Did you know?

Did you know, that it is extremely helpful to put insulin in the cartridge when doing a site change? That air will not prime the tubing?
This is a lesson I learned at 2am last night.

On a lighter note...

I got three exams back today.
All I can say it, FINALLY all of my hard work is starting to pay off.
physiology: The hardest of all my classes, in which most people want to die: I got 93%!!!!!!!!!! Words can not express how happy this makes me.
Sociology: I didn't study too much for this, because it was the day after Phys, and I just didn't care anymore: 88%
Psychology: 92%. Only 2 people in all of my professors classes did better than I did. I rock.
That is the bulletin of the day.
More doom and gloom tomorrow. :-)

A very long rant.

I had such a bad week last week. If something could go wrong diabetes wise, it did.
Last Friday, I had a bad site. I ended up skipping a class because I felt so horrible. My highs don't usually affect me as badly as they did that day. I couldn't eat most of the day because of horrible ketones, so it was almost 2pm before I ate anything. That started me down a vicious cycle. I couldn't eat because I didn't feel good, so I started getting starvation ketones, which made me feel worse, which makes me not want to eat...... I finally forced down some applesauce just to get some carbs and more insulin into my system.
I had the weekend to recover.
Monday morning. I wake up having to go to the bathroom SOO bad. While I'm in the bathroom, my pump starts to SIREN. I don't know if anyone has ever heard the Cozmo siren, but its loud. Sadly, my roommate wasn't up before then, but she certainly was after! The screen said that the battery was dead. There was no low battery alarm, and I had changed it last week. Of course, I was out of new batteries. I took the old battery out so the thing would SHUT UP, threw some clothes on, and went to the bookstore to get more batteries. After I put them into the pump, it seemed to work OK, but this was the second time this had happened to that pump. I was not letting it go. I called Deltec and got the nicest woman. She agreed I needed a whole new pump. When she asked what color I had, I told her gray but then asked if I could have another color. I had to quickly make up my mine. I said blue on an impulse. After checking to make sure they had new blue pumps (she didn't want me to have a refurbished one) she said I could have it!! That made me really happy!!! No more boring gray! After I got my old pump working, I checked myself. I'm high, of course. I debated whether to go on shots or not. I decided I didn't really need to. I gave the bolus. Halfway through I got my favorite (sarcasm) alarm. Blockage Detected!! Oh joy! On top of everything else, I got to do a site change too!
Tuesday: New pump arrives. Not a major deal, I just had to take the time to program it. But that too takes time, time that I did not really have.
Wednesday: While sleeping, I started having the strangest dream. In it, I was rushing trying to get ready, and my pump just wouldn't stop beeping or vibrating, no matter what I did! Finally, I woke up to another blockage. Grrr. Another site change! As if waking up over 300 or 400 twice in the past week wasn't enough!
Thursday night: I woke up feeling low. I was 40. I don't know if it was because I was so tired, or so low, but I couldn't stay awake. I kept falling asleep while I was eating. All of my food is right next to my bed, so I don't have to get out of bed when I'm low. I must have had 3 or 4 granola bars, a couple of packages of fruit snacks and a bottle of juice. When I woke up the next morning, I was only 294. With that many carbs, I should have been much, much higher. It was a scary experience, one I don't want to repeat.
Last night: Check at 11:30, 383. Crap. Bolus the correction. Check an hour later. 150. CRAP!!!! Now I want to come down fast as much as the next diabetic, but I had lots and lots of IOB. I did not know what to do. I finally decided to shut my basal off for 3 hours, and to set my alarm for an hour later. For once in my life, I made the right decision. I went up to 160, and never dropped below that.
So that is a synopsis of all the crap that has been going on lately. Surprisingly, I didn't want to get rid of my pump. I just didn't want to be diabetic anymore! I am so sick of all the crap!

October 1st.

Does that date mean anything to you?

Probably not.

But it means a heck of a lot to me.

October 1st is the date my application for the nursing department is due. Just sitting here typing about it is clenching my stomach into knots. I know that I will spend the next few months worrying. November 6th is when registration for classes begin, so I will know by then.

I am so dang nervous, I can't even think about working on my homework right now. Homework that is so important. It is important, so that I can learn the material and do well in my classes. If I do well in my classes, I might get into the nursing program. But I am so worried about getting into the nursing program, that I can't do my homework. I'm in a little bit of a pickle.

