YEY! Mario and Luigi arrived via UPS today while I was at lunch! I’m so super excited!

Also, my other concern about possibly needing to move my appointment up from Tuesday to tomorrow or Monday has been alleviated. I was worried that I would run out of insulin in my current pump the day before and have to waste a whole bunch of insulin by filling a new cartridge. As it turns out, with my decreased insulin requirements, I only average 36u per day. I have 177 units left in my pump now, so that should last 4.9 more days, which would have me lasting until a couple of hours before the appointment. (Unless I bolus by shot for my meals through the weekend. That alone will save about 15u per day). The only question now is whether the insulin will be good  that long. I guess if my bg’s start going up, I’ll switch it all out and only partially fill a new cartridge.

I am trying to resist the urge to go ahead and start on the new pump. I have already set up the pump settings to match my current ones, along with setting up the meter, all per the manual’s instructions (which I have read over and over again before the system got here… I’m such a geek!). I’m hoping that even though I have set it up and taken the batteries out, that it’ll still “remember” the settings. If not, that’s ok. I’ll just consider what I’ve done as a practice run!

The skins were supposed to arrive today as well, but they didn’t, so I’m guessing they’ll come tomorrow. I’ll keep you guys posted as things move along.

Take Care!

Sugabetic

No, not the British. The Ping system!

I just got off the phone with the rep from Animas. She has everything set up and it is scheduled to be here on Thursday afternoon! AWESOME! I’m so excited! I also ordered the skins for the meter and pump. I got a red one for the meter and a green one for the Ping (You know, the whole “Mario and Luigi” thing).

Also, I asked about the software and all for it so that I can download/upload everything to the computer for doctor appointments. I’ve heard it’s kind of crappy, but I guess I’ll know when it gets here and I play around with it a little bit.

Although my appointment is set for Aug 3rd, I’m debating on having it moved up. I really want it to be on the 3rd for sentimental reasons, but I also don’t know if my current cartridge has enough insulin to last me that long, and I don’t want to replace it only to waste an almost full cartridge the next day. Then again, I may just fill one with 100u and change out Sunday. I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.

I’ll definitely send and post pics when I get the Ping so be on the look out!

The week is finally here.

The week that I am expecting Mario and Luigi (The green Animas Ping pump and meter remote – with red skin, being ordered separately) to come. I am excited and looking forward to the call from the Animas rep that I have been speaking with to call and finalize everything. I am hoping that will be either today or tomorrow. That way, it will be shipped and should arrive either Wednesday or Thursday of this week. Heck, even Friday would be fine.

My appointment with my endo’s nurse (who will be training me) is set for Tuesday, Aug 3rd at 4:30pm. I am super, super, SUPER excited! I am re-reading the Ping manual (for the third time) and imagining my iPhone as the pump so as to familiarize my hands with the pump button placement and imagining in my head the screens that I’m “going” through. Yeah, seems over-the-top, but I hate going to be trained on something and looking like a total dumbhat and not know what to do, press, or go when she tells me. Maybe that would be a great idea. Pump training via iPhone app? Hmm…

I did get the supplies for the Ping in today. (You have to order those separately either through your distributer or Animas, and I went through the distributer.) One month supply of cartridges, SkinTack wipes and PINK (!) inset infusion sets are here waiting on their counterpart to come. I will keep you guys updated on everything when it happens.

I started not to submit my recipe since it’s so simple and I really didn’t have exact quantities of some things, but Cherise convinced me to do it and not chicken out. (HA! – chicken, omelet… anywaaaay…) So, here it is:

You will need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of Smart Balance butter
• 1 tablespoon of Milk
• Teaspoon Salt
• Teaspoon Pepper
• 4 Cherry Tomatoes
• Baby Spinach
• Small package of Goat Cheese
• Dried chopped Basil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salsa

First, set your oven broiler on high (Or about 375 if you have a temp control for that), and place a 12 inch pan on the stove top, turned on medium.

