All posts by Stacey D.
Sweet and Salty.
One of my favorite things in life is to enjoy a really good meal or snack. And as we all know, having diabetes can put a damper on that at times. Having to count and calculate insluin required for every single carb that is ingested into my body, I try to be conscious about what I eat. Most of the time. (see also: cupcakes)
With that in mind, when I do snack I try to find lower carb, health(ier) options. I have more of a salt tooth than a sweet tooth. Unfortunately most of the foods I crave are high in sodium. But recently I found the best snack ever which satisfies my salt craving as well as having a touch of sweetness too. I introduce chocoloatey pretzel cereal bars by Special K.
(picture also courtesy of Special K)
These are absolutely delicious! One of the girls on my team at work told me about these and I couldn’t thank her enough! They are only 90 calories, 17g of carbs and have some fiber too. I’m so in love with these that I keep picking up some at every store I see selling them, afraid that I will run out one day. Target, CVS, Waldbaums, etc. My only complaint, Special K if you’re listening, is that they are pretty small. They are so good that eating one just leaves me wanting more. But I haven’t actually eaten two at a time. Yet.
Another Loss.
While Joe and I were in Mexico last week, we left our furry kids at the vet. We don’t normally do this when we go away but Linkin was on daily doses of Prednisone so we thought it easier to have someone with him every day to give him his meds. A few months back he was diagnosed with insulinoma. Ironically, he had a condition that affected his blood sugar, only in his case it was too low. Unfortunately this is something that is very common among these pets. He was doing well on the daily meds until a week or so before we left for vacation. He had lost some weight and wasn’t eating normally. A call to the vet resulted in an increased dose of the steroid for him. When we dropped him and Dakota off the day before we left, we pointed out that he should be looked at by the vet while boarding there.
Fast forward to our third day of vacation when we got a message from the vet that Linkin had a seizure. When I spoke to her, she told me that his blood sugar dropped overnight to 20 mg/dL causing him to seize and that he was still unconscious. She wasn’t sure of his prognosis but there was a chance he wouldn’t make it. A few hours later when I called back we found out he had just passed away. I cannot tell you how hard this was being so far away from home. It definitely put a damper on our time away. And we didn’t get the chance to say a real goodbye to our little old man 😦 It’s crazy how attached we get to our pets. On the one night we had without them at home before we left, it was so quiet. Too quiet. We laid him to rest when we got home and the only comfort we have is that he is now playing again with his brother Elvis, who we lost only 13 months ago.
We miss you Linkin!! ❤
Vacation.
Is is bad that we just got back from vacation Friday night and I am already wishing we were still there? Joe and I were very fortunate to enjoy time away in Mexico, at a luxurious, adults only, all-inclusive resort between Cancun and Isla Mujeres. It. Was. Heaven.
We did a lot of nothing while we were there. And by nothing I mean laying by the pool, swimming in the pool, wading in the pool, drinking in the pool. Well you get my drift. And the food there was just delicious. We enjoyed French, Japanese/Thai, Spanish Tapas, Indian and Mediterranean cuisine for dinner. Lunch included some buffet and some sit down meals. And all of it was very, very good.
The weather was absolutely perfect every day. 80’s, sunny and breezy. The accommodations were wonderful … extremely clean room and every other part of the resort. The staff was friendly. It wasn’t a party scene but the entertainment at night worked well in getting guests to enjoy themselves.
And of course since diabetes wasn’t part of what we were getting away from …… walking along the beach one day, I stepped on something and cut my foot. Not a huge wound (it was actually pretty small) but enough to want to take care of it on the foot of a PWD. I found band-aids in the gift shop and some peroxide. That was keeping it clean and disinfected for a while but I still wished I had some antibacterial ointment. Well one day we went to the hotel zone in Cancun to do some shopping and I decided to search for some. I finally found some Neosporin type medicated stuff at the farmacia that cost me $18!!! A small price to pay I suppose for not getting an infection.
