I remember being told that diabetics whose blood sugar control is poor often wake up in the middle of the night to pee. "Minctio ergo sum" to paraphrase Dr. Rene Descartes. This roughly translates as "I urinate, therefore I am..."
The first time I got out of bed this morning was simply a nightly occurrence.
The second time I got out of bed to pee had me wondering what I'd eaten to cause this. I did eat ice creamme in the early afternoon but then I had a "Healthy Choice" meal for dinner. The early afternoon sugar should have long before been dealt with and the "Healthy Choice" meals should not be too big on jacking the blood sugar. (Although I've had some high sugar two hours after eating my evening meals after eating a "Healthy Choice" dinner.)
The third time had me starting to get concerned. I suppose I could have checked my blood sugar when I got out of bed this morning but checking it about 3:30 am just isn't a great idea!
The amazing thing is that I don't drink any water during this night time toilet visits. I figure that if I starve myself of water, I might not build any up and might be able to get more sleep. It doesn't seem to work though...
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
exercise: 7 December 2010
I walked on the treadmill at Sheridan Center for 35 minutes (30 minutes
at 3.6 mph and 5 minutes cooldown).
at 3.6 mph and 5 minutes cooldown).
I had to get out of bed twice in the middle of the night: the first time
since my left ankle cramped and the second time since my right ankle
cramped. Oh, well...
exercise: 6 December 2010
I have been walking 30 minutes on the treadmill (25 minutes at 3.6 mph
and 5 minutes cooldown). My VA Doc told me to exercise more so I've
increased this to 30 minutes at 3.6 mph and the 5 minute cooldown. I
also do a round of weights on the weight machines. Then, at night, I
typically need to take painkillers on the days I lift weights...
and 5 minutes cooldown). My VA Doc told me to exercise more so I've
increased this to 30 minutes at 3.6 mph and the 5 minute cooldown. I
also do a round of weights on the weight machines. Then, at night, I
typically need to take painkillers on the days I lift weights...
repurposed...
It occurred to me that I should be using this blog as a diary of my progress through diabetes. So, I think I'll start blogging/logging what I am doing...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
September 2010 (again to date...)
September 2010
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Friday, September 03, 2010
International Study Led by VA-Harvard Physician Yields Insight on Risks from Fatty Arteries (forwarded from my office in box)
Recent VA News Releases
To view and download VA news releases, please visit the following
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel <http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel>
International Study Led by VA-Harvard Physician
Yields Insight on Risks from Fatty Arteries
WASHINGTON (September 3, 2010)- An international study of clinical data
led by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-Harvard University
cardiologist found that patients with deposits of fatty plaque in their
arteries are at especially high risk for life-threatening cardiovascular
events if they have diabetes, disease in multiple arteries or a history
of heart attack or stroke.
"This study was an impressive international collaboration that may hold
important clinical benefits for Veterans and others with cardiovascular
disease," said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. "The results, presented
both in a prestigious medical journal and at a major international
cardiology meeting, are likely to be of great significance to
physicians-particularly cardiologists-in VA and worldwide."
The findings, from a study of more than 45,000 patients in nearly 30
countries, was published online August 30 by the Journal of the American
Medical Association and will appear in the journal's September 22 print
edition. The results are also being presented this week at the annual
meeting of the European Cardiology Society in Sweden.
According to lead author Dr. Deepak Bhatt and colleagues, the findings
may guide future clinical trials and help doctors decide which patients
need more aggressive treatment. Bhatt is chief of cardiology at the VA
Boston Healthcare System and director of the Integrated Interventional
Cardiovascular Program at VA and Brigham and Women's Hospital, a
teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
The four-year study included patients who had at baseline clinical
evidence of atherothrombosis-in which fatty deposits break off from
artery walls to form clots-or who had risk factors for the condition.
Ruptured plaque deposits can form clots that block blood flow to the
heart or brain, resulting in heart attack or stroke.
