Thursday, September 30, 2010

Number Four

Matt is my partner, my best friend, my love.  He was there for me when I got my first insulin pump 10 years ago.  He'll get up in the middle of the night to get me glasses of juice when I'm low, water when I'm high.  He doesn't have diabetes, but he's worthy of praise on this here diabetes blog.  We have great adventures together.  Maybe one day we'll have some kids--but that's another post for another time.

In 2006, I decided to start this blog about two months before my wedding.  Many of you have been reading since I was first married.  Today is the four-year mark.  The traditional fourth anniversary gift is apparently Fruit and/or Flowers, according to one list I read online.  The "modern" gift is appliances.  I've decided there are two gifts for Matt that fit under these desciptions:  A Roncomatic Food Dehydrator and a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer.  Which anniversary is the "As Seen on TV" gift anniversary? 

Honestly, have you ever looked at this list of traditional and modern anniversary gifts?  Who comes up with this stuff?  And does anybody really care?  I certainly don't.

Happy anniversary, Matt!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Free Verse Friday: The Mentor

Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz has been a friend of mine since I was 17. At the time, I was one of only 10 teenage fiction writers selected from all of Pennsylvania to attend the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts. Sure, this in itself was a huge deal, but little did I know that when I spent most of my summer focusing on crafting short stories, I would also fall in love with what seemed to be the mysterious world of slam poetry.

Ever since then, Cristin has been this kickass, super-cool older sister but WAY better than that figure in my life. And her writing still makes me think, and of course, makes me laugh. I'm not talking giggles here. I am talking make-your-face-hurt laughter. I only laugh equally hard when I'm watching the Muppets. And yes, that is true too.

Cristin has had the fortune this year to get a fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, so now instead of living up in New York, she's practically around the corner in downtown Philadelphia. I will be having dinner with her and various other poet friends of mine tonight before the slam! I am so, so excited.

So this is almost 7 minutes long. But hey, she's an amazing performer, and she's one of my influences. With that, I give you a YouTube clip:

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

A Diabetes Meme (Thanks, Kerri!)

Having a lazy day and still thinking big starry-eyed thoughts of a new job, it seems like a lovely day for a meme instead of a full-on blog post.  Thankfully, Kerri came to the rescue this morning with her diabetes meme, so here are my answers:  

What type of diabetes do you have:  Type 1 

When were you diagnosed:  Sometime after July 4, 1990.  Talking to my mother recently, we realized neither of us remembers the exact date.  We both remember that my grandparents had gone on their usual summer fishing trip to Canada, and that they came back when they got the news, so it means it was sometime after the 4th of July. 

What's your current blood sugar:  My last test was 106 mg/dl, about two-and-a-half hours ago.  An hour and a half before that I was 78 mg/dl, and of course, I ended up feeling equally low for both, even though a 106 shouldn't phase me.  Ugh.

What kind of meter do you use:  One Touch Ultra Mini, although recently I got to play with a Bayer Contour USB.  More on that  hopefully sometime this week.

How many times a day do you test your blood sugar:  I strive for five, but four has been the daily goal lately.  Say what you will about that, but I am trying to rebuild good testing habits after a serious case of burnout.

What's a "high" number for you:  I tend to run high a lot, hence the re-evaluation of my current management, but I'd say anything over 250 mg/dl, I really feel the highs.

What's do you consider "low":  I usually correct for anything lower than 85 mg/dl, because that's when I start feeling bad.

What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater:  I'll usually drink whatever regular juice we have around the house, but on the run, I usually chomp some glucose tabs.  I prefer orange or grape, but I've been known to enjoy the fruit punch kind as well.  They are kind of like giant Smarties.  I've given some to non-diabetic friends to prove it.

Describe your dream endo:  Compassionate, attentive, non-judgmental, easy to reach by phone.  Preferably one whose office remembers to make reminder calls so you don't miss appointments.  (Glaring at my current endo's office staff here...)

What's your biggest diabetes achievement:  Becoming more involved in advocating for people with diabetes.  I was so proud of myself for conceiving and operating an information table at World Diabetes Day in Philadelphia last year, even if it ended up not being located in the most visible area. 

What's your biggest diabetes-related fear:  It's really the big 3 that are one big fear: blindness, kidney failure and the potential to die young.  I try to always keep it light, but let's face it, diabetes has the potential to be pretty damned scary.

Who's on your support team:  My husband, my family, an amazing couple of CDEs, and my wonderful beloved friends. 

Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime:  I don't know.  The old adage I've always heard is "but we'll be cured in 10 years."  I've been diabetic for 20, and there's still no cure.  They also promised us glucose tests that are non-invasive.  I'd love to see a CGMS that doesn't require such constant calibration and is highly accurate.  The best hopes I have right now are for some kind of closed loop system, something that makes regulating your own diabetes easier, with less math and guessing.

What is a "cure" to you:  A cure could be a fully functional pancreas, or something that works just as well as a fully functional pancreas.  I'm already relatively cybernetic as it is, so what's one more machine to fix me?

The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is:  "Should you be eating that?" "You must have the really bad kind if you need a pump."  "So-and-so had a pump and she was a brittle diabetic, too." (I'm not.)  "Oh, you poor thing."  (Don't pity me.  I'm just trying to live my life!)

What is the most common misconception about diabetes:  That diabetics can't eat any sugar at all, ever, or we'll go into sugar shock and DIE.

If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be:  "What kind of lazy ass retires after only 8 years of working?!"

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

I Give a Hoot.

Random factoid: the post popular Google search that has gotten people to my blog in recent days?  "Lollipop Owl".

All because I made this silly post about the number of carbs in a Tootsie Pop.

How many clicks does it take to get to some randomly fun postings on Dorkabetic?  One, two-hoo, three.  *CRUNCH*

The world may never know.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Diabetes Art Day 2010

As many of you know, the fabulous Lee Ann Thill of The Butter Compartment has deemed today, September 1st, Diabetes Art Day!  Here is my contribution, which honestly, I did not create exclusively for Diabetes Art Day.  I made this on World Diabetes Day last year in the company of Miss Lee Ann herself at the WDD Philadelphia event held at Temple University's School of Podiatric Medicine.  However, I have not looked at it since then.  Looking at it now, with new eyes, I realize I have some decent drawing skills!  It's called "Sin City", and it's a portrait of delicious, "forbidden" carby snacks!



I am particularly proud of the cupcake specifically.  That cherry looks downright edible.  I am aware that the proportions of the whole drawing may not be proper, but that's not the point.



Here's another view of the art itself.  Materials used are white and blue construction paper (or perhaps it's white drawing paper?  It seemed to be nice stuff!) and Crayola markers.  Happy Diabetes Art Day, everyone!  I can't wait to see what you came up with!