know what the main ones are, but anyway, it's just been... difficult. Add to that the fact that making new friends means they don't already know about diabetes like my friends back home already know about it... it's just added to the stress of it all. </div>
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I mean, how do you just go up to a person and explain that you have this chronic condition? It's so damned awkward. I'd take the silly questions my OLD friends had over explaining it new for the first time any day. </div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-37964158069857078822013-09-25T20:53:00.000+08:002013-09-25T20:53:34.265+08:00Traveling with Diabetes Below are my experiences in traveling with Diabetes. Recently, I moved to Singapore from the United States. I was in four air ports around the world. I have taken many flights previous to this journey whilst having diabetes. I've also been on road trips and have blogged about my pumping vacation last summer for a trip to the beach here: <a href="http://sugarfreesweety.blogspot.sg/2012/07/pump-vacation.html">http://sugarfreesweety.blogspot.sg/2012/07/pump-vacation.html</a><br />
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Disclosure:
I am not a doctor nor a TSA agent. These experiences are my own and as always, your diabetes may vary.<br />
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I've got SLC International Airport down to a science when it comes to wearing an insulin pump. But, I had never taken a year's worth of insulin across the world with me. So, I was a little bit worried about how that would all play out but it turned out fine.<br />
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I looked it up on the TSA website as well as asked them on twitter (and they responded!) about how to travel with diabetes supplies. There I found out that I could indeed take a year's worth of insulin as well as the ice packs necessary to keep it cool on the 21 hour journey. The website just said that I had to declare my insulin before putting it through. Easy enough, I thought! <br />
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As I approached the security check, I told them that I had insulin and ice inside my bag. The TSA agent asked that I separate them. I pulled out both my insulin and my ice and put them in the totes provided and sent them through security. I hid my pump under my shorts and easily walked through security. No issues and on to boarding.<br />
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The reason I choose to hide my pump is purely from experience. The insulin pump has NEVER set off the alarm. But, I've been leery of taking it through before, thinking it would set off the alarm. A couple of times, while traveling through SLC int. I showed them my pump, told them what it was, and then proceeded through the metal detector. Because I had shown them my pump, and NOT because it set off the alarm, I got the pat down. As security measures increased, and full-body scanners, and full body pat downs came around, this process also involved an extensive full-body pat down. Personally, I do not think a simple insulin pump warrants such treatment. It is a medical device, OBVIOUSLY a medical device. It is also VERY COMMONLY worn and used by millions of diabetics in the United States. Therefore, I see no reason why a pat-down is necessary. Especially when it doesn't set off the alarms. The entire process would make me more and more frustrated and I just HATED the entire process. The ONLY positive side was that my husband had to deal with the kids, their shoes, coats, bags, the stroller, and whatever else our family of four was traveling with... for just a few minutes, while I was held up in security. He usually had it under control by the time I finished and all I had to do was put on my shoes and follow them to the gate. <br />
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So. One time when traveling to see the in-laws, I decided to hide my pump by wearing it clipped to my underwear (I ALWAYS wear my insulin pump with the belt clip) underneath my jeans. No issues. Whatsoever! so... that's what I've done from now on! <br />
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But.. I digress. In San Francisco, we didn't have a lot of time. So little, in fact, that unbeknownst to us, our bags didn't make it. Security at the International gate at SFO was basically a nightmare. It was HOT and extremely crowded. The line was moving very slowly. If we hadn't had business class priority, we probably would have missed our flight... maybe. I followed the same procedure I had done in SLC but this time I made the mistake of ASKING the TSA agent whether or not I should separate my ice from my insulin inside of my carry on. He agent told me that I did NOT need to do so. And... of course, my bag was held up. The boys' bags were also held up for some reason which they decided NOT to tell us about. Damn those crayons! ha ha ha. Anyway, The woman on the x-ray side started chewing me out about not separating my ice from my insulin and I got right up in her face. I was NOT losing my cool, but very firmly, and calmly, I said to her, "THAT is why I specifically asked about it. I asked him, (pointing), right there, if I should separate my ice and insulin inside my bag before I sent it through the belt because they told me to do so in Salt Lake City and he told me that I did not." "And that is why I ASKED SPECIFICALLY". <br />
"Well," she responded "you should always do that." <br />
"Well, that's why I asked" I told her again.<br />
Eventually, our bags were all cleared through security and we were on to the gate at Singapore Airlines. <br />
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Our layover in Korea wasn't really long. I think we had about an hour. It was like 4:00 am our time and we all did very well with being awake at that time. I have to give it up to the Koreans, their Incheon airport was fantastic. Security could not have been easier. It was 6:00 pm local time and there was no line whatsoever. A nice man helped us all put our belongings into bins and carefully guided us though security. No issues with the insulin, ice, or any other bags! Quick, easy and so friendly. <br />
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By the time we made it to Singapore, we'd been en route for 21 hours. My blood sugars did very well the whole time. I did check them quite frequently, as recommended. My insulin was still cold by the time we made it to our hotel and everything arrived safely... except for our bags. ALWAYS carry on your diabetes supplies, even if you are taking a year's worth! <br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-38206829798084694302013-09-05T16:35:00.000+08:002013-09-05T16:35:07.565+08:00Moving across the globe with DiabetesMany of you who follow me on twitter and Facebook know that I recently moved from Salt Lake City, Utah to Singapore! Quite the change. And when it comes to diabetes and pumping insulin, a 14 hour time change is something to consider. <br />
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<i>Disclosure: I am not a doctor and as always, your diabetes may vary. </i><br />
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About 2 weeks before we moved, I met with my Endocrinologist. He updated all of my prescriptions and gave me a good plan for adjusting my insulin. <br />
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The plan:<br />
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- reduce my basal by 80% the day of my flight (or upon boarding)<br />
- check blood sugar frequently<br />
side note: It would have been really nice to have a working CGM but my loaner transmitter died so I was flying blind<br />
- change pump clock to local time upon landing at destination<br />
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Some people suggested changing the pump to local time upon boarding. I would not recommend that because of the distance I was traveling. It takes typically 3-7 days to acclimate to the time change and changing pump settings in advance when your body isn't used to the change could be dangerous. <br />
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The results:<br />
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I took my doctors advice and the plan has worked pretty well. About three days after I was in my new home here in Singapore I was fully adjusted to the time change and at that point I probably should have changed my pump back to the normal basal. I did not. And as a result had some unstable sugars which resulted in a yeast infection--- fantastic! But, if I'm being honest, this is a side effect a lot of women with diabetes will suffer frequently. In fact, it was how I was diagnosed 12 years ago. So, while I understand it's gross and totally TMI, it's the facts of being a woman with diabetes. Polly wolly crappy too! <br />
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Next time: traveling through security with diabetes. <br />
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-65304094306680983002013-06-17T20:55:00.000+08:002013-06-17T20:55:00.300+08:00Product Review: iBGStarSo I did a really dumb thing and bought a meter without doing proper research; because of that, I thought I'd do a product review so that you can hear what I think. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>The Positives:</u></b> </span><br />