Then, take 4 of the tomatoes, cut them in half, and scoop out the middle “seedy” part. (You probably could leave this in and quarter the tomatoes, but I never have liked the middle of a tomato. I’m weird like that.) Then, take a few (maybe 5 or 6) leaves of baby Spinach, roll them up, and chop them to make little confetti pieces. Set these on a sheet pan, drizzle with EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), and sprinkle on the Spinach and dried basil.  Drizzle a little more EVOO, then place the pan on the middle rack of the oven or one slat up, but not directly under the broiler. They should be cooked and very soft within 5 minutes.

While the tomato/spinach mix is cooking, in a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and add salt and pepper (if you want, those are optional), and whisk together. Place the Smart balance butter in the middle of the pan and let it melt to grease the pan (Or you can use PAM instead if you would like). Then, pour your egg mixture in the center of the pan and let it flow to the sides on it’s own. This will push the remaining amount of butter up to the sides and help the side egg omelet not grip the pan. When the omelet looks more than half-cooked through but not done, if you have already removed the tomato/spinach mix, place the mix in a line down the center of the omelet. Sprinkle with about 1-2 tablespoon’s worth of goat cheese (it’s easier to scoop out of the package with a 1/8 tsp measuring spoon and place if you have one) and randomly scatter it on the omelet.

When it looks to be cooked through, take your spatula and flip one side (we’ll say the left side) over the middle, then flip the middle on to the right side to “roll” it like an omelet. Then, just scoot it on to a plate that you have ready to eat it off of. This is where you can cover it in salsa if you’d like or you could add it in the middle with the cheese and tomatoes.

I do not have the definite nutritional info for this, but what I’ve figured from Calorie King is 8.9g of carb per omelet, and this could very well serve 2 people (or just one if you’re hungry!)

This past week has been terrible. My glucose levels have suddenly decided to play nice with my insulin intake and are causing me to bottom out like a champ.

As I stated in my prior post, the lows are coming out of no where. There’s no rhyme or reason. I’m not pregnant. I haven’t upped my workouts. (Actually, due to a stolen card number, the gym hasn’t been able to get their money which in turn has had me out for this month, so all workouts have come to a halt.) Yeah, sure, it’s hotter outside, but I’m inside.. all day long. My sugars weren’t this bad when I went to the beach and was exercising and was outside most of the day in the heat. I have stayed in the 40mg/dl range so long that even the mid-100’s feels high to me.

My total basal insulin for the day has gone from 29u per day down to 21. That’s a whole 8 units less per day for basal insulin. Also, my total daily dose has gone from being anywhere between 50 – 60u per day down to the 30-40u range. The lows haven’t been as bad, but I’m able to catch them in the 70’s. I have also gone to a 1:9 IC ratio, up from the 1:8, which may still need to to up to my original 1:10.

It’s not that I don’t like taking tons less insulin per day. As a matter of fact, I’m quite happy about that. But, I must confess, it’s the not knowing part that’s bothering the heck out of me. What’s causing it? Why is it happening? Will everything suddenly go back to normal one day? Or is this my new d-management plan? Or am I seriously sick and don’t know it yet? Can ya tell I’m freakin’ out a little over here?? I really am scared out of my mind that something is wrong. I keep telling myself that there’s not, that this is just something new to get adjusted to.

I was having a conversation about it on Twitter the other day and a few people were kidding around with me wanting to know what snake-oil “cure” I had found and that I must share. Yeah, it was funny (especially since that was one of the topics of the Diabetes Social Media Advocacy chat last night), but it had me thinking. What if I were to be magically cured one day by something I had no control over and had no way of knowing what happened or how. To be honest, yes, I would be relieved, but I would feel guilty too. Why? Because there would be thousands of others, and a lot of them being my close friends, that would still be diabetic. They would still have the disease and I wouldn’t know what to do to help them feel the relief that I did, and that would kill me.