There were two things that I had with me that I was very thankful for and appreciated having with me. The first was my Kindle. I did a lot of reading while we were away. And I have to say it was such a pleasure reading on the Kindle not worrying about keeping pages down in the breeze while the screen was completely clear and glare free. It was light enough to hold for long periods of time while turning the pages at the touch of a button. (And no I do not have any association with Amazon!)
The second was my Animas Ping pump. Kerri blogged about this recently as well and I have to agree how great it was to not have to worry about disconnecting for the pool. When we were away last year, I was hesitant about keeping the pump on in the water. Even knowing it is waterproof, part of me was a little skeptical. This time I kept it clipped toward the top of my bathing suit top that way it would get wet in those moments when I actually went fully under water, but was not always submerged the whole time in the pool. It was great. I got lots of stares from people wondering what on earth I had clipped to me but I didn’t care. One guy even asked me what it was and I didn’t mind telling him. (I think he thought it was a pager + that I was a doctor!) They probably looked strangely at the Dexcom sensor on my outer thigh too. But all of that was okay with me. I was enjoying my time in the sun, at the pool, just like them. Just with a few technology devices making sure I could do that.
We’ve been slowly getting back to reality the past two days and going back to work tomorrow is going to be very, very hard! So for now, until our next get-a-way, I will have these images to remember. And keep me sane 🙂
Sick.
When us people with diabetes (PWD) get “real people sick”, such as a cold or flu or virus of some sort, having diabetes makes it much more complicated. Many PWD experience elevated blood sugar when they have some kind of illness. Even when not hungry enough to eat normally, the struggle to keep blood sugar in the “normal” range is exactly that. A struggle. And without the proper food intake plus high blood sugar, the possibility of ketones enters the picture. Ketones, for those who don’t know, are chemical substances produced when the body starts burning fat for energy instead of glucose. This can happen when the blood sugar is too high for the body to burn it properly. If severe enough, ketones become dangerous leading to possible coma or death. From just a cold or flu? Unfortunately, yes. Rare but it’s possible.
And then there is the opposite side of the spectrum. Not being able to eat and having low blood sugar. I think it’s common knowledge that to treat a low blood sugar, some kind of sugary or high carb food/drink is needed. Well when a PWD can’t eat or drink due to illness, that can lead to a situation needing medical attention.
Being sick flat out sucks for anyone. But it sucks for PWD just a wee bit more.
*Sorry for the bitter post …. but I’m currently sick in bed :p*
Getting Older.
My birthday is coming up in less than 2 months and although I won’t say exactly how old I’ll be, I’ll just admit that I’m in my thirties heading toward a new age “bracket”. For some reason I am not at all looking forward to this new age bracket. I mean no one really likes getting older right? But I think I know why I am not happy about it. Not only is my body getting older, my diabetes is getting older too. I have been blessed so far with no major complications. After 29 years. I thank God every day for this. But it makes me wonder how long it can remain that way.
I definitely don’t feel as good, in general, as I used to. I feel more tired, worn out easier, achy in certain body parts, etc. I know that this gets more common with age and that other things come along with it. But that’s just the body aging part. It’s really the diabetes aging part that instills a great fear in me. I’m managing my diabetes better now than ever before (or at least trying) but that doesn’t mean damage hasn’t been done to my body. And it scares the hell out of me what that damage could possibly have lie ahead of me in the future.
I worry a lot about my heart. I’m not sure if that’s because it’s the one vital organ that keeps me alive. Or if because it’s one part of me that doesn’t get checked out often. I see my ophthalmologist twice a year, my endocrinologist and diabetes educator every 3 months, my gynecologist once a year, my gastroenterologist and dentist at least once a year, my podiatrist, dermatologist, orthopedist, allergist and otolaryngologist when necessary so I’m comfortable that all those parts of me are working properly. For the most part. And phew, that was a lot of ‘gists and ‘ologists! Especially for a thirty-something year old! But my heart is really only checked out when I have my annual physical exam that includes an EKG. Those have always been normal and I have no reason to believe that there is a problem with my heart. But I know that 29 years of diabetes can cause some issues with it. Or with anything for that matter. So as a birthday present for myself, this year I am going to add another ologist to my list … the cardiologist. Not my idea of a fun gift but even to just put my mind at ease. And that is something I can look forward to.
