Bolus . . . .

I’m really good at multi-tasking.  However, I’m not so good at functioning in a pre-caffeinated state.  Which explains why I ran into a bit of trouble while trying to simultaneously brew the coffee and feed the cat on a recent morning.  I suddenly needed a third hand, but luckily my husband was standing in the kitchen with me.

“Hold this?”  My request was met with a blank stare.

“HOLD THIS PLEASE!!”

As he reached out to take K.C.’s food dish, he commented “Your words say please but your tone says something else.”

“Because I asked for your help and you just stood there!!  I said 'hold this' and you just gave me a blank stare.”

“Oh.  (pause)  I thought you said 'bolus'.  I was waiting for you to tell me how many units to punch into your pump.”

Oops.  Maybe I’m not the only one who doesn’t do well in a pre-caffeinated state  . . .

Strangest Places . . . .

A week or two ago, I suddenly noticed my insulin pump clip was missing a chunk off the end.  I had no idea why or when it broke, but I wasn’t bothered.  I had a spare clip, so I replaced it and didn’t give it another thought.

Until today, when I was vacuuming under the couch cushions and a little clear nib of plastic caught my eye.



The bottom of my pump clip!!  How and why it broke off remains a mystery.  But I know one thing for sure.  I find diabetes stuff in the strangest places.

(PS: Don’t even get me started on test strips!!)

Tethered . . .

Sometimes the slight hindrances of life with diabetes make me chuckle.  For example . . .


Don’t  you just hate it when you can’t get out of the car because you’re tethered to the seat belt?  And don’t you think this “problem” never crosses the mind of someone who doesn’t have diabetes?

Revisiting "Freak Outs" . . . .

***Today the DOC is participating in another #dblogcheck day, when we stop lurking on all the blogs we read and actually reach out and leave a comment.  Even if it's just to say "#dblogcheck" or "Hi, I'm here and I'm reading your blog!!".  It's always a lot of fun for me, but since (as mentioned yesterday) I don't have my laptop on-line things are all very slow and clunky.  So instead of writing a whole new post, I thought I'd look back at a silly little post from 2013 in hopes of giving you a little laugh as you make the #dblogcheck rounds today!***


Yesterday on Facebook Kerri shared a cute blog post she had come across - 46 Reasons My Three Year Old Might be Freaking Out.  It’s really funny, and you should probably go read it or you won’t really get the rest of my post.

So anyway, as often is the case, my demented brain worked out a way to bring this around to diabetes.  And I give you . . . . . .

46 D-Reasons I Might be Freaking Out like a Three Year Old

No AAA batteries.

Huge plates of French fries.

My husband drank the last of the juice.

My insurance company . . . . anything about them at all.

Mexican food.

I’m really really thirsty.

Low reservoir.

My toes are cold.

Gusher.

“Can you eat that?”

Endo appointment tomorrow.

“My Grandmother had diabetes and went blind!”

Ketones.

Chinese food.

“My father’s uncle had diabetes and they had to cut off his foot!”

26 mg/dL.

348 mg/dL.

Beep Boop BEEP.

I took my Lantus this morning . . . . . didn’t I????

Dessert buffet.

Bent cannula.

“My sister’s friend’s cousin had diabetes, but he lost weigh and it went away. Why don’t you do that?”

Dropped my bottle of insulin on a marble floor.

Dropped SOMEONE ELSE’S bottle of insulin on a marble floor.

Low alarm at the gym.

High alarm at the Italian restaurant . . . . before we even got seated.

Shopping at Target.

Non-delivery error.

Button error.

Motor error.

Husband thinks the reason I’m mad at him must be because I’m low.

Two up arrows.

Two down arrows.

Pricked, but can’t squeeze out any damn blood.

Pricked one spot, but bled from three.

Seven rage boluses finally kick in . . . . . all at once.

Co-pays.

TSA.

Error 5.

Blood spot on my new white shirt.

“Type 1 . . . . . is that the BAD kind?”

Halle Berry.

The diet Coke the waitress brought doesn’t taste like diet.

“220?  What did you eat??”

Snake oil cures.

It’s Wednesday evening and TWITTER IS DOWN!!!  #dsma

WTW: Me and Dr. Oz . . .

What's That Wednesday: Did you know I was on The Dr. Oz Show?

Well okay, I wasn’t REALLY on The Dr. Oz Show.  But right behind Dr. Oz?  That’s a picture of me that I tweeted as part of #showmeyourpump.  (Yes, that is my unmade bed in the background.  Had I known I'd be on national T.V. I would've taken a minute to make my stupid bed first . . . . )  It was included in a segment that featured Miss Idaho, Sierra Anne Sandison.  Ah, my 5 seconds of fame.  But seriously, anything that can help spread awareness and education is a great thing, so thanks Sierra!!

