preparing for your end...

I nearly drown in late 1987 (and haven't scuba dived since) and 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.
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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:
  • cremation 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 Cemetery, a nice spot in your curio cabinet, burial with relatives, scattering at sea or the back yard),
  
  
  
  
  
• 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 afterward,
  
• 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 1^st grade translated to DVD but never got around to sending them to my brothers...) and,
• a list of files/directories 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. You should start early and get kith and kin to collaborate you and write about you.
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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...





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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 convenient 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. I have no idea if the last person my brother shared an apartment with did so.


I am reasonably certain I left important stuff out but oh well...

appropriate meter

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about anti-type 2 "tricks"

I tried the anti-type 2 "tricks" and they failed!

I drank coffee and ate peanut butter for decades and this not do me any good!

my at work blood sugar log

This is my at work evening blood sugar log. In theory, each blood test was 2 hours after I started eating dinner.

I am required to test my blood sugar twice a day on two different days. I chose first thing in the morning and two hours after starting to eat on Tuesday and Thursday.

Where I worked was in an open bay at a National Weather Service office. The UA or upper air corner was somewhat sucked. We then got totally new equipment and I was taking my evening blood sugar readings at my work station. My work station was in front of a number of computers.

7:00 AM 3/15/2005 First official usage of the "Sharps" container.

6:39 AM 3/22/2005 A typical morning sampling.

7:26 PM 3/28/2005 Day two of a special testing; no problems.

7:10 PM 3/29/2005 Jim Johnson is doing the upper air release tonight. So, I tested my blood in Scott Reiter's cubical (on the side screened from view) and put the lancet in the "sharps" container after JJ got around to actually finishing the flight. I didn't want to be in the position of having to remind him (for the second time) that he still had to deal with his release (flight).

7:04 PM 4/1/2005 I tested in my usual spot but later than usual. This avoided contact with the cleaning crew and also gave me more time since when I actually took my morning pills: about 12:50 pm. I had gotten so wrapped up with making instant coffee this morning and then testing that I completely forgot the morning pills! Still, I am quite pleased with the results: 129 this am and 102 this pm (at 7 pm).

7:44 PM 4/5/2005 Although Ray Bergert and Matt Gerard were at the work stations closest to me when I did my evening test, neither said anything. So, either they didn't hear or simply didn't want to comment. Either way is fine with me...

10:13 PM 4/8/2005 I actually did the test at 7 pm but kept forgetting to log this in. I'm beginning to wonder how long it will be until I realize I haven't entered any comments for a week or three...

7:10 AM 4/15/2005 I had to bring a bottle of isopropanol in from the upper air/storage room as I couldn't find my alcohol wipes. This was an uneventful test and had a nice low (low for me) glucose count (131). (This is a late entry made at about 4 pm on 16 April 2005. I forgot this log on the 15th...)

7:17 PM 4/19/2005 A routine sampling except that I felt a sense of relief right after the needle punctured; so of like a beta endorphin rush! (rather odd)

7:00 AM 4/22/2005 Routine and no "beta endorphin rush" either... (late entry) 7:03 AM 4/26/2005 Privacy wise, no problem. It took three (3) tries to get a good source and I ended up sampling two "holes". Then, the meter read in the wrong scale and I will have to adjust this before tonight's "sampling".

7:02 AM 5/3/2005 All went well; no problems.

7:06 PM 5/10/2005 Since Matt Gerard did the release, I sought privacy by going to Scott Reiter's cubical. No problems except I'm wondering if I've got the meter set to the right scale. A score of 93 mg/dl seems too good to be true...

7:46 PM 5/13/2005 Mike Umscheid has been checking the "towers" to the north of the office so I waited until he did a periodic check and went ahead with testing. Matt Gerard and Mike U. both walked over to check the "towers" as I was cleaning up my mess. Neither looked so I figure they knew what I was doing. This excessive secrecy on my part is humourous, in a way. So are my co-workers reactions...

I'll be "testing my blood" for the rest of my life and certainly the rest of my working life and I wonder how much longer I'll try to be secretive?

6:52 PM 5/20/2005 Uneventful.

6:59 AM 5/27/2005 Uneventful. A very beautiful morning, with the sun just coming out from behind the clouds and a rabit or two on the lawn.

7:00 PM 5/31/2005 Jason did the release so I tested in his Scotty's cubical, on the invisible side. No big deal, I've done this before. But, I then left the used needle on "my" work table and found it a couple of hours later. I properly disposed of it then...

6:57 AM 6/3/2005 Uneventful and at the usual spot.

6:59 AM 6/7/2005 Scott and Mike Lacy kept going over to check the clouds. I finally got fed up and did the morning test anyway. Somehow, they managed to not come over until I left...

6:58 AM 6/14/2005 Uneventful. However, the score of 152 has me concerned. It must have been the 30th anniversary cake last night and the rice "pea-lof" {sp}. We'll see tonight as I'm having leftover chicken and "pea-lof" {sp} for lunch...

6:45 PM 6/21/2005 Since Jennifer was doing the release, I did the test at the "blind side" of Scott's cube. Otherwise, was uneventful.

7:04 PM 6/24/2005 Uneventful. Ed has been running around out here tonight (he has the "P" shift) so I felt an odd reluctance to both test and then to note that in this blog. I did so anyway; faced my sudden and odd fears. It was no problem...

7:00 AM 6/28/2005 Mike U. wandered over to look outside when I was between wetting down my arm and using the needle. He carefully didn't look towards me so I figure he was being discrete...

7:03 PM 7/1/2005 Uneventful and a rather nice and low "score" (92 mg/dl).

6:53 AM 7/8/2005 Uneventful and a rather nice morning; the score was higher (136) but then I'm fighting a sinus infection and had pasta for dinner last night.

6:54 PM 7/12/2005 Uneventful.

6:48 AM 7/15/2005 Uneventful.

899996:53 AM 7/19/2005 Uneventful. (Late entry made on the 20th...)

7:06 AM 7/26/2005 John Orgler decided to remove an electronic barometer just after I had laid out my testing gear. He didn't say anything, I didn't say anything. I waited until he had finished with packing this device and wondered off before I did the test. It turned out well (for me): 119.

6:56 PM 8/2/2005 Uneventful.

6:52 PM 8/5/2005 Uneventful. I just waited till Mike Lacey wandered off and Fritz was busy at his computer.

7:20 AM 8/9/2005 I had to wait until Discovery had made it successful and glorious landing. Everyone here was watching the NASA channel on the big screen TV. It was worth it!

My score was 97. This is remarkable as being low for me and for the fact that I ate homemade beef stew around 5:30 last night. Ok, so that would be nearly a 14 hour fast. What puzzles me is the number of times I ate chicken and mixed veggies and still scored way above this. I guess the secret to low morning blood sugar is to eat a relatively small amount of dinner and just try to limit the carbs. (Even if the stew *did* have potatoes and I had a slice of bread!)

7:05 PM 8/12/2005 It was a routine sampling. The odd thing was that my score was only 95. I say off because I got distracted this morning and forgot to take my morning pills. I discovered this and took them at 2:22 pm, when I was getting ready to go to work. I guess the combination of an hour's walk this morning and eating very lightly at lunch helped as much as taking the pills late. Still, I would have figured on the score being higher...

7:08 AM 8/19/2005 Uneventful.

7:04 AM 8/26/2005 I thought the test strip was going to fail out due to poor blood absorption but it came through. After bragging to Dr. Tarwater yesterday about how good my levels have been lately, I was a bit dismayed with a 139!

7:04 AM 8/30/2005 Uneventful even though my level was 138! This high level is probably due to the cold I'm coming down with. I kept waking up with a stuffy nose and had a long sneezing fit this morning!

6:59 AM 9/30/2005 Uneventful. Fritz was asking about "how the diabetes thing" and asked about needles. I said "I'm on the pill but have to check my blood sugar twice a day, twice a week". The notion of having to stick myself with a needled bothered him. Oh, well, I had the same reactions myself before I had to "stick myself". I could demonstrate for him but I won't volunteer as I think it would gross him out...

7:35 PM 10/4/2005 Uneventful but later than I would have liked due to problems with the upper air soundings...

6:59 AM 10/7/2005 Routine...

7:05 AM 10/11/2005 It started as routine but Mike Wagner came over to ask about something right before I took a sample. I had my equipment laid out but he said nothing. I guess he was just a bit embarrassed...

6:45 AM 10/18/2005 Uneventful but the reading was too high: 143! I'd have thought it would be lower given that I had an Arby's salad and French Dip sandwich last night and drank water with dinner! Maybe I haven't been walking lately and that is causing problems...

6:50 PM 10/25/2005 Uneventful.

7:22 PM 10/28/2005 It should have been uneventful but it was not. The first tapping of my left forearm did not produce much blood. I tried it anyway but it didn't properly wick the test strip. I made a second forearm tapping but this didn't produce much blood. Then, the meter timed out and the test strip was declared "in error". So, I tapped the outside of my left index finger, put in a new test strip and realized that the second forearm hole had finally produced a goodly amount of blood. This was sufficient for the evening test. The tally (115) was well within my limits and so was acceptable. This a pity it took so much effort and "drilling"...

7:27 AM 10/28/2005 No problems at all. The only delay was that Rick Leupold came over to discuss the upper air equipment and that put me behind about 10 minutes.

9:02 PM 11/3/2005 I tested on an unusual day (a Thursday) and unusual time: 2 hours after eating dinner (actually, about 2 hours and 15 minutes). I did this since "My Diabetic Coach" thought it would be better for me to see how well my body was handling food immediately after eating. A score of 109 must mean that the diet dinner was a good one. I hope. I'll find out when I test tomorrow morning after fasting "all night". Assuming I don't give into hunger and have something to eat when I get home...

I was initially reluctant to test tonight because I didn't really want to. I don't particularly *like* stabbing myself. I translated this into a reluctance to test around my three co-workers. I decided to "face my fear" and tested immediately. The funny thing about testing is that once a get started, it is all quite automatic and simply gets done "by the numbers". No embarrassment or reluctance.

