Thursday, December 31, 2009

Stereotypical Year In Review

I am not going to post a month by month recap of the boring events of my life. For one, you probably don't want to read it, and for two, I really don't want to relive some of the moments. But for the bad that 2009 brought, it certainly did bring some good. I had a fabulous internship last summer. I graduated from college. I started using Miss Pingy, the insulin pump, and Dexter the CGMS. And of course, I started blogging and joined the DOC.

I think that looking back is healthy, but I think that looking forward is more important. We can't change what happened in the past. It happened, it's over, regrets and worries only add stress to our lives. We can only look ahead and figure out what we plan on doing differently the next time. Next time, I'm going to own the world. I've got some exciting opportunities coming up this year. I have a new school to go to with a new major to pursue. I have an opportunity on the horizon for Big Things to happen in my professional life. I have never been closer to my boyfriend, and we will be having our 3 year anniversary this year. I can only hope and daydream about how that will turn out.

2010 will be a Big Year. It may be fantastic or it may be a disaster. The only thing we have to remember is that we shape our own destiny. Our choices shape who we become. I want to control my life this time. I want to succeed.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Early Resolutions.

I got a new Wii game.

First of all, my family got a Wii for Christmas to share. So I am not borrowing Davids Wii anymore. Chances are he'll move somewhere far away soon (:( ), meaning he'd take the Wii with him far away from me. Anyhow, that's not an issue anymore, because he got me a new game. 

Its called EA Sports Active, done by the EA people who do a lot of sports games for various video game systems. It is pretty intense, more intese than Wii Fit (which we are getting on January 8th). I have used it for 3 days now and so far I really like it. The "running" is supposed to be in place like the Wii Fit, but I didn't like that so I just move to the treadmill, which is in front of the TV anyway. I love this! I have been actually running on the treadmill, when before I never put the speed higher than a brisk walk.

My resolutions started a week early this year. I am still scared. I am scared of having a heart attack in my 30's. I want to do everything I can to avoid heart disease. I also want to get organized and do some growing up this year. I'm turning 23, I'm a college grad, and if everything works out I may be out of retail in the next few months.

I'm even starting school again, enrolling in a Nutrition/Dietetics program. That means that once completed, I can apply for my RD certification and then begin the process of becoming a Certified Diabetes Educator, something I have been feeling called to do since starting to take care of my self better.

Bring on 2010. I'm ready!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Sickness and no Dexcom sensors

I've been a little AWOL, spending time with my boyfriend, family, and friends and doing all the Christmas things that my family does each year, working the retail Christmas curcit and having a blast shopping with my friends. In this lovely progression of the season I managed to catch a cold from my brother.

Usually colds and flu don't mess with my blood sugar, but combine the cold with yummy holiday food and you have a recipe for 300+ blood glucose numbers.

I am also san dexcom. About a week ago I went to put in a new sensor and my two reserve sensors weren't where I left them. I have scowered my house and dispite my mother's objections, I have determined that they somehow got thrown away or so misplaced that they are unfindable (the black hole that eats socks somehow found a big fed ex box with sensors in it). So, I can't order new sensors until mid-January. Sans Dexcom, again.

The moral of the story is to put your sensors in a safe place, not against the wall in the living room in the fed ex box that could get mistaken for trash. Also, don't get sick during the holidays.

Another lesson I learned this week was to order pump supplies ahead of time. We'll see how that one pans out.

I hope you and yours had a safe and happy Christmas dispite the giant blizzard that swept most of the midwest, and that you have a safe and high BG free New Years Day.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmastime is here

I can't believe it's only three days until Christmas. It really snuck up on me this year. I am not even finished shopping yet. Between Graduation, which was Saturday, finishing up finals, and working 10-20 hours a week in retail on top of it all, I was really surprised yesterday when I realized Christmas was in five days and I had done almost no Christmas shopping. Luckily, my list isn't too long. I am going to exchange gifts with friends after Christmas, so I still have time to work on that. David and I decided to wait until we both had steady jobs to think about doing gifts. We may do something big for each other around Valentines day. I did buy him a rubix cube with KU stickers instead of the standard solid colors on it. Other than that, I just had my parents and my two brothers to shop for. My older-younger brother asked for a movie that I have been unable to find and may have to order on amazon and give him a homemade card to stand in as a gift til it comes in. That's what I get for waiting. Haha.

