D-Feast Friday: Frankensteined Chili

Posted: 23rd July 2010 by Chris in D-Feast Friday
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Fellow Twitter buddy and blogger, Elizabeth (@elizabetharnold) had a great idea to designate a day where all of us PWD and family members of PWD could begin a collection of Diabetic recipes.  Lorraine (@Colcalli),  Karen (@karen_mst), along with the rest of the Diabetes community thought it was a great idea so these two ladies decided to jump on board and designate today (and who knows, maybe every Friday) as D-Feast Friday. Thus far, I have seen a great response to this and I had to get myself into the game.

For Diabetics, the big factor with any recipes is what is the carbs per serving and closely followed by the fiber and fat content. All of these contribute to how our blood sugars are affected. Now I know that many of us PWD try to keep the carbs down to a minimum so that we do not have to compensate high carbs with massive amounts of insulin. Well,  for me, because I am on a workout routine to build muscle, carbs (along with protein) are an important factor in order to build muscle. Therefore, when I eat, I am not looking to keep things real “Low Carb.” My diet requires carbs so my recipes reflect on the higher side compared to most other Diabetics.  So if you are looking for “Low Carb” recipes, you have come to the wrong place.

So, for my first recipe, I have chosen my Homemade Frankensteined Chili. I LOVE chili and am always looking for that perfect chili recipe. Well, this what one that I created and “frankensteined” between a number of different recipes to make the recipe that was to my liking. So here it is:

Frankensteined Chili

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 pound steak (your choice on cut) cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots
  • 1/2 cup whole kernel corn
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup water (more or less to desired thickness) – I like mine thick so I sometimes omit the water
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained (leave undrained for less thickness)
  • 1 can (22 ounces) bushes barbecue baked beans, drained (leave undrained for less thickness)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Chili seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons chili peppers, flakes or crushed
  • 1 teaspoon minced onions
  • ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons chili peppers, flakes or crushed
  • 1 teaspoon minced onions
  • ¼ teaspoon minced garlic

Prep work:

Take all the ingredients for the chili mix and mix into a small bowl and set aside.

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet.
2. Cook ground beef, sausage, steak and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
3. transfer meat to a pot on high heat.
3. Stir in chili seasoning mix, then add remaining ingredients.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Time can vary based on desired thickness.

Nutritional info:

Servings: 8

Total fat: 14g

Saturated fatty acids: 5.5g

Monounsaturated fatty acids: 7g

Polyunsaturated fatty acids: 1.5g

Calories from fat: 126

Sodium: 752mg

Cholesterol: 75mg

Carbohydrates: 12g

Total sugars: 3g

Total dietary fiber: 3g

Protein: 23g

D to the 3rd power: Diabetes, Diet & Deadlifts

Posted: 16th July 2010 by Chris in Diabetes
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Managing Diabetes is all about balance. You always have to make sure that you don’t over (or under) do it with anything otherwise you pay the consequences, D-style. So lately, I realized that I really needed (and wanted) to take things to the next level. Namely my exercise regime. I have been exercising on a regular basis, on a routine if you want to call it, for almost six months now and have been fairly happy with the results. I can see that I have gotten my 6-pack abs back and that the muscles are showing some more definition. I am not interested in losing any weight, I am happy with where I am in that department. Unfortunately, I have hit a plateau. Over the last 2 months, I really haven’t seen any change even though the workouts have been there. So, I decided that it was time to call in one of my fellow DOC friends to help in this department.

Ginger Vieira, One of our beloved DOC members, is an I.S.S.A. certified personal trainer and hold 15 records in drug-tested powerlifting, so when it comes to exercise and Diabetes, she is a definite go to. She has a great business and website, living-in-progress.com where she is a life coach and help people with chronic illnesses manage their health and their. So I decided, who better to help me get past my plateau and reach my exercise / health goals than Ginger. Now, my exercise goals are unlike a lot of my fellow DOC friends. For me, I am looking to put on muscle mass, which means weight. Up to this point, I was only maintaining and defining what I already had. With Ginger being the phenomenal power-lifter she is and her life coaching, I thought she would be the perfect personal trainer to reach my goals.