Depending on their medical status and history, different groups of
patients in the trial were at higher or lower risk for stroke, heart
attack, or cardiovascular death. On the low end of the risk scale-7
percent-were those with no diabetes and only risk factors for
atherothrombosis. The risk rose to as high as 25 percent for those with
clinical evidence of atherothrombosis in multiple arteries and a history
of heart attack or stroke. The presence of diabetes also raised the risk
considerably.
"Even stable patients with a previous heart attack or stroke are at
particularly high risk of recurrence if they have plaque build-up in
several different arteries or if they have diabetes," said Bhatt. "These
types of patients need aggressive preventive efforts to keep history
from repeating itself."
Knowing that "not all atherothrombosis is equal," write Bhatt and
colleagues, can help doctors target therapies such as plaque-reducing
and clot-busting drugs to those patients who will benefit most. VA Chief
Research and Development Officer Dr. Joel Kupersmith adds, "this study
illustrates the importance of basic clinical information in determining
the best care for the individual patient."
# # #
To "unsubscribe" from this list, or to update your name or e-mail
address, please visit the following Internet address:
<http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/opalist_listserv.cfm>
To view and download VA news releases, please visit the following
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel <http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel>
International Study Led by VA-Harvard Physician
Yields Insight on Risks from Fatty Arteries
WASHINGTON (September 3, 2010)- An international study of clinical data
led by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-Harvard University
cardiologist found that patients with deposits of fatty plaque in their
arteries are at especially high risk for life-threatening cardiovascular
events if they have diabetes, disease in multiple arteries or a history
of heart attack or stroke.
"This study was an impressive international collaboration that may hold
important clinical benefits for Veterans and others with cardiovascular
disease," said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. "The results, presented
both in a prestigious medical journal and at a major international
cardiology meeting, are likely to be of great significance to
physicians-particularly cardiologists-in VA and worldwide."
The findings, from a study of more than 45,000 patients in nearly 30
countries, was published online August 30 by the Journal of the American
Medical Association and will appear in the journal's September 22 print
edition. The results are also being presented this week at the annual
meeting of the European Cardiology Society in Sweden.
According to lead author Dr. Deepak Bhatt and colleagues, the findings
may guide future clinical trials and help doctors decide which patients
need more aggressive treatment. Bhatt is chief of cardiology at the VA
Boston Healthcare System and director of the Integrated Interventional
Cardiovascular Program at VA and Brigham and Women's Hospital, a
teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
The four-year study included patients who had at baseline clinical
evidence of atherothrombosis-in which fatty deposits break off from
artery walls to form clots-or who had risk factors for the condition.
Ruptured plaque deposits can form clots that block blood flow to the
heart or brain, resulting in heart attack or stroke.
Depending on their medical status and history, different groups of
patients in the trial were at higher or lower risk for stroke, heart
attack, or cardiovascular death. On the low end of the risk scale-7
percent-were those with no diabetes and only risk factors for
atherothrombosis. The risk rose to as high as 25 percent for those with
clinical evidence of atherothrombosis in multiple arteries and a history
of heart attack or stroke. The presence of diabetes also raised the risk
considerably.
"Even stable patients with a previous heart attack or stroke are at
particularly high risk of recurrence if they have plaque build-up in
several different arteries or if they have diabetes," said Bhatt. "These
types of patients need aggressive preventive efforts to keep history
from repeating itself."
Knowing that "not all atherothrombosis is equal," write Bhatt and
colleagues, can help doctors target therapies such as plaque-reducing
and clot-busting drugs to those patients who will benefit most. VA Chief
Research and Development Officer Dr. Joel Kupersmith adds, "this study
illustrates the importance of basic clinical information in determining
the best care for the individual patient."
# # #
To "unsubscribe" from this list, or to update your name or e-mail
address, please visit the following Internet address:
<http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/opalist_listserv.cfm>
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
August 2010 results
August 2010
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Monday, August 23, 2010
support group
I went to the Dodge City diabetic support group yesterday (9 August 2010)and got there late. First, I was stuck in traffic while a train went back and forth on the tracks a ½ mile away. The traffic ahead of me got off this road (South 2nd) and I headed for the quick way across the tracks: the little road, next to a Vet Clinic, that leads under the railroad tracks. This is never busy.