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The meter was really cheap. I've seen some of my "friends" post pictures of their blood glucose readings from their iBG Star meters and I thought it looked like a nice meter. I found a really good deal on Walgreens and ordered it. I think the meter cost me $5, shipping included! Score.<br />
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I just discovered that I can use the meter WITHOUT plugging it into your phone. So, it is a very, very small meter. But don't forget the test strip vial and your favorite lancet delivery device AKA poker. <br />
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I did like the log book. That is easy to use, easy to read, and easy to make changes in my insulin and basal adjustments. I really like that. The graphs, logs, and statistics are all very easy to read and use. I can email my data to my HCP if he even has an email address and then we can use that at our appointment.<br />
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It's a crowd pleaser. Everyone loves that I can plug my meter into my iPhone and test my blood sugar. And it does a really fun graphic while it's processing. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>The Negatives: </u></b></span><br />
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The strips are VERY expensive. I called my Endo and asked one of the nurses to call in an Rx for strips to my pharmacy company. Another mistake I made was that I did not look in to the price of said strips. I was charged $318.00 for 90 days worth of strips. My usual co-pay for 90 days (One Touch Ultra Link) is $50. So, wow. I was kind of shocked by that. Once I'd received the strips, I could not return them. So I was stuck using these expensive strips, hopefully making them last as long as possible. <br />
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I cannot use a case of any kind on my phone. I use the iPhone 4s. It is really not a good thing to walk around with my case off all of the time but this is what I've resorted to due to the fact that I don't want to be taking my case off an on 6-10 times daily. I know there's a case which keeps the meter plugged in all of the time but I OFTEN plug my phone onto a radio and listen to music in my home, office, and wherever I'm at. So.. yeah. Don't like that.<br />
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I really don't like haivng to charge a meter. Finding a battery, even a weird battery, every, what? 5 years? is FINE BY ME. But having to plug the meter in to charge, ANNOYING!<br />
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I don't like how long the meter takes. It technically only takes about 5 seconds to register a blood glucose, but you have to plug in the meter to the bottom of your phone (or iPod if anyone is still using one of those) and wait. It has to register the clock, register your last reading, and THEN it's ready for a test. <br />
The graphic on it is pretty cool, but HONESTLY, I do not need a meter to do that. I don't even need a meter to be in COLOR. Just tell me the number. <br />
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There is no pump sync. What a pain in the butt. I hate having to remember the sugar, and scroll up or down to tell my pump what my reading was. Meters which sync to pumps are MUCH better. I know this may sound totally snob-ish but Diabetes is a big enough pain, devices which make it easier, I love you!<br />
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Errors. I've had more errors with this meter than with ANY OTHER METER I'VE EVER USED. When you're paying more for strips than you have for any others, that's just a real, big drawback. <br />
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The last thing is Apple's fault. The meter will not work with the new generation of iPhones and iPods due to the different port they've put on their new devices. iBG Star will have to go through the FDA again to get approval on a meter with the new port. That's really lame, Apple.<br />
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Overall, I think the meter is too much of a gadgety gimmick. It's not a practical meter at all. The cost is outrageous and I'll be happy when I run out of strips so I can go back to my old meter.<br />
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Sorry for such a negative post. If someone had been honest like this about the meter before I bought mine (totally my fault because I didn't read any reviews) then I definitely wouldn't have purchased it. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-90567345691799028552013-06-10T07:18:00.001+08:002013-06-10T07:19:10.973+08:00Tour de Cure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It was such an honor and truly an awesome time to ride in this year's Tour de Cure in Brigham City, Utah. The American Diabetes Association puts this ride on in cities across America each summer. This is my first time participating in the ride and it was really, really great! I am SO GLAD that I decided, even though last minute, to participate. I signed up for the ride less than a month before it was held and was able to raise $210 for diabetes research. Many of you know that I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (insulin dependent) in my early twenties. And guess what? I didn't get this disease by eating too much sugar! Nope, my pancreas just pooped out on me as the result of a virus from a simple sore throat. Researchers are working VERY HARD on finding ways to improve the lives of those who suffer with diabetes and I believe that there will be a cure some day. So, that's why I rode. Because I hate having diabetes, and what better cause to ride for than the very condition which I struggle with 24 hours a day 365 days a year. </div>
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My little brother, Justin returned home from his mission in November and since he's been home he's really been trying to be healthy and do things to improve his own health. Part of that includes finding more ways to be active. I did the Women of Steel triathlon last month and he would have done that with me except that it was an all women's race. At the beginning of May I called him up and asked him what event he'd like to do with me. There were two to chose from that both fell on June 8. He said, "Jen, you've got diabetes, we should do the Tour de Cure". I knew he was right so we both signed up. </div>
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We've really enjoyed training and riding together this last month and when the big day came, we were so ready! </div>
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I woke up at about 6:00 and my blood sugar was 170. I had my regular breakfast and took a full bolus because our race time wasn't until 10:30am. Justin and I loaded up our bikes and left his house at 7:30 am. We had to drive from Bluffdale to Brigham City so we wanted to have enough time to get there in time for registration. It only took us an hour to arrive so we were there an hour before registration, two before our race. Oops. Lots of time! So we got registered, grabbed our t-shirts, I got my red rider jersey and then we had lots of time to take pictures, stretch, and get a little snack before our race started. </div>
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At the start, my sugar was 116!!!! Wahoo. Finally, a race day with a normal blood sugar. I decreased my basal to about 25% and ate three gatorade chews and we were off just a little after 10:30am. </div>
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The course was awesome. It was really nice and flat. The tradition of Tour de Cure is that every time you see a person in a red jersey, a "Red Rider" or someone who is diabetic- rides with diabetes, you shout to them, "Go Red Rider". It is a shout that means you support them, you realize it is difficult to ride a bike (or participate in any physical activity) with diabetes, and that you love them. Everyone on the course was AWESOME about yelling that phrase to each other. I saw LOTS AND LOTS of Red Riders out there. I was sure to give them the shout as I rode past and they did the same for me. It was such a sense of camaraderie and I really loved that. </div>
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We were keeping a really good pace and I felt AMAZING out there, I'm sure the good blood sugars had a lot to do with that. We finally reached the turn around point and they had a full-service rest stop but I wasn't really interested in hanging around for too long. Justin grabbed a snack, I loosened my shoes, tested my sugar (130!), ate three more chews, and we were off. </div>
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On the way back I did "feel" it a little more. I was starting to slow up a little bit I think. This one guy we passed started drifting on us and then he just hung around us until the end of the ride. He was really nice and chit chatted with us as we rode. </div>