So I contacted Ginger and she let me know that she would be happy to help me attain my goals, we would just need to setup a good workout and diet plan to do so. So what Ginger introduced to me was a workout plan that would get me the muscle mass that I was looking for and also explained a diet plan that, those less knowledgeable about Diabetes might find completely crazy. For those who know anything about bodybuilding and working out, in order to build muscle mass, you need 2 things in a diet, Protein and Carbs. Now in the world of Diabetes, Carbs can be looked at as someone of the devil. Carbs are complex sugars which means that eating carbs means higher blood sugars unless managed with the proper amount of insulin. Well, in order for muscles to build, repair and grow, they need proteins and crabs. Without these you are basically starving the muscles which in turn does not allow the muscles to grow. So, as Ginger and I were discussing the workout and diet plan, she told me that if I wanted to build muscle, I was going to have to:

  • Lift heaver weights (makes sense)
  • Do less reps
  • Eat lots of protein and carbs

While I love my carbs, I was always under the impression to don’t overdo it, which is correct if you aren’t trying to build muscle, but since that is my goal, I was going to have to make sure that I increased the carbs I ate. For me, that also means more insulin. The one thing that I learned though, is that with bodybuilding (which I am not doing, I am just trying to get a little more muscle mass) and Diabetes, in some cases, your insulin intake may not be that drastically affected. The reason for this is that your insulin sensitivity goes up when building muscle. Now I do not claim to know all of the ins and outs about this, I am just relaying what the resident expert, Ginger, has explained.

So, with this knowledge, I now must become a protein and carb whore. Which I am OK with. I love carbs and if eating more carbs means getting to my goal and still being able to maintain a healthy life, this is a win, win, win situation for me.

So, I figured I would share my workout plan with everyone to show what Ginger “the tyrant” Vieira is putting me though:

Revision (Due to copyright issues, I had to remove my actual workout plan, so I have given some highlights of my workout in it’s place)

My workout consists of a 3 day per week workout (and believe me, those 3 days kick my ass) Monday focuses on my chest and shoulders with such exercises as Chest and shoulder press and a variety of Deltoid exercises. My weights varied on the exercises but always lifting til failure. My chest and shoulders felt like they had be hit by a mack truck the next day…. but I loved it. Tuesdays Torso, Back and Lats seem to be the focus but with Gingers workouts, everything seems to be abused. Exercises like Dumbell Rows, Lat Pulldowns and Deadlifts made my entire back side feel like I had been bodyslammed 500 times. Due to my back being a little out of wack, I chose to skip the Deadlifts but still lifting til failure really does a number on your body the first few times. Friday consisted of beating the crap out of my legs and exercises such as Hamstring curls, Single Leg Press and Squats did exactly that.

So this is my 3 day a week workout plan. Since Ginger and I could not meet in person, she was not able to give me the weight I should lift. She left that up to me to decide. So after a few workout, I was able to determine, what I think is, the proper workout for me. The one area I am still a bit in the dark about is my squats and deadlifts. The reason for that is I tweaked my back picking up my daughter early in the week, so I didn’t want to push it and do serious damage. So the back is on hiatus until I am at 100%.

Now in addition to the workouts, like I said, I had to increase the carbs and proteins so I am not making sure I have a carb snack before working out, then my normal breakfast which includes anywhere from 65g – 80g of carbs and throw a bunch of protein in there for good measure.  mid morning snack consists of a protein shake with 30g-40g of carbs and a boatload of protein. Lunch consists of the same carbs and once again, load up on the protein again. another protein shake for afternoon snack. Dinner is a meat and potatoes type of meal with, once again 65g-80g carbs and a bunch of protein and then after dinner / bedtime some more carbs.

