Only one more day left before my cruise to the Bahamas, and it definitely doesn’t seem like it.  I’m not even sure that I am prepared to go, actually I’m not!  I have to make sure that I get all of my stuff together tonight so I’m ready to go tomorrow morning when it is time to leave.  I believe that on Saturday we will be spending all day at the Atlantis Hotel area, but I don’t know.  I’d like to witness the night life in the Bahamas, but I’m a little hesitant to take a taxi back to the ship at around midnight, any suggestions from anybody?

Second, can I get feedback from those of you who have gone on cruises while being diabetic?  Is it a hassle to get on board or do they strip you down and find every single lancet you have in your bag and wonder why you have some wire coming out of your stomach into your pocket?  I’ve dealt with it at the airport sometimes and some people are just ignorant to the fact that Diabetes exists and the certain technology and equipment that we need to survive.

Well, we are World Series Champions!!!!!  I can’t remember the last time my city has won a championship…… that’s right because I wasn’t even born yet!!!!  This Saturday is my 24 birthday, and it’s been 25 years since the last championship in Philly.  Damn it feels good!

A rain out are you serious?  I can’t believe this.  Philly has been waiting over a decade to win a championship and they have to postpone it another freaking night!  And now, it feels like the Ray’s have a lot of momentum going into tonight’s game since our amazing pitcher is now out and they scored the last run of the night.  But, my blood sugar didn’t go above 150 last night during the game, amazing huh!

It was 113 when I went to sleep, but after I had coffee and breakfast this morning and took some insulin, I tested an hour later and I was 227.  I didnt have a meter handy right before I ate, so I kind of guestimated!  But I’m all good now.  I am going on a cruise this Friday, so I am getting prepared for that.  I know, I never told anybody about the cruise yet in here, but I don’t think many care anyway, ha!

I just received my new insurance card and everything today, so time for me to do some research on a new endo!

I had a huge diabetic halloween party scare this past Saturday, and not scare as in somebody’s mask.  Let me build up to the scary part first.  After debating between the Joker and Indiana Jones I decided to go with Chase Utley (Phillies 2nd baseman for those that don’t know).  So throughout the night I was cheering on my Phillies and it was a very close game.  In about the 7-8 inning, I started to feel my sugar getting extremely low.  I tested, and it was at about 35.  I just started eating a mass amount of food, whatever I could get my hands on.  There was chips, chocolate candy, candy corn, a lot of different things.

The party was a great party, especially since the Phillies won in the bottom of the 9th on a great hit by Carlos Ruiz.  I was even happier because I actually tested my blood sugar out at a Halloween party.  I’ve been testing a lot more because I have a couple meters in different places.  As I am typing right now, I know my numbers are a little high because I have to go home from work in order to change my infusion set.  My insertor at work broke, and I brought the wrong prep pads.  I grabbed a regular antiseptic that I use when I have to use my insulin pen, which I can’t use now because I don’t have another pen needle!  Time to re-up my supplies at my office desk!

Phillies one game away from a World Series Championship!

This past Saturday was our local ADA walk.  It was down where the Panthers play their home games, and they just so happened to have a  home game on Saturday too.  So I was faced with a dilemna, do I stay down there from 11 a.m. until 7 when the game starts and go over the Sawgrass Mall.  Or do I go home and then come back down for the game?  Or, do I just not go to the game at all?

The Panthers were having an open practice so I went in and watched it for a while.  As I was leaving I stopped at a table to pick up a schedule and a sales rep came over and gave me free tickets 9 rows behind the glass, so I couldn’t beat that.  We stopped over at the Sawgrass and decided we needed to go home and take a nap.  So that was the decision, drive home and then drive right back down.  After a fantastic game and talking with the sales rep, I received an early birthday present, season tickets to the Panthers!

Now, relating this all to my diabetes.  If I hadn’t of had diabetes, I would not have been at the walk, so I wouldn’t have gone to the open practice, nor received the free tickets.  If I didn’t receive the free tickets, I wouldn’t have met the sales rep, who would not have sold me season tickets, so I would have never became a season ticket holder.  So, thanks to my diabetes, I now get my name engraved into a seat at the Bank Atlantic Center.

Isn’t diabetes great!

This Saturday is our local ADA Step Out event.  So I will be there bright and early to get out there and walk around the Bank Atlantic Center, which I will also be there tomorrow night for the Panthers game!  I haven’t raised as much money this year as my goal was.  I wanted to try and reach the $2,000 mark, but only made it to $1,500.  Every extra dollar counts.  I love all the free goodies at these events too, makes me happy.

I ususally participate in 2 of the 3 area walks, but I was unable to do it this year, and could only do one, but it’s all good.

I haven’t been sleeping a lot lately.  I’ve been going through one of my insomniac times where I am up majority of the night, but I am being very productive and not just laying around in bed tossing and turning.  I’ve been doing a lot of reading and finally catching up on all the magazine subscriptions that I have been slacking on and months behind on.  Well I must be getting back to the Life of a Diabetic!

