Diabetes

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  Lemonade Life

• 6 Nov 2009 | 8:33 pm

  Allison Blass

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:33 pm

  iPhone hates Wordpres r Posted in Uncategorized

• Things That Make Me Happy Thursday: #8 thru #10

  Allison Blass

  5 Nov 2009 | 12:15 pm

  One of the things on my 101 Things list is to write down 101 things that make me happy. So far, I’ve blogged about seven things: Girl Scout Cookies, Books, Star Trek, Broadway, Email, Moby, Fall Foliage. Great stuff, right? However, I noticed a few weeks ago that I passed my One Year Left mark and had 52 weeks to write 94 items. That’s an average of 2 a week. So I thought, rather than taking up 2 blog posts a week talking about things that make me happy, I’ll blog once a week on 2 or 3 things that make happy. Starting this week! #8: Flying in airplanes Most people…

• I Love You, Man!

  Allison Blass

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:58 pm

  I so totally almost forgot to blog tonight! I literally sat up in bed and went, “Ohmygod!” and Erik said, “What??” and I said, “I didn’t blog!” and he goes, “Oh… I thought you ran out of insulin.” Not quite that bad, but blogging during NaBloPoMo is vitally important too! Anyway, we watched I Love You, Man tonight and it was great. You should rent it. That is all I have to blog about before I turn into a pumpkin. Good night! Posted in Uncategorized

• A Little Slice of Heaven.

  Allison Blass

  3 Nov 2009 | 4:27 pm

  This past weekend was my boyfriend’s 26th birthday, and it also happened to fall on Halloween. But instead of rocking out in the East Village with the other freaks of nature, we decided to do our best impersonation of high society and skipped town to spend some quality alone time in a little seaside hamlet called Newport, in the southeastern corner of Rhode Island. We took our time driving up on Saturday, and it wasn’t just the hellish traffic on I-95 that stood in our way. First, we stopped by the Clinton Outlet malls, where Erik picked up a couple of polo shirts and I bought a…

• Moving On, Moving Up.

  Allison Blass

  2 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm

  I was planning on writing about this tomorrow, but it doesn’t look like Erik will be able to send me the photos from our trip to Newport, Rhode Island until later tonight, so I’ve decided to write about this tonight instead. Two weeks ago, I quit my job. I know what you’re thinking. Who in their right mind quits their job in the middle of a recession? Well, it would be crazy if I had quit my job without having another job lined up, which I did. So that begs the question, how did I get a job in the middle of a recession? If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my…

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  Diabetes1 Articles

• International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Releases New Guidelines on Diabetes Management Worldwide

  3 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has recently announced the release of several new diabetes guidelines including those addressing pregnancy, self-monitoring blood glucose and oral health at its 20th World Diabetes Congress in Montreal. The work of the IDF Task Force on Clinical Guidelines, these new guidelines have been set forth in light of recent data showcasing the epidemic of diabetes worldwide.

• Qualitest Pharmaceuticals Issues a Voluntary Nationwide Recall of All Accusure Insulin Syringes

  28 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pm

  Huntsville AL-Qualitest Pharmaceuticals today issued a voluntary nationwide recall of all Accusure® Insulin Syringes.

• New IDF Study Reveals Diabetics in Developing Countries Pay More for Diabetes Care and Have Poorer Health

  21 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pm

  Type 2 diabetes is often seen as a condition affecting older, unproductive adults in wealthy countries. However, the reality is that 70% of people with diabetes now live in low and middle-income countries and the economic impact of diabetes is much greater in poorer countries. Yet the majority of the spending, 90% of all medical expenditures for diabetes care, is made in the United States, Canada, the countries of Western Europe, and other wealthy countries. This is the conclusion of the most comprehensive investigation of the economic impact of diabetes ever to be conducted in low…

• Latest Diabetes Figures Paint Grim Global Picture

  19 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pm

  International Diabetes Federation says epidemic out of control

• Healthy Neighborhoods Lowers Risk of Type II Diabetes

  14 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pm

  A new study has found that people living in healthy neighborhoods are less likely to develop type-II diabetes than those living in less healthy places.

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  Diabetes in Control – News for Clinicians

• Letter from the Editor #493

  1 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pm

  Remember that DPPS trial that was completed years ago, and showed that modest lifestyle changes could prevent the onset of diabetes? Now an extention of that study, the DPPOS, has proven that A Decade Later, Lifestyle Changes or Metformin Still Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk (http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8549&catid=1&Itemid=8). In fact this extension showed that participants in the lifestyle changes group delayed Type 2 diabetes by about four years compared with placebo, and those in the metformin group delayed it by two years according to David M.

• A Decade Later, Lifestyle Changes or Metformin Still Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk

  29 Oct 2009 | 10:04 pm

  Study reports on persistence of benefits seen in the Diabetes Prevention Program

• Is It Really True that Exercise Won't Make You Lose Weight?

  29 Oct 2009 | 10:41 am

• Test Your Knowledge Answer #493

  29 Oct 2009 | 10:23 am

   

• Test Your Knowledge #493

  29 Oct 2009 | 10:21 am

  A continuation of last week's case study (Part C): John Eckersly is a 61 year-old man who is a new patient. He works as a researcher and his only complaint is that he has gained 20 lbs over the past 25 months. He is single and eats out for most of his evening meals. He is relatively sedentary at his job. He spends most evenings watching TV or surfing the Internet. He has 2 grown daughters who live nearby.

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  DiabetesMine: the all things diabetes blog

• Adventures in Primary Care

  AmyT

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  In the years since my diagnosis, I’ve often wondered why I needed a primary care physician.  Since my health is all about controlling blood sugars and staving off D-complications these days, I literally have only seen our family doctor two or three times in the past six years.  And then recently, we got a letter [...]

• Exercise As Medicine

  AmyT

  5 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  I’m writing this post as I’ve just returned from a two-hour bike ride. The endorphins are coursing through my veins, and I feel I just have to share: Did you know that exercise is medicine? It really, really is. Good medicine.  Look: there’s a whole global initiative on it. We PWDs know that we’re supposed to [...]

• Wayback Wednesday: When a Family Member “Gets It”

  AmyT

  4 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  In honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month, I’m trying to re-examine perspectives on this illness from all different angles.  I ran this across this post at the Mayo Clinic blog reminding me of how difficult a new diagnosis can be on family members. And yet, for adults newly diagnosed with diabetes, so many family members [...]

• Insulin Patch Pump Co. Opens Up R&D

  AmyT

  3 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  Welcome to another “Where Are They Now?” update on a DiabetesMine Design Challenge entrant.   This year, we received a paper entry on PicoSulin, a “revolutionary miniature insulin pump with direct Penfill Cartridge loading.” I heard from the Geneva, Switzerland-based company last week that their website is now live, presenting in particular a new patch pump [...]

• Countdown to World Diabetes Day: Get Ready for the Big Blue Test

  AmyT

  1 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm

  Hope you all had a fun Halloween weekend. Somehow the conclusion of that sugar-fest seems a great segue into National Diabetes Awareness Month, no? And the countdown begins to World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14, 2009. Where to begin describing all the activities planned around the web and around the world to “bring diabetes [...]

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  Six Until Me.

• Diabetes Archives: An Open Letter to my Pancreas.

  Kerri Morrone Sparling

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:47 am

  I'm in my last batch of travel for this round - thank goodness - but I've been really short on time lately and it's been tough to post.  So I did a quick comb through the SUM archives and I'm revisiting some of my favorite posts from back in the day.  This one, An Open Letter to my Pancreas, originally ran on November 15, 2006.  (Before my wedding, as you can tell by the old "Morrone" there in the return address!)  Dear Pancreas, I’m not sure what the hell happened to you, but you’ve taken it upon yourself to stop working.  You did have that job…

• Cracked Insulin Pump.

  Kerri Morrone Sparling

  5 Nov 2009 | 8:40 am

  A few days ago, I noticed a hairline fracture in my insulin pump, starting right underneath the "Esc" button and stemming down into the insulin reservoir window.And the day after I noticed it, the crack spidered out just a teeny bit more.  It's weird - I am actually able to look at this crack and think, "Wow, how did that happen," forgetting that the insulin pump is attached to me, literally, twenty-four hours a day.  I could have banged into a door jam (not that I ever do that - nope, not me), dropped the pump on the floor, jostled it against a bag or a package,…

• Dexcom and Desperation.

  Kerri Morrone Sparling

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:25 am

  For a few weeks, I had a tough run with the Dexcom.  Out of the five sensors I'd used in the last three weeks, three of them had gone kaput on me.  And by "kaput," I mean that I'd put in a new sensor after Las Vegas and it instantly gave me "???" instead of blood sugar results.  I've seen the triple question marks before, but usually the sensor synchs back up and rights itself.But this time, the question marks hung out for ages.   Like hours, and then when it would finally ask me to calibrate, it would work for about 45 minutes ("work"…

• Taste, Now With More Math!

  Kerri Morrone Sparling

  3 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  I think this video is brilliant, and I'm not just saying that because I adore these two fellas.  George and Scott teamed up to create a Making Sense of Diabetes video for TuDiabetes and they focused on taste ... showing how we, as people with diabetes, don't get to taste much of anything without embarkng on some kind of blood sugar testing, carb calculating, math confusion adventure. As I said - brilliant.  These guys raise awareness using humor, but boy does this message resonate. See for yourself:

• Lovenox, Heparin, and WTF.

  Kerri Morrone Sparling

  3 Nov 2009 | 4:50 am

  During my endocrinologist appointment last week, I brought up that itchy, scratchy Lovenox rash to my OB/GYN, Dr. T.  And she wasn’t comfortable with how my body reacted.  “That rash is from two weeks ago?  How does it feel now?”“Less itchy, that’s for sure.  But it got all hivey and wouldn’t relax, not for about a week.  It itched like mad.”“I don’t like that.  I don’t want you to continue to take Lovenox, especially if it gave you that reaction.  Who knows how bad the reaction could be the next…

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  Top Headlines - Diabetes Health

• Reeling from Your Recent Diabetes Diagnosis? Read This Book!

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  I recently ran into Theresa Garnero at the California AADE annual meeting and discovered that Diabetes Health had not yet reviewed her book, Your First Year with Diabetes: What To Do, Month By Month. We regret the oversight because it's a great resource for anyone dealing with the shock of a diabetes diagnosis. And Garnero is the perfect author for a book like this. She's an award-winning certified diabetes educator (CDE) and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with board certification in advanced diabetes management (BC-ADM), and she earned an Master of Science…

• Next Generation Blood Glucose Meters

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am

  Fingertip blood-oxygen monitors, called pulse oximeters, measure oxygen in the blood using light and color. The noninvasive device, which clips onto a fingertip or earlobe, typically has a pair of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) facing a sensor. Light of a certain wavelength (a certain color) travels through a translucent part of the body like the fingertip or an earlobe, and is picked up by the sensor. The amount of oxygen in the blood (actually, oxygenated hemoglobin) affects how much light from each diode finally makes it through the finger and reaches the sensor. The result is an effective…

• If You've Taken Zetia or Vytorin, There Might Be $$ Headed Your Way

  4 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm

  If you bought Vytorin® and/or Zetia® to lower your cholesterol between November 1, 2002, and September 17, 2009, you may be entitled to some money. A lawsuit against Merck & Co., Inc., Schering-Plough Corporation, Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, and other defendants has reached a proposed settlement in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. The lawsuit, according to vytorinzetiasettlement.com (the authorized website for the settlement), claims that Vytorin and Zetia "were marketed as being more effective than other anti-cholesterol drugs…

• Demand Health Care Reform Now!

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm

  Congress is getting a little bit closer to making the changes to the health care system we've been dreaming about for a very long time. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says these changes could provide a real benefit to people with diabetes. Draft health care reform bills have now passed through the committee process in both the House and the Senate. Read more...

• Preventing Type 2 in Europe: An Interview with Dr. Peter Schwarz

  3 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am

  Professor Peter Schwartz, MD, is a very busy man in the European diabetes community. He's a professor of medicine, a scientist, and a medical doctor in the Division of Prevention and Care of Diabetes, Department of Medicine, University of Dresden. It's a mystery how he finds enough hours in the day to do what he does. Diabetes Health recently interviewed him via email since he lives and works in Dresden, Germany. Read more...

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  Diabetes News

• Metabolex, Inc. Closes $8.6 Million Financing Round

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:38 pm

  Metabolex, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of proprietary new medicines for the treatment of metabolic diseases, today announced it had closed an additional $8.6 million in financing.

• Dietitians Fight Health Myths

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:24 pm

  Quick, what is the main food diabetics have to avoid? If you said sugar, you're under the spell of a common health myth, according to Omaha, Neb., Hy-Vee grocery dietitian Carrie Nielsen.

• Halozyme takes bigger loss on testing expenses

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm

  Biotechnology company Halozyme Therapeutics Inc. reported a bigger third-quarter loss on Friday, as it started clinical trials of a fast-acting insulin during the period.

• International Diabetes Federation releases guidelines

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:40 am

  The International Diabetes Federation has released three sets of guidelines for health providers aimed at improving patient care and stemming the growing worldwide incidence of the disease.

• Clinical Trials Update: Nov. 2, 2009

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:25 am

  Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com : Type 2 Diabetes with Acute Coronary Syndrome This study will evaluate the cardiovascular safety of an investigational medication given to type 2 diabetics with ACS.

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  ScienceDaily: Diabetes News

• How Saturated Fatty Acids 'Anger' The Immune System (And How To Stop Them)

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm

  Researchers have new evidence to explain how saturated fatty acids, which soar in those who are obese, can lead the immune system to respond in ways that add up to chronic, low-grade inflammation. The new results could lead to treatments designed to curb that inflammatory state, and the insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes that come with it.