So as you can see, this is a carb and protein heavy diet but by watching my blood sugars and dosing properly with insulin for the carbs I eat, my control shouldn’t be any different then any Diabetic whos’ complete meal may consist of 10g-20g of carbs.

All in all, I think Ginger is a rockstar when it comes to life and fitness coaching. She know her stuff and being a fellow Diabetic, I know I am not getting a bunch of info that some brainiac pulled out of a book. This is the real deal. I am excited to see the fruits of our labor as the moths pass by. I will give the occasional progress report as things progress. So I look forward to reporting with bigger and healthier results.

CWD Recap: Not Just For Kids Anymore

Posted: 14th July 2010 by Chris in Diabetes
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Last week, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the 2nd Roche Social Media Summit that I discussed in my previous post. For me, this is something that I rarely get the opportunity to do: Attend a Diabetes conference. I primarily blame this on my Geographic location. It seems that the groups who hold these Diabetes conferences do not seem to have much interest in holding them in the Midwest. I find it very rare to find any Diabetes conferences within driving distance of Kansas City. Well, Last week, I was not only able to attend the Roche Social Media Summit but because Roche “piggybacked” their conference with another, I was also able to attend the Children With Diabetes “Friends For Life” conference. This was a great conference and I was so happy to be able to attend it.

From what I know and have learned about the CWD Friends For Life conference is that it has been going on for 10 years and focuses on Children with Diabetes and teaching and learning about how to manage your Diabetes and how to live with it and enjoy their childhood like every other kid. Well, with that being said, I found that this conference is not just for the kids and parents of kids with Diabetes. It really is for everyone.

Each day of the conference was filled with discussions and focus group from virtually every Diabetes related topic. There were so many, it made it hard to choose which one to go to. I was able to hit most of the discussions I wanted to but did have to skip a few because they ended up being at the same time as other ones that I had just a little more interest in. So for me, I decided to hit the following:

Wed.

- Finding Your Online Voice moderated by our own Dbloggers Kerri Sparling and Amy Tenderich

  • Kerry and Amy did a great job talking about their blogs and about getting yourself online and what it is all about.

- Diabetes, iPods and Facebook moderated by Agamatrix

  • Agamatrix, the makers of the Wavesense series of blood glucose meters discussed their new diabetes management software for the iPod, iPhone and online. I love their stuff and am excited about what they have in store

- Does Checking Your Bloodsugar Need To Be So Painful moderated by LifeScan

  • An interesting Q & A about LifeScans new lancet device. They got an earful from the group.

- The Best Of Technology: Pumps & Sensors moderated by Henry Anhalt

  • I’m a junkie for new technology so I couldn’t miss this one.

- Managing Hypoglycemia moderated by Gary Scheiner

  • This had a lot of great information, especially for those having a tough time with Hypos. I actually learned a few things and took a few things to use from the discussion.

- Advocacy Part 2: Next Steps moderated by Kimberly Davis & Tom Karlya

  • I am not a political person but this was such a great discussion on haw to advocate locally for what you want. Great great info. I now kind of which I had gone to the first session.

- Sports and Pumping: Finding The Right Mix moderated by Rick Philbin

  • From the bits I got from this, there was some great info about Diabetes and sports. Unfortunately, will enjoying the nightlife a little too much over the week, focus was not my top priority

In addition to all of the focus groups and discussions, they had an entire exhibit hall setup for all of the different Diabetes related companies that were showing their wares and providing services and information. I hit up virtually every both there and got a lot of really great information and learned quite a bit too.

There was so much more here that I could talk about but I would have to write a book to do that. This is an absolutely amazing conference and it is perfect for everyone affected by Diabetes, not just kids. Whether you are 9 or 90, you can really get a lot out of this conference. Not only is there information and knowledge but there are friendships to be made here, young and old. New friendships and reconnection. So, if you are looking to go to a Diabetes event, this is one I would not pass up. Regardless of your age, you will benifit from this.