What a weekend this was.  It was filled with football, baseball, hockey, lancing devices, test strips, infusion sets, spilled insulin, high blood sugars, low blood sugars, alcohol, grilling, pasta….ohhh the life of a diabetic sports fan!

I had a goal of testing after every single quarter of every single game that I was watching, and I did!  The numbers were high for a while, which I don’t know why, but I was able to bring them back down.  However, the UF-LSU game is the reason I think they were sky high.  My roomate is a Gators fan, and I hate the Gators, so that is why I was irritated.  Yesterday was good for the Eagles, but not so good for the Phillies.

On to other things, I should know sometime this week a little more about my insurance coverage and what my next steps are going to be.  I would like to get on the CGMS, but who knows what is going to go on with that.  I don’t really mind testing my sugar, it is just that I usually forget to test, not that I don’t want to.

For the first time since I have been diabetic, the Phillies are in the NLCS. So, now that I have to be worried about my Eagles, since Westbrook has a few broken ribs, I now have to get nervous over the Phillies too. Plus hockey season is starting up. Sorry Philly fans, I am not a Flyers fan, I have been taken over by the local squad, the Florida Panthers. They have a home opener this weekend, but I can’t go because I have to watch the LSU Tigers romp the Florida Gators. That should be a great game.

Anyway, on to the diabetes. My sugars have been pretty good again today, 1 high but thats it. Also, good news, my certificate of credible coverage came in the mail yesterday, so now I have everything that I would need in order to get coverage again, hopefully. We will see, and I will keep you all updated on that.

Gotta Run!

I think I have tested more in the last 3-4 days, than I ever had in any 3-4 day period before….and I LOVE it.  Even though it is expensive to test, I feel a lot more comfortable in knowing every 60 minutes what my sugar level is.  I am not on a CGMS yet, so this is the best way for me to know constantly what my levels are.  It’s also helping me cure those times that I seem to always have a high, wacky number.  I have increased my basal rate for when I am sleeping and so far it has been doing better.

On another note, I get a phone call from my soon to be 8 year old niece telling me about this person she colored and his name is flat Stanley and she has to send it to me and I have to take pictures with it and keep a journal and it is all being graded for her.  Yes, I was just as lost as  you all were right now.  She was explaining to me that a chalkboard fell on top of him, that is why he is flat.  Well, I guess it is a book that they are reading in their 3rd grade class and this is their class project.  So, Flat Stanley went from cold Pennsylvania winter to going to the beach with me this weekend.

I thought this whole chalkboard thing was my niece’s imagination, and it scared me a little that her imagination was that vivid!  But come to find out that it was the author’s.  So the point of this is, Stanley is getting to go on a trip to Florida, however, he will also learn about Diabetes, and what he needs to do in case of an emergency, and I think this will be a great opportunity to teach the kids in the classroom a little about Diabetes also!

Over the weekend I had a hard time bringing down a big time high.  I had a sub for lunch and took the correct amount of insulin.  I was drinking light lemonade, which was supposed to have only 2 g of sugar per 8 oz.  I had probably 2 cups of it, so only 16 oz.  After I got home, I tested about 2 hours later, and my blood sugar was 425!!  I have no idea how it went up that high.  The only thing that I can think of is that the lemonade I was drinking, was not light and really spiked the sugar levels.  I corrected, and corrected, and corrected.  It took me almost 6 hours to finally get my sugars back down under 200, then when I woke up in the morning, over 300 again!

It was a rough weekend with the sugars.  This morning it was pretty high too.  They should be good and stable this week, because I made some changes to my basal rates, and eating a lot more healthier.  I will also be hitting the gym full blown this week too.  I slowly worked myself back, and now I am back in a little better shape.  Still can’t run as far as I used to be able to, but I am working on it. 

Also, the fact that my Eagles lost this weekend, did not help much either!  Virginia Tech did win, but that doesn’t overpower the birds loss.  And not to mention the OAR concert changed locations the night before, and I didn’t get the e-mail update until it was too late.

What a long weekend I have coming up!  Tomorrow I have to go somewhere all day for work, a nice little seminar.  Then Friday night there is an OAR concert at Mizner Park in Boca, so you know I’ll be there (Crazy Game of Poker!).  Saturday then is football day of course, then Saturday night is the big fight.  Sunday, of course at 1 is the Eagles game, a lot of stuff to do so little time to do it.

The good thing in all of this is that I am now testing my blood sugar between all of this stuff.  I have a case small enough now that can fit my meter, lancing device, and strips in my back pocket like a wallet, so it is not a hassle to carry around anymore.  I even take it fishing with me!  I always get inspired to do stuff like this when I see something on tv, this time it was an ESPN interview with Jay Cutler about his T1 diabetes on Sunday.  This time I am going to follow through and stay consistent with it!

I just purchased my tickets to go back home for Thanksgiving.  I haven’t been home since Christmas, that is the longest I have been away from my family!  But in times like this, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep a steady job right?  Well you all have a great day and have a great weekend also!