What I really wanted to write about is how much I let my diabetes care slide this time of year. It was my goal for my a1c to be below 7.5 by the time I visit my Endo on January 20. I was well aware I would have to muddle through Thanksgiving and Christmas before I got to that point, but I thought I could handle it. I seem to have overestimated myself. I forgot that with people coming home, and having more free time, that everyone would want to go out to eat. I forgot that in the winter, I crave meat and bread and potatoes. I forgot that my  house would be filled with homemade treats all month, thanks to my Pastor Dad and parishioners looking for cheap presents to show their appreciation for his hard work.

I forgot how hard it is to make it through the holiday season with D!


What do you do to keep yourself on the right track during the holiday season?

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Edumacated.

Just a quick note to announce to the world that I am officially finished with my college education. All I have to do now is enroll in one hour next semester ("independent study" for work I've already done) and fight with the registrar about one credit transferring. I should get my degree in the mail in June, but I get to walk this Saturday.

Excited.

Now that finals are over, I will resume the normal 2-5 posts a week schedule. I'm going to try to come up with a more firm posting schedule (like maybe MWF) and creative ways to come up with solid posts. I really want my blog to be personal and for me, but I also want it to help other people who happen upon it.

Off to conqur the world as a college grad

Til next time, DOCites

Monday, December 14, 2009

The Evil Chair

My one nemisis. One of the things that get me down.


This. Stupid. Chair.

I didn't mind this chair before. It was a nice chair, a pretty chair. But then Miss Pingy and I became best of friends. 

As you can see, it has lovely curly ques on the top that tubing loves LOVES to get caught in. Almost every time I walk by, my tubing catches.

Although, the one time I did rip it all the way out, it was the doorknob on the door to my room, not the chair.

I still loathe this chair.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Dexcom Furlough

Keep holding on, cause you know we'll make it through, make it through. Just stay strong, cause you know I'm here for you, here for you. ~Avril Lavigne 


Alright, so I know it's only been a week, but after NaBloPoMo, I feel as though I have been absent from the blog world forever. I would, however, like you, fair blog reader, to know that I am officially done with classes as of 8:10 this morning. That is, if I get all my papers done, pass all my finals, get transfer issues figured out, and pay all my (library) fines by next Friday.

Yesterday I downloaded info from my Dexcom 7 plus for the third time in the about three weeks that I have been using it. I was pleasantly surprised that despite my instincts, the pump and the dexcom are allowing me better control, my averages in the past 3 weeks have been 154. Wow! Going from averages in the 180s to the 150s in three weeks is pretty huge in my book. I'll have my A1c tested again in three and a half weeks, and I'm crossing my fingers for something in the vicinity of 7.0, although anything 7.5 or under would be fine with me.

Now, on to the furlough. Why furlough? A furlough is a vacation you take by force. My biggest complaint with Dexcom is that out of the five sensors I've had, three have failed. Three! My most recent failure happened this morning. I checked my bloodsugar and reached for my dex roboticly like I do every morning, and saw this: ???. I've seen the ???'s before. I usually get them just before a sensor failure. Sure enough, as I was still gazing at the sensor in my six AM stupor, it beeped at me. "Sensor Failure," complete with the familiar, cute, pixelated  picture of the sensor inserter.

My new month's order of sensors won't get here til Tuesday. I can (and will) call and get this and the other failed sensors replaced, but they won't make it til Tuesday either, most likely. Therefore, I am on Dexcom furlough. Vacationing from my sensor before I am ready. Not being "paid" with the information I so value and had a blast playing with last night (the software is pretty great).