Silly me! I had forgotten that 3 pm was shift change time at one of the meat packing plants and there were hundreds of cars or pickups ahead of me. I ended up getting to the 3 pm support group about 3:10 pm and not the 2:50 pm I had planned on... :-[
I apologize for bad mouthing (in other posts) diabetic support groups in Dodge City. It was simply frustration talking.
I had been told the meeting was at a building north of the hospital. I went to the first building I saw and entered. The name did not look right but I looked around till I found a woman I could ask directions from. She sent me to a classroom and I found
The facilitator is a very nice, very concerned and dedicated young woman from Garden City. We discussed my diabetics history and concerns, nutrition and portion control, she did an A1C test and we discussed the results. Apparently, stress can raise one's A1C and that would explain my A1C going from 8.3 to 8.5 (this test). Of course, I've read that A1C testing is not precise and different labs can come up with different results from the same blood sample. One should stick with the same lab and look at the trend rather than just the absolute numbers.
She sent me home with "homework": figure out how much I should be eating portion-wise. That will be so much fun... ;-)
I'm going to get my wife involved with this and from past experience, I know she won't like it. It will probably remind her too much of being in "Overeaters Anonymous" back in late 1979 and early 1980.
NOTE: I am trying to make sure this message does not go to the ADA!
Silly me! I had forgotten that 3 pm was shift change time at one of the meat packing plants and there were hundreds of cars or pickups ahead of me. I ended up getting to the 3 pm support group about 3:10 pm and not the 2:50 pm I had planned on... :-[
I apologize for bad mouthing (in other posts) diabetic support groups in Dodge City. It was simply frustration talking.
I had been told the meeting was at a building north of the hospital. I went to the first building I saw and entered. The name did not look right but I looked around till I found a woman I could ask directions from. She sent me to a classroom and I found
The facilitator is a very nice, very concerned and dedicated young woman from Garden City. We discussed my diabetics history and concerns, nutrition and portion control, she did an A1C test and we discussed the results. Apparently, stress can raise one's A1C and that would explain my A1C going from 8.3 to 8.5 (this test). Of course, I've read that A1C testing is not precise and different labs can come up with different results from the same blood sample. One should stick with the same lab and look at the trend rather than just the absolute numbers.
She sent me home with "homework": figure out how much I should be eating portion-wise. That will be so much fun... ;-)
I'm going to get my wife involved with this and from past experience, I know she won't like it. It will probably remind her too much of being in "Overeaters Anonymous" back in late 1979 and early 1980.
NOTE: I am trying to make sure this message does not go to the ADA!
Thursday, August 05, 2010
things a diabetic needs to consider preparatory to their deaths
I nearly drown in late 1987 (and haven't scuba dived since);I thought I was having a heart attack when I was 35 years old. My youngest brother died of congestive heart failure at age 44 years, 1 month, 8 days. You don't have to be "old" to worry about death and it's aftermath.
I am not a lawyer so contact one with your legal questions; I'm just someone whose youngest brother died intestate or "without a will"". Here are some suggestions based on what my brothers (especially Jim) and I experienced:
Before you die, before you even get sick, make a will telling what you want:
- done with your body:
- creamation or
- embalming and burial,
- who does the work,
- your plans for payment,
- burial site
- or ash disposal instructions (i.e.: placement at a Veteran's Cemetary, a nice spot in your curio cabinet, burial with relatives, scattering at sea or the back yard),
- creamation or
- You might plan your funeral service (I had a friend - Karla Jean Miller - who planned her funeral in complete detail. My youngest brother made no such plans; my brothers and I ended up going to our ministers to get advice...)
- how to notify your boss(es),
- who gets your stuff,
- who you owe money to,
- what liens are out on your property (i.e. on your car title!),
- bank accounts,
- 401Ks,
- life insurance policies (and did you "borrow" money from it/them?)
