Yeah!

Dex is in Fort Collins!

Of course I'm working a long day today, so even if he's delivered today, I can't play with him until tomorrow. That makes me so sad. :-(

But he's coming!

D@%#!

STILL.

IN.

DENVER.

 

Bastards.

/rant

A New Low

We all have had low experiences, in public, and been embarassed by peoples reactions. I thought I would share one of mine where the perfect stranger I was with at the time, had the best reaction.

No reaction at all.

None.

No faces, no strange comment, nothing.

I was with my son in said person's office. We were having a meeting. Part way through, I realized I was having to try too hard to follow the conversation, which then led me to notice that I was feeling a little funny too. I pulled out my meter and tested (I even licked the blood off my finger) and got a lovely little 58. Leaving the meter with it's bloody strip on his desk, I pulled some cookies out of my purse and with slightly shaky hands got them open.

The discussion continued without interruption. Well, my son made a comment about seeing the number, but otherwise uninterrupted. My hands quit shaking as the "medicine" started to work and I put the meter away. Not a word was said about the whole incident, which was SO TOTALLY COOL!

I don't know if that person has a connection with diabetes in his personal life, but I thought his LACK of reaction was the best reaction ever. Non-diabetics take note. If I can test and I'm not acting funny, I'm fine. I may be low but I'm fine, and if I need help, you'll know one way or another!

A New Week

Last Thursday, everything went through and was approved for me to order my Dexcom CGM. RED LETTER DAY!! The unit was sent that day and I have the confirmation emails from Dexcom and FedEx.

Email from Dexcom...

 

And from FedEx!

We live in the "Time of the Internet", where we can get information in tenths of seconds. I can see at any time, exactly where my Dex is hanging out. Yet, to have that little bitty 2 pound box sent to me from San Diego takes 6 days. (SIX DAYS?? Are you kidding me?)

And we can track it on the internet, and find out that in two days it is sitting in a distribution center about an hour away from my house, in Denver. And it is seriously going to take 4 days to get here.

FOUR DAYS???

What the heck are they doing for FOUR DAYS? I have no patience for this! I want to blow off work and drive down to Denver and get it NOW. Ok, it won't do me any good to blow off work. (Bummer..) But I am that excited to get it! And I'll be working like crazy Monday and Tuesday that I probably won't even have time to open it and figure it out until Wednesday! (Probably why my impatience is hanging out, I don't want to wait any longer)

Why can't we have replicators like in Star Trek? I'd have had it up and running last week! Of course, I don't ever recall seeing a diabetic on any of the Star Trek shows, probably because if a pancreas quit on them, they just grew a new one!

The BEST (worst?) News Ever!

I saw the endo for the first time today. I've been diagnosed with D for 3.5 years and finally got around to seeing her. I think she is fabulous! She looked at all 113 lbs of me and said, "Based on what you've told me, you are a Type 1." I was so relieved when she said that. So relieved in fact, that I had to tell her just that! It was the best news I could have gotten! It's been a long, LONG, LONG road of self advocacy and trial and error to get to here. To have the Dragon named is so incredibly AWESOME! Of course she drew labs to confirm, but I am so positive that it is now the correct diagnosis.

So.

It's the worst news ever, too. I mean, I was just diagnosed with a chronic, lifelong disease that I CANNOT ignore or it will kill me. End of discussion, game over, no more me.

Wild.

And I'm relieved that I have it? How strange is that? Name one person who has been relieved to be told they can loose a leg or go blind or have a stroke/heart attack? Not one.

I guess you could say I'm a little conflicted. OK, that was a HUGE understatement, I'm seriously conflicted. I've been so focused on what's really going on that I never thought to look to the future. Some of the random thoughts that have occurred to me in the last 12 hours since I was in her office:

• What is the average life span for T1D?
• I've been in health care for 15years, and I have NEVER taken care of a T1D. My friend has been a nurse for about the same length of time. She can think of 1 and that was a child. Where are the "old" T1D's?
• If there are "old" T1D's out there, where are they? Are they being well taken care of? Who manages their disease for them?
• Will they still let them have pumps or do they have to give that up and rely on injections again? 
• If there aren't any "old" T1D's, what does that mean? If it means anything.
• What happens if I get dementia, who will take care of me? Can anyone do as good a job as I do taking care of me?
• Holy crap, I've just gotten terrified of growing old!

