Lately I've just been off. I was very happy about going to goalie camp, and enjoyed my three days of ice time and goalie friends, but now I've become very 'bleh' again.
Yesterday it was particularly apparent because Sunday night I felt like throwing up, so I didn't take my meds... My anti-depressant makes me nauseous on occasion, and I didn't want to chance it. So it was pretty obvious to my mom yesterday that I hadn't taken it.
Besides currently lacking enthusiasm for pretty much anything, I haven't done much. Or rather due to not feeling like doing anything, I haven't done anything. HP7 was awesome, saw it on Sunday.
What I was supposed to/am trying to accomplish is not happening, so I'm wasting time. Pretty [not] awesome, but I just don't feel like it today.
Next week I will be gone, so there won't be any posts... Maybe one when I come back, hopefully more excited about stuff in general. There will be fudge... Fudge is always good.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
One Thing
For all of you out there with diabetes, I've got a question. It's important. I will explain.
I am working on my Girl Scout Gold Award project. It's the highest award you can get in Girl Scouts and it looks nice and shiny. For it I am doing diabetes advocacy. I want to get everything we PWDs want everybody who knows nothing about diabetes to know. My goal is to end ignorance of d (pretty ambitious I know).
Anyway, my question to you is: What is/are your top 1/2/5 things that you want people with no connection to D to know/understand? If you had to pick one thing that the general public would know about your D, what would it be?
I'm going to make some powerpoints and such and put together some program things for different age groups and do some presentations and stuff (code for I haven't written all this down yet officially). Working with my school district and girl scouts and the JDRF chapter. Good stuff will happen.
Other random thoughts...
I am going to get around to recording a YCDO video sometime... I really like yogurt covered raisins... We're cleaning all the screens today (hence "Brother walks by with a screen door and says 'I've got a screen door!' #hadtobethere")...
 |
| Shiny! |
Anyway, my question to you is: What is/are your top 1/2/5 things that you want people with no connection to D to know/understand? If you had to pick one thing that the general public would know about your D, what would it be?
I'm going to make some powerpoints and such and put together some program things for different age groups and do some presentations and stuff (code for I haven't written all this down yet officially). Working with my school district and girl scouts and the JDRF chapter. Good stuff will happen.
Other random thoughts...
I am going to get around to recording a YCDO video sometime... I really like yogurt covered raisins... We're cleaning all the screens today (hence "Brother walks by with a screen door and says 'I've got a screen door!' #hadtobethere")...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
July DSMA Blog Carnival - D-Tech
I was going to write about the insanity that was my first ever #dsma TweetChat but I will save that for later (tomorrow?).
So the question is: What improvements or adjustments would you make to current [diabetes] technology?
Being that I have both a pump and a CGM, I feel very qualified to answer this question. Oh wait, it's not a college scholarship essay! :P
Anyway, I always explain to people that what I want to do in life is duct tape my pump and CGM together and put them inside of me. The essential closed-loop artifical pancreas and such. I don't really want to ramble on about that because that idea is pretty obvious. Plus it doesn't actually exist yet.
With my Dex, the list of things is short but obvious - smaller receiver, get rid of the rechargeable battery and just use AA's or something, make the backlight optional (with another button), and maybe waterproof.
I guess my 'ultimate Dex' would be about the size of a cruddy pay-as-you-go cell phone.
Mkay. So that big, nice not-color LCD (or color if you feel like it), I guess it still has a rechargeable battery, but this one lasts much longer than 3-5 days (urgh). Wouldn't be impossible to waterproof. Might make it more prone to being stolen, since it'd look more like a cell phone.
On to the pump. Right now I've got a Minimed 722, although I am going to get the Vibe as soon as it comes out, and hopefully it will conveniently coincide with my warranty ending on this pump.
So complaints about the Minimed; proprietary cartridge connections are dumb. Go open source with Luer locks. Your CGM sucks, just gonna say it. Waterproofing would be nice, so I don't have to freak out about being thrown into a pool or something (see Jay Cutler). And your link meter needs a backlight.
I'd like to see the glucagon/insulin combo in a pump, and maybe have a pump with two types of insulin for whatever, or just 2 cartridges for gluc or Symilin or whatever.