• Lap Band Surgery Effective For Morbidly Obese Children, Study Finds

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am

  Researchers have found laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding improves the health of morbidly obese adolescents.

• New Class Of Molecules May Help Prevent Fatal Complication In Patients With Kidney Disease

  5 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pm

  Researchers have made an important discovery about why potassium builds up to dangerous levels in the bloodstream, a relatively common medical problem that affects about eight percent of hospitalized patients. They have identified a new molecular pathway and a new class of molecules responsible for preventing potassium from being excreted normally through the kidney.

• 'Spoonful Of Sugar' Makes The Worms' Life Span Go Down

  5 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am

  If worms are any indication, all the sugar in your diet could spell much more than obesity and type 2 diabetes. Researchers say it might also be taking years off your life.

• Dentists Can Identify Patients At Risk For Fatal Cardiovascular Event, Study Suggests

  4 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  A new study indicates dentists can play a potentially life-saving role in health care by identifying patients at risk of fatal heart attacks and referring them to physicians for further evaluation.

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  msnbc.com: Diabetes

• Diabetes can be delayed with diet, exercise

  29 Oct 2009 | 10:01 am

  People on the brink of developing diabetes who get a lot of support and encouragement to diet and exercise can turn things around and avoid the disease, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

• Diabetes drug helps obese adults loss weight

  23 Oct 2009 | 12:57 pm

  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese adults may shed more weight with the diabetes drug liraglutide than with the weight-loss drug orlistat (Xenical, Alli), suggests a study in The Lancet this week.

• Long-acting insulin boosts diabetes care

  22 Oct 2009 | 10:40 am

  Long-acting insulin works better than other types of injections for people who need more than pills for their type 2 diabetes, researchers reported on Thursday.

• Chinese herbs may help prevent diabetes

  15 Oct 2009 | 7:37 am

  A number of traditional Chinese herbs may help control blood sugar levels in people at high risk of diabetes, a new research review suggests.

• Sidewalks and parks can cut diabetes risk

  13 Oct 2009 | 2:38 pm

  People who live in neighborhoods with safe sidewalks, ample parks and good public transportation are less likely to develop diabetes than others, researchers said.

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  Diabetes Daily

• A Recipe For Fantastic Brussels Sprouts: Become a Believer

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am

  I may be one of the few people in the world who loves Brussels sprouts.  I believe that they have a bad wrap.  I was raised in a house where they were cooked properly so we always had an appreciation for them.  Not only are they delicious, but they're good for you.  With only 1 carb per sprout, they're a great option for people with diabetes.  Still not a believer?  Try the recipe that I have below and let me know if you still don't like them.  One of my favorite things about them is the way they look.  Itty bitty cabbages?  Yum!  You can't…

• Whatcha doing on 11-14-09?

  6 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am

  I am not sure if you know this or not but I am going to tell you again;I hope you don't mind.  I love to see good things repeated, if you follow me on twitter you already know.  So, as we all know this month is Diabetes Awareness Month..WOOT! I am excited.  I love seeing all of the diabetes awareness going around.  I love to see the Youtube videos! I love to read the blogs! I love to see the stat's being on twitter, I LOVE IT! On November 14, 2009 we will be celebrating World Diabetes Day.  Manny Hernandez (President of the Diabetes Hands Foundation) organized "The…

• Why I'm Glad My Parents Don't Pray Much

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:06 am

  You might know the story: Two local Wisconsin parents prayed instead of seeking medical help for their frail and sickly daughter. She died of untreated type 1 diabetes and they have recently been charged with murder and sentenced to prison time. Apparently, family and friends had urged Dale and Leilani Neumann to get help for their daughter, Madeline, but it fell on deaf ears. Madeline's (undiagnosed) type 1 diabetes emerged at the same time in her life that mine did: age eleven. So her story hits close to home for this Wisconsin girl and type 1 diabetic. However, contrary to Madeline's…

• Six Steps to A Great Marriage

  5 Nov 2009 | 7:15 am

  I worked in the medical field for years before my husband and I got married. I didn't anticipate the work it would take, and I certainly didn't know as much as I thought I did about diabetes. Living and working with diabetes are two very different things. My husband and I came up with six steps to living and having a great marriage with alittle bit of diabetes thrown in to the mixture. While it's mainly for those just getting married, the advice is applicable for all married couples. 1. Educate Yourself...One of the best things my spouse did when we first got married is include me in…

• Total Knock Out

  5 Nov 2009 | 5:11 am

  I had a topic I wanted to blog about but I went to sleep at 8:30 pm last night.  I was trying to stay up a little longer but my body wouldn't allow me to continue to tweet or allow me to blog.  I never listen to my body; I really need too. In the end sleep won. One more day until Friday.  9 more days until World Diabetes Day! The video below is amazing! I hope you all enjoy. World Diabetes Freeze Be BlessedCherise Read more at Diabetes Daily!

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  DIABETES NEWS - Google News

• Officials fighting diabetes - Monmouth Daily Review Atlas

  Google Inc.

  Officials fighting diabetesMonmouth Daily Review AtlasGLADSTONE – Health departments and hospitals across the nation are raising awareness about diabetes as part of National Diabetes Month during Information about diabetesABC7Chicago.comEating nuts can help prevent Type-2 DiabetesSouthern California InFocusDiabetes forum focuses on age, geneticsYuma SunKTREall 7 news articles »

• DEFEND Diabetes Trial - WSOCtv.com

  Google Inc.

  State JournalDEFEND Diabetes TrialWSOCtv.comDiabetes is a condition that affects the ability of the body to use glucose (a form of sugar found in foods) for energy. Normally, specialized cells in the Diabetes program offers health tipsCabot Star HeraldEnlightened communities help kids cope with Type 1 diabetesBluefield Daily TelegraphDiabetes: a serious, mostly preventable epidemic in the black communitySt. Louis AmericanSouth County Times -Worthington Daily Globe -USA Weekendall 19 news articles »

• Will he shoot? Ex-Trail Blazer eyes Ore. gov race - The Associated Press

  Google Inc.

  Washington PostWill he shoot? Ex-Trail Blazer eyes Ore. gov raceThe Associated PressAt age 16 he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and was the only active NBA player with diabetes during his career. Since retiring from the NBA, OR GOV: Chris Dudley debuts his shiny placeholder websiteBlueOregon (blog)Ex-Blazer, Chris Dudley, closer to Governor run with websiteOregon Catalyst (blog)all 250 news articles »

• Diabetes Health Fair at Hardin Memorial Hospital - Ada Herald

  Google Inc.

  Creston News AdvertiserDiabetes Health Fair at Hardin Memorial HospitalAda HeraldNovember is American Diabetes Month. According to the American Diabetes Association, this is the time to shine a spotlight on a serious disease that leads 6 Common Myths and Misconceptions About DiabetesU.S. News & World ReportDiabetes patients aren't aloneJoplin GlobeNovember is American Diabetes Month – Ask, Check, & ProtectProvidence Business NewsBonner County Daily Bee -Medical News Today (press release) -Noozhawkall 41 news articles »

• FDA changes prescribing information on popular diabetes mellitus treatment - Examiner.com

  Google Inc.

  US Recall News (press release)FDA changes prescribing information on popular diabetes mellitus treatmentExaminer.comNovember 2 – Some treatment plans for type 2 diabetes may need to be modified, as the FDA has prompted prescribing information changes for the popular drug Diabetes drug Byetta tied to kidney problems, says FDACNNFDA Issues Warning for Diabetes DrugU.S. News & World ReportREG-Lilly (Eli) & Co: STATEMENT ON FDA'S BYETTA (EXENATIDE) INJECTION UPDATEReutersAboutLawsuits.com -DG News -MedPage Todayall 113 news articles »

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  The Butter Compartment

• The Tweens, Via USPS

  Lee Ann

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:58 pm

  * Just a reminder that I’m donating money to two of my favorite diabetes organizations, Behavioral Diabetes Institute for every comment I receive this month, and Diabetes Hands Foundation for every click I get on November 14th, World Diabetes Day. Kelly posted earlier today about her mission to get her medical records from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in order to get her Joslin certificate, and it reminded me that I’ve been wanting to post about some of my old records I received recently as part of my own quest to fill in the gaps of what I remember from life with diabetes many…

• Prescription for Dr. Who-Cares-About T1

  Lee Ann

  5 Nov 2009 | 3:54 pm

  In case you’ve been comatose, which by the way, I hope isn’t the case, you probably know that World Diabetes Day is just over a week away. I’ve been concocting various plans, and I wanted to give you an update on my WDD comings and goings. Last year, I did a community art project at the Philadelphia WDD event, hosted by Temple University’s School of Podiatric Medicine, and this year, I will be returning for more of the same. The project is basically the same, although I’m adding a teeny-tiny modification. Last year, I offered participants 12”-square pieces of white paper on which…

• Peer Pressure

  Lee Ann

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:44 pm

  I had no intention of participating in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) this year. I successfully completed it last year, much to my own surprise, but this year, November is ultra-busy between World Diabetes Day planning and doing, about which I still want to tell you. Four days after WDD, I’ll be on my way to Dallas for the American Art Therapy Association conference, complete with an exam for which I’ve under-prepared thus far, so I need to get moving more on that. Then there a bunch of little things like an event at one of the school where I provide counseling that I committed…

• So Far

  Lee Ann

  3 Nov 2009 | 1:55 pm

  Jason and I were talking the other night over dinner. I was telling him about the Green Family Foundation Blogger Roundtable on Access to Healthcare I attended, and how many of the participants talked about the need to put a human face on the issue. In that moment, I thought of the video I saw of a disabled woman at a town hall meeting, in New Jersey which only amplified my shame and horror since it was the sort of thing I hated to see emanating from my own backyard. The woman was in a wheelchair and was trying to describe her ailments and the financial nightmare she experiences trying to get…

• At Least It’s Not…

  Lee Ann

  2 Nov 2009 | 12:58 pm

  It’s difficult to know what to say or how to respond to someone who’s upset. Being with someone who is angry or sad can be uncomfortable, especially when there isn’t an obvious answer or solution. As the person who wants to console someone who is upset, it’s a reminder that we’re only human and we don’t have the power to rectify every issue that life brings. It’s a reminder of our own vulnerability to pain and loss. I can say that as a therapist, even though helping people deal with emotional pain is an inherent part of providing mental health services, I experience discomfort…

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  Diabetes News From Medical News Today

• Ossulin™ Oral Insulin Data To Be Presented At The San Francisco Diabetes Congress On November 6, 2009

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm

  The first public data on Ossulin™ a new oral insulin product, will be presented today at the 9th Annual Diabetes Technology Meeting in San Francisco, CA. Ossulin™ is being developed by Puredel Limited, a joint-venture between the European pharmaceutical specialty company CM&D Pharma Limited and Natreon Inc., New Brunswick, NJ., developers of the proprietary delivery platform (

• ARKRAY, Inc. Receives FDA Clearance For New GLUCOCARD(R) Vital(TM) Blood Glucose Monitoring System

  6 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am

  ARKRAY, Inc., the world's 5th largest manufacturer of diabetes self-monitoring systems, announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for its new GLUCOCARD Vital blood glucose monitoring system.

• World Diabetes Day - 14 November (Ways You Can Cover The UN Day In Your Country And Globally)

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  According to latest data released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes now affects 285 million people worldwide costs the world economy at least US$376 billion in 2010, or 11.6% of total world healthcare expenditure. A further 344 million are at risk of developing diabetes (pre-diabetes). If nothing is done to reverse the epidemic, IDF predicts that by 2030, 435 million people will live with the disease as at a cost projected to exceed US$490 billion.

• As America Earns Failing Grade, American Diabetes Association Launches Movement To Stop Diabetes

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am

  Americans earn a failing grade on diabetes awareness, based on survey results released today by the American Diabetes Association. In general, Americans earned a 51% when asked a series of questions about a disease so common that it strikes every 20 seconds. The survey results revealed that many diabetes myths and misconceptions still exist, while the disease's prevalence continues to rise.

• My Voice Milestone - Diabetes UK

  5 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am

  Since the October launch of My Voice - Diabetes UK's campaigners network for the under-18s - more than 100 young people and children have become members. Raj Johal, Local Campaigns Officer at Diabetes UK, said: "We're delighted with the response to the My Voice network as we feel that engaging young people and children in the arena of campaigning and lobbying is very important.

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  Bitter-Sweet Diabetes Blog

• K.C.'s favorite cat toy . . .

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:22 am

  I've bought here plenty of balls.  She'd got cat-nip mice galore.  She even has butterflies and lady bugs made of felt to bat around.  So what is K.C.'s most favorite cat toy of all? That's right.  An empty drum from my Accu-Check Compact.  Of course, given the opportunity, she'd love to chance to swat around my pump tubing for a while.  I've managed to hold her off on that - so far . . . .

• What does and doesn't offend me . . .

  5 Nov 2009 | 6:01 am

  I'm fortunate enough to have a close-knit group of friends that I've known since the mid-80s.  We started hanging out when we all worked together at Stop and Shop.  Over 25 years there have been a lot of changes - far off colleges, weddings, kids, jobs, houses.  But through it all, our friendships have stayed strong. Most of "the gang" at a wedding in 2000. The latest person to be added to the

• I wish every month was November.

  4 Nov 2009 | 7:34 am

  You probably know by now that November is National Diabetes Awareness Month.  Every D-Blog I click over to is on board and working hard to spread the word.  But how many people outside the D-OC know that it's Diabetes Awareness Month?  I haven't seen any billboards.  No T.V. commercials.  No products on my grocery store shelves are sporting blue labels and pledging to donate to a cure.  My

• It's MY Time . . .