9:03 PM 11/4/2005 I was slightly reluctant as I felt a bit embarrassed. However, there was no problem. I had entirely too much sugar and potatoes at lunch and felt out of sorts in the late afternoon. However, a "Healthy Choice" dinner helped and my "2-hours-past-eatting-score" was 124. This is fairly good for me, all things considered!

7:15 AM 11/11/2005 Uneventful.

9:03 PM 11/15/2005 Uneventful although 134. This was two hours and about 10 minutes after eating a "Healthy Choice" meal "Chicken Broccoli ALfredo".

7:01 AM 11/18/2005 Uneventful even though it was nearly a "dry well". The score of 133 was rather high for a 12 hour fast. I can only conclude that dinner (which had baked potato and two rolls at Casey's Cowtown) was too high on sugar making stuff (i.e. potatoes and rolls). Oh, well...

7:15 AM 11/22/2005 Was delayed 10 minutes in taking sample since Rick Leopold came over and wanted to talk. That was fine with me; I was happy to talk with him. The reading (121) struck me as a bit too high as I had Dillon's Salad last night. It might have been the "hot pocket" I ate with it or the salad dressing.

6:54 AM 11/29/2005 Uneventful. Score a little high (127) but then we had rice pealof with chicken last night. I wiped off the counter with one of the alcohol swabs meant for cleaning key boards...

8:55 PM 12/6/2005 Tonight, I had a Lean Quizine meal and some "no sugar/no fat" pudding. My score was 154! I don't know if it was the pasta in the Lean Quizine meal or the pudding; it should not have been the pudding. Regardless, something has messed up my stomach, with gas etc. Maybe for Friday night, I'll try coming up with my own meal of roasted or boiled meat, some veggies and a small potatoe. That actually seems to work... no hesitation tonight and no need to swab off the table...

8:40 PM 12/9/2005 No problems with the sampling. However, I had boiled stew meat, potato baked with slices of onion and boiled broccoli flowers. The two hour post dinner score was 170! I guess it must have been the potatoe and it looks like the "Lean Quizine" is the better - safer - choice than the home made meals...

Cheaper too...

6:45 AM 12/16/2005 No problem with the sampling. However, the score (133) was higher than I thought it should be. After all, I had two (2) hotdogs for dinner last night, with a glass of tomatoe juice and no ethanol either. I do seem to have the symptoms of a mild cold (caught from my wife!) and that may have jacked the score. I hope...

In the past, I've bad mouthed my youngest brother for not seeming to be able to keep his blood sugar level under control and now, here I am, having the same kind of trouble (apparently). This is disturbing...

9:21 PM 12/24/2005 I tested 2 hours 6 minutes after finishing dinner (a Hungry Man steak with sautéed {sp} onions and red peppers and mashed potatoes. The score was 111, which is quite good. If I saw any point in using a test strip tomorrow morning, I would probably get a nice low score.

So, why did I test on a Saturday and a Christmas Eve at that?

We went out to dinner last night at Appleby’s. I had steak, garlic mashed potatoes, lightly steamed veggies. We split motzerllo {sp} cheese sticks before dinner and I had a small piece of very rich chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and with chocolate syrup drizzled over all this. I tested my blood two hours after eating this and it was 204! This was the highest I've seen it since I was in the emergency room with bronkiteous {spelling!}. I was depressed, went to bed without even sipping some white whine and tested again this morning.

My morning post fasting score (13 hours fasting roughly) was 105. A score of 105 is really nice. Now, I've got to wonder how many times I've patted myself on the back after a good morning score and not realized just how bad it had been the night before...

Well, the A1C is a three month test and the next one is coming up in February 2006. So, I'd better get cracking on the walking, maybe it's time to find the old weight lifting set and start and perhaps I can even sustain a series of daily pushups and sit ups. (Yeah! Right!)

The testing was uneventful and I don't think Fritz noticed.

9:24 PM 12/27/2005 Uneventful and scored 143. Not bad given that I'd eaten dinner two hours before...

7:17 AM 12/30/2005 Uneventful. I just had to wait for Duane to leave my work station, to get a replacement bulb for the sunshine sensor.

6:50 AM 01/03/2006 Uneventful.

7:02 AM 1/10/2006 Uneventful.

6:46 AM 1/12/2006 Scott kept wandering back to the cubbyhole I often work in and where I was checking my blood. I've finally had it with "hiding" my testing and I simply went ahead and "did it". If it bothered him, then too bad. However, I'm quite certain that it did not bother him and that he regard this as something I have to do...

Otherwise, it was uneventful.

8:58 PM 1/17/2006 Uneventful.

8:52 PM 1/20/2006 Uneventful.

8:41 PM 1/27/2006 Uneventful. Score was 111 and that was 2 hours after eating a South Beach Diet - Penne & Chicken in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Broccoli. Quite tasty. However, I didn't take my morning pills until almost 2:20 pm and with the pills at 6:15 pm, I might have had a bit of an overdose. Well, no problem...

I'll just have to give this meal a try again. Perhaps 7 February?

6:47 AM 2/3/2006 Uneventful.

9:09 PM 2/7/2006 Uneventful despite my not wanting to test. I had the silly fear of being asked to not test in spite of being under MD's order to do so. Anyway, after having a salad and some crackers for dinner, my score was 152! This was remarkably high and I'm wondering if there are factors other than simply food that jacked it. It could be enough to make me despair. (Yes, I *did* take the evening metformin.)

7:02 AM 2/21/2006 uneventful, even though I bled a log (at least I didn't waste a test strip). The score (132) was a bit high given that I had salad and a "diet" dinner last night...

6:48 AM 2/24/2006 Uneventful.

9:35 pm 2/28/2006 Uneventful.

6:56 AM 3/29/2006 My first testing since coming back from my Mother's funeral. I normally test on Tuesdays but since I was at the Portland Airport yesterday, I put it off for a day. (My brother Jim claims he never tests anymore...) My score was 134. Given that I had a small TV dinner at 6:20 pm last night, this is way too high. It has to be caused by time changes and the residue of the grunge I picked up in Oregon.

7:17 AM 4/4/2006 No problems, uneventful. I should have tested a half hour earlier but I got busy talking with Scott and Mike W. and "lost track of the time". Oh, well and no harm done...

7:27 AM 4/7/2006 No problem. I just waited until Tim and Scott got tired of looking out the windows at the very, very, light rain. The score of 126 seems a bit high given that I had salad for dinner last night...

9:13 PM 4/11/2006 For dinner tonight, I had a "Healthy Choice" Beef Pot Roast (with Gravy, Carrots, Roasted Potatoes and Apple Raisin Crisp. If there were ANY raisins in it, they were hidden in the Crisp and I'm happy to say I didn't find any...

More to the point, my 2-hours-after-eatting-score was 119!

This would be a fine morning-fasting-score but 2 hours after eating it is a fantastic score!

I reread an early post wherein I mentioned that I waited "until Mike Lacy wandered off" before testing. I might pause a minute or so but I'm not going to put it off long. I read a lot of encouraging notes in the ADA Type 2 Message Boards (I'd written about being embarrassed to test) and I'm just not hiding any more...

9:21 PM 4/14/2006 Uneventful even though the 2 hour past dinner score (130) was a bit high. I guess having a sinus infection has jacked it up...

9:56 PM 4/19/2006 Tonight I had "Healthy Choice" Chicken Broccoli Alfredo. My score was 146. I figure it could be the noodles or simply that I was feeling under the weather today. Oh, well...

10:14 PM 4/21/2006 Tonight, I had "South Beach Diet": "Asian Inspired Orange Beef" (beef slices & brown rice in Orange Sauce with Broccoli, bamboo shoots and carrots), a banana and a Diet Pepsi. My score was 149. I'm wondering if the banana jacked it up.

On a more technical matter, the puncture didn't lead to a very good drop of blood. I had to try 3 times before enough blood entered the test strip for the meter to begin processing. I was convinced that I had wasted the test strip...

07:10 AM 4/28/2006 No problem and a good score (113). [This is a late entry...]

7:17 AM 5/17/2006 This is a Wednesday and not my usual Tuesday. I went to the Salvation Army dinner last night and given that would end around 8 pm and post dinner testing would be about an hour after I went to bed, I decided to test today. It was 134! This was a bit more than I'd like but then the dinner was salad with standard dressing, mystery meat Salisbury "Steak" (some kind of hamburger), mashed potatoes and pan gravy, a couple (well three) soda biscuits and a piece of chocolate pie (shaped like a piece of cake) and water.

As for the test itself: uneventful.

9:50 PM 5/23/2006 Uneventful in spite of testing in midst of severe weather event.

9:56 PM 5/31/2006 Uneventful.

9:23 PM 6/2/2006 Eventful. Test done about 2 hours and 2-3 minutes after finishing dinner. It took several attempts before the meter recognized the blood sample; actually, it wouldn't "accept" blood from one side but did from the other. I wonder if this was a bad test strip?

Anyway, the score was 82! This is a nearly unprecedented low number.

For dinner, I had Healthy Choice, Beef Pot Roast with Gravy, Carrots, Roasted Potatoes and Apple Raisin Crisp. (There were only three raisins so this was a very, very good batch!)

The low score may be believable given the mood swings I was experiencing an hour or so after finishing dinner...

9:36 PM 6/11/2006 Uneventful.

9:32 PM 6/13/2006 Uneventful (even if my forearm is itching...). The odd thing is my score of 118 is less than the fasting score this morning (120). Of course, it could all be due to me discovering that I'd forgotten to take my morning pills; I took them about 2:20 pm...

For dinner, I had the same meal as on 6/2/2006...

7:08 AM 6/16/2006 Uneventful...

7:51 AM 6/20/2006 Uneventful. I'd expected a score of less than 121 given I had a salad last night for dinner. Maybe it was all the extras on the salad?

6:57 AM 6/23/2006 Uneventful...

7:05 AM 6/27/2006 Uneventful...

9:53 PM 7/04/2006 Uneventful...

9:43 PM 7/11/2006 Uneventful...

