Tandem Diabetes Care customer service ROCKS!

I am the worlds BIGGEST klutz and I walk into wall corners, the edge of my desk, drop things constantly and is the reason I never played any sports in school.  Last week I had the misfortune of dropping my pump onto my bathroom tile floor while I was rehooking it back up after a shower.  Yep, I dropped it smack dab on the glass screen.  The first thing that went across my mind, OHHH crap not on the screen AHHHHHHH.  I didnt even want to look to see what damage had been done.  I picked it up, nothing nada no damage! I couldnt believe it!  I was so happy!  A few days go by and one morning while getting ready to take a bolus I noticed the crack in my screen.  I was so upset, I broke my dang pump.  Even with the screen being cracked it still worked just perfectly.

Rogue cowboy programmers and helicopter parents....really Dexcom?

Dexcom CEO Terry Gregg and Jay Skyler MD PhD were interviewed by Steven Greer MD about the "rouge cowboy programmers" who have decoded their data for the Nightscout project.


Dexcom I understand where are you are coming from as a company that has to follow the FDA to a tee and go through all the hoops to get your products FDA approved.   What I dont understand is why you needed to call the people & parents of children with Diabetes rogue cowboy programmers?  This is totally uncalled for and a great way to insult the audience you are selling your products to.  We understand it took way too long to get the Dexcom Share approved by the FDA but that is not the fault of the people that collectively say #WeAreNotWaiting   Not everyone uses or like Apple products, you have left out the Android market all together with your Share product...plus you didnt make it rechargeable so that parents/loved ones can carry the Share around outside of the home. Didnt you realize that was something your audience was screaming for?

Kerri Sparlings video on complications

I dont know how I didnt see this video before but it was just shared in a Diabetic support group I am in and it just makes sense to share it with you all.

http://sixuntilme.com/wp/2014/06/11/video-diabetes-complications/

Happy Birthday dearest Marjie, my inspiration

Every day I attempt to put life with Diabetes into perspective....there are people with untreatable disease that will die much too young, there are people who never bring their newborn babies home from the hospital, there are people undergoing treatment to try to stay here on Earth and ones who don't win that battle. Today is my 61 one yr old cousin (my cousins wife) birthday, she died 1 year ago before turning 60, she was a magnificent person with adult children and grandchildren who adored her and a husband who loved her so very very much. She is gone, we are here. She had a long battle with Cancer several times and through it all she kept her faith and kept on fighting. She fought until there was no treatment left to heal her. She was an inspiration to me in her ability to never give up. She told me to keep fighting and to stay strong against my long road ahead with Diabetes. I have no idea how but she saw my daily struggles as an inspiration even though her battle to me seemed so much harder to endure. 

Not the way to start your morning.

So Im changing my infusion set this morning and my Dexcom sensor expired 2 hours ago so I restarted it. No big deal right? Yeah I yank my set and there is a spec of puss in it. Not so great but its not like thats never happened.  Put a new set in get it all hooked up and Dex is ready to calibrate. Ok great! Not great. My blood sugar is 500 and I had no clue besides my stomach feels kinda crappy.  This is why my Dexcom is so so very important. I had no idea I was 500! I mean come on holy crap 500!!!!! Freakn wnderful. So I just took a giant correction and now I cant calibrate Dex until Im under 400 since you cant enter a number over 400. Great way to start the day.  Now I feel like barfing and I have to drink a ton of water.

Just so you know

The NEW Butterfinger peanut butter cups......suck. Not a fan...do away with the smooth part and make them just crunchy thennnnn they would be good. Yeah so dont go buying any to treat your lows.  Or try a two pack first, I was low and bought a four cup pack and just now finished it a week later. 

Last day to take the BIG BLUE TEST and trigger a donation to help others in need to get their diabetes supplies!

TODAY is the last day to take the Big Blue Test!   Every time you do anything to move around and you have Diabetes or not, log on enter your info and hit submit!

Go here: http://bigbluetest.org/take-the-big-blue-test/

Each Big Blue Test entry you log between October20th and November 19th triggers a donation on your behalf to nonprofit groups that are providing life-saving supplies, services and education to people with diabetes in need. Taking the Big Blue Test is easy.

The current count is:

27679 and they need to get to 35000!!  

 

#BigBlueTest

How I get air bubbles out of my tslim pump luer lock

This, right here is what I do every time.  This is not my video, I am sharing it from youtube. 

(reblogging from Nov 2013) PortaPocket and why it rocks my Diabetic life!

Thank you Kendra Kroll owner of PortaPocket!

So the owner of PortaPocket sent me some of her products to try. I got the small and medium sized pockets and 12 and 18 inch bands.

I am the kind of person who wants to reclaim her pants pocket for things other than Diabetic junk.

Sometimes the pockets in my work pants are too small or they just dont exsist. So I use my ankles. 

Call me weird but it works and after about 3 days you dont notice it at all anymore.  Plus when I use my ankles you would have no idea I had a pump on me. 

I also wear my dexcom on my ankles sometimes. I have a tally gear case and I like because it protects Dex from water and dropping it.  I need more options sometimes though.

<<===This is the small pocket on a  12" band held on with velcro.  The velcro makes it easy to unattach from your leg.  It holds my t:slim pump very well!

CGM in the cloud from a parents perspective.

I am a member of the CGM in the Cloud Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/cgminthecloud/ which has nearly 8,500 members right now) and day after day I read the incredible stories of how the Nightscout project has helped thousands of parents of children with type 1 Diabetes.  Some of their stories bring tears to my eyes even though I can only imagine how much something like this it just a giant help to them and keeping their childs blood sugar from crashing and not knowing about it and just how much it helps when their child is away at school or anywhere away from home.  It is not yet FDA approved but as the hash tag says it all #WeAreNotWaiting it has been proven time and time again to be a priceless tool for many parents and even could be used for adults who have lost the ability to sense their lows or who have to sleep alone at night. 

Laurie Schwartz is a mother of a type 1 Diabetic son and on day one of using the CGM in the cloud set up believes it saved her son from a very close call.

Dexcom and T:slim data together in one place! You guys have got to do this!

I am sure by now a lot of you  have heard you can upload your t:slim and Dexcom to Diasend.com...but maybe some of you havent.  So let me give you the run down.  (You can also upload your blood glucose meter if it is on the list of compatible devices)

INFUSION SET SAFETY NOTIFICATION Select Lots of Unomedical Infusion Sets Comfort™, Comfort™ Short and Contact™ Detach

INFUSION SET SAFETY NOTIFICATION Select Lots of Unomedical Infusion Sets Comfort™, Comfort™ Short and Contact™ Detach November 13, 2014 Dear ******, Unomedical, a manufacturer of infusion sets used by a number of insulin pump companies, has recently contacted us about a potential safety issue regarding their Comfort™, Comfort™ Short and Contact™ Detach infusion sets.  Unomedical states that there have been reports of the tubing becoming detached at the connect/disconnect location on these infusion sets (images below). While we are told the number of these reports remains low, we wanted to make our trainers aware of the potential issue and that we have notified all our affected customers.

Bayer Contour Next savings this month!

I got this in my email the other day and wanted to be sure to share it!  Go to CVS, Kroger, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target or Walmart to get this discount!

World Diabetes Day!

Today is World Diabetes Day! I am again participating in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes on May 2nd, 2015 This will be my 5th time participating and our team has raised $7,654.00 in 4 years. JDRF supports many research teams looking to find better treatments and even cures. On this World Diabetes Day will you make a donation to help fund that research? Any amount you can make will help all of those you know and love with type 1 Diabetes. This year I decided to go with the team name I am a Diabetic Warrior to go along with this blog and the Diabetic Support Groups on Facebook I started.

