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Together rx access program available- including diabetic medications

Diabetes Notes — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:35:14 +0100

Diabetic medications are expensive and essential in good treatment and plans of care… The Together Rx Access® Program, a free prescription savings program created by leading pharmaceutical companies that is enrolling about 10,000 people every week, has reached its 1.5 million cardholders milestone. The Program, introduced in January of 2005, allows cardholders to access immediate and meaningful savings on hundreds of brand-name prescription medicines and products. Those who have used their Together Rx Access cards have collectively saved more than $66 million on their prescription medicines necessary to stay healthy and to treat many common conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, depression, and asthma. If you are interested in finding out more information on this vastly expanding program Together RX Access please visit Together RX Access or call 1-800-966-0407. Thank you Paula Gould Tags: , Diabetes, diabetic, prescription medications, together access programShare This (Source: Diabetes Notes)

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Diabetes.. and now this?

Diabetes Notes — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:20:18 +0100

I shared over at A Hearty Life so I will also share here… Here is a little update on why thing shave been so slow around Diabetes Notes lately. I had been having issues with migraines, numbness and eye pain over the last few months/years really. Everything came to a head last month and my vision slowly worsened and my left hand and left leg didn’t want me to feel that they were there as well as my speech sounding more then a bit off- long and short is they are working me up for MS- I have hot spots/flare ups. I am having another round of scans and more follow up appts with doctor/numerologist/ophthalmologist. So with all this new normal around here I have been just keeping afloat! I am feeling so much better today and am actually looking at the screen of the computer without having to take a break and lay down in between- small miracle in itself. I went to work, nursing, the other day for the first time in about 10 days and it felt good! I will keep you updated and will keep on writing all about heart health and everything related- might just have a new schedule for writing. Have a great night everyone- Kendra Share This (Source: Diabetes Notes)

Denial vs escape

Wife of a Diabetic — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Anonymous wrote:I can say this since I am a woman type-two diabetic.....I tend to lose myself in movies like your husband does in order to escape from a life which has become a nightmare devoid of any happiness or real hope for the future. so here's my next question. Is this "escape" or is it denial? Because I see it as a form of denial. He loses himself in movies and does not deal with such things as testing, eating right, etc. And how different is escape from denial? Are they the same thing or are they different? Escape means to break loose from confinement, to avoid a serious or unwanted outcome, to succeed in avoidingDenial is the act of refusing to comply, asserting something alleged is not trueNot much difference at all.My husband immerses himself in horror movies, sci fi, etc. I truly believe it allows him to escape "real" life so that he can continue to live in his denial of his disease.Today, I faced it square in the face. He has said that he has put on 25 -30 pounds this past year. We have a Polaris 2-up ATV. He has put on so much weight, that although his stomach still starts where it did last year, right behind the handles, the rest of him protrudes at least 6 inches more towards me. He was literally squeezing my legs and thighs into the real handle bars. I didn't figure this out until over half way through our ride and I just wanted to cry out of sadness. The ATV did not change shape or size, and I'm wearing the very same jeans I wore last summer. But my legs were totally pinned due to his girth. Truly sad when you have to face this head on. It will probably be my last ATV ride because my left hip and thigh are totally black and blue tonight. Each time we hit a bump, the weight of his body jammed my leg into the corner of the ATV sticking out. I did not enjoy the ride at all due to the pain. I'm sitting on a heating pad, hoping it will just resolve itself. I'm going to guess he has put on between 30 - 50 pounds this past year. I know that his waist is now 42". This is a large man. And I think I grieved somewhat today the loss of the fun of riding on an ATV. (Source: Wife of a Diabetic)

Our last couple of months in pics....

Rub Eyes When Needed — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

And that is what we have been up to. I guess its called life. We think of everyone often and hope you all are doing tremendous! This post could be what i need to get back in the game! Talk to you all soon. Chris. (Source: Rub Eyes When Needed)

Eating poor food choices can attribute to a mental decline among type 2 diabetics

Diabetes Notes — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:51:27 +0100

There is already a link/thought process that there is a mental decline directly following the consumption of a high fat meal among type 2 diabetics. “Our bottom line is that consuming unhealthy meals for those with diabetes can temporarily further worsen already underlying memory problems associated with the disease,”said lead author Michael Herman Chui, who conducted the research as a University of Toronto pathobiology undergraduate in the Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit (KLARU) at Baycrest. Besides the very obvious solution of not eating poor nutrition or foods you know you should not have- there is the suggestion that taking certain vitamins or anti-oxidants will help keep these mental problems at bay. to read more… Tags: Diabetes, diet, fast-food, nutrition, weight loss, weightingline.comShare This (Source: Diabetes Notes)

Happy 4th of july in the usa

Diabetes Notes — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:40:50 +0100

Happy 4th of July! Image details: American flag illuminated by sunbeams served by picapp.com Share This (Source: Diabetes Notes)

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Blood sugar 101 now available from amazon uk with free shipping offer!

Diabetes Update — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:49:00 +0100

My new book, Blood Sugar 101: What They Don't Tell You About Diabetes just went live on Amazon.co.uk and is eligible for the £15 free shipping deal. Find it here: Blood Sugar 101Also, if you are in the UK and have already purchased Blood Sugar 101 and found it helpful, please consider posting a review of it on the Amazon page. It would be greatly appreciated! (Source: Diabetes Update)

Diabetic friendly red, white and blue cake

Diabetes Notes — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:40:52 +0100

A red white and blue hearty dessert recipe… You will need: 1 store bought angel food cake 2 cups of strawberries 2 cups of blueberries 1 tub of Sugar Free Cool Whip Sugar free strawberry Jello Cut angel food cake in half, prepare Jello as directed and when set scoop out of container and mix so Jello becomes ‘chopped’ up. Place Jello on top of bottom piece of Angel food cake and place upper piece of cake on top- think of Jello as your filler layer. Use SF Cool Whip as icing and spread over the top and down the sides of Cake with Jello filler. Cut up berries and sprinkle on top of cake- hold out half to sprinkle on top of individual servings when served. When all assembled place cake in fridge for at least an hour before cutting to serve. Tags: , dessert, Diabetes, diabetic, diabetic food, nutrition, recipeShare This (Source: Diabetes Notes)

Viva aviva!

David Mendosa's SharePosts — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:48:39 +0100

Messages from two correspondents this week got me looking at and thinking about the Accu-Chek Aviva meter again. When it hit the market three years ago, I wrote a positive review of it for Diabetes Health magazine. But with the multitude of new meters to check out since then, I haven't been using my Aviva lately. That was a good thing. "The Aviva meter will not let you use expired strips," Kevin wrote me a few days ago. "It is also smart... (Source: David Mendosa's SharePosts)

I thought we were going to die!

Wife of a Diabetic — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Pulling an ATV on a trailer over a freeway and he started to pull out into the left lane to pass the slow poke in front of us and didn't see the truck coming up on his left. Nearly lost control pulling too far back to the right.His reflexes are definitely slowing down and I wonder if his perifial vision is failing him? I saw the truck trying to pass us from the passenger side. OK, all I can do is just keep praying. Fortunately, today, we are safely at our destination. I'm almost afraid to go out on the ATV with him tomorrow and no, he won't let me drive! Definitely a "guy" thing! LOL! (Source: Wife of a Diabetic)

Freedom

The B.A.D. Blog — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

As I reflect on my patriotism today all I keep thinking about is my son's trip to Washington. When he came back from that trip I saw a new love for his country burning inside him and that only helped to fan that fire in me.I never shared pictures from his big day. Enjoy.I hope you all have a safe Independence Day. (Source: The B.A.D. Blog)

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Another piece of history

The D-Log Cabin — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Diabetes Gettysburg Address..(thought about it when I read this.) Four score and four years ago, our Canadian brethren brought forth, on this continent, a new medication, conceived in ingenuity, and dedicated to the novel idea that billions should not die. Now, we are engaged in a great global war of chronic disease- testing whether, a group of diabetics, we can long endure. (With toes and teeth intact) We are met on a battlefield of that war- the field of research. We have come to dedicate a portion of ourselves, to eradication of that dread disease, that sucked the last breath from their dying lips. It is altogether proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate-we cannot consecrate- we cannot ever do enough. The brave individuals, living and dead, who have struggled (and continue to struggle) consecrate it far beyond our poor power to add or detract. Rather, it is for us, the living, to be dedicated to this last remaining task- that from these pitied dead we take increased devotion toward ending diabetes- that we here resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this planet shall have a new birth of freedom, and that this disease, of, for, and by the people- shall rapidly perish from this earth. Have a great 4th, everyone. We enjoy so many freedoms, and the "life" (in the life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) part is a biggie(one that PWD's, prior to insulin, did not have). (Source: The D-Log Cabin)

Six months old!