- what storage lockers you are renting,
- what bank lock boxes or safe deposit boxes do you rent,
- your email data,
- social network accounts,
- blogs,
- newspapers and magazines you subscribe to,
- what you want done with your dogs, cats, birds, fish (feed to cats?),"pet snakes" (now there is an oxymoron!),
- a list of where you keep your medications and "sharps",
- do you automatically get meds from a pharmacy (I do...) with billing afterwards,
- and a list of folks to be notified with their phone numbers, email and mail addresses,
- a list of files/directories on your computer(s) you want to give away. (i.e. I had my father's home movies from when I was in 1st grade translated to DVD but never got around to sending them to my brothers...) and,
- a list of files/directoried you want purged before anyone gets your "old" computer(s) or it is sent to the breakers
All of this could be done on a couple of sheets of paper. You could sort bills and put them in a cheap, plastic, filing cabinet.
Contact the various companies your will's executor will have to deal with. If you die without a will, a judge may appoint a successor. If a successor is appointed, better hope it is a friend or relative who will work with your relatives or friends to determine who gets what. A court appointed successor might not be a friend to your kith and kin.
I explained this to a friend, the head of the local hospice. She said "get a living will and keep it up to date!"
You might consider writing your obituary; think of it as a permanent, uneditable, "wikipedia" entry on newspaper.
It just occurred to me that you could set aside money to buy booze and munchies for your wake. ("Won't be any 'lite' beer or Mad Dog or 'Ultra' at my wake!") Just a thought, albeit a bit morbid...
If you find an overdue VCR or DVD, expect to pay the overdue fine (unless you drop it in the slot and trundle off); I don't think they'll buy the "but it's overdue cause the renter died...
Finally, you might as well write down the library you borrow from and keep library books, etc. in a conveient place for their return. It never occurred to me to look for any library books or CDs my youngest brother might have checked out; his room mate would have dealt with this...
apparently there is a support group...
I got a phone call from the local hospital earlier this morning and was told there is a support group meeting this coming Monday at 3 pm. The meeting place is at an annex just of the Dodge City Hospital. Contrary to what I had formerly been lead to believe, it does look like there is a support group for me.
I may have been wrong in my diatribe but I doubt it...
I may have been wrong in my diatribe but I doubt it...
Sunday, August 01, 2010
blood sugar and weight July 2010
July 2010 Day Date AM PM Weight ================================== Thu 1 165 230 I have been used to coding 25 Fri 2 137 187 in my blood meter and didn't Sat 3 140 234 realize I had 13s... Sun 4 147 179 Mon 5 173 205 Oh, well... Tue 6 --- --- Wed 7 --- --- Thu 8 --- --- Fri 9 147 168 282 (taken when I got out of bed) Sat 10 --- --- Sun 11 --- --- Mon 12 --- --- Tue 13 180 204 286 (this weight after exercising on Moanday) Wed 14 --- --- Thu 15 --- --- Fri 16 --- --- Sat 17 --- --- Sun 18 --- --- Mon 19 --- --- Tue 20 --- --- Wed 21 --- --- Thu 22 --- --- Fri 23 --- --- Sat 24 --- --- Sun 25 --- --- Mon 26 --- --- Tue 27 --- --- Wed 28 --- --- Thu 29 --- --- Fri 30 --- --- Sat 31 --- ---
Friday, July 30, 2010
support group???
Dodge City Kansas needs a Diabetic Support Group!
I need a Diabetic Support Group! I have gone through various stages in my disease (type 2). I was horrified when I was diagnosed and educated myself to the point of having the happy illusion that I understood the disease. Then, I gradually started to lose this certainty. Finally, most of this year (2010), I had a "GAF" attitude and was doing a lot ofbad stupid stuff. (It was summer and hot so I figured I could eat little bowls of ice creamme no problem and then eat orange sherbet with my wife that night. I paid for this fantasy by going from A1C of 7.0 last November to 8.3 on July 6 and have gained the fear of Levemir. I hope this isn't a form of insulin made from British cows as that would put me on the Red Cross deferral list. ) I stopped working out. (This is a Friday so I am walking on the treadmill and lifting weights after work.)
When I was diagnosed on 7 May 2004, I was horrified and could have used a Support Group. I heard there was one at the Western Plains Hospital and attended one meeting. It did me no good. The four or five people there were years into the diabetics (mostly type 2) and were talking about dealing with the disease(s) at that level. There was nothing there for an "entry level diabetic" such as me.