Click here to go to my JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes Donation Page

Medtronic safety Issue announcement

Today, Medtronic announced a potential safety issue regarding the MiniMed™ Silhouette® and MiniMed™ Sure-T® infusion sets.  Models affected are:
Involves models MMT-368, MMT-368T, MMT-371, MMT-371T, MMT-373, MMT-373T, MMT-377, MMT-377T, MMT-378, MMT-378T, MMT-381, MMT-381T, MMT-382, MMT-382T, MMT-383,MMT-383T, MMT-384 and MMT-384T, MMT-862, MMT-862T, MMT-863, MMT-864, MMT-864T, MMT-865, MMT-866, MMT-866T, MMT-873, MMT-874, MMT-874T, MMT-875, MMT-876, MMT-876T, MMT-883, MMT-884, MMT-885, MMT-886, and MMT-886T infusion sets.

The article can be read here: http://diabetes247.org/2014/11/10/medtronic-safety-issue/

Win a FREE Fitbit or Jawbone fitness tracker from diaTribe!

 
Want the chance to win a FREE Fitbit or Jawbone fitness tracker? Well you're in luck, because diaTribe® Gets Fit by giving away ten fitness trackers!

Enter to win at diatribe.org/r/255a6465 and receive the latest news in diabetes. You can refer others to join too for a chance to win other cool prizes. #diabetes #dTGetsFit

Go to:  diatribe.org/r/255a6465

NEWS FLASH: FDA Approves Dexcom Software with Artificial Pancreas Algorithm

Holy cow this is AWESOME news!  http://investor.shareholder.com/dexcom/releaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=881085


"New Dexcom software achieves critical milestone in measured accuracy for continuous glucose monitoring
 
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dexcom, Inc., (NASDAQ:DXCM), a leader in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved new software for the Dexcom G4^® PLATINUM CGM. The new Software 505 features the same advanced algorithm as used in artificial pancreas research around the world. The software will impact the performance of the Dexcom G4 PLATINUM, already considered the most accurate CGM system on the market today. The software will be made available free of charge to adult patients using the Dexcom G4 PLATINUM."

Have you taken the Big Blue Test yet?

I know, I am so completely late to the game sharing the Big Blue Test.  Work has been insane, my birthday and my toddler and husband were sick this weekend.  Sorry Manny, I totally dropped the ball.

This is why you should take the Big Blue Test

If you have Diabetes or you know someone who does you have to, yes HAVE to take the Big Blue Test.  This is all it takes to do:

Join the movement by taking the Big Blue Test right now. Each Big Blue Test entry you log between October 20th and November 19th triggers a $1 donation on your behalf to nonprofit groups that are providing life-saving supplies, services and education to people with diabetes in need. Taking the Big Blue Test is easy.
1. Test your blood glucose.  If you do not have diabetes, you can skip this step.
2. Get active.  For 14 to 20 minutes, get up and get moving.  You can , walk, run, clean the house, swim, tap dance…whatever!
3. Test again.  On average, Big Blue Testers seen their blood glucose level drop 20% after 14-20 minutes of exercise.
4. Share your results.  Answer the questions in the right column of this page. And don’t forget to talk about your experience on social media.

Now go here: http://bigbluetest.org/

Darn Dexcom wire

I love my Dexcom, I really do but I hate it when it is poking/stabbing my arm muscle.  I just switched to arm sites for my dexcom again and due to the fact that I havent had it there in a long time I sort of forgot exactly where it needs to go to not hurt.  It has been stabbing me in the arm muscle now for 5 days.  I am trying hard to tough it out to day 7 then yank this damn thing off.  I dont think I am going to make it.  I never know exactly when its going to stab me and holy crap it hurts and I jump every time.  Its like getting an immunization shot into the muscle every time it pokes me.  I cant sleep on my left arm or pick things up or put my arm up.  I am left handed here people.  Its AWESOME to not be able to use it without being stabbed!  I cant ask for a replacement either because it is expired.  Major bummer.  Hopefully this arm stabbing isnt something I will have to deal with from now on because I have lost some weight but I know people whoms arms are all muscle and wear it there so there has got to be some way to use my arms this winter again without being stabbed.  One can hope right? 

JDRF-Funded Islet Encapsulation Program Reaches Historic Milestone

VERY EXCITING DIABETES NEWS TODAY!!

– First Ever Person with Type 1 Diabetes Receives Experimental Encapsulated Human Stem Cell-Derived Beta Cell Replacement Therapy –

New York, NY, October 29, 2014 — JDRF, the leading research and advocacy organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, announced today that JDRF-funded partner, ViaCyte, Inc., a leading regenerative medicine company, has for the first time ever implanted a person with type 1 diabetes (T1D) with an experimental encapsulated cell therapy product candidate, called VC-01TM, which is being developed for the treatment of T1D. This individual, and others to follow, is participating in a trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the VC-01 product candidate, a potential replacement source of insulin-producing cells.

Read the whole story here:

http://jdrf.org/press-releases/jdrf-funded-islet-encapsulation-program-reaches-historic-milestone/?utm_source=ViacyteImplantOct2014&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=InsiderNews&s_src=email&s_subsrc=InsiderNews_ViacyteImplantOct2014

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois changes coverage of insulin! Imagine that.

So I got this wonderful gem in the mail last night.

You really really have to love it when an insurance giant like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois decides that it can force you to use which ever insulin they want.  NOT what your DOCTOR thinks is right for you but what they decide they want to cover.  Starting Jan 1 members who are currently taking Humalog or Humulin will be required to go through prior authorization before the drug will be covered at the non-preferred benefit level.  Your doctor will need to submit a request for coverage.

WHAT. A. JOKE.  They use to cover them both equally, what happened?!

No idea what to title this post other than this week has been terrible

This week has been really hard.  We put our 13 year old Boxer Levi to sleep on Saturday.  This is basically the last picture of him.  It has ripped my heart out to put him to rest.

 

His body and health just fell apart the last month and the whole year overall.  He was diagnosed with Diabetes in March 2013.  I tested his blood sugar, treated lows, and gave him insulin twice a day as damn near close to 6am and 6pm as I could.  Pretty much no one but my husband understood that he needed to be fed on time and on schedule, but I made damn sure to do the best I could even if I did piss off a lot of people because of my dog.  

We need to remind Congress to #Vote4DM by cosponsoring these bills. PLEASE TWEET TODAY!!

Those of you who have twitter, please help us get these bills voted on for Diabetes! 
We voted them into office.  Tell them to #Vote4DM.

There are three diabetes bills that are currently in play up on Capitol Hill.
  
S539/HR1074 – National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act (Coordinate)

S945/HR1274 – Access to Quality Diabetes Education Acts (Diabetes Education)

S2689/HR5644 – Medicare CGM Access Act of 2014 (Cover CGM)

PLEASE Go here to tweet!  http://www.stripsafely.com/the-twitter-page/

FDA approved Dexcom Share!! Very exciting news!

"SAN DIEGO, Oct 20, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Dexcom, Inc. DXCM, +1.16% a leader in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for patients with diabetes, announced today that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its CGM remote mobile communications device: Dexcom SHARE"

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fda-approves-dexcom-sharetm-the-first-remote-mobile-communications-device-used-for-continuous-glucose-monitoring-cgm-2014-10-20



Info live now on Dexcom's website!
http://www.dexcom.com/share

A dogs life

I may be a bit absent for a while as tomorrow we are putting our 13 yr old Boxer to rest. He has had Diabetes since March 2013 amongst some other health issues and due to his old age and partially Diabetes I think, his health has just crashed this past month, well really this past year. Im a total wreck over this and Ive cried all day for the most part, so if you leave me comments and I dont get them approved or message you back its because I cant read my phone screen while crying like a baby. I cant even talk about it anymore.