  3 Nov 2009 | 6:11 am

  and it can be YOUR Time too!! As many of you know, this month is American Diabetes Month.  Over at dLife, a special initiative is going on all month called It's MY Time.  The goal is to encourage those of us with diabetes to reflect on the good things we do to manage our diabetes and to make small changes each week to improve the areas that need some work. This week is about setting goals

• Meme Monday - 40 Odd Things

  2 Nov 2009 | 4:52 am

  I first saw this fun little meme on Lee Ann's blog and I thought I'd give it a go!  Enjoy. 1. Do you like bleu cheese? Not at all.  I don't like the flavor and just the thought of eating something moldy grossed me out. 2. Have you ever smoked? Unfortunately I can't because I don't own a smokehouse.  Wouldn't it be cool to smoke and cure your own bacon though? 3. Do you own a gun? No and I

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  DIABETES - Google News

• Officials fighting diabetes - Monmouth Daily Review Atlas

  Google Inc.

  Officials fighting diabetesMonmouth Daily Review AtlasGLADSTONE – Health departments and hospitals across the nation are raising awareness about diabetes as part of National Diabetes Month during Information about diabetesABC7Chicago.comEating nuts can help prevent Type-2 DiabetesSouthern California InFocusDiabetes forum focuses on age, geneticsYuma SunKTREall 7 news articles »

• DEFEND Diabetes Trial - WSOCtv.com

  Google Inc.

  State JournalDEFEND Diabetes TrialWSOCtv.comDiabetes is a condition that affects the ability of the body to use glucose (a form of sugar found in foods) for energy. Normally, specialized cells in the Diabetes program offers health tipsCabot Star HeraldEnlightened communities help kids cope with Type 1 diabetesBluefield Daily TelegraphDiabetes: a serious, mostly preventable epidemic in the black communitySt. Louis AmericanSouth County Times -Worthington Daily Globe -USA Weekendall 19 news articles »

• Will he shoot? Ex-Trail Blazer eyes Ore. gov race - The Associated Press

  Google Inc.

  Washington PostWill he shoot? Ex-Trail Blazer eyes Ore. gov raceThe Associated PressAt age 16 he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and was the only active NBA player with diabetes during his career. Since retiring from the NBA, OR GOV: Chris Dudley debuts his shiny placeholder websiteBlueOregon (blog)Ex-Blazer, Chris Dudley, closer to Governor run with websiteOregon Catalyst (blog)all 250 news articles »

• Diabetes Health Fair at Hardin Memorial Hospital - Ada Herald

  Google Inc.

  Creston News AdvertiserDiabetes Health Fair at Hardin Memorial HospitalAda HeraldNovember is American Diabetes Month. According to the American Diabetes Association, this is the time to shine a spotlight on a serious disease that leads 6 Common Myths and Misconceptions About DiabetesU.S. News & World ReportDiabetes patients aren't aloneJoplin GlobeNovember is American Diabetes Month – Ask, Check, & ProtectProvidence Business NewsBonner County Daily Bee -Medical News Today (press release) -Willcox Range Newsall 41 news articles »

• Diabetes drug Byetta tied to kidney problems, says FDA - CNN

  Google Inc.

  US Recall News (press release)Diabetes drug Byetta tied to kidney problems, says FDACNNNausea, vomiting, and kidney failure are some of the possible side effects from taking diabetes drug Byetta, the FDA said. FDA Issues Warning for Diabetes DrugU.S. News & World ReportFDA changes prescribing information on popular diabetes mellitus treatmentExaminer.comFDA Approves Revisions to Prescribing Information for Diabetes MedicationsAAFP News NowIndian Express -TheMedGuru -Reutersall 113 news articles »

• 
  About.com Diabetes

• Change Your Lifestyle and Delay or Even Prevent Diabetes

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:36 pm

  The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is a large study spanning several years. The study looked at 3,234 people who were at a high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and compared healthy lifestyle changes and weight loss, with taking diabetes medication, to see which preventative method was more effective at lowering the risk of being diagnosed with diabetes. Participants who lost a modest amount of weight and kept it off, while increasing their physical activity, lowered their chances of getting type 2 diabetes by 34%. Participants who took the diabetes drug, metformin, lowered their risk…

• November is Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month

  3 Nov 2009 | 3:37 pm

  Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes. It is also the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. today. What is diabetic retinopathy? The retina is full of tiny little blood vessels. Retinopathy is the damage to the blood vessels of the retina, caused by prolonged high blood glucose levels. The blood vessels can become enlarged or clogged when blood sugar is high. They can also become weak and rupture. The retina can even become detached from the back of the eye. What might you experience if you have diabetic retinopathy? Blurry or double vision Floaters or dark patches in your…

• Laughter Can Lower Your Blood Sugar

  3 Nov 2009 | 2:35 pm

  Did you know that laughter can lower your blood sugar? When you have type 2 diabetes, it's important to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. There are many ways to lower blood sugar, but scientists in Japan have discovered that laughing can also help keep blood sugar levels closer to normal. In a recent study from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, it was reported that laughter lowered blood sugar in both people with diabetes, and those who didn't have the disease. Nineteen people with type 2 diabetes, and 5 without, were monitored for blood glucose levels while they…

• Recall of Defective Insulin Needles Now Nationwide

  28 Oct 2009 | 5:30 pm

  In August, 2009, the FDA announced that Qualitest Pharmaceuticals had recalled two lots of Accusure Insulin Syringes due to defective needles. Now the recall has been expanded nationwide. According to a new press release from the FDA, all Accusure insulin needles, regardless of lot number, are being recalled. The syringes are defective because the needles may detach from the syringe during use. They can become stuck in the insulin vial, push back into to the syringe, or remain in the skin after injection. In the press release it states, "Consumers who have any Accusure® Insulin Syringes…

• Think You Might Have Type 2 Diabetes? Here's What to Look For...

  21 Oct 2009 | 3:35 pm

  Although 24 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, it's estimated that another 57 million people don't even know that they have it. Although there are definite symptoms to look for, many people either don't experience them, or they are so mild that they go unnoticed. Be aware of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, fatigue and blurred vision are five of the signs. Read here for more information on symptoms, diagnosis and treatments of type 2 diabetes... Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms and Diagnosis: What to Look For and What to Expect…

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  Diabetes Journal current issue

• Common Genetic Variation Near Melatonin Receptor MTNR1B Contributes to Raised Plasma Glucose and Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Among Indian Asians and European Caucasians

  Chambers, J. C., Zhang, W., Zabaneh, D., Sehmi, J., Jain, P., McCarthy, M. I., Froguel, P., Ruokonen, A., Balding, D., Jarvelin, M.-R., Scott, J., Elliott, P., Kooner, J. S.

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:05 am

  OBJECTIVE Fasting plasma glucose and risk of type 2 diabetes are higher among Indian Asians than among European and North American Caucasians. Few studies have investigated genetic factors influencing glucose metabolism among Indian Asians. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We carried out genome-wide association studies for fasting glucose in 5,089 nondiabetic Indian Asians genotyped with the Illumina Hap610 BeadChip and 2,385 Indian Asians (698 with type 2 diabetes) genotyped with the Illumina 300 BeadChip. Results were compared with findings in 4,462 European Caucasians. RESULTS We identified…

• A1C Variability Predicts Incident Cardiovascular Events, Microalbuminuria, and Overt Diabetic Nephropathy in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

  Waden, J., Forsblom, C., Thorn, L. M., Gordin, D., Saraheimo, M., Groop, P.-H., on behalf of the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study Group

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:05 am

  OBJECTIVE Recent data from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) indicated that A1C variability is associated with the risk of diabetes microvascular complications. However, these results might have been influenced by the interventional study design. Therefore, we investigated the longitudinal associations between A1C variability and diabetes complications in patients with type 1 diabetes in the observational Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 2,107 patients in the FinnDiane Study had complete data on renal status and serial…

• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibition by dRK6 Causes Endothelial Apoptosis, Fibrosis, and Inflammation in the Heart via the Akt/eNOS Axis in db/db Mice

  Whee Park, C., Wook Kim, H., Hee Lim, J., Dong Yoo, K., Chung, S., Joon Shin, S., Wha Chung, H., Ju Lee, S., Chae, C.-B., Kim, Y.-S., Sik Chang, Y.

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:05 am

  OBJECTIVE Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is associated with the stimulation of angiogenesis and collateral vessel synthase, is one of the crucial factors involved in cardiac remodeling in type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We investigated VEGF inhibition by dRK6 on the heart in an animal model of type 2 diabetes. Male db/db and db/m mice either were treated with dRK6 starting at 7 weeks of age for 12 weeks (db/db-dRK6 and db/m-dRK6) or were untreated. RESULTS Cardiac dysfunction and hypertrophy were noted by echocardiogram and molecular markers in the db/db-dRK6…

• Confirmation of Genetic Associations at ELMO1 in the GoKinD Collection Supports Its Role as a Susceptibility Gene in Diabetic Nephropathy

  Pezzolesi, M. G., Katavetin, P., Kure, M., Poznik, G. D., Skupien, J., Mychaleckyj, J. C., Rich, S. S., Warram, J. H., Krolewski, A. S.

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:05 am

  OBJECTIVE To examine the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the engulfment and cell motility 1 (ELMO1) gene, a locus previously shown to be associated with diabetic nephropathy in two ethnically distinct type 2 diabetic populations, and the risk of nephropathy in type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Genotypic data from a genome-wide association scan (GWAS) of the Genetics of Kidneys in Diabetes (GoKinD) study collection were analyzed for associations across the ELMO1 locus. In total, genetic associations were assessed using 118 SNPs and 1,705 individuals of…

• Placental Structure in Type 1 Diabetes: Relation to Fetal Insulin, Leptin, and IGF-I

  Nelson, S. M., Coan, P. M., Burton, G. J., Lindsay, R. S.

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:05 am

  OBJECTIVE Alteration of placental structure may influence fetal overgrowth and complications of maternal diabetes. We examined the placenta in a cohort of offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes (OT1DM) to assess structural changes and determine whether these were related to maternal A1C, fetal hematocrit, fetal hormonal, or metabolic axes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Placental samples were analyzed using stereological techniques to quantify volumes and surface areas of key placental components in 88 OT1DM and 39 control subjects, and results related to maternal A1C and umbilical cord…

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  MyDiabetesCentral.com - Latest Diabetes News

• New guidelines support use of ED drugs

  5 Nov 2009 | 8:36 am

  Guidelines published by the American College of Physicians say that doctors should prescribe medications for men who suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) unless the patient is on nitrate therapy.

• Anemia drug may raise stroke risk in kidney, diabetes patients

  3 Nov 2009 | 10:58 am

  The anemia drug Aranesp appears to double the risk of stroke in patients with kidney disease and diabetes, a study suggests.

• FDA: Byetta linked to kidney function problems

  3 Nov 2009 | 10:42 am

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that the diabetes drug Byetta may cause kidney function problems.

• Fatty liver may be the best indicator of obesity's effects

  2 Nov 2009 | 9:04 am

  People who have a "beer belly," or who are apple-shaped may have more health problems than they know, a new study suggests.

• Resetting your body clock after a time change

  1 Nov 2009 | 6:50 pm

  Despite "gaining" an extra hour, experts say the fall time change can still wreck havoc on your body clock.

• 
  The B.A.D. Blog

• Normal

  George

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am

  When I sit down at a table for dinner with my family, I pull out my blood glucose machine, fire the lancing device into a finger, squeeze out some blood, watch the count down, bolus accordingly, and go about the rest of the meal.This is nothing that would shock you at all. Am I right? Did anything sound strange or not right? No, this is normal for us.But if no one at the table had ever seen a diabetic test their blood, take insulin, and count carbs it would be very strange and not normal at all. They would probably wonder what the heck was going on if they even continued to sit there with…

• From Insulin to Symlin

  George

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:46 am

  When I first started my diabetes life I was taught to take all shots of insulin in my thighs. I was told I could take them in my stomach and arms but was shown the thigh method from a nurse who came to my house once, two days after I was diagnosed.One day after we received a welcome packet from the American Diabetes Association, I watched this VHS tape that came in it with my dad. The host of the Welcome to Diabetes video was none other then dLife's Jim Turner. I remembered seeing his face in movies and TV shows and was surprised  to learn that he was a type 1 like me! Wow!In the video…

• Power Realized

  George

  4 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  As I surf around the DOC and check out all the blogs and communities springing up everywhere I realize that we are a powerful bunch.Or I should say, we have the ability and potential to be a powerful bunch. Just imagine if all of us worked together on one thing and focused on one thing, the changes we can make in the world?We do all focus on diabetes most of the time which is great. I have seen a bunch of blogs pop up the past few days all about American Diabetes Month and World Diabetes Day which is coming up quickly. It is great to see.Manny has put together The Big Blue test that should…

• You Tube Tuesday #144

  George

  3 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  I know it's a few days late on this Halloween video but it's so cool I had to share.Why didn't any of my teachers do this cool stuff when I was in school? Oh yeah, we didn't have computers when I was in school.Well we did but they were called Calculators! Enjoy!

• The Awesome Weekend Recap!