UGH! Do you know how much this stinks? I KNOW what I want to do for the rest of my life. I am very blessed for that reason. What stinks is that I CAN'T DO IT! I have been amazed at the number of people the last 5-6 months, that have told me, not knowing my dreams, that I should be a nurse. The only people that don't seem to think I'm good enough are the only people that really matter: the nursing board.

I could really use some thoughts and prayers. Starting October 1st (and probably before) I'm going to be a nervous wreck. If I don't get into the program this time, I have some major, major life decisions to make, and they are not going to be easy or pleasant.

Life has been so crazy lately. I moved back to school a couple of weeks ago, and the transition has been harder than I thought it would be. On top of that (or maybe because of that) my blood sugars have been terrible. One of these days I'll get around to writing them all down and trying to figure out if there is any real trend.
In the mean time, I'm doing my best to make sure everyone in my classes think I'm a drug addict.
The other day I had a bad site, and flew up to 450. Sadly, this was during the middle of class. I wrote on a page in my notebook "I'm really high!" I showed it to my friend before I left class to change my site. That page was the same one I wrote out my part of a group presentation. At the next class, I gave my notebook to another group member to read over. When she handed it back, she gave me kind of a weird look, but didn't say anything. It wasn't until later that I realized what was written on the notebook, and why she gave me a weird look.
Case #2. Physiology class. I was digging around in my backpack before class, trying to find a pen. I felt something thin and round. I pulled it out. Nope! It wasn't a pen, it was a syringe. Whoops. No idea how many people saw in that class, but it gave me a good laugh.
In other news, the JDRF walk is going well. People who have never donated before are giving large amounts, like $100. The bad news, people who usually donate haven't gotten back to me. People like my brothers. That is always a sticky situation. I would like them to donate. In the past they've donated. But, what it they don't want to this year? I don't want to bug them about it, and make them feel pressured. Hopefully they people will start sending in their checks so I don't have to make those awkward phone calls.
Back to the never ending world of homework!

**A HUGE thank you to Tiffany at the Diabetes OC, and Candid Diabetes for fixing my Diabetes OC Navigation Bar. It works!**

In what kind of f-ing world does my blood sugar RISE 200 points after exercise????
There was no rebound.
Grrr.
*More later, just a quick rant before I go to bed.*

JDRF walk

I need some help creating a letter to send to my relatives to raise money for the JDRF walk. Can you all give me some input?

Dear
October 3, 1988.
That date was my Grandpa and Grandma Root’s wedding anniversary. It is also the date I was diagnosed with type one diabetes. That was 18 years ago. Today, my pancreas still does not produce insulin. Until a cure is found, I will wear my insulin pump 24 hours a day. To make sure I’m getting the right amount of insulin, I have to check my blood sugar six to ten times a day. Insulin keeps me alive, plain and simple. Insulin is not a cure for diabetes. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for me and the 3 million other people with type one diabetes. That’s why I will be walking on September 16 at Holland State Park for the tenth year. A cure is out there, and JDRF will find it!
Will you consider helping them make my dream of a cure come true?
Thank you for your continued support!

To donate online, or by credit card, please visit:
www.tiny.cc/jgrasman



It needs some help, and I know it, but what does it need?

Tiny Bubbles...

Since the OC so accurately predicted that I was going to be sick (and I was) I have another problem.
What is it?
Bubbles.
Lots and lots of bubbles.
Unlike the song, these bubbles are not making me feel happy or feel fine.
They are in the cartridge. In the tubing. They are killing me. This has never been a problem before. Now all of a sudden, when I fill the cartridge, there are foamy bubbles. When I change my site, there are huge bubbles. Once in a while, I notice bubbles in the tubing. Long ones. Several units long. It takes a lot of insulin to get rid of them.
So, I'm coming to the experts. How do you prevent bubbles? How do you get rid of them? Should I be pulling the cartridge out daily to check for them?
Thanks!

There is a special guessing game I play a couple of times a year.
It centers around one question.
Am I high because I'm sick, or am I sick because I'm high?
I am going through that debate right now. I have been in the 200's for the past couple of days, and now in the 300's. I've changed my site, and I will change it again tonight. I have a sore throat, confusion and fatigue. All could mean my sugar is high. All could also mean I am getting sick. So how do I find out? Anyone have any good ideas, or is time the only remedy?

~Camp synopsis coming soon.
~T minus 18 days until I move back to school

IT'S OVER

I have 300 beautiful, fully paid for freestyle flash test strips sitting in my supply tub. I also have 6 vials of humalog insulin sitting in my fridge. Also, completely paid for. And not by me. BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY!!!
THE FIRST TIME!!! HURRAY!! IT"S OVER!!!