Novolog savings card

I recently took the leap and switched to Novolog from Humalog and am taking advantage of their savings card program.

I did the information online but it didnt work so I ended up calling them and they did everything over the phone with me, gave me all the numbers for the ID and the bins and all that jazz then mailed me the actual card in the mail. 

My co-pay for Humalog and Novolog are $50.00 for every refill.  Humalog/Eli Lilly doesnt offer any programs for people with Health Insurance/people who pay an arm and a leg to have health insurance.  Novolog/Novo Nordisk does offer a discount card and I think its wonderful that they are willing to help their customers out with their copays.  So now I pay $25.00 copay for every refill.  It may only seem like a small amount but when you add up a whole year, I save $300.00 After you pile that on the over $10,000 our family pays for health care every little bit saved helps.

So if you are on the fence about switching and need to save some money I highly recommend this program and their customer service has so far been really great!

Novolog savings card:  http://www.novolog.com/NovoLogSavings/NovoLogSavings.aspx

Interview with Harvard’s Professor Doug Melton, the Harvard scientist who discovered how to generate functioning beta-cells from stem cells (reported on last week). More hope for a type 1 Diabetes cure.

Interview with Harvard’s Professor Doug Melton

Scientific research is painfully slow and hard. Fifteen years ago we began our work in the lab with stem cells and a few weeks ago we finally discovered how to produce functioning beta-cells.

— Professor Doug Melton

Here is the link to the article:

http://diabetes247.org/2014/10/15/interview-professor-doug-melton/

NEW thinner DEXCOM transmitter!! I LOVE IT!

So this past Sunday my Dexcom transmitter (yeah the gray thing you clip into your sensor) decided to just die while grocery shopping.  Of course I was low, as that is always the case when I grocery shop.  It just kept saying out of range and the battery status said ---.   I was not a happy camper!  So I called Dexcom when we were on the way home from shopping and they said they could overnight me one ( for an additional $13 because my ins only pay for 3 day shipping) on Monday.   I was out of the 6 mo warranty by far, I think mine made it 8 months maybe. It was a horrible 2.5 day wait.  I felt so very lost without my Dexcom, I actually had Diabetes anxiey like I was just diagnosed or something.  It was a crazy experience to go without Dexcom.  I couldn't believe I was actually going to have to poke my finger to know where my blood sugar was.  Sunday night of course I went low, 55 low.  An eat the fridge low followed that little fiasco.  So after consuming a lot of carbs I finally stopped my shoving food into my face and decided, holy crap I just ate a TON of carbs!  I literally have no control over myself when I am 55 or lower and if my husband tries to stop me he usually gets yelled at because my brain doesnt want me to stop eating.  So I took a delayed bolus on my pump for 40 carbs in 40 minutes.  I woke up later on at 250, took a correction and woke up at 200.  Not so great but not terrible either, since I had no Dexcom.  I don't know how anyone can do Diabetes with no CGM. I know I cannot go without it.  I have had it for three years straight, not many breaks and those two days were torture!

A new and improved method of taping down my Dexcom

I have been experimenting with ways of keeping my Dexcom on better.  I am still using the smith and nephew opsite flexifix and loving it.  My new method has helped my sensors stay on even better and longer with more accuracy!

1. I cut a piece of smith and nephew opsite flexifix the same exact shape as the built in white tape except a little bit bigger all the way around.   I have yet to make a pattern for this but I will next time and post pictures.

2. I still wipe my skin with an alcohol wipe or two to get any sort of oil or lotion off my skin from bar soap or body wash or whatever product you use as it may leave a residue on your skin.

3. Apply this oval shaped tape to the skin and I personally hold my hand over it to help warm it up and adhere better.  I do not cut a hole in this tape for the sensor wire, I just poke right through it.

4.  Pull white paper off the built in adhesive off the Dexcom sensor applicator and put it over top the oval you just applied to your skin.  Push the plunger and apply your sensor as usual.

5.  Then I use my previous method of taping around the sensor.  You can find that post here: http://typeonediabeticwarrior.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-i-tape-down-my-dexcom-to-get-more.html

Does anyone have a working Dexcom transmitter theyd be willing to part with?

Anyone have a working Dexcom transmitter that they have replaced and would be willing to mail to a mom of a two year old boy that has lost his transmitter and has 6 weeks left to go to get a new one via health insurance?  Dexcom told her $250 to replace it but they don't have the funds at this time.  If you have one you would be willing to send please leave me a comment, or send me a message via my blog or contact me on facebook.  Thanks!

A fellow Diabetic, Jill, needs our help!

Help for Jill | Medical Expenses - YouCaring.com

Raising money for Jill Treadway's medical expenses associated with Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Insurance has denied IVIG treatments & it will be out of pocket.

n

Dexcom and tough pads

Ok so one of my really awesome friends gave me a tough pad to try on my arm for my Dexcom. It was working great but now it is falling off on day 4. I cannot use skin tac wipes to help adhesion (allergic) but was a loyal opsite flexifix user for 3 years but wanted to give these tough pads a try since the opsite tape make me too self conscious when wearing it on my arm with short or no sleeve shirts. Are there any tips to keeping the tough pad on for those of you who use them without any additional products? One edge is peeling up and I can see under it, my arm hair is all that is keeping that side stuck on. It also failed this morning but I restarted it and its working good, but falling off. Its expired so Dexcom will not replace it, I didnt even bother calling to ask. I am guessing that this product just doesnt work with my skin type and I just have to go back to opsite 100% of the time. The sensor itself will not stay on me at all so maybe next I will try opsite flexifix down on my skin first and then the dexcom sensor and see if it will stay on that way. I have yet to try that method.

Tandem Diabetes you rock!

So a few days or weeks or whatever ago, I posted about my t:slim pump and my inability to get my reservoir to go past 3 days.  Someone from Tandem must have seen my post, they called me!  THEY CALLED ME! Oh my gosh, so I explained my situation and they of course told me it why I shouldn't go past 3 days, which I knew, but unfortunately that doesn't help me pay for the supplies.  I am also considering switching to Novolog.  I think I have one bottle of Humalog left.  I suppose I should call my Endo to get the RX called into the pharmacy.  Yeah that would be smart if I had a second of brain power to remember that. 

ANYWAY, Tandem Diabetes is sending me a box of reservoirs to help me out!? Yeah you read that right, they are sending me a box, FREE, because I am too cheap/have too many expenses with Diabetes to afford or want to order more supplies.  Bravo to Tandem for helping me out, I really appreciate it and am really shocked they are going to send me a box free. FREE!  Who does that?  Tandem Diabetes Care does!

Tell your senators that Medicare needs to cover CGMs

Urge Your Senators to Co-sponsor S. 2689 to Ensure Seniors with Diabetes have Access to Continuous Glucose Monitors 

https://secure3.convio.net/jdrf3/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=412

Check out @JDRFAdvocacy's Tweet: https://twitter.com/JDRFAdvocacy/status/494540500557651968

Changing profiles on my t:slim and the reason it sucks.

I LOVE the fact that you can change profiles so easily on the t:slim and copy one, rename it and tweak it.

If ONLY my brain would remember that after I change a profile to CHANGE IT BACK!  Oye vey I changed my profile the other day when I was outside chasing my 18 month old child around because I just could not keep my bg up.  So I changed it to my "yard work" profile which is the lowest basal setting possible (0.1) for 24 hours. YEAH that is soooooooooo not enough insulin for normal activity.  My bg just kept creeping up and up and I was like man what is wrong so I just kept correcting.  Im a dingbat, totally forgot I changed profiles. From now on I am just going to run temp basals when doing anything physical or stop insulin all together because at least then it keeps beeping at me.