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When we crossed the finish line, our sister, mom, grandparents, and Justin's girlfriend were all there waiting and cheering us on. It was so cool! They also saw us on the start so that was cool too. We got some really great pictures I thought and this event was so fun that I think I definitely want to do it again. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go in the morning. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the race</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found a clever way to store my meter on my bike. <br />
I strap it to the side of my saddle bag. <br />
So far, it has worked out pretty well! </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGs5fyizGHLQ1nfERMKGXMqxUi5B0Nvza-o8qbu27llXm1OXaX-ukNo2CXHW9J6XsFeT41hn7Cl6M1oNY6ORzy49hOivNIXwtl00lyiLnE7MK6edKOxlfaFUSuSEvH8B7fSiEsSeMPyx0/s1600/063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGs5fyizGHLQ1nfERMKGXMqxUi5B0Nvza-o8qbu27llXm1OXaX-ukNo2CXHW9J6XsFeT41hn7Cl6M1oNY6ORzy49hOivNIXwtl00lyiLnE7MK6edKOxlfaFUSuSEvH8B7fSiEsSeMPyx0/s320/063.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Together at the starting line. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">grabbing a quick snack at the pit-stop</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half way done! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crossing the finish line together! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done with our 24 mile bike ride for Diabetes! </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlfxoiFaIbqoL2RfPSJqfEuCHAyDkzVs5T0xTkICPQy1qfiIStuCHD8KcDO26y8a-SwhQxXTlghNahSKvUkaEL1IVp4AUx5Q3eSF0vu6gOUXmDJQK_z3IBAAHljxM8D77KHzz7vnpYT8/s1600/061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlfxoiFaIbqoL2RfPSJqfEuCHAyDkzVs5T0xTkICPQy1qfiIStuCHD8KcDO26y8a-SwhQxXTlghNahSKvUkaEL1IVp4AUx5Q3eSF0vu6gOUXmDJQK_z3IBAAHljxM8D77KHzz7vnpYT8/s400/061.JPG" width="198" /></a></div>
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whew! all done</div>
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We are still a little bit short on funds. Justin has 4 more weeks to earn $87. If you've been wanting to donate but haven't done so yet, please follow this link. </div>
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<a href="http://tour.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=pfind&fr_id=6830">http://tour.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=pfind&fr_id=6830</a></div>
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Thank you SO MUCH to those who have donated already! We thank you and love you so much for your support of such a great cause. </div>
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-54498023034891576222013-06-03T19:57:00.000+08:002013-06-03T19:57:00.476+08:00Product Review: Level LifeI was asked to try these Level Life glucose packets out and report to you all about my thoughts. <br />
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I received quite a few samples in the mail and was glad to give them a go. They come in four different flavors, as shown below. Strawberry Banana, Mandarin Orange, Caramel, and Vanilla. I think I like the caramel best, followed by Vanilla. I love citrus usually but the Orange flavor just didn't really do it for me. <br />
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What I did really love about these is that they're small, they keep for a long time, and they come with exactly 15g. of glucose. I really like that because I often find myself over treating. So with these, I just took one and waited. There was something about knowing that it was the correct amount of carbs for my low that just made it work for me. </div>
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I've used these on my bike, a lot. They fit really well inside of my saddle bag. I've used them in the middle of the night, during the day, and at the gym. They work really well. Their priced pretty reasonably too. I found them with the diabetes stuff at my local store and I know that most places carry them. Try them out! I liked them. </div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-26347471700593748422013-05-30T07:41:00.002+08:002013-05-30T07:41:35.327+08:00Woman of SteelThis year I set a goal to complete two triathlons and one Tour de Cure. Last weekend, I completed the first of those triathlons. A good friend of mine, Lydia, has done the Woman of Steel Triathlon twice before and really wanted to do it with a friend this year. Teresa and I wanted to do it with her but Teresa's schedule made it so that she decided to do the Splash and Sprint in Bountiful the week before. I was quite excited to participate in this all women's race.<br />
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The week leading up to the triathlon was wonderful, warm weather. Then it decided to rain, and rain, and rain! I was getting really bummed out about the weather and then I just decided that there wasn't anything I could do about it so I wasn't going to worry any more.<br />
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Friday I made this great list of things I'd need because I had to work that day and I was worried about being able to remember everything when it came time to pack up. I followed my list and packed up my car and gym bag carefully. I took a nice bath and finished shaving, Justin came over and tightened up my breaks one more time. I filled up my tires and loaded my bike then painted my fingernails and toes. LOL!<br />
My sugar going to bed was perfect, like 103 or something. I didn't sleep really well, but I didn't sleep terribly either. I checked my sugar at like 1 am and it was 95. I ate two glucose tabs because I felt low. I probably should have skipped those because my sugar was like 220 when I woke up. There's this weird thing that adrenalin does to my blood sugar on race day. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get enough insulin. And that's weird, because you'd think with all of the "activity"...<br />
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I took a shower, tied my hair back and got dressed. I ate my breakfast and bloused for half. Then all of the sudden I had to go to the bathroom really bad. LOL. As I was pulling up my suit, I ripped out my pump site. I had 5 minutes until I wanted to leave so I hurry and thew in a new site. I was kind of glad because I really wanted an arm site just to make it easier during transition. This turned out to be a pretty bad mistake. I often have absorption issues when changing my site. Usually though, when I put a site in my arm, I don't have these issues. This time, however, I did. This site hurt pretty bad when it went in. I think it must have gone straight into the muscle instead of the fat because of how bad it hurt. It also wasn't absorbing well and my blood sugar was rising rapidly. I was nervous about dropping due to the prolonged amount of exercise so I didn't take too much insulin.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">to do list- helmet not included </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my gear, night before. helmet not included</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">weather forecast was about spot on</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">getting psyched morning of</td></tr>
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I left the house at 6 o'clock and drove me and my bike down to the American Fork Recreation center. Traffic was nonexistent on Saturday morning so I got there pretty quickly. Parking wasn't too bad that early (6:20) and I was glad for that. I got my gear and headed over to the transition area to set up. They marked us with our numbers on our arms and our age on our calves. Transition spots were predetermined by number, I found my spot and it was awesome. I was on the second row, the second bike in. The only downside was that I was close to the entrance which meant I was far away from the exit. As I was setting out my gear, I realized I had forgotten something very important. MY HELMET! AHHH!!! I couldn't believe I'd forgotten something so important. It was really funny because as I was making my list, it never occurred to me, as I was driving down, I was reviewing my transition in my head and it never occurred to me, it never crossed my mind until I unpacked everything and was all set up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my set up, helmet not included</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from the pool to transition</td></tr>
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I called Colin and he was already out of the shower. I let him know that I had forgotten my helmet so he was ready to bring it down to me. Whew! Lydia came and she got all set up. We had a little bit of time to get nervous before the race meeting started. My swim coach, Nichole Beckstead came and I was really glad to see her. She and her husband Brad were marking participants in transition and cheering on their people. Colin brought the helmet down and found a place to park. Then we all headed over to the pool to get lined up by times.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lydia and I before the race</td></tr>