Diabetes Diary — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

This has unofficially become the "Baby Sienna" picture blog! Thanks for visiting :)As for my diabetes, I'm still blogging over at Health Central. Lately my diabetes management has not been the central focus of my life, as it was while pregnant. However, learning to balance diabetes and motherhood has its own set of challenges, which I'm eager to tackle! Happy 4th of July everyone!! Here are a few pics of Sienna... she's growing so fast!! (Source: Diabetes Diary)

Robin hood’s evil twin

LifeAfterDx--The Guardian Chronicles — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Yes, I know it is pathetic. I’m a personal friend of Robin Hood’s evil twin, Robert Hood. He steals from the indigent and gives to the poor. How sad is that? Let me tell you the tale. Spoiler alert: no tights, no swords or bows and arrows, and most definitely no merry men.To set the stage for our drama you need to understand that except when it comes to your BGLs; you really don’t want to be in the middle.If you are truly, pathetically, abjectly poor—what we call indigent in the medical world—then you will actually get damn good health care. You’ll probably get Medicaid, which is arguably superior to the Medicare we give senior citizens who worked hard all their lives. Plus you’ll also qualify for Patient Assistant Programs, called PAP, from all the major Pharma companies. Because we got lots of poor people, hundreds of thousands of dollars of top tier name-brand drugs arrive via UPS at our little clinic every month.If you are truly rich, well, then health care really isn’t an issue is it? You can afford the best insurance. And being rich you’ll probably have fewer health issues. Sad truth: the rich are healthy. They can afford to take care of things right away, they can afford proactive, preventive care.Anywhere in the middle, you are probably screwed. No, not probably: definitely. Anywhere in the middle you are definitely screwed.The worst spot to be in is working poor. You make $38 dollars per month (half tank of gas) too much to qualify for PAP, you don’t have insurance at all, and you can’t afford the drugs that would really make you healthy. We send you to Wal-Mart for $4 generics, but….The next worst spot to be in is working poor with insurance. In theory you are covered, but deductibles, high co-pays, and tiered drug benefit plans literally make chronically ill patients choose between their health and keeping the lights on. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve have this conversation:Me: OK, let me just review your meds with you real quick to make sure our records are up-to-date.Working Poor Patient: OK.Me: So we’ve got you on 45 units twice a day of Lantus, right?WPP: Yep.Me: Great, and you take Lipitor 40mg for your cholesterol, right?WPP: Looooooooong silence. Patient is looking at his hands. Well………Um……..I haven’t been taking that for a while now.Me: What?! Why the hell not? Of course, I know the answer that is coming.WPP: I can’t afford it.The first drugs the WPP’s drop are the ones with silent effect. In most cases, but not all, they’ll take their diabetes meds because even if they only check their BGLs every-once-and-while it doesn’t take long to see the effect that skipping your D-meds has on your body. But most folks, especially WPPs who can’t afford to pay for lab tests out-of-pocket, don’t check their lipids as often as they need to. The WPPs are also quick to drop their high blood pressure pills. It is easy to rationalize a high blood pressure: I just had a cup of coffee, my kid’s in jail, my wife left me for my brother (all real things real patients have told me).Trivia question: what kills diabetics? If you said diabetes you are wrong and must now go sit in the back of the class. Unless you were sitting in the back to start with, in which case you must now sit in the front row. The correct answer is: heart attack. And the best way to keep that pale horse at bay is to keep your cholesterol and blood pressure down. I’ll bet you worry about what high blood sugar does to your kidneys, huh? Did you know that high blood pressure can actually be more damaging?Let’s face it, the cards are stacked against us D-folk to start with, anything we can do to keep the rest of the body healthy in money in the bank. But life with out electricity and heat at 7,000 above sea level in the New Mexico mountains sucks too.So back to Robert Hood (the evil twin). He’s my counter-part at a neighboring community health center. We are a lot a like, except that I’m older and a lot more handsome. Over coffee and idea trading recently he told me he was getting comfortable living in ethical gray areas. It started with an honest mistake. In filling out some insulin PAP paperwork for a patient that would need nine pens for a three month period he checked off nine boxes of pens. The UPS driver dutifully brought forty-five insulin pens: 36 more than the patient needed.Robert hesitated about 1.6 seconds and dove into the grey water. He re-distributed the extra pens to his WPP folks. I’m guessing he’ll check the wrong box when he renews. And maybe on a few other patients too.I haven’t gone that far. Not yet. Not ever. Damn this moral compass! But my boss once threatened to create “fake” patients to get the meds to real ones that need it but can’t get them. Of course, he was just venting. If he did that he’d lose his license and be publicly executed by hanging, no doubt.Now I have to take a detour here and tell you about the pinto beans. My mother-in-law gets “commodities,” a food program for low income seniors. They get a variety of food stuffs each month, including one pound bags of pinto beans. Pinto beans in New Mexico are the same a rice in China: a ubiquitous staple. Quality pintos are pale tan. One of my jobs as spouse-of-Hispanic is to “clean” the pintos; a kitchen table sorting process whereby I scoop the good ones into the pressure cooker and discard the rocks, broken beans, and dark ones.The commodities program was giving out bags of dark beans. My mother-in-law would not use them. Each month she put them in her pantry. The pile grew until there were 14 bags of these dark beans. She was afraid to throw them out because the local rumor had it that the authorities were keeping an eye on the dumpsters and that if people were throwing items away the government would stop giving stuff out. Hmmmmmmmm…one hopes the government has better things to do, but one never knows.One day, after hearing her discuss various schemes to rid herself of the beans, I loaded them up and took them to my office to see if anyone would want them. Sure enough, we had folks who were hungry enough not to care that the pintos were technically sub-standard. By end of day one the beans were gone. Well one thing lead to another, word gets around a small town, and pretty soon my office was doubling as a unofficial, unapproved, uncertified, and probably illegal commodity re-distribution center.Amongst our glucometers we now have cans of juice, bags of creamed wheat, boxes of pasta. Patients bring what they don’t want or use and take what they need. The needy helping the needier.So Robert and I both work in an impossible world. Diabetes and obesity costs our state a million dollars a day but we failed to get a crappy one million dollars from the state legislature to run the state’s diabetes control and prevention program for an entire year. Don’t you think that investing 1/365 of the cost of a problem in preventing it is a good investment? Our national lepers….err….leaders…. espouse a “culture of life” while they let large corporations rape and pillage the populace. Greed rules the health care system, patients simply don’t count. We are at the edge of the tsunami that is the diabetes epidemic and not only do we not have any oars; the life boat is full of holes.So I understand what Robert is doing. I applaud him, even admire him and I secretly wish I had the balls to do what he’s doing… but I’m too much of a boy scout to join the Hood brothers. As well as being a chicken and a sissy.I stress out every day. I worry about my patients. It pains me to know what meds they need but to know I can not get the right meds for them. I actually use to be happy that I was diabetic. I know that sounds crazy. But I felt it was some sort of calling, the hand of God if you will, and that now my life had purpose. Some days I still feel that way. But some days I don’t feel that way anymore. So much misery has worn me down. I long to put my head into the sand, hide my face behind a camera and pretend that I’d never heard the word diabetes. I live it 24-7. I read about it on the internet. I write about it. I talk to schools, parents, and lawmakers about it. I work it full time. I go to trainings in the evenings and my days off. There is no escape.But after talking to Robert I began to wonder if what worked for pinto beans would work for insulin. As meds changed, and dosages changed, folks sometimes had left-overs. So long as it hasn’t been opened we can give it to someone else. I put the word on the street: bring me your unopened bottles, your sealed vials, your extra needles and lancets.Then I got an email from a reader. Her T-1 kiddo had gotten a pump and they had some left-over Lantus and some supplies. Could I use them or could my patients? Absolutely. I don’t use it myself, but plenty of my patients do. I emailed her our address. I was expecting a vial or two. Wrong. I got a huge box with 16 vials of fresh insulin (already half now in the hands of those who need it) and a second carton of boxes of pen needles, lancets, and other goodies. Surplus from the insured helping the uninsured. Awesome.Rather than add life of crime to my Maalox moments and general insomnia, another idea came to me, thanks to the pinto beans and my reader. What diabetic doesn’t have three boxes of D-stuff they don’t need anymore? So, dear readers, to keep me and all those like me from resorting to joining the Hood gang, if you’ve got extra D-goodies of any kind cluttering up your closets, call your local non-profit community health centers, they’ll get your goodies into the hands of those that need them the most.I drink coffee with Hoods, but I guess I’m more at home working with the Peace Corps, the Red Cross, and all those other folks that find a way to spread resources around. Still, when my head hits the pillow at night I briefly fantasize that I am a highwayman, stopping Pfizer, Merck, and Amylin trucks with an Uzi, loading up their supplies and slipping back into the night….. (Source: LifeAfterDx--The Guardian Chronicles)

Let freedom ring

Nearest Distant Shore — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. (Source: Nearest Distant Shore)

Update on cgms denial day: they’re listening!

The Diabetes Talkfest Blog — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