$1.00

Guess what greeted me when I took my fasting blood sugar this morning?


 I get unreasonably excited about that elusive perfect 100.  You do know that when you get a #hundy you also get $1.00, right?  I showed my meter to Pete as he left for work, and he pulled out his wallet and handed over my dollar.  I folded it up and put it in the pocket of my meter case, along with other dollars from other 100s.  I have no idea what I’m saving them for, but they make me happy.

Do you play the 100 = $1.00 game?

That moment when . . . . .

you're baking shortbread shoes and have a sudden inspiration to make a shortbread pancreas.  However, I’m still not quite sure how to bolus for pancreas consumption . . . . .

Here’s Your Sign . . . .

You know the Bill Engvall “Here’s Your Sign” bit, right?  Stupid people should have to wear signs that say “I’m stupid” on them, so we don’t waste our time taking to them.  Makes me laugh every single time.

But I’m not so concerned with people handing me an “I’m Stupid” sign . . . . I say stupid stuff all the time so I’m pretty sure I’ve already got one plastered across my forehead.  Instead I’m thinking about a sign that says “I’m D-Brained”.  You know, for all the times diabetes takes over your brain and injects diabetes into every single situation.  And I earned my “I’m D-Brained” sign the other day, while doing laundry.  I was folding Pete’s running shorts when I saw this . . . .



and my first though was “Why does Pete have an insulin pump pocket in his running shorts?".  Ummm, duh, the pocket is for i.d. and keys, not pumps - here’s your sign.

Do you have any “D-Brained” moments you’d like to share, or it is just me who thinks of diabetes 24/7?

Looking Back: Nutella Dreams

I was looking through some of my older posts and thought it might be fun to revisit a few every so often.  Today I’m sharing one from three years ago that featured one of my favorite bolus-worthy treats.

You know those dreams where you wake up and it still seems real?  Those dreams where you are disappointed to wake up?  I had one of those dreams just before the alarm when off this morning.

In my dream, Pete and I had slept over at my parents house.  (That is the first clue that it was a dream and not real.  You see, my parents only live two miles away, so no matter what, we can always make the trip back home.)  Anyway, in the dream, I was just waking up and my mom was making breakfast.  I found myself trying to figure out the proper bolus for what she was serving.  I was also trying to figure out just how many calories this breakfast would cost me and how to plan it into my day.  What was this breakfast??

Toasted French baguette smothered in Nutella.  I swear, my butt got bigger and my blood sugar spiked just from dreaming about it!

And no, the protein bar that I ate for my real-life, fully awake breakfast just didn't measure up.

These days, I don’t even keep Nutella in my pantry.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love it, but I’m much better off not having that temptation around the house.  Instead I keep organic dark chocolate peanut butter on hand for a little spoonful treat that is hopefully a bit more healthy.

Recycling my Pancreas

Last year I tried to knit a new pancreas for Diabetes Art Day.  It didn’t work out so well.

Last month I scored a great deal on a winter coat from the Target clearance rack.  It was only $18, but it was quite open at the neck . . . . which isn’t so great during cold New England winters.  I knew I needed to knit a cowl to help keep me warm, and since the coat was pretty bright I’d need just the right shade of yarn to coordinate with it.  Enter my failed pancreas.  (The yarn one, not the real one.)  I unraveled and rewound my pancreas and cast on for my cowl.  (There’s an odd sentence for you.)  A few days later I was all set.



Of course, Miss. K.C. promptly photo-bombed me and then decided the new coat was really a new bed for her.


I’m so glad I was able to make something useful and pretty out of my failed yarn pancreas.  Now if only I could find a good use for my other failed pancreas!!

Freak Outs . . . .

Yesterday on Facebook Kerri shared a cute blog post she had come across - 46 Reasons My Three Year Old Might be Freaking Out.  It’s really funny, and you should probably go read it or you won’t really get the rest of my post.

So anyway, as often is the case, my demented brain worked out a way to bring this around to diabetes.  And I give you . . . . . .

46 D-Reasons I Might be Freaking Out like a Three Year Old

No AAA batteries.

Huge plates of French fries.

My husband drank the last of the juice.

My insurance company . . . . anything about them at all.

Mexican food.

I’m really really thirsty.

Low reservoir.

My toes are cold.

Gusher.

“Can you eat that?”

Endo appointment tomorrow.

“My Grandmother had diabetes and went blind!”

Ketones.

Chinese food.

“My father’s uncle had diabetes and they had to cut off his foot!”

26 mg/dL.

348 mg/dL.

Beep Boop BEEP.

I took my Lantus this morning . . . . . didn’t I????

Dessert buffet.

Bent cannula.

“My sister’s friend’s cousin had diabetes, but he lost weigh and it went away. Why don’t you do that?”

Dropped my bottle of insulin on a marble floor.