  George

  2 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  We have to start with Friday or maybe actually some time Thursday. I was at work and was thinking about my mom. She was at my house sitting there without a car and basically trapped. I felt bad. You see I picked her up for a weekend visit from the airport on Wednesday night.Rarely do I get to hang out with my mom alone. Typically it is with the kids or the family and mom/son days don't happen often. I decided in the middle of the day to take Friday off and just hang out with my mom.And that was what I did.We grabbed breakfast, walked around the mall, played with computers at the Apple Store,…

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  diabetestalkfest.com

• D-blog Day November 9, 2009

  Gina

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:36 pm

  It’s November and you know what that means? The air is crisp, the leaves are yellow and orange. And, It’s diabetes awareness month! It is our chance to shine as a community and for the past 4 years we have! We dubbed November 9 as our D-bloggin’ holiday! Which is dedicated to blogging about diabetes awareness and support. What do you do on d-blog day? Well, you can write on your blog if you haven’t in a while. Or, you can make a poem, introduce yourself if you have never blogged before, tell us about a new website that you found or get out of the d-closet and start a…

• 30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know

  Gina

  16 Sep 2009 | 8:58 pm

  30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know 1. The illness I live with is: Type 1 Diabetes 2.I was diagnosed with it in the year: 2000 3.But I had symptoms since: 1996 4.The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Learning to live with a chronic illness. 5.Most people assume: I can live a normal life with just eating right and taking medicine. 6.The hardest part about mornings are: Having a low blood sugar as soon as I wake up. 7.My favorite medical TV show is: Dr. 90210 8.A gadget I couldn’t live without is: My insulin pump. 9.The hardest part about nights are: The fear…

• DRI-Mastering your Diabetes, Day 3 cont.

  Gina

  11 Sep 2009 | 2:26 pm

  Sorry it has been a while since my last Mastering your Diabetes post but, life got in the way. I also forgot to mention in the previous Day 3 blog post (and I can’t believe that I did that) that we also had a living with diabetes session where a social worker came in to talk to with us. The person who came to speak was a long time internet pal that I have been talking with online for the past 8 years. I had no idea she was going to be there  until  Kellie our  CDE started talking about a lady named Ellen that would coming to speak to us who was a social worker. I put 2…

• DRI-Mastering your Diabetes, Day 3

  Gina

  30 Aug 2009 | 5:09 pm

  On Day 3 I got to the DRI went for my vitals. After I got to the classroom we were quickly put into our divided groups. We evaluated the transparencies from the night and day before to see if the changes the CDE’s and Endos made worked for us. Well, that one little change of my basal rate completely  turned my numbers into good looking in range numbers over night. I could not believe it. I went from ranging in the 180s-200s to 120’s. Totally unbelievable! If you don’t believe me check this out: If you go to Friday @ 4pm that is when they changed my basal rate to 1.0 for…

• DRI-Mastering your diabetes, Day 2

  Gina

  28 Aug 2009 | 10:08 pm

  If you have no clue what I am talking about in this post please read DRI-Mastering your diabetes, Day 1 first. Every morning before we started we had to check in and go for out vitals which was blood pressure and pulse. The only day mine was on the higher side was the first day 120/90 but the rest of the time it was 101/70’s. After vitals we started our first session of the day. Kellie and Jane asked each one of us what our goals and wishes were for being a part of the mastering your diabetes program, as well as some background information on our diabetes history. Some of the questions…

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  Scott's Web Log

• Book Review: Dan Hurley's book "Diabetes Rising" Disappoints (Just a Little)

  Scott

  2 Nov 2009 | 10:15 am

  I picked up an advanced copy of the book "Diabetes Rising" by Dan Hurley. I'm fortunate to live in the center of U.S. publishing, New York City, so there are many bookstores in town which have dozens of advanced copies of books which are sold as used -- I only paid $5 for a book with a list price of $26.95, although the book clearly states: "This is an advanced uncorrected proof. Please do not quote for publicity or publication without checking against the finished book. Not for reseale." (Since it was resold, I have few reservations about quoting from the advanced copy of the book, besides I…

• Throwback Thursday: Public Schoolhouse Rock!

  Scott

  29 Oct 2009 | 10:50 am

  I was going to call this a "Timewarp Tuesday" posting, but since it's Thursday, I'll call it "Throwback Thursday" instead. Anyway, since Yahoo! retired it's free web-hosting service Geocities, I used the opportunity to revisit every single post I have done since I first began blogging on September 15, 2005. The reason was because I had archived a host of different files and news articles on Geocities and elsewhere, and because I did not wish to pay Yahoo to house those things (I already maintain another website dedicated to New York City's illegitimate, involuntary HbA1c tracking plan that…

• Open Enrollment and The Many Layers of the U.S. Healthcare Bill

  Scott

  28 Oct 2009 | 7:25 am

  As many people know, Congress has supposedly been working to address healthcare reform ever since President Obama gave his first U.S. press conference earlier this year. Much has been said about it, including more than a few legitimate (and illegitimate) critiques. But this bill is really a monster, and includes a number of seemingly unrelated items to healthcare reform. Since Congress hasn't accomplished all that much this year (besides bickering with each other), there is some effort to throw everything into the bill since it may very well be the ONLY piece of legislation Congress actually…

• On Google Voice

  Scott

  14 Oct 2009 | 5:30 am

  I have a shocking admission to make: I have a life outside of diabetes. Yes, it's true, and I have interests that have nothing to do with the big D. This post is about one of these items.I have been what could be described as a fairly heavy Google user. I'm not talking about using Google's core search engine, but my blog is hosted on Google's Blogspot, I rely on Google's reader to keep up with the hundreds of blogs I follow, I've had a Gmail account since they first began offering them a number of years ago (although truth be told, Gmail is NOT my primary e-mail account, I just don't dig its…

• A Letter to Nick Jonas

  Scott

  10 Oct 2009 | 4:41 pm

  First, be advised that some of you may not like this posting. If you don't, feel free to read something else. I don't expect Nick Jonas or his Disney-paid publicist to notice it either, but I need to get this off my chest.I openly admit it: I think Nick Jonas (and his brothers) is creepy, and I also side with comedienne Kathy Griffin on their so-called "purity" rings (the rings supposedly signify that they will wait until marriage to have sex), see her "colorful" comments on that here. As it turns out, the acerbic, red-headed comedienne was right, this is/was pure bull$#!t -- catch this…

• 
  One Type One

• Why I'm Glad My Parents Don't Pray Much

  Amylia Grace

  5 Nov 2009 | 9:06 am

  You might know the story: Two local Wisconsin parents prayed instead of seeking medical help for their frail and sickly daughter. She died of untreated type 1 diabetes and they have recently been charged with murder and sentenced to prison time. Apparently, family and friends had urged Dale and Leilani Neumann to get help for their daughter, Madeline, but it fell on deaf ears. Madeline's (undiagnosed) type 1 diabetes emerged at the same time in her life that mine did: age eleven. So her story hits close to home for this Wisconsin girl and type 1 diabetic. However, contrary to Madeline's…

• What I Know For Sure

  Amylia Grace

  3 Nov 2009 | 8:48 am

  I had recognized for a long time that I was responsible for my life, that every choice produced a consequence. But often the consequences seemed out of line with my expectations. That's because I was thinking one thing but intending another. I wasn't aware of the consequences of my deepest intentions. My intention of always trying to please other people, for example, produced an unwanted consequence: I often felt taken advantage of and used. So I decided to become aware if my every intention in order to create a different outcome. That meant doing only those things that came for the truth of…

• Wanna Cookie?

  Amylia Grace

  2 Nov 2009 | 11:51 am

  This is from a Wide Awake gal.Our local organic grocery store has a pastry chef who has won all kinds of awards for her tasty treats.  I am partial to her cookies.  They’re big. They’re cakey. And they’re organic, made with all-natural ingredients. I give her awards every time I eat one! One winter a few years ago, I got hooked on these cookies despite their carbiness. They became my drug of choice on winter nights when I was fighting the winter blues. But during one of my regular acupuncture appointments, my acupuncturist felt my pulses and expressed concern over what she was…

• Diabetes, Daily & Hopelessness, Daily

  Amylia Grace

  1 Nov 2009 | 11:20 am

  November is here. Even gave me an extra hour. In gratitude for the end of October, which I always think is one of my favorite months but tends to break my little heart, I'm embracing NaBloPoMo, a a goofy name for a good idea. No, I'm not crafting a novel in a month, but I will be posting every day this month. Truth is, I've missed you guys. And I thank you--whomever is reading this right now--for sticking with me and taking the time to read my words. For not giving up on me. In all honesty, I've given up on myself lately. Stopped working out. Stopped applying daily for jobs (still…

• What I Know For Sure

  Amylia Grace

  29 Oct 2009 | 3:50 pm

  I had recognized for a long time that I was responsible for my life, that every choice produced a consequence. But often the consequences seemed out of line with my expectations. That's because I was thinking one thing but intending another. I wasn't aware of the consequences of my deepest intentions. My intention of always trying to please other people, for example, produced an unwanted consequence: I often felt taken advantage of and used. So I decided to become aware if my every intention in order to create a different outcome. That meant doing only those things that came for the truth of…

• 
  Scott's Diabetes Journal

• Burn-A-Thon? Gold's Gym & The ADA

  Scott K. Johnson

  3 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  I picked up a flyer about this at the local ADA Expo last weekend.  I think it is a great thing that Gold's Gym and the ADA are doing, so I wanted to help spread the word a bit.  On Saturday, November 7, 2009, Gold's Gym will be hosting a "Burn-A-Thon Challenge".  Every Gold's Gym in the world (!) will be open to everyone, members and non-members, to allow people to come in and burn some calories.  There is more detailed information available at the ADA's Burn-A-Thon page. The ADA & Gold's Gym have set the bar high, pledging to burn 180 million calories in 24 hours, to…

• Lunch With George

  Scott K. Johnson

  2 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  George and I collaborated on a video for the Making Sense of Diabetes initiative happening at TuDiabetes.  It was a LOT of fun, and I hope you get a kick out of it too. 

• It Cuts Both Ways

  Scott K. Johnson

  1 Nov 2009 | 4:36 pm

  November 1st marks the start of Diabetes Awareness Month.As I think about what that means for me, I start to feel a lot of emotion and anger towards diabetes, and what it means to live with diabetes.  In my case I'm talking specifically about living with type 1 diabetes.Those of us living with diabetes have a really tough tightrope to walk.  On one hand we have to be sure to demonstrate that we can live a "normal" and successful life, with our diabetes.  We have to show that living with diabetes does not limit us in any way.  We have to prove that there is almost nothing…

• It's Amazing Really...

  Scott K. Johnson

  23 Oct 2009 | 9:31 pm

  I had a low blood sugar.  I'm recovering and am starting to feel better.  I exercised incredible restraint in how I treated it, but still managed to eat at least two full meals worth of stuff.While vacuuming down all of this food, I kept saying "Hang tight Scott, you don't need much".  That kept me from going ape shit and eating everything I wanted to, but it was a LOT of work.  How can a person feel so... hungry?  But "hungry" isn't really the right word for it, is it?  Because it is not a hunger that comes from your stomach.  It is coming from somewhere…

• Experiments, Wake Up Bolus, Breakfast, and Exercise

  Scott K. Johnson

  21 Oct 2009 | 4:32 pm

  I was really fighting the blues through the tail end of last week and through the weekend.  Really bad.  What really kicked it off for me was some job stuff that I thought was going well, but wasn't.  So once again I am looking for work.  Freelance, contract, full-time, part-time, a combination of all of the above - anything will help.  Since Cozmo closed down, this transition has been trying.  Most of all, it has been hard keeping depression at arms length.  With my current contracting gig crumbling away a little bit, I got pretty dang close and comfortable…

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  Everyone's Blog Posts - TuDiabetes - A Community for People Touched by Diabetes

• We Found Our Way Back!

  Doris Ann Dickerson

  Ok we had a great few days away from it all now it's time to get back to it. Don't look for me to post new pics though, All the pics were taken with a flash camera. Dang it! It was just really pretty to me up there we just got there too late to see the fall colors. I LOVE the fall! Back when my mom was here we always had the same argument, she loved the spring when everything was reborn and I loved the fall when (according to her) I liked to see everything die. Not too bad argument just kinda family fun. We rode over 300 miles without a bathroom break tonight just to get back here! Not even…

• Pensive

  Denise

  Today is one of those thinking days. Where for me almost everything is unsure. Did I choose the right career, right company. Should I go back to school (shudders at the thought-haven't got the last go paid off yet....) Should I stay on the pump--should I go back to shots (worried about losing my very good medical insurance if the nonsense in the congress goes through right now---it will be much cheaper for my employer to pay teh gov 8% and dump us all in gov *care*--oh and they have built ina six months of no coverage waiting period for pre-existing conditions--and I have more than one) so I…

• The reason why I fight...life and all.

  patti lopez

  Feeling good tonight, feeling humbled these pass few weeks no matter how bad things get. Appreciating everything that I do have. Can't change the past, but I can make the future more meaningful. Been doing alot of preparing for the stuff to happen in our favor. At the same time making time for the family and having fun everyday as much as possible. You never know when the last day will be. Stop being depressed, start looking at things that you can do. I don't care if you are homeless or just out of it....you can turn your life around and make it more on your favor. You can do anything, you…

• Diabetes Anniversary

  Sarah Jane

  This blog is originally posted on my blogspot site. The address is http://thepwdpk.blogspot.com. Check it out!! Disclaimer: This is long. It's somewhat rambling. I've posted some of the information before. But it's my 11th diabetes anniversary. So I'm posting my story, again. Please take the time to read it in honor of American Diabetes Month. I'm sitting on my bed, at 11:11 the night before this entry will post, trying to write a paper that was due 11 minutes ago, and I can't focus. My blood sugar is too out of wack (78 and dropping, hoping those glucose tabs kick in). My stomach is to topsy…

• WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL? DO YOU BELIEVE THERE WILL BE A CURE IN YOUR LIFETIME?

  dargirl

  I want a cure, but I do not feel that there will be one within my lifetime. I have had diabetes for 37 years, type 1 since 17 years old. For many years I have said that I would be the first person in line for the Cure. But as I get older, I do not believe that I would be the likely candidate for that cure. I accept this fact, it is OK, as long as I do not have to deal with the frighting complications. My dreams are to just hear. WE HAVE A CURE! I want to see that celebration. I want to be able see a parent hold there child with tears of happiness. Oh how joyful that would be. WHAT IS YOUR…

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  Dorkabetic

• Diabetes Social Networking for Dummies?