Camp

It's that time again! Camp time!
I first went to Camp MIDICHA 10 years ago.
It was the first time I truly realized that there were other diabetics in the world. Not just other adults, like my grandpa, but other kids! It was the first time I realized that I wasn't the only one who had vision changes with blood sugar changes. I wasn't the only one!
I went to midicha as a camper for 7 years, then became a CIT (counselor in training) and then a counselor. I wanted to be like all of the great counselors I had over the years.
I was sorely disappointed. My very first session, there were 4 other counselors in one cabin. Not fun. We stepped on each others toes all the time. The campers quickly learned that if one of us said no, they should just go to another one. It took us a while to get our act together. The second session of that year was even worse. I only had one co-counselor, like normal. Her name was Lisa and she was from Spain. Lisa seemed nice enough at first. Then she started disappearing. At first she said she had to have allergy shots. Every day. Riiight. Then, those half hour disappearance became several hours. Then she started telling me I was doing all the diabetes care wrong. There was no need to check campers again 15 minutes after they were low. It didn't really matter if we checked them at midnight or 4am. It was the same thing. The worst part is, I could get her in trouble because she was dating the head counselor.
The second year, I had high hopes. I walked into my cabin to meet my co-counselor. The first thing she tells me? She's usually a ranch staffer, so she's not used to being around the kids 24/7, and she's not happy about it. Great.....
So this year, I decided I wasn't going to work at camp. The plan was to get a summer job, and then I wouldn't have time for camp. I would plan a weekend to get together with my camp friends. However, the current job market and my friends did not cooperate. I did not land a job, and one of my friends still wanted to go to camp. So. Off to camp I go. Other than the bad co-counselors, camp has been pretty fun. If I get a good one this year, I'll go again next year. If not, then I don't know.

Rest In Peace Toby

This morning, my faithful friend of only 3 years died.
He was one of the best trained and loveable pets I have ever had. Toby will be greatly missed.

un-motivated

I am completely NOT motivated in my diabetes care lately. I went to the endo's office a few weeks ago. My A1c was good (7.2) but I needed to do more work. I was having frequent lows. Now, I'm having frequent highs. Crappy, sick to my stomach, drink tons of water, highs. I really, really need to start logging again, and even more importantly, do some basal testing. I hate testing basals. Breakfast skips are really easy. Lunch and supper? Not so much. I THINK about doing it all the time, but it is so easy to come up with excuses not to actually stop eating, test every hour and write it down. Why is it so dang difficult???

Cross your fingers.
Rub your lucky rabbits foot.
PRAY!
The insurance fiasco may be solved. We are in the process of transferring from tradition BCBS to point of service. The very helpful and friendly man at Blue Cross promises we won't be sorry. I plan on holding him to that.
Now, the major hurtles include:
Actually getting all the paperwork filled out and to the correct people.
Making sure they cover everything like they said they would
Seeing if they cover my endo (oh please Lord I hope so!)
Seeing if insurance #1 and #2 play well with each other
Finding out if there is a pharmacy in my area that will take this (#*%& insurance.

This new insurance seems too good to be true. It promises a $10 co-pay on all prescriptions. No limits on insulin or test strips. Any pharmacy I choose. Could it really be true???
I'll find out later this week!

I'm in love

I went to the endo yesterday.
My A1c was 7.2, up a little, but still not bad.
I talked to him about different options for thigh sites. I've tried my quick-sets there a couple of times, and it just didn't work for me. He recommended I try the Cleo from Cozmo. ( http://www.cleoinfusionsets.com ) He gave me 2 to try. They have a big shortage, so he couldn't get me more. I tried one this morning. I LOVE it!! I've tried sof-sets, quick-sets, the angled sets and insets. This is by far my favorite. For the first time ever, the insertion device doesn't make a really loud noise, or jolt into me. It is so EASY and pain free. I can go as fast or slow as I want to. Plus, it is PURPLE! Can you tell I'm excited? Another huge plus is that it doesn't burn when it delivers insulin, like the quick-set does in my leg. I sure hope I can get more of them, because it's going to be hard to go back to quick-sets, even after one day.
I wanted to share my joy. I greatly recommend trying these if you can!

