Last night I was able to get to bed at a better time.  My girlfriend, Amanda, had fallen asleep around 8:30 almost because she was exhausted.  There’s no way that I can go to bed that early or I would be up at like 1 or 2 a.m. and not be able to go back to bed.  I decided to just get on the laptop and start knocking out some more of the design for the new blog.  It will definitely be ready to go for the scheduled September 1 launch.  I started to watch last week’s episode of Real World because I didn’t see it while I was home.  Then the new episode started so I watched half of it until I decided to just try to fall asleep, which I didn’t do until about 11:30-ish which is pretty good for me.

I woke up at 6:30 this morning and I’m still having some coffee as I speak now, only my second cup, I may go for a third before I’m done with this post.  I have a long day ahead of me with work and then football practice, and then Big Brother, which reminds me, I better go record it right now.  Well I just came across the Wall Street Journal, so now that is going to cut my post short.  Split Bill for Health Plan.  Time to hit the showers and off to work.

Have a great day everybody.

Oh yea, if you live in the south Florida area, please e-mail me.  I’m looking to start a meet up and do something fun local things.  chris.stocker at thelifeofadiabetic.com

I am becoming extremely aggravated today!  I have been wearing my CGM all day and it has said lost sensor about 4-5 times and then I have to find lost sensor and it starts to work, and then it stops working again.  I was taking a little nap today and the alarm was just going off like crazy!  For real, if the sensor is lost, just beep every once in a while kind of like a low reservoir does, don’t beep for 10 minutes straight!  Anyway, the other reason that I am mad is that I was looking forward to going and seeing the Eagles training camp, but it’s too late because they are closing up shop today and there wasn’t really much going on today.  But they do play tomorrow night, so I will be able to get a little of the game action in the hometown.

My diet has pretty much gone out the window so far up here in PA.  I was supposed to go work out this morning, but my brother never called me, so I ended up not going.  Tonight’s dinner won’t be that bad, it’s a pretty simple dinner, steak, chicken, pasta salad, and maybe some other little odds and ends.  My mom made pickled eggs, which I am about to go dive into as soon as I finish this post.

As I’m typing, I just received an “Cal Error” message on my CGM.  So now when my doc asks why I wasn’t wearing it, I’m going to say, “Because it pissed me the eff off thats why!”  Ok, well my little nieces are here nagging me to go play with them so off I go.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

This morning I am a little happy with MTV.  The reason being, they talked about diabetes on a program last night.  They have a show called 16 and Pregnant, which I do not watch because it disgusts me, I think it is showing teenagers that it’s “cool” to be pregnant and in high school, but that’s a whole other story.  My girlfriend watches the show and it was a extra clips type of show and one of the pregnant girls had gestational diabetes.  She was throwing up a lot and her blood sugars were high and she had a meter and by all of this she was able to spread awareness to the youngsters of today.

“Mom, what’s gestational diabetes?  What can I do to not get it?”  I am hoping that these phrases and similar ones are being asked all across the country this morning.  What steps can you take to prevent yourself from getting type 2, what can you to do help prevent complications from type 1.  Diabetes needs to be stressed on a more regular basis on national television.  5 minutes of one MTV show is not enough.  How about putting a diabetic on Big Brother, or Real World or how about ANYTHING.  And not just mention it once, mention it every episode, show them testing their sugar, bolusing, carb counting, is this too much to ask to help save people’s lives?

I guess it is.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

I have a few quick announcements to make about some new changes.  First, my new e-mail address to contact me is thelifeofadiabetic@gmail.com  Secondly, the url to my blog will be changing, as will the design, format, pretty much everything about it.  You will still be able to ready about my boring ole life, but there will be some additional things other then just my life.  I figured I’d start sharing some opinions that nobody is going to care about anyway because we all have our own opinions.  I’ll release the new url shortly.