Roche Summit: The 2nd Coming

Posted: 7th July 2010 by Chris in Diabetes
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So to my amazement, it happened again. Roche was brave (or crazy) enough to decide to invite a group of us Diabetes bloggers to get together and attempt to pick our brain. I would have thought that they learned from last years event, that we are not a group who “goes quietly into that good night.” I think that Scott King and Christopher Thomas where shining examples of that last year. None the less, Roche decided to light that powder keg again, this time In Orlando and piggybacking the CW conference, and I am so happy they did.

I was a little shocked that I was invited back for a second year considering my personal issues and Hiatus from blogging for  while but I happily accepted when the invitation arrived in my inbox. I was happy to see many others who were invited again and even happier to see some new faces to Roche but old friends to the DOC. Before I go into my recap, I will have to say that I give Roche much “props” for taking a chance on us bloggers not only once but twice especially really not knowing what they may or may not get out of the event. Obviously, they gained enough out of last years event to feel that they could benefit somehow from bringing us back again. Brave move Roche, and I commend you for it.

I know for myself, they most exciting part about the entire event was to reconnect with my fellow D bloggers that I have had the fortune of meeting over the last year and getting the opportunity to finally met others that I had only known in writing up to this point. I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone that would tell you differently.

I, like most of the others attending the event, arrived the evening before and fraternized and socialize caught up with friends and met new ones. knowing that we had a long day ahead of us the following day, I retired early to rest and prepare for the day festivities. The following morning began like the night before started, more socializing and just enjoying ourselves. It felt like a big family reunion with your close family and some long long relatives. This lasted until we headed into one of the very pricey hotel restaurants that Roche had booked for lunch.

Lunch was a little bit like an office mixer. Fairly informal and gave both the bloggers and Roche to bump elbows and chat each other up a little bit. Nothing structured, just a lunch to to mingle. I had the pleasure of sitting with Bernard “pronounced Ber-Nerd” at lunch. This guy is such a down to earth guy and yet, in the same breath, such a wealth of knowledge. It is always such a pleasure talking to him. Also, one of the ADAs’ youth advocates, Amy Johnson also joined us at the table. Now, I think that she got a little more than she bargained for when she sad down at the table with Bernard and I. I am not a big fan of the ADA due to their seemingly “Cloak and Dagger” views on fund-raising and where their money goes. I hoped that we didn’t traumatize her (but realized later that she was a much tougher nut to crack than that.)

After lunch, the festivities began. I thought it was clever that Roche started us off with introduction in 140 letters or less. Looks like Twitter has its grubby little hands in everything. It was a great ice breaker and we all had some fun. Most had difficulty sticking to the format but that made it all the more fun. It really brought to light who we were as a group. We weren’t just a bunch of bloggers but we had lives outside of our blogs, podcasts and vlogs. We were a bunch of people, affected by Diabetes, who are passionate about Diabetes and how we share it with others. After the intros, Roche did what I think most people had wondered since the last meetup, explained what they had done with the information they had learned from us. The things that they mentioned, that stuck with me the most, for no other reason than they listened to us, was the use of their ad campaigns. For as long as I have seen Diabetes ads (which is few and far between) they have always been portrayed with model actors and actresses and perfect BG readings. Well, Roche listened to our grips about this and did something about it. Their ad campaigns consist of real live Diabetics and show real BG numbers. I think that this is the first time I have every seen a number break the 200 mark in an ad for Diabetes. For me, this was one of the most important moments of the entire event because it showed me that Roche was serious about listening to what we had to say. Kudos to you Roche.

The focus of the talks then shifted to Meter accuracy. Meter accuracy was a hot topic last year and has become even more so this year with the FDA and talks about tightening meter accuracy requirements. The current standards or 20% accuracy are not acceptable within the confines of the DOC and that was made abundantly clear in the exercise that Roche had us go through. Roche, once again asked for our input and once again, we had no reservations making our views known.