  Hannah

  4 Nov 2009 | 8:42 am

  Hello readers and friends!Just a quick post/call for help today. This year, on World Diabetes Day, I will be [wo]manning an information table at the Philadelphia WDD event, all about online support for people with diabetes. This means visitors will receive handouts and information on diabetes websites, blogs, resources, etc. Just because many of us know where all the good stuff is online doesn't mean it's easy to find for everybody. There are a lot of diabetes sites out there, some awesome, some less-than-stellar. I want to be able to direct people to the good ones!This is where you can help…

• One for the Ladies: Diabetes, Meet Auntie Flo.

  Hannah

  3 Nov 2009 | 12:24 pm

  (Author's Note: All the fellas out there are encouraged to read this post, but I do not expect you to understand. Or by all means, turn away if you don't care. However, if you have a lady friend, spouse or female relative with diabetes, maybe you want to check this out, and the comments that are guaranteed to follow!)A monthly visitor. A little friend. Aunt Flo's in town. A gift from Mother Nature. The curse. The crimson tide. That time of the month. Menstruation. Your period.Whatever you want to call it, ladies, have you ever noticed it can be tricky business when it comes to The Big D? Some…

• On How *Not* to Be a Diabetes Halloweenie.

  Hannah

  30 Oct 2009 | 6:15 am

  Tomorrow is Halloween, and of course, I can't let this slip by without blogging. I'm sure the masses still think that Halloween (along with Easter) is a diabetic's biggest enemy. All that candy! All those sugary treats! What will our children do? Can they never enjoy Halloween again?How often can I say it? I really love Halloween. This year I won't be dressing up as anything, and I have no parties to attend. My mom is coming to visit, and I'm actually quite excited about that. Matt and I are considering taking her on a haunted hayride, possibly a ghost tour in Philadelphia.But really now,…

• 40 Odd Things: A Time-Wasting Oddity

  Hannah

  27 Oct 2009 | 9:56 am

  Unsure what to blog about, but feeling the urge to blog, I have resorted to that time-honored tradition: the meme. I definitely copied this off of Lee Ann, because it was unusual and fun. Feel free to post your own if you haven't already. I think we all get a kick out of learning each others' trivia.1. Do you like bleu cheese? Yes, especially crumbled on a salad with a good vinagrette, occasionally melted on a burger or steak, and of course, bleu cheese dressing is the tops with any Buffalo chicken items.2. Have you ever smoked? Nope, though I am occasionally jealous of smokers because they…

• Bad Habits, Stress, Looking for New Directions. The Usual.

  Hannah

  12 Oct 2009 | 3:58 pm

  You know what? Let's not even talk about my BG readings right now. I went to the wedding of one of my childhood best friends over the weekend, and it was such a wonderful event. I ate a lot of stuff and drank a lot of tasty, tasty sweet wine. I even purchased some bottles from the winery that supplied their reception. Sometimes you just have to live for the sake of living. It's true, though, diabetes has been riding in my backseat for a while now. I know it's there. It's just so quiet most of the time that it's easy to ignore. As always, I could be doing more. I could be doing better. I am a…

• 
  Living with Diabetes and Lapband

• Best Practice Ever

  KWeaver

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:27 am

  Okay, we call them "classes" in agility. But we had our best run ever last night.  No food in the hand, 18 obstacles, including teeter, chute and broad jump.  We were fast, we were good and we had a good time.  I even did a front cross in the last third of the course. Progress! And it feels so good when you run together. Didn't do well on the drinking thing, but did get 12 minutes in on the treadmill.  Slept all night be didn't get to bed before 11:00 pm.  But had a good run!

• Day 5 - Yesterday sucked

  KWeaver

  5 Nov 2009 | 5:03 am

  Blood sugar was 118 this morning which was good. Between Superintendent's Meeting and just a long day, no treadmill time. Did take Macy to agility class but spent most of the time working with her with me on the floor -- teaching her bang it. Got home to late to treadmill. Food quantity and quality was better. No drinking. Dummy me decided to load Windows 7 on my Thinkpad.  LOVE it.  I love Windows 7. See my computer science blog at http://www.kweaver.org for the rest of the day.

• Day 4

  KWeaver

  4 Nov 2009 | 4:56 am

  I "cheating" starting tomorrow's entry today and setting it to publish after I've already arrived at school (barring some weird emergency). And the cheating seems to have worked!  I'm up and blogging but have most of the hard work done.  Blood sugar was 159.  Better than yesterday at least.   Got my teacher workstation up and running, I am pretty sure I have all the hardware drivers installed and when I left I had Ping running a backup.  So should be good. My specialist arrived early in the morning, and was relieved I had the…

• Day 3

  KWeaver

  3 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  Blood sugar was 179 this morning -- yikes -- put in 50% basal increase that usually helps fix those kinds of things. May have to up my over all basal as my classroom was incredibly hot yesterday and that seems to make my blood sugar go up.  Not sure if it's the kids complaining and falling asleep or the physical stress. Got in 11 minutes on the treadmill, I've been consistantly doing 10 minutes, so now I'm trying to get to 15 minutes again.  Still have an incredible amount of pain. Got an H1N1 shot -- we have a local company that provides the shots no questions…

• Day 2

  KWeaver

  2 Nov 2009 | 4:57 am

  Got in 10 minutes on the treadmill, did much better on testing, though I haven't yet tested today ... better stop to do it. Starting out the day at 135, which isn't too bad.  I did leave my pump suspended a bit too long but that will show up on the next test not this one. Water was slightly better, need to work hard on that. Having lots of pain and have decided to fire the chiropractor, he leaves me hurting for days, and the old guy didn't.  This guy bought out the first guy's practice, so it wasn't my choice. Still having trouble sleeping all night.

• 
  dLife blogs

• Keeping Track of My Numbers

  Brenda Bell

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:02 pm

  As an engineer by training, I find quantitative analysis -- numbers -- an expression of control. Self control, exercise, body function, health and illness... So while I'm fortunate enough not to have to be "Bionic Betty" with a peripheral pancreas, I still refer regularly to six separate instruments, plus additional Web-based resources, to manage my food intake, exercise output, and biometric information.   Weight. Some folk say weighing once a week is enough, but I find that if I don't weigh in every morning, my weight can go off on very health-unfriendly curves. I log my…

• Mr. Giraffe, Camel Spit and Other Stuff

  Carey Potash

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:15 am

  Acupuncture   I went to a health and benefits fair at work recently and talked to an acupuncturist. Our conversation went a little like this:   Him: I do have some patients with diabetes and I can tell you, we’ve seen some improvement from a combination of herbal therapy and acupuncture.   Me: Type 1?   Him: Yes, type 1.   Me: Type 1?   Him: Type 1.   Me: TYPE 1?   Him: YES, TYPE 1!   To his credit, he did have a clear knowledge of the different types of diabetes and he spoke of beta cells, theorizing that maybe they weren’t dead but rather…

• An Update on the Lantus Switch

  Lindsey Guerin

  5 Nov 2009 | 10:23 am

  Tuesday night, I switched my Lantus over to a once-per-day shot instead of the split doses I'd been using previously. I started with 22 units of Lantus at 8pm. I knew I'd see some highs, but I didn't want to risk an unexpected night low after making the first switch.   And I did see some elevation. I ran mostly in the 180-290 range all through Wednesday, which wasn't as high as I was expecting really. I made sure to consider food in the highs, along with the usual post-breakfast spike. And I was confident that a few more units of Lantus might do the trick (or at least get me closer).

• Counting...

  Nicole Purcell

  5 Nov 2009 | 8:18 am

  I have two eyes.    I have ten fingers.    I have two legs.  And two thighs.    I have one insulin pump.      I have about fifteen blood glucose meters.     When I was a little kid, my mother used to tell my brothers and me to stop counting.  What she meant was to stop looking at how many cookies someone else got, or how many toys someone else had, or how much money someone else got in their allowance - and comparing it to what we had.  She would say "when you count what others have, and compare, it's easy to forget what YOU DO have."  …

• Red Leaves

  Carey Potash

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:39 am

  He stood in the doorway as I put on my shoes and lifted my jacket over my shoulders. He was wearing an "I Love NY" t-shirt and red shorts with his insulin pump clipped just off-center - tubing dangling haphazardly and looping like a roller coaster.   "In school we made these bowls out of clay and we took leaves and we pressed them down into the bowl …"   He spoke.   read more

• 
  Annetics

• Blood Sugar Wrangling

  Anne

  28 Oct 2009 | 7:44 pm

  For those who don't live with diabetes, here are some reminders:basal rate = background insulin, usually fast-acting, delivered 24/7 by an insulin pumpbolus = equivalent of an injection of insulin, usually rapid-actingCGM = continuous glucose monitor, which gives glucose readings every 1 to 5 minutesBG = blood glucose, measured by a BG meter; aka "blood sugar." Normal is 70 to ~120 depending on various conditions. BG is affected by insulin concentration, stress, exercise, food, illness,...insulin = hormone that facilitates movement of BG from blood to cells; fast-acting insulin starts working…

• Help Put Triabetes in Lights

  Anne

  20 Sep 2009 | 9:25 pm

  Just over a year ago, twelve teammates with type 1 diabetes woke up on a beautiful September morning to compete in Ironman Wisconsin. Our group had diverse backgrounds with respect to athletic experience and diabetes management, but were united in the goal to make it together to the race healthy and ready to give it our best.Not only did we race for each other and our own personal goals, but also we raced to show our Triabuddies (formerly called "IronKidz") and anyone else that diabetes does not need to keep them from dreaming big. The year of training and racing was captured on film by Ray…

• Race Report: Lotoja 2009

  Anne

  16 Sep 2009 | 1:14 pm

  Event: Lotoja (206-mi race from Logan, Utah, to Jackson, Wyoming)Date: 9/12/2009Weather: cool, pleasant in the morning; a little warm/hot midday and cooling considerably by the finish; moderate winds during first 2/3 of the ride during open stretchesTeammates present: raced with 4 other friends on our team, the "Part-time Models": Jane Bergeson, Rita Ogden, Erika Feinauer, and Kristan Warnick. Jerseys were donated by Jane's sister from Contender Bicycles. SAG by Contender plus some team friends/family.Other teams present: various, mostly local teamsCategory raced: women cat 4 in a mixed race…

• Back to Triathlon

  Anne

  13 Aug 2009 | 9:02 am

  In the past couple weeks, I've done my first triathlon races since Ironman Wisconsin last September. The first was Barb's Race, which is up in Sonoma on the Vineman course; the second was last weekend at the Folsom Olympic Distance Triathlon up at Natoma Lake in Folsom, CA. For both I took a relaxed approach and just wanted to test my body. I would say that they both went well, although I didn't break any records. The highlight of both was probably the bike leg, which I always seem to enjoy the most. My time for Barb's (a half-iron distance) was 6:18 or so, and my time for Folsom was 3:05.

• Death Ride Report 2009

  Anne

  22 Jul 2009 | 7:10 pm

  Event: Death Ride (129 mi, 15,000' climbing and 5 mountain passes near Markleeville, CA)Date: July 11, 2009Weather: Clear skies, warm in the morning to hot later, then cold rain showers during the last pass; some winds, moderate at times but mostly head/tail rather than strong side gusts (which I experienced there a few weeks prior)Other people present: I rode with my friends Shannon and Rita along with a few others.Personal goal: finish all 5 passes safelyA few weeks prior, I went up to an altitude training weekend with the Velo Girls. [Note--thanks to Kyle T. for sagging that weekend, and…

• 
  The D-Log Cabin

• Dear Newspaper X

  type1emt

  6 Nov 2009 | 7:11 am

  Dear Newspaper X, On Saturday, November 14, thousands of people around the world will come together, to raise awareness of diabetes, an annual event named World Diabetes Day. But there are many millions of people YET to be diagnosed. The American Diabetes Association estimates that of the over 23 million people(8% of the total US population), about 6 million don't even know they have it. 1.6 million new cases will be diagnosed this year. Nor is this solely a US problem, cases of diabetes are exploding rapidly across the globe. In China, there are over 40 million people with the disease. There…

• The Scent Bug: A Product Review

  type1emt

  5 Nov 2009 | 8:21 am

  Periodically, I enjoy going to Bath & Body Works..to check out the latest scents & mini-splurge on myself. Most PWD would rather smell sweet then BE sweet. (I'm speaking for the women here, I don't know about the guys). Most times I don't have a game plan, except for the mandatory $10/$30 coupon I tote along, because I know I will spend $30 worth of stuff, it's that easy. This time though, I knew exactly what I wanted.(a flyer had come in the mail,making me long for Nov.2 with a passion) Meet the Scentbug, a new and novel scent diffuser. I'm very much the candle lover person, but tend to…

• Our Turn Now

  type1emt

  4 Nov 2009 | 7:14 am

  It's OUR TURN now. Call it the rebound effect, call it what you will,but Virginia has just elected it's first solidly Republican Top Three cast since 1993(at least) . That's 16 years ago..back then I was far more interested in beating up my(1.5 year) younger brother then I was who was running the country.I didn't start paying attention till 1997. I may not live in Virginia anymore, but to the people of NJ,NY, and VA; I'd just like to say Thanks.You still have this odd habit of choosing the opposite party to be in power nationally (it must be the economy, a job is a very powerful fear…

• Generator: WDD

  type1emt

  3 Nov 2009 | 6:47 am

  What should I do for World Diabetes Day? I've thought about putting a large poster in the back of my car & just driving around all month, proclaiming this to to be National Diabetes Month but that seems to be an incredibly lame idea. I should do more. What are you doing for WDD? (all ideas welcome)

• The Pumper Pumpkin &The Pie

  type1emt

  2 Nov 2009 | 6:52 am

  In honor of National Diabetes Month, I did a diabetes themed pumpkin. I'm better at decorating things then carving things: You can find and vote for Mr. Pumpkin here, in the Slickdeals 2009 Pumpkin Carving Contest.(must be a member to vote, but I'm hoping someone else out there is) Help Mr. Pumpkin beat all the other non-diabetic pumpkins or at least win a free t-shirt.:-) He's entry #70.(winners will be chosen by the judges, so as to prevent mass frenzied voting but I don't think they'll be considering entries with only one vote) Alas, Mr. Pumpkin is no more...shortly thereafter he was…

• 
  Dam Diabetes

• Happy Halloween, Dixie style

  Molly

  30 Oct 2009 | 9:24 am

  Happy Halloween everyone!