***I urge you all to keep raising your voice, send your denial blog post link or denial story to me gcapone1 (at) optonline (dot) net, Please put CGMS DENIAL in the Subject line *** Together we can make a difference. Yesterday I sent out a press release about CGMS Denial Day to prweb.com, and some other media contacts. Within the hour of sending I got a call from Diabetes Health Magazine that they wanted to do a story. I was very happy about this because I was not sure if any media would cover this event. Diabetes Self Management covered it in their section What We’re Reading. Amy Tenderich of Diabetesmine.com did a story called Paying for CGMS day. Here are some bloggers that contributed: • Katie I: I sought coverage from United Health Care for my CGMS that accompanies the Minimed Paradigm 722. UHC denied coverage, and I paid out of pocket for the cost of the CGMS. • Your Diabetes May Vary: Guess What? We got denied! • Sixuntilme: I submitted the paperwork when I applied, But my CGM coverage was flat-out denied. • Pumped Up: I know the CGMS would benefit me greatly. It would show trends that I have tried to “see” for myself. • Journal Diary Blog: This BLOG is In awareness of diabetics being denied from their insurance companies in regards to obtaining a Continuos Glucose Monitoring System (CGM) – a dedicated day has been initiated. • Floating Down the Karpoozi River: I wake up, feeling disoriented, dizzy, confused, and shaky. It’s a feeling that I unfortunately know well. • Angie Ravenscroft: I had my 8 year old daughter post her thoughts on our blog. • Bittersweet: I did not ask for this disease. But you can bet I’m ready to ask for anything that will help me manage it. Don’t deny me that right. • Windy: My coverage has been pending, and pending, and pending, and pending…. • NIck: My insurance pays for CGMS for me and my daughter, but that doesn’t mean I am immune or blind to the outrageous denial of this wonderful technology by insurance companies. • George Simmons: Watch the video and see what CGMS is and why insurance thinks we do not need it. Strugle for the system: I want to be healthy. I want to live as long as I can. I want to be complication free. • Bunny Kissed: This is not something I need right now, as my diabetes is not severe and kept under control quite well with medication, but there are many diabetics who really could use this, and maybe someday I will too. • Michelle Curtis: This technology is amazing and it isn’t “Cadillac Care” as some have referred to it. Having a continuous glucose monitor, which reads your “blood sugar” every 5 minutes, is like dealing with diabetes with the lights on rather than in the dark. • Penny: I just wanted to say that I too am a victim of the CGMS Denial SCAM by the insurance companies! I have lived with Type 1 for over 23 years now and my current A1C is 7.4. Blue Cross denied me the CGMS by stating that I am in “too good of control”... WHAT??? I thought that if your A1C was not under 7.0 that you still had some work to do in order to be under good control. Granted that my A1C is much better than some, I still cannot believe that the insurance companies can get away with this excuse! It’s time that the insurance companies take the PROactive approach to diabetes care as all of us do and cover things early in our treatment instead of waiting until we have the complications such as blindness, heart attack, stroke, amputations, or worse. The insurance companies would spend less money if they covered these newer technologies up front. I guarantee you that the cost of covering the CGMS is far less than that a few days stay in the hospital for something that would be avoided by using the CGMS. • Kaileen: We start this blog on CGMS Denial Day. We do not have a CGMS: however, lives can be changed and saved by using this one powerful tool. • Priscilla Call Essert: I have been hesitant to really throw myself into this blog. Now that CGM Denial Day is here, I have decided it is time to throw caution to the wind and just get going with it all. So I will kick this off with our denial story. • Honeysweet • Shannon: Like so many others, I’ve been denied coverage for a CGMS. As a diabetic hoping to start a family very soon, I need constant monitoring of my blood sugar. • Kathleen Weaver: I’ve never been denied, officially but my paperwork was completely ignored. Disappeared off the website. • Mick: I have been both personally and professionally affected by the ongoing denial of CGM coverage by medical insurance companies. • Emilie: I wanted to join others in making sure insurance companies understand that CGM coverage is medically necessary. • Marshy: Overdosed on Humalog: Free! One mile ambulance ride to hospital: $2920.00 Hospital bill for useless tests: $33592.94 Box of ten sensors: $350 Denial of benefits: Priceless! • Nicole: We were initially denied but I won out because my husbands insurance company is self insured so I went to his boss’s. I am currently try to help a friend gain approval through her insurance company after several denials. • Staci: I call my Highmark PPO Blue provider every 2 months just to hear them tell me that my sensors for my CGMS are not covered. My doctor has asked me to write a letter so that he can also make a formal appeal. Since I have had the CGMS my A1C’s have gone from 8’s to 6.7. That is a major drop. I have had type 1 for 47 years and the CGMS is a miracle. My insurance paid for the pump/CGMS but won’t pay for the sensors. This is ass backwards. The insurance providers need to recognize the up front cost will save them alot of money because diabetics can have better control and therefore less costly medical bills. • Lee: It is imperative that insurance companies recognize the need for the CGMS to save the lives of diabetics. I technically have had diabetes since childhood 50+ years, have hypoglycemia unawareness, have had serious lows that included seizure and unconsciousness. How close to death and how many times can this happen without the loss of the individual?Insurance companies need not discriminate. Deciding insurance parties need to be educated on the need for the CGMD. Many diabetic patients can be controlled only with CGMS effectively; to increase our chances of not having serious side effects which are extremely costly to the “system”. Early stroke, death, and the complications of diabetes which are “deadly” could be avoided if insurance companies and MDs would be advocates for the Diabetic patients. Life is priceless, neglegence and negativity costs lives. • Flying Horse Ranch: This is VERY IMPORTANT, to spread the word of Insurance Company IDIOCY. • Dorkabetic: When I want to get my own CGMS, I expect some coverage. • But wait it gets better: We stand by all those fighting the good fight. • Sunnie: I’ve had Type 1 for 35 years and have had so many insulin reactions, concussions, etc. during the night that my endocrinologist wrote a letter of medical necessity to Blue Cross/Blue Shield when I appealed their denial of coverage for a CGMS. I wonder how many people making their decision have diabetes! From Diabetesmine • June S: I am wearing CGMS, and because I live ALONE and have a major (rational) phobia about nocturnal awareness, I really benefit from these sensors. They allow me to fall asleep at night. I’ve had diabetes for 36 years this month, and for most of them (excepting the first 10 years, when I had TOTAL hypoglycemia awareness, I have set my alarm for the middle of the night, or drank a glass of water (so I’d have to wake up to use the bathroom) or taken too big a snack at bedtime, out of a great fear of nocturnal hypoglycemia. I also suffer from daytime hypoglycemia awareness. When I was first diagnosed my hands used to shake when my BG hit 75; now they don’t shake at all. I usually just start crying when my BG’s get to 60. CGMS works for me! • Jeff: I just have serious problems with the insurance companies telling me what is best for me. When my doctor, CDE, and I all can agree that I would be a good candidate for a CGMS, that should be enough for the insurance company; regardless if I use it 24×7 or just a few times per month. The insurance companies are paid by people like me and the companies we work for. It would be nice if these same insurance companies would work for their customers, IE people like me. From sixuntilme.com • Mark: I can’t help but compare this back to the early 1900’s when animal insulin was adapted for human use. Those who were slowly dying from this disease by slow starvation and the eventual ketoacidosis of the body. Can you possibly imagine the horror for those individuals and their families to watch these deaths unfold? The horror of this disease had to have been monumental. Moreover after the “cure” was found those who had to wait until it was available for them. I can only imagine the desperation for those on the waiting list back then. We have come along way baby, but not far enough. With the real cure (assuming there can be one) still on the horizon we are left with the latest technology to live as long as one can with as few complications as possible. CGMS is the dawn of one having the consistently normal blood sugars we need. Those who make this technology and those who pay for it, must align their priorities to make this available to every type one. If those who say that is not practical I offer this up. If your own children had type 1 would that change your opinion of what is practical and needed? (Source: The Diabetes Talkfest Blog)

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Truths, lies and half-truths in diabetes

SugarStats.com - Simple, Online Blood Sugar Tracking for Diabetes Management — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:24:42 +0100

Hi All, One of the most interesting(frustrating, saddening etc) aspects of diabetes is the number of misconceptions in the general public, and sometimes within the medical community also. I know many of you have heard some questions or comments that made you cringe—I certainly have myself. Right now the one that tops my list was question [...] (Source: SugarStats.com - Simple, Online Blood Sugar Tracking for Diabetes Management)

40th wedding anniversary

My son has diabetes — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:58:00 +0100

My mom and dad were married 40 years ago today. They were married the summer before my mom's senior year of high school. One year later, in the summer of '69, my dad was drafted into the army.While he was in basic training in Alabama my mom received a call that he was deathly ill. "Come quick if you want to see him alive." She was driven to Alabama not knowing if my dad would be alive or dead when she arrived. Obviously, he survived. After he got well he was shipped off to Vietnam. I can only imagine how sad my mom was during that time and I can only painfully imagine the things my dad had to endure at the tender age of 19.When my parents got married they wanted to have 6 children. They tried for years to have children to no avail. Finally, five years after they were married, they had me. They tried for several more years to have more children. At the age of 27 my mom had to have a hysterectomy. Instead of 6 children they ended up with just one.Over the last forty years there have been a lot of ups and downs.They've lived through an unwed pregnancy of their teenage daughter, death of 3 parents, and countless other sorrows. They've seen that same daughter marry a wonderful man and have enjoyed the birth of two grand babies.My parents were 17 and 18 years old when they married. The odds were stacked against them. But, yet, 40 years later they are still going strong.I've learned a lot from them over the years. I'm so glad God picked them to be my parents. Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad.I love you!! (Source: My son has diabetes)

Bicentennial memories

Scott's Web Log — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:45:00 +0100

Independence Day (July 4 to those of my readers outside the U.S.) has never been a particularly joyous day for me. Memorable, yes, joyous, no. In 1976, the U.S. celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which was dubbed (appropriately enough) the Bicentennial. The whole country seemed to be covered in stars and stripes. People were painting fire hydrants in shades of red, white and blue, wearing tri-colored clown wigs and plunking down newly-minted Bicentennial 25 cent coins for all of the miscellaneous crap with a flag pattern or the red, white and blue colors on it.The main reason for my less-than-enamoured feeling towards Independence Day is because it brings back rather vivid memories. I spent my Bicentennial in the Seattle suburbs. But less than 2 weeks later (on July 24, 1976), I received the wonderful news of a type 1 diabetes diagnosis. By itself, that would not be particularly significant, except that for many people who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the weeks leading to their official diagnosis are often marked by all-too-frequent trips to the restroom, and a thirst which few people could possibly imagine except perhaps someone walking across the Sahara desert without any water. My response to grade-school teachers who said things like "You don't know what its like to be thirsty" was "I actually DO, but others may not!" and I once had to go to the principal's office for being disrespectful to a teacher (compare that to what kids say today!) and my mom was called into school -- needless to say, after her little meeting with the principal where she ripped into them for denying a perfectly reasonable request, no teacher ever denied my request to use the restroom or go to the drinking fountain ever again! Anyway, with that in mind, you might imagine what my 4th of July was like that year, unquenchable thirst and going to the restroom what seemed like every 5 minutes (I was only 7 at the time, so my memory may be slightly distorted). Med students are taught to memorize the symptoms of type 1 diabetes as polyuria, polydipsia and another "poly" which I don't remember because I didn't go to medical school, but whatever it was, I don't remember that as a symptom, but the first two certainly did apply.Anyway, back to the 4th, vivid memories aside (that and being stuck in Lambert Airport in St. Louis for 6 hours on the way home), the 4th has never really been filled with terrific memories for me. True, I did go to Philadelphia a few years ago and got to see Elton John, Patti LaBelle and others in concert ... for FREE, but generally, I use the holiday to just relax and try to stay out of the heat. This year, I will be catching up on some Broadway shows, since tickets can be had for a fraction of their usual prices, but other than that, this holiday will be one where I can sleep late and relax! (Source: Scott's Web Log)

Taking steps...