A Blue Cross had a nurse educator called me once a month for several months and this was quite helpful.
Several months later (fall 2004), I tried to attend a meeting but learned the group had folded. I had called the Western Plains hospital several times and no one in administration could tell me anything about the group. So, my wife and I drove up there on a Thursday, before the scheduled meeting time, and found out the group had folded. A nurse who went by told us the group hadn't meet in a couple of months.
A couple of years later, I learned of another support group after it had folded.
I went to a meeting of a support group in September 2008 at the Mexican-American Ministry and came back the next month. No one showed up for the meeting but I ended up spending a hour with the facilitator (a RN, etc.) who helped me with diet information. She got a better job and that was the end of that support group.
In May 2010, I could have attended a forming meeting of a Diabetic Support Group at Western Plains Hospital but was talked into going to a "webinar" at work. This "webinar" was roughly "five minutes of material heroically crammed into an hour" to paraphrase a saying that was popular when I was in the US Navy in the 1980s. I completely forgot about the support meeting. My boss laughed when I asked if I could get comp time for the hour I had wasted with this "webinar" and I swore off ever attending the damn things again! (Obviously, I did not get that comp time... ;-) )
The June 2010 meeting of the "new" support group was canceled due to severe weather. Imagine that, severe weather in southwest Kansas in early June!
The facilitator had to travel from Garden City to Dodge City, an arduous 55 minute trip... :-D
The July meeting was canceled due to being canceled.
I called the Western Plains Hospital and asked if they were going to have the August meeting and eventually got some one in administration who would talk with me. I was told there were no records of an August meeting being scheduled.
So, I have seen three support groups come and go at "our" local hospital and one at an underfunded Ministry.
Why is it the Grant County Public Health Department able to have a monthly support group for years and Grant county is smaller than Ford County?
The only "support group" I've got is talking with a co-worker who has been telling me the truth of taking insulin and other injected drugs. I'm not quite ready for the needle but it looks inevitable.
I need a Diabetic Support Group! I have gone through various stages in my disease (type 2). I was horrified when I was diagnosed and educated myself to the point of having the happy illusion that I understood the disease. Then, I gradually started to lose this certainty. Finally, most of this year (2010), I had a "GAF" attitude and was doing a lot of
When I was diagnosed on 7 May 2004, I was horrified and could have used a Support Group. I heard there was one at the Western Plains Hospital and attended one meeting. It did me no good. The four or five people there were years into the diabetics (mostly type 2) and were talking about dealing with the disease(s) at that level. There was nothing there for an "entry level diabetic" such as me.
A Blue Cross had a nurse educator called me once a month for several months and this was quite helpful.
Several months later (fall 2004), I tried to attend a meeting but learned the group had folded. I had called the Western Plains hospital several times and no one in administration could tell me anything about the group. So, my wife and I drove up there on a Thursday, before the scheduled meeting time, and found out the group had folded. A nurse who went by told us the group hadn't meet in a couple of months.
A couple of years later, I learned of another support group after it had folded.
I went to a meeting of a support group in September 2008 at the Mexican-American Ministry and came back the next month. No one showed up for the meeting but I ended up spending a hour with the facilitator (a RN, etc.) who helped me with diet information. She got a better job and that was the end of that support group.
In May 2010, I could have attended a forming meeting of a Diabetic Support Group at Western Plains Hospital but was talked into going to a "webinar" at work. This "webinar" was roughly "five minutes of material heroically crammed into an hour" to paraphrase a saying that was popular when I was in the US Navy in the 1980s. I completely forgot about the support meeting. My boss laughed when I asked if I could get comp time for the hour I had wasted with this "webinar" and I swore off ever attending the damn things again! (Obviously, I did not get that comp time... ;-) )
The June 2010 meeting of the "new" support group was canceled due to severe weather. Imagine that, severe weather in southwest Kansas in early June!
The facilitator had to travel from Garden City to Dodge City, an arduous 55 minute trip... :-D
The July meeting was canceled due to being canceled.