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There was this woman who was asking everyone her times. She was super rude about it but I tried not to let it phase me. I really wanted a good seat for the swim since that is my strength. I decided to seat myself under 5 minutes. In reality, I can probably swim the distance (300 Meters) in about 5:30 but I didn't want to get caught up in the bottle neck.<br />
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Before we got into the water it was cold. Really cold! And all I was wearing was my suit. So, I was glad that I was toward the front of the line so I could get in the water. They had swim about 12 seconds apart so that was nice and we weren't all right on top of each other. I had to pass one woman but no one passed me. I was the 21st person out of the water and took 1st in my division. I was so excited about that. My time for the swim was 5:40 I think. The only thing I regret about the swim was that I didn't get the boys' attention and they missed my swim completely. they were looking around for me and my friend Lydia told them I was long gone. <br />
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My first transition took me way too long. I was pretty nervous and a little woozy but definitely better than the I Can Tri. I had thrown my towel on the fence so I grabbed it and dried off as I ran to transition. During transition I put on my shorts, shoes, socks, and helmet. Then I realized my jersey wouldn't fit over my helmet so I had to do that part over. Then I checked my sugar and it was 345. I was pretty pissed about that because I can perform so much better when my sugar is lower. I took some insulin and grabbed my bike and headed out for the course. My transition was about 4 minutes, I'm aiming for halving that next time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could tell dad was taking my picture so I sat up a little and smiled for the camera. ha ha ha</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like this photo because my dad is there in the yellow coat cheering me on. </td></tr>
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The bike started out kind of rough. Mainly because of my sugar. But also because there's a huge hill right off the bat. I did okay though and kept on pushing. I took in as much water as I could. As I got to to the top of the hill and came to the flat before the down hill I was feeling pretty good. Downhill was awesome and I saw my mom, sister, niece, and dad cheering me on right at the corner. That was cool. I came around for the second lap and there were Colin and the boys. They caught a few pics and I was off on my second lap. The wind had really picked up and it made that hill pretty rough. I dropped my water bottle but it was empty by then anyway so I just kept going. I saw my family again and came in for my second transition. <br />
I did the bike in an hour flat. <br />
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My second transition went better I think. I checked my sugar and it was like 280ish. I took a little more insulin, I think and changed shoes, dropped off my bike and helmet and off I went. The run went pretty good for me. I hate running and am no good at it but I was able to push through and keep jogging almost the entire way through. <br />
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About a mile before the finish line, the weather got even worse and it started really raining. I really didn't notice it too much though, just kept on running. At the finish line, my mom, dad, sister and niece were there again. They are such great cheerleaders! It was so cool to see them there. Poor guys though, it must have been freezing in that pouring rain! I did my run in 35 minutes. <br />
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My total time was 1:48. I was hoping for a little bit faster but I'm not at all sad about how anything (except the transition and the blood sugar) went. I came in 8th in my division!<br />
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-74196507733957648572013-05-30T07:39:00.002+08:002013-05-30T07:39:44.241+08:00Help Stop DiabetesIn 2 short weeks, my brother and I will be riding in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. We have been training hard for this 25 mile ride and we're pretty excited to do it together. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated already. We lack just a little more than $150 to reach our ultimate goal. Please stop by and donate if you can! Thanks so much!<br />
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<a href="https://donations.diabetes.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=TC_Tour2012_PC2_A">https://donations.diabetes.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=TC_Tour2012_PC2_A</a><br />
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<a href="https://donations.diabetes.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=TC_Tour2012_PC2_A">https://donations.diabetes.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=TC_Tour2012_PC2_A</a><br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-86919744952692409002013-05-06T21:00:00.000+08:002013-05-06T21:00:07.157+08:00Basal Pattern ASo I've decided to use the basal patterns feature on my MiniMed Revel pump. Every time I go to my endo with a pattern A setting, he asks me why it's there and what I use it for. I don't think he's being critical, just wondering when I'm using it so that he can adjust my basals accordingly. The REAL reason I have a pattern A is for my period. Sorry guys, it's true. And, it's a perfectly good reason to USE the thing. So, I'm going to try to explain why/how I use it now and what I'd like to do with it in the future, to see if I can improve my control. <br />
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It seems that come that time of the month, I need a little less insulin. If I don't decrease my basal, I'm going low constantly. I'm a little afraid of lows. And, I'm way afraid of gaining weight. So to compensate for the lows I either end up consuming too many calories, or aggressively adjusting my basals, causing chaos weeks down the road. <br />
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With a pattern A basal rate for this special time, I find I don't worry too much about adjusting my basal rate and then spending the next three weeks with blood sugars which are out of control, wondering what my old settings were, trying to remember them, and ending up having to re-do the entire basal process over again. So I just switch over to pattern A and then back after a week or so. Works wonders! <br />
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Another trick I've FINALLY learned is a little thing called WRITING IT DOWN. Hello, Jen! But seriously, I'll write down my original basal rates, the changes, and the dates the changes were made. Genius I tell you. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-29136139648373207782013-05-01T11:19:00.000+08:002014-01-29T11:23:31.332+08:00Thyroid the back story I've always had issues with my Thyroid and didn't feel that my Endocrinologist was properly treating that aspect of my endocrine issues. So I sought out a new doctor who would take some more time on my thyroid and leave my diabetes up to my regular doctor. I did a little research and decided on two local clinics. One clinic didn't take insurance, so I went to the other one. <br />
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Some of the symptoms I've struggled with having low thyroid are typical, and others, I didn't realize were because of low thyroid. Here's a list from Web MD, suffice it to say that I have MOST of them. <br />
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Symptoms of Hypothyroidism</h3>
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Symptoms of hypothyroidism may be vague and can often mimic other conditions. They may include:</div>
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<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Changes in the menstrual cycle</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Constipation</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Depression</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Dry <a href="http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/picture-of-the-hair" style="color: #3789b9; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">hair</a> and hair loss</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Dry skin</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Fatigue</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Greater sensitivity to <a href="http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/why-am-i-cold" style="color: #3789b9; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">cold</a></li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Slow heart rate</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Swelling of the thyroid gland (<a href="http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-goiter-basics" style="color: #3789b9; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">goiter</a>)</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Unexplained <a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/tc/healthy-weight-what-is-a-healthy-weight" style="color: #3789b9; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">weight</a> gain or difficulty losing weight</li>