CuriousGirl — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:48:00 +0100

Enough bitching and moaning... It was time for me to take some steps... Baby steps...Read more at Blogabetes, if you like! (Source: CuriousGirl)

Not quite the same

The B.A.D. Blog — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:53:00 +0100

I am so excited about tomorrow. I have always loved the 4th of July. This year we are going to my sisters for food, fireworks and fun!In years past we have always gone to my sister’s house for the 4th. She used to live about an hour away from us and had a swimming pool so it was the perfect place to spend the hot summer day.The thing about my sister’s pad that made it amazing for the 4th was the people in her neighborhood. The crazy people. I remember one year inviting my friend Clay to come and see for himself the unbelievable display of illegal fireworks. He was blown away (almost literally) and made sure he came back the following year.The amount of “Disneyland” type fireworks in her old neighborhood is terrifyingly awesome! It was like a war zone. Explosions from every side and all at the same time for hours and hours! I tried to upload a clip I recorded a few years back but it is not working. I am going to try again for the next YTT because it is nuts. You have to see it and hear our reactions. So funny. My sister and her family moved out of state so we do not get access to the firestorm but what is worse is that we can’t just hang out anymore like we used to. I am happy that her family has an great home and they are doing great but my selfish side is bummed that we can’t enjoy Louisiana Hot Links on the BBQ this year nor can I display my “Sparkler Man” finale routine for my nieces like I did every year.“Sparkler man” consisted of me holding a sparkler between every finger in each hand, several stuck in my shoes and several in my teeth. I would light them all and then walk around like Godzilla. It was pretty much the most awesome thing ever. Well, maybe like the third most awesome thing. JI hope you all have a great 4th and I am going to try a post a picture filled post tomorrow so check it out if you can! (Source: The B.A.D. Blog)

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Diabetes for the day.

Six Until Me. — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:45:14 +0100

Working in a diabetes company means understanding the culture and responsibilities of a person with diabetes. This is easy for me, because I'm a person with diabetes. But not everyone at work is living with diabetes. My fellow employees work with diabetes every, but they don't live with it. People at work have taken a very active interest in becoming more familiar with the diabetes lifestyle - more than just understanding the "facts" of this disease. They ask questions about the pump, or different insulins, or what a CGM does. They ask how things "feel." One of my co-workers decided to have "diabetes for the day," which included him testing his blood sugar several times and wearing a pump infusion set (minus the cannula - just stuck to his abdomen for "the feel" of it) attached to a makeshift "pump." He spent the day thinking about carbohydrate intake, blood sugar results, and the constant presence of a device, in efforts to better understand the community he's trying to help. Here's his feedback:Kerri: How did testing your blood sugar affect the way you thought about food?Co-Worker: I'd love to say that I'm a changed person and that I look at the world through different eyes having worn the shoes of someone with diabetes for a day. Truthfully I think it was the inconvenience pain of testing that caused the greatest hesitation and re-jigging for me. The event that caught me most off guard was when I returned home from work and passed up having a cookie before dinner. My inner dialog went something like, "Mmm cookies. Wait, I'd have to test first. Kerri said I had to test before eating anything. Hmm. I'm going to be eating dinner in an hour so I'd probably have to test twice. BUT. If I have it with dinner, I can test just once ... I think I'll wait."I have to say, all those fake sugars [note from Kerri - he's talking about artificial sweeteners] are really yucky and drinking mostly plain water is no fun. Give me my plain sugar in my coffee. If I had to inject insulin (saline) I think it might have really changed the way I thought about food because it would have forced me to do more calculations and understand what I was putting into my body (both the food and the insulin). With just testing, I only had to make simple yes/no decisions. Maybe next time I'll get wired up for a pump. Shooting actual syringes saline ... am I getting paid to do this?Kerri: Did you ever feel inconvenienced by the presence of the meter or the "pump?" How so?CW: Having the meter/pump on my belt wasn't too conspicuous as I think it looked a lot like a geeky cell phone belt clip. (And I'm pretty geeky.) However, I did almost drop it into the toilet once. Unlike a cellphone, it's wired/tubed to me which created a bit of a juggling act and not one you're likely to see at the circus. Thankfully all my years of playing frisbee came in handy and I was able to prevent a very embarrassing accident. (Since it was just a meter it wouldn't have been too costly.)I also think that if I wasn't at a place where we talk about diabetes everyday, I might have been a bit more self-conscious.Kerri: How did the blood glucose numbers make you feel? Did you associate any "guilt" to a higher number? Did any of your results make you raise an eyebrow?CW: Since I knew that my body could "handle" the swings I wasn't too worried and thus not too guilty. (I had pizza for lunch and pasta for dinner ... and two cookies. Something that I don't think would be part of a typical menu for someone who was managing their BG.) I did have some pretty high swings and it did make me realize that keeping your BG within an acceptable range is not a passive act that can be programmed like a thermostat and left on auto-pilot. There's a constant feedback loop that occurs and I don't think a CGM talking to a pump would be able to easily and reliably handle the delicate balance. (And that's coming from a programmer.)Kerri: Do you feel as though you have a better idea of what life with diabetes is like? What else would you want to know? What are you grateful for not knowing?CW: I think what I experienced is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I was forced to stop and think a few times, but I didn't have to pay the "penalty" of being careless and I knew in the morning it would all be over. Sort of like playing with tasers without the batteries. "Don't fake taser me, Bro!" I am a bit curious as to what a high and low are like. Is it similar to being hungover? Like having a bad flu? Is it worse than a papercut between the fingers? (I really hate paper cuts. How can something so small hurt so much? I'll inject saline before getting a papercut.) The insulin pump is still very intriguing to me. Can you feel the insulin going in? Can you "feel" your BSL/energy change?No amount of simulation will ever help me understand what it's like to not be able to just disconnect. There is no vacation from diabetes. It doesn't sleep when you sleep. I can't even imagine that. Even as I type this, the concept is so foreign to me.Kerri: Did this experiment make you appreciate your health any more? Less?CW: I've been very fortunate and have been very healthy all my life. I have my scars and stories, but overall I can't complain. I don't think the experiment changed how I thought of my own health. I think I appreciate how amazing the human body is to keep everything working properly, but I don't think I'll change any of my habits as a result of the experiment. Don't get me wrong. I'll continue to watch my weight and try to eat healthy food. (I haven't been to a fast food joint, except to use the bathroom, in over 15 years.) But it's about my general health and well being, and not specifically as a way to prevent type 2 diabetes.The experience will stay with me longer than the lancet marks on my fingers, but I would not classify it as life-altering. Something well worth the time and I'd recommend that other participate in the experiment. (Source: Six Until Me.)

A massive long term study sheds more light on truly normal fasting glucose values

Diabetes Update — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:18:00 +0100

A study brought to my attention by this week's edition of Diabetes in Control newsletter makes it very clear that for people with symptoms of the metabolic syndrome a fasting glucose blood sugar test result of 95 mg/dl or higher should impel their physicians to order a glucose tolerance test. What the study found in brief is this: Over a 9 year period, within a group of 46,578 members of Kaiser Permanente Northwest, 10% of those who started out with fasting plasma glucose values of 95 to 100 mg/dl ended up diagnosed as diabetic based on a fasting plasma glucose test result greater than 125 mg/dl.In contrast, only about 3% of those with fasting blood sugars below either 85 mg/dl or 89 mg/dl were diagnosed with diabetes. Within the group which became diabetic, other factors which increased the likelihood of becoming diabetic, in order of impact, were diagnosed cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, smoking, high triglycerides, and elevated BMI.Significantly, there was NO significant correlation between the levels of LDL or HDL cholesterol and the likelihood of becoming diabetic. ONLY the trigyclerides--which are a good reflection of the blood sugar level after meals, predicted oncoming diabetes. The complete text of the study is free, which is a nice change. You can read it here:Normal Fasting Plasma Glucose and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis.Gregory A. Nichols, Ph.D. et. a.. The American Journal of Medicine. Vol 121,issue 6, 519-524 (June 2008)Note in particular this graph: Kaplan-Meier plot of cumulative diabetes incidence by category of normal fasting plasma glucose.In their conclusions the authors point out that the lack of glucose tolerance test data for this population limited the value of the study and suggest that those with fasting glucose values of 95 mg/dl and higher most probably would have tested at the prediabetic level on a glucose tolerance test. They also point out that "Among those who developed diabetes by our criteria, however, the mean hemoglobin A1c at diagnosis was more than 7%, a level that strongly suggests that abnormal glucose metabolism has been maintained for several months."My guess is that the over 7% A1cs suggest that the glucose metabolism had been abnormal for several years--probably beginning when that fasting glucose went over 94 mg/dl.The group in this study whose fasting blood glucose was between 90 and 94 mg/dl had an incidence of diabetes that was about 5%. What does this mean for you if your fasting glucose is in the 90s? It means you need to get yourself a meter and to start testing your post-meal blood sugars, one and two hours after eating, to see how high your blood sugar is rising. You don't have to do this very often. Once or twice a year is all you need to do assuming you do not see post-meal blood sugars over 125 mg/dl which seems to be the peak most truly normal people attain, very briefly, before their blood sugar drops back to their fasting level. If you see your blood sugar rising over 140 mg/dl after meals, take it as a sign that you are very likely to have prediabetes and start taking steps to improve your blood sugar health now, when it is still relatively easy to reverse any early diabetic changes in your body and preserve your beta cells from harm.If your fasting blood sugar is in the 90s here are some steps you can take to improve your blood sugar health.1. Cut the carbs. Carbs are what raise blood sugar and you are probably eating a lot of junk carbs that are stressing your body and pushing you towards developing diabetes. Try cutting out the following: All non-diet sodas, fries, white bread, breakfast cereals containing more than 10 grams of carbs per serving (most people eat two or three "servings" every time they fill a bowl with cereal, large muffins (6-8 oz), large servings of pasta, etc. Cutting carbs will lower your triglycerides, the only part of your cholesterol linked with developing diabetes.2. Exercise. If you aren't the gym rat kind, start taking a 40 minute walk four or five times a week. That has been shown to be enough to make significant improvements in your fitness without causing injury.3. Check your meds. Many commonly prescribed medications have a side effect of causing "hyperglycemia" i.e. high blood sugar. Read the official Prescribing Information for all medications you are taking and see which ones might be contributing to your rising blood sugars. Some drugs known to raise blood sugar are HCTZ, SSRI antidepressants, Zyprexa, prednisone and other corticosteroids. There are others. If you are taking a medication that raises blood sugar, talk to your doctor about whether there are alternatives which won't put you at risk of kidney failure, blindness, increasing heart disease, and amputation--which are what can happen to you over time if you allow your blood sugar to rise unchecked. (Source: Diabetes Update)

