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Ketchup


So it's been a bit since my last post,and I'm sorry for that. Work's been hectic, I've been pressed for time, and I've been really tired as of late. It's at these times when life is most hectic and my energy is lacking, I wonder what my life would be like without diabetes.
Then I snap out of it and remind myself that feeling tired is not always a bad thing!
then I get on with my day.

So to play "ketchup" on a few topics.

A report came out about insulin pumps last week and how they might not be good for teens.
Here are my thoughts. Like seatbelts and sunscreen, insulin pumps work, when used properly.
They require that the user (and family members) have several meetings with a certified Diabetes Educator, and learn the ins and outs of using a pump. As a team, they must figure out the patients carb/insulin ration & figure out how the particular pump that they've chosen,works.
Pump users, like those diabetics who are sans pump, have to learn to count
carbs and factor in fats. taking bloodsugars daily (as in 8 to to 19 times a day,) is A MUST.

User error happens, regardless of whether you use an insulin pump or take shots. Diabetes is not an exact science - As those of us who deal live with it on a daily basis know.
Would I ever go back to injections? NO FUCKING WAY. To those scientists who did the said research, you should have taken the money used on the study AND DONATED TO THOSE WHO WHO ARE RESEARCHING FOR THE CURE.

MOTHERS DAY: My mom rocks and I love her very much and Mother's Day is every day in my book. I didn't spend the day with her on Sunday, and it was first mother's Day I'd ever missed in my life. I went to New York (with mom's urging & blessing) and watched my niece Cristin's closing performance in CROOKED ,the Off Broadway play that she was co-starring in. SHE WAS TRULY AMAZING And I'M SO PROUD OF HER.
To see her talent explode on the stage and watch others be moved to tears by her performance makes me so happy. To watch her live her dream and succeed makes my heart sing. My sister calls me her first baby, and that's what I call her daughter. My sister spent the day with our mother, and I spent the day with her daughter. I'm not a mom, but my niece is my baby for sure.
I also got to watch the play with one of my oldest and dearest friends Mark - who I've known since the 6th grade. He's watched Cristin grow up, he looked out for her when she first moved to New York, and it was wonderful to share that moment with him.
My mom and I will celebrate with or own get together next week. We will go out and have a great dinner and drink a glass or two red wine, and we will both consider ourselves lucky to have one another.

My Birthday is on Wednesday - more on that later because I'd just rather not think about that right now!

4th Day Of Diabetes Blog Week: 10 Things I Hate About Diabetes

5/13/2011 NEWS FLASH: In the past 24 hours BLOGGER ate this post, then spit it back out again about an hour ago, sans the 13 comments that were left by diabetesalicious readers.

If your comment is missing, it's bloggers fault and I'm TRULY SORRY. I'm incredibly annoyed and am working on switching to another host in the very near future!!

The 4th assignment for Diabetes Blog Week is all about the 10 things that we absolutely hate about diabetes.

Only 10? OK, I can kinda do that.

Normally, I don't ever say the word "hate" re: my diabetes.

I say "Dislike intensely," or say something along the lines of: This particular diabetesism annoys the shit out of me!


WHY?


Because Diabetes is a part of me, and I don't want to hate myself.

But for D Blog Week, I will go with the flow and be a team player.

Here's my list & I hope you can relate!

#####


10. High blood sugars that absolutely make me feel like I'm walking in a world filled with J-E-L-L-O instead of oxygen.

It's hard to think, hard to move, and hard to focus when your blood sugar is in the stratosphere!


9. Those diabetes moments where I do everything right, and diabetes still f*cks with me.


8. People saying: You don't look like you have diabetes.

NEWS FLASH: THIS is what diabetes looks like.


7. Middle of the night lows that leave me drenched in sweat, shaking in my sheets (and not in the good way,) and downing juice like a person downing water after a 3 day walk in the desert, because I'm afraid I'm going to pass out if I don't get those carbs in my system.


6. Doing the Diabetes Math every time I put something in my mouth.


5. Insurance companies who dictate how many test strips a person is allowed to use per day.

NEWS FLASH: Diabetes is not a one size fits all disease, nor is it the same disease two days in a row.

Some day require more testing, PERIOD.


And speaking of insurance companies - SCREW your pre-existing conditions clause.

Being an asshole is absolutely a pre-existing condition but being an asshole doesn't get you penalized regarding a pre-existing health insurance clause.

Look, you can't tell me that being an asshole isn't a pre-existing condition, because I know for a fact that it is.


4. Speaking of test strips, I HATE that meters (our Diabetes GPS System) are allowed to have a 10% to 20% margin of error.

EXAMPLE: Last night before bed, my blood sugar was 230, which was much higher than my normal bedtime number.

SO I decided that I needed to test again, and my blood sugar was 190.