<li style="background-image: url(http://css.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/modules/linksListTOC_bullet.gif); background-position: 0px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 6px 15px;">Carpal tunnel syndrome</li>
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The clinic that did take insurance, we'll call them "Fancy Thyroid Place" came highly recommended. I knew a lot of women who have their thyroid treated there. So, I booked my appointment for Fancy Thyroid Place and showed up not really knowing what to expect. The lobby looked like a spa and all of the employees dressed in black- felt like a fancy spa. Anyway, I met with the doctor and right off the bat he was pretty rude to me. I tried so hard to keep an open mind and I feel like I did eventually warm up to what he had to say. We agreed to get some blood work done before making any changes to my regimen.<br />
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I had my blood work drawn and scheduled an appointment for three weeks later to have a look at things. He opened up my file and right away said I had Hashimotos (hypothyroid) and that I needed to be gluten free. He went over the rest of my thyroid numbers with me, told me they were all out of whack and wrote me a prescription for a different thyroid medication. <br />
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I took to the internets asking for help with this and was surprised when an endocrinologist friend told me that Hashimotos and gluten free don't necessarily need to go to there. I wanted to be a good patient though and so I cut out gluten and started taking the new medicine. I corresponded with this doctor friend a little more and she advised me that the medication this Fancy Thyroid Place was giving me, wasn't really a recommended or trusted treatment. So. I really had some decisions to make. <br />
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I kept with it and did the follow-up blood work about a month later. In the mean time, I felt. like. crap. <br />
I wasn't sleeping as well, I just wasn't myself. But I sure was trying. <br />
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Follow up blood work suggested nothing. Basically no change. So in the end, I quit this doctor and went back to my old treatment plan. And back to eating wheat. (for a while at least). See the continuation in these posts: <a href="http://sugarfreesweety.blogspot.sg/2013/11/new-country-new-doctor-part-1.html" target="_blank">New Country, New Doctor (part 1)</a> and<a href="http://sugarfreesweety.blogspot.sg/2013/12/part-2-new-doctor-lots-of-tests.html" target="_blank"> Part 2: New Doctor, lots of Test </a>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-10575779669140313682013-04-29T21:00:00.000+08:002013-04-29T21:00:09.863+08:0012 Years of a New NormalToday marks 12 years I've been living with a new type of normal. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on April 29, 2001. Since then I've gotten married, moved SEVERAL times, had two kids, and done many, many, other things. Diabetes isn't very predictable, never reliable, but for me, it's pretty normal. It's weird that I've had it longer than I've been married, before my kids were ever born, and nearly a third of my lifetime. <br />
But, I do, and I press forward- most of the time. It isn't always easy, but I try to deal with it the best I can, roll with the punches, and I definitely try to live my life doing the things I'd do if I didn't have it. I try not to let it hold me back. <br />
The other day I was thinking about diabetes, and the fact that my kids don't know me as anything else than a mommy who has an insulin pump and checks her blood sugars. So, I thought I'd grab my camera and ask my son a few questions about it. Apparently I didn't have much memory in my camera, so the video cuts short before our interview actually ended but you get a good idea of it anyway. <br />
Here it is. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CLVp29prz2U" width="420"></iframe>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-29781641176551891182013-04-19T05:42:00.000+08:002013-04-19T05:42:16.937+08:00The Low that Wouldn't TreatMy son woke up at 10:30pm sick with the stomach flu. I was hoping he'd go back to sleep and not be sick again. Boy, was I wrong. He was sick every 30 minutes for the next several hours. At around 1am I turned my early morning swim alarm off. By 4:00 am he'd finally fallen asleep. At 6 my husband got up for work and I was so alert with taking care of my son throughout the night that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep. I texted my sister and let her know I wouldn't be able to watch her kiddos. Luckily, Grandpa was home from work so she didn't have to miss. <br />
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Gladly, I got a little more rest until almost 8 am when it was time to get Little Brother off to school. I thought it would be great to sleep while he was at school so that The Boy and I could get a little more rest but by 9 am he was ready to be up for the day. I jumped in the shower, didn't bother with hair, make-up, or regular clothing and started in on a long day of cleaning. <br />
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The smell of sick was so strong that I decided I'd better go ahead and clean and disinfect the entire house. I've never cleaned so much of this house in a single day before. I did several loads of laundry: all of the bedding, bath mats, towels, and cleaning rags. I cleaned all three bathrooms, bedrooms, and all of the floors. Man, this house feels big! <br />
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The Boy did okay but he was definitely sick! I tried my best to keep him isolated and just sprayed Lysol on everything else. Usually, when I clean like that, I'll have a massive low-blood sugar. But, for some reason, it never came. So I never stopped. I worked on cleaning the house from about 11am until 7pm; seriously like all day almost without stopping. I didn't feel much like eating and barely did all day. I had a couple of apples, some toast, and a yogurt. That was about it. I'm not sure why my sugar never dropped but it did spike at one point. Even after correcting that, I never fell. <br />
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But last night, my blood sugar made up for it. I've had many a middle-of-the-night lows but never one like I had last night. I desperately wanted a hot bath after "dinner" so I soaked for a little while and the Dexcom alerted me that I was low when I was just about ready to get out. So I dressed and scooped myself a heaping 1 cup serving of ice cream and enjoyed it. I was still falling when I started drifting off to sleep so I treated with 4 glucose tablets and fell asleep. About 2 hours later I woke with another low. Tested, treated, and reduced my basal to 80%. Usually, that would send me high. Nope! Not this time. An hour and a half later I woke with ANOTHER low, tested, treated, and reduced my basal again. I was shocked when I woke to a flat-line at 100 mg/dl on the Dexcom screen. By the time I ate breakfast my number was 85. Such an odd series of events for me. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-38487787419609436742013-03-20T11:24:00.000+08:002013-03-20T11:24:05.604+08:00Why I Love Exercise (with Diabetes) <span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">So, I'm a huge advocate for exercise. I love it. I haven't always done it, but when I'm consistently exercising, I feel so much better, and I really start craving it. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Segoe UI, Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Most of the time, I do cardiovascular exercise. I love cardio. I'm addicted to it. I don't do as much weight training as I should, and I put it as a last priority when it comes to my workouts, just not my strong-point. I love to swim. Swimming is my most favorite of all the exercises. It's the only thing I'll get out of bed early to go do. I learned to swim at a very young age and was a competitive swimmer in High School. I was never very good, but compared to most people my age now, I'm a great lap-swimmer. I also really enjoy bike riding. I started taking Spin classes in my college days and have picked it up again in the past year or so. I've tried Zumba a time or two but I'm not really in to aerobics or dance classes so much. I run, but only when I have to... like when zombies are chasing me or something. No, I</span></span><strike style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"> run</strike><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Segoe UI, Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> jog because it's part of triathlon and I know that it's really good for me. I am absolutely terrible at running, horrendous. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Segoe UI, Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Exercise with diabetes can be tricky. Sometimes very tricky. But for the most part, it's an essential part of controlling blood sugars. For me, I always notice a difference when I'm exercising and when I'm not, in my blood sugars. When taking insulin, you have to be careful about how you dose your insulin, and what carbohydrates you eat, but once you figure it out through trial and error, it works as an excellent way to control blood sugar levels and insulin resistance or sensitivity. Here's a bit about what I do to make it all work. </span></span><br />