You tube videos: diabetes emergency preparedness

Daily Diabetic — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:00:00 +0100

Tips and Tricks for Emergency Diabetes Preparedness - a 3 part video delivered by Kris Freeman (Olympic skier and Type 1 diabetic). Here's Part 1: Don't forget to check out all the videos. They're all very helpful and informative. [Thanks to Daniel DeMoss for the hat tip!] See full article. Related Entries: Charge Your Mobile In An Emergency! - 23 July 2007 Emergency Preparedness and Your Home Based Business - 09 October 2007 All-Purpose Emergency Tool Works When You Need it: Vector Storm Tracker! - 20 November 2007 Pandemic preparedness - 10 January 2008 Contents of this feed are a property of Creative Weblogging Limited and are protected by copyright laws. Violations will be prosecuted. Please email us if you'd like to use this feed for non-commercial activities at feeds - at - creative-weblogging.com. (Source: Daily Diabetic)

Meters! they lie!!

DanielDoo — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

I know we have had this discussion before but I am having a freaking out emotional moment and need to talk to you guys about this. What am I talking about? Meterphobia! How do we believe these meters? What is really going on in my son's body? Honestly, I am freaked right the heck out right now.DEEP BREATH! *Sigh*Ok, here is the lowdown. If you remember a while back, Daniel was doing the three meter testing. He had been using the OneTouch Mini and liked it, then Albert sent us the Keynote to try out, then almost at the same time the OneTouch UltraLink showed up. We decided the Mini would be the base meter since that is what we had been basing his insulin ratios on. Daniel really liked the Keynote but the UltraLink won his heart because he is a little techie freak and it talks to his pump. Eventually he began using the UltraLink exclusively. Every now and again I could talk him into doing a double test with the Keynote and he would remember that he likes it.Tonight at dinner he was 289. He bolused for his meal and later felt low. Tested and he was 69. He ate some glucose tabs. 30 minutes later he still felt low, tested with his UltraLink, as before, and he was 166. He threw a fit because he said it could not be right, he felt really low. He retested with the Keynote and it said he was 49. My head almost exploded. I immediately did the test with the solution on both meters and both say they are accurate. Really? That is a difference of 117 points!! So when the UltraLink had said earlier that he was 69, what was he really? Like 2?! I am assuming here that the Keynote was more accurate based on how he felt.That is freakin scarey, especially since he had a late dinner and this was all going on at bedtime. He does not wake up to lows. If he had been asleep and we had just tested him with the UltraLink, we would not have known he was really low. Remember, he was 49 after eating glucose tabs. We trust these little machines to tell us the truth. When they lie to us, someone could die. (Source: DanielDoo)

In[sulin]dependence day!

Dorkabetic — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

On this Fourth of July weekend, I'd like to start off by saying this: fireworks rule. I love sparklers, those little bomber snap thingies, party poppers full of streamers, anything that "gives off showers of sparks". That's a direct quote from some novelty fireworks fountain package. Please go out and support your local roadside fireworks tent. My good friend Jon's family has operated one for years--he hardly remembers a summer that he didn't have to go work there for at least a couple of days. Just remember to be safe, kids!I want to thank Kerri for making me the featured blogger over at SUM. That's pretty effin' cool! In exciting quasi-blog-related news, I have purchased a laptop which should arrive early next week. This hopefully means more steady blog updates from me, as I will no longer be fighting my beloved hubby for the internet. This also means that poor Matt can finish his Masters' thesis without me always asking to borrow the computer for two minutes, y'know, to check for blog comments that I might need to approve.This is going to be a full, road-trippy holiday weekend around here. Tomorrow night, Matt, Nigel and band will be playing yet another show in Delaware at Mojo 13. It's a pretty big honor to be playing the July 4th show. Hopefully no one will be trying to set off fireworks in the parking lot, as I think that may end with someone getting arrested. Yikes.Saturday, it's off to see the family for a bit at the surprise picnic for my Aunt & Uncle's 60th birthdays. I finally get to meet my [not so] new [anymore] baby cousin! I'll keep a tally on how often someone asks me if I should be "eating that", and I'll let you know on Monday if it's out of control. From my cousin's house, near Lancaster, PA, we'll drive up to Williamsport to stay with my mom, then Sunday we're going with Matt's dad and I think my bro-in-law Jim to Watkins Glen, NY, for the Indy Car race.From there, we'll head back home to Blue Bell, because guess who has to work Monday morning? Ha, no, not my husband. He took the day off. Monday is the first day of summer classes at DeVry, so I am going to be busy, busy, busy! It's all worth it to make the students (and my co-workers) happy. Whew!I think of so many summer picnics in days gone by, where I was never without "the Young's bag". TYB was an insulated 6-pack sized cooler that my grandfather gave us from one of his company picnics. He used to work for Young Industries, so most summer picnics or outings of my childhood were often accompanies by the phrase, "Hey, do you have the Young's bag?" and, subsequently, "Is your meter in it? Juice? Is there enough insulin? Do you have everything? Are you sure? Let's go, then."TYB successfully held multiple boxes of Junior Juice (or the really little Juicy Juices, whichever was on sale), a few packs of peanut butter crackers, and all the diabetes supplies I required, including that tiny new meter, the One Touch II. It was so small and sleek compared to the original One Touch, which had cost my parents $500, by the way. When my mom got the new meter from my endo's office for nothing, I'm guessing she almost fainted. Look at its compact size!Ahem...blogger's note: I realize this isn't actually tiny, nor is it a One Touch II. It's a One Touch Basic, but I couldn't find any pics of the One Touch II in Google image search! Oh, if you can find me a pic of the original One Touch meter, or a One Touch II, I'd be almost willing to give you a prize! Honestly, I swear I'm getting to the point here. Yeesh!Test strip prices are still outrageous, but we have come pretty far in a lot of ways. Thank goodness my blood samples don't involve me squeezing what felt like a quarter-teaspoon of blood from my little fingers anymore! Summer trips and picnics seem to bring a lot of diabetes-related memories into my mind. Maybe it's because I was diagnosed around this time of year. Maybe it's because every summer we'd go to the closest amusement park, Knoebel's, and I would generally spend the day forgetting I even had diabetes except for the brief forays into the first aid station to give myself shots. That was almost a welcome solace--a few minutes of air conditioning and I'd be ready to hit the kiddie rides again. (Okay, yes, I admit it, I was a wussy who didn't get off the kiddie rides until I was like 10...) Of course, someone else would have to hold The Young's Bag. Food times were a little rough. That park is not only full of delicious carnival food like funnel cakes and Sno-Cones, but they have this awesome candy shop that was always making fudge...and of course, I wasn't allowed to eat it. Apparently, Knoebels has won some kind of award for Best Amusement Park Food for 7 years in a row. I think I need to get back there and eat some fudge. And ride The Phoenix. I might even visit the First Aid Station for old times' sake.For me, diabetes and summer somehow go hand-in-hand. I wish you and yours a fun holiday weekend! Blow stuff up! (Legally, please.) (Source: Dorkabetic)

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Dreaming with the dexcom

The D-Log Cabin — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

I've had plenty of diabetes dreams, and I've had lucid dreams (something I never knew other people experienced too, until I took psych). Never had a diabetic lucid dream although this one kind of came close. I always thought my dreams lasted for about a millisecond and the seemingly endless high or low were just exaggerations. But my textbook, informed me that dreams unfold in real-time. I didn't think it was possible to have a low lasting over 30 minutes without A. waking up or B. going into seizure. Dexcom has proved me wrong.(apparently, I do have a glucose producing liver at moments when it actually counts) I think it would be kind of neat to be dreaming about a low or high(which translate into feeling hungry and thirsty, in the dream) and see how low or high I actually am, and for how long. (corresponding time chunk) Not that difficult, because if I wake up suddenly, most of the time I remember my dreams. Lucid dreaming is pretty hard/rare though, you can't just decide to do it. (dumb luck)I may know that I have diabetes in my dream, but not that eating or drinking will not cure my symptoms.So I'm merrily eating mountains of pancakes or drinking gallons of water and it isn't doing any good at all.(till I wake up) I don't know if wild bg variations make for more nightmares, probably not, I've always dreamed alot. The problem with using the Dexcom to track this is the Dex has a tendency to shriek/vibrate its head off anytime you're outside of the range so you really don't get a chance to wake up naturally from the dream. And there are certain safety features(under 55, over 400?) that even if you have the alarms off those safety alarms will still boot in. Sometimes I turn the fan on high and put the dexcom under the bed so it won't wake me up but it will still read. For the most part, I have good internal cues to wake up when low but its not always right away. The dexcom will wake anyone up,(usually I put it under my pillow) but deciding whether to treat that (usually) high is another story altogether. It's best to be very, very conservative at an hour where you're so exhausted that a low is the last thing you need. Bottom line, I'm grateful for the chance to correct the situation before it gets out of hand..even if it does wake me up all night long some nights. (Source: The D-Log Cabin)

