From FatCatAnna

Okay – I’ve been out of the loop lately with the D-OC (diabetic online community) – summer is here – so I try to get away from the screen that wants to lure me away from the real life outside (remember summer is over with a blink of the eye here in Canada).  Anyway, I’ve been reading other PWD’s (people with diabetes) blog posts – that are plugging away #DFeast (thanks for correction from AmariT) in Twitter.  Take for instance, George Simmons aka Ninjabetic and his yummy burger aka Ninja Burger recipe (hope to sink my teeth into these this weekend with some friends we’re visiting in Seneca Falls, NY). 

UPDATE:  To participate - go to This Is Caleb - and the instructions on how to participate are all there.  It's that easy!  You can also click the picture above to add your recipe to the D-Feast Friday list. Put the name of your recipe in the "Your Name" box and the URL of your blog post in the "Your URL" box.

The recipe I made last night, uses a flatbread which I’ve never bought/used before in my life (I know, I know, I live in a cave).  I discovered this great low carb bread here at Diabetes1.org where “someone” was posting a product from their company.  I have no problems with their promoting their product, but after doing research, I realized it’s only available online and/or around certain areas of the USA – not all over their country (and sadly – not here in Canada – the Mounties refuse to let their product into our country?).  Instead I found another product that's available ALL across the USA, and I posted it a few days ago here).

I’ve had a few people asking for the recipe since posting the picture in Twitter/Facebook – drum roll – here it is – I did use the Flatout Flatbreads pizza recipe they have online – but I spiffed it up like I always do with a recipe.  You can either follow theirs or mine – but I’m living proof that it works and tastes good using my own version! So, scroll down below the picture (warning - do not lick screen) to find out how to make this easy pizza!

1 Flatout Flatbread (or whatever is similar for “rolling”)

½ tomato diced (I used Roma)

½ Tbs chopped basil (or more which is what I did)

1 Tbs balsamic vinaigrette (I used Kraft Fig Balsamic Olive Oil)

1 tsp of minced garlic (or to your taste preference)

3 oz. part-skim mozzarella – cut into 1-inch cubes)

1 Tbs of your fav tomato sauce (I use a Puttanesca Sauce from Allrecipes.com)

8 Kalamata olives – remove pits and slice up

Preheat outdoor grill to Medium heat. Marinate mozzarella, tomato, garlic and basil in bowl with Balsamic Vinaigrette for about 10 minutes (I did it for about ½ an hour).  Lightly oil both sides of flatbread – place directly on grill for no more then 3 minutes.  Remove, and spread tomato sauce, marinated mixture, top with olives.  Place your piece of artwork directly back onto grill for 4 minutes (watch carefully) with lid closed.  Remove and gobble up.

You can also cook this in your oven:  Preheat oven to 350F, place lightly oiled flatbread directly on grate for 4-6 minutes.  Take out of oven, and then arrange toppings as above.  Remove to oven and cook for 5-7 minutes – or until cheese has melted to your satisfaction.  Remove and enjoy!

Best served up with a side salad – and like George – a beverage of your choice is best enjoyed while preparing / consuming meal.  I had a glass of Bottle Shock – Bloc E Signature from Julia Wine during the preparation of the above meal.

From FatCatAnna

I had written a blog last year in January 2009 about a wonderful organisation that takes seeing eye dogs from 4 months to 1 year – and retrains them to provide medical alert assistance to Type 1 diabetics (Dogs4Diabetes or D4D).

This came across my desktop the other day about a 7-year-old Cardigan Welsh Corgi who goes by the name of King Tut who can tell when his owner (Marilyn Pharo) ketones are going low.  He's saved his owner a few times when she's had low blood sugars (hypos).

I still can't get over how sensitive dogs are to smell (I thought I had a good sniffer myself). To be able to smell the difference in the ketones that admit from the body is incredible!  I wonder if cats can sense the same thing?  Mine have never tried to pry my eyeballs open when I'm having a low at night (they only do this for food at 6:00 a.m. aka Garfield style).

Animal Planet is going to be filming Marilyn and her trusty King Tut at their home in Cape May, New Jersey this month and their episode will air sometime in the Fall.  So check back at this link - Dogs 101 to see when it will play (I know I want to see this).