I called the Western Plains Hospital and asked if they were going to have the August meeting and eventually got some one in administration who would talk with me. I was told there were no records of an August meeting being scheduled.
So, I have seen three support groups come and go at "our" local hospital and one at an underfunded Ministry.
Why is it the Grant County Public Health Department able to have a monthly support group for years and Grant county is smaller than Ford County?
The only "support group" I've got is talking with a co-worker who has been telling me the truth of taking insulin and other injected drugs. I'm not quite ready for the needle but it looks inevitable.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
"it's my own damn fault..."
I am been thinking of how I sent from an A1C of 7.1 last November to 8.3 on 6 July. At first, I was puzzled; I was really in denial! Then, I got to thinking of what I'd eaten wrong and how little I had exercised.
I realized that I had gotten into the habit of saying "it sure is hot" and going to Dillions and buying these little (about ½ cup of ice creamme and if I was really hungry, I went for the ¾ cup size) little tubs of ice creamme. Sometimes, I would sneak this and then have orange sherbet (with chocolate shell) with my wife later that day. I also went through dark chocolate but I didn't drink Diet Pepsi at home - I was being good! - and didn't drink much booze.
I realized that I had gotten out of the habit of walking on the treadmill at the Sheridan Center and I gave up on weights years ago. Well, after seeing the frigging A1C of 8.3 I have
So, the reason for this posting's title?
Whose fault is it that my A1C went down the toilet so many years ago, let alone in 2010? To quote Jimmy Buffet, "it's my own damn fault!"
I realized that I had gotten into the habit of saying "it sure is hot" and going to Dillions and buying these little (about ½ cup of ice creamme and if I was really hungry, I went for the ¾ cup size) little tubs of ice creamme. Sometimes, I would sneak this and then have orange sherbet (with chocolate shell) with my wife later that day. I also went through dark chocolate but I didn't drink Diet Pepsi at home - I was being good! - and didn't drink much booze.
I realized that I had gotten out of the habit of walking on the treadmill at the Sheridan Center and I gave up on weights years ago. Well, after seeing the frigging A1C of 8.3 I have
- resumed walking on the treadmill for 30 to 35 minutes a day, 5 days a week
- started doing circuit training (weights) 3 days a week
- haven't gone out for ice creamme and it has been hotter than when I was binging
So, the reason for this posting's title?
Whose fault is it that my A1C went down the toilet so many years ago, let alone in 2010? To quote Jimmy Buffet, "it's my own damn fault!"
Friday, July 23, 2010
diabetes - What a bitch!
diabetes
My MD says my cholesterol is fine but my A1C is very bad. So, I've renewed my exercising
My MD says my cholesterol is fine but my A1C is very bad. So, I've renewed my exercising
- 30-35 minutes/day, 5 days/week with the last 5 minutes a cool down
- circuit training 3/week (Moanday, Wednesday and Friday)
- considering starting push ups again and snicker at the thought of
shitupsitups
- weighing myself (depressing!)
- making sure I actually go to the Sheridan Center and work out
Saturday, July 17, 2010
type 2 sympthoms
http://diabetes.webmd.com/tc/type-2-diabetes-living-with-the-disease-symptoms?ecd=wnl_dia_071410
I have many of the symptoms discussed.
I have many of the symptoms discussed.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
eating bad food leads to type 2 diabetics
It is 10:50 am and I am watching "Everyday History" on the Discovery Channel; they are doing a story about UFOs. I was reading through my diabetes blog material and was thinking about a black family I saw in the late 1960s. This family (Dad, Mom and Daughter) worked at the Keesler Air Force Base theater popcorn stand in Biloxi Mississippi. They were a curiosity because they were quite fat. (That was in the late 1960s; I don't know that they are diabetics but I'd be surprised it they were not!)
My Mother said they were so fat because they could not afford good (healthy) food.
I have since learned that being fat is generally a prime prerequisite for type two diabetes. By the logic of
Apply this logic and you get:
NOTE: The character ⇒ is "implies".
My Mother said they were so fat because they could not afford good (healthy) food.