So here I am, on sensor furlough the weekend before finals. Not the best timing, Dex! But it's ok. I'll survive the old fashioned way - with 15-20 finger sticks a day.

(well, maybe ten).

EDIT: Post-posting this post, I received an email from my Dexcom rep saying they were overnighting me a sensor. She had read my blog. Creepy, Dexcom, but not unexpected. Dexcom really takes care of their customers, and that is one reason I chose Dexcom over another CGMS company. 

So I will have a sensor for finals week! HURRAY! 

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Baby Steps...

I don't know what it is, but you got to do it. I don't know where to go, but you got to be there. I don't know where to fall, but I know that's it's comfortable where I don't know where it is. ~Rufus Wainright

After a 2 day break from blogging, I'm ready to resume my regular intermittent posting. I am immersed in my last three weeks of classes before I get my first bachelors (I graduate 2 weeks from Saturday, provided a bunch of stuff gets done and falls into place, I can't believe it!), so this post is just to let you know that until December 19th, posting will be, well, intermittent.

Yesterday I met with my Certified Diabetes Educator, and my Physician's Assistant. While I've had my issues with my CDE, I continue to see her just because I prefer having a CDE who is connected to my Endocrinologist, because they know how the other will react to changes in treatment as well as have an open line of communication, being that they're in the same office. However, CDE's approach to diabetes education has left me speechless and hopeless at times. I wish she knew better what it felt like to have diabetes. This is one of the reasons I've decided to seek a second bachelor's  degree in nutrition and become a CDE myself.

Anyway, I digress. I had never seen the Physician's Assistant before, and she was awesome! I only met with her briefly, but she was very informative and encouraging. I was frustrated that my averages were still high and that the graph Dex handed out to me yesterday morning was still seemingly all over the place, but they promised me I was making progress and encouraged me to take baby steps to meet my goal of an A1c below 7.

Baby Steps are very hard for me. It's why I've struggled with D, why I've struggled with school, and why I've struggled with my weight. I want instant results. Immediate results. Large results. But one lesson I'm learning is that that doesn't happen with Diabetes. Or life. Or anything. Haha...

So baby steps it is. I'm taking baby steps in my diabetes control, starting with attempting to not adjust my basal rates for one week after tweaking them. We tweaked them yesterday at the doctor's office, and I was required by the CDE and PhA to LEAVE THEM AT LEAST TIL NEXT WEDNESDAY. As well as call them with any changes I make at this time. This is also hard. I like being in control of my own disease and didn't feel as though this was necessary. However, they were able to see more clearly and make better adjustments then I would have at the appointment yesterday, therefore winning my trust, for now.

The next issue to tackle is weight. I gained 5 lbs since my last Endo appointment in September, putting me at my heaviest ever. My goal is overall health, not weight. I did get a week pass to the gym my dad is a member of and plan on using every day of that week to kick start my workout routine. I also may ask for a membership for Christmas, or see if it's covered by my insurance as preventative care. But that's not a baby step. 7 days of working out after 1-2 days a week since I stopped playing sports is NOT a baby step. But the baby step I am taking toward overall health is to try and get more regular rest. Right now I have trouble falling asleep before 2 or 3 am. My goal for the next couple weeks is to lay down, no computer, no book, no cell phone, at midnight (provided my studying for finals is done!), and lay there, hopefully convincing my body that it wants to sleep before 2am.

So here I go, posting goals on my blog again. This is what I mean about this blog being for myself. I enjoy having readers, few as there are, because you guys keep me accountable. And you put up with long rambling posts like this one (very much love you for that).

As much as I'd like to go on, this is forever long and I have to get back to school work. Peace.

(Oh and, Happy December. One of the most exciting months of the year. I LOVE IT).

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