One of the cons of my tslim insulin pump

 

Day not even four for this cartridge.  :-( The insulin has decided it wanted to go bad this morning.  I was like what in the WORLD is going on, I kept correcting and no results. Yep I feel like garbage with a headache.  I guess after being outside most of the weekend and one really warm and humid afternoon/evening on Saturday, I just cooked my insulin.  This NEVER happened with my Medtronic pump.  In fact I could use insulin in the same cartridge for over 7 days.  With the tslim, in my experience, my insulin will not go past four days.  I am on Humalog but I wonder if switching to Novolog would help me stretch it out more.  With this pump I am almost never changing my site and insulin at the same time.  Has anyone out there had good luck with Novolog in a tslim going past 4 days?  

Will you be at the TCOYD Conference in Des Moines, IA on Sept 27th, 2014?

How many of you have heard of the TCOYD website and conferences?  If you were like me, you may have not heard of it before now.

Check it out!   http://www.tcoyd.com/national-conferences/desmoines-ia-2014.html

View the Brochure here:  http://www.tcoyd.com/PDF/des-moines-2014-patient.pdf

Kerri Sparling will be there, speaking at some of the meetings and hopefully I will get a chance to meet her! 

I think Im cured, again

Why do I have days like this? Am I cured? I could only wish.

http://iamadiabeticwarrior.tumblr.com/post/91960334755/so-i-must-be-cured-i-even-resorted-to-eating-a

Painful insulin pump infusion sets

Just a random thought. When I have a painful insulin pump infusion set site it has this way of putting me in a really bad mood. Is it because its a constant physical pain of being Diabetic? I mean being Diabetic doesnt really "hurt" per say most of the time. It can and does make you feel like crap sometimes but I guess having this stupid plastic cannula in my body all the time does leave a pretty good chance of it hurting sometimes. Today my infusion site is killing me, like a stabbing burning pain in my side/hip area I have it in. Its been hurting since I put it in the other day but yet due to the extreme cost of pumping I am torturing myself with this pain and changing it out is kind of like letting Diabetes win. So I think I will give in today and change it when I go let my dogs out. I hear so many other pumpers say they never have infusion set pain and I guess they are more "lucky" than I am in that area. I just dont understand how their infusion sets never hurt?  Do any of you out there have painful sets at times? Anyone else just leave it in and deal with the pain because you dont want to give in? Maybe Im just crazy.

Yeah I just joined tumblr.

So I finally joined tumblr.  Better late than never right?

http://iamadiabeticwarrior.tumblr.com/

This right here is the reason I help raise money for JDRF.

Tom Brobson, JDRF's national director of research investment opportunities recently took part in the University of Virginia's Artificial Pancreas project which is also funded by JDRF.

This is why I ask so many of you, my family and friends to donate to our team every year to help fund things like this.  Some day I and millions of others can live a more normal life with Diabetes with LESS fear of complications, low blood sugar, high blood sugar, count carbs, etc etc. Its not a cure but its pretty damn close to being cured while wearing a pump and glucose sensor until a real cure can be found. 

Please take a moment to read the article at the link below, for me, my brothers, my family members, my friends, you, your friends, and your family members with Diabetes.

http://greatercp.jdrf.org/blog/a-page-from-the-journal-of-tom-brobson-his-artificial-pancreas/



This year our team raised over $3,000 for JDRF!  If you feel so inclined to donate yourself to my team, you can do so here:  http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk/Chapter-EasternIowa4218?px=1251666&pg=personal&fr_id=3287

CGM in the Cloud, sharing Kerri's blog post

I dont know if I was vacationing on Mars or what the heck but I did not know that some very intelligent people had figured out a way to send Dexcom data to the cloud and make it viewable to someone else with internet access.  Seriously I am not sure why I didn't know this.  I just joined the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cgminthecloud/ So I have not yet checked things out. 

Here is Kerri's blog post: http://sixuntilme.com/wp/2014/07/10/cgm-cloud-part/

If you are Diabetic or the parent, grandparent, spouse of a person with Diabetes and they are on the Dexcom G4 this is most definitely worth reading, I would call it a must read. 

Bayer Contour Choice Program----YOUR SERVICE IS TERRIBLE!

So AGAIN this month my Bayer Contour Choice program card is NOT WORKING!


AHHHHH!!! I AM SCREAMING right now!

So my Walgreen's Pharmacy, who should be considered saints, called these jack wagons AGAIN and asked them WTF is going on?  My card is good until 12/31/2015 so why is it not working?  They told her that SOMETIMES they just cancel cards and dont tell anyone or give explanations?!

2014 Walk to Cure Diabetes fundraising total!

The results are in and Team Schuler Motors has raised $3,030.00 this year for the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes!   

Thank you so very much to those who donated and those who walked on our team this year!  I appreciate all of your hard work and every dollar you spared to help fund a cure and better treatments for Type 1 Diabetes.

If I could only remember to change profiles

I  LOVE LOVE the ability to create different profiles in my t:slim insulin pump but I hate the fact that I CANNOT remember to switch back!

I have a profile called yardwork, yes yardwork and the basal is at the lowest possible setting .1 units and I use this profile for when I am in fact doing yard work and when I am outside at work taking pictures of cars. It may seem trivial but getting in and out of cars really does make me go low. Its a bit crazy in fact.

So I was smart today and set my profile to yard work because I was going low. I only had to eat fruit strip thing. I said to myself I will not forget to change my profile back to normal.

I got done taking pics and bg was great. Left to go to my orthodontist appt and I went low again. Jeesh. Still forgetting about that profile.

So then jump ahead a few hours, I eat lunch, bolus for it and then an hour later Im 325! Wth? Take a correction. An hour later still high!?

Now Im thinking something is seriously wrong! Then it dawns on me! Ahhhh I never changed profiles. Crrrrap!

So I way override my correction and not until several hours do I crash. I saw on my Dexcom I was going low but not at the rate I was really going. Yep all the way down to 41. Awesome sauce. Yep I turned into an angry monster whos brain felt like it was going to die if I didnt eat. I did ok until we went to eat with my in laws and I ate a ton of carbs. Two white bread rolls, french fries and half a tuna crossant. I try to never eat french fries or white rolls because they destroy my blood sugar. Somehow though my bg is 121 right now. Hmmm.....

Check out that horrible roller coaster dexcom picture. I sure wish I could find the exit to this ride.

URGENT MEDICAL DEVICE CORRECTION Accu-chek fastclix

Attention: ACCU-CHEK^® FastClix lancing device user
Potential Issue with ACCU-CHEK FastClix Lancing Devices for Use with ACCU-CHEK Aviva Plus Meters — Needles May Retract with Delay or Not Fully Retract After Use

Read about it here: https://www.accu-chek.com/us/fastclix-alert.html 

New Medtronic Device Combines CGM Sensor & Insulin Infusion Site

Medtronic announced its launch of the Minimed Duo on Tuesday, after getting CE Mark approval for European sale early this week.

"Medtronic is leading the charge on new diabetes devices again, with a first-of-its-kind combo device launched in Europe that brings a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor and insulin infusion set together into a single device with combined insertion capability!"

Read about the information here on Diabetes Mine:  http://www.diabetesmine.com/2014/06/newsflash-new-medtronic-device-combines-cgm-sensor-and-insulin-infusion-set.html 

For me personally I am not sure if I like the idea of changing my sensor out every three days.  It doesnt seem very cost effective considering I can get two weeks out of one Dexcom Sensor?......  Im more into waiting (ever so impatiently) on a dual chambered pump and can also bring up my BG without my intervention (the closed loop artificial pancreas project).   That system cannot get here fast enough.  

