Tuesday, May 31, 2011

dexcom dreams ...

i've been looking into the dexcom a little here and there (it was a busy weekend, haven't had a lot of time. so many activities.), and i was thinking about what dr. awesome told me.

he said many patients that use the dexcom don't wear it all the time. they get it, wear it and see how different things affect them, and then feel comfortable going without it for a time (and that helps save money on sensors if you're going really awesome with your control, in my opinion).

he said many people wear them when their life is 'out of the norm' - like on vacation.

so you KNOW that got me thinking.


dear dexcom, i can haz CGM for WDW? just borrows? kthanxbai.

:)

Friday, May 27, 2011

fabulous friday!

if you follow me on twitter, you probably know that i've become kind of addicted to pinterest.

it's pretty much amazing. you can find almost anything there, add anything, like anything, etc.

i have found some stuff that i love a lot.

funny things...



meaningful things...



adorable things ...


things i dream of having ...


 

pretty things...



things to try ... 

 

see - i tried it! 


things that sparkle ... 



and meaningful things.



it's a pretty fabulous site. you should probably check it out today. 

everyone have a great weekend! 

Thursday, May 26, 2011

back to the endo!

a few things ...

  1. when dr. awesome tells you, 'your control isn't five star, but it's pretty close,' it feels pretty good ... but 7.4 is not a number i'm happy with. :/ personal goal. it could be related to my meter accuracy reading that was 30 points off (for real), either way, i want it lower.
  2. i got info about CGMs!! i'm sure i'll have lots of questions soon, so look for a post about that coming up. :)
  3. dr. awesome told me that he's sent a few people to my blog! woop woop! sooo, if you have been sent here by dr. awesome, lemme know! YAY! i'm glad you stopped by :D

ps. i totally told him that i call him dr. awesome in my blog. hehehe. ...he said thank you. :)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

[almost] wordless/what i wore wednesday


i've seen many bloggers who post 'what i wore wednesday' and just take a picture of their outfit that day. i am doing it today because i am loving my springy skirt!! :D

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

tuesday confession.

bootcamp ended last tuesday. i was sad and glad ... i thought, okay, my leg can rest some.

you guys, i missed it so much.

i went back last night. *love.* 

:)

that is all.

Monday, May 23, 2011

'real life friend' weekend

i think there has been at least once that everyone in the DOC has said 'i wish my DOC friends were my 'real life' friends' ... as in, lived close, were able to hang out on a daily basis, etc.

on friday, a few weeks ago, my phone rang and it was briley telling me she was in the car and on her way to my house. my best DOC friend became a 'real life' friend. yeah, that's right, briley came in town.

photo recap time!

we went to the chow wagon ... 

where we had greater taters (AND THEY WERE DELICIOUS)

then we held up the world's largest baseball bat 

and checked ourselves out at the science center 

then we goofed off at lynn's 

we watched the creation of the garland of roses 


tried a new drink (that didn't have much affect on our BGs, yay!)

wore our derby hats to a party (and briley WON on the derby!)

and went to churchill downs! 

it's pretty great when you can meet a friend in 'real life' and finally can just say they're your friend. not someone you know through the DOC (which to me is basically full of real friends that i just haven't met yet). it was like we have known each other our whole lives, like a friend you haven't seen in a while and you pick up where you left off. 

next time we're hanging out together, it'll be just like that. 

Thursday, May 19, 2011

test strip nightmare.

so, i ordered my medical supplies a few weeks ago. ya know, as i always do, through their web site.

someone left me a voicemail me the next day to let me know they needed to talk to me before the order was processed. when i called them back, i was told that based on how often you can order certain supplies, it would be about two weeks before they could process the test strips. i said that was fine; they said they would call me with a reminder about the test strips when it was time to place the order and i could do that through the web site. fabulous!

i got my pump supplies, no problem. tuesday i got a voicemail about placing my order and to call them. i forgot about it yesterday ... until today when they called again. i called back, thinking they just want to confirm that they can place the order.

well, that's not exactly what happened.

i was told that my test strips are not covered by my insurance and the total will be almost $400. i asked why they are not covered now when i have ordered them in the past and was told that everything was billed to insurance. she said 'it' showed that when insurance was reverified by billing, that they are not covered. 

