Boost your activism & share your thoughts . . .

A few weeks ago I participated in a Blogger Insight Discussion with Wego Health.  While the participants all blogged about different health issues and measured effectiveness in different ways, there was one common insight all of the bloggers on the call shared.  We all agreed that we are never quite sure what kind of content our readers enjoy the most.  Granted, we all write what we know and what we are inspired to share - but we all agreed it would be nice to also have some feedback on what the people who visit our blog like to read about and what they want to see more of.

With that in mind, I want to share a new project from Wego - The Reader Insight Program.  The idea is that you take a survey to find out what kind of Health Activist you are and you have the opportunity to sign up for information from Wego.  (If you’d like to opt out of the Wego emails, simply uncheck the last box on the survey page before hitting the submit button.)  Now here is the cool thing . . . you also get to answer a few questions about my blog and tell me what you like and what you want more of!  For the details, directly from Wego, read on . . . .

I wanted to share this new project I’m working on with WEGO Health to learn more about my blog and about all of you who read it!

First some background: For those of you who aren’t familiar with WEGO Health, they’re a different kind of social media company focused on helping Health Activists – folks like me who use the internet and social media to connect with others around health topics. WEGO Health’s mission is to empower Health Activists to help others, and they offer Health Activists the chance to get involved with video through WEGOHealth.tv, to learn and connect through webinars and chats, and to gain a voice in the healthcare industry through insight panels and the Health Activist Speakers Bureau.

Now WEGO Health is launching the Reader Insight Program – helping Health Bloggers like me to gather feedback from their readers, while telling you a bit about yourself. At the same time, WEGO Health has a chance to see if any of you are Health Activists eligible for their programs. I know many of you out there are dedicated to sharing health info and I have a feeling you’re Health Activists too! 

I agreed to try the Reader Insight Program because I’m excited to learn more about why you visit my blog and how I can make it even more valuable for you. I hope you’ll take a moment to share your thoughts with me by taking WEGO Health’s Quick Quiz. By taking the quiz, you’ll help me learn what you need – and you’ll also receive customized social media tips for yourself!

A few things to know about the program:
- WEGO Health will gather your quiz responses and feedback for 2 weeks starting today. After the 2 weeks are up, they’ll create a Reader Insight Report for me (then I’ll share it with you!)
- Your responses will be shared with me anonymously – please be candid!
- Your information will not be shared or sold by WEGO Health
Thank you for helping me make my blog even more engaging! I can’t wait to see you what you think!

So if you are interested in exploring your own Health Activism, would like to hear more from Wego, and would like to give me some anonymous feedback on my blog, please do take the unique Wego Health Quick Quiz that has been set up for me!  I'm very excited to hear what you have to say about Bitter~Sweet!!

The common thread . . . .

Tuesday evening we held our second Adult T1 Outreach event with my local JDRF chapter.  The gathering was a bit smaller than our first event - probably due to summer schedules and rainy weather - but we had a nice sized group of ten.  Once everyone arrived and settled in we went around the table and introduced ourselves.  We shared how long we’d been living with diabetes and what d-stuff we use.

We were quite a varied group.  Diagnosis ranged from about 2 years ago to over 50 years ago.  We had Animas, Minimed and Cosmo pumpers, along with MDI-ers.  We had Dexcom and Minimed CGMers.  We had Accu-Chek, Freestyle and OneTouch meter users.  It made for some great conversations.  We all talked about the pros and cons of whichever d-equipment we each use.  It was interesting to see how things some considered an important pro were not of much consequence to others of us.  And some features (or lack of) that people hated, others didn’t mind.  It really comes down to figuring out what is important to you and what works best with your lifestyle.  Personally, I’m less concerned about a meter taking the smallest blood sample needed and more concerned with the convenience of my meter being all-in-one.  It would be nice if my pump was waterproof, but since I don’t do much swimming I’m happy to trade that benefit for the convenience of having my CGM read right on the pump.  It was pretty cool to hear the reasons why others love the d-equipment they use and to compare and contrast our choices.

As I drove home that night, I thought about everything we discussed and I realized it wasn’t our differences that were foremost in my mind.  Instead it was our common thread.  I thought about my conversation with the woman next to me, diagnosed about five years ago, and how she said she sometimes wished she could just eat the same thing every day.  And how relieved she was hearing about the time my endo reminded me that I can’t shoot for “perfect all the time” blood sugars because that will never happen.  I thought about one of the ladies, who like me has been living with diabetes for over 30 years, saying something along the lines of “I really feel like it's just constantly trying to figure things out - I'm adjusting and reacting on a daily basis”.  Those words really stuck with me.  Because our common thread was this:

None of us, whether we’d been living with diabetes for two years or fifty years, none of us had it completely figured out yet.  Diabetes is constantly changing.  What works today might not work tomorrow.  We are all just trying to do the best we can every day.

And to me, that’s what a support group is all about . . . .

Wordless Wednesday - Free Shower Day

(Yup, my mom saves her humongous coffee vats for me to use as sharps containers.)

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Hacker?

It's a fact of life that bad things happen.  There are people out there who don’t even know you, yet are looking to do you harm. Trust me, I know that all too well.  And yes, I tend to be pretty paranoid and generally afraid.  But I believe in taking necessary precautions and living life.