A lancet thing that changes the lancet for you more than twice a year.
This kind of turned into 'complain about your nice medical devices that you're lucky to have because you have good health insurance'... So cheaper supplies for all, and end the bureaucracy of the FDA? I know it's not just them... A story I guess.
I really wanted a DexCom for a while. I printed out the stuff I needed to fill out and filled it out. Talked to the endo about getting it. Was a goal of mine (along with a 6.something a1c). So Dex gets the insurance sorted out and gets the sensors from our supplier and stuff. Get the FedEx'ed box delivered to the door even though they said they needed an adult to sign for it. [Sensors were a different story. They showed up in the mail in a cruddy box, on a day that it was near the upper end of their 'safe storage temp'... Not a fan of the current people, although I hear being on hold is better because you don't have to listen to catheter advertisments].
I digress. The point of that was to say that our out of pocket cost for the Dex itself was $60. Well within reach of anybody who really wants or needs it. Sensors are kind of expensive, but if the Dex costs $60 after the insurance company, why does it have a 'MSRP' of $600, why do people buying it themselves have to pay $600 for it? Same goes with pumps, for a list price $5,000 pump we pay like $500 for it. Just having insurance makes the price less, and I don't get that. If I were to buy a box of IV prep wipes off the shelf, they're like $7. Because of my insurance, they'd cost $4 or so before anybody pays anything. Then we have to pay like 0.40 for them.
Yep, long-winded, and I've lost my train of thought. I guess my main wish is for d-tech to cost less for everybody.
This post is my July entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2011/july-dsma-blog-carnival/
So the question is: What improvements or adjustments would you make to current [diabetes] technology?
Being that I have both a pump and a CGM, I feel very qualified to answer this question. Oh wait, it's not a college scholarship essay! :P
Anyway, I always explain to people that what I want to do in life is duct tape my pump and CGM together and put them inside of me. The essential closed-loop artifical pancreas and such. I don't really want to ramble on about that because that idea is pretty obvious. Plus it doesn't actually exist yet.
With my Dex, the list of things is short but obvious - smaller receiver, get rid of the rechargeable battery and just use AA's or something, make the backlight optional (with another button), and maybe waterproof.
I guess my 'ultimate Dex' would be about the size of a cruddy pay-as-you-go cell phone.
 | |
| This is my cruddy pay-as-you-go phone, except it's on a plan. Go figure. |
On to the pump. Right now I've got a Minimed 722, although I am going to get the Vibe as soon as it comes out, and hopefully it will conveniently coincide with my warranty ending on this pump.
So complaints about the Minimed; proprietary cartridge connections are dumb. Go open source with Luer locks. Your CGM sucks, just gonna say it. Waterproofing would be nice, so I don't have to freak out about being thrown into a pool or something (see Jay Cutler). And your link meter needs a backlight.
I'd like to see the glucagon/insulin combo in a pump, and maybe have a pump with two types of insulin for whatever, or just 2 cartridges for gluc or Symilin or whatever.
A lancet thing that changes the lancet for you more than twice a year.
This kind of turned into 'complain about your nice medical devices that you're lucky to have because you have good health insurance'... So cheaper supplies for all, and end the bureaucracy of the FDA? I know it's not just them... A story I guess.
I really wanted a DexCom for a while. I printed out the stuff I needed to fill out and filled it out. Talked to the endo about getting it. Was a goal of mine (along with a 6.something a1c). So Dex gets the insurance sorted out and gets the sensors from our supplier and stuff. Get the FedEx'ed box delivered to the door even though they said they needed an adult to sign for it. [Sensors were a different story. They showed up in the mail in a cruddy box, on a day that it was near the upper end of their 'safe storage temp'... Not a fan of the current people, although I hear being on hold is better because you don't have to listen to catheter advertisments].