Getting older can be tough on the body. Getting older can be even tougher on diabetes. I’m hoping if I stay on top of things, I can impede those things I am most of afraid of. Really hoping.
No Words.
Back in 1998, I not only met my husband, I made many new friends as well. My husband had (and still has) a very large circle of friends that have been part of his life for a long time. (I actually always envied that since life took a lot of the friends I had growing up on separate paths). One of those friends I met was Derek. To Joe, he is one of those friends who is more like family. For me, knowing him a shorter time, he means a lot to me too. And this past Saturday, February 19th, instead of wishing Derek a happy birthday, Joe got a phone call that he had passed away.
Derek was struck by a car in December of 2000 and was seriously injured, sustaining severe head trauma and becoming a quadriplegic. It took him quite some time and a lot of hard work to recover as much as he could, but he came such a long way over the past 10 years. After being in the hospital for I don’t even remember how long after the accident, he spent a few years in a rehabilitation center in Upstate NY. Then he moved to Albany to be closer to family. Although he had 24 hour home care, he lived in his own place. He didn’t let his disabilities stop him from doing what he could. Since he lived far enough away, we didn’t get to see him as often as we would have liked. But we did go to see him when we could and Joe talked to him all the time. Every time we went to visit him, part of our visit would be spent with him at the gym. I will always remember feeling ashamed of myself for not exercising regularly for no good reason at all when Derek went to the gym religiously to work out his upper body. And he was in a wheelchair! He loved the sun & so many times when Joe would call him up during the warm weather, would get the answering machine because he was out soaking in the sun. Despite what he had been through, he never lost his sense of humor. He was always joking with us and reminiscing with Joe about old times. He was an inspiration to everyone that knew him. And this was totally unexpected. Joe had just spoken to him the night before. His life was lost overnight with what seemed like no sign that anything was even wrong.
I came across a quote a few days ago that is so perfect for a time like this. “For some moments in life there are no words” David Seltzer.
This truly is a moment that no words can describe. We’re still in shock and it doesn’t feel real. My heart aches even more for his family who lost a brother and a son and for my husband who lost one of his best friends. And Derek is going to be missed terribly by so many people.
RIP Derek K.
2/19/69 – 2/19/11
Some Friday Fun.
In light of all the seriousness that has been spreading around the DOC this past week or so, I opted for something fun to post. Thanks Allison (again) for the idea 🙂
one) what was your favorite sitcom growing up? I’m sure there were more but the ones that stick out in my mind are Growing Pains, Cheers, The Cosby Show, Different Strokes, Family Ties, Golden Girls, Mr. Belvedere and Punky Brewster. And please don’t judge!
two) what song always makes you happy when you hear it? He Ya by Outkast. I wouldn’t say “happy” exactly but for some reason, this song always lifts my mood and gets me in the dancing mood.
three) do you still have your wisdom teeth? Nope. I had them all removed quite some time ago; probably around 9 years ago or longer. And by all I mean 6. Yes I know this sounds freak-ish but I had 6 wisdom teeth and learned that this is called supernumerary wisdom teeth.
four) what is your go to way to relax? Usually it’s just getting in pj’s or comfy clothes and just vegging out on the couch. But I can’t dismiss the heavenly massage that I get now and then.
five) do you play any instruments? The only instrument I ever learned to play was the recorder in like 3rd grade. So sadly I’m going to go with no, I don’t play any instruments.
six) nude beaches, yes or no? I am not comfortable enough with my own body to strut around nude anywhere outside of my own home. I would also find it very distracting to be among other nude people, especially strangers. Can you guess what my answer is?
seven) do you chew your pens/pencils? I do not.
eight) can you change the oil in your car? Windshield wiper fluid, yes. Oil, no.
nine) can you curl your tounge? Only a little.
ten) can you knit or crochet? Another nope.
