From FatCatAnna

I don't watch daytime TV that often as I'm a working stiff, but yesterday I recorded the Oprah show - which was all about diabetes.  I had read during the week from other PWD bloggers that they were abit disgruntled that probably the show would dwell on Type 2 diabetes.  That doesn't bother me, as I still clump all the different versions of diabetes as being one, we all are having to deal with living with diabetes whether it be with just pills/diet/exercise/insulin.  Below is a comment that I posted at one of the many diabetic forums I belong to which I find seemed to be highly critical of how Oprah / Dr. Oz brought it to the public viewers ...

I found it pretty good.  You have to remember, it's aimed at the average viewer, who may not have much knowledge of diabetes, and what they have is usually based on incorrect info (e.g. you get it if you're fat, yadda, yadda, yadda). Because of it only being an hour show (with LOTS of ads - not used to day time telly) - they could only really cover the basics, but I personally felt the info put forth was well done.  I think it helped my husband understand about what sugar in our systems does to us with the video that Dr. Oz showed on how the food breaks down in our bodies. Seeing how the "shards of glass" aka "sugar" go thru' our blood vessels if it's not been converted correctly due to our pancreas not squelching out the juice made me cringe (I will never look a broken glass in the same way again).  It didn't help that I was sitting down nibbiling on cookies and an espresso (with sugar) for my evening snack.  Yes, I had taken insulin to cover the carbs aka sugar - so hopefully less "shards of glass" will enter into my blood stream, but still I felt abit uneasy.

What got me crying, and I'm started to well up here as I type thinking about it, was Laureen, a 44 year old Type 1 diabetic who agreed to be on the show (bless her heart) telling us what bad management of diabetes can do to you (and she is a nurse).  It was when Dr. Oz started to remove the bandages from her legs that I really started to sob uncontrollably, and I'm not one to cry that often (I think diabetes makes some of us tough to emotions).  Besides that ordeal, she is also on kidney dialysis, which is something that all diabetics hope to never have to face.   It was so hard to watch, and of course, because of of a PWD friend of mine, Lois, having her leg amputated a few days ago due to mismangement of her diabetes (and she admits she f##ed up), it hit me hard.

So, yes, some of you Type 1's maybe disappointed that not more info was done on " our " type of diabetes, but as we've always known, we are a small majority. In the 60's/70's when I was diagnosed Type 1 was only about 1% of the diabetic population - now it's 10% - crikey.

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Just a footnote - the video link above of Laureen may not be for the faint of heart.  I know I found it very difficult to watch as Dr. Oz removed her bandages ... BUT ... it might  jolt you into realising how serious diabetes is and how if left uncontrolled can lead to life threatening conclusions.  

From FatCatAnna

After experiencing some wacky daytime blood sugars (BG's) during the last week, I decided to go ahead and test out my basal settings on my Animas 2020 insulin pump today.  I have never a daytime basal testing  before, sad to say, and as in my prevous blog, I had asked others - "how often do you test your basal rates?".  No comments yet, and it makes me wonder, are they like myself, not finding the time to test their basal rates, when perhaps we should from time to time when BG's become abit wacky?

I just know for myself, that if I'm going to get the most use out of my pump, I have to learn how to use it properly, so that my BG's stay stable and not having to do continual BG corrections and giving extra insulin.  I mean, I might as well go back to multiple doseage injection (MDI) - ugh!  To me, that defeats the purpose of owning/using a pump, because theory wise, if the pump settings are correct, you should have steady, stable BG's, depending on what is happening in your life of course. 

Well this morning, I decided, this is the day to do a 09h00 - 17h00 basal test, as I'm not doing anything strenuous (no Running of the Bulls), no work deadlines, etc.  I already know that my night time basal rates that I have set on my pump are working fine for me, since John Walsh/Ruth Roberts the coauthors of the Pumping Insulin advise you to get this figured out first prior to doing any other basal tests.  Also, the basal test should only be done when your BG is 5.6 - 8.3 mmol/l (100 - 150 mg/dl) OR between 6.7 - 10 mmol/l (120 - 180 mg/dl) if you have hypoglycemia unawareness or a fear of going low.  I woke up with a 5.5 mmol/l (99 mg/dl) BG, a little bit below what is recommended, but I felt good to go, as I'm not sure when I'll have another "stress free" day like this to do it.