Opportunity to Join University of Virginia Study on Type 2 Diabetes

I was contacted by Rupa Valdez from the University of Virginia to help spread the word about a study they are doing via a Facebook support group.  The following information was provided to me by her and I am glad to share it with all of you Type 2 Diabetics!


Are you a Facebook user who also has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes? If so, you may be interested in participating in a University of Virginia study to understand how people with Type 2 diabetes take care of their health. The researchers intend to use the information gained from the study to help better design technologies, such as mobile apps and self-management systems, for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Insurance, what a freakin joke

I cannot, canNOT resist the urge to write about this.  It is literally going to make me explode otherwise.

So if you use an in network doctors office, facility, hospital WHAT the hell ever, your insurance automatically knocks the price down to what that facility has negotiated to charge, right, RIGHT.

So my insurance knocked a lab bill of mine from 423.00 to 207.27 thats great RIGHT? WRONG.  If I had no insurance that facility I went to would knock 68% OFF the bill. SIXTY EIGHT PERCENT! 

That would have made MY portion $135.36.  Wait a second.

So I called the facility back and asked WHY in God's green earth if I was UNINSURED and LESS likely to pay my bill would I get a better effing discount than what I PAY when I have insurance coverage that I PAY for? 

She said they are not allowed to give me any other discounts after my insurance pays for their portion of the bill. 

Did you read that right?  I HAVE insurance coverage that I PAY FOR out of my pocket, ok....do you follow?  If I was uninsured I would have to PAY LESS money for the lab bills. 

I am so freaking stunned, irate, flabergasted all in one moment.  I want to puke.  Thats a $70.00 difference in this one bill.  My other labs this year would been 20% less if I was UNinsured. What a JOKE.  They said they legally have to charge it to my insurance if I have insurance, they cant just let me pay the discounted price.  WHAT THE HELL? 

I am so freaking ticked off right now.  I am so freaking ticked off at people who work the system and screw the system.   We (working married, tax paying, insurance premium paying citizens) (NOT PEOPLE WHO GET FREE STATE HEALTH CARE) are the ones getting screwed in case you have yet to figure that out. We pay 100%  our daughters health insurance premiums out of our pocket, no government assistance programs here. 

Our teams' Walk to Cure Diabetes amazing results from Niabi Zoo!

So far our team has raised an AMAZING $3005.00  I owe a HUGE HUGE thanks and props to Jackie Wiersema!!  Her fundraising efforts are up to $1880 so far! HOLY SMOKES!!! 

You can check out our team page here: http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/SchulerMotors

So far I am up to $620.00 even though it is showing a bit less.  

We have FOUR WEEKS post walk to enter donations (or at least the total that will show on any award you earn at the awards dinner which is June 19th at Modern Woodman park Kari told me)

05-31-2014 it the date to get all your donations turned in!

I really could use a Diabetes vacation and so could my poor pump abused skin...

I am having one of those days where I just wish I could not have to think about my Diabetes.

I swear doing a pump change every 3-4 days makes me go into this dumb rut.  The rut that I dont want to be in or think about.  My skin scars pretty easily, like that ugly reddish purple type scar.  Yeah thats what my skin does for months to years I can see it.

The side of my hip and love handle area look like a purple polka dotted map of scars from insulin pump infusion sites.  I hate it and I dont hate it.  I know that my t:slim insulin pump is saving my life and prolonging my life by many years but I hate the marks it (infusion sets) leaves behind on my skin.  I hate it. I look at it and I feel so upset that I have to keep doing this to myself.  Then my mind wonders into, why do I have to have this damned disease, why the hell cant they just cure it already?  I am so sick and tired of all the carb counting, weighing my food, guessing carbs, guessing too low, guessing too high, changing my pump out, changing my Dexcom sensor (which has been freaking stabbing me since my husband put it on me yesterday and its ticking me off), poking my finger, buying test strips, paying a fortune for insulin, paying a fortune for pump and cgm supplies, the list goes on and on.

My new tallyband from Tallygear.com

 

I decided it was time to try a new way to wear my Dexcom, since I often times dont have pockets big enough for it in the tallygear platnum case.

<===Platnum Case

I NEVER take it out of the platnum case (http://www.tallygear.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=90) for fear of water damage.  I cant tell you how many times I have gotten a water droplet on the front of this case, it is not water proof but I bet you it has saved my Dexcom 100 times. 

Yet another reason to love Dexcom.

So I went low for a while today, right?  Ok that happens, I ate some fruit strips thingies from Target, which by the way are a GREAT alternative to freakin fruit snacks, yuck! (Simply Balanced Wild Berry Fruit Strips http://www.target.com/p/simply-balanced-wild-berry-fruit-strips-25-ct/-/A-14576075#prodSlot=medium_1_4&term=fruit+strips )  If I smell fruit snacks I almost puke I ate them for so many years for lows that now I just can not stand them.  My little pony are the best, just in case you are looking.  Moving on.

So it was lunch time, right, yep, check my blood sugar.  146.  What?  Wait, how the heck am I 146, I was just low like 45 minutes ago. t:slim insulin pump says I need a correction of .55 units

So I take a look at my Dexcom, which by the way I am wearing in a totally new and awesome ankle band from http://www.tallygear.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=97

Dexcom says 118.  Hmm 118...ok that is not 146.















So I recheck my blood sugar again.  128. Awesome.  Pump says correction of  .28 units

I dont know about you all but I am REALLY sensitive to insulin.  A difference of .27 units is kind of a big deal considering my basal for this time of day is .65 units. Yeah that's like a little over a half of a unit per hour that my body needs.  ONE HALF of a unit. I cant even get that precise with a stupid syringe, no wonder my blood sugar was freakin bananas when I was on shots.  ( I took shots for like 8 years and it was stupid for me to not start pumping sooner) For basal during this point in my cycle I only need 15.138 units a day. 

Anyway my point being is that I dont know what I would do without my Dexcom.  Yeah it can be way off one way or the other but at least it is there to tell me when my blood glucose meter is off.  Sometimes its way more than 18 points and I know to some of you that wouldnt make a difference, but to me it does.  I have had my meter give me two different readings more than 50 points apart.


So for those of you on the fence, so to speak, about Dexcom or a pump I say go for it! Most companies give you at least 30 days to decide to keep it or not. I know that Dexcom and Tandem Diabetes give you 30 days to return them and I would expect them to take it back later than that if some crazy issue came about. The ONLY reason I could ever see a person return a Dexcom would have to be some crazy allergy to the tape that cant be worked around and there are many many work arounds for allergies you can find online on Facebook, TuDiabetes or other bloggers.  An insulin pump, like my t:slim is an adjustment and a much bigger one that the Dexcom.  It is a great adjustment for most people and if I ever had to go back to shots I dont think I would live for very long without major complications.  Right now I am going through a rough patch with my Diabetes and my last A1C was crap, pure crap but I am working on it and being more aggressive with my carb counting and trying to take boluses on time, I have an issue with forgetting.  I also have this hatred of low blood sugars, like many other Diabetic people.  I know its really stupid and counterproductive but I just dont want to go low.  I hate it and the tighter my control becomes the more dang lows I have. 

I just dont know what I would do without my Dexcom and Tandem Diabetes t:slim insulin pump. 

Are you in the Sauk Valley Illinois Area and looking for a Facebook group for support and resources?

If you live in the Northwestern Illinois Sauk Valley area and can't seem to find anywhere to go to find information or support for your Diabetes and want to meet other Diabetic people who live locally, you are in luck!

I created a new group for our area!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaukValleyDiabeticWarriors/

Check it out, join the group, vent about your day, find information you are seeking to help you with your Diabetes, meet other people in real life with Diabetes, any one with any type of Diabetes can join and their family members may join to support you as well.