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<b><u>Swimming Method: </u></b></div>
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My favorite time of day to exercise is morning. I either go before breakfast at 5:30am or after breakfast at 9 o'clock. When I go at 5:30, I swim. My pump is not water-proof so, I obviously don't wear my pump during those workouts. I test my sugar, take my thyroid meds and hit the door. If my sugar is low, I drink a juice and head out. If my sugar is high, I usually take a 60-75% correction and go. If it's normal, I just go. I leave my meter on the deck and have some juice and tabs in my bag. I've used them once. <br />
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<b><u>Spinning/ Cycling Method: </u></b></div>
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When I exercise at 9 I usually take a 50% bolus for my breakfast. I do corrections as usual, usually. If I'm low, I sometimes don't take any insulin for breakfast. During my workout, I lower my basal. Usually 50% for the duration of the workout works fine for me. Some have said that you should lower your basal an hour to two hours before a workout, but for me, that isn't necessary. I have learned that if we're doing intervals or anaerobic exercises during my spin class (intense cardio) I need to lower my basal to about 30% of normal or I will go low. I can feel my lows coming. I cannot recover my heart rate as well and I sometimes get nauseous.<br />
Often I get off at the half-way and test. I do wear a heart rate monitor during that class. I wear it for training purposes, to increase my athleticism. There was once that I had to leave a workout because my son stole the Capri sun out of my bag. And there was another time that I was<a href="http://sugarfreesweety.blogspot.com/2011/12/adventures-in-symilin_13.html" target="_blank"> taking symilin </a>and I dropped to 40 5 minutes after arriving at the gym. So, yeah, it doesn't happen very often. <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Occasionally, spinning and swimming can give me an adrenalin boost and pump my sugar UP and it's so freakin weird. But, that's why you test. My correction boluses work normally for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b><u>Running Method: </u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">When I run, I usually wear my pump with a lowered basal (usually about 60%), but sometimes I take it off, because it's a pain to wear on my running shorts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">During <a href="http://sugarfreesweety.blogspot.com/2012/09/i-can-tri.html" target="_blank">competition</a>, my sugars ALWAYS go high. Must be the adrenalin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b><u>The Results: </u></b> </span></div>
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When I was training for my triathlon I would test my sugar before a workout, 100. Take 50% bolus, eat. Lower basal to 50%, exercise for up to 2 hours, test half-way, take in SOME carbs, and test afterward. usually, I was right at 100. nice! It really does work. I never used to think that I could exercise with a normal blood sugar, thinking that it was better to run a little higher before, but now that I've experimented with it enough, I realized that that method isn't necessary, or optimal. </div>
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So, for as far as benefits, I think you know that it's so good for your heart. Your muscles, your overall health. But for diabetes, there really isn't anything I've found that helps me control my sugars quite like exercise. </div>
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There are those time when it sucks, of course, but hell, you get that WITHOUT exercise too. </div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-92114936083385950712013-03-18T04:44:00.001+08:002013-03-18T04:44:18.335+08:00Happy St. Patrick's DayThere has been a lot on my mind lately about diabetes. I've been going through some really great times, some pretty awful stuff, and trying to balance it all within a normal, active life. I have been pretty terrible at blogging. I'd like to change that. I'd like to blog more. But in reality, I know I probably won't blog to regularly. I don't want to make excuses, but I do have a lot going on in my life right now and with a smart phone, I just don't find myself logged in to a computer too often. I'm going to try. There are a few posts I'm going to work on getting posted. Stay tuned. <br />
Thanks all!<br />
Love,<br />
jen<br />
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Happy St. Patrick's Day<br />
yes, I eat cereal with sugar in it. SHOCKER!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-56908500103182709372013-01-23T12:01:00.003+08:002013-01-23T12:01:36.806+08:0048 things about SugarFreeSweety<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">1. Were you named after anyone?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I was kind of named after my dad.
My middle name is a twist on his middle name, which he went by, and I
gave my first born son a name which is a twist on that. You follow?
</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">2. When was the last time you
cried?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Probably a couple of days ago, I cry a lot. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">3. Do you like your handwriting?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Yes. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">4. What is your favorite lunch
meat?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Turkey. I could eat it every day! </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">5. Do you have kids?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">2 boys. 3 if you count my husband. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">6. If you were another person,
would you be friends with you?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">You bet! </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">7. Do you use sarcasm a lot?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Moderately </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">8. Do you still have your
tonsils?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Yes. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">9. Would you bungee jump?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I did that once. I will NEVER do
it again, nor sky diving or any other free-falling type deal. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">10. What is your favorite cereal?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Honey Bunches of Oats. We love
cereal at my house, we have an average of 8 boxes at any given time. But I like the grown-up types. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">11. Do you untie your shoes when
you take them off?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">No. Is that a thing? </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">12. Do you think you are
strong?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Yes.
Thank you, Diabetes. And thank
you, swimming. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">13. What is your favorite ice
cream?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Mint chocolate chip, am I right, Mel? </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">14. What is the first thing you
notice about people?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I’m not really sure. I NEVER know
people’s eye color or notice what they’re wearing. Maybe facial expression? I’m not sure. </span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">15. Red or pink?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">blue</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">16. What is the least favorite thing about you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My
weight. Mostly my belly… </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">L</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">17.
Who do you miss the most?</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 11.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My sister-in-law. She’s serving an LDS mission in
Portugal. Emails only. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TMYN3yX6_2VXQz7kvQf6z0GJmwj2v6w2mmWEseXh8jg5Dfw55kR8s7MsDcbnzH7uwn83STk9IZ_1gpLr3IOvitfWrj1-_NBlOFaERcTvgCMavePJSr6LS7kn8yAWGsWuJUln-PYt28Zz/s1600/081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TMYN3yX6_2VXQz7kvQf6z0GJmwj2v6w2mmWEseXh8jg5Dfw55kR8s7MsDcbnzH7uwn83STk9IZ_1gpLr3IOvitfWrj1-_NBlOFaERcTvgCMavePJSr6LS7kn8yAWGsWuJUln-PYt28Zz/s320/081.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 11.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">18. What is the technique that
you need to work on the most?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Patience, that’s more of a virtue.