9:44 PM 7/14/2006 Uneventful basically. However, Tim Burke wanted to discuss the Upcoming conference as I wanted to go over to my usual test site and to test my blood sugar. I tested about 2 hours and 6 minutes rather than the usual 2 hours. It was a reasonable level (136).

6:56 AM 7/21/2006 Uneventful save for how much the needle stung. It hasn't hurt this much in well over a year; I'll just have to avoid that part of my left forearm.

9:30 PM 7/25/2006 Uneventful. No problem with pain but the "stabbing point" did start itching a couple of minutes later.

6:48 AM 7/28/2006 Uneventful, even if Scott Reiter kept coming back while I was checking...

6:54 AM 8/1/2006 Uneventful. My score was 88 and that is in literally in a handful of scores I've had under 100 since 11 May 2006. Of course, it could be my own damn fault. Yesterday, around noon, I noticed that I'd apparently not taken my morning pills. (This has happened a couple of times before.) So, I took the pills. Then, I clearly remembered having taken the pills around 7:20 am. It was about a half hour later that the effects of a metformin overdose hit me (diahera). I was still at the office and nothing untoward happened...

My score this morning was 88. It could have been the dinner I fixed last night: brots in buns, boiled carrots and potatoes (Kathie took most of the carrots so I was "stuck" with the potatoes) and GREAT strawberries with low cal Diet Whipped cream and water.

Maybe eating right was the trick.

I suppose I could test the meter to check the calibration but I don't see any reason to spend the money.

6:56 AM 8/8/2006 Uneventful.

6:44 PM 8/15/2006 Uneventful. However, I picked a spot just below the band aid from this morning and it stung for a couple of seconds and now itches. Otherwise, it was a good afternoon score. (I'm losing it! I should have tested two hours after eating...)

9:27 PM 8/15/2006 I tested two hours after eating. The test itself was uneventful but the score rather high (158!). Maybe I have not been working out much lately and this is showing up...

If that were the case, then why was my pre-dinner score so nice? (130)

6:55 PM 8/18/2006 Uneventful save for the fact that I took the reading before eating dinner and not two hours after. Either I'm rebelling to something and have reverted to the initial testing schedule or I'm stressing out and badly need a vacation. Perhaps the thought that all my upcoming "vacations" for the next 1.5 years are going to be Lions related is bothering me?

9:35 PM 8/18/2006 Uneventful.

9:55 pm 8/22/2006 Uneventful save for it being too high! 155! Of course, it was high this morning: 134. It could be an effect of what I've had to eat lately or the diarrhea that I think came from the salad and salad dressing I had for lunch...

10:18 PM 8/25/2006 Uneventful. Score was 141; I had two fried chicken wings and a chicken breast for dinner.

6:50 AM 9/1/2006 Uneventful.

9:40 PM 9/5/2006 Uneventful save that the number was a big high: 143. It could have been the "Healthy Choice" Meal I had or simply the upset stomach and diaharia that I think I got from the lunch I had (Arby's Southwest Club Salad...)

6:52 AM 9/8/2006 Uneventful albeit a bit high. It seems like last night's mostly meat Mexican (and flan for desert) had a lingering effect...

6:54 AM 9/12/2006 Uneventful save for one amusing event: Scott Reiter came over to ask me to make a log entry and when he saw I was about to "stab myself", he turned around and trundled off (quickly!). He was able to pass his message to me over his shoulder...

7:13 AM 9/19/2006 Uneventful but high: 150! I had a low cal TV dinner (lasagna{sp}) last night and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. The soup may have whacked my blood sugar...

Something to keep in mind...

9:41 PM 9/26/2006 Uneventful but a bit high: 151. Given that I had a "Healthy Choice meal (A Healthy Choice Grilled White Meat Chicken in Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce over Linguini Pasts with Broccoli Florets and (of course!) a can of D.P.), I have to wonder why the score was so high only two hours after eating? Could it be this type of food may be dietary but not diabetic "safe"? Could it be my metformin is tapering off and that could lead to me having to use stronger medicines and eventually go on the dreaded needle? Could it be I should simply try coming up with a home brew meal that is high on veggies and fruit and low fat? I could try...

It could also be a lack of proper exercise.

09:37 PM 9/29/2006 Uneventful even through the meal I had should have granted me a lower score than 151.

9:48 PM 10/3/2006 Uneventful even though it took me three tries to get enough blood for a sampling and I had to use both sides of the test strip. Also, my arm is itching quite a bit (this is a very rare occurrence).

9:47 PM 10/6/2006 Uneventful.

7:08 AM 10/13/2006 Uneventful. A bit high (148) and this could be attributed to the dinner I had last night (a Quiznos sub and bowl of chicken soup) or to a possible cold I seem to have. I'll have to see what happens after I eat dinner tonight (tentatively Dillon's salad and low cal dressing...)

9:38 PM 10/17/2006 Uneventful but I just wasn't in the mood tonight. I can see myself skipping a night and then just letting the testing slide. It was a "good" score... (140)

7:02 AM 10/20/2006 Uneventful even if I wasn't in the mood... My score (142) was a bit high but probably not too horrible given I'd had homemade stew last night (with lots of potatoes in it) and had gotten an upset stomach from too much fat (beef fat in the stew meat and possibly the virgin olive oil).

7:07 PM 10/23/2006 Uneventful. A good score (127) given that I had roast beef, with carrots and potatoes roasted with the beef and a glass of white wine! I was pleased with it...

9:10 PM 11/7/2006 Uneventful and nice: 123! This in spite of a heavy lunch that had me physically upset all afternoon.

8:45 PM 11/10/2006 Uneventful.

8:46 PM 11/17/2006 Uneventful.

9:03 PM 12/19/2006 Uneventful even if I got called away just before I poked myself. The score - 141 - was a bit higher than I'd hoped for but much less than I feared it would be! I had potatoes, corn, chicken and a little left over boiled cabbage. So, I guess the potatoes just "flashed" to blood sugar fairly fast. However, it could have been much worst: I could have eaten stuff with sugar in it...

8:59 PM 12/22/2006 Uneventful. My score was 130 and this was a bit higher than I'd expected given I'd eating "veggie" for dinner and had drunk water. Oh, well...

8:55 PM 12/27/2006 Uneventful, if a bit higher than I'd like to see after eating a "Healthy Choice" meal (133).

9:25 PM 12/30/2006 Uneventful.

8:47 PM 1/9/2007 Uneventful save that my arm bleed a lot more than I had anticipated. I had trouble getting any blood this morning (at home) and was happy to see a large bubble. Unfortunately, that large bubble meant having to go "scrounge up" a band aid. So, I lost 5 or 6 drops of blood...

8:47 PM 1/30/2007 I got tired of going over to the Upper Air work station and decided to test at my usual work position. I was inspired by a man at the Lions Mid-Winter Rally who simply and quietly gave himself an insulin shot at the dinner table one night. He didn't run off and hide or go to his room: he did what he needed to do and no one noticed. Well, no one said anything anyway.

So, I decided to stop "hiding" and turned my back at the only co-worker present: Mike Lacey. He didn't appear to notice and I didn't bring attention to my actions. In the future, I think I'll try testing more from my work station. Of course, if there is a lot of traffic in the room, I'll reconsider...

8:48 PM 2/02/2007 I was going to test at my work station but Mike U. came in early and was wondering around. This lead to the possible embarrassment of "getting caught" so I went to my upper air work station and "tested" there...

7:21 PM 2/6/2007 John Finch walked over and asked me if I was "keeping a journal". I told him "I have to keep track of what I eat" and changed the subject.

8:42 PM 2/6/2007 Uneventful and done at the Upper Air work station vice my usual work station.

8:48 PM 2/9/2007 Uneventful. With a new man at work (Mike Scott), I felt a little nervous about my usual testing; I didn't want to have to answer any questions. My privacy was preserved (as expected) and tis another successful self-stabbing!

9:03 PM 2/17/2007 Uneventful. Jennifer was working at the work station closest to the Upper Air work station. I realized that if I wanted privacy, walking oved there and testing would draw attention to myself. So, I tested at my usual work station. Sometimes, you can have privacy in a very public place.

I have thought for years that "testing" at the U/A work station merely gives the illusion of privacy.

Anyway, my score was 168 and was a lot higher than I'd hoped for...

9:11 PM 2/20/2007 Uneventful even if I tested at my usual work station. The score was quite nice: 116

9:43 PM 3/13/2007 Eventful.

I was slightly disorientated before the flight and had to focus hard; the flight went well.

Just before testing my blood, I told John Finch that "I'm going to do something I haven't done in years, I'm going to admit that I'm about to 'poke myself'." He said "ok". I don't normally tell folks when I'm about to test my blood for fear of offending them. I didn't care tonight.

It took two tries. Each time, I didn't get a clean bead of blood, I got an outpouring. I tested with one side on the first "hole" and re-punctured and tested using the other side.

My score was 77!

This is a remarkably low score (for me). I don't know if it is real or if I tested before letting the alcohol fully dry before the second testing. (I had to hurry with the 2nd testing to get it done before the strip and meter "timed out".

I'm going to write the ADA and ask them if testing with a little alcohol on my arm could throw off the scores.

The other explanation for this figure and my carelessness is hypoglycemia and that is both a very very rare (for me) occurrence and a scary one as well...

9:41 PM 3/23/2007 Eventful!

My first attempt at sampling resulting in two punctures with blood smearing out; I've finally figured out that holding the spring device steady on my arm isn't too steady and can lead to creating a tear and not a hole. Anyway, I sampled on the left side of the stripe and that didn't work. I sampled on the right side and came up with a score of "34"!

Thirty-four? At 34, I should have been passed out on the floor!

I immediately did a second test and came up with a far more reasonable figure: 116.

This is enough to make me question the "77" I had recently...

With four co-workers in the area I didn't feel like testing "in public" and it would be silly to go back to the work station I usually test at. So, I went into one of the unoccupied cubicles and stabbed away to my heart's content...

7:22 AM 4/3/2007 Uneventful. (This is very much a late entry as I simply forgot this log and didn't fill it in until 7:23 AM 4/7/2007...