The things you post in this group can only be seen by others in the group and it will not show up anywhere else on Facebook. 

The JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes

Today was our somewhat local JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes at Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley, IL and it was crazy packed! I did not hear the total amount of money raised but I will look Monday to see what its up to. Our team is over $2500 raised and we have six weeks I think, post walk to raise money.

I was disappointed that Greg Dutra wasnt there, we get a photo with him every year. Greg where were you man?

I met up with my Tandem Diabetes rep Nathan again, met the Peoria area rep and the Cedar Rapids JDRF rep, sorry I forgot your name. I know Im terrible. I looked for Kari a bit but didnt see her. She is the Quad Cities JDRF rep.

The walk was great, half my team ended up not being able to make it so that was a bummer but Im just glad to be a part of such a huge fundraising organization to help find better treatments and hopefully a cure one day. My 15 month old daughter had a lot of fun, she got to see all sorts of wild animals at the zoo and stare at them, like what in the heck is that thing? Then she wanted to go pet the Giraffes I think.

Thank you to all of you who gave donations to our team, it means so much to all of us with Type 1 Diabetes.

Jackie thank you for your insane fundraising work.  She raised over 1500 herself! 

"Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM): Why Can't We Use It?"

"Type 1 diabetes is a daily struggle between high and low sugar levels. One tool, a Continuous Glucose Monitor, makes life easier. At age 65 this device is taken away."


I am not near retirement but fear I will not retire because Medicare currently does not cover CGM.

Go here: http://sixuntilme.com/wp/2014/02/19/guest-post-crusading-cgm-coverage/ to Kerri's blog to read about how you can help get Medicare to cover CGM!

Also go here: https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/113/hr3710

Novolog vs. Humalog

I want to hear from those of you out there on this one, please. 

I am currently using Humalog in my t:slim insulin pump and I do not have any issues with it.  Prior to pumping I was on Novolog because at the time it was my insurance company's preferred brand.  Now the insurance I have doesn't care which one I use. 

Here is my hang up, Novolog gives a discount card good for two years.  http://www.novolog.com/NovoLogSavings/NovoLogSavings.aspx I would pay $25.00 per month if I use it.  I am paying $50.00 per month now.  We are talking about a $300.00 difference.  That is HUGE!

Do you think I should try switching to see what my results end up?  Does anyone use this discount card now and do they let you renew the discount card after two years?

Someone PLEASE chime in!

I am very sensitive to insulin so I wonder if I change, will I have to start at square one adjusting my pump settings?  Or do most of you insulin sensitive people see not much of a difference?  I know there is suppose to be much difference but as you all well know, your diabetes may vary. 

Bayer Contour Choice Program has been extended

I just got done going through the Prior Authorization fiasco with my health insurance to get more than their measly 150 they want to give me each month.  I get 300 a month and yes I am on a Dexcom.  There are some days where I am  having a hard time and test my blood sugar 20 times, there are some days I test my blood sugar 5 times and there are some days I test my blood sugar 10 times a day.  So if they give me the measly 150/mo I end up rationing my blood glucose test strips which you all know what that means, really crappy control.  I dont know how anyone can only test 5 times a day every single day for 30 days.  I just dont.

So after my Endo sent in the forms for me to get 300 I get my approval letter stating that I am approved for 140. Huh? 140?  They come in bottles of 50 not 10.  So I called my Endo's office, yep we asked for 300, ok great thanks! So I call my insurance and after waiting forever they discovered I did get 300!  YAY! GREAT!

I called the Contour Choice program hotline to ask if my card was still good.  He says he has no way of telling me that I have to ask the pharmacy and he also said that they have not yet extended the discount card program due to end May 31st.

If you go to: http://www.bayercontour.com/Meter-and-Test-Strip-Savings/ContourCHOICEProgram/Home You will see that is states it now ends 12/31/2015, yep thats right the people giving out the information on the hotline at Bayer don't even know this!  Awesome! 

Call the pharmacy to give them the good news.  Or so I thought.  I asked if my Contour Choice program card was still good and she said no it is expired from being used 12 times.  So I go online and renew my discount card and then it finally works!  My test strips will again go from a co-pay of $50.00 down to $15.00  It is a pain in my butt to get this done every single year but holy smokes does it save me a lot of money!  It goes from being $600/year for test strips down to $180!

If you are using the Bayer Contour Choice discount program it has been extended, just go to the link and renew your card or if it gives you fits, act like you are getting a new one and it will then renew the old one.  I had to go this route to get it done!

My replacement t:slim has a screen problem

Last week I had Tandem Diabetes send me a new pump since it shut down when I plugged it in to charge.

Well now this one started having black spots on the screen and I called the other day to get it replaced. It should arrive by tomorrow.  The spots are getting bigger and more of the screen is blacked out. Kind of strange and wierd. Im not sure what to think of it.

I still love my t:slim and their customer service. Just a wierd new issue.

Did you know you have the ability to help guide the FDA to require test strip companies to make more accurate strips for us?

FDA has two draft guidance documents about blood glucose meters that are open for comment until May 7 -- and it is encouraging the public to share its thoughts and suggestions. Join us in commenting. We have links to details, sample comments and a how-to guide. 

•  MAY 7TH, ok that is the deadline.  There are like 277 comments and that is IT!  

• WHY haven't you commented yet?  I know I have.  

• Do you want more accurate test strips? Did you know your meter is allowed to be 20% inaccurate?

• Did you know right now there is no testing of the strips that are being made now?  They can be more than 20% off because no one is making sure they are NOT more than 20% off.  Inaccurate test strips can lead to serious consequences, insulin doses are based off the number that is on your meter's screen. That is serious business, inaccurate insulin dosing can lead to an ER trip or more seriously, death.

  Did you know we can request the FDA to make our test strip and meter MORE accurate?

   

  • Please go to http://www.stripsafely.com/sample-page/guidance/ and follow the directions to leave your comments and let the FDA know just how VERY important this is to people with Diabetes.  

      

    DO IT NOW BEFORE YOU FORGET PLEASE!

     
    

RoadID is having a huge sale! Get your medic alert today before the sale ends!

 Get your Medic Alert ID on sale!  Sale ends today!  04-10-2014
 
http://www.roadid.com/

My Tandem Diabetes t:slim pump had a bit of an issue Sunday morning.

My t:slim pump decided that on Sunday morning after my shower with wet hair and trying to run out of the house to do errands that it was going to shut down when I plugged it in.  Totally shut down, like how they ship it to you, totally off.  Black screen, no feedback, no green 1,2,3 circles, nada, nothing, zilch. 

I have heard nightmare stories of people shutting theirs off for whatever reason and the memory being totally wiped clean.  Yeah.  I am one of those idiots who hadnt uploaded their pump lately and tweaked a bunch of settings, AND had none of them written down.  SMART.

Yep and it wouldnt turn back on no matter what I did.  Major FREAK out moment.  I tried plugging it in unplugging it, holding the on button, everything and nothing worked. Then finally it turned back on and said welcome to your new pump whatever screen.  YEAH so I called Tandem at that moment.

Got a SUPER awesome lady on the phone and she helped calm me down after a few choice swear words and me apologizing and she said it was ok, I know youre not swearing at me.  HAHA!  Yeah I was swearing at my pump and my stupidity for not uploading. I forget her name, but she was great.  She talked me through getting the pump to realize it had insulin in it, after I had to of course, prime the mandated 10 units of insulin.  Then THANKFULLY my settings had been preserved in the memory somehow.  I don't know how but they were.  They are written down now.  I have yet to upload, I was waiting for my new pump to arrive before I plugged it in again for fear it would shut down again.

