Jonah FTW!

Last night was our Church’s annual Trunk or Treat event. Every year families come to church for games and food and of course, Trick or Treating! The difference is that it is done in the parking lot out of peoples trunks.

Most people decorate their trunks and hand out candy. It’s always a fun night and last night was no different.

I spent all weekend working on a project so my costume was thrown together at the last second. Not to mention it made zero sense since the hat was straight out of Jamaica and the shirt was actually from Africa. Everyone called me Bob Marley and there were several people asking me “where are the brownies?” Ha. 

Another Trunk or Treat Tradition is the “Best in Trunk” trophy that we have attempted to win in the past but never have.

Until now!

“And the winner is….JONAH!”

George made for an awesome Jonah although I thought it was weird he was giving out candy from the whale’s mouth but whatever. I also thought we should throw in a Pinocchio doll inside the trunk to really freak people out.

Anyhow, have a Happy Halloween and don’t forget to check the candy for carbs. ;)

New Skin

I have had some discoloration on one of my toes for a long time. It was back in 2006 when I had a pretty bad scare with a cut on my toe and an overnight infection that made my second toe darker than the rest.

It always freaked me out because I thought for sure my toes were going to fall off my feet. The doctors told me it was because of the infection and poor circulation but they said that as long as I kept my bg's in good control (HA) it will be fine.

Well, I have done my best but that is nowhere near perfect. Still the toe remained the same.

Until just recently the dark skin started to almost flake off. Sorry if that grosses you out but it was like it was peeling or something.

Well last night my wife, who checks my feet, noticed that my toe looked normal again. The color is back to normal! I dunno why or how but I will take it.

It made for a good way to start the weekend, that is for sure! 

Hands Off My PPO

Living with type 1 diabetes can be expensive. With all of the prescriptions, supplies, and doctors appointments even having health insurance still means a lot out of pocket.

I am thankful that I have health insurance though my employer. They pay for my coverage but not my family’s. My wife and I decided to use her insurance from her work for the family and I would use mine for myself only. At her job they pay for the whole family’s premiums as long as you use the HMO. That seems to work for my wife and kids but I really do not like the hassle HMO’s tend to cause.

Now you should know that all of my life I have used an HMO. It has only been through 2011 that I switched to a PPO. I cannot go back. The ease of being able to see specialists and doctors that I want to see has made all the difference in the world for me. Granted, my company pays for a basic PPO plan and I pay about $500 a month to up that plan to the PPO I have now. Believe it or not, when I had my family on my insurance, before my wife’s job came along, I paid over $800 out of pocket! And that was the HMO plan!

It made sense for us to take the family off of mine, slide them over to hers, and bump my coverage. And like I said, it works.

Now get this.

Yesterday I hear that come December 1^st our insurance is going to change because it is too expensive. My company is making a lot of changes lately and this is one of them. Great.

For someone who has finally found a doctor that he loves and a plan that works those are disturbing words to hear. I could feel my heart rate go up and have not been able to stop thinking about it since.

So much of my care and health depends on that coverage. Having a doctor I connect with makes me want to make the changes he suggests. It makes not want to miss an appointment and take better care of myself. The ease of seeing specialists allows me the freedom to get the checked out the moment they become a concern. To go back to jumping around from doctor to doctor and trying to find one that gets it, treats me well, and who will fight for me is a search I am not willing to take on.

If it changes to the point where I cannot afford the out of pocket stuff than I am not sure what I am going to do. Or what I can do. I am sort of at their mercy.

This past year has opened my eyes to how different things can be. I was always so worried about the out of pocket expenses with a PPO but this plan works since I put so much out up front that I am able to pay less for appointments and services. It may not be for everyone but it is the right plan for me. It just works.

Last night I tossed and turned having nightmares of denied prescriptions and delayed referrals. I refuse to go through that crap again.

I just need to figure out what I am going to do if something drastic changes.

It’s sucks that this is such a big deal but if I want to live healthy, it has to be.

You Tube Tuesday #245

This kids reaction to Angry Birds is priceless!

Enjoy!

TCOYD & The DOC

I have had the pleasure of attending the last 2 TCOYD Conferences in San Diego California and am excited that this year I get to be part of it!

Connecting with Your Diabetes
Community: Online Resources for
Living Well with Diabetes
Manny Hernandez, tudiabetes.org and diabeteshandsfoundation.
org; David Edelman, diabetesdaily.com;
and George Simmons, ninjabetic.com

Being able to be listed with Manny and David as a specialist is an honor. Those guys are heroes of mine and being able to work with them is a privilege I do not take lightly. 

So if you are in the Southern California area you should make plans to come down to San Diego on Saturday November 12th for the event. There are great speakers, break out sessions on all different topics, and a great health fair with lots of people to talk to. 

Both years I have gone have been awesome. I have been inspired, informed, and motivated to take control of my diabetes! 

The fact is that diabetes may not be totally controllable but there is a lot of what I do that could be. Am I doing all I could? No. Could I always do the right thing? Probably not. But the only way to make good decisions is to understand what those choices are first, and than to see the benefit of making those choices.

I believe the more we attempt to take total control with the understanding that not everything is controllable, we begin to make better choices and ultimately, take better care of ourselves.

It's all about education and TCOYD is a great place to learn. 

Head on over the website and check it out. If you are not in California than I encourage you to check out a convention in your area. They really are awesome.