The sound of diabetes

Diabetes Self-Management — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

I don't know where the title—and, of course, the subject—for this week's blog entry came from. Well…maybe I do. For the past week, our normally quiet neighborhood evenings have been permeated by the sounds of fireworks, a constant barrage of Black Cats, Saturn Missiles, and Roman Candles, which has no doubt influenced my thinking. While it's true enough that there's little correlation between the sound of diabetes and the fireworks' sizzles, whistles, fizzles, and explosions, when the phrase "sound of diabetes" popped into my head last night, I decided to run with it.... (Source: Diabetes Self-Management)

What we're reading: cgms denial week

Diabetes Self-Management — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Many health insurance companies routinely deny coverage to people who are prescribed a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS). This device allows people with diabetes to know their glucose level, and whether it is rising or falling, at one- or five-minute intervals. Although it can be particularly useful for people who experience hypoglycemia unawareness and can detect an insulin pump malfunction, some insurance providers classify a CGMS as unnecessary and “experimental.”... (Source: Diabetes Self-Management)

Proof cgms work

The Diabetes Talkfest Blog — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ADAMeeting/tb/9811 (Source: The Diabetes Talkfest Blog)

Summer in a bowl

Nearest Distant Shore — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: Nearest Distant Shore)

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Diabetes --- it's only for attention.

diabetic princess — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

new endo appointment in the morning ... unfortunately i can't sleep. it's 4:30am and i'm wide awake. it's driving me slightly crazy ... or maybe my crazy-ness is making me not sleep. i have a lot on my mind and i have a lot i want to talk to the doctor about tomorrow, hopefully she'll be a good endo. i haven't had a good one in a long time. my blood sugars have been consistantly high. it seems that no matter how much i pump myself full of insulin i stay above 200 lately, until tonight at work when i went from 400 to 70. it made me feel rediculous. and of course it was at work, where no one understands. and that's the worst thing about it all, no one ever understands how you feel, work or not. i had someone tell me it's all for attention. ha ha obviously ... i've been attached to a machine for 4 years and 2 weeks, for attention. i prick myself 10 times a day ... for attention. i watch what i eat and feel like crap half the time ... for attention. i don't blame someone who doesn't live it every day for having questions, for being curious, or wondering what it's like, but to tell me i live this life for attention? yes, i chose to have type one diabetes. or the girl who told me she wishes she had diabetes so that she had to watch what she ate. i'm constantly amazed at the ignorance of people. but you can't blame them, because they really don't understand and i pray with every part of my soul that they don't have to ever understand the disease personally. i don't wish it on anyone. (Source: diabetic princess)

Ironman dreams

Annetics — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:11:00 +0100

Last night I was asked to give a speech at the Greater Bay Area JDRF Chapter's annual family day at the Giants. (The Giants won, by the way.) I pondered what I might say to an audience of kids, teens, and adults recently and longer ago diagnosed with diabetes, as well as their family and friends, and this is what I wrote. It is meant to remind myself as much as anyone else not to sell oneself short because of perceived limitations from diabetes or other challenges. Also it is a reflection on the strength I have gained from a community of friends and, in particular, the diabetic community. This includes everybody, actually, since if you know me, that makes you a "type 3" diabetic. (No doubt you have spent some time as a captive audience hearing about diabetes from me, which is qualification enough.) A friend suggested that I post the text of the speech here, which I have done below.I also had the great pleasure of meeting my IronKid, Marissa, and her family and friends. (Hi!) Steve Ahn might be jealous because I was also able to meet his I'Kid Sam last night as well. Please consider supporting Marissa and the other IronKidz at http://triabetes.org/support.html if you are able.Here's the talk:June 24 of 2007 I lined up with over 2000 other triathletes, all clad in black rubbery wetsuits, ready and anxious to start Ironman Coeur d’Alene. Beginning at 7 AM and ending before midnight of the same day, an Ironman race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run—otherwise known as a marathon. The cannon went off and, with a little trepidation and a lot of excitement, I plunged into the water to begin my first Ironman race adventure. Swim start Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2008 (photo by Julia Bavely)Training for an Ironman triathlon takes a lot of time and a love of the sport. During the heaviest training periods, I spent more than 20 hours per week swimming, cycling, running and weight training. The race itself is equivalent to starting here for a swim past Treasure Island, a bike ride to Monterey, and a run past Walnut Creek.Why would I choose such a goal? The bottom line is that I love to swim, bike and run and I love the way it makes me feel. It’s hard to wipe the smile off my face after a ride through the hills of Marin, or a good run through the Golden Gate Park. And it gives me some satisfaction to know that if I had tried to escape from Alcatraz, I could have (most likely) made it safely. An Ironman seemed daunting, but I had friends who had started out like me and done the work to get there. I just thought I might be able to do it myself.Reach for your goals and do what you love to doSetting goals and reaching for my dreams have been important themes throughout my life. At first, when I was diagnosed at the age of 14 as a high school freshman, I wondered how diabetes might impact those goals. I had experienced the typical symptoms of type 1 diabetes and knew something was wrong when I joked with my best friend, “I must have diabetes or something!” Ha ha. Well, I did have diabetes and I soon found myself in the hospital, learning how to inject insulin into an orange, and then myself. I remember testing my blood sugar at home for the first time. Sitting at the kitchen table, it took me 15 minutes to press the button on the lancet. It seemed so wrong to have to do that!I wondered how my life would change. Would I still be able to do the things I loved? Some things did change. I was on a fairly rigid insulin schedule and no longer slept in on weekends in order to get my morning shot on time. I learned to count food exchanges and how to treat low blood sugar. But the rest of my life went on. I continued to play flute in the high school band, and to take piano lessons. I continued with my goal to earn my way to college and was able to achieve this with a full scholarship to Boston University. I studied Biomedical Engineering in college and earned a fellowship for graduate school in the same field. After taking up running in high school, I had learned to love that as well, and carried that with me throughout college, graduate school and working here in San Francisco. After 10 years of trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I finally did so and returned to Boston in 2006 for a celebration of reaching that goal. Managing diabetes has remained a challenge with ups and downs, but it has not taken center stage in my life nor has it prevented me from pursuing the dreams of my heart.In Boston, getting acquainted with the finish line.After moving to San Francisco nearly 6 years ago, I still thought there was no sport to rival running; I soon discovered, though, that I could actually learn to swim and enjoy it after all these years and that cycling came naturally to me and even rivaled skiing in my book. That’s quite a complement given that I grew up skiing on the powdery slopes of Utah.My first triathlon was an Olympic distance race called Wildflower—a race was so tough for me during the run that it brought me to tears. But I made it through and somehow, despite the challenge of the course, was hopelessly hooked to the sport. I continued with Olympic distance, then ventured into half-Ironmans and then knew it was time to sign up for my first full Ironman Triathlon.After finishing the swim of my first Ironman race, I exited the water. One of the biggest perks at an Ironman is the army of wetsuit “peelers” who sit you down and yank off the very tight wetsuit. A couple peelers pulled mine off, tossed it at me, and off I ran to prepare for the bike. I dried off a bit, tucked my pump into my back pocket, threw on my shoes and helmet and grabbed my bike. I was off! I tried to stay mellow for the bike portion, and felt comfortable for most of the ride. After struggling with some high blood sugars early on, I was happy to settle down around 130 to 140 for the rest of the ride. I had a few periods of fatigue but overall felt good.It’s hard to imagine looking forward to a marathon after exercising straight for 9 hours, but finishing up 112 miles on the bike is a happy moment. I threw on my running shoes and was off. I loved to run and felt happy with my pace. About 9 miles into the run, though, my race started to unravel. I stopped at an aid station; my brain felt tired. I felt like it would be unwise to continue, that my race was over. What had gone wrong? My muscles still felt strong. But I felt like my blood sugar had hit rock bottom when it was actually above 100. An astute medical guy suggested that I might be low on insulin. I saw that I had suspended my pump and that my blood sugar was on the rise. I took more insulin and within another 20 minutes, felt strong enough to begin racing again. I completed the last 17 miles of the race, a bit uncomfortable but running. I had done it. I had finished an Ironman race.Build a communityThroughout the years I have been fortunate to be surrounded by supportive family and friends. My parents encouraged me to reach for my academic and athletic goals, and I always felt their confidence in my abilities. I have to say, though, that my mom was a bit concerned about my sanity when I told her I would be doing 2 Ironmans this year. I’ve had good friends over the years who patiently slow down when I need to test, and stop if I need to wait a bit for my sugar to come up. My teammates and co-workers humor me with my “guess my blood sugar” game—which, incidentally, they tend to win more than I do. And I have sought out other friends who also are positive role models to me in my life.More recently, in the past few years, I have re-discovered the diabetes community. After hearing about the JDRF for years, but never participating in their activities, I decided that I might as well put some of my endless miles on my bike to good use and signed up for the Ride to Cure Diabetes in Whitefish Montana. What I received in return was far more than a beautiful ride in Montana—although I enjoyed that plenty. Being with a group of people, both with and without diabetes, all united in a common goal to find a cure, was overwhelming. I was able to connect with other type 1’s who were athletically inclined, and to begin to realize that some of the problems I had were not so unusual. I had just assumed over the years that I was a “bad diabetic” for not always being able to keep my blood sugars within the windows prescribed to me when newly diagnosed. And for a few magical days, I felt like the mental burden of the disease was lifted. We were all in this together and it was a comfort to just be around people who really understood what it was like. It was really life-changing for me.With one of the many amazing parents riding for their kidsMy experiences at the JDRF ride further confirmed to me that I had made the right decision to join a group of type 1 athletes to compete in Ironman Wisconsin 2008 as part of a documentary and exercise research project called Triabetes. Meeting up with several of the Triabetes athletes last December in San Diego reminded me of that same feeling I had in Whitefish. It was just a relief to run with some other diabetics who were also carrying a lot of extra gear and didn’t ask me if I really needed to carry all that sugar for an 8-mile run. And it was inspiring to be able to run with Bill Carlson, the first type 1 to ever do an Ironman 25 years ago, and to see, that even after all of these years, he is incredibly fit, healthy and able to do the things that he loves to do.Meeting some of the team in San Diego at the TCOYDTriabetes/Insulindependence booth.I was able to meet up with Triabetes athletes again at Diabetes Training Camp down in Santa Barbara this past March. At the camp, run by an endocrinologist, Matt Corcoran, I learned about exercise physiology and made some discoveries about why I might have had such a tough time at Ironman in 2007. I learned new strategies about how to improve my training for the coming race season and practical methods for implementing those strateiges. I met with the filmmakers of the Triabetes documentary and met their daughter Elisa, who also has type 1 diabetes. I connected with my Triabetes teammates and enjoyed riding up through the Santa Barbara hills as a team, and made new friends from around here and all over. And I learned that, despite my own self-criticism, I hadn’t done so badly on my own over the years. But, better yet, I felt like I was finally developing both a medical and support network to help improve my diabetes control and to allow me to maximize my potential as an athlete. Plus, I discovered, type 1 athletes—even those just starting out on the path—are pretty cool people.Inviting some younger adventurous types to the Triabetes project was the next step with the IronKidz program. Ten kids were selected from across the country to team up with one athlete each in a summer mentorship partnership and some fundraising, culminating in a canoe trip for the kids a week before Ironman Wisconsin this September. I was just able to meet my IronKid today and look forward to visiting with her more over the summer as she and I both prepare for our trips to Wisconsin, and to having her there on the course. (Hi Marissa!) I can’t tell you how helpful it is to have support during a race like this, and it will definitely keep me going when it gets tough (as all Ironman races do) to know that she will be there, pulling for me. Thanks Marissa for your enthusiasm in being part of the IronKidz project. With my IronKid Marissa, chilling out at the Giants game.I also hope that the kids doing this can continue to be a part of the diabetes community—even after they are too old for Bearskin Meadow Camp—and don’t spend years trying to figure it all out on their own, as I did after high school.After signing up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene 2008, I didn’t tell anyone for a month. I was afraid people would tell me I was nuts for doing it again! But I knew after the 2007 race that I could do better. And after learning from my first experience, and from the insights I’ve gained by connecting with other athletes and experts in the diabetes community, I am happy to report that I came across the finish line a week ago Sunday, smiling, feeling victorious to have taken almost a full hour off my time. I still didn’t have a perfect race, but had some big improvements; I was pretty excited to see a blood sugar of 149 midway through the swim, and a finishing blood sugar of around 110. And throughout the race, I knew that my friends, family, Triabetes teammates and others in the diabetic community were behind me 100%.Knowing that I will be racing with 11 other type 1’s and will have a team of 10 IronKidz cheering for us along the way will make Ironman Wisconsin 2008 an experience of a lifetime. It might even be enough to wipe away the tears of my 34th birthday 2 days before the race! I can’t wait to see the smiles and tears on the faces of my teammates as they cross the finish line (assuming I beat all of them of course)! Keep posted for the documentary which will tell the whole story. This is how I have tried to live my life.When I look back over my life so far, and try to think about how diabetes has played a role for the past 20 years, I have a hard time. I don’t think of my life in terms of diabetes, but rather I remember those experiences that have shaped who I have become.I have tried to continue to do those things that I love to do, and to reach for goals that may seem just beyond reach. Along the way, I have been supported by friends and family who have given me help when I needed it and quiet confidence that they were there even when I felt strong on my own. I’m not saying that diabetes has always been easy, but for the first time in the past year, I feel just a little less anxious for a cure because of how much I treasure becoming part of this community.Best wishes to you all as you pursue your own Ironman dreams, whatever they may be. (Source: Annetics)