Now I am afraid to plug my pump in.  Yeesh.

I am on a Facebook Tandem tslim goup and it sounds like I am not the only one this has happened to, quite a few people had the same problem.  So I asked everyone who that this happen to reply so I can call Tandem and ask them what is going on. 

My replacement pump was flown to me via American Airlines on Sunday and I got it this morning via  a courier service from O'Hare Airport.  That's crazy, but awesome since I have NO back up system.  Another DUH moment.  I called my Endo to get an RX on file for some long acting insulin and to see what sort of process he wants me to use for my back up.  I really do not want to use Lantus or Levemir.  Both of those insulins hate me and put me on a roller coaster ride from heck. 

I want to give a huge thank you to Tandems awesome customer service for getting me a new pump right away and for getting me off the ceiling with my level of stress when it shut down.  It's hard to explain how important that little piece of metal is to someone who is not a pumper.  It is the key to my life basically, I cannot function without it. 

Diabetes Mine discusses the recent NY Times article on the Cost of Diabetes Innovation

http://www.diabetesmine.com/2014/04/new-york-timeson-diabetes-costs.html

Diabetes Mine has brought up the discussion over the NY Times article on new Diabetes Innovation and its costs.  Dr. Joel Zonszein obviously doesnt know what it is like to live with Diabetes as he states CGM technology offers dubious improvement.  Really? You gotta read this article on Diabetes Mine.

Why are people so afraid of change?

I had a good convo with my Dexcom rep today about why so few people in my area know about the Dexcom.  Joe you are great, thanks for talking with me today.  

He said the number one thing is that Doctors and their supporting staff are afraid of change.  Change can be scary I suppose but Diabetes is an ever changing disease.  Type 1 Diabetes is always changing from day to day.  Why wouldnt you want the best tools available to help your patients stay on top of those moment to moment changes?  Why would you put your patient on a Medtronic sensor when their success rate is so low.  Not even 50% of Medtronic sensor wearers are wearing the sensors daily at 6 months.  So whats the point of puttting people on it still?  Really?  Especially if you know the long term success rate is so low. Why would you not want whatever is the best for your patients?  If one brand of sensor doesn't work for them why would you not want to give them another option? 

Medtronic sensors hurt, or at least the last version did and you have calibrate them ONLY when you blood sugar is stable and I hear over and over again about the range being crap.  Like you can only have the pump and sensor 6 inches apart?  Yikes.  My Dexcom is on my arm and my receiver is on my desk.  At least three feet apart.  I can calibrate my Dexcom whenever the heck I feel like it and it only requires one every 12 hours.  Easy as cake. 

Carrying an extra device is kind of a drag but the trade off is worth it and you don't have to be on a pump to get the Dexcom.  Dexcom is pairing up with Animas and Tandem Diabetes.  I am on the Tandem pump t:slim (which I LOVE) and Tandem hopes to have it available this year.  I am guessing it will be early next year, but that's just my guess. 

I have been a Dexcom wearer since December 2011, I think.  I have maybe, maybe not worn it for 3 weeks total in those many months. 27 months of continuous wear and every so often I take a one day break.  I took a 4 day break once and I seriously thought I was going to have a mental breakdown.  I couldn't handle not knowing what my blood sugar was doing.  I couldn't do it, it was crazy. I cannot go backwards in my Diabetes care.  My Dexcom and pump have become my  lifeline.  I could not imagine going to shots and no CGM.  Knowing what my blood sugar is doing all the time and going to sleep at night with a little bit less worry is revolutionizing for my Diabetes management.  

The Dexcom has been such a game changer for parents.  I could not imagine going to bed wondering if my child would crash in the night or not and possibly have a seizure or die.  The parents in the Dexcom groups I am in are just completely in love with this system and it has saved some of their sanity and worry about their child sleeping at night.  If my daughter were to ever become Diabetic (I pray every day that she doesn't) the first thing I would get would be a Dexcom. No doubt in my mind for one second.  If I could get it for my Diabetic dog also, I would.  Some of these parents schools give them such an incredible hard time about asking them to manage their Dexcom and it just kills me to hear that.  This tool makes their job so much easier to help keep these kids safe.  Its called change, don't be afraid of it, you should want to change and learn and help these kids.  Getting told you are Diabetic to begin with is very hard and it can be very secluding and depressing.  No one else gets it.  Kids don't need their school to throw a huge fit over them having a Dexcom or a pump.  Don't make them feel any more less normal than the other kids. Diabetes can make you feel like an outcast and as a kid with the pressures of school, I cannot imagine how they feel. I was diagnosed after high school so I didnt deal with a lot of the b.s. I hear from other people.

My t:slim pump is also a no brainer and people are still afraid of it.  The ease of use of this pump, for me, is a hands down winner.  No changing to a million different screens, no more scrolling up and down to enter bgs or carbs.  All touch screen.  Hello, it is 2014. Who wants to look at a way out of date analog green and black screen?  Medtronic has a great pump dont get me wrong and I had great luck with it but they need to get with the program, they didnt even redesign the newest pump.  I can litterally enter my bg and carbs and take a bolus in seconds with my t:slim.  Not possible with Medtronic. 

I am excited for the upcoming Dexcom & Tandem innovations.  Sending my bgs to my smart phone and a paired t:slim pump and hopefully in five years a closed loop pump/cgm combo.  Wearing a device that just manages my Diabetes sounds like magic to my ears.  So many innovations on the horizon and so many things to look forward to.  

My point being if you are a health care provider and are refusing to learn the Dexcom system or a new Pump brand or refusing to show it to your patients who are out of other options or are needing the extra help, shame on you.  Shame on you for denying your patients the tools they need to manage their disease.  Not all systems work for everyone, we Diabetics need options.  If one doesn't work then we need to try a different one.  Don't just push one brand over another because it is comfortable and its what you know, you need to find what works best for your patient living with this disease. 

I cannot believe in this day and age that Doctors are refusing to learn new technology. 

Do we still use outdated drugs that are less effective than new drugs?  Do we still drive cars made in the 1920's that didnt run for crap and had to be fixed every other day?  Would you sell someone a washing machine that you knew in 6 months would be broken and the purchaser wouldn't use it anymore?  Would you willing buy a car that you knew you would hate in 6 months to a year?

Learn the new tools, show them to your patients, give them all the options on the table, let them choose the systems they think will work the best for them.  We, the people with Diabetes are the ones who have to go home and use these tools effectively and manage our disease without you holding our hand at home or helping us count carbs. 

Dexcom can you hear me? Over? 10-4?

Ok so my Dexcom rep told me that there will not be a Dexcom rep at my local JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in May.

Wait? Come again?

For real Dexcom, you just got pediatric fda approval and no one, I mean no one in my rural area has heard of Dexcom!

Hire ME for the walk!

I could sell the heck out of Dexcom. I cannot live without mine and I hear over and over from parents how wonderful its made their lives and their kids' lives.

I have no college degree but I have worked in car sales for 14 years full time 18 years total and I can walk up to any stranger and strike up a conversation.

I just want to sell this product to the people in my rural area, make their lives so much better! I dont want a full time job, I love my current job. I just want to sell your product and show it to the people here. I want to show it to everyone. I want everyone to know it is an option available to them. Its another tool in the diabetes tool bag and not many people know its just sitting there waiting for them to pick up and use!

Life for a Child Program

"Diabetes is a great challenge in the developing world. Many children and adolescents with diabetes die quickly or are chronically unwell due to lack of availability of quality care. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Life for a Child Programme currently supports diabetes clinics/hospitals caring for children and adolescents in 43 countries.