• My invisible illness

  Molly

  19 Sep 2009 | 12:09 pm

  30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know 1. The illness I live with is: Type 1 diabetes 2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 1975 3. But I had symptoms since: I actually didn't have symptoms. I went in to the doctor for my first grade check up and they did a random whiz quiz. I had some sugar in my urine, so I was sent to Children's Hospital for a blood test. I didn't start taking insulin until about 2 months after my diagnosis. 4. The biggest adjustment I've had to make is: My entire life had been a series of adjustments. 5. Most people assume: that I am mostly healthy. Which…

• Gotcha!

  Molly

  7 Aug 2009 | 8:06 am

  (first pictures of Dixie on August, 7 2005)Today is Dixie’s “gotcha day.”What is a “gotcha day” you ask? I didn’t come up with it. I used to work with a little boy who was adopted. Every year, his parents would celebrate the day that they got him. Hence, the term “gotcha day.”Four years ago today I was in Jud, North Dakota. I had traveled there the previous day and had moved into the little house where I would live for three weeks while I trained. I remember the day I met Dixie. It was hot and humid. I woke early so that I could shower, have breakfast, and check internet…

• Pain

  Molly

  10 Jul 2009 | 1:19 pm

  Pain. It’s been controlling my life for the last two months. I haven’t been able to do much of anything except work on finding comfortable positions and taking pain pills.Let me start by saying that I will admit to having a very low pain tolerance. I’m a whimp when it comes to things that hurt. Blood draws cause anxiety, paper cuts can require neosporin and bandaids, and pump site changes require some serious mind over matter.About two months ago I was exercising. I was lifting weights, and decided to “add in” some time on the elliptical trainer between sets. I didn’t have any…

• Update and answers

  Molly

  20 Feb 2009 | 4:16 pm

  (This is Dixie alerting. First, she pushes against me. If I don't respond she hits with her paw and stares at me until I test and treat.)It’s been a fast-moving last month.My insulin pump was part of a recall. Not for a big issue, just a little technical error when an extended bolus was given. I was sent two replacement pumps--one for my current pump and one for my old pump that is out of warranty. I have to transfer my settings by hand, because I use a Mac, and the software only works on PCs. I had the new pumps sitting around for a couple days waiting to be programmed. Finally, I decided…

• 
  Diabetes Self-Care

• Another diagnosis

  Wendy

  15 Oct 2009 | 8:49 pm

  On Facebook tonight I learned that a colleague's son was diagnosed with diabetes at two years old. He asked for warm wishes and helpful" We'll get through this" advice. He had 23 comments at last check.I sent him a message and said I am happy to help them anyway I can. My experience with diabetes for the past 26 years and three days (Oct.13, 1983) will be helpful. My experience with a daughter with T1 for five years and two months will be welcome, I'm sure.However, I my long message offered very little advice; that two of the three available doctors are best and that it really will be ok.What…

• Today is her Birthday--Party!

  Wendy

  29 Aug 2009 | 7:50 am

  Today is my daughter's 9th birthday party. I have the biggest cake on order you can buy and 40 plus people and kids coming to celebrate. We also just recognized the 5th anniversary of her diagnosis. I remember her 4th birthday party, which was 20 days after her trip to the hospital. We served cupcakes, because I could figure out the carbs easier. Looking forward to celebrating with friends and family today. It's been a tense and stressful start of school. Diabetes, teachers, nurses, 504 adjustments, big highs, and big lows and no pattern for making adjustments. Looking forward to week two…

• Nervous

  Wendy

  1 Aug 2009 | 10:08 pm

  I can't help myself. My daughter is spending the night at friends tonight, I got her last blood sugar reading at 9:15 pm and it was 137, but I can't help but be nervous when she isn't with me.Ugg. She is becoming so independent (4th grade this fall) and she is so capable of taking care of herself, but I am still nervous. I guess that comes with being a mom. To add diabetes to the layer of complexity between a mother and a daughter is a lot to ask of any human being.

• "Control" The Dreaded, Overarching Theme with Diabetes

  Wendy

  10 Jul 2009 | 7:16 pm

  Wow! Control is such a loaded word in diabetes care. 1con·trolPronunciation:\kən-trōl\Function:verbInflected Form(s):con·trolledcon·trol·ling15th centurytransitive verb1 a: archaic to check, test, or verify by evidence or experimentsb: to incorporate suitable controls in controlled experiment>2 a: to exercise restraining or directing influence over regulate b: to have power over rule C: to reduce the incidence or severity of especially to innocuous levels control an insect population>control a disease>In diabetes care, it isn't that simple. My daughter (8, almost 9) feels very in…

• First independent shot

  Wendy

  15 Jun 2009 | 8:19 pm

  My daughter's blood sugar was high adn she needed a new infusion set tonight. She ate a snack and declared that she was going to give herself a shot. She dialed up the Novopen and injected herself in the arm. I'm so proud of her taking control and doing it herself without my prompting. I have oodles of pride in her this week about so many things. I pinch myself, completely amazed at how in love and fortunate I am to have such an amazing kid.Pinch!

• 
  Diabetes Self-Management

• Exercise Wards Off Dangerous Form of Fat

  Diane Fennell

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:44 pm

  As little as 80 minutes a week of aerobic or resistance exercise can prevent the regain of dangerous visceral fat, a type of fat that is stored around vital organs, according to a study recently published in the journal Obesity. Increased visceral fat is known to raise the risk of various diabetes-related conditions, including heart disease and heart attack...

• Writing from the Sickbed

  Eric Lagergren

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:15 am

  On Wednesday of last week my wife woke up sick with the flu. We don't know if it was the dreaded H1N1 or just seasonal flu, but she had a fever of 102 and a lethargy that, coupled with the whole-body ache that accompanies the flu, kept her bedridden for a good 70% of her time with the illness. On Sunday she was feeling better and she decided to venture out of the house with me; just a short trip to the dog park with Ellie (our labradoodle)...

• Free Blood Testing

  Ingrid Strauch

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:58 am

  Now that National Diabetes Month is in full swing, a number of businesses and organizations are rolling out programs and events to raise awareness of diabetes and help those who have it manage the condition. While some of these may be thinly veiled marketing efforts, some appear to offer real help or services...

• What We’re Reading: Help Raise Funds — and Set a World Record!

  Web Team

  5 Nov 2009 | 11:50 am

  If you've been thinking about starting an exercise program, this weekend may be your chance. On Saturday, November 7, Gold's Gym locations around the world will be hosting the first-ever Burn-a-Thon charity event to raise funds and awareness for people with diabetes and to highlight the fundamental role that physical activity plays in diabetes management and prevention...

• The Joys of Marketing

  David Spero

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:16 pm

  Things have been kind of tough lately. My mobility scooter broke down again, so I'm trapped inside. But that's not the worst of it. Life is just getting on my nerves. My son told me, "You have a blog. Rant about it." So here goes. I will even throw in some useful information along the way...

• 
  Diabetesaliciousness™

• A Tale of Two Kellys

  k2

  6 Nov 2009 | 5:38 am

  It's like two, two, two Kelly's in 1.3rd Grade pic - the year I was diagnosed. I'm wearing a cow neck neck turtle neck (my mom's words & ideal, not mine) because I was SO skinny and she wanted to add some bulk to my frame.So, while my mom was having Defibrillator replacement surgery on Wednesday,(and I was freaking out big time) I decided to calm myself and get out dodge, otherwise known as the Family Waiting Room for Cardiac patients families and take a walk. I realized that I was next to CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) and thought- why not bite the bullet and apply to have…

• Diabetes Always

  k2

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:55 am

  Diabetes ALWAYS makes me have to think about EVERYTHING... And Diabetes keeps me thinking on my feet – in order to protect them. Diabetes ALWAYS makes this Litt Major grad do math- whether I want to or not.Necessary numbers swirl around my world in a dizzying array every single dayAnd the calculations NEVER stop. Diabetes can be scary – if you think too much – or too little about it. Diabetes has made me laugh- like when my pump tubing gets caught on a doorknob Diabetes has made me say OUCH out loud – like when my pump tubing gets caught on a doorknob.Diabetes has made me cry.

• Way Back Wednesday-Blood Sugar Nirvana First Reference ~

  k2

  4 Nov 2009 | 2:01 am

  So I'm spending my day at University of Penn Hospital while my mom gets her Defibrillator battery changed. YES- I'm freaking out more than just a bit, BUT I'm hoping and praying that Defibrillator/Pacemaker Nirvana will indeed be reached. ALL POSTIVE PRAYERS & VIBES MUCH APPRECIATED. Since I occasionally write about "Blood Sugar Nirvana" on this blog and use the term daily, I thought I'd post a way back Wednesday piece when "Blood Sugar Nirvana" first entered the Diabetes blogosphere. The following originally posted on December 21, 2007. Diabetesaliciousness was just over a month old.

• Dear John and Jane Q. Public:

  k2

  3 Nov 2009 | 8:17 am

  Dear John and Jane Q. Public: HEY, Kelly Kunik here. How goes things in your world? My world is interesting, especially in November. This note is just a quick heads up that November is American Diabetes Month. So why not take a moment and learn a few diabetes facts. I’ll even give you a few to help you start on your “Diabetesalicious” journey. Diabetes is NOT the person with Diabetes fault- in any way, shape or form You can’t catch Diabetes from another person Insulin is not a cure Living with Diabetes is forever. 24X7, 365 days a year. With no time off for good behavior or numbers…

• Let's Get This D Party Called American Diabetes Month Started!!

  k2

  2 Nov 2009 | 10:44 am

  Writing this post made my head-spin- in a good way!So November is American Diabetes Month and November 14th is WORLD DIABETES DAY. That’s the day when the whole world goes batty and celebrates all things and people related to diabetes. This is the month where Diabetes is supposed to be in the news daily and diabetes myths are supposed to be debunked by the media. OK- lets keep our fingers crossed that the media actually gets the facts of our disease right. Those of us living with Diabetes everyday are even more vocal during this month. We take our diabetes cause to the street and across the…

• 
  The Diabetic Domestic Diva

• World Diabetes Day- Next Month!

  Windy

  22 Oct 2009 | 8:27 am

  November 14th is World Diabetes Day! I am going to speak to middle schoolers this year for World Diabetes Day! I'm super excited! I think that kids retain information more successfully than adults (mostly because we grown ups have too much garbage to think about! HA!) so I am super excited about this opportunity! I have some fun things in mind and will be bringing all my fun gadgets, giving myself a glucose test, and letting the students inject saline into oranges! :) And of course I plan on addressing the BIGGEST misconceptions and common questions. "Do you have the BAD diabetes?" "Are you…

• Eyes Eyes Eyes

  Windy

  29 Sep 2009 | 11:08 am

  Hey folks! I'm still here...... looks like you can expect about a monthly update from me now! Life is just so busy and it doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon! Life is full of wonderful things however...... teaching music to children, working, playing with my own pre school aged children, tee ball games, ministering to local teenagers, softball games, worship services, BBQ's with friends, new babies (not my own!), weddings, housework, cooking, jogging, walking and shopping! Do you need a nap yet? On the diabetes front, things are going okay. A few weeks ago I was blessed with the…

• I'm Alive Folks!!!

  Windy

  21 Aug 2009 | 6:45 am

  Hey everyone! I know it's been forever! Blogging just has not been at the top of my priority list these past couple months, unfortunately! The first week of July we moved about 50 miles west of our old home! This was super stressful, but also a HUGE answer to prayer. We are now living VERY close to my side of the family and our church friends. My heart FINALLY feels settled! So I've spent the last two months doing things like securing a job (or 3... more about that later!), deciding where to send my precious kids to pre school, finding new doctors and dentists, unpacking, getting utilities…

• My iphone Can Save Me From Any Dire Situation....

  Windy

  11 Jul 2009 | 1:02 pm

  My husband jumped on the iPhone train last year when the 3G was released. I have finally joined him this year with the release of the new 3Gs. After having my iphone for about 2 weeks I am truly amazed at how often I rely on it now in so many situations. I told my husband the other day, "I am convinced that this phone can save me from just about any dire situation, honey!!" Earlier this year LifeScan announced their cool little iphone app....And while browsing through one of my favorite diabetes blogs, Diabetes Mine, I viewed this You Tube video of a design idea that I think is freakin…

• Blood Stain Tip

  Windy

  22 Jun 2009 | 4:29 pm

  Hey Diabetics and Windy fans. It's been almost a MONTH since I've blogged! We are in the middle of a hectic move and my mind is in a million places!! Anyways, after a quick blood test today I realized I stained my brand new tank top with a little blood from my finger and I was pretty ticked. I got home and googled blood stains and found a nice little tip on eHow if you ever find yourself in the same predicament. I think this only works if you have NOT already washed and dried the clothing. (Fresh stains) Pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain. Then pour salt on top of that. Wait 30 minutes and…

• 
  Dr Jekyll and Mrs Low

• Can somebody make this movie?