9:29 PM 4/24/2007 Uneventful, even if it took two tries to get the reading. I've been feeling out of sorts tonight, slight headache and feeling forgetful. A score of 111 doesn't really suggest hypoglycemia but what else could have upset me???

9:41 PM 4/27/2007 I had difficulty in getting a good sample. The first stabbing resulted in a smeared out "flood" of "blood". I sampled off the left side of the stipe and it failed; I squeezed out another sample of blood into the right side of the strip and got a very good reading: 71!

I am feeling far too good for such a low reading and sampled again from another "site" and got a more realistic 122. If the first reading had been good, I should have gotten something much closer to 71. Oh, well...

9:48 PM 5/1/2007 Testing done about 7 minutes later than I should have; I got distracted and didn't remember in time. My score was higher (143) than I thought it should have been given how hungry I've been this afternoon and evening. Hypothesis: walking on the treadmill and then pumping iron jazzed up my metabolism and that made me hungrier than normal...

9:34 PM 5/4/2007 Uneventful save that I went to a different location since there are way too many people in here for me to feel comfortable with "testing" at my usual spot. I used the unused desk in Rick Sloan's cubical...

10:09 PM 5/15/2007 Uneventful. Since Ray was the only other person here, I tested at my work station. My score of 120 was quite nice; it was below my morning score of 123! I've got to wonder if this is simply due to what I'd eaten this afternoon/evening or if the treadmill walking this morning had a long term effect of jazzing up my metabolism. I guess I can ask ADA.

9:38 PM 6/4/2007 This being a Moanday night is not my usual testing night. However, events conspired to keep me from evening testing this past Friday and so I took the opportunity to test tonight. Otherwise, uneventful...

9:28 PM 6/6/2007 Uneventful. I should have "tested" last night but got wrapped up in conversation. Suzzi Burgert came in (with her son) and was talking about a visit the family made to Greensburg. The combination of talking (which made me late) and the boy running around lead me to postpone...

9:52 PM 6/8/2007 Uneventful albeit higher than I would have thought (140) given I had a "Healthy Choice" meal. It must have been that rascally popcorn...

9:34 PM 6/12/2007 I used the left side of the test strip and this failed; before the machine could time out, I poked another hole and used the other side of the test strip. The result was 100. While this does seem a bit low it isn't low enuf to warrant expending another test strip. After all, I did have a salad for lunch and a Healthy Choice meal and I've been feeling quite hungry for the past hour. So, this is probably a correct (righteous?) reading and I should allow myself to have the occasional "low" reading. After all, I never scream "bad reading" when the score is much higher! (i.e. 154 last night...)

9:45 PM 6/15/2007 Eventful. I did the test at the usual work station in spite of three co-workers being near me. I did so because I did not want to lug the testing gear around to a more secluded place; getting around on crutches is a real hassle!

9:40 PM 7/16/2007 Uneventful. I did the test at my usual work station because I did not want to have to carry test gear and etc. over to the U/A station. I'm on crutches and lugging this would not only be a hassle but would contravene the point of "hiding" at the U/A station: I would bring attention to myself! Actually, I'm completely tired of thinking I have something to hide here. If anyone cares that I'm quietly stabbing myself then I have yet to see any indication of this!

9:43 PM 7/18/2007 Uneventful. I did the Tuesday evening test tonight; I forgot to test last night. (I kind of got out of the practice of "testing" when I was in Chicago and couldn't test there...) After I got done testing at my usual work station and bundled up the used materials for proper disposal, I realized that Jamie B. was behind me doing a monthly wx ob.

Oh, well, she won't mention my testing and I won't either...

9:29 PM 7/25/2007 A non-event because I "accidentally" forgot to take my meds before eating dinner and by the time I did take the metformin, it was too late for tonight. Actually, I haven't had the enthusiasm for testing lately. It finally sunk in that if my "score" is too high, there is nothing I can do about it!

Besides, I read an article lately that suggested that non-insulin users are wasting their time and money by testing. I fear I have bought into this "heresy"! It seems like I have been Sabotaging myself by not taking the testing equipment with me or "forgetting" to take the pills soon enough or forgetting exactly when I finished eating dinner...

I think I've become very tired of being diabetic and am in grave danger of thinking I can "behave normally". i.e. Live like I'm a fully healthy non-diabetic.

I've seen this happen to others and the grave results. Actually, it isn't that bad. I take good care of my feet, worry about losing weight, try to "eat right" and when I wasn't gimped up with the broken ankle, was working out quite religiously.

Had I not broken the ankle, I might be doing 25 minutes at 4 mph and then 5 minutes at 4.5-5 mph on the treadmill...

9:50 PM 7/26/2007 Uneventful and done at my work station. I got busy doing other stuff and came close to missing "the time" but looked at the clock at exactly the right time. My score of 147 was a shock! It was too damn high given that I'd had a "Healthy Choice" meal (and some Fritos) two hours before and made sure I took my pills...

Maybe some of the "Healthy Choice" meals aren't so "Healthy" when it comes to the blood sugar???

9:35 PM 7/28/2007 I "accidentally" forgot to check...

9:35 PM 7/29/2007 I "accidentally" forgot to check...

9:35 PM 7/30/2007 I "accidentally" forgot to check...

I seem to have a serious problem with not wanting to "do my duty" and check my blood sugar at work.

Tonight (5 August 2007) could be more of the same as Ed will be here tonight and it was Ed's presence that was my excuse for "forgetting..."

9:40 PM 8/5/2007 Uneventful. I did the test at the U/A station (Ed had gone back to his office so it didn't feel awkward to carry the test gear bag over there). I had a good score. Either this means my body is finally recovering from the broken ankle or a "good" breakfast (South Beach Diet), an "OK" lunch and a "good" dinner (a South Beach Diet) had resulted in "good sugar levels...

Well, I can hope...

9:43 PM 8/7/2007 uneventful. My score was 152, which seems a bit high given I had some left over pork chop, maybe a cup of corn and a 1.5 oz. bag of "Cheez-It" crackers; my drink was a can of D.P.

I was rather taken aback by the size of this reading...

8:45 PM 8/28/2007 I left home in a bit of a hurry and forgot to take the meter with me. I'll have to test tomorrow night.

10:00 PM 8/29/2007 Uneventful even if I overthought where I should test; I defaulted with the U/A work station. I was surprised with the score of 145 given I'd had a "Healthy Choice" meal. Maybe it was all the refined rice in this meal or just the few freetos I had? The meal was: Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Cajun Style Chicken & Shrimp (Chicken Breast & Scrimp With Rice & Vegetables In Cajun Style Sauce), a handful or so of Fritos and a can of D.P.

9:59 PM 8/31/2007 Uneventful. I had a good score after eating stewed pork chops, sour kraut, some potatoes and two (2!) cans of D.P. It certainly tasted good and I had made the mistake of having it available...

10:10 PM 9/18/2007 No problems with the testing save that it still hurts (a very rare occurrence) and the level (173) was way too damn high! It would seem the meal I had (A Marie Callender's Fettuccini with Chicken & Broccoli (Chicken Breast in Creamy, Alfredo Sauce) had way too much in the way of things bad for me! It wasn't just bland!

9:15 PM 10/8/2007 No problemo, nothing out of the ordinary and a good score: 128.

9:39 PM 10/9/2007 Eventful but no problemo. A large group of Emergency Managers came in and were hanging out in the operations area watching displays of various weather products via the projector. No one wondered over to see what I was doing...

09:40 PM 10/12/2007 Uneventful.

9:31 PM 10/19/2007 Uneventful. It was a little high (148) given that I had a Healthy Choice meal but then I think it might have been the two mini-Oreos or something about the meal that has me slightly sick to my stomach...

9:53 PM 10/30/2007 Uneventful. However, the score seemed a bit low (103) and I had o wonder if there had been too much alcohol on my arm when I used the needle. It also took two tries but I think I simply hadn't gotten a good bead the first time.

Then, too, I had not eaten anything (save a bit of dark chocolate in the late afternoon) before eating a "Healthy Choice" meal. Maybe I can let myself believe that low scores can happen???

9:01 PM 11/20/2007 Uneventful.

I was distressed to realize that I'd forgotten to take my Metformin. I suppose the advantage of being on the needled vice pill is it would be harder to forget the damned needle?

8:54 PM 11/23/2007 Uneventful.

8:48 PM 11/30/2007 Uneventful. However, the score of 157 surprised and actually shocked me! I had a small dinner (A can of Healthy Choice Chicken With Rice Soup and a 1.5 oz. bag of "Cheeze-It" (Baked Snack Crackers) added and of course, a can of D.P.) that should have dropped my blood sugar but it did not. If something this minor could lead to such high results, I could despair. I wonder how much longer it might be before I have to goto the needle?

9:21 PM 1/1/2008 Uneventful but high. It would seem that beef stew (albeit mostly beef) is still high on the "glycemic index" due to the small amount of potatoes in it, the potatoes that cooked down in the gravy and the flour with which I thickened the gravy. Oh, well...

9:14 PM 1/4/2008 Uneventful and lower than this morning!

8:50 PM 1/9/2008 Uneventful but higher than I would have like to see (147). I have been feeling out of sorts lately and wonder if that isn't being reflected in my blood sugar?

9:17 PM 1/11/2008 Uneventful.

9:09 PM 1/22/2008 Uneventful save for the fact that my score of 97 is the lowest it has been in years! This past Friday, I scored 250! (The highest it has been in some time.) I just don't get this blood sugar stuff! sigh...

8:43 PM 2/12/2008 Uneventful, sampling wise, even if the needled pierce hurt more than usual and the pain is lingering. On the subject of tonight's dinner: "My 2 hour afterwards score was 127. Given that I had eaten food which is not "flashy" (to blood sugar), I'm disappointed the score was so high!"

8:07 PM 2/15/2008 Uneventful but a bit high (150) given that I had stewed pork chops, sour kraut, potatoes, onion flakes and used a very cheap cooking beer to stew this in. Perhaps it was the potatoes that "did me in" or it was the upset digestion I've had for several days...

9:05 PM 3/2/2008 Uneventful and quite good for a change (119). I think it was the Healthy Choice meal I had...