Standing up on my road bike. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">19. What color shoes are you
wearing?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Just socks. They’re blue. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">20. What was the last thing you
ate?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Chicken stir-fry. Yum. Also, go me for cooking!</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">21. What are you listening to
right now?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Fox News</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">22. If you were a crayon, what color
would you be?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Hmmm… blue/green or teal</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">23. Favorite smells?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Babies, citrus, and clean things. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">24. How important are your
political views to you?</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Very. Sorry if I offended you around election
time. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">25. Mountain hideaway or beach house?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">BEACH!!! All. The. Way. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczw6BKasrvDKTOC4dyYgGjszAKAc6Pqe4GboBJkjN08mQJbYdoaO3n35uuFtuE07QrVXOQRzXJFWqtBKrjUjZVOs5Pxq_UQF6nYeOrWU5TEUIrd_m1aBijVApaxrt5XaAEzwqX291mtC8/s1600/1386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczw6BKasrvDKTOC4dyYgGjszAKAc6Pqe4GboBJkjN08mQJbYdoaO3n35uuFtuE07QrVXOQRzXJFWqtBKrjUjZVOs5Pxq_UQF6nYeOrWU5TEUIrd_m1aBijVApaxrt5XaAEzwqX291mtC8/s320/1386.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">26. Favorite sports to watch?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Basketball, football, swimming</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">27. Hair color?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Dark brown</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">28. Eye color?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Brown</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">29. Do you wear contacts?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">yup</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">30. Favorite food?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I like crunchy things, like crackers, and fruit, lots of fruit. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">31. Scary movies or happy
endings?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I hate scary movies. But I’m more
in to action than happy endings. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">32. Last movie you watched?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Zero Dark 30. See? Oh, that IS a happy ending though… </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">33.
What color shirt are you wearing?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Gray, with silver dots that spell
“diet coke” So cute, got it for $4 in
Vegas, wear it all the time. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">34. Summer or winter?</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 11.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">SUMMER<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">35. Favorite dessert?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Cookies and Ice Cream</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">36. Strength training or cardio?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">CARDIO, CARDIO, CARDIO</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">37. Computer or television?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Both. Usually at the same time.
LOL</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">38. What book are you reading now?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Hmmm… suggestions? </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">39. What is on your mouse pad?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Mouse pad? Hello… that is SO 6
years ago! The one on my desk has a
picture of my 2 kids… it’s cute. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">40. Favorite sound?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">That click/fizz when you open a diet coke, the crunching of snow under
your feet, and the ding of a text message. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">41. Favorite genre of music?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Probably pop… I also like country, Latin, and alternative. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">42. What is the farthest you have
been from home?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">The Dominican Republic. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LZZCUx0Kv0_BBjbbZlz6L0k0eyy97s71xzj7QYANtzo90z57-p74Q0ev-UTb5-tSk3fJFm-haDoMg9HOL1ou9aBYoDutOADiGnEc6Cr3v6Hbq2V3aThRy_ibaj5tLbprCVqhOB2uQRGR/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LZZCUx0Kv0_BBjbbZlz6L0k0eyy97s71xzj7QYANtzo90z57-p74Q0ev-UTb5-tSk3fJFm-haDoMg9HOL1ou9aBYoDutOADiGnEc6Cr3v6Hbq2V3aThRy_ibaj5tLbprCVqhOB2uQRGR/s320/001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">43. Do you have a special talent?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I can say all 50 states in about 30 seconds or less, I know my alphabet
backwards, and… I’m a REALLY great teacher!
</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">44. Where were you born?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">San Diego, California</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">45. Where are you living now?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Salt Lake City, Utah</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">46. What color is your house?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Blue </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">47. What color is your car?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Red…. Wait a minute… my husband picked the color. </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">48.
Do you like answering 48 questions?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Sure! You should do it too! <o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-87318551244921831642012-11-17T07:11:00.003+08:002012-11-17T07:11:58.594+08:00World Diabetes Day Postcard ExchangeI think the idea of the World Diabetes Day Postcard Exchange is so fantastic. Thank you, Lee Ann for all of your hard work putting this all together. I think your work is meaningful and important. <br />
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I'm a substitute teacher (currently, I taught full time for 8 years) and I knew I'd be teaching today. So, I thought it would be really fun if I had my class make some postcards for the exchange. They loved it. I gave them a mini lesson on diabetes, taught them about what the exchange was all about, and let them be creative for a little while. <br />
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They came up with some really great things! Some of them, I REALLY love! <br />
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I'd like to send them to you. <br />
I've already been paired up with 3 people, and I'm sending one to my partner from last year who has become someone I communicate with daily. But, I still have about 20 more to give out. If you'd like me to send you a postcard, please leave your name and address in the comments, email me at: sugarfreesweetie@gmail.com or DM me on twitter @sugarfreesweety. <br />
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Thanks!<br />
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JenJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-86332198485143803382012-11-15T22:33:00.003+08:002012-11-15T22:33:49.965+08:00American Association of Diabetes Educators (Utah Conference) I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Utah Chapter of the American Association of Diabetes Educators conference in Salt Lake, Utah. It was a three day conference for nurses and doctors. I was asked to attend as a patient and live-blog the event on twitter. I used the hash tag #AADEUT if you’d like to see what was written you may search for it. I was also asked to write a summary on this blog at the conclusion of the conference. As part of attending, my entrance was paid for and my meals were provided. I’m a local so no transportation or boarding fees were covered. <br />
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So, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let me tell you a little about the AADE conference. The conference was very well done with a full three days of speakers and classes. As I said before, this was an educator’s conference. I am not an educator, nor am I a nurse or training to be one. However, all of the information was very relevant to me as a diabetes patient and I learned a lot. In attendance, there were nurses, educators, dietitians, doctors, and pharmacists. They attended the conference to gain more knowledge about the work they do in their practice. <br />
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Given the length of the conference, and the amount of classes, I simply cannot write about it all. I’ve decided I’ll give my overall thoughts as well as talk about three specific speakers who I think this audience can most relate to. <br />