Another nice addition to this years summit was the presence of 2 Diabetes organizations. Roche brought in representatives from the ADA and the AADE for us to discuss our concerns. I will have to say, this part of the summit was somewhat of a mixed bag in my eyes. I thought that the discussion with the ADA was a great one. I thought that a lot was learned from both sides from this discussion. The ADA showed a genuine interest and willingness to listen to our concerns and gave positive feedback on how they were working to address our concerns. What made this so real to me is they did not try to sugar coat anything, they didn’t try to hide behind their actions. They admitted their mistakes and explained how they are working to correct them and to try and address as many of the issues and concerns as we have. Now the 2nd organization and discussion, I do not feel was nearly as productive. The AADE (American Association of Diabetes Educator) can in and the felt very much on the defensive and more of the attitude of “I can’t…” and “That is not something we can do” I felt that they were very informational, just not very helpful. I think that if I had to pick a low point of the summit, than this was it.

This then moved us into Dinner and then a number of games for us to just unwind and relax. I though this was a great way to end a very long day. They had some great games such as Wii tennis and Wii Bowling and ping pong. I am happy to say that, with the help of one Mike Hoskins, we Won 2nd place in Wii bowling and I was able to place 2nd in ping pong. What made the games even better was that Roche offered to donate money to the Non Profit organization of our choice for each of the 1st and 2nd place winners of each game. $500 for 1st and $250 for 2nd. So I was happy to give my winning to a very deserving Diabetes non profit org.

So, for the 2nd year now, I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to meet and reconnect with many of my fellow Diabetics. I also feel very good about what Roche is doing (or trying to do) they are proving themselves as a company who is really trying to do things the right way and I commend them for that. Frineds may come and go but my Diabetes family is forever…..


Is He Really Helping?

Posted: 25th June 2010 by Chris in Diabetes
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I think, for the most part, I am a pretty good Diabetic. I check my blood sugar 6-12 times a day, I watch what I eat and make sure that I account for all carbs that I put in my body, I exercise and go to the gym every opportunity that I can. I think that sounds like a pretty good Diabetic. Well, there is one area when I have not been doing very well: Doctors visits. I can honestly say, that is has been a year since my last visit to the Endo. I was seeing him every 3 months, getting my blood work done printing out my logs for him to review. Well, like everyone else on this earth, especially us Diabetics, life happened. Work gets busy, kids have school functions, homelife crises happen (like my divorce) and things start to take a back burner.

Now, during the time where I was a very “good Diabetic” and was making all of my regular visits to my Endo, He really wasn’t telling me anything that I couldn’t see in my logs and wasn’t making any adjustments that I couldn’t see coming anyway. In fact, some of the changes he suggested, I had to suggested different changes due to the fact that I know better how I react to basal rate and insulin to carb ratio changes better than he knows when it comes to my body. So, what I am saying is that the only thing that I was truely getting out of the visits was finding out what my A1c was.

So, I know that I need to go and visit my Endo again soon (I am not arguing that) so I will be making an appointment for that soon. The thing I really need to look at is how often do I really need to be seeing my Endo if my numbers are staying in good ranges (other than the occasional explained / unexplained head scratchers) I am more than willing to go see him if I am having issues that I can not figure out myself or that I need something that only he can prescribe or explain, but if I am going to go in, pay my $20.00 copay and listen to him say, “things are looking pretty good. maybe we can adjust this a little here and a little here…” well, I think I can stretch my visits out to something a little further and ever 3 months.

I’d be very interested to hear how much help everyone’s Endo visits are for you. Maybe I am more of a minority in this view but I would love to hear others input and experiences on this.