i obviously told her not to place the order yet. i called my insurance company and explained my situation. the guy i talked to said that he was not sure why the medical supply company was telling me that because i am covered for the test strips. i asked if I need the supply company to call them, and he said he didn't think so and gave me a reference number that would let them know i am covered by insurance.

i called back to the supply company, explained the situation again to someone who transferred me to the billing department. i explained everything for the millionth time, gave the reference number and was told they  would look into it. when i expressed the urgency (i use test strips multiple times a day, this isn't something that can be casually looked into - shouldn't medical supply company people know that?), i was put on hold. when they came back they said they would call my insurance company and call me back and let me know what they found out.

when they called back, i was told that the person i spoke to at my insurance company told me that i was covered because he was in the pharmacy department. they said that i have to order test strips from a pharmacy (and suggested two local pharmacies) and said that they are not covered when ordered from a supply company.

this was the first i've heard of that, and i was ALSO told i have a balance from the order that was placed in february. that was the first time I was told about that balance as well. why was this not communicated to me??? it's not like i'm swimming in cash. i plan out where my money goes. ya know, a budget. diabetes is expensive. THIS BALANCE IS NOT PART OF THE PLAN!
  
when I have placed my supply orders, no one has ever told me that i am not covered for test strips when ordering from their company (and i have talked to them many times, they have had issues with charging me using the shipping address instead of billing address), i feel like this is something they should have let me know before the order was placed, not after i've received it and now have a balance for it on my account.

GRRRR. why can't things just be EASY and GO SMOOTHLY?!?!??!!! 

i am very glad to have a helpful HR department where i work, and someone is helping me look into the situation so HOPEFULLY i don't have to pay this ridiculous balance. 

deep breaths. calming thoughts.  ooommmmmmmm. 

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

the DOC is amazing

i dunno if you stopped by last week, but it was d-blog week. we had days full of amazing topics that we all wrote about, and there were about a bajillion posts to read from various blogs in the DOC (that may or may not be a slight exaggeration).

you can visit karen's blog to see all about it and get linked up to ALL the blogs ... i hope you have some spare time. and tissues. THANK YOU KAREN!! what an amazing week. i really learned all kinds of things (even though i didn't write a post on the last day about what i learned ... i didn't know where to start, what DIDN'T i learn??).

i always find myself stumbling upon new DOC members and new blogs. mike's video is making its way through the DOC, an amazing thank you to karen that she deserves times a million. thanks mike and everyone else who made an appearance in the video, what an awesome thank you!! :)


another DOC member, Jaimie, told us recently about these adorable cupcake necklaces. i think you know how everyone feels about cupcakes, (just ask sarah!), and Jaimie is selling these necklaces and donating a portion of the proceeds to the Diabetes Research Institute. Necklaces are $25. If you'd like to purchase one, you can email Jaimie at nallysmama @ gmail . com.



and of course, i know i still haven't written about briley's visit. gimme some time people, i'm recovering from d-blog week. ;)

Monday, May 16, 2011

compartment syndrome?

apparently i might have that. i called my orthopedic surgeon's office on friday (same one i saw when i hurt my leg/ankle) and set up an appointment ... she said the first available appointment was june 3.

that is only a few days before i really need a solution (future plans involving lots of walking...) so i emailed the doc to ask if he can help in the meantime - he's a family friend. i don't like to pull that 'i know the doctor' card, but i really do need to get in sooner if i can.

talked to him yesterday, explained my pain - when i work out, the muscle on the outside of my shin tightens up. like, it feels like concrete. and it's sensitive to touch. it hurt last week when i had to walk a lot for work, i wasn't doing intense exercise, and i am nervous about feeling that pain during the future plans that involve lots of walking.

so he mentioned that it sounds like compartment syndrome. not the bad scary 'you need surgery right now' kind, but 'chronic compartment syndrome' that is caused from exercise and such. that sounds like fun, doesn't it? you know what is more fun? the test they do to see if you have it.

first, i'm gonna have to run or do some exercises to aggravate the muscle, get it to tighten up (that won't take much). then, they have to stick a needle into the muscle that's attached to some tool that measures the pressure.
DOESN'T THAT SOUND LIKE FUN??

yes, i'm nervous. i can't stop thinking about it. noon. today. i'll keep you posted.

EDIT/UPDATE: i have chronic exertional compartment syndrome, no needle was needed to find out, he could tell. no more running ... rest, and if it hurts, ice and ibuprofen.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

dblog day 6: saturday snapshots

daily life...







low blood sugar treats...

or just, treats :)




 pretty arrivals in the mail...
  
awareness ...  


and pride.






