Proud Dad

I had to share this with you all. This is my son George at his very first band concert. He just started playing Saxophone this year and he signed up to play a solo. Check it out!

Basal & Bolus & Carbs! OH MY!

I have just emerged from the sea of pump information. I spent the last 5 days in and out of different manuals, books, and pamphlets attempting to learn how to use my new Paradigm Insulin Pump.

I first read through all of the manuals on it and took these sweet little tests that I aced! I wonder if mom will give me 10 bucks per “A” like I used to get in grade school? I then read through the book about the Blood Glucose monitor that comes with it and that was interesting. It’s cool because it transmits my blood sugar right to the pump and in case you didn’t know, I am a sucker for technology. I am a total geek so wireless technology makes me smile.

After all of the reading I sat down in front of my PC and went through a CD-Rom with my pump in hand. I got to practice setting Basal rates, Boluses, square wave and dual wave boluses, temporary basals, corrective boluses, and a bunch of other stuff that I cannot even remember! It was very extensive but I think I figured most of it out. I am hoping that I will receive a call from my Medtronic sales dude soon so we can meet up and he can school me some more. All in all, it was very good I just want to keep this ball rolling.

The sort of annoying part of all of this information is that this training included the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System that will be available very soon with this pump. After seeing how it works and how easy it seems, I want one badly! I know that with the dinero I am dishing out for the pump, there is no way I can drop another couple grand on the sensor when it comes out. I can only pray (and believe me I will) that my insurance will hop on the band wagon and cover the sensors too.

I am in desperate need of help when it comes to carb counting. I just cannot get it down. Any tricks or tips you guys can clue me in on? I am just not getting how to figure this out. Maybe I should wait and see what my Endo tells me but you know I want to try and impress him with my knowledge so when he tells me stuff I can just nod my head in approval! Yes, I am not only a geek, I am a dork too! ROCK ON!

Stay tuned y’all! I can see cool stuff coming around the corner for this B.A.D. guy!

After the Threat

My mother used to work at a grocery store. She once told me a story about a time that the store was robbed. 3 guys came in and held up the store at gun point. One of the robbers went up to my mom and stuck a sawed off shot gun in her cheek and told her to empty her drawer. She complied and gave them all the money. After they left she was told to go home for the rest of the day. She left her work and went to visit my father at work. When he saw her, he was confused and asked why she was there. It was at the moment that the incident caught up with her and she lost it. All the fear of losing her life, who would help Dad take care of us kids, and what if they hurt me badly all came to her. At the time, she did what she had to do and held it all together. After the threat was gone, the reality of it all set in.

I finally understand.

I just got off the phone with my Endo and my A1C is a 7.9

Just 6 months ago it was a 12.5 and ever since then, I have been living in fear. I finally pulled myself together enough to sit down at my desk and type this but tears are still welling up in my eyes making it difficult to see. I am so happy but cannot stop crying. I feel as if the major threat and fear that I never really paid attention to is hitting me hard. I don’t want to go into the lunch room because I am sure I will get a million questions as to what is wrong and frankly, I don’t feel like talking about it since I probably will not be able to talk.

I also just received word that my pump was approved by insurance and I should have it tomorrow.

It feels like I am a child again the night before Christmas. I cannot wait.

Poetry Challenge Fun

I do not think I have seen a post lke this out there but ever since I added the word verification thing-a-ma-bob to my site, i have thought of it.

Here is goes...

Click below on the comments and when you see the "word verification" letters, try to write a quick poem (or whatever) using only words that start with each letter.

Example: I just left a comment on Megan's blog and the word verification "word" was

frilysas

So here it goes. ummmmmmm

Future roads in life, yeild slowly and safely.

Have no clue what that means but it worked! YOU TRY IT!!!

p.s. i know this is pointless but i am bored and have been thinking about this for a while. I had to drag you into my strange world. It gets lonely. =P

UPDATE: So it turns out that Word Verification Poetry has been around forever! And here I thought I was some sort of a pioneer. Oh well!

Change Happens, Courage Reacts

This morning I had my second visit to my endo. I got to the appointment 15 minutes early just like momma taught me. When I stepped into the waiting room, I noticed only 2 seats available. This place was packed so I knew I should take the seat next to the table with all of the random magazines on it instead of the one between the nice older couple and the lady holding a screaming child.

I sat down and started thumbing through a Hospital Magazine about Diabetes and stuff happening at the hospital. I rarely read a magazine from cover to cover so I just flipped through until I find something interesting.

The problem was, I was not in the right place to read. I really wanted to know what my blood test results were and what, if any, were the next steps towards getting my pump. I could not even consider the article in the Golf Magazine (I do not Golf but now you can see how long I sat in there) about how to have the absolute perfect drive.

After trying to interpret a brochure written entirely in spanish (I don't speak spanish at all, see above comment about the Golf mag) I heard an elderly couple talking. I decided to leave my literature cocoon and see what was happening in the ole Endo Patient Holding Tank.

"I am writing a poem honey and I need your help on one line." She was probably in her mid 70's as was her husband and they were about the cutest couple I had seen in a long time. "Tell me what you have," the husband replied. "I am stuck between Change Happens, Courage Reacts or Change Happens, Courage Surfaces." He looked around. Closed his eyes. "Definately go with 'reacts'." She agreed with him and continued to write out the rest of her poem.

I let those words sink in. Change Happens, Courage reacts. So simple. So true, at least most of the time. I wonder if her next line had anything to do with when Courage do not react. What about when Fear cripples you? I used to let that happen all the time. I like to think I am finding more and more of my courage each day. God knows it is a continuous struggle for me.

GEORGE SIMONS! (The always say Simons when it is really Simmons). I spring up from my seat, send a smile towards the elderly couple that I could not get out of my mind all day and also send a grin at the lady holding the still screaming child. Ah, I remember those days.

I got in the room after a tragic episode on the scale. Maybe my wallet gained 2 pounds, who knows. My blood pressure was good and soon after the nurse left the doctor came in. He broke out my lab results and said, "Everything looks good. Your fasting blood sugar was 101, and your kidneys, liver, and cholesterol all are in normal range." SAHWEET "Also, you are without a doubt a Type 1 so we are on the road to get you your pump, you are a definate candidate."

I hear a drumroll in the distance. "What is my A1C?" I think to myself. The camera moves in closer on my face as you hear the drums fade away and only hear my heartbeat...

"Oh no, you are going to have to go back to the lab. They made a mistake on your A1C test. Apparently the person who took your blood marked it incorrectly and they had to cancel it."

No F-ing Way! I have been so curious about my A1C ever since I went to the lab. I cannot stand this! I am going nuts now. Anyhow, I will be at the lab tomorrow morning at 6:30AM to give more blood although I am going to a different one in hopes of not having another mistake.

In retrospect, it was a good visit. I got to hear that my kidneys, liver, and my cholesterol is good and that is a concern of mine of course. I was able to see the paperwork all filled out and ready to go to my insurance for my insulin pump and most importantly I heard a morsel of a poem that sparked a dialog in my head that still rages on.

"Change Happens, Courage Reacts. "

I love that.