9:34 PM 3/4/200 Uneventful. A bit higher than what I had hoped for but then I ate a "regular" meal which had a lot of potatoes in it and ended up with ingestion. Both probably helped jack the score...

9:40 PM 3/25/2008 Uneventful. However, my score of 168 after eating a "Healthy Choice" meal makes me wonder if "Healthy Choice" is really a "Healthy Choice" if I want to lower my blood sugar? Maybe I should gin up veggie, fruit and meat (a small amount only) dinners on my own?

9:50 PM 4/1/2008 Uneventful but surprising! When I was getting ready to check my blood sugar, I realized that I'd forgotten to take my evening pills. SO, I thought, what is the point? I'll just test tomorrow night. Then, I thought "screw it. I screwed up and might as well see how bad it can get if I didn't take the pill." So, I tested out at 174. The amazing thing is that I occasionally get a score that high when I've taken the pills and had scores much higher when I was on that lung medication. (i.e. in the 240s! Dr. H. said this medication often raised blood sugars to the 300s or 400s...)

10:10 PM 4/4/2008 Uneventful. The score was one of my best (138) evening scores lately! I had baked hamburger, about a cup of boiled barley, almost a cup of broccoli florets and a can of DP. This actually tasted better than the Healthy Choice stuff I have been eating (even if very bland) and was better for me! I am going to try fish, veggies and barley (again) next week...

9:53 PM 4/15/2008 Uneventful. The score was 127, which is one of my best evening scores recently. I'd like to say it was due to walking a lot this morning but it really had a lot to do with eating a bland low carb dinner: * baked boneless skinned chicken * boiled broccoli florets * boiled barley * two cans of DP (I needed something with a little flavour!)

The drawback was I had sugar craving before dinner and then starting about an hour after finishing dinner...

Lunch was yogurt, an orange and a baloney sandwich and four little sugar donuts. I really had the sugar cravings after lunch!

9:58 PM 5/6/2008 Uneventful and a score of 116; my morning score was 113 so I'm almost irrationally pleased with this. I had a "Healthy Choice" meal (Salmon) and walked for 35 minutes at 3.5 mph and then 5 minutes at 4.1 mph and a cool down that went from this high to 3.3 mph this morning at the Sheridan Center.

9:54 PM 5/9/2008 Uneventful even if I tested at my work station rather than draw attention to myself by testing at the Upper Air station. I got a very good score: 113! This came, I'm sure, from having slightly stewed pork chops, sour kraut and potatoes (plus a can of DP) for dinner...

9:42 PM 5/24/2008 Uneventful and fairly good (128). The meter stopped working and it took 10 days to get a set of replacement batteries.

9:53 PM 6/17/2008 Uneventful and not too bad (137) given my dinner (Boston Market meatloaf and mashed potatoes and brown gravy) has the dreaded flash-to-sugar-potatoes (but not much and certainly less than what I would have served myself!).

9:36 PM 6/20/2008 Uneventful. My evening score was 116 and my morning was 113. I had a Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers chicken/noodle/broccoli dish with a can of DP added. Lunch was a mess of pseudo-Chinese cooking and a desert at King's Buffet (desert was a scoop of vanilla ice creamme, a scoop of chocolate ice creamme and about a scoop of chocolate pudding). I'd have thought this would jack my blood sugar but then I walked (treadmill) 4.1 mph for 43 minutes this morning and that may have lowered my blood sugar.

I can hope!

It could simply be a quirk or reaction to summer...

9:30 PM 6/25/2008 Uneventful. My score of 144 is directly related to what I had for dinner: stewed boneless skinless chicken and lots of rice (plus a can of DP). It was the rice "that did me in!" I'll have to do better on Friday...

9:51 PM 6/27/2008 Uneventful and good (115); this was less than this morning (116). I had stewed pork chops, sour kraut and potatoes plus two (2) cans of DP for dinner.

10:06 PM 7/16/2008 Uneventful albeit high (176). This was caused by having a dinner which had both mashed potatoes and a brownie and having had a couple of slices of Kathie's birthday cake (with vanilla ice creamme) around 2 pm. (Well, probably the mashed potatoes and brownie did me in.)

9:47 PM 7/29/2008 Uneventful even if a bit high (149). At least not as high as the last entry...

9:48 PM 8/1/2008 Uneventful and once again, the stewed pork chops, potatoe and sour kraut has come thru for me! (Score of 124) Early this afternoon, I thought that I'd taken my evening pills this morning so I put the morning pills in a plastic zip lock bag for tonight and took them with dinner. It was only after I had finished dinner that I realized that I'd put my evening pills in a pill box and forgotten that I'd done this; I remember "moving on auto- pilot" this morning before my first cup of coffee but to forget this and to forget to take my morning pills is an irritating (and perhaps scary) thing. I guess I'll just have to be more focused on the mantra of "take pills with a meal"...

Oh, well...

9:45 PM 8/19/2008 Uneventful.

9:49 PM 9/9/2008 Uneventful and not too horribly high given that I had some ice creamme about 6:30 pm.

9:57 PM 9/12/2008 Uneventful and not too bad (129) given that I had stewed pork chops, potatoes and sour kraut and only walked 10 minutes today...

10:16 PM 9/28/2008 Uneventful but a bit higher than I would have expected. I had a Healthy Choice pot roast, potatoes, carrots and apple pie. So, it is obvious that the Healthy Choice meal was low in calories but not exactly what a diabetic needed; perhaps, I am wrong and other factors caused my score (128).

9:48 PM 10/21/2008 We're working severe and I had to squeeze in time to check the blood sugar; it was 115 and a very nice reading due to having stewed pork chops, some noodles and a lot of sour kraut and a can of DP.

9:46 PM 10/23/2008 Uneventful. I have a rather large bruise on my left forearm near the usual places I check my blood from. I'm a bit worried as to why this bruise suddenly popped up in the past several days.

9:46 PM 10/31/2008 Annoying. I felt "shy" and did the test in a secluded corner of Rick's cubical and that meant I didn't have to wonder past Jennifer who was working at a work station almost in view of where I'd have tested. Not that it really mattered as I ended up walking past her to dispose of the used lancet. My score was higher than I thought it should have been! I did my longest walk on the treadmill today, lifted weights, had boiled chicken, boiled broccoli and not that much boiled rice for dinner. Still, my score was 141!

Oh, well, I can tell myself that I was feeling under the weather today (which is true) and still have the aftermath of being ill last night. Or, I could simply reaffirm that I do not understand blood sugar!

8:26 PM 11/8/2008 I didn't feel like walking over to the upper air station so I tested my blood sugar at my usual work station. If anyone noticed, they (Jon Finch mainly and Fritz Kruz) didn't say anything. Actually, Fritz could not have noticed and Jon was busy...

Anyway, given this was my first evening meal after starting a reduced food plan (i.e. "diet") and I am pleased with the result: 113 at about an hour and 55 minutes after starting dinner.

8:45 PM 11/11/2008 Uneventful. The score (141) was a bit higher than I would have liked but it was to be expected given my "meal plan" sort of called for me to eat white rice. I forgot to bring carrots and maybe they would have helped?

Oh, well...

8:11 PM 12/2/2008 My score was simply unbelievable: 184! This is especially hard to comprehend given I had boiled chicken, a boiled potatoe (which dissolved in the juices I put over the top of the potatoe), an apple and carrots with nothing to drink. A couple of hours before dinner, I did eat a fudge cookie but I can't believe this would have screwed up (jacked up) my score so horribly!

Truly, blood sugar is an enigma!

9:07 PM 12/12/2008 Well, I expected it to be high tonight and it was: 196. I had planned on having tuna fish, boiled rice and boiled corn. I accidentally left the tuna home and had the rice and corn. I have to wonder if my score would have been lower had the tuna fish been mixed in with the rice and corn in my stomach? Perhaps the fish would have slowed the production of blood sugar? (I don't know and really don't think it would be wise to run this experiment...)

Oh, well, I still have six months before the next A1C.

Testing wise, I tested at my new work station and ignored the person seated at my back.

9:13 PM 02/25/2009 There has been a dearth of entries due to not working evenings during the proper nights.

9:20 PM 2/25/2009 Uneventful.

9:45 PM 3/4/2009 Uneventful

9:22 PM 3/6/2009 Uneventful

9:55 PM 3/16/2009 Uneventful if too high (233). MU wandered over to look out the window as I was checking the blood sample but he carefully ignored me...

9:49 PM 3/17/2009 Uneventful but on the high side, like last night: 239. I can only conclude it's the rice I ate tonight.

9:53 PM 4/7/2009 Uneventful but a bit high: 190. I figure it was the dinner I had, "Boston Market Meatloaf with home style mashed potatoes & gravy". This has a lot of potatoes and oddly enough, upset my stomach. This is now on my "do no eat" list!

10:12 PM 4/10/2009 Uneventful and not too high (170) given I had hamburger and boiled rice for dinner. (The boiled broccoli florets were inedible.)

9:46 PM 4/15/2009 Uneventful but too damn high: 191. I had apples, broccoli, pork chops and rice for dinner...

9:56 PM 4/18/2009 Uneventful but higher than I would have liked (173). All I had was "Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Cajun Style Chicken & Scrimp (Chicken Breast & Scrimp With Rice & Vegetables In Cajun Style Sauce) and water." (to quote from my food log)

9:49 PM 5/20/2009 Uneventful. Tested my blood from my work station and will have to shitcan the bloody stuff. Did have a problem with opening Notepad: I was told "not enough memory" and yet I was able to enter data; the automatic logging of the date time group did not occur...

10:16 PM 5/22/2009 Uneventful but high (205!) and that was probably due to the rice with the steak and broccoli. I did the test at my usual work station...

10:40 PM 6/9/2009 Slightly eventful. The first "well" looked like a large enough blood drop but it didn't fill the test strip and that failed the strip. I did a better job of working the second "well" and made sure I had a really large blood droplet; the test strip was filled nicely and the results were not as awful as I feared they could be (152). This was actually less than the morning reading of 163...

Go figure...