Eye Doctor

I went to the eye doctor tonight.
It has me pretty upset.
Every time I go, I have my eyes dilated, like a good little diabetic.
Then I sit there, without my contacts, blind for 10 minutes while the drops work.
I went into the room, and the doctor came in. He made the required small talk. I hate this part of the appointment. My doctor is a relative of sorts. His daughter just married my cousin. We talked about the wedding. Then I had to hear, once again, how the college he went to is better than the college I go to. (They are arch rivals.) Then he starts the exam. He pulls out the little light, and starts looking. This time, he lingers longer on each eye longer than usual. So long, that my dilated eyes tear excessively, and I long to close them. He makes annoying worried noises that sent my panic level through the roof. Finally, he shuts the little light off, and leans back. "Well, your eyes look good Jennifer." (Oh really? I think. What about the noises?) "I can see some evidence of diabetes in your eyes. (WHAAAATTT!!!) Don't worry though. All it does is confirms the fact that you are diabetic."
I don't want my eyes telling anyone that I am diabetic!
I am 19 years old. I want normal eyes. I want to have great vision for another 60 years! OK, so I already have crappy vision, but a pair of glasses/contacts fix that. I don't want to have to worry about blood vessels showing I'm diabetic! I know I'm probably over reacting, but I really want to have good vision. I don't want to be one of those people that others look at and say, "oh, she's blind. She has diabetes you know."
So, the next part, is all the tests he wants to do all the time. Just last year, I had a visual field test done. Now, he wants another one. It seems a little much to me. Does anyone know what test are recommended? I looked on the ADA website, but I can't seem to find it.
Other than the "evidence of diabetes" everything else was fine, including my retinal photograph. I guess that's good. I just wish I had completely normal eyes.

Colorado

Day 1. Traveling
I started out Monday afternoon, and drove to my brother and sister in laws house. I spent the night there, hanging out with them. Tuesday, we started the drive to Chicago. We arrived at the airport behind schedule, which put us all on edge. We found the ticket counter, checked our luggage and got in line. I took my pump out of the case, and put it in my front pocket on the recommendation of a previous security screener. I went before my brother, just in case I set off the detectors. As I walked through the gate, I felt myself tense up. I waited for the beep, and the dark look from the screener. I continued to wait. No beep! I turned around and smiled at Mike (my brother). I made it! The flight to Colorado went fine. I got a little motion sick, but nothing bad. At the Denver airport, we met my other brother (Nick) his wife, (Cherie) and my niece (Maribel). We went out for a late supper, got groceries, and drove to the cabin. We were truly in for a rustic camping experience. The cabin was up in the mountains, 45 minutes from any civilization. We collapsed into bed at 2am.
Day 2
I woke up at a decent 200. Not bad considered all the travel and the time change. I decided that since we were going to go hiking first thing that day, not to correct. I had some cereal, and cut my basal in half right after breakfast. We packed up, and drove to Rocky Mountain National park for our first hike. In the car, I checked myself, not feeling the best. My two cautious moves earlier that morning took a major toll. I was 400. I started to panic. It was too late to tell everyone that we couldn't hike for another hour, and I wasn't sure how much of a correction to give. I had no idea what kind of hike we were in for. I guessed, and we started out on the trail. I checked every half hour after that. I slowly, but not too slowly, came back down. I spent the rest of the day hovering between 140 and 180. The first hike we took was to a set of waterfalls. They were beautiful. Well worth the 6 mile hike in the 90 degree heat.
Day 3
After the previous days strenuous hike, we decided to take our second day a little bit easier. We woke up (I was again in the 200's. That time I corrected), ate breakfast and dressed for another 90 degree day. As we piled into the car, we noticed it was cooler than the day before, but it was also earlier. When we got to the trail head, it was 55. It never got above 65 the whole day. We were a little cold in our shorts and T-shirts. Once again, it was beautiful, and once again, my blood sugars stayed picture perfect on 50% basal reduction.
Day 4
The fourth day was once of the most beautiful. It was a longer hike again, but by definitely worth it. It both rained and snowed while we made our way to Nypm, Emerald and Dream lakes. The view at Emerald lake was just amazing. I stuck with the 50% basal. When we sat down for lunch, I was in the 90's. That was the lowest I had gone while hiking so far.
Day 5
After hearing all about Trail Ridge Road, and how beautiful it was, we decided to try it. We weren't sure how it was going to go. Maribel (my year old niece) had decided she hated riding in the car, and would scream anytime we drove anywhere. The. Entire. Time. I love her dearly, but I think most of us wanted to murder her by the end of the week. This is the child that never sleeps. Ever. She screamed for 3 hours straight one night. She finally went to sleep at 3am. She slept for one freaking hour and then was up again. For the rest of the day. Anyway. That was my rant. High altitudes + babies = misery. Luckily for us, she decided to take a nap most of the trip out there. On the way back, we made frequent stops to take pictures and let her play. We took this picture on top of the mountain that the visitors center is on. Introducing the family. It is not a very attractive picture for any of us. We are looking into the sun, it was really windy, and crazy cold.