I have since learned that being fat is generally a prime prerequisite for type two diabetes. By the logic of
if A ⇒ B and B ⇒ C then A ⇒ C
Apply this logic and you get:
if eating bad food ⇒ obesity and obesity ⇒ type 2 diabetesthen
eating bad food ⇒ type 2 diabetesAssuming my premises are correct and the form of the logic chain is correct (it is!) then I have just logically proven that eating the wrong food leads to type 2 diabetes.
NOTE: The character ⇒ is "implies".
Friday, July 09, 2010
my fear of insulin and how I sort of got over it
I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic on 7 May 2004. I was told that I'd be on 750 mg Metformin twice a day. Abut a year later, it went up to 1000 mg, twice a day. I began to dread the notion of having to "go on the needle": that is, start using injected insulin or other drugs. I was very opposed to this.
There have been three times diabetics nurses have tried to get me to start using something injected. Each time, Dr. Hostetler agreed (cooperated with) to my desire to remain on pills. I don't think I was afraid of having to inject myself. After all, I had gotten used to checking my blood sugar so it couldn't have been that fear. However, I don't know how the pain level would be changed by the addition of adding the injection phase to the stabbing phase. (I see a hypodermic injection event as first, putting the needle in and second, injecting the liquid.)
I was afraid of the various side effects like
That both went "on the needle" and died young. I have been terrified that I would "go on the needle" and die young as well. I've been told this is nonsense and have not believed it. I have also been told I am not being rational (I agree with that!) and Kathie thought I was being a "drama queen" (what ever that is supposed to be).
My fear ignores that my Father smoked 2 to 3 packs of cigarettes a day for maybe 35 years and drank a bit (not the alcoholic my sister-in-law Denise thinks he was); he lost a lot of weight and tried harder to live right that I have. Shit! Charlie smoked too, claims to have snorted coke (not the beverage!) in the 1980s and did not "eat right". (I suspect he could not afford to eat right.)
I told Dr. Hostetler that "i guess I'll jump off the cliff". I wanted to say "jump into the abyss" but I restrained. Dr. Hostetler replied "that's silly". I said "I guess you're right". "It's like jumping off a step stool".
OK, I guess I can't argue with him there and I suddenly had a revelation: I'm not horrified by the idea of inject able drugs; I'm almost ready to try injecting.
The needle is just another way of getting diabetic drugs into my body; just an alternative to pills. Being diabetic is not about taking pills or shooting up something, it is about having shity "control" of my blood sugar and dealing with the consequence
I have had to give up the idea that if you are not on insulin, you are not a real diabetic. I was wrong; if you're diabetic, you're a diabetic. Get over it!
NOTE: The image comes from page 47 of the graphic novel version of "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson and illustrated by Elman Brown and I have used it in what I believe to be "fair usage".
There have been three times diabetics nurses have tried to get me to start using something injected. Each time, Dr. Hostetler agreed (cooperated with) to my desire to remain on pills. I don't think I was afraid of having to inject myself. After all, I had gotten used to checking my blood sugar so it couldn't have been that fear. However, I don't know how the pain level would be changed by the addition of adding the injection phase to the stabbing phase. (I see a hypodermic injection event as first, putting the needle in and second, injecting the liquid.)
I was afraid of the various side effects like
- having to check my blood sugar more frequently,
- the pain of the injections,
- my schedule changes so often, how would I arrange injection times when we had severe weather when I was working evenings,
- I would have to fear hypoglycemia,
- simple fear of the unknown.
That both went "on the needle" and died young. I have been terrified that I would "go on the needle" and die young as well. I've been told this is nonsense and have not believed it. I have also been told I am not being rational (I agree with that!) and Kathie thought I was being a "drama queen" (what ever that is supposed to be).
My fear ignores that my Father smoked 2 to 3 packs of cigarettes a day for maybe 35 years and drank a bit (not the alcoholic my sister-in-law Denise thinks he was); he lost a lot of weight and tried harder to live right that I have. Shit! Charlie smoked too, claims to have snorted coke (not the beverage!) in the 1980s and did not "eat right". (I suspect he could not afford to eat right.)