10:20 PM 6/30/2009 uneventful but a little higher than I'd hoped for (163) given that I'm using an additional diabetes drug. oh well...

10:04 PM 7/3/2009 uneventful. I'm quite pleased with the lower blood sugar figures I'm getting with the new med. Tonight was 127 and probably 30 points lower than what I'd have gotten with just metformin...

9:49 PM 7/21/2009 uneventful. It was higher that what I've gotten used to lately (205) but then I forgot to take my Metformin to work with me and I'm seeing what unmediated rice, chicken and broccoli can lead to. (I'll be popping pills when I get home.)

Oddly enough, this gives me hope the new meds, in conjunction with the Metformin, may be helping me.

9:44 PM 8/11/2009 uneventful; the new stuff may be helping although the morning score (135) was on the high side and not much lower than tonight (143). Oh, well...

10:21 PM 8/14/2009 uneventful. I had a non-dietary meal and ended up with a smaller blood sugar reading that when I eat the "Healthy Choice" meals. Go figure...

9:51 PM 8/21/2009 uneventful but too damn high! I had bierrocks and broccoli and yet my score was 180! I can only think the bierrocks' pastry was the killer...

9:53 PM 8/29/2009 eventful. After three attempts at getting more than just a hole in the skin and a streak of blood, I went back to the first hole and milked what I hoped was enough blood out of that hole. It wasn't and I wasted a test strip. The second test strip got enuf blood and I was rewarded with a score much higher (208) than what I had wanted to see. It seems that beef stew made with beef and potatoes and thick flour gravy jacks the blood sugar a lot...

10:20 PM 9/1/2009 eventful. It took 3 tries before I got enuf blood to start filling a test strip from the 3rd hole and finished with blood from the 2nd hole. Score (173) was sort of what I expected from a dinner of boiled pork chops and potatoes (actually, it was a bit higher than what I hoped for...)

9:53 PM 10/2/2009 uneventful and a good score: 139! I discovered the hole puncher was set to 4 vice 5 and that was leading to not enuf blood. So, I guess I'm thick skinned physically ever if I am not emotionally...

10:15 PM 10/10/2009 uneventful and a very nice score: 116! I don't know why but my scores for last night, this morning and tonight have been very good (133 last night, 121 this morning and 116 tonight). It is almost enough to make me have faith in my medications...

9:33 PM 11/3/2009 uneventful and a nice score (126)

8:58 PM 11/6/2009 uneventful but a bit high (175). I had boiled potatoes, boiled broccoli and left over chicken for dinner.

9:04 PM 11/11/2009 uneventful and higher than I like (196) but then my dinner was mostly rice pilaf.

9:28 PM 11/13/2009 uneventful but way too high (200!). I had two bierrocks (pastry, cooked cabbage and hamburger) and a bunch of carrots. I would have entertained (expected) around 165 but 200? Just a stunningly high figure!

It's enuf to make me think I'll be on the needle this time next year and my damnation complete.

9:34 PM 11/21/2009 uneventful

9:22 PM 12/26/2009 uneventful

9:36 PM 1/2/2010 uneventful but higher than I was hoping for: 186. I had a fancy low cal TV dinner and that apparently wasn't what I needed for a lower blood sugar meal. Maybe Dr. Hostetler is right and it is time for me to goto the needle?

9:41 PM 1/5/2010 uneventful and fairly good (156).

10:32 PM 1/26/2010 uneventful

9:12 PM 2/5/2010 uneventful and a very good score: 114! The only problem is I had stewed pork chops, potatoes and sour kraut and now have indigestion!

8:56 PM 2/14/2010 uneventful

10:05 PM 2/16/2010 uneventful

9:34 PM 3/12/2010 uneventful

10:01 PM 3/18/2010 uneventful

9:58 PM 3/28/2010 uneventful but somewhat higher than I wanted...

9:50 PM 4/30/2010 uneventful but higher than I had hoped for (184)

9:46 PM 5/8/2010 uneventful and lower (161) than it was this morning (171). odd...

10:15 PM 5/11/2010 uneventful but disappointing. I scored 174 after eating a salad for dinner. I was rather disappointed and hope this isn't a harbringer of doom (i.e. having an A1C high enuf to warrant "going on the needle".) So, having failed, I'm eating some cookies. If I had gotten a decent score, I would have celebrated by eating the same cookies...

9:46 PM 5/31/2010 uneventful and disappointing: 165. It looks like "I'm damned to the needle" fairly soon...

10:28 PM 7/13/2010 This is my first testing since the old upper air station was dismantled and I now test at my workstation. It was higher than I wanted (204!) but I think that had to do with the amount of mashed potatoes I had with the stewed beef. This coming Friday, I will do veggies - a lot of veggies - and a little meat. I think I might do some starch but very little...

9:41 PM 7/16/2010 I have been exercising a lot more lately and ate a meat, carrot and a little baked potatoe dinner. My score was 148. Not too long ago, I would have considered that high; this is about the best it has been in months...

10:22 PM 7/23/2010 I have been exercising a lot more lately and had a steak, broccoli flower and a little baked potatoe for dinner. My score was 147; not too bad. (See last entry)

I tested at my usual work station; the old work station is gone...

10:18 PM 7/31/2010 Uneventful and tested away from my usual work station. I had a diet dinner and an apple and the score was still too damn high (180).

9:50 PM 8/3/2010 Uneventful and a little less that my last entry (176). I decided to test from the work station closest to Rick's cube. No one can see me as I am behind computer monitors; I can see everyone else on the ops' floor. (Kind of like being a house cat.)

10:06 PM 8/24/2010 Uneventful even though I went behind a couple of monitors, for the illusion of privacy, and my co-worker kept walking up to talk...

9:47 PM 8/27/2010 Quite uneventful. I did the test at my usual work station; I didn't feel like hiding. I was a bit amazed at how fast I have gotten at taking the parts out of the case, rigging them, and checking my blood.

It was good tonight: 149!

This was down quite a bit from my morning score of 202!

I guess working out, eating a very light lunch and a dinner mostly of pork chops, sour kraut and a little potatoe did the trick. Now, if I can just keep repeating this...

10:36 PM 9/3/2010 Uneventful.

10:36 PM 10/5/2010 Uneventful. I did the test at my usual work station as all the other work stations were full and moving away would just draw attention to myself.

10:51 PM 10/8/2010 Uneventful and I did the check at my usual work station. I just did not want to move; if anyone is squeamish, they don't need to look!

10:14 PM 10/15/2010 Uneventful and better than the other two tests I did today. My "getting out of bed" reading was 191; I felt crappy after lunch and found I had a reading of 227!; my evening reading was the best of the three: 158. Go figure!

10:29 PM 10/26/2010 Uneventful and much better than I thought it would be. 158. Did the test in the unoccupied half of Rick's cube for privacy.

PM 11/15/2010 Uneventful and did at my usual work station. I let the first test strip sit in the meter too long and the silly thing failed on me. I had to use a second test stripe. This is about 54¢ down the drain for the defunct stripe!

9:27 PM 11/16/2010 Uneventful and not too bad; I tested at my usual work station. This morning was 141 and this evening was 162.

8:56 PM 11/19/2010 Uneventful and quite nice: 152. This is high for many but is actually on the lowest side for me...

9:06 PM 11/27/2010 Uneventful and a bit high: 175.

9:46 PM 12/6/2010 Uneventful...

9:52 PM 12/7/2010 Uneventful and done at my usual work station.

9:49 PM 12/27/2010 Uneventful, even if Fritz looked at the blood drop on my arm. He walked past my work station and was staring at the blood drop on my left forearm before I could slide the test strip against the blood drop. I wasn't embarrassed...

10:18 PM 12/29/2010 Uneventful and disappointing (196) given I had 1½ sandwiches (1 ham and ½ turkey) and carrots.

9:36 PM 12/31/2010 Uneventful and once again too high. sigh...

10:08 PM 1/5/2011 Uneventful and way, way too high! (So much for having homemade beef stew for dinner!) A score of 214 and I might as well tell Dr. Hostetler to put me on Levemar when my Januvia {sp} prescription runs out on 11 February after my last Januvia is used on the 10th. I am SO going to have someone tape me giving myself that first shot! I have a Q shift on the 11th. I wonder if I can get Dr. Hostetler to have me stay late for med checks or take the night off to allow myself to adjust to the new shit?

10:00 PM 1/7/2011 Uneventful and higher than I would have liked (180) but then I ate a TV dinner which made no pretense of being "diabetic friendly"...

9:38 PM 1/17/2011 Uneventful. Way too damn high: 224. I have been feeling ill this afternoon/evening and I guess that is reflected in my blood sugar level. I'll have to test again tomorrow..

9:38 PM 1/18/2011 Uneventful and a repeat of last night; way too damn high (237) I feel better than I did yesterday so why is it so high after a "diet" meal?

9:52 PM 2/7/2011 Uneventful but higher than I wanted (190). I think it was either the Healthy Choice meatloaf or the combination of HC meatloaf and some ice creamme before dinner. I'll have to repeat the HC meatloaf on Wednesday to see what happens...

9:35 PM 2/9/2011 Uneventful and very high given that I had a Healthy Choice meal (227). It is enough to make me wonder why I am even trying? I also wonder if "Healthy Choice" is screwing me?

9:35 PM 2/11/2011 Uneventful but too damn high (227!). I am wondering if my meter has gone bad? After all, I had roast beef and rice for dinner; my number should have been lower...

9:47 PM 2/16/2011 Uneventful and better that recently: 166.

10:21 PM 2/28/2011 Uneventful and a fine set of readings for today: * am 129 * pm 170

I just went back and read my earliest entries, back in the days when 124 was an OMG moment! Now, that is is "WOW! It's low" moment, sadly enuf.

10:17 PM 3/21/2011 Uneventful and 161. I'm pleased with this although it is a bit high.

10:03 PM 3/23/2011 Uneventful and 136, which is very nice.

10:18 PM 3/25/2011 Uneventful and at 188, higher than the last test. I had the same food on the 23rd that I had tonight and as it turned out, I forgot to take my pills on the 23rd yet had a lower "score" than tonight. Sugar! Who can figure it out?