Dropped SOMEONE ELSE’S bottle of insulin on a marble floor.

Low alarm at the gym.

High alarm at the Italian restaurant . . . . before we even got seated.

Shopping at Target.

Non-delivery error.

Button error.

Motor error.

Husband thinks the reason I’m mad at him must be because I’m low.

Two up arrows.

Two down arrows.

Pricked, but can’t squeeze out any damn blood.

Pricked one spot, but bled from three.

Seven rage boluses finally kick in . . . . . all at once.

Co-pays.

TSA.

Error 5.

Blood spot on my new white shirt.

“Type 1 . . . . . is that the BAD kind?”

Halle Berry.

The diet Coke the waitress brought doesn’t taste like diet.

“220?  What did you eat??”

Snake oil cures.

It’s Wednesday evening and TWITTER IS DOWN!!!  #dsma

(Not at all) Wordless Wednesday - D Fairy Tales

A couple of weekends ago, Pete and I met my in-laws at a park in Sleepy Hollow for a nature walk.  Yup, that’s right, Sleepy Hollow.  Luckily, we didn’t come across any Headless Horsemen.  But I did spot something intriguing . . . .


A test strip on the trail.  And a little further down, I spotted another one.  It was as if Hansel and Gretel both had diabetes and were checking their blood sugar after the Gingerbread House indulgence.  (Yes, they CAN eat that!!)  I think they were also leaving behind a trail to follow so they could safely return home after walking off all those carbs!!

Great Glucose Tablet Debate!!

One of the things I love most about Twitter is that I often find myself in a totally silly and very entertaining conversation that leaves me giggling long after I’ve shut down the computer.  One of these silly conversations happened a week or so ago and, believe it or not,  it was all about glucose tablets.  It started innocently enough, with a tweet from Brian pondering which flavor glucose tabs he should order:


And a bunch of us started voicing our opinions on our favorite glucose tablet flavors, and on flavors we wish existed.  Before we knew it, Bennet had a brilliant brainstorm:


And then it got really silly really fun!!  We settled on the categories of Best Flavor, Worst Flavor and Strangest Flavor.  Nominations began flying in from Alecia, Briley, Bennet, Kelly, Brian and me.  (I also tagged @GlucoLift and barraged poor Christopher with our flavor inspirations!!)

But hey, we want to make sure the whole DOC can voice their opinions on glucose tablet flavors.  So Bennet came up with The Great Glucose Tab Survey of 2012!!  He put together a clever and funny little survey that we hope everyone will take a few seconds to answer.  It contains all of the brilliant, silly and downright gross suggestions, along with spaces for your own tab flavor creations.  Are you game??  Click below and make your vote count!!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z53F675

Free Toys!!!!

I was awoken at 1:30 in the morning by the sound of K.C. playing.  It sounded like she was having a grand old time batting something plastic around the bedroom.  This was odd since we keep all of her toys downstairs.  Wondering what she had gotten ahold of, I begrudgingly got up and flicked on the little flashlight I keep on my night table for midnight finger sticks.

Much to my surprise, I found K.C.’s fun new toy was this . . . . .



It’s the top of my pump reservoir - the part that snaps onto the insulin bottle when you fill it.  After site changes, I immediately put the sharps in an old coffee can that is my personal sharps container.  I don’t ever remember dropping one.  Apparently I did, and K.C. was happy to claim it as her own.

Free cat toys . . . . just one more benefit of  having diabetes.

Get a Job!!

Your pancreas is in a job interview and totally bombed the question about ______.


Interviewer:  Good morning, thanks for coming in.
My Pancreas: Hey, thanks for seeing me.
Interviewer: So, let’s get started.  First why don’t you tell me a little bit about your employment history.
My Pancreas:  Yeah, well, for a little over 11 years I worked with  my beta cells . . . . or was it my islets . . . . are they the same thing?  Yeah, whatever, I don’t know, but I made insulin.  Then I decided I was so done with that, so I stopped.
Interviewer:  You stopped? 
My Pancreas:  Yup, just quit.
Interviewer:  Okaaay, and what have you been doing since then.
My Pancreas:  Umm, yeah, I guess nothing.  Well, maybe I’m like a placeholder so the other internal organs don’t shift around and stuff.  Ya know, they might do that if I just wasn’t there, right?
Interviewer:  Ahem, well, why don’t you tell me what you see as your greatest strength?
My Pancreas:  Pfft, I don’t know.  Strength?  I kinda don’t really have one.
Interviewer:  Well, what would you say your greatest weakness is?
My Pancreas:  You know, I just really don’t do anything.  So I don’t have any weaknesses or strengths.  I just kinda hang around.
Interviewer:  (sighing loudly)  Can you tell me why you are interested in this job?
My Pancreas:  (laughing)  Lady, I don’t WANT a job!  I don’t even know how I ended up on this stupid interview.  I’ve been a slacker for almost 33 years, and I don’t see any reason to change things!
Interviewer:  Okay, I think I’ve gotten all of the information I need.  Thanks for your time.  We’ll let you know when we’ve made a decision.