  Val

  10 Oct 2009 | 7:51 am

  Back in college, I had a friend who was a pretty good juggler. Sometimes, he would start off with just 2 or 3 objects, and we'd toss more and more in, until eventually he'd have maybe 7 or 8 items going, and then they'd all fall down, except for a few he'd manage to catch before they hit the floor.If anyone out there has the coordination (it sure ain't me), could you do a "life with D" juggling video? Start with a meter and pump, then add in an apple or something ("eat healthy"), then a sneaker ("exercise"), then a juice box ("you're low"), bottle of ketone strips, wallet, alarm clock, CGMS,…

• If you build it... (nothing to do with D)

  Val

  1 Oct 2009 | 4:53 am

  This is where I send myself when I'm in desperate need of a "Mommy time-out".The Castle Room, with elliptical decorated for effect:Close up of the doors to The Crawlspace of Unfinished Projects (like half-finished afghans, needlepoint, curtains, and shirts. That visible "table" leg is from my great-grandmother's 1931 electric Singer sewing machine, which I still use)... THEY WILL COME:That's Tucker (big gray one) and Sarah (little brown one), in their favorite spot in the house.

• Comments from the castle

  Val

  16 Sep 2009 | 3:48 pm

  I'm trying a vlog today from my "castle room", the room over the garage the kids and I turned into the perfect reading nook...

• Come again?

  Val

  25 Aug 2009 | 2:19 pm

  What the weather forecaster says:"Increasing clouds tonight with scattered thunderstorms, some severe. Lows around 70."What a PWD hears:"Increasing clouds tonight with scattered thunderstorms. Some severe lows around 70." Severe lows? What do they mean, seventy's not bad at all... WTF?... oh

• The Magic Brownie

  Val

  19 Aug 2009 | 5:27 pm

  Okay, okay, it's not that kind of magic brownie. I was always too much of a goody-two-shoes to ever try anything stronger than alcohol. But this particular magic brownie was I think even better than what first leapt into your mind.Let me preface this by saying my BG is always wacky. Diabetes seldom lets me get away with anything. I actually need to bolus about 1.2 units (from a TDD of under 30) for a cup of decaf coffee with a tablespoon of milk in it. I can be 100, eat 10g of carbs, not forget to bolus, and still be 340 an hour later. It's more or less completely random. That is why I have…

• 
  Every Day Every Hour Every Minute

• Waiting on Direction

  Cara

  28 Oct 2009 | 4:27 am

  Lately, I've been dealing with a lot of different things. Diabetes is kicking my tail right now. Or maybe I'm letting it kick my tail. When I switched doctors to Vanderbilt Diabetes Center, my first A1c was 6.7. I knew that was higher than it had been running. And I didn't like it. It had slowly been creeping back up on me, due to a variety of reasons. My second appointment at Vanderbilt was last Wednesday. At that appointment, in less than the normal 3 month period, it had gone up again to 6.9. That is the highest A1c I've had since before going on CGMS. VERY close to being my highest since…

• Giddy

  Cara

  8 Oct 2009 | 8:17 pm

  Okay, I'm not really giddy. But it's the only word I could think of that was a synonym of Glee.Let me start out by saying that this is another non-diabetic related post. Then let me continue by saying that I am a total nut. Most of you have already figured that out, but for those of you who haven't, you have been warned.From some of my previous posts, you guys should know by now that I am a music nut and a theater nut.And Fox Network has totally created the perfect show for me. Several months ago, Fox aired a pilot episode of Glee. When they aired it, I watched and LOVED it. I also stated to…

• NDD-My Non-Diabetic Day Post

  Cara

  1 Oct 2009 | 7:00 am

  Music is a huge part of my life. Am I talented? Nope. I sing in the shower, in my car, and in my head pretty much all the time. But I'm not talented. Only obsessed. :)Being from Tennessee, I have a great love for country music. But my love of music is not confined to one type of music. I often joke I have the most spastic playlist ever. I tend to go through phases.For a while, I was on an 80's rock band kick. I started buying greatest hits albums from the 80's and the late 70's.I've gone through a cabaret-type of phase, listening to Harry Connick, Jr, and Frank Sinatra, and anything by…

• Visiting the Past, Looking Toward the Future.

  Cara

  15 Aug 2009 | 5:33 am

  I always find it interesting to see how people in my past have changed. My mom talks about friends from her past. Sometimes she wonders what they are up to and how their lives have turned out. I don't have to worry about that. With the internet and sites like Facebook and MySpace, I have managed to stay in touch with a lot of my high school and college friends. In fact, once I broke down and got a Facebook page, I had a couple of people I hadn't heard from or seen in the 10 years since high school that found and friended me. Even cooler to find out that someone from your past is also a fellow…

• The Search...The First Move

  Cara

  8 Aug 2009 | 7:51 am

  Well, I called the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center. It's probably the best hospital in the state. And I've heard good things about the center from several different people. On Friday, I decided I'd try there first in my search for a new endo.I've not had a million endos in my life. There were quite a few years where I didn't go to a doctor at all. But, I do remember that it usually takes weeks to get an initial appointment with a specialist of any kind unless it's an "emergency". But the people I spoke with on the phone were polite, professional, and in the matter of 10 minutes I had an…

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  D•blog | Welcome to the Diabetes Stories website | riva greenberg

• The hours my head lives in diabetes-land

  2 Nov 2009 | 5:45 am

  If I think about it, most mornings when the weather isn't obvious, I stand at my living room window while my oatmeal is simmering on the stove, squinting through the trees outside to see if it's raining or not. When the TV news, on in the background, announces the weather, I pay attention. Well, sort of. It seems to go in one ear and out the other as I'm up and down, in and out of the kitchen stirring, testing my blood sugar, shooting up my long-acting and rapid-acting insulin, trying to think back if I already took one unit of my rapid-acting insulin to blunt the dawn phenomena (rapidly…

• My diabetes-head is growing just slightly larger

  28 Oct 2009 | 5:01 am

  Having made the acquaintance of so many remarkable fellow diabetes bloggers a few months ago at the Roche social summit, I've had the wonderful opportunity to share some of my thoughts and experiences on several web sites. So, for a few posts you won't see here as well as posts from fellow bloggers, jump onto the World Diabetes Day blog. You'll find a lot of posts to inspire you. Here are mine: Diabetes Day: Wouldn't It Be Nice Not to Need One? Riva's Story: The Diabetes Express What Diabetes Is - and Isn't Then check out all of World Diabetes Day which was created by Manny Hernandez,…

• 2,000 amazing book signings

  25 Oct 2009 | 5:05 am

  With little fanfare, my husband turned to me about two months ago and said, "Wouldn't it be something if we gave away your books to the speakers and member nations who'll be at the International Diabetes Conference this year? After I rolled my eyes I said laughingly, "It sure would." And, I'm here to tell you it was! 1,000 copies of "50 Diabetes Myths That Can Ruin Your Life and the 50 Diabetes Truths That Can Save It" and 1,000 copies of "The ABCs of Loving Yourself with Diabetes" made their way to Montreal where they were on display last week in the…

• 20th World Diabetes Congress

  17 Oct 2009 | 2:39 pm

  Just landed home from two weeks in the U.K. where I'm collaborating with an expert in behavioral intervention to help patients better manage diabetes. This promises to be exciting new work in the coming months and something I'll be writing more about.  Off again tomorrow morning to the International Diabetes Federation conference taking place this year in Montreal. The conference brings together the top researchers in diabetes from around the world. It begins this Sunday, the 18th and finishes on the 22nd. I've never been to the IDF conference so it promises to be enlightening.  If you…

• Revving up for Diabetes Day, November 14

  4 Oct 2009 | 5:37 am

  This is my last post for a few weeks and so I wanted to leave you with some interesting things to check out and do while I'm gone. And, remind you to come back the end of this month to hear about where I've been and what I've been doing. Meanwhile,  as we rev up to November's Diabetes Month, here are some great ways to start your learning curve now. 1. Check out World Diabetes Day, the new web site Manny Hernandez, founder of TuDiabetes and David Edelman, co-founder with his wife of Diabetes Daily, have created. The site brings greater awareness to diabetes in general and things you can…

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  Glucoholic

• GoLightly Sugar Free Cinnamon Hard Candy

  Glucoholic

  4 Nov 2009 | 6:33 pm

  Halloween is usually one of those tough days for The Glucoholic. Sweet, tasty, forbidden candy is everywhere. In an attempt to get our minds off of all the temptations we decided to partake in some of the great low carb menu items at the local Cracker Barrel. This turned out to be a great idea, especially since we found another great sugar free snack to review - GoLightly Sugar Free Cinnamon Candy. So come on up to the front door, ring the doorbell, say “trick or treat”, and be prepared for a great sugar free candy idea. These individually wrapped hard candies are very flavorful.

• Grape Powerade Zero

  Glucoholic

  27 Oct 2009 | 5:52 pm

  Over a year ago we reviewed Strawberry Powerade Zero. We’ve been drinking it pretty regularly around here, but lately have been trying to get out of several ruts at the same time. What better opportunity could there be to try another great Powerade Zero flavor? Well that’s just what we did. Grape Powerade Zero did not disappoint! This beverage had the same smooth, thirst quenching qualities as its strawberry sister. The grape flavor was excellent and less syrupy than some of its competition. We put the taste right up there with Grape Propel, and this is a good thing, since one or…

• Archer Farms Diet Black Cherry Cream Soda

  Glucoholic

  20 Oct 2009 | 6:58 pm

  Over a year ago we did a review of Archer Farms Diet Orange Cream Soda. We enjoyed that soda so much that we kept an eye out for more diet flavors from Archer Farms, and picked up a four-pack of the Diet Black Cherry Cream Soda flavor to review. After consuming half of a bottle we were horrified to notice that the back of the label reads BEST BY 23/AUG/2009. Awesome! It’s kind of difficult to fairly judge a product’s taste when all you can think about is that product tasting old, so we won’t try. A description of the product’s mature taste would be “not enough…

• Little Debbie Nutty Bar Singles

  Glucoholic

  12 Oct 2009 | 7:39 pm

  Happy Columbus Day! Bet you never thought you would see a Little Debbie product reviewed here at Glucoholic.com did you? We’re here to say “that’s a bet worth losing.” Little Debbie Nutty Bar Singles are great little 100 calorie snacks that won’t send your blood sugar through the roof. The Little Debbie Nutty Bars have been a favorite snack for thousands for decades. We ate them by the case in our house growing up. These individually wrapped snacks are a reminder that you don’t have to eat a case to be satisfied. We were glad to find that these snacks…

• SoBe Lifewater Yumberry Pomegranate

  Glucoholic

  5 Oct 2009 | 6:32 pm

  About six months ago we reviewed SoBe Lifewater Black and Blue Berry flavored water. We said that we were looking forward to tasting some of the other flavors. We should have stopped while were ahead. The Yumberry Pomegranate Lifewater flavor is a real disappointment. First off, what is a yumberry? It turns out that yumberry is another miracle fruit. Given the other 42 miracle fruits we’re supposed to be consuming for our health each day it’s getting a little hard to keep up with. This low carb, low calorie water is not horrible - it’s just that we were expecting so much…

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  Naturally Sweet

• Hello, November.

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:06 pm

  November is American Diabetes Month. The ADA is on a mission to ‘Stop Diabetes’. Yay! Their goal is to spread awareness and communicate the seriousness of this disease. The latest statistics are that close to 24 million people currently have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Another 57 million have pre-diabetes and are at risk for Type 2. AND 1 out of every 3 children will have diabetes if we do not act now to stop this disease. You can find this information and tons more on the American Diabetes Association website.I also have the JDRF Walk to Cure on November 14th at UNLV. This will be a great…

• Imperfection is Beauty.

  27 Oct 2009 | 11:58 am

  Diabetes is a disease that puts you through the wringer 24/7. If you are a diabetic, you should be aware of the number of things that you may feel or see or experience. There is a crap load. I’m not kidding. Once you think your cup is full, the waiter comes around and refills your glass. What really sucks is if the glass is full of iced tea and the waiter screws up your tea/Splenda ratio. Grrr…anyway.It’s not only difficult being a diabetic, its difficult being the family, friends or lovers of one. Extremely difficult because there is no way for you to feel or understand what we are…

• Walk This Way

  21 Oct 2009 | 9:51 am

  The JDRF Walk to Cure is one month away! My team, ‘Insulin: Shaken, Not Stirred’, has already collected $4,350. We are only $650 away from hitting our goal. Let’s do this!!I also only have 11 team members! While those 11 people are fabulous, I am SURE I know more who would love to spend a Saturday morning walking in the fresh Vegas air and helping to support a special cause.The walk takes place on November 14th at 9:00am at the UNLV North Field. Like last year, I will be by the front registration waiting for the team.To donate or join, please click here: Walk to Cure Or you can click…

• Vacationing with Diabetes.

  14 Oct 2009 | 3:52 pm

  I wish I could take a vacation FROM diabetes but no such luck. Not yet anyway.Vacationing with diabetes is typically a pain. Diabetics are structured. Their care is controlled. The responsibilities are constant. Routine is their life. Vacations throw everything off balance…and the diabetic struggles.I went to New York for 10 days. 10 days of family love. 10 days of friend love. 10 days of soul hugs. 10 days of being able to breathe. 10 days of real people, fall foliage, country comfort and full on happiness.But, also, 10 days of high blood sugars, occlusions, poor and unscheduled eating,…

• Things I Like.