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The first was our keynote speaker, Ginger Vieira. Ginger spoke about motivating your patients by listening. By telling her own story, she was able to convince the educators in the room that it’s important to be a good listener and to motivate your patients by asking the correct kinds of questions. She shared her own story of diabetes and finding an endocrinologist who could understand the human side of diabetes. Sometimes blood sugars are out of control for no reason, or for really silly ones, like one autumn the apples in Vermont were really large. Ginger shared some feedback that she received on her Facebook page when she asked fellow patients with diabetes, “What advice do you have for your CDE?” I remember sending out this tweet: “So many great comments I'm unable to write them all. The mood in the room is thoughtful. These CDEs are REALLY listening! #AADEUT.” Ginger instructed that the visit with a CDE or Endo should not be a judgment zone. Patients feel a lot of negative emotions regarding their diabetes; they don’t need to be judged on top of it. The main point she made was that at CDE really needs to listen and then ask the right questions. This way, he or she is motivating their patients to make the changes necessary to improve their own health. Ginger is a life coach specifically working with people who have diabetes. She’s learned to ask patients what they want to achieve and works with them to guide them to success. <br />
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Her speech rang true to me in so many ways. I generally take really great care of my diabetes, but I can still relate to the statement; “Don’t treat us like idiots. I live with diabetes every day.” Her talk was really motivating and I know that the CDE’s in the room were able to see her point of view and understand it. I know that they were indeed motivated to be less judgmental and more helpful. Ginger can be found at: http://living-in-progress.com/ on twitter as @Ginger Vieira and by email at ginger@living-in-progress.com Check her out, it will be worth your while. <br />
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The second speech I’d like to highlight was given by Shara Bialo who was our concluding speaker of the conference. Shara spoke on Rising to the Emotional Challenge of Diabetes Care: The importance of getting personal. Her speech was incredible. She shared her own diabetes story, and it wasn’t an easy one. To summarize, she was diagnosed at the age of 8, took charge of her own care at a very young age, and was pretty well out of control until her early twenties. At that time, she met an amazing diabetes educator who changed her course and prepared her for the possibility of pregnancy. Like Ginger, Shara’s story was so amazing and really drove home the point that people with diabetes want to be healthy, live long, complication free lives, and sometimes, they just need help getting there. The amazing people who have chosen to work in the field of diabetes care are those who can help us get to those healthy lives, and stay there. Shara is on twitter as well at: @SharaSays <br />
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Lastly, I’d like to talk about a speech which really caught us all by surprise. I was really curious about his topic as I looked through my conference schedule. Dr. Lawrence Fisher’s speech was titled: “Diabetes Distress and Depression: Improving Motivation for Behavioral Change” He took a nice long time showing all sorts of research before the figurative light bulb in the room was turned on. We all saw where he was going with it. First, he made the point that clinical depression and diabetes distress are two totally different things. They are not related, and they do not have the same symptoms. He noted that most people have not been asked about distress related to, or brought on by their diabetes. The root of his presentation was this: <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">“We have become so focused on: delivering information, addressing plans for behavioral action, identifying barriers to behavior change, measuring behavior change that we have neglected to address adequately the very feelings, beliefs and expectations that actually drive the behavior we would like to see changed!!! So, the point is, get to the bottom of it. Address the feelings that are maybe even subconsciously driving the poor care behaviors.” </span><br />
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It was so good. Such a good speech, I really related to a lot of what he said. I know that I don’t have depression. But sometimes, I do feel distress over the care of my diabetes. It IS overwhelming; to have to take care of it 24/7/365 that sometimes it is just too much. <br />
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There were many other things that I learned throughout the conference. But the main thing I realized was that, as educators, they care about the work they do, and they care a great deal for the patients they serve. If you are interested, I suggest you go back in to twitter and read the #AADEUT feed for the dates of November 7, 8, and 9. You can also access all of the information including PowerPoint slides at: www.tinyurl.com/aadeutah2012 I hope you enjoyed reading my feed, and thank you so much for all of the retweets, comments, and interactions that I’ve received. In all, I had 17 new followers added throughout the course of the conference and retweets potentially reaching an audience of 10,159 twitter users. I had several interactions with fellow PWD throughout the conference via twitter and email.<br />
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Thank you, Michelle Litchman @michlitch and David Winmill @dwinmill for inviting me and giving me this opportunity. I’ll just throw it out there that I’d be more than happy to do this again, for another event. I’d also be more than happy and totally willing to participate on any patient panels where my experience as a Type 1 diabetic, diagnosed as an adult would be beneficial. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-46937937332201236482012-11-05T07:07:00.002+08:002012-11-05T07:07:27.787+08:00Photo a day challengeSo, in addition to blogging about National Diabetes Awareness Month, I've decided to switch it up on the photo a day challenge and do the Diabetes one instead of FatMumSlims. Just enough different to help me hang in there for the last 61 days of the year. Holy Cow! Hasn't 2012 flown by?!<br />
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Here are the prompts. <br />
Join us on instagram or where ever you like to post your pictures. <br />
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I'm sugarfreesweety on instagram and I'll also be posting them on 365project.org<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8979860374630645553.post-4406083711404116142012-11-02T06:17:00.000+08:002012-11-02T06:17:05.954+08:00Diabetes Awareness Month<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">November is Diabetes Awareness Month. I want to be more involved than I was last year, and build on that each year. I've participated in the National Blogging Month NaBoPoMo challenge on my family blog before. I doubt I'll be able to blog all 30 days but if you think that you can blog about your health each month, here's a <a href="http://info.wegohealth.com/nhbpm2012" target="_blank">place</a> where you can receive a prompt. I'm going to give it a shot. I'll see how close I get. Maybe I'll commit to one per week. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Diabetes is an illness which affects almost 26 million people globally. I was diagnosed with Type 1 in 2001. It's a challenge in my every day life. It is manageable, but there is so much more which can be done. In an effort to raise awareness (this is Diabetes AWARENESS month after all) I've decided to point you in the direction of a few ways you too can participate. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Firstly, you can log a Big Blue Test<a href="http://bigbluetest.org/" target="_blank"> here.</a> You test your blood sugar, exercise and test again. Each time you log a test, a donation is made to help those with diabetes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Secondly, this one is really cool, you can pretend to have diabetes for a day. I hope all of my friends and family will do this one. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is launching a program for you to receive text message alerts throughout a 24 hour period. So that you too, can see what it takes to manage diabetes, for JUST one day! Go <a href="http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=117942" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Third, if you're wondering what the blue circle is, you should check out this website by the <a href="http://www.idf.org/whatwedo" target="_blank">International Diabetes Foundation. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can sign up for a postcard exchange</span><a href="http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/2012/10/world-diabetes-day-postcard-exchange/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"> here. </a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.idf.org/whatwedo" target="_blank"><br /></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rzMzPjBTaEqAW2auPJ0TPwcQ00lU8PM4WuI3K7PZYLNDoPAewMn3yPvWDDLw5Nb4UogMiNfZ-ZJ2PSuybxnrEawySQlI_I0tdFjcXpzPJ_LIknDcG23xASH4tPEfz2I4ooVBgUz4club/s1600/Screen-Shot-2012-10-24-at-7.55.26-AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rzMzPjBTaEqAW2auPJ0TPwcQ00lU8PM4WuI3K7PZYLNDoPAewMn3yPvWDDLw5Nb4UogMiNfZ-ZJ2PSuybxnrEawySQlI_I0tdFjcXpzPJ_LIknDcG23xASH4tPEfz2I4ooVBgUz4club/s320/Screen-Shot-2012-10-24-at-7.55.26-AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/2012/10/world-diabetes-day-postcard-exchange/" target="_blank"><br /></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can always make a donation to the <a href="https://donations.diabetes.org/site/Donation2?df_id=11200&11200.donation=form1&s_src=redcpcggkidswithdiabetes11200&s_subsrc=yourgiftcanhelp11200camps&cr=areprotected&gclid=CPqX3Z3irrMCFayDQgodQCwA9A" target="_blank">American Diabetes Association</a>, JDRF, or IDF. Or, request a free medical bracelet <a href="http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Blog/Web-Team/free-medical-id-bracelets-this-november/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And last, but not least, you can wear blue every Friday throughout the month of November, and on Diabetes Awareness day- November 14th. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anything you can do will help! </span><br />
<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18226169402629288428noreply@blogger.com0