10:38 PM 3/30/2011 Uneventful but not quite as high as the last entry. I seem to be in the 160s lately although I hit 177 tonight.

9:56 PM 4/1/2011 Uneventful but too damn high (230). This morning was 161...

9:53 PM 4/11/2011 Uneventful and so good (119) that I wonder if the test strip wasn't under reading. This is a new batch of test stripes and for the second time today, I tried testing on the right side and nothing happened and was able to test on the left side...

10:42 PM 5/2/2011 Uneventful but too damn high (195). I am under the weather...

9:59 PM 5/4/2011 Uneventful and even more too damn high (198). I am "under the weather" with a bladder infection and hopefully, that is the reason for my high number. After all, I had a "Healthy Choice" Meatloaf Meal. I'm tempted to gin up homemade meatloaf and see how this compares this coming Friday...

9:59 PM 5/6/2011 Uneventful and quite good! I am still "under the weather" and had homemade meatloaf, a baked potatoe and about the same amount of broccoli as I had corn on Wednesday. The meatloaf was about twice the size of the "Healthy Choice" meatloaf and my baked potatoe about twice the size of their mashed potatoes. I did not have gravy or desert.

My reading was 140!

Maybe I should start making my own evening meals?

10:19 PM 5/11/2011 uneventful and 146; I had a Marie Callender meal and not a "diet meal". Maybe "diet meals" jack the blood sugar too much?

9:44 PM 5/13/2011 Uneventful and with a very good score: 135!

The irony is that many professionals regard 135 as being 5 points too high and would probably have me shooting me with insulin. This score, of course, is quite good for me. In fact, it was shockingly good! Maybe the higher strength Actos is working or it could be I had boiled pork chops, sour kraut and boiled potatoes for dinner. (I'd better not check my blood pressure as sour kraut has salt and supposedly jack the bp.)

10:19 PM 6/13/2011 Uneventful and too high: 170. I think "Healthy Choice" is not so healthy when it comes to my blood sugar.

10:11 PM 6/15/2011 Uneventful

9:57 PM 6/17/2011 Uneventful save I had to poke two holes. My score was great: 100! In fact, this score is so low I'm tempted to not believe it...

9:56 PM 6/22/2011 Uneventful...

10:05 PM 6/24/2011 Uneventful but the results are staggering! This morning, 118 and tonight, 111! I refuse to retest for fear of getting higher results. I have to conclude these are real scores. Odd, to finally have "normal" blood sugar readings and be afraid of them...

10:12 PM 7/4/2011 Eventful in that it took three tries. The first two were on my forearm and turned out to produce pools of blood but no "ball" of blood. The third, on my left index finger (not the "pad") got a good "ball". The results were also higher (187). I suppose this will be a dis-incentive for eating Marie Callender pork chops, potatoes mashed with gravy and apple.

9:41 PM 7/25/2011 I did several tests today using blood from my finger tips and the new (Beyer) meter. I like the new meter. It takes a lot less blood and works much quicker. I haven't had a stipe fail yet...

10:03 PM 7/27/2011 Uneventful.

9:31 PM 7/29/2011 Uneventful and the latest in a run of nicely low scores! Part of this being uneventful is that I've simply stopped caring if anyone notices me testing. I simply test. Perhaps it helps that Cheri not only tests openly but injects openly and that has encourage me.

10:45 PM 8/3/2011 Uneventful and also the latest in a fine series of low scores! (107) I think the combination of metformin and Actos, in the evening, is finally working. However, the cost of $294/90 pills is more than I care to pay. Dr. H put me on another drug, that may do more than Actos and may raise the danger of my going hypoglycemic (yeah, sure!) and the price is a bit smaller.

The alternative drug cost me $2.74/90 pills!

That is roughly .935% of the Actos.

I really hope this new stuff works well. At least, I've staved off injected insulin once again...

9:55 PM 8/5/2011 Uneventful and another good score: 127! I took the last Actos 30 tonight and will be starting the new stuff tomorrow AM. I wrote down the name of the new stuff and then left that piece of paper home...

9:50 PM 8/15/2011 Uneventful and continuing the trend of scores (133!) that are much lower than what I've gotten used to! I just hope this trend continues. As my "diabetics coach" says, "my diabetes is under control". I don't want to disappoint her, or me, by letting it get higher. More reason to keep walking the treadmill and even (gasp!) starting back on the weight lifting...

9:33 PM 9/5/2011 Uneventful and high by current standards (124) but very nice by older standards...

9:32 PM 9/9/2011 Uneventful but weird. My first reading was 79 and this seems way too low so I immediately tested again and got 85. I don't know if the meter is whacked or if my blood sugar is low due to the medication load I've got. I do feel a bit crappy so maybe this is due "low blood sugar" or maybe I am feeling crappy because I've got a tooth problem...

9:41 PM 9/14/2011 Uneventful and a "more normal" score: 151. It probably had everything to do with my evening meal: a can of corned beef hash since that would be (and was) gentle on my sore tooth or teeth. (I see the dentist tomorrow afternoon.) Hopefully, he will be able to fix my tooth/teeth this time!

9:32 PM 9/16/2011 Uneventful and low: 87

9:25 PM 11/29/2011 Uneventful and fine: 123

9:55 PM 12/1/201 Uneventful but unfine: 193. I've gotten so used to good scores that one this high rocks me back on my butt! I had a Marie Callender's beef, potatoes, gravy and mac & cheese for dinner. This is now off my eat-a-bles list!

7:01 PM 12/11/2011 TEST # 1- 72 I was feeling weak and hungry so I guess this is hypoglycemia (at least I hope the meter is working right...)

TEST # 2 -144 I am feeling much better...

9:28 PM 12/20/2011 Uneventful and fairly good: 142. I had a Healthy Choice Classic Meat Loaf with iced water.

9:42 PM 1/10/2012 Uneventful and actually good: 137. I had left over homemade pizza, so I figured it would be lower than this...

8:36 PM 1/12/2012 Uneventful and adequate: 153. I had two ears of corn on the cob, some baked potatoe and some roast beef.

9:21 PM 1/31/2012 Completely uneventful and only 140. I would have thought it higher as I had a Marie Callander dinner vice Healthy Choice. However, I have noticed that Healthy Choice does not lead to low blood sugars either.

8:27 PM 2/22/2012 I had 2 slices of pizza and some chips and cheese and a glass of "Diet Pepsi". Yet, my blood sugar was 197! It has not been this high in a very long while! I can only conclude the pizza was very bad for me and will endeavor to avoid it in the future...

P.S.: I suppose it would have helped if I'd remembered to take my pills before dinner. It actually got hectic enuf that I forgot to do so...

9:19 PM 3/1/2012 Blood testing uneventful and was 138. I had a dinner with mashed potatoes and apple with cinnamon sauce, which may have jacked the blood sugar level just a bit...

9:33 PM 3/13/2012 Uneventful but way too damn high: 199. This had to have been the result of eating "Dirty Rice" and feeling run down...

10:01 PM 4/3/2012 Very nice: 115! I had a "good" dinner (Mostly broccoli and a chicken breast) and this combined with the evening pills gave me a good score.

9:18 PM 4/5/2012 Nice but a little higher than what I hoped for: 138. I had broccoli, 2 ears of corn on the cob, a can of creamme of chicken soup, 2 hotdogs and iced water for dinner and hoped to have a much lower score...

10:15 PM 4/12/2012 A good score - 122 - and uneventful. I had pork chops, sour kraut and mashed potatoes for dinner.

10:23 PM 4/24/2012 A bit high - 165 - but not unexpected as I had a dinner which included stewed apples and that may have had a bit of sugar.

9:58 PM 5/15/2012 Uneventful and nice: 105. I think the Healthy Choice I had is one of the "good" ones (one that doesn't jack my blood sugar).

10:27 PM 5/17/2012 Uneventful and just above the "max": 134. I had a Healthy Choice meal and they tend to give higher readings. However, I can't really say that my creations - like pork chops stewed with sour kraut and potatoes - have been any more sterling...

10:14 PM 5/24/2012 Very uneventful and nice (105). I had a Healthy Choice meal - meat loaf - and I am quite pleased with the outcome.

10:19 PM 6/5/2012 uneventful

10:05 PM 6/26/2012 uneventful and fairly good (137)

10:00 PM 6/28/2012 Uneventful and very nice: 109. It could be I had stewed pork chops, sour kraut and potatoe for dinner and this is something I dip out of a plastic dish. This is also something that fills me quickly and I don't go back for seconds...

9:36 PM 7/5/201 Uneventful and too damn high: 166. It would appear the Marie Calender pork chops etc. are a bad choice...

9:30 PM 8/8/2012 I had Chef Boy Ardee for dinner and a 245 two hours later. I did not expect this disaster...

9:58 PM 8/9/2012 I had Healthy Choice meatloaf and 139.

9:35 PM 8/15/2012 Uneventful but a little high (141). This is also a Wednesday and I am supposed to be testing Tuesday and Thursday. However, I got my days screwed up and kept thinking yesterday was Moanday and today was Twosday!

9:35 PM 8/17/2012 It was great this morning (93) and way too high tonight (188). I interpret this as "don't have Marie Callander with white sauce...

9:51 PM 8/28/2012 Uneventful and actually lower (125) than I thought it would be. I had Marie Callandar fried pork chops, felt ill afterwards and yet have a nice, low (for me) number. Go figure...

10:06 PM 9/18/2012 Uneventful and 134 or a bit high. I had pork chops, veggies and chips.

9:37 PM 9/20/2012 Uneventful and on the low side at 96. My morning score was 91. I had better micro-nuke some popcorn...

9:16 PM 9/27/2012 The testing was uneventful but the score - 207 - way too high. I think it was the lunch I had plus the head ache late this afternoon that caused me body to respond by an excessively high score. I will now use the only first aid I have and drink a bunch of water...

9:30 PM 10/9/2012 Uneventful and quite nice: 116. I had boiled veggies, boiled potatoe, and pre-cooked chicken and iced water.