There is a lot of buzz in the media about pump hackers.  Yes, the bottom line is that an insulin pump can be hacked.  My laptop can also be hacked.  It’s probably pretty unlikely that someone would want to hack into my boring little computer, but I still have precautions in place such as a secure network and firewalls to help keep me safe.  The same thing goes for my pump.  It’s pretty unlikely someone would want to waste their time giving me a bolus or suspending my pump, but if they did there are status screens and audible beeps on my Medtronic pump that would keep me safe and let me know someone was fiddling with my pump.

The bottom line is that I’m pretty sure hackers have larger targets in sight than me.  I can’t say I’m all that worried about someone wasting their time and talent on my little insulin pump.  What does scare me - a lot - is what this news and the panic it can create might do to my future treatment options.  I wrote last month about my hopes of having my pump, meter, CGM and iPhone all connected and talking to each other.  It doesn’t seem like a stretch for an engineer to be able to make this happen.  What scares me is that the sensationalism surrounding this pump hacking story will cause the FDA to put the brakes on these kinds of advancements even more than they already have.  And that threat of stagnation to diabetes technology?  Well yes, that has me very afraid.

Friday’s Sundae

Remember the Diabetic Ice Cream Social I mentioned on Friday?  I indulged and I enjoyed every bite!!



I chose a hot fudge sundae with mint Oreo ice cream.  It had plenty of yummy whipped cream.  I passed on the cherry (yuck).



My before bed blood sugar was a happy 103.  I did need to correct a 166 around 3:30 in the morning, but my fasting was spot on at 86 when I woke up Saturday.  And that is how a diabetic successfully manages a hot fudge sundae!  #TakeThatWendell

Friday Fun

It’s a sunny August Friday here in New England.  The weather is perfect - bright and warm but not too humid.  I’m ready for some fun!  Are you?

You know what is a lot of fun?  Giving away prizes.  So let’s give away that Lauren’s Hope Medical ID Bracelet!  It looks like you guys really love these bracelets, because there were 45 comments left to enter the contest.

Click to enlarge

The random comment picked was lucky number 28.  Which belongs to . . .

Denise of My Sweet Bean and Her Pod!!

Congratulations Denise and Ms. Bean!!!  I’ve already emailed you so we can get your prize coordinated!!

Okay, ready for some more fun?  How about a Virtual Ice Cream Social?  We all know PWDs can have ice cream.  The article that stated giving a diabetic some ice cream was like giving an alcoholic just one beer seems to have been taken down.  The so-called apology is still there, although it is also full of misinformation and most of the comments have been deleted.  In any case, incorrect myths have been spread yet again, and it’s time to help raise awareness.  Tonight Pete and I will be popping in to our local Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shoppe for sundaes.  Because it’s absolutely okay to indulge on occasion.  It doesn’t make my diabetes any worse and I’m not doing anything wrong.  Won’t you join me in a scoop??

Adding Words to the Story . . .

So the one time my Wordless Wednesday post was actually, you know, WORDLESS was the one time I should’ve added a few words to it.  Words like “Don’t worry, my pump is fine!”  The error actually happened on Saturday and I thought about blogging it on Monday - but honestly I felt like my blog has been very whiny lately and I didn’t want to be all “look what happened now, an ERROR” - so I focused on the flowers and good blood sugars instead.  But after reading the comments on yesterday’s picture I know I should tell the whole story.

It was about lunchtime on Sunday when Pete and I decided we needed to make a run to Home Depot for topsoil and mulch and a few more flowers.  McDonalds is right across the street from Home Depot, so we decided we’d whip through the drive-through on our way home.  After we placed our order I got my bolus going - and as we pulled into the driveway the Motor Error alarm went off.  My first thought?  “I don’t care what I have to do, I am eating those darn fries!!

As I cleared the error, the pump rewound itself.  So I reinserted the cartridge and primed a lot just to ensure insulin was really flowing.  It was, so I checked the status of my bolus.  Most of my “Now” insulin was delivered, so I bolused in the last 7/10th of a unit needed, and then reset the “Square” portion of the bolus.   I also checked my pump manual and put a shout-out to the DOC on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.  I had a quick conversation with Mike and then went back outside to finish the yard work.

By the time I got back to my computer, I had many urgent replies from DOC-ers that had gotten the Motor Error.  It seemed in some cases their pumps were dead, and in other cases their pumps were fine.  Everyone urged me to call Minimed to report the error so the service techs could run some diagnostic tests with me.  Which is, of course, the smart thing to do and is absolutely what I should have done the minute I saw the Motor Error.  (Bad bad bad pumper!!)

Let me just say, 5:00 pm on a Sunday seems to be the perfect time to call about pump problems!  The tech got right on the line with no wait.  She asked a series of questions, including what my pump was doing when the error occurred.  It’s just  my luck that my pump would error on the rare day I’m eating McDonalds and my lunch bolus is 115% bigger than normal.  (No, the tech didn’t judge me.  Yes, I would tell anyone else that it doesn’t really matter how much insulin you use, as long as it keeps your numbers happy.  Yes, I also know PWDs can eat McDonalds on occasion.  But I still felt like a bad diabetic!!)

So the pump passed all its tests with flying colors.  My blood sugars have been fine.  Things seem to be in working order.  If I see the error again, I’ll call back right away and I think my pump will need to be replaced at that point.  But for now, my pretty purple pump with the cat and yarn pump skin that I love so much is hanging out on my hip doing its job.

And they lived happily ever after . . . .

Wordless Wednesday