This post is part of the Second Annual D-Blog Week. Visit Karen's blog to check out all the participant's posts! 

Friday, May 13, 2011

dblog week day 5: awesome things

writing about the good things diabetes has brought me is not my idea of fun, because i wish diabetes had brought me nothing, but alas, here we are.  and i think it's funny we're talking about the awesome things on friday the 13th.

i mean, i can't lie, there are some good things.

it gave me responsibility. it made me grow up really fast. it taught me about being mature and handling things that are thrown at me (well, i mean, my parents and schooling also gave me that, but you know what i mean). it introduced me to a great group of people. it gave me some awesome friends. it enabled me to have the drive to raise so much money for a cause i truly care about. it helped me understand diabetes, instead of living life basing what i knew on myths. it taught me how to give shots if i ever need to. it taught me some math (people, i don't do math. and i have to do SOME calculating every day). it gave me a reason to start a blog.

it gave me another 'part' of life.

that's what diabetes is to me and always has been. i've said it before. it's the hand i've been dealt and i have to live with it. and i do, the good and the bad; all of it.



This post is part of the Second Annual D-Blog Week. Visit Karen's blog to check out all the participant's posts! 

Thursday, May 12, 2011

dblog week day 4: ten things i hate about you, diabetes

i am super pissed at blogger for screwing up and LOSING HALF OF THIS POST AND ALL THE COMMENTS. so this is not original, it's a rewrite and i can't remember what i wrote the first time. i am NOT a happy camper. or blogger.  (you can totally tell that it stopped saving after number 3, i clearly am annoyed and doing a 'short' list. hahaha)
____________________

i thought about making this funny, but i have passed the point of post-exercise energy burst, and i'm winding down.

1. my fingers hurt sometimes. like, after the pricks have happened. they're just sore and tired. and my sides where my pump is connected to me. and along with the hurt, the ITCHING. ugh, the itching.

2. i miss being able to eat an entire bag of cotton candy. or a whole damn pint of ice cream. i remember being able to do that back before this stupid disease.

3. you make me have to carry a purse. i mean, i love purses, but sometimes I JUST DON'T WANT TO CARRY ONE!

4. diabetes police.

5. trying to figure out where to put my pump with whatever i'm wearing SUCKS

6. people who feel sorry for you. and make a big dramatic scene about it.

7. money. or lack of money. having to spend so much money on something you hate.

8. glucoaster. high blood sugar, low blood sugar. high blood sugar, low blood sugar ...

9. the frustration and guilt i feel when things aren't 'right'

10. when blogger is 'down' and loses half of a blog i already wrote and two other full posts i wrote.


This post is part of the Second Annual D-Blog Week. Visit Karen's blog to check out all the participant's posts! 

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

dblog week day 3: diabetes bloopers

i've been trying to think of a REALLY good and funny blooper for this ... and sadly, i can't think of an amazingly hilarious one! sigh.

i mean, i can think of a few kinda funny times ...

the first day i had my pump. i was going out to dinner with my parents, i had shorts on. i hadn't really had time to experiment with where to wear my pump and shove the tubing yet. as i was putting shoes on, sitting at the kitchen table, my dad says 'you have something hanging out of your shorts.' ohhh, that'd be like 48 inches of tubing just hangin' out. whoopsie.

and of course there's always the good 'ol 'is that a pager?' ...yes, it is 2011. that is my pager. or 'is that one of those microphone boxes?' yep, i'm on a reality show ALL DAY EVERY DAY! this is my life. (can you imagine? how boring that show would be. haha)

i had some friends who called me the bionic woman in college, i guess that was kind of entertaining.

and there was the time that helped me name my blog.

i guess the biggest 'blooper' that stands out for me is when people say 'dye-a-bee-tus.' it makes me cringe. (QUICK LESSON: it's dye-a-bee-tees. and i spelled it dye instead of die for reasons that seem obvious to me.) everyone knows that it drives me CRAZY, but what more can we do than reference wilford brimley? that's a guaranteed laugh every time.


...like when we name our JDRF walk team 'What Would Wilford Brimley Do?'


oh yes we did.


This post is part of the Second Annual D-Blog Week. Visit Karen's blog to check out all the participant's posts!