I told Dr. Hostetler that "i guess I'll jump off the cliff". I wanted to say "jump into the abyss" but I restrained. Dr. Hostetler replied "that's silly". I said "I guess you're right". "It's like jumping off a step stool".
OK, I guess I can't argue with him there and I suddenly had a revelation: I'm not horrified by the idea of inject able drugs; I'm almost ready to try injecting.
The needle is just another way of getting diabetic drugs into my body; just an alternative to pills. Being diabetic is not about taking pills or shooting up something, it is about having shity "control" of my blood sugar and dealing with the consequence
I have had to give up the idea that if you are not on insulin, you are not a real diabetic. I was wrong; if you're diabetic, you're a diabetic. Get over it!
NOTE: The image comes from page 47 of the graphic novel version of "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson and illustrated by Elman Brown and I have used it in what I believe to be "fair usage".
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Wink Hartman and 'Obamacare'
Wink Hartman is a Kansas politician who is running for the House of Representatives. He is a self professed Conservative.
According to his issues page, he also wants to get rid of "Obamacare". " Obamacare" will mean a number of uninsured people will actually get health care insurance. Wink asserts that "The bottom line is that 'Obamacare' will decrease the quality of our health-care plan..." but doesn't offer any proof.
Does he want to go back to the days of uninsured sick people going to the Emergency Room for issues that should have been resolved in an MD's office? Oh, wait, I forgot; you have to pay an MD, who can refuse you service but an Emergency Room has to take whoever shows up!
My youngest brother was a juvenile onset type 1 diabetic and either had no health insurance or absolute horrible health insurance. He died at the age of 44 years, 1 month and 8 days. I think my brother might have lived a lot longer if he'd had health insurance and thus regular access to a family MD.
How many others like him are out there without health insurance? I have a friend with two juvenile onset diabetic grandchildren; he's worried about what these kids will do when they no longer are covered by their parent's health insurance.
The very 'Obamacare' Wink disparages might have saved my brother's life. We'll never know. What we do know is that "Obamacare" is the best hope many such people have!
According to his issues page, he also wants to get rid of "Obamacare". " Obamacare" will mean a number of uninsured people will actually get health care insurance. Wink asserts that "The bottom line is that 'Obamacare' will decrease the quality of our health-care plan..." but doesn't offer any proof.
Does he want to go back to the days of uninsured sick people going to the Emergency Room for issues that should have been resolved in an MD's office? Oh, wait, I forgot; you have to pay an MD, who can refuse you service but an Emergency Room has to take whoever shows up!
My youngest brother was a juvenile onset type 1 diabetic and either had no health insurance or absolute horrible health insurance. He died at the age of 44 years, 1 month and 8 days. I think my brother might have lived a lot longer if he'd had health insurance and thus regular access to a family MD.
How many others like him are out there without health insurance? I have a friend with two juvenile onset diabetic grandchildren; he's worried about what these kids will do when they no longer are covered by their parent's health insurance.
The very 'Obamacare' Wink disparages might have saved my brother's life. We'll never know. What we do know is that "Obamacare" is the best hope many such people have!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
my fears
I have been a type 2 diabetic since 7 May 2004 and you would think I would be more settled in with my condition. Actually, I was. From 2004 to about 2008 I was gradually getting calmer. Then, I was reasonably calm and working out and trying to lose weight from around 2008 to 2009. It was in mid 2009 that I started getting far more concerned about having to start injecting anti-diabetic drugs.
I was quite relieved when Dr. Hostetler told me in November 2009 that I was good to go with pills. Now, I look at the weekly scores and that I'm not losing any weight and I am once again afraid that I'll end up on the damned injected drugs. I fear injected drugs since such things are the last step in full acceptance of being diabetic and there is no where to go once I am on the needle.
Shit!
I was quite relieved when Dr. Hostetler told me in November 2009 that I was good to go with pills. Now, I look at the weekly scores and that I'm not losing any weight and I am once again afraid that I'll end up on the damned injected drugs. I fear injected drugs since such things are the last step in full acceptance of being diabetic and there is no where to go once I am on the needle.
Shit!
Nehemiah
Scudder