What excites me

Every so often, we get a glimpse of what may be on the horizon.  The things that researchers are working on, that might — someday — have the potential to possibly improve the lives of people with diabetes.

I used to get excited over every little bit of news.  Everything new.  But then something changed. Perhaps I’ve become cynical. Or fearful. Or pessimistic.

Some of these new developments just don’t excite me anymore. Yet others do.

For instance:

 

The Artificial/Bionic/Bi-Hormonal Pancreas. In all its iterations…

Eggsceedingly frustrating

I’ve been having a really hard time controlling my afternoon blood sugars lately.

On Monday, during lunch, I decided I might have some luck if I do it low-carb.  Eggs have always been good for me – they are filling, and when it comes to blood sugars, they are predictable.

So when I went to the cafe downstairs at my office to order my lunch, I asked for a cheese-and-veggie omelette, expecting I’d have a good afternoon. I declined the toast that normally accompanies the meal (still being Passover, bread and bread-related products are off-limits anyway).

Well, no such luck. The simple combination of eggs, cheddar cheese, mushrooms, peppers, and onions sent my BG up high. Four hours (and several correction/rage boluses later), I’m still waiting to recover.

One to grow on

Image via Wikimedia Commons user Fir0002, used under Creative Commons license

Pump supplies and CGM sensors should be like candles on a birthday cake.

There should always be one extra, looking towards the future.

For my ninety-day pump trial (disclosure), I was given exactly three boxes (total 15) of Enlite sensors and three boxes (15) of Mio infusion sets. The infusion sets last three days, the sensors last six.

At least that’s how they see it.

Understand that the they I refer to isn’t Medtronic and the trial sponsors — they’re offering these supplies for free and I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. It’s the whole healthcare “system” at large. The one that thinks straight math solves everything, and the “what-if” contingencies only take effect if we make allowances for them.

Trashed

My “current” vial of insulin gets stored, wrapped in a paper towel, stuffed in a Ziploc snack-sized bag, and tucked in my emergency/all-purpose pencil-case diabetes travel bag.

That way, it’s always with me, my emergency-supply stays current and unexpired, and it doesn’t shatter if the bag gets smacked around a bit (as it’s prone to do.)

On Saturday morning, I did a combo infusion set/sensor change. With all the trash this process generated (incidentally, Enlite and Mio are the #1 and #2 offenders, respectively, when it comes to destroying the planet), I must have swept my one-quarter-full vial of Novolog in the wastebucket along with all of the other stuff..

I just realized this on Sunday night. That vial is probably sitting out in the can by the curb, nestled comfortably between some eggshells, dryer lint,  and dirty diapers. And unfortunately, that’s where it will stay.

Hopefully, my insurance company will understand.

Minion suspend

I was lying next to my son Jay (the older one, age seven), reading him a story before bed. My blood sugar was already on the low side, and I had chomped a couple of glucose tablets and set my temporary basal to zero just a few minutes before. The CGM read sixty-six. My preset threshold is sixty-five. I didn’t want it to happen.

But in the middle of a paragraph about whitewater rafting through Australia, it did.