Fda panel urges more testing, tougher standards for diabetes drugs

In Diabetes Today - Diabetes News from ADA — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:42:06 +0100

WASHINGTON - Diabetes drugs should face tougher safety standards that could cost manufacturers millions but protect patients from unforeseen heart risks, a government panel has recommended. (Source: In Diabetes Today - Diabetes News from ADA)

Dexcom tips.

Six Until Me. — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:50:44 +0100

Last Thursday, my local Dexcom teaching nurse came to visit me here at dLife. I think she's fantastic, but I'm also tremendously biased. Little back story:When I was first diagnosed, I was a little peanut of a kid. My parents had no experience with diabetes or how to handle type 1 being a part of their child's life, so they looked for help within our town. As fate would have it, one of my father's cousins (one of those once-removed cousins added to the family by marriage sorts of things) had a son with diabetes. Jim was diagnosed when he was 18 months old, his mother, Eleanor, was a registered dietitian and had spent time as both a diabetes professional and the mother of a kid with diabetes. Perfect guide for my parents, right? Right. For years, my mother and I traveled to Joslin with Eleanor and Jim for our back-to-back endocrinologist appointments. And when my parents would go on vacation, I would stay with Eleanor and her family because she knew how to take care of me.So imagine my surprise when I find out that the CT/RI Dexcom teaching nurse is Eleanor! Holy small world. And holy long story, sorry about that.Anyway, Eleanor came to visit me last week and brought me two spare Dexcom sensors. We covered a lot of the technical bits about Dexcom'ing, as well as some tricks o' the trade. My session with Eleanor helps me answer some of the reader questions I've received over the past few weeks. Like these:Q: Can the sensor get wet? I used the Dex3 and had to wear the shower patches. They were terrible!Yes, the Dexcom 7 sensor can be worn in the shower and the pool and any other soggy environment. You don't need to wear those wild shower patches that eat your dermis anymore. But here's something I didn't know: When you are ready to put a new sensor on, you should clean the underside of the transmitter with an alcohol swab or similar. I thought you weren't supposed to get this transmitter wet at all, but it turns out that a good swabbing can remove any soap residue, body lotion, or other random smudgy bits that may worm their way underneath. This cleaning process helps retain the integrity of the transmitter. Q: I've seen you wearing the sensor on your arm. Aren't you supposed to wear it on your abdomen?Ahem - according to the official Dexcom guidebook, "Choose a site on a fatty area of your abdomen (belly) to place your Sensor. You can choose a site above or below your beltline. The best insertion areas are usually flat, 'pinchable,' and relatively free from where rubbing can occur (i.e., pant line, seatbelts)." However, and off the record, the sensor can be worn anywhere there is a good amount of fatty tissue so you can grab the ol' interstitial fluid easily. For me, I have a lot of placement options. I've been wearing the sensor on my arm because that keeps it away from my waistline (I hate wearing any of these devices on my abdomen) and doesn't encounter much friction throughout the day.Q: You always talk about how you want your diabetes to be "seamless" and you've talked about how you hide your insulin pump so that it's not part of your wardrobe. So, my question is, how come you don't wear your sensor on your stomach or thigh?This reader caught my recent dLife column, where I talked about some people staring at the Dexcom sensor on my arm. This is a very good question. I wear the Dexcom sensor on my arm because it stays put there best. The sensor is less apt to become peeled back and doesn't catch on my waistband. It is also less likely to become loose and therefore irritating. I don't feel comfortable wearing any diabetes devices on my stomach, and my legs are too muscular for the sensor. Also, the sensor needs to be away from any insulin pump infusion set and from big pockets of scartissue. So ... my arm is the best out-of-the-way location for Dex and still have it working correctly. I'm trying to find the compromise between "external symptom" and "using available technology." People stare sometimes, which makes me bristle a bit, but I would probably stare, too. It's a different look for your average twenty-something. ;)Q: Can you get more than seven days from one sensor? Or are you just sticking $60 on your arm, getting a week from it, and then ripping that $60 off? I can't imagine!I haven't had the opportunity to restart a Dex7 sensor because the past few have melted off me before the seven day point. On this last sensor, Eleanor applied some SkinTac on the sensor gauze and it has held steady through daily showers, daily workouts, and this blasted heat. I have heard that you can "re-queue" a sensor by "pretending" that you've installed a new one. I will give this a go next round.Any other CGM-type questions? Send 'em to kerri (at) sixuntilme (dot) com. EDIT: Again, comments are being problematic. Hopefully they're fixed now. I need a new webhost, damnit. Thanks for letting me know, Rachel! (Source: Six Until Me.)