This post is my August entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival.  If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/august-dsma-blog-carnival-2/

How Come?

Here are a few diabetes questions I’ve been pondering since returning from the JDRF Annual Conference last week in D.C.

How come I always end up sick after I travel?  Seriously, I feel like every germ on the plane zeros in on me the minute I board.  (I guess spending long days in conference rooms with hundreds of others doesn’t help much either.)

How come my new pump decides to throw me a motor error at the worst possible time?  A motor error on a new pump is bad enough - but getting it while filling  my dinner plate at the buffet line before the opening speeches of the JDRF Annual Conference is probably about the worst timing I can think of!

How come someone who is a chronic over-packer can end up far away from home with a battery that’s just about to go dead and no spare?  Luckily this problem was solved with a quick walk after dinner to the CVS a couple of blocks away.

How come my blood sugar can spend an entire day doing the exact opposite of what I need it to do?  Seriously, I spent my first full day in D.C. running high when I met with our members of Congress on The Hill, low when I had some free time to hit the treadmill, and then high again when it was time for dinner.

How come I manage to end up in the only airport security line with a full body scanner instead of the dozen for the metal detectors?  How come TSA is so sure my insulin pump can go through the full body scanner even when I tell them I know it can’t?  (Don’t worry, they did finally agree to give me a pat down and it was fine.)

How come an evening low blood sugar always hits AFTER I’ve brushed my teeth for bed?  Does my toothpaste have inhalable insulin in it?

I can’t answer any of these questions.  And even if I could, I’m sure diabetes would send me some more “how comes” to ponder.  What does diabetes make you ask “how come” about?

Fill up that pump reservoir . . . .

Today's prompt is: Best conversation I had this week. Try writing script-style (or with dialogue) today to recap an awesome conversation you had this week. But I'm doing my own thing today . . . .


Time to crack open a new bottle of insulin and fill up that pump reservoir, because the Easter Bunny has made a visit!!

But seriously, count, dose and everything in moderation!  Happy Easter!

Diabetes Catvocate

Ekphrasis Post. Go to flickr.com/explore and write a post inspired by the image. Can you link it to your health focus? Don’t forget to post the image!

When I navigated to the Flickr link I saw this picture:

Photo Credit: Vocal Exercises by BUN BUKU, on Flickr

Perfect - a cat.  It’s no secret that I own the cutest cat in the world (even if I am slightly biased).  I immediate thought my recent twitter conversation with Kewl Innovations in which we joked about the cool new buzzword diabetes #catvocate.  A smile immediately came to my face and I felt instantly lighter and happier.

Could I delve more deeply into this image?  Sure I could.  Could I come up with ways this picture represents serous diabetes issues?  Probably.  But today, I’m not going to do that.  Today, I’m going to stop with my silly little #catvocate joke.  It’s no secret that we have lots of silliness in the Diabetes Online Community, with jokes of unicorns and sprinkles and cupcakes (not sure that link will work, but if it does, it's awesome) and bacon and #duckfiabetes.  Diabetes is a tough disease that really doesn’t ever give us a break.  And I think some silly humor is the perfect way to cope with that!

Superpowers . . . Activate!!

Superpower Day. If you had a superpower – what would it be? How would you use it?

Wait . . . . what?  What do you mean IF I had a superpower?  Come on now, I DO have a superpower.  I am Pancreas Girl!!!
I stand in for a human organ 24 hours a day, seven days a week - and I’ve been doing it for over 32 years (with some help from my superhero parents when I was younger).  I’m able to leap high blood sugars in a single bound - with a correction bolus or two.   I fight the evils of low blood sugars that are trying to knock me out - with my trusty juice box by my side.  My super-girl gadget belt holds my pump, meter, insulin, snacks, and spare pump and CGM supplies - it gets pretty heavy but I don’t let it stop me from soaring to great heights.  My arch enemies are The Diabetes Police - those nasty villains who try to bring me down by assaulting me with horror stories about what happened to their relatives with diabetes while they judge each bite I put in my mouth.  And my kryptonite, of course, is my blasted immune system that chose to kill off my poor little islet cells.

Yup, I am a SuperHero - even on those days when the load is heavy and I don't feel super at all!!  If you live with diabetes or another chronic illness, or any major health concern for that matter, you are a SuperHero too!  Fly high and fight the good fight, my super-friends.

Wordless Wednesday - Strips

Those strips end up in the strangest places . . . .  like on the bottom part of the fruit bowl (which is actually a punch bowl but we don’t really drink punch!!)