So this little post here makes it seem like I have no talent or the ability to do much of anything. But I can, I swear 😉
Pump failure. Or maybe not.
It was Friday night around 12:30 (or technically Saturday morning). Joe and I had just gotten home from a night out for dinner and drinks. I was tired and wanted to go to sleep right away. However there were only less than 10 units left in my insulin pump cartridge which I knew wouldn’t last me the entire night since I planned to sleep as last as possible. So it was time to change my infusion set and fill a new cartridge. As I started the process that I do every 3 days and the pump was rewinding, it stopped. It made some alarm kind of sound and a call service, no delivery message came on the screen. Not really what I had in mind for a set change. Especially at almost 1 in the morning. I tried pushing all the buttons and nothing happened. My pump is broke! And the freaking out set in.
I have to admit that I felt very unprepared for a situation like this. Thankfully I have another pump to use as a back up. In the four+ years that I have been pumping, I’ve been fortunate to not have any issues really. I got out my Minimed pump and started a set change. My bg was hanging out around 230 mg/dL at that time so I know I couldn’t waste time getting my insulin delivery going. The only thing that bothered me was that I wasn’t sure if the MM had my current basal rates since it’s been some time since I’ve used it. And I couldn’t compare it to my Animas since it wasn’t currently working. Great. I figured at the time that some insulin was better than none. I got hooked up and what I did next was call Animas’ 24 hour tech support. I explained to the female representative what happened and that my pump had malfunctioned. I told her the error number that came up on the screen when she said “oh that’s not a malfunction” and preceded to tell me that it was a safety test the pump performs. All I had to do was unscrew the battery cap and re-screw it on which reloaded the pump and voila. The pump was working again. As relieved as I was that the pump wasn’t broken, I don’t really get the idea of having some safety test performed that shuts the pump down mid-set change. Since I’ve never experienced this before, I’m hoping not to again. Or at least not often.
What I did learn though is to write down my basal and bolus rates outside of the pump itself to have readily available, which I did the very next morning. And I would recommend that to anyone who uses a pump for those just in case moments since we do rely on pieces of technology. I’d love to know if any other Animas users has experienced this sort of thing.
Sorry Animas, I wasn’t too happy with you on this one.
Wow have times changed.
For those of us who have been living with diabetes for a long time, we know how much things have changed in regard to its treatment. I was diagnosed in 1981 when things were quite, quite different. At the very beginning, I didn’t test my blood glucose. At all. And it wasn’t because I was being “non compliant”, it was because we didn’t have a glucose meter. The method of testing glucose levels at that time was with urine. I also didn’t take multiple daily injections throughout the day. It was probably one or two, split up between morning and evening. And as much as we know that things are not like that anymore, I came across something recently that reminded me of just that. My mother came across this book that they had gotten for me, pretty soon after diagnosis.
It’s a workbook explaining diabetes in terms that are understandable to a child. There were some fill in the blanks/Q & A’s that I had completed, God knows when, that was interesting to see. But what really blew me away was reading this:
“Most persons with diabetes should attempt to get values in the range of 10%“. WHAT??!? Did I read that correctly? The advice to people with diabetes was to aim for an average blood sugar of around 240?! So all those years when my a1c was exactly that, around 10%, I was considered doing good? I assume that the different guidelines for controlling diabetes today, came from research. And more of it. And the advanced technology introduced from said research. But to see this in writing, even so many years after my father’s generation of those living with diabetes, astounds me. No wonder diabetes was once seen as a death sentence. No wonder complications were inevitable. No wonder the quality of life for living with diabetes was left to be desired. I have to say that I am glad I am in the time now where the aim of a1c is 7% or lower. I am glad I am in the time where I have the ability to monitor my glucose levels continuously with the help of a monitor. I am glad I am in the time where I can control my insulin delivery more easily with an insulin pump. And the times of diabetes are going to contiunue to change. And for that, I’m very thankful.
The Girl with the Portable Pancreas 