Tuesday, May 15, 2012

#Dblog What I do well

Today's prompt from K-Dawg. AKA Karen was interesting especially when I looked at other peoples blogs before I started to truly come up with an idea of my own. Now I have their stories in my head and I hope I don't accidentally wander down that same train of thought. 

Living with diabetes (or caring for someone who lives with it) sure does take a lot of work, and it’s easy to be hard on ourselves if we aren’t “perfect”.  But today it’s time to give ourselves some much deserved credit.  Tell us about just one diabetes thing you (or your loved one) does spectacularly!  Fasting blood sugar checks, oral meds sorted and ready, something always on hand to treat a low, or anything that you do for diabetes.  Nothing is too big or too small to celebrate doing well!

So with my diabetes, what do I do well?? How about we start with what I so don't do well. Movie theater popcorn with its fake buttery goodness. #Fail. I tank so often, even with the combo bolus. Brown/white rice?? #Fail. Exercise blood sugars! #Fail. Walking! #Fail. Treating lows. #Fail. Treating highs, well they become lows, so #kindafail.

I am not perfect. Hell I am not even close half of the time. However, if I were to look at what I do well. I sleep great. I eat relatively healthily. I always go to my Doctor's appointments in the 4 month window I am asked. I could do it every 3 month's but apparently my doctor does not love me enough to see me 4 times a year. (Oh good, my I's stopped lining up.)

Taking Karen's prompt to heart, the one thing I do well is my rotation of infusion sets and always changing my site every three days. It sounds silly and simple. Yet it is something that I do and I do it well. Following some of my crazy dweeps on the Twitter, it amazes me when I see the tweets of "ran out of insulin" or "need to change my infusion set at work #awkward" or "I have the tubing and infusion set, but where's the reservoir" the list goes on. Mind you I am not judging or criticizing. I love you guys and your uniqueness.

This is just one bit of stress in my life that I am actually able to handle and eliminate. So like clock work/ religiously I will change my site every three days. What do I do with the extra insulin? Why waste it? I don't. Again, this is not sound advice, hell it is stupid advice. I have an "old" vial of insulin that the extra 5 - 15 units sometimes more or less will go into. That is my emergency supply, my oh shit I am still high what am I going to do supply. Has the insulin skunked itself? No clue. Is is less effective? Possibly. Yet I have this vial which I tap into sometimes when needed. Heck if I am filling up a reservoir and the bottle I am using runs dry, I use the "overflow" bottle to fill it.

Maybe, it is not a good idea, but it works for me. I don't suggest it as a way to just try or be cheap or anything like that. It is not a great idea on so many levels, but again it works for me. So this is what I do well. I am OCD enough to change my stuff every three days and avoid the running out of insulin's. Maybe one day I will be brave and just be ready to keep pumping until I run out and than change my site, but I am not there. I am not ready. My quirkiness won't allow it yet. However, I am sure some of the "bad" influences from my friends may eventually rub off on me.

2 comments:

  1. Set changing high-five! That is something to be proud of!

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  2. Hi Brian,

    I was wondering if you accepted any guest posting on your site. You have had some great Diabetes Blog Week posts and I was wondering if we could contribute one about Diabetes medication safety.

    I couldn’t manage to find your email on the site. If you could get a hold of me at jeff@drugwatch.com, I would greatly appreciate it!

    Thanks,
    -Jeff

    ReplyDelete