Now onto the fun stuff.  I went to a luncheon yesterday that is sort of a diabetes support group.  Total of about 30 people which included CDE’s, pharmacists, pharma reps, diabetics (type 1 and type 2), some MD’s and some other advocates for diabetes.  One of the main things discussed and brought up was education centers closing.  Just answer this one question for me. Where would you be today without a diabetes educator?  Want to hear my answer?  My answer is, probably not alive!  How would you know how to read a food label, count carbs, figure out what your bolus should be, how much exercise, how to heal a wound, how to prevent wounds from happening, I can go on all day.

It seems the new way of diabetes treatment is to have an all in one doctors visit with everybody under one roof.  So, go spend 5 minutes with the nutritnionist, psychologist, endo, nurse, podiatrist, and oh yeah, this is in all 1 big circle and setting.  Hmmm, to me that just sounds like a recipe for complications.  So they say there aren’t enough Endo’s for all the people with diabetes.  Really?  So how about we educate people a little more about diabetes, and maybe there won’t be as many, because they can make lifestyle changes.  But, no we can’t do that because how will the hospitals be able to bill for these people going to these classes who don’t even have diabetes, the insurance companies won’t have any of that.

So instead, we opt to have less education and more complications.  Does not sound like a recipe for success in my eyes.

Well, I hope you all have a good day.

Well, my blood sugars are a little better today than they were yesterday.  I think it was my infusion site that had messed everything up.  When I took it our and switched to a different spot, the area was tough and hard, so that could explain why the insulin wasn’t working too well.  I only had it in that spot for about 2 days though and didn’t really use too much insulin.  Well, onto other things.

I am awaiting to hear back from my doctor on my Vitamin D lab work.  It wasn’t ready by the time I had my visit on Friday.  I will have to call back after lunch because they are all enjoying their lunches at this time, which I am about to also.  Coaching starts on Monday night, and I am not prepared at all.  I also just found out that my assistant coach is going to be on vacation next week, so I will be by myself, but he comes back the week that I am gone, so that is good.

I can’t believe that it is almost August already, crazy.   My girlfriend said, I can’t believe summer is almost over, because she starts her student teaching in August so she can graduate in December, and I said, “Babe, I haven’t had a summer vacation in about 4 years, so get over it!”  Those times were the best.  I didn’t mind the end of summer because that meant football practice was starting and I would start to see kids I haven’t seen since school ended in the spring.  Ahh those were days….not just younger, but also not diabetic.  I wonder how my life would have been different if I did have diabetes?  Would I still have contiued to play football?  Would I have gone to college to play quarterback?  Could I have been the first Jay Cutler (well not ability wise).

And oh yea, this means one more thing….. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES FOOTBALL!!!!

What a crappy day.  My blood sugar hit the 500+ mark last night in the middle of the night.  Didn’t know this until I woke up to go to the bathroom about 3 times within 2 hours, a little strange so I tested and it gave me the “HI” reading.  Awesome, exactly what I need on a Sunday night.  So, when I wake up at 7:15, I test and it is now 375, ok, better than before.  Side note, my roommate has been sick over the past few days.

Now I’m at work, and I can’t get my levels below 250 for the last 3 hours now.  My stomach hurts, I feel like crap, and I think I am getting what my roommate had.  What a great start to the week.  Bad case of the Mondays I guess.  This weekend wasn’t much better either.  I think half of the weight that I lost over the past week was all put back on this weekend.  A few different get togethers so my food consumption consisted of Firehouse Subs, Chili’s Olive Garden, and Wendy’s.  Need I say more?  I didn’t sleep much Saturday night, and my back was killing me Sunday morning.

Awesome, I hope you all have as wonderful of a day that I am.

Blood, Blood, Blood.  Had my bloodwork done this morning, and what an event that was.  I scheduled an appointment for 8:30.  So I overslept a little, big deal.  I get to the office at 8:35 and sign it at 8:35.  Next thing you know it is about 9 and I haven’t been called up yet, and this is just to give them the doctor’s orders, not even to draw the blood.  So I walk up to the counter and ask the miserably lady working at the desk, “Excuse me, I had an appointment at 8:30 and was wondering when…”  And I am cut off with a “Yea, well you were late so now your appointment is cancelled and you will fit in when I’m done with the appointments.”  I look at the sheet and say I was 5 minutes late and somehow, my 3 was scribbled out and turned into a 4, and she said, no you came at 8:45 so your 15 minutes late, so now you have to wait.