9:31 PM 10/30/2012 Very high at 222! This was after boiled broccoli and boiled carrots and two bierocks...

9:51 PM 11/1/2012 High at 185! I had boiled coos coos (which probably killed me!), boiled carrots and baked chicken...

8:43 PM 11/7/2012 Way too damn high at 201! I figure it was the combination of 2 ears of corn on the cob and rice that kicked me over.

9:42 PM 12/11/2012 Not too bad and in fact, quite nice at 118! This morning it was 98.

9:34 PM 12/13/2012 AM 102 PM 121

I had run out of lancelets, so I used a stapler on my arm. It didn't hurt but I didn't get much from my forearm. I then used the stapler (one end only) on the side of my left index finger. It bled a lot and hurt a lot...

After this little fiasco, I used a disinfectant on the wound sites.

The evening result, 121, was not too bad...

9:11 PM 1/22/2013 My evening score was 97. This is low but not so bad given that I have not had much to eat today.

10:39 PM 1/31/2013 Low this morning (72) and high tonight (151).

9:31 PM 2/12/2013 It went well, 127 and that was very nice given I had a morning score of 86!

My appetite seems to have decreased in the past couple of months. Hopefully, it will stay down...

8:49 PM 3/7/2013 186!

I had a minute steak sandwich, two bananas, lots of raw carrots and iced water and my bloody score was still 186!

This does not make sense.

9:34 PM 3/14/2013 A very nice score, 119! This came from having pork, broccoli florets and potatoes for dinner.

9:39 PM 3/26/2013 AM of 87 and PM of 181 and I don't think I splurged all that much...

10:06 PM 4/16/2013 166 This is not too bad considering what I had for dinner: Marie Callender pork, mashed potatoes and corn...

10:24 PM 4/18/2013 A few nice score: 131. This is what happens when I eat pork chop, rice, broccoli and 2 ears of corn on the cob. Maybe I can create meals with "low" evening scores?

10:01 PM 4/25/2013 A scary score: 97! I had barley with stewed beef and broccoli florets with iced water for dinner. Years ago, I would never have gotten scores this low and never have realized I'd feel fear!

9:43 PM 5/28/2013 Evening score was 98; I was not expected something verging on hypoglycemia. I had a Healthy Choice for dinner...

10:07 PM 6/6/2013 Evening score was 103 and I feel crappy! I had a beat up steak sandwich, boiled carrot disks and 2 ears of corn on the cob. I also had a little bit of dark chocolate...

10:04 PM 7/9/2013 Evening was 164, probably due to the mashed potatoes, gravy and apple desert in the Marie Callander's "pork chop" dinner.

9:54 PM 7/11/2013 Evening was 106 and this was after a Healthy Choice...

9:54 PM 7/18/2013 Evening was 77 after a Healthy Choice meatloaf meal and having used a hand sterilizer. I wonder if the hand sterilizer reduced the reading?

10:34 PM 7/30/2013 AM: 81 PM 71 - I ate very light today and was still surprised by this low score. I immediately bought some little Oreos in fear of having my blood sugar crash further!

10:10 PM 8/20/2013 AM 99 PM 136 - I ate very well today and had pork chops, rice and broccoli florets for dinner. I suspect it was the rice that kept the score high...

10:00 PM 8/22/2013 My AM score was 77 and my PM score 94. If these scores are accurate and not bogus, then I need to test my meter and need to worry about waking up mornings. I wonder if my next A1C text (this coming Tuesday) will confirm these low readings?

10:46 PM 8/29/2013 169 thanks be to a Marie Callender pork chop, mashed potatoe and white gravy and apple desert. I think I'll take a break from these Marie Callenders...

9:51 PM 9/10/2013 Uneventfully and a touch high at 159. Dr. H. had me halve the size of my glipizide from 2.5 mg to 5 mg and this may have raised my evening blood sugar a bit. It could also be what I ate?

10:40 PM 10/3/2013 Scores were 100 this morning and 100 just a couple of minutes ago. I have never seen this happen before! I guess Healthy Choice is a Healthy Choice...

10:04 PM 10/10/2013 It was 101 this morning and 157 tonight; I guess that Marie Callander was an impulse buy I should have resisted this afternoon. But, I just was not in the mood for a healthy Choice...

9:47 PM 10/22/2013 It was 81 this am and is now 132, so I guess that is better?

9:12 PM 11/12/2013 It was 90 this morning and 173 just now. I suppose it was the chili I had for lunch and maybe the piece of cake. Either way, I would have figured Healthy Choice Meatloaf Dinner would not have led to such a high figure...

9:14 PM 11/14/2013 My morning BG was 79 and my evening 120. I found I did not want to test out front, near my co-workers, so I went to an equipment room. There, I sat on a bar stool in front of a table surrounded by computers. This reminded me of the years in both the Navy and NWS where I worked alone in equipment rooms. I liked it and had forgotten how comfortable this was. Computers or back in the 1970s, Navy communications crypto gear, were easier to understand than people and predictable (unlike people). Then, of course, I came back to the operations floor where I became one of five unpredictable (to the other) person...

10:42 PM 11/21/2013 My morning was 122 and my evening 159. I suspect I have a cold from the high morning score and from the yellow phlegm; I suppose I had better consider going to the family MD tomorrow...

9:34 PM 12/3/2013 AM 101 and PM 204. I guess the Marie Callander with lots of rice and my lunch bit me ass hard...

9:36 PM 12/24/2013 AM 118 and PM 165. I had a Healthy Choice "chicken and noodles" for dinner and it looks like the noodles were not Healthy Choice for me...

9:36 PM 12/26/2013 My AM was 138 and my PM 139, which makes me wonder both about my metabolism and the meter...

Tis a bit higher than I like for an AM score...

10:20 PM 1/2/2014 AM 106 and PM 105 so I guess I'm not quite ready for the needle...

9:58 PM 2/6/2014 PM 193 I had a Healthy Choice so this could have been a low cal meal but too high in carbs. Next Tuesday, I think I'll try something with about 50% no-carb veggies, 25% curbed veggies and low fat meat at home...

9:55 PM 2/13/2014 My evening score was 99. I have been taking drugs for a sinus infection lately so I would think it would be higher (sick folks have the higher BG). Then, I used a hand sanitizer on my "target finger" and maybe that lowered the BG (but I really doubt it!). Oh, well, I'll have something to snack on when I get home and will avoid alcohol...

10:15 PM 5/9/2014 Evening 146 and since I have not tested much lately, I'm not sure if this an outlier...

10:43 PM 5/20/2014 Morning score, 89 and evening score 100. I have been running "cold" lately and I don't really know what I have been doing to arrange for this...

9:40 PM 6/11/2014 Score 151 after Healthy Choice "Classic Meatloaf" dinner...

10:51 PM 6/19/2014 AM 105 and PM 132 so this was a good day. I'm somewhat amazed given the amount of sweets I had at lunch...

10:43 PM 7/1/2014 AM 95 and PM 148

10:23 PM 7/23/2014 AM 136 and evening 160; this has been a high day for me...

After I got home, I found myself checking my evening pill box and realized that I had forgotten to take my evening pills. I then did so and decided to test my blood the following day...

10:25 PM 7/24/2014 AM 96 PM 124 I ate the same evening meal and this is a score I probably should have gotten last night...

10:41 PM 7/31/2014 AM 126 PM 192 I wonder if the bruised left big toe lead to swelling of my left foot and thus an infection that lead to these high scores? I admit that I forgot to take my pills last night and that may have caused the morning high score but I can't figure out the high evening score. Maybe it simply was the Healthy Choice meal I had or maybe I am getting really close to having to go on the needle???

10:46 PM 9/1/2014 AM 109 and PM 149; I ate well today and that is about all I can say...

10:39 PM 9/4/2014 AM 102 PM 124 This was a good day!

I asked Dr. Hostetler yesterday about whether I should go on the needle yet and he told me my A1C had dropped to 6.9; he was pleased. I was shocked..

10:38 PM 9/11/2014 AM 106 PM 151 I have been feeling ill today and this might be a reflection of that...

10:19 PM 9/22/2014 AM 115 and PM 102. This has me wondering what has happened if I could score 115 first thing in the morning and 102 two hours after starting dinner (evening meal).

10:30 PM 10/14/2014 AM 122 and PM 158. I've been running hot today.

10:20 PM 10/16/2014 AM 104 PM 105 - I guess I have been "better" than I had expected today...

9:45 PM 10/23/2014 AM 96 PM 206... I forgot to take my pills until 9:23 pm or 22 minutes before blood test time. Let's see if it did any good? This is the highest I have seen my blood sugar in years...

10:49 PM 11/4/2014 AM 84 and PM 175 I guess the lunch of chili has had its negative effects...

10:55 PM 11/4/2014 AM 87 PM 175 Not such a good evening...

10:26 PM 11/25/2014 AM 104 PM 128 Not too bad...

10:19 PM 11/28/2014 AM 102 PM 130 I'm rather pleased with both...

10:03 PM 12/4/2014 AM and PM both 124 and I'm happy. In fact, "Just when I thought my blood sugar had reached maximum suck-a-tude, and that I'll be on the needle in a bit over a month, I get a good score like this..."

9:59 PM 12/16/2014 AM 89 PM 108 I purely do not understand blood sugar!

10:13 PM 1/6/2015 AM 121 PM 194 and this shit purely does puzzle me!

10:36 PM 1/8/2015 AM 129 PM 153 The morning's score was too high and I was happy with the evening score.

10:15 PM 1/15/2015 AM 108 PM 161 I'm amazed the PM score was so low! I grabbed a pill container, paid absolutely no attention to which pills were there and simply took them. Later, when looking for some pain killers, I found the pills that I should have taken. I figured "what the fuck" and took the evening pills about 32 minutes before testing my blood. I figure that I'll wake up as usual tomorrow morning...

10:51 PM 1/27/2015 AM 116 PM 136 This is my last of these entries and I will be moving this file off this computer.

I eventually cleaned up the appearance of this log so it should look "OK" on my blog.

The point of this is purely historical and not how crappy my writing could be in the late evening...