I'm on the far left. Then Sarah (SIL), Mike(bro), Nick(oldest bro), Cherie and Maribel.
I have never seen scenery more beautiful. We were on top of the mountains. You could see for miles. It was wonderful. I loved it. I would post about 50 pictures, but seeing as it takes 15minutes per picture(no, I'm not kidding) I'll refrain.
After Trail Ridge Road, we saw the Alluvial Fan. It is where a damn broke in the 80's, taking large amounts of rocks with it, and spreading them wherever it pleased. The picture below shows me sitting on one of those "rocks."

Day 6
This was the final day in Colorado, and it was not a great one. The hike we were going to go one had no parking spots open for several miles. We decided on another hike, and it turned out to be a boring one. It was hot again that day, and there was little shade, and lots of other people. Although I had again turned my basal down 50%, I had my first low. It didn't seem to be a bad one at first. Only 75. I took 30 grams. 5 minutes later, my brother wanted to keep going. I convinced him to wait another 5 minutes. I rechecked. I was 78. Neither Nick or Cherie wanted to sit there in the sun. I don't know what their problem was. It made me glad it was the one and only low I had the entire trip. I finally came up, but it did involve eating and hiking at the same time to keep everyone happy. The hike was someone pretty, but a bit of a let down after Trail Ridge Road.
Day 7
This was the day I was dreading. This was the trip I had to make all by myself. I had never flown alone before. I was dropped off by a shuttle bus at the baggage claim. After wondering through the airport, I finally found the United check-in area. They were like 50 different areas to check in, and I had no idea which one I needed. The woman I asked pointed to a line that read "International flights. E-tickets only." I was domestic, and I had a paper ticket. Low and behold, it was the right line. Weird. Then it was on to security. I had high hopes after security in Chicago. I was even waved into the express line. My first panic came when I set down my carry-on and shoes, started to go through the metal detector, and the woman behind me got my attention and asked me if I had dropped my ticket. Indeed I had. I couldn't believe I had and didn't notice it. I walked up to the metal detector again. The screener told me to loose the cell phone. I told him it was an insulin pump. He must have noticed I was nervous, because he told me they never set it off. Well, it must have been my lucky day! He even let me go through the detector again, because I had forgotten my belt, and it still set it off. After a hand wand and a pat down, I went to my gate, and flew home without a problem.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip. Other than the one low, the diabetes behaved. I can't wait to go back with my whole family (parents included) again. It is the most beautiful place I have ever visited.

Guess who is going to Colorado in 3 days.

ME!!!

As you might remember, I've been wanting to go out there ever since I went with a youth group 2 years ago, and NOW I GET TO!! I'm going with both my brothers, their wives and my niece.
Am I nervous? Oh heck yes. More nervous than I was last time. See, my brothers even after spending quite a few years of their lives in the same house with a diabetic, are fairly clueless. They both moved out before I started pumping, and let's just say things changed A LOT when I started pumping. I don't think they even know how to use glucagon. (I plan to fix that). One brother seems to have it in his head that we can go out and hike from 6am to 6pm. All day. Every day. With an 11month old and a diabetic? I think not. Well, at least I hope not. The plan is to cut basals in half right off the bat. The time change and the travel will start me off high, but I haven't found a good solution for either.

Ahh! I have to run, but any tips on flying, adjusting to new time zones, major hiking and anything else that might be helpful (good sights to see?) are greatly appreciated!

Wanted

One mail-order pharmacy.
At the least, it has to ship insulin and test strips. It would be nice if it shipped oral medication too.
If anyone has a good experience (or a bad one) that they could share, I would really appreciate it!

I killed it.

Well, the streak ended yesterday.
First, it was the chocolate cake. My mom had just baked it, and it is was warm out of the oven. My dad was having a piece for snack, and I couldn't resist.

The guess? 30 grams.
The result? 64.
Later that night?

Virgin, of course. It was the first time I had ever had one.
The Guess? 45 grams.
The result? 326.

So thanks for all the congrats, but it's over, and I killed it. Until next time, if there IS a next time...