Wow, did that just piss me off or what.  So I calmly sit down, but I start thinking about it, and now I’m like, great my sugar is going to go up now right before the test.  So finally after an hour wait I get called back to have the blood drawn and the lady says, “You had an 8:30, why didn’t you come back earlier”, so I just politely said, “Ask your co-worker”

Now, after 5 years with diabetes, wow, it’s been  that long, I’ve had my fair share of blood being drawn, but this morning was the most ever. I usually get 1 tube, maybe 2 at most drawn, today it was 5!  I have never donated blood before, so this was the most ever and it drove me crazy.  I actually watched this time because I never did before, and I was like oh what the heck why not, it will be quick.  Then all of a sudden i see 1 tube, 2 tubes, 3 tubes, 4 tubes, 5 tubes, by this time I’m feeling a little weird.  Luckily I was fine, but now I’m nervous to hear my results.  My appointment is Friday morning, so we shall see.

Any aggrevating / funny A1C stories you have?

I had recently iquired about helping out coaching a little league football team, 12-13 year olds.  I was told that I would be the assistant head coach.  Well I just received an e-mail today stating that the head coach had to back out and now I am being offered to take the head coaching position.  Now I don’t know what to do.  Head coaches have to be able to provide more time and dedication and with my job that is very difficult.  Also, I have never been a head coach before, I have helped out with quarterbacks and wide receivers about 6 years ago but that’s it.

This is actually the first time that I will be doing anything football related since being diagnosed with diabetes.  I also see it as a great education experience.  Not only for myself, but for all the kids that are on the team.  I hope they go back to mom and dad and say, “Why does coach Chris carry a gatorade with him and these sugar thingy’s around the field?  Why does he take a needle and stick himself?”

Well, I am not sure what to do.  I think I should do it because I have always wanted to get into coaching and who knows what doors this could eventually open for me.  Next thing you know the Eagles will have to get rid of Andy Reid, and I can step right in.  Hey, life is no fun if you’re not dreaming, right?

Have a great day everybody!

Good thing I’m diabetic or the cops would be coming after me and searching me for saying something like that in a title.  All joking aside though, I have been high all day.  My sugar hasn’t been under 250 since this morning.  I don’t know why it won’t come down, I even went for a walk at lunchtime in order to try and bring it down.  It was about 350 at lunch and I ate a hot dog (they were provided by our company today) and it has been hovering at about 250+ all day long.  Strange.

I haven’t been able to get all my pictures from New Orleans yet, I need to try and do that this weekend so I can post my pictures of the people I met and all the places I ate.  Well you all have a great weekend, I am going to see the Hangover movie tonight and going golfing tomorrow morning, bright and early, driving range at 8 a.m. so I am going to hook up the CGMS tonight.

Well, I am back from New Orleans.  My flight got in last night and that is a story by itself.  In short, the weather from West Palm Beach, FL and all the way out west in Ft. Myers was not very good.  Our plane was sent to circle around for about 30 minutes above the Gulf to wait for the weather to clear.  This was already after our flight was delayed about 30 minutes.

New Orleans was great!  Where shall I start?  There was the business side, and then there was the pleasure side.  And some was a little bit of both.  Lets start with the business and convention side.  I learned a lot from the Scientific Sessions.  No I am not a doctor, I was there exhibiting for the company that I work for and spreading the good word.  Just from wondering around the floor, I learned a lot.  Obviously being type 1, I wanted to get as much information about all the studies and new products and releases that I possibly could, well at least ones that I understood.

All in all I think that there were a lot of good products and studies that will hopefully show some promising results in the near future, most importantly, the Close Loop system from Medtronic.  Also, being able to meet up with Charlie Kimball after his autograph signing session.  With GlucoStories getting off to a great start, Charlie was very excited about the flyers we were handing out.

I will get into the pleasure side of it, aka Bourbon Street at night in tomorrow post.  I have some pictures, but I may not have a chance to upload them until later this week.