In my mind’s magical world, we would all be cured together. That way, no one person would still have D while someone else was cured, and so that one person who was cured wouldn’t feel bad for being cured before the other. But, then again, in my mind’s magical world, there wouldn’t be D anyway.

I hate basal testing. It sucks. But what I have come to realize is that, yes, it may suck, but it takes only a few days or even a week maybe. I’ll be diabetic for the rest of my life. What’s a few days of heck for good control compared to months of aggravation and possible long-term complications from wrong insulin dosages? So, I’m biting the bullet and doing a total revamp of my basal rates and bolus factors.

Why? Because I’m sick of the 40’s. No, not the decade… the mg/dl level. I even had it almost timed: 40’s at 4. It it was getting close to 4pm, you could almost bet and win the lottery that I was going to be in the 40’s or close to it.

So, today, I am starting with reprogramming basal rates. I pulled out my trusty ole “Pumping Insulin” book by John Walsh and went to Chapter 10 – the one where you can find out how to program basal rates if you are just starting out on a pump or having major issues with your current rates. I think multiple daily lows qualifies as major issues, don’t ya think?

According to his charts with my weight and current lifestyle, I am to be using about 50u/day. That’s no surprise to me, that’s what I’ve always taken, just not in the same ratios he suggests. So, I have redone basal rates (keeping my overnight basals the same since they pretty much are a flat line now) during the day to accommodate. My pump has been reprogrammed to 1.0u/hr from 8pm to 8am and 1.1u/hr from 8am-8pm. I need more during the day anyway, and my Accu-chek pump won’t let me use X.XX, only X.X rates, so I have to round up or down. That leaves me with a total daily basal of 25.2u. I feel that’s close enough to the 25u per day the book suggests.

My bolus calculations are at 1u/8g carb currently, and the book suggests 1:10. I was on a 1:10 before my last appointment, but Dr. C said it didn’t seem to be enough to bring me down after a meal, so he went to a 1:8, and I reluctantly agreed. The 1:8 does work better, but seems just a wee bit much, so I may up it to a 1:9 depending on what the basal testing shows.

Now, the only thing I have to keep up with is my correction dosages, which according to the book, should never be more than 8% of your total daily dose, which for me, would be 4u/day, which I barely use now, so that’s a good thing, I assume.

Granted, I know the book is just a book and not my endo and should never replace his advice. The book is purely reference material and I still need to do what’s right for MY body, but it is nice to have a starting point…. or a starting-over point.

Wish me luck!

Friday, my mom stopped my office. I since things weren’t busy, I thought I’d ask her a few questions about my diagnosis. We’ve never really discussed it before, mostly because one of us start crying and we’ll end the conversation.
But I really wanted to know a few things. My first question was about my glucose level at the time of diagnosis.

Mom- “We had taken you to Dr. B’s office because it seemed you had symptoms of strep throat, mainly drinking a lot of water and your throat was pink. So we went and he said it was irritated, but not enough to warrant strep. So he did a blood workup on you. Th next thing we heard was, ‘Yep, we got another one!’. The nurse down the hall had confirmed the diagnosis to your pediatrician.”

Me- “So there were others that day?”

Mom- “That week, yes. There were other children that had just been diagnosed in the hospital with you when you were there. I stayed with you most of the time, but your dad spent Thanksgiving with you there.” (There was a slight pause.) “I remember the church sent you a basket filled with different colored flowers arranged really nice. You saw it and your face lit up and you looked at me and said, “(gasp!) Mom! Look! They’re a rainbow! Just like God’s promise!”

We discussed a few other things, one being my glucose at the time (which was in the 400′s) but that one thing stuck with me. I couldn’t help but cry when my mom told me. My four-year-old self stated a powerful sentence that I would later need to hear again.

Diabetes sucks, no doubt. And, lately, for me, it’s been a pain in my rear with resistant lows every afternoon that simply refuse to give in for hours before coming into normal range. We face storms all the time, but every now and then, we get a little help from up above and the clouds break and we get a beautiful rainbow of relief to embrace us and let us know we can go on a little longer.