I’m A Stress Believer

Posted: 22nd June 2010 by Chris in Diabetes
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For as log as I have been in the Diabetes Social Media area, I have always heard about people talking about how whenever they had a stressful day or situation, it always seemed to affect their Diabetes in one way or another. Whether it was higher or lower blood sugars or erratic swings. While I never judge or discredit anything my fellow DOC colleagues have to say, I could never really embrace and accept what they said because I never had those type of experiences. See, for me, I do not let stress enter into or affect my life. I can not remember the last time that I was in a stressful situation where I told myself ‘this is really stressing me out.’ I have always been a firm believer of not letting thing get to you because it will never solve or help the situation. In simple terms, I do not let stress get to me.

Well, as many / most of you who follow me know, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to spend 5 days in Cabo San Lucas in an all-inclusive beach resort. All I can say is that the trip was amazing. Beautiful, beaches, perfect weather and absolutely no schedule for 5 full days. I did get a little stir crazy at times for lack of things to do but overall, the trip was amazing. Well, I gained a new appreciation for relaxation on the trip. I did not have to lift a finger if I didn’t want to and I was waited on hand and foot. A little weird for me but definitely relaxing.  Now, like I said, my life is a busy one but I avoid stressful situation and do not let them affect me in my everyday life. With that said, I am realizing that there is no way to avcoid stress in your everyday life 100%. My vacation proved that to me.

While on my trip, I did my best to keep a routine for testing my blood and managing my carb intake. While most of the food available did not have labels, I was familar with most and was able to guess with pretty good accuracy on what I was eating. So, with that said, in testing my blood an average of 8 times a day, I had only 1 high blood sugar and 0 low blood sugars! Now, I do a pretty good job in my everyday life to keep my highs and lows to a minimum but I can’t think of a time where I have gone 5 days without a single low and only one high blood sugar. To top that off, the only high blood sugar was a 211mg/dl after dinner when we weny to a Japanese steakhouse and the bride and groom  (the vacation was a destination wedding / vacation for some friends) were surprise with a cake for dessert. I had a small piece and miscalculated slightly for the carbs in it.

When I look back at it now and see how on point my blood sugars were for this time, I can only deduce that the reason for such tight control was the absence of any stressful situations or elements during those 5 days. Since being back now for almost 5 days, I have had a handful of lows and highs. Nothing super dramatic but definitely more extreme than when I was in Cabo. Since going on this trip and eliminating any stress, regardless of how minute it is, I have gained a new respect and acceptance on how stres can really affect Diabetes. I am definitely a Stress Believer now.

Leavin On A Jet Plane…

Posted: 14th June 2010 by Chris in Uncategorized
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… don’t know when i’ll be back again. Actually, I do. Unfortunately it will only be until Friday. So, for this week, I will not be updating my blog but hope to have a rather good topic to be talking about when I get back. So everyone enjoy their week because I know I will as I’m soaking up the rays in Cabo….

My Breaking Point

Posted: 9th June 2010 by Chris in Diabetes
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Diabetes is not one of those “Get it & forget it” Diseases (although what cronic disease is.) You never forget the day you were diagnosed (Christmas Eve is even more memorable for me now than before life with Diabetes) and you never forget those moments or events that never let you forget that Diabetes is part of your life. I will have to say, of all the blogs that I have read and the scary experiences I have heard the tales of, the most consistent variable in all of them is low blood sugar. Low blood sugars seem to have the strongest mark on these stories. The thing that amazes me the most when I read and hear these stories is what was their bloodsugar breaking point. What was that magic number that threw everything into a tailspin. I guess what shocks and scares me the most is to hear how high these bloodsugar reading are that completely convert the person into a state of “vegetation” for lack of a better word. I here of blood sugar readings in the 60′s and 50′s causing my fellow Diabetics unravel and/or to be unable to perform the most basic functions.  When I read and hear about these stories, it makes me wonder, “why am I different?”

You see, for me if I have a blood sugar in the 60′s I would be hard pressed to tell you if I was low unless I had tested and seen the reading. Even a number in the 50s gives me little to no worry because I could be working on 3 projects at work, talking on the phone and checking email without flinching. I may know that I am getting low but I know that I could grab a quick pick me up while juggling everything else and not miss a step. For me, I am not sure if this is something that I should be alarmed about or just fortunate that my range of  ”functional bloodsugars” is wider than many of my fellow Diabetics. I really can’t say why I am so high functioning at lower blood sugars compared to others I read about but I do know it doesn’t scare me to have a blood sugar of 50 and that in itself is a little scary.