To read the rest of this wonderful story - go to this link (or paste the link in a new browser - http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=12534920 ).

I wish my husband would let me get a dog ....

From FatCatAnna

From FatCatAnna

Well, I’m now into Week 2 of pull the plug on my pump and taking break.  Again, to those of you who think I may be bashing pumping – I AM NOT – far from it!!!  I’m just taking a break, trying to see if I can have as good control over my diabetes / blood sugars (BG) as I do with Salvador Dali (my Animas 2020 pump).  I have a friend who has been diabetic for 50 years since the age of 25 and he doesn't use a pump, and has an A1C of 5.1% - and next to no complications due to long term diabetes.  If he can do it, hopefully I and others who don't have the luxury of owning a pump can do the same thing!  Anyway, I will go back to pumping eventually, heck I paid $7K for the pump, might as well use it!  I’m not that crazy and looking a gift horse in the mouth.

One thing I’ve noticed is I found that being on the pump has made me so much more aware of how to use my insulin properly then when I was MDI (multiple dosage injections) for the previous 40 years.  Before pumping, I guess I just lucked in on doing the “right thing” and managed to maintain an A1C in the 7% range, but I have a feeling that was due to having low blood sugars (hypos) plus I wasn’t testing my BG’s (blood sugars) as frequently as I do now.  So, insulin pumping has made me a better  diabetic I feel.  I’m currently using Lantus / NovoRapid and I’m going to try out Levemir when I run out of Lantus pen cartridges.  

I know eventually I'll go back to the pump, maybe it'll be in a few more weeks, few months, not sure, but for now I’m actually finding the regime of Lantus (slow insulin – aka basal in the pump) twice a day - and the NovoRapid (rapid insulin – aka bolus / BG correction in the pump) no different then when I was using the pump.  I just have to pull out the pen needle, change the needle (I tend to use the needle twice - I know - bad - but I have a high pain threshold I guess).  Because this is still new to me, I'm finding it abit of a longer process, but I'll be back in the swing of things soon.

One thing I do find I’m perhaps performing more BG (blood glucose) testing then before. Remember, I’m slightly OCD as my endo called me (read previous blog here).  Heck, diabetes is something we live with 24/7 and you can’t shake this monkey off your back as a Type 1 diabetic.  It’s with you for life, so if you can keep things at an even keel then hopefully less complications in the future will befall us.  

Off to test my BG!

From FatCatAnna

When I was attending the IDF World Diabetes Congress last month, I came across a few products from a company based in the States, called Generex.  They are involved in research and development of drug delivery systems, but not through the usual ways that we know of.  Basically instead of by injection, they are developing drugs that are taken via the lining of the inner mouth (RapidMist™ device). Not only will their products be used for diabetes, but also for pain management and cancers.

One of their major products they are introducing to the market is an oral insulin (Generex Oral-lyn™).  This is used for both Type 1 and 2 diabetics and is currently sold in Ecuador.  It was also approved for sale in Indian back in 2007, and currently is in various stages of clinical development around the world.  Right now, Phase III clinical trials of their oral insulin has startied in North America, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and the Ukraine.

Can you imagine, not having to inject anymore?  I would be very interested in seeing more information on their product as it comes out.  So, if I do come across anything to share with you all, hopefully you'll be as interested as I am.

The other product that I came across and managed to get a few samples of (with the Oral-lyn™ I managed to get a squeezy stress toy ) - is Glucose RapidSpray™.  You may have seen this in the American market already, but it is new to us here in Canada.  This product can be used to treat a low blood sugar, and claims not to cause a rapid spike in the blood sugars, like some other products do (I tend to find I spike up, due to taking too much sugar).  I tested it out finally last night, when waking up around 04h30 with a blood sugar reading of 2.9 mmol/l (52 mg/dl).  I followed the simple instructions, and sprayed 10 times inside of my cheek, retested my blood sugar in about 10 minutes (3.1 mmol/l - 55 mg/dl) - sprayed 10 times more (I had strawberry flavour - yum) - and trotted off to bed at that point.  When I woke up in the morning, my blood sugar, was at 4.0 mmol/l (72 mg/dl) - and I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the results!

To find out more about other products that Generex has (e.g. BaBoom!™ and Crave-NX) - check out their website at this link.