Do T1D's get to do this?

I know when everything sinks in, in a few days, or over the next few months as we move forward obtaining a CGM and getting rolling with a pump, I'll get over these fears. The more I think about them, though, I realize that they are valid, incredibly valid questions, that I'm going to need answers to.

I go back to the endo in 6 weeks, to see how her changes are going, and I think I'm going to have to open that particular Pandora's Box. I need to know.

On a lighter note, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard the doc talking about me to her nurse in the hallway. She said I was "really, really nice" and had "self advocated herself on to insulin and getting in here". It was so nice to hear, she sounded proud of me. What a cool feeling from someone I just met!

Eenie, Meter, Minie, Moe

Sometimes I feel like choosing a meter is like choosing a mate. You really don't want to commit until you are sure it's what you want. Well, I have had my ReliOn micro for over a year and I like it. Meter is cheap and strips are cheap. It doesn't have all the fancy bells and whistles like the "expensive name brand" meters, but it is accurate and small. (Small is the best part!)

Kim Vlasik, of Texting My Pancreas fame, posted this link to the Walmart Pressroom. Walmart has a deal with ReliOn to sell the ReliOn Prime meter for $16 and the 50 count strips for $9. Seriously, nine dollars! Next thing I know I'm off to Walmart and I have to check this out.

The meter was $16.24, compared to my micro at $8.94. (That's a one time cost, I can live with that) But the strips! I pay $36 for 100 strips for the micro, because that's a better deal than the $19.84 for 50. But it really was only $9 for the 50 count. Saving money any way I can, I bought it! I figure it will have paid for itself when I buy the next batch of strips.

Here's the proof!

Saving of the money, by spending the money. That's just weird but true!

Guest Post from Drugwatch.com

The following is a guest post from Drugwatch.com. My apologies to Jeff, who contacted me over a month and a half ago about posting this. After the long wait here it is!
 (This post should not be construed as an endorsement or disapproval on any medication or treatment by ME. Every person responds differently to every medication. Case in point, my Type 2 husband can take metformin without any side effects while I am miserable with cramping, nausea and diarrhea. Personally, I do not advocate filing lawsuits because your body responded badly to a medication. Do your homework people and KNOW what you are putting in your body. You always have a choice. (/rant))

What You Should Know about Diabetes Medications

There are a large number of medications that can treat type 2 diabetes. Some work better than others, and some have dangerous side effects everybody should know about.

The classes of drugs work in three ways. Some make cells more sensitive to insulin. Other drugs boost insulin production by the pancreas. Then there are drugs that slow down sugar digestion in the stomach.

Drugs that Work on Cells

The drugs that make cells more responsive to insulin are the most popular. They're called biguanides and thiazolidinediones. The only biguanide is metformin. It's one of the first drugs doctors prescribe because it brings down blood sugar so effectively.

The most popular thiazolidinedione is a drug called Actos. Actos is a best seller, but unfortunately it has dangerous side effects. Actos recently was found to increase the risk of bladder cancer by 80 percent or more. In fact, thousands of patients have filed Actos lawsuits against the maker of Actos.

Actos also has other dangerous side effects. In 2007, it got slapped with a black-box warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because it increases the risk of heart failure. It also has been linked to eye disease and bone fractures.

Drugs that Work on the Pancreas

Drug classes that make the pancreas produce more insulin are sulfonylureas and nonsulfonylurea secretagogues. Be careful because sulfonylureas can bring blood sugar down too much and bring on hypoglycemia.

Nonsulfonylurea secretagogues are short-acting drugs. They are taken before meals to stop your blood sugar from rising when you eat.

Drugs that Work on Digestion

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, amylin analogues, incretin mimetics and DDP-4 inhibitors have few dangerous side effects. You take them before meals, and they stop your post-meal blood sugar from going up. Since these drugs work on your stomach to slow the breakdown of sugar, they can cause nausea and flatulence. Because of these side effects, they haven't been too popular in the United States.

Your doctor may have a favorite medication he or she likes to prescribe, but you can always ask them about alternatives to avoid risks like Actos side effects. Together, you can decide the best way to treat your diabetes.

William Richards is a writer for Drugwatch.com. He uses his journalism background to investigate dangerous drugs and promote consumer awareness to better the community.