  23 Sep 2009 | 8:23 am

  I focus so much on the negatives of having Type 1 Diabetes that I tend to forget about the positives. I guess that’s because it is a disease and it is easier to sing the blues. However, only spouting the bad stuff tends to elicit a reaction no one with a chronic disease wants. Pity.::boo! hiss!::Here is my attempt to prevent anyone from feeling sorry for me.....or anyone else with a disease, for that matter. AND to remind myself to continue to look on the bright side of life.Things I Like About Type 1 DiabetesBy Kelly Wright (teehee)* I like when my sugar gets low, although not drastically,…

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  25 Units To Go

• 16 miles

  Harry

  23 Oct 2009 | 8:37 am

  This morning, I ran longer than I ever have in my entire life. And I felt pretty darn good. On top of that, my blood sugars were awesome the whole time! I needed that, because neither the running or the blood sugars have been doing that well lately. Now, we’re heading up to Maryland for the weekend for a college friend’s wedding. I think Meredith may be driving this time…my legs have done enough today. Hope you guys have a great weekend!

• Weakened from the weekend

  Harry

  18 Oct 2009 | 5:04 pm

  Like any normal person, I usually can’t wait for the weekend. It’s normally a great time to recover from the work week and do things that I want to do on my own schedule. This weekend has been pretty freaking exhausting though. Just a rundown of what I’ve done in the past 3 days: Friday: Nothing big, just quit the only job I’ve had since I graduated college. It really didn’t “hit” me until Friday afternoon when I was packing up my desk and saying goodbye to all of my work friends. I know I’ll still get to see them, but the fact that they…

• Groundbreaking Research

  Harry

  6 Oct 2009 | 7:18 pm

  My workout today got me thinking. Of course, before we get too far into this, I should explain…according to the training plan, today’s workout was supposed to be an easy 3 mile run. However, for the sake of our neighbors’ property values, it instead consisted of mowing .27 acres of grass and edging waaay too much sidewalk (one of the pitfalls of having a corner lot). Anyway, back to why I was thinking. As far as I can remember, every time I’ve mowed our lawn, my blood sugar has gone low. I’ve tried temporary basal rates, having a pre-mow snack, I’ve even…

• A change will do Harry good

  Harry

  1 Oct 2009 | 7:49 am

  I’ve been at my current job for over six years. During that time I’ve learned a lot and made a ton of great friends, and I like to think I’ve matured a little bit. However, I’m ready to move on and see where else my career can take me. I’ve been offered (and have decided to take) a job with one of my clients, and I will be leaving my current company in the next couple of weeks. I’m pretty excited about it. It sounds like there are lots of opportunities for me to grow with the company, as opposed to my current situation of just waiting for someone to retire…

• Marathon Update

  Harry

  27 Sep 2009 | 5:45 pm

  Today I finished week 7 of my marathon training plan. The long run for this week was 12 miles, which actually went really well. I was pretty discouraged after the past couple of weeks, so it was good to have a nice run to make me feel like I actually can do this. I missed pretty much the entire week before last because I was sick, and last week’s 10 mile run was only about 7 miles, as a result of bad blood sugars and my body feeling like absolute crap. I think I tried to come back too quickly from the week of illness, and my body just couldn’t take it at the end of the week. Oh…

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  foodfoodbodybody

• It’s Official!! I’m a WW Leader!

  Foodie McBody

  5 Nov 2009 | 8:38 pm

  Whewwwwww… what a DAY. Got up super early because I couldn’t sleep. I think I was rehearsing/muttering my meeting points all night in my sleep. Showered, got dressed. (same dress/sweater combo as training weekend) Drove to meeting, got there about an hour early. Clipped up my flip-chart pages and then stood around and twiddled thumbs. Went to the bathroom. Paced the meeting room to and fro, loitered at receptionist desk, etc etc etc.  Finally the members began trickling in and the room filled up.  A few of my friends came in and I was so happy to see them: two who are already WW…

• Clothes Shopping, Yay

  Foodie McBody

  4 Nov 2009 | 3:09 pm

  As I have mentioned here many times before, I am not much of a clothes person. But I seem to be turning into one!  I used to regard clothes shopping with about as much enthusiasm as going to the dentist, but that has changed.  For one, I have to have nice-looking clothes especially as a WW leader. This stuff matters, and they tell you so. I just realized that I have a fairly decent assortment of new-sized summerish clothes, but I have pretty much ZERO new-sized fall or winter clothes. O boy! So yesterday I had a little window of time and I went down to the outdoor mall near here. They have…

• Biggest Loser! Liveblogging!!!!

  Foodie McBody

  3 Nov 2009 | 8:06 pm

  I’ve missed Biggest Loser for the past 2 weeks, so here I am again.  This is the first time I’ve been liveblogging since minute one. Opening credits: My mom says, “Someone’s gonna get a heart attack there.” Heh. Alison says, “Obesity is an epidemic. Your mission is to help stop it. You will do everything to help your fellow Americans in the next 7 days – you are going to Washington, DC. Go pack.” They jump on a Jetblue plane (YAY Jetblue!!). Rebecca wants to see Barack Obama. (so do I) Everyone’s excited because they can fasten their…

• Pumpkin Yum and the Dress Rehearsal

  Foodie McBody

  2 Nov 2009 | 9:49 pm

  I thought I’d dodged the bullet of Halloween, since my kids are past trick-or-treating age, and we don’t live in a trick-or-treating neighborhood… but then on Saturday, my daughter was bitten by the Baking Bug and she decided she needed to make some mini pumpkin cheesecakes! With cinnamon cream! Aghhhhhh!!!!  So she went ahead and made them. They were adorable. I decided to check out the points of this item using my handy WW online recipe builder (on the WW eTools site). I figured out that each little cheesecake was 5 points. I cut one down into one-point bites (small…

• Almost Showtime!

  Foodie McBody

  29 Oct 2009 | 12:23 pm

  I just finished my 4th WW meeting this week. I was supposed to lead the “this is what the program is all about” part of the meeting for new members, but there were no new members, so I just did it for the leader, who was a perfect stand-in. She gave me some great feedback and said I did “an excellent job.” YAY. I have to say, attending 4 meetings a week really does have a way of increasing one’s awareness during the week! When I got home I immediately looked up the points for my lunch (which I don’t always do) and made some good choices. Have y’all…

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  A Consequence of Hypoglycemia.

• On Propriety and Pressure

  Christopher

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am

  As an avid gamer, I listen to a lot of podcasts. Probably too many for my own good, but I feel like it's one of those merit badges gamers have to earn. The problem with listening to all of these podcasts is that content tends to blur. I hear these editors speak, but I'm not listening to them. Sometimes it takes a little push to actually comprehend what these guys are saying. Thankfully I read enough news feeds that reference past podcast topics and I'm currently driven to not write about a certain game coming out next week. Considering the general media blackout that has occurred in…

• Fail

  Christopher

  5 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am

  I had a rather neutral-toned post scheduled for today. To be perfectly honest, I have like 5 blog posts drafted up that you'll see in the coming week or so. Just a little editing and formatting before it is published promptly at 9:30am. I had a post like that ready to go, but I'm emphasizing past tense for a reason. I hate Diabetes.

• It Is What It Is

  Christopher

  4 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am

  As I stated on Monday, I'm counting posts for my podcast, Just Talking as fair game for my NaBloPoMo endeavor. With that being said, let's get to the good stuff. With November being National Diabetes Month, I've decided to modify my schedule for upcoming guests with the hopes of bring on members of the Diabetes Online Community each week of November. It's our time to shine and this is my little way of doing my part. Now I have tentatively confirmed guests for each week, but in fear of jinxing the timetable, I cannot detail who I have planned for the month, but I can tell you who I have for…

• War Zone

  Christopher

  3 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am

  One of the many, many joys of proper Diabetes management is the almighty blood glucose test. The majority of my readers know what goes in to a test. It's not just the test strip and the number. It's the *shink* of the lancet, it's the hesitation before you press that little plastic thingy to your finger (or where ever you're testing), the prayer that you get enough blood out of your finger, the agony if you smear blood on something, the decision to wipe or lick, the apprehension before the number is revealed (did I account for ALL those carbs?), the emotional state that a single digital…

• NaBloPoMo

  Christopher

  2 Nov 2009 | 5:30 am

  I updated my sidebar on the blog this weekend. Hopefully it doesn't add too much clutter. It's a constant push and pull when it comes to keeping that stuff organized. There's a lot I want you all to be aware of regarding my many activities without trying to make it look like I'm begging for attention. Trying to be tasteful about your self promotion is an interesting balancing act, and one that I'm still trying to properly navigate.

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  iPhone Diabetes Technology

• Twitter's Demise

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:28 pm

  In May 2009, I posted a blog titled "Twitter This, Twitter That" talking about my forecast on Twitter. Today, I read an article in the New York Times that spoke volumes about Twitter's value. I honestly see no way Twitter is going to survive. Yes, there are a lot of people that will disagree with me, but nonetheless I don't think anyone can argue that the service is getting a bit...old. And I think more and more people and more and more businesses are starting to realize what a time waster it really is:Twitter this, Twitter that [May, 2009]It's pretty absurd for me to predict a long term…

• Our 1 Year Old :)

  28 Oct 2009 | 6:14 pm

  October 28 marks the first birthday of our beloved Glucose Buddy. GB has been through a lot, including some pretty heavy competition like a meter manufacturer App, a veteran software development company, and dozens of other diabetes-based tools. Through it all, GB is still the undisputed most popular Diabetes App on the App Store... not bad for a 1 year old.GB has learned a lot since his birth. He's learned about memory efficiencies, design interface, web synchronization, A1c's, the "tech-diabetic", social networking, blogging, etc. Sure, he has a lot more to learn, but we like his progress…

• the Pipeline

  20 Oct 2009 | 12:07 pm

  Today, we're starting a few projects that are going to increase the usability of each person's logs tremendously.There is way too much data that Glucosebuddy.com doesn't allow you to play with. For instance, logs that you might have taken 2 years ago and would like to run through our analysis systems. We've also recognized that even though GB is just about the coolest thing you've ever used, your doctors probably aren't utilizing it as much as possible. We have a few things up our sleeves that are going to help you get them more involved, such as prettier page prints that you can just bring…

• Customer-driven medicine and the steps it needs to take

  13 Oct 2009 | 12:09 pm

  Brian Dolan of MobiHealthNews covered a Brookings Institute Publication entitled, "Customer-Driven Medicine: How To Create A New Health Care System". The author of the findings is Darrell West.“Among the specific changes that are required [for Customer-Driven Medicine] include: 1) changes in public and private insurance coverage that reimburse health care providers for mHealth care, remote monitoring, electronic communications with physicians, e-prescribing, and downloading medical tests to cell phones and other mobile devices; 2) rewarding physicians who provide positive health outcomes…

• Even More Diabetes Apps

  29 Sep 2009 | 8:27 pm

  They just keep on coming!First, a seller by the name of Michael Heinz seems like he's trying to generate some money by recreating similar logging apps such as "Diabetes Grapher (Documentation)", "MedValues Pro", "MedValues One", "MedValues One". From the screenshots, it looks like he adds and subtracts a different logging ability to each one (IE: one has blood pressure and pulse, and another has weight). None of these Apps have any ratings or reviews.Next up, we have "Hypo" made be Phillippe Mougin from the company jchicken.com. I love that company name. This one tells you how many grams you…

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  Ziggy's Blog

• TEEN TRENDS: 10 Signs of an Abusive Boyfriend

  2 Nov 2009 | 8:14 am

  (This blog is written to inform parents and others of disturbing trends of teenagers.)(Because of school and midterms, I am honored to have a guest writer this week that many of you probably know. Elizabeth Donovan, M. A. of ParentingPink.com is the author of this great post that all parents who have a daughter, who is of dating age, should read and make note of these warning signs. It wouldn't hurt for the parents of sons to also read this article to see if he is displaying some of these signs towards his girlfriend. Remember to leave a comment letting Elizabeth know how much you enjoyed her…

• I'VE BEEN TAGGED!!

  26 Oct 2009 | 1:21 pm

  I have been tagged by 3 Boys and Adoption. She awarded me with the Honest Scrap award given to others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you. What an honor. Stop on by her blog and leave a comment.This award comes with some rules:1) Thank the person who gave the award and list their blog and link it.2) Share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.4) Tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of…

• THE DEATH OF A CHILD

  22 Oct 2009 | 5:48 pm

  After 7-year-old Somer Thompson disappeared on her way home from school, investigators followed nine garbage trucks from her neighborhood to a Georgia landfill nearly fifty miles away. They picked through the trash as each truck dumped its load. They sorted through more than 200,000 tons of garbage before their worst fears came true: Sticking out of the trash were a child's lifeless legs. (I believe this is every mother's worst nightmare.)I only have one question: How long are we going to stand by and let sex offenders continue to kill our children?Please pray for the healing of this family…

• MODERN DAY SLAVERY

  26 Sep 2009 | 8:42 pm

  What would you say if I told you slavery is the second largest criminal industry in the world today? No, I'm not talking about slavery as it existed in the early 1900's. I'm talking about human trafficking. In the U.S., 200,000 to 350,000 children are at risk of being trafficked into the sex industry each year. This threatens all our children...yours and mine. Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry, grossing over $30 million dollars a year.Women and children are at the greatest risk of being trafficked for the purpose of prostitution, strip clubs, pornography, and live sex…

• TEEN TRENDS: TEENS & TANNING BEDS

  14 Sep 2009 | 9:00 am

  (This blog is written to inform parents and others of disturbing trends of teenagers.) Who loves to have a great tan? Go ahead, raise your hand. And why not? Hollywood makes tanned skin appear attractive and healthy. But are the ways used to achieve that golden tan really healthy?Tanned skin is still sought after, especially by adolescent girls, and they continue to spend hours basking in the sun or laying in tanning beds, and this behavior is dangerous to their health.UVA & UVB RAYS: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?UVA RAYS - Long wave solar waves, 220-400 nanometers.UVA RAYS go through windows,…