So, I proceeded to wait for my next 2 hour test of my BG, and when that approached an hour ago, I tested  - 8.8 mmol/l (159 mg/dl).  Darn .  The directions in the book say to STOP - correct the BG and retest another day.  Double Darn!  I've gone and made the adjustment to my basal rate according to the table in the book (it's pretty straight forward to read even for a non technical gal like myself). In my case it was .2 units of insulin, seems abit scary to go from .65 units per hour to .85 units, but according to the book "the suggested basal changes below are less than may be needed".  So, I feel abit secure in going ahead as I trust these authors, they know their stuff.   I have presently programmed my new basal settings into my pump and will have to wait for another day to perform the test. 

I have to admit I'm abit disappointed that I had to stop the test and I guess I shouldn't have really said "D Minus" in the title above, at least I'm one step ahead in the game is the  main thing, I'm finely doing it!   Hopefully my basal settings in my pump will soon be perfected so that I have the freedom that a pump allows you to have over MDI.  I  mean, my life has changed so much since going on the pump, I know so much more about diabetes now then before, even after 42 years, I'm still learning!  Just to be able to have balanced BG's when I  skip a meal and not go low or high is what I'd really like to attain.

So, off I trot upstairs to have an Americano (I so missed not having my morning cup of java as the caffeine we all know would have buggered up the test even more LOL ). Oh and a nice slice of  toasted whole grain bread smothered in butter and jam, and abit of cottage cheese!  I am famished!!! Drool! Drool!

From FatCatAnna

My blood sugars the last few days have been abit wacky in the morning as well into the afternoon..  I reached a high of 20 mmol/l the other day, something that occurs once in a blue moon for me, even when I was on multiple doseage injections (MDI).  It was to the point where I wanted to chuck out the insulin pump the other day and go back to 8-10 injections a day!  Then I thought, hang in there, life will get better and you'll be out $7K if you throw out the pump. Sometimes diabetes can take a nose dive and not do what it's supposed to do, and it gets pretty frustrating for us all as we try to maintain blood sugars that aren't dangerously high.

I think my problem was probably due to stress.  Having been away from home for a whole week, things didn't get done since the Domestic Engineer, moi, was away.  Facing mounds of laundry, housework, along with my going thru' the piles of info I'd collected at the IDF World Diabetes Congress and other work I do I was finding life a bitoverwhelming.  I've not felt this way in along time!

I was beginning to wonder, should I quit some of my jobs, and just take it easy?  Being the type of person that I am, I resisted the urge to pack it in, and managed to stride on, as we all do, and now with the change of the infusion set, blood sugars appear  to be better, but I think I'll have to be performing some basal tests when I have time.  Actually, I WILL find time (and by putting it in writing to you all I hope to take a breather aka time out), as my health comes first.  Something we diabetics have to think about constantly and can become abit of a pain in the buttocks from time to time, but that is life!

Another problem I think may have made my blood sugars worse was the area I had my infusion set in.  I've been using my thighs more often, due to the fact, I have lots of places to plunge in the sets, rotating 1" at a time every 3 days.  I think I've now discovered, the closer I get to the inside of my thigh, is perhaps not a good place to infuse!

Curious - for those of you that are using insulin pumps, how often do you test your basal rates?  When you are having weird blood sugars like I have been experiencing?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO YOU ALL - BE CAREFUL ON THE STREETS TONIGHT

From FatCatAnna

Well, this past weekend was a blast from the past.  I haven't stayed up until the wee hours of the morning in a very long time.  I had jokingly said to my friends, after we met up in a bar to watch a band - "let's go and continue the party at your place until 3:00 a.m.".  They looked at me abit odd and went along with it. 