I digress. The point of that was to say that our out of pocket cost for the Dex itself was $60. Well within reach of anybody who really wants or needs it. Sensors are kind of expensive, but if the Dex costs $60 after the insurance company, why does it have a 'MSRP' of $600, why do people buying it themselves have to pay $600 for it? Same goes with pumps, for a list price $5,000 pump we pay like $500 for it. Just having insurance makes the price less, and I don't get that. If I were to buy a box of IV prep wipes off the shelf, they're like $7. Because of my insurance, they'd cost $4 or so before anybody pays anything. Then we have to pay like 0.40 for them.
Yep, long-winded, and I've lost my train of thought. I guess my main wish is for d-tech to cost less for everybody.
This post is my July entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2011/july-dsma-blog-carnival/
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Yesterday's Epiphany
Yesterday my pump was pretty much out of insulin, so obviously I was going to change it. (Actually might have been Monday. No, it wasn't.) I had already put my DexCom in my stomach (which I hate a lot - it's too big to lay on comfortably) so I figured I should probably put it in my other arm. I filled the cartridge, got the tubing all set, then got the IV prep wipe out and wiped down my right arm. I kind of forgot that I really need another person to do this properly, especially since I'm right handed. It's not complicated, they just have to peel off the sticky thing and hold it down while I pull the needle out. My brother's even done it before. But when you only have one hand... Kind of hard.
It was rather interesting. I put the needle in (Inset 30 btw) and realized I can't use my right hand at all in this situation... Crap. So I sort of slid over to the fridge and used the handle to hold the applicator (what is that thing called? inserter!) while I used my left hand to peel off the first bit of adhesive. That worked, but I didn't get it stuck down quite enough, although I got the needle out and the set on. Was pretty entertaining, although nobody else was about to see it.
So lesson learned: don't try to put sets in your arm by yourself, at least not Inset 30s; I think the other insets are really a one-hand deal, in my mind they're like the dexcom sensor, which I can put in my arm with one hand. Those things rock!
It was rather interesting. I put the needle in (Inset 30 btw) and realized I can't use my right hand at all in this situation... Crap. So I sort of slid over to the fridge and used the handle to hold the applicator (what is that thing called? inserter!) while I used my left hand to peel off the first bit of adhesive. That worked, but I didn't get it stuck down quite enough, although I got the needle out and the set on. Was pretty entertaining, although nobody else was about to see it.
So lesson learned: don't try to put sets in your arm by yourself, at least not Inset 30s; I think the other insets are really a one-hand deal, in my mind they're like the dexcom sensor, which I can put in my arm with one hand. Those things rock!
Today is a day!
It is now about lunchtime as I write this, and since the Dex says 138, I think I'm just hungry and not low. Which is pretty good considering I messed with my basal (last week) and it's still not working right. I'm blaming the pump because it doesn't have Animas' really small basal change thingies... I want a Vibe so much, but they're not here yet. Yet being the key word, and also that I don't need a new one until December.
I now have a Twitter account, @jackiesgotd. I will do my best to share stuff and such with that, although I'm not much of a Twitter nerd, I like Facebook better.
In other news I am attempting an interesting project in my backyard - a forge. I'm not sure how well it will go or if it will even work, but if it doesn't we've then got a nice little oven for cooking stuff I guess.
I now have a Twitter account, @jackiesgotd. I will do my best to share stuff and such with that, although I'm not much of a Twitter nerd, I like Facebook better.
In other news I am attempting an interesting project in my backyard - a forge. I'm not sure how well it will go or if it will even work, but if it doesn't we've then got a nice little oven for cooking stuff I guess.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Oh my. The inevitable first post.
I suppose I should introduce myself and give my objectives and all that sort of thing. I don't feel like it, if you want to know that stuff go to the About Me page.
Although I shall introduce you to my motives. I am sort of working on my Gold Award project. This is my 'first step' and hopefully it will bring me some motivation. It is the highest award you can earn as a Girl Scout, and I am planning on linking mine with diabetes advocacy.
Currently I lack a topic to speak/write any more on so I'll stop here.
Although I shall introduce you to my motives. I am sort of working on my Gold Award project. This is my 'first step' and hopefully it will bring me some motivation. It is the highest award you can earn as a Girl Scout, and I am planning on linking mine with diabetes advocacy.
Currently I lack a topic to speak/write any more on so I'll stop here.
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