I consider myself a pretty well controlled Diabetic. Yes, I have my slips (everyone PWD does) but my high and low episodes are enormously outnumbered by my numbers that are within “acceptable” control limits. If this were not the case, I would say that my excessive lows have caused me to lose my sensitivity to highs and lows but for as long as I can remember, low blood sugars had to be really low for them to effect my thinking and functioning in any way. I am constantly trying to see signs of my bloodsugar dropping into the 60s or below but to date, unless I am testing my blood to see a number in the 60′s or high 50′s those numbers may as well be 80′s and 90′s. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that I am able to function just as well at 58mg/dl as I am at 128mg/dl but from everything I have learned and know about Diabetes, this should not be the case. Am I an exception to the rule? Maybe, but if I am, why? This is the “Why Me” question that run through my head. Not the why was I the one who got Diabetes, “Why Me” question.

I don’t know if I, or anyone, will be able to answer this question for me and I guess I am not all that worried if I never know. I don’t know if being a high functioning Diabetic when it comes to low blood sugars has made me more accepting of my Diabetes. What I do know is that I will never let Diabetes dictate what I can do, can’t do or mold who I am. I am the one who is control.

Technology’s Key to Success: The Human Element

Posted: 7th June 2010 by Chris in Diabetes
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Technology is something that is always in flux. Regardless of the intended audience, technology is there to enhance and improve our lives. Diabetes is no exception to this. Companies are constantly working to make managing Diabetes faster, easier and less intrusive on our lives. I will have to say, that technology has definitely help in making managing Diabetes less of a struggle and more of a daily routine. While this is all well and good, it seems, at least to me, that is some ways, technology has someone hindered our focus and attention on managing our Diabetes.

I am sure to some, this sounds like a fairly strange and possibility incorrect statement, but let me explain what I mean. The key, at least the way I see it, to managing Diabetes is to stay focused and staying aware of your Diabetes and adjusting to your situation and environment to accommodate for those times when things get a little out of control. This is something that is easier to do when you are forced to stay on top of what you eat, your blood sugars, your exercise and activities. The more your life changes, the more you must be aware of your Diabetes and what it is doing. Technology, in all its wonder, tries to make this job easier on all of us PWD. While it does make our lives a little easier, I am not completely convinced that it always makes life better.

The big thing with technology and Diabetes is making everything more accurate and less of a chore in our everyday lives. I feel that with all of the medical and technology advances, that we have made great strides in this. The problem I have with all of this and the point of this post is that, I think that technology has actually made us somewhat less aware and less focused on our Diabetes. I think that with all of the advances, trying to get closer to a “closed loop” system, much of the attention we have had to keep on our Diabetes has been taken away and is put on the technologies we use to manage it. Because of this, we rely more on technology to do the work for us. While this would be fine if these technologies were more of an exact science, but there are not (at least not yet.)

I feel like we, or at least I feel this way about myself, do not do as much to try and better our management of our Diabetes as we use to, for no other reason than we now have X or Y that can do it for us. While we do have things like insulin pumps and CGMS, we rely too much on them to figure out everything for us. I know that since having my CGMS, I do not test nearly as much as I use to when I didn’t have one. While the system is great and the alarms and all keep things from getting out of control, Nothing beat a finger stick to tell me exactly how well I am managing at that moment.

All I am trying to say is that I feel that we shouldn’t become complacent just because technology has made things easier for someone with Diabetes. In fact, I feel that we should focus more on not only managing our Diabetes but improving our life with Diabetes. Use the technology that we have in addition to our normal routines to make diminish the ill effects and complications of Diabetes. This is something that I need to do myself. I know that I have become less focused on my Diabetes and I fear that the long term effects will show that if I do not refocus on what is important: Managing my Diabetes.So, make sure that you take advantage of all that technology has given us to make our lives better but do not turn your back on the things that have gotten us to this point. Focus, determination, persistence. These are the fundamentals that will ensure a long complication free life.