One of my friends, Richard and his finance Suzanne were visiting Montreal from Vancouver, B.C.  Richard just before going on holidays was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.  He had alot of questions for me - which I hopefully answered as best as I could.  The main thing I told him was, get his weight down, eat healthy, exercise, check his blood sugars daily and hopefully he'll avoid the type of diabetes I have - where he'll be hooked on insulin for the remainder of his life. 

So, of course, we got the munchies later. Out came the chips, etc.  and I started to show them the carb count on the package of the "healthy" corn chips full of "fibre".  A ploy I told them just to make you feel less guilty of what you are ramming into your bodies.   We then decided, all of us, to test our blood sugars.  Never in my life have I done this with a bunch of friends.  It was such a blast!  Of course, they were all in good ranges for non diabetics - phew.  I was actually getting low at the time - due to giving a wee bit too much insulin earlier (hate snacking - it throws me off).  So, they all panicked with getting cake out, and other foods for me.  Once again, teacher mode took over in me, despite my low blood sugar while I explained the difference between how certain foods entered your body to control your low blood sugar faster.  Of course, I had my Dex4's with me - and took a few of those to bring my BG's up.

All I can say is, luckily no one had sore fingers after that night/morning - as we tested quite a few times - the vampire Edward was out that night (yes - Twilight along with Blood Ties came into the conversation - vampires are the "in thing" at the moment). 

Anyway, the party continued onto the next day, and if I could only have video recorded my friend Sylvie with her impersonation of Edward (see prevous blog - you'll understand why I mentioned his name) - as he wonders how my blood sugars are doing - she just cracked me up!!!  It was a wonderful way to end a great weekend with friends that can laugh along with me and my life as a legal drug user! 

NB: We didn't get to noddy nod land until 4:00 a.m.  We were Born To Be Wild!!!!

From FatCatAnna

Well, last time I wrote I was hoping to go on a motorcycle trip to Mount Washington. In the end, we left abit late, decided to just cruise closer to home in the Adirondacks.  We had intentions of going to Whiteface Mountain - but ended up in a Saranac Lake, a quaint little town.

One thing I noticed on this ride (was in the saddle for almost 6 hours) - either the tires, which  are designed for on/off road riding - cause a lot of vibration - or my buttocks are getting older - and can't handle sitting in the saddle for as long as  I used to .  Ohhh, my aching cheeks (I now TOTALLY can relate what my friend Jaimie went thru' on a trip from Seneca Falls, NY to Montreal)!!!  There were a few times when I thought I was going to have to turn my head aside and hurl - it was that uncomfortable.  Now, I don't get this when I'm the driver - but as a passenger it's another story.

The scenery though made up for a lot of the discomfort, plus the stop off for lunch at this little restaurant that makes up wood fire pizzas.  Being on the bike, you don't get much of a chance to a) hear you pump beeping to tell you to test blood sugars (BG); b) get a chance to shout to the driver that "I have to test my BG's NOW!"  I didn't want to be a pain in the "you know what" to Mike (my hubby) - so I just hung on, nausea and all.

It turned out, 3 hours later when we stopped, that my BG's were good despite my thirst making me feel I was high.  I was amazed that for sitting still for that length of time, I was reading 4.2 mmol/l (75 mg/dl)!  Obviously basal settings are good - pat on the back to moi.  I was so hungry, so decided to splurge on a good dark ale from Lake Placid along with a few slices of pizza, followed up by a sinful dark chocolate dessert.  I did a guesstimate on the amount of carbs for everything - and managed to come out pretty good when testing my BG 5 hours later with a small correction to bring me back to what I like my BG's to hover around (long wait at the border to come back into Canada - Ovey - my aching buttocks).

We've now decided that a) we need to get my other motorcycle up and running as I'm fed up with being a passenger; and b) take a break at least every hour.  When I think about it - motorcycling is abit like sailing, something that can't be rushed, just take your time and enjoy the scenery!