The ada breaks its silence

Scott's Web Log — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0100

Back in May, I featured a post titled "The ADA's Silence Is Deafening" asking how the self-appointed doctor's organization which claims to represent the needs of all people with diabetes could possibly have remained silent on an issue which will surely impact people with diabetes for decades to come -- namely the FDA's proposed guidance on diabetes drugs and biopharmaceuticals.One of my readers shared this sentiment, and wrote directly to John Buse, and received a reply from the American Diabetes Association. Rather than cite excerpts from the letter, its easier if you read it yourselves (see here for details).The reason provided was that they concluded that "the proposed regulations were appropriate and a formal response from the organization was not necessary". They also noted that a committee had decided that comments on the Food and Drug Administration's Drug and Biopharmaceuticals Guidance should "come from individuals" rather than from an organization of doctors who are supposed to represent our needs -- like the FDA routinely considers the opinions from individuals the same way they do from doctors ... officially, that may be what the law dictates, but in practice, that seldom happens.Anyway, it is worth mentioning that yesterday and today, the FDA has assembled a panel of "experts" to consider whether drug makers should be forced to study the cardiovascular effects of type 2 diabetes drugs. The move is prompted largely by the groundbreaking journal article authored by Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Nissen discovered the GlaxoSmithKline web site while researching the type 2 diabetes drug Avandia and discovered data indicating a strong cardiovascular disease correlation to the drug. The New England Journal of Medicine released his findings that Avandia was associated with a 43% higher risk of heart attack.Since then, there is an effort to ensure that other treatments do not trade one problem for another. The meeting notes for the FDA workshop can be seen here. A draft of questions to be discussed can be viewed here. At issue is whether the use of HbA1c as a "surrogate" for improved patient outcomes, the single element diabetes medicines have always been evaluated for, is appropriate. The FDA is now weighing whether to insist that new diabetes drugs have a positive impact on cardiovascular disease and life span, which are more difficult to measure than current benchmarks such as lower blood sugar. A shift away from current research benchmarks, known as surrogate endpoints, might change the entire framework of drug approval because research on most medicines relies on such "surrogate" measures.The American Diabetes Association has remained largely on the sidelines of this issue, too. But a statement from the ADA published in The Wall Street Journal suggests what's really going on:The American Diabetes Association, a patient advocacy group, hasn't taken a position on the use of surrogate benchmarks.ADA Vice President Sue Kirkman said in a statement: "We don't want it to become nearly impossible to bring effective new drugs to market, which requiring long-term pre-marketing [cardiovascular] studies might do." In other words, the ADA is more concerned about impediments for new drugs, not whether those drugs are necessarily safer or more effective for patients. Does anyone else need any more convincing about who the ADA is there to serve (hint: the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies)?Update as of July 2, 2008:On Wednesday, July 2, 2008, an advisory panel said that U.S. regulators (meaning the FDA) should require more testing of the potential heart risks of new diabetes medicines.By a 14-2 vote, the advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended companies conduct a long-term study or provide equivalent evidence to rule out an unacceptable risk of heart problems for proposed new diabetes medicines.Some data could be collected before approval with additional results provided after the drug reaches the market, several panel members said.If the FDA adopts the advice, drugmakers could be forced to run longer and more expensive studies in a larger group of patients. The agency usually follows the advice of its advisory panels. (Source: Scott's Web Log)

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The ada breaks it's silence

Scott's Web Log — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0100

Vacation time

Wife of a Diabetic — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

He slept til 11:30!!! Well, I guess he's on vacation - but I did find myself checking on him just to make sure he was OK! It's worse than having a baby! LOL! We had a very stress free day. Actually quite normal and fun. He has been on a modified atkins for 2 days now. No, he refuses to test his blood sugar levels, but I'm keeping an eye out for signs of lows. He is having trouble with his left eye. Note, he has had cornea transplants and wears 2 pairs of contacts, hard over soft. So today, he was not able to wear the contacts in the left eye. He asked me to drive him to a get together with his staff, and I did. It was a nice outing. I'm hoping the weekend will remain the same way!His vacation ends next Tuesday. We're planning on riding the ATV this weeekend with my sis and her hubby, so it should be great! Normal living. It's great when it happens! :o) (Source: Wife of a Diabetic)

I forgot to mention we're lying

Up high ... Down low — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

At $700 for a family of four to join the swim club, I had no problem saying that the little guy was 2 rather than 3. 2 and under is free.Unfortunately, I forgot to mention this to Maeve and Charlie when we went in person to register and pay for the membership."OK," I told the two guys behind the counter. "We'll take the family of four membership. I have a little one at home, but he's only 2."Maeve and Charlie in stereo ..."Noooooooooo!!!! Dad. He's 3!!! He's 3!!! Don't you know your own son???"Barely able to look at the guys behind the counter, I say, "well, he just turned 3."Maeve and Charlie in stereo ..."Noooooooooo!!! Dad. He turned 3 a long time ago!!!"At that point, all I could do was drop my head down in shame and slap my forehead while the two guys cracked up behind the counter."You got to teach your kids to lie a little better." (Source: Up high ... Down low)

You know who you look like?? meme

CuriousGirl — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Here are the rules... Post photos of people you've been told you look like. Name them. Then tell if you think you look like them... Tag - whoever wants to play.The first three are Faruza Balk. Or "That girl from the Craft" or "That girl from Waterboy." I think there's a vague resemblance here. The teeth, maybe the eyes. She's like 78 lbs soaking wet, though... Needless to say our body types are dissimilar...The next two are Gloria Vanderbilt - young version. I get this comparison on and off - I don't think it's totally off-base. Again, she's super thin, but she's got the rounded cheek, puffy lip thing happening...Next - Leslie Caron. I've heard this a few times. And I can really see it with this one. It's a little eerie, actually, as she aged she looked very much like my grandmother who I'm told often that I look like... Bjork... The first time someone told me this I thought they were nuts. I guess there may be a VERY vague resemblance. VERY. VAGUE. And finally, Ms. Natalie Merchant. Since Bob's opening line with me was "You know you look a lot like Natalie Merchant..." I sort of have to buy this one. And she looks a bit like Gloria Vanderbilt, in an odd sort of why... So perhaps there's something to it... (Source: CuriousGirl)

I've lost my mind, i think....

CuriousGirl — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

This for fifteen minutes:Plus this for forty minutes:Plus this for ten minutes: And this for ten more:Times three to four nights a week, plus one yoga class and weight training... Equals totally crazy.I think some of the weight I've lost over the past year has included my mind... (Source: CuriousGirl)

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Don't blame the bagels

PurpleHaze — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

When things go wrong on the db front due to me ignoring the facts, it's very tempting to put the blame outside of myself. DB is so hard to live with. I hate it. Blah blah blah.....I work in an office of 90 people. It is an unwritten tradition that people bring treats on their birthday. Usually it's bagels, because Brueggers is nearby and they deliver for free (!!)If asked the question re which food really plays havoc with my bg, bagels are near the top of the list. Those dang bagels. They always cause me to spike. It's not fair.But it isn't really the bagsl's fault. A standard Brueggers bagel has over 60 grams of carb. I did not realize this until 10 years ago when I was in the hospital and the dietician was discussing what I usually had for lunch. I told her I brought my lunch to work but on occasion I'd go and get a bagel sandwich. She told me that a B. bagel had four carb exchanges. Yikes.I am very sensitive to carbs in the morning and sometimes even delay breakfast until about 9 a.m. My ins/carb ratio is 1/5 at the beginning of the day, but by evening I'm at 1/20. Thinking from a logical standpoint, there is no way that I'm going to come through 60 grams of cho at 7:30 a.m. withput a spike. Rapid acting insulin is great, but it can only do so much.So this morning when we got the "treats in the lunchroom" e-mail, I had to consciously remind myself that a better choice would be to take 1/2 of a bagel and save it for later in the morning. It worked. And involved only a small compromise.. Hopefully I can practice this enough times for it to become automatic, minus the self-pity.To the collective bagel community, I apologize for casting you as the villain. Please forgive me.Happy Independence Day. Enjoy the long weekend, travel safely, and cherish the freedom and opportunity this country affords us. (Source: PurpleHaze)

New answers on exercise

Diabetes Self-Management — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

The first session I attended at last month’s ADA Scientific Sessions featured three experts on the effects of exercise. The room was packed with interested doctors. The moderator assured us that all three researchers were "well-funded," which I guess is high praise in research circles.... (Source: Diabetes Self-Management)

Cgms denial day: extended

The Diabetes Talkfest Blog — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

We are renaming CGMS denial day to CGMS Denial Week we are extended the rally till July 4. I urge you all to keep raising your voice. Please post your CGMS denial story links on the tudiabetes.com website here: http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topic/show?id=583967%3ATopic%3A172715 Thank you to all that have participated. Together we can make a difference. If you have no clue what I am talking about click here to find out more about CGMS denial day. (Source: The Diabetes Talkfest Blog)

Tomorrow...

Nothing Is Sound — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Tomorrow I go to phlebotomy to learn to draw blood. Cause 4 years of nursing school couldn't quite find a time frame to fit it in during, so now that, I'm, ya know, graduated, they figured I should know how to do it. That's not to say I didn't draw blood in school at all. I did it three times. One of those times was even on a patient. Once was on a classmate (totally against school policy, ya know, no practicing "invasive" procedures on each other. That was only allowed in the olden days. So shhhh). Once was on a nurse in my internship last summer who couldn't believe I hadn't ever drawn blood before (thanks Cindy!). So tomorrow I might actually get proficient at it during those eight hours. Or something. I may even draw blood on a patient. Who knows? (Source: Nothing Is Sound)

More on the ping

Living With Diabetes — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:24:52 +0100

Or her bra? And I am starting to believe that this is an accessory, not a whole new system. Wouldn't that be cool! Quoted from http://jnjbtw.com/?p=299: JNJ BTW » Blog Archive » It’s a . . . System With OneTouch Ping, that pumper can leave her pump on her belt or in her tank top and just tell it what to do with a device the size of a cell phone or BlackBerry. (Source: Living With Diabetes)

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New pump!

Living With Diabetes — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:21:08 +0100

I've been worried that the timing on my needing a new pump might be wrong, BUT Animas just announced the "Ping". I need a new pump in February -- warranty will be out then, so this will be ready in time, and probably debugged. I'm glad I haven't shipped out my unused One Touch strips, HOWEVER, I still love the new Accu-Chek Compact Plus. Quoted from http://www.animascorp.com/ViewAnnouncements.aspx?ID=85: Animas Corporation. a Johnson & Johnson Company Animas Corporation announced today the clearance of its OneTouch ® Ping TM Glucose Management System by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). OneTouch Ping is the first full-feature insulin pump that wirelessly communicates with a blood glucose meter-remote. Using the OneTouch Ping meter-remote, a person can calculate insulin doses and opt to wirelessly instruct the pump to deliver them without touching the pump at all, giving patients more freedom and flexibility in using their insulin pump. (Source: Living With Diabetes)