The driving force to ensure that technology succeeds is the human element. Without it, technology is just a bunch of 1s and 0s

Trippin with Diabetes

Posted: 3rd June 2010 by Chris in Diabetes
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Before I really paid attention to my diabetes about 5 years ago, I didn’t even own a functional meter. I was really bad, but since really coming into the light about my diabetes, there isn’t anywhere I go without it. Even if I am just running down to the corner store to pick up some milk, my messenger bag with all my supplies comes with me. I may be a little to anal about always having it with me but maybe I am just compensating for all the years I was so bad.
To each his own. everyone is different.

Well, being prepared and always having what you need, and sometimes what you don’t need, does not pertain to just your day to day life. For those who follow my blog, you know that I am soon to be heading to Cabo for 5 days. In addition, at the end of the month, I will also be headed to the Roche Diabetes Social Media Summit and staying a few extra days for the CWD conference in Orlando Florida. Now with taking trips, you do not always have easy access to Diabetes supplies in case you run out or something gets damaged, so planning is crucial to keep from cutting your trip, or in extreme cases your life, short. Not my 2nd trip, while still important to be prepared, I will have many, many people to fall back on in case something were to happen since I will be surrounded by Diabetics. So, I am going to focus a little more on my Cabo trip.

For me, Cabo is a trip that I never know if I will get the chance to do again, so I am very excited about it and want to make the most of every moment. In order to do that, my Diabetes must be on point. My control as well and my needs much be scrutinized to the point of obsession. Cabo is in Mexico, which means that I will be out of the country. For me, at least in my head, this means that extra Diabetes supplies will be non-existent. Therefore, I must prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

In breaking down what I will need for the trip, I have come up with the following checklist to make sure I have everything:

Cabo 5 Day Diabetes Checklist:

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Apidra Insulin: 2 bottles

Infusion sets: 1 box (10 sets)

Reservoirs: 1 box (20 reservoirs)

Batteries: 4 pack of AAA (insulin pump & CGMS charger) 2-pack watch batteries (OneTouch Ultra Mini replacements)

CGMS Sensors: 5 (still debating on if I will even use them but….)

IV-3000 adhesive patches: 1 box (its easier just to bring the box than to pull out a bunch and have them loose)

Accu-Check Multi-click Lancets: 2 (I rarely change the lancet anyways but better to be safe than sorry)

Insulin pump: 2 pumps (I still have my old pump that I need to trade in so bringing it as a backup)

Meters: 2-3 OneTouch Ultra Minis (I have one in each color so can’t hurt to have too many)

Test Strips: 100 strips (4 bottles)

Syringes: 1 Package (10 syringes -  in case something were to go wrong with the Pump)

Glucose Tablets: 3 travel rolls and 1 large bottle

Gucogon Shot: 1 (its better to be safe than sorry)

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So, I think this is my complete list. For me, I try and make sure I have at least double the amount of supplies I would need for a trip. Of course not the case for the pump supplies. For me just taking a box of each is just easier than carrying a bunch of loose supplies and you never know when you are going to have multiple bad site changes. So, like I said before, better to be safe than sorry.

Another thing that I think that is important when preparing for a trip is to separate your supplies into two “stashes.” Half in one and half in another because you never know what could happen to your bags during travel. The plane may ship your baggage to the wrong place. a bag could get lost or forgotten, bag(s) could be stolen. There are numerous things that could happen. So, if you can put matching supplies into multiple bags, you limit the possibilities of running into issues with your supplies.

There is no way to be 100% prepared for unfortunate circumstances when going on a trip, but if you plan ahead, you can limit the negative effects of those circumstances.

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