The IDF Diabetes Atlas (Sixth Edition, 2013) estimates that there are over 497,000 children under 15 years with type 1 diabetes. There is probably a similar number of youth with diabetes aged 15-25.

However, the estimates for numbers of children and youth in many developing countries are very incertain due to lack of data. Additionally type 2 diabetes is on the increase in children and adolescents in all countries irrespective of socio-economic status. It is estimated that 80-100,000 children and youth around the world are in urgent need of assistance.

Lack of access to insulin remains the most common cause of death in a child with diabetes (Gale, 2006). The estimated life expectancy of a child who has just developed diabetes could be less than a year in some areas (Beran et al, 2005). Many die undiagnosed, others through lack of insulin or lack of expert care. In some countries, expert care is available but resources are limited and so early and serious complications frequently lead to death in young adulthood."

By donating just $1 a day to the IDF Life for a Child (LFAC) Programme, you can provide a child with:

• Regular insulin
• Quality blood glucose monitoring equipment (meter, strips, lancets)
• Essential clinical care
• Up-to-date diabetes education materials
• Specialised diabetes training for medical staff 

The Programme aims to provide:

• Sufficient insulin and syringes
• Blood glucose monitoring equipment
• Appropriate clinical care
• HbA1c testing
• Diabetes education
• Technical support for health professionals

Please go to: http://www.idf.org/lifeforachild/donate

Thank Your Representative for Helping to Renew the Special Diabetes Program

JDRF emailed me to let me know that the U.S. House of Representatives approved a one-year extension of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP), at the current funding level of $150 million, as part of the 'Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014' (H.R. 4302).  The U.S. Senate is now expected to consider the legislation by Monday, March 31st.

You can read about the news here: http://www2.jdrf.org/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=38778&em_id=22090.0

This is great news and thank you to all of you who sent messages to your representatives and please send them a thank you via the link on the website.

At a loss for words

I try to put a positive spin on comments from people about Diabetes.  Sometimes I am just not sure what to say. The one I hear over and over and over again from people goes something like this:  Me: I am sorry I have to eat something my blood sugar is dropping and I am a type 1 Diabetic so I cannot really wait it out.  Then whoever the person is I am telling this to just so happens to say, oh my (insert relative) died from Diabetes, they had it really bad or they lost their foot/leg/toe.

Insert really flabbergasted face from me. 

I know I am kind of setting myself up for comments like this when I have to tell someone why I am being rude and eating in front of them but it doesnt mean its ok for people to say such things and I feel I should tell them why I am shoving food in my face like its the last piece of food with sugar in it in the world.
 
I don't understand the need for people to say these things so a person living with Type 1 Diabetes.  I swear Diabetes is the only condition that people feel its ok to say, well my grandma/grandpa/uncle/aunt died from Diabetes.  I usually just brush it off but sometimes, man, its like they slapped you in the face and said oh good luck with that I hope it doesn't kill you too.   They might as well say exactly that.

Normally I say something to the affect of well treatments are a lot better today and we can check our blood sugar unlike 30-40 years ago no one checked their blood sugar at home.  We also have better insulin and I am on an insulin pump and glucose sensor which makes management much better than in your relatives time. I try to keep it simple because usually they really dont care to hear what I have to say about it or they get this really confused look on their face.  Getting all technical with a non Diabetic person is usually a waste of breath.

I dont know, I guess I am just a little bit tired of hearing people say that.  It hurts even if it doesn't appear to.  Or I guess it hurts me, I cant say how any other Diabetic feels when they get told this. Never in a million years would I say to someone, oh well I know so and so died from that, if they have that same condition.  Good Lord people can you share a little bit more of a positive response.  Maybe something along the lines of oh, I hear that treatments are a lot better now and there is a lot of new technology available.  That would be a much kinder thing to say.

Bennet Dunlap Diabetes Advocate interviews the FDA and you can participate!

This is great opportunity for anyone with Diabetes who checks their blood sugar.  Learn what the FDA is doing to make our test strips more accurate.  This is an important manner for all of us considering how little regulation there currently is to make sure the ONE thing we base our Diabetes management off of can be so inaccurate and cause serious consequences.

"From FDA:

Please join us for a Patient Network Live Chat! Diabetes: Glucose Monitors and Test Strips

Talk with FDA expert Courtney Lias and Patient Advocate Bennet Dunlap about Glucose Monitors and Test Strips Monday, March 31, 1:30–2:30 pm (EDT)

Talk, share, and connect with the

FDA and the Diabetes Patient Community"

Go to this link to read more about this unique opportunity and to see where to go to join in on the chat!   http://www.ydmv.net/2014/03/tune-in-as-doc-to-interviews-fda-live.html

Why is it so hard for Endo's to download the t:slim pump's software t:connect?

I keep hearing this over and over, my Endo's office could not upload my t:slim because they didn't have the software.

Huh? Say that again?

That is crazy, its available ONLINE for anyone to download.  Seriously.

I am pretty sure I downloaded the software onto my CDE's computer for her and it was no big deal.  Why are doctors offices having such a big cow over this?  WE, the people trying to manage our Diabetes are paying YOU, the Doctor to help us.  Why do you they feel its ok to complain or whine about it at all?  Sorry, no sympathy from me.  I mean seriously, I am pretty sure my insurance gets charged over $200 bucks a pop to see my Endo, and my Endo is freaking great so I dont complain about the costs.  It still isnt exactly easy to pay when you are paying a lot of money per month just to stay alive.

Last year I had my first child and managed my Diabetes.  I paid $19,000 in medical costs last year.  Yes you read that correctly $19,000 and was off work for two months.  I made no money last year.

Complaining about downloading free software is unacceptable.

Go here to download it, FREE:
https://tconnect.tandemdiabetes.com/GettingStarted/

Here is the list of meters you can download to the software:
http://www.tandemdiabetes.com/Products/Glucose-Monitoring/

5 Ways Diabetes Wreaks Havoc On Your Entire Life

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13061/5-ways-diabetes-wreaks-havoc-on-your-entire-life.html

By Ginger Vieira
March 24, 2014 4:10 AM EDT

A very good article by Ginger explaining some of the ways Diabetes changes your life and the way we have to navigate around it. 

She talks about how:

1. Diabetes is nonstop, 24/7.
2. The pressure to be perfect is impossible to endure.
3. We are constantly being graded. 
4. Diabetes can be very scary.
5. You're constantly defending yourself.

Check out the article at the link above. 

Frio insulin cooling case, anyone here tried one?

I have heard many many people say that the Frio insulin cooling cases work amazingly well.  I evem read someone in a group on facebook say they went to Australia camping with one!  Has anyone here used one?  I tell people about them all the time, yet never used one because I haven't needed to as of yet.  I just keep my open bottle of insulin in my dia-junk bag in my purse.  If I was going to a really hot or cold climate I suppose would need to get one. 

Any way, in case no one you have heard of them or need something like this, here is their website! 

http://www.frioinsulincoolingcase.com/

Reblogging: Medicare’s Lackluster Diabetes Coverage… Let’s Make Some Noise!

 You may not be anywhere near the age of needing Medicare but some day if you plan on retiring and are using CGM's now you will have to completely self fund on Medicare.  Also other insurance companies tend to follow Medicare's lead, this is not good at all.  We do not need health insurance companies to stop funding CGM's.  I personally cannot go without my CGM and there is also NO way I can self fund them either.  I need my insurance company to keep coverage for CGM technology.  Please sign the petitions and contact your legislators.  Let them know we need coverage for CGM's and we need Medicare to cover them.  As it stands now, there is no way I will ever go on Medicare.  I will not give up my Dexcom. 

http://www.diabetesmine.com/2014/03/medicares-lackluster-diabetes-coverage-lets-make-some-noise.html