That's a 40 point difference and a unit plus some change worth of insulin difference.

I ended up averaging the two numbers and came up with a correction bolus for a blood sugar of 210. Cut to this morning and a blood sugar of 122.

had I done the correction bolus for 230 last night, there's a good chance I would have had a low around 4 a.m.


10% to 20% margin of error is totally unacceptable!


4. The Diabetes Police lurking around every corner.

Seriously, the Diabetes Police ARE EVERYWHERE & I'm seriously considering handing out cards that read:


YES, I can eat that.

NO, my parents didn’t pour sugar down my throat as a child and “give” me diabetes.

Don't tell me to give up all things white and I'l be off the demon insulin forever.

Unlike Miss Hallie Berry, I can't ween myself off insulin through diet and exercise & leave my type 1 diabetes behind and become type 2.

Have a nice day & leave me alone!


3. Diabetes Media Muck-ups.

Seriously, how hard is it to do research on a disease that millions and millions and millions of people have, and STILL get the facts wrong???

Newscasters, reporters, etc. If your going to write about my disease, get the facts right!


STOP SPREADING DIABETES MYTHS & START PERPETUATING DIABETES REALITIES.


2. New people getting diagnosed with diabetes.

It breaks my heart to hear of another person getting diagnosed with diabetes. I can deal with mine, I've accepted that part of myself - But I hate when someone else gets diagnosed.


1. Losing family members and friends to diabetes.

It's the worst feeling in the world and you don't get over it, you just get on with it.

But you never see things quite the same way again.


It Takes A Diabetes Village

It's Takes A Village - Or in this Case, The Village People
To Support this PWD~


Karen’s assignment for today is for those of us participating in “Diabetes Blog Week” to write about our biggest supporter. My biggest supporter? Again, girlfriend is throwing us some curve balls. WHY? Because I have many supporters regarding living my d-life, it literally takes a village filled with people, a.k.a - "The Village People." I don't want to forget anyone, but I probably will - so I apologise in advance~

There are my parents of course. My mom, who read every pamphlet my pediatric endo gave her, kept meticulous records, and measured every single piece of food to the nearest teaspoon. She never let me see her diabetes tears but allowed me to cry my own. And all these years later, she’s never stopped loving or worrying about me.

My dad- who never let me feel sorry for myself regarding life with diabetes. He was a type 1 diabetic and led by example.

There's my sister Cathy, who always looks out for me. She introduced the concept of "working out" when I became to round for my own good, and who always told me I was beautiful, and that diabetes made me more so.

There is my friend Mark, who always makes me laugh and has ever since the sixth grade. When I visit him in NYC he always makes sure his fridge is stocked because he's seen me have 2 am low. This is the same man who booked (and put the deposit down for) a springbreak trip to Cancun for us a month after my sister died. "Girl, you need a vacation- pay me back when you can." The same man who made sure our hotel room always had Lemon Squirt (a Mexican soda) in case I my blood sugar decided to go more south of the equator than we actually were.

There are my friends Cathy and Sue, identical twins I've known since college. These women have hearts the size of Nebraska and are always up on the latest and greatest health and nutritional trends and share them with me. Both ask me detailed questions regarding life with diabetes because they want to know everything.

Whenever I go to Sue's, she sends me home with her latest healthy food find. The other night she sent me home with a bag of CocoPop (s) and said, "Low in carbs Kel, only 4 grams per serving, and tasty too! I know how important carb counting is for you so I bought you a bag."

Her twin sister Cathy mothers everyone she's friends with. At my father's funeral she bought a little gift bag filled with breakfast bars, lifesavers, and bottled water and juice. "Just in case you or your sister's blood sugars go low." That's just the kind of woman she is.

The kind of woman that insists she accompany her friend to the Dr. and is there for her when she's told about the "1 in a million” thing, and remained perfectly calm. The kind of friend who took copious notes, asked all sorts of questions, and kept her wits about her while her friend sat there like a zombie and tried to process everything.

There is my friend Emily, who keeps her cookie jar stacked with larabars and goes to Trader Joe's to stock up on yogurt, juice, and munchies whenever I visit.

Who listens to my "Diabetes Police" rants and is now a convert. She's become an expert at recognizing the D Police and makes no bones about setting them straight. She never raises an eyebrow when I test my blood sugars or need to change my infusion set.

Whenever I utter the telltale phrase ”I have to eat now" she simply says: OK Kel. It doesn't matter where we are, she takes it as fact.

Once, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I felt that low feeling come on and immediately sat down on a bench, grabbed my trusty peanut M & Ms and started eating them. A security guard came up and told us that eating was not allowed. Em looked at her and said: She's diabetic and she needs to eat now. The guard muttered something about me not looking like a person with diabetes and Emily said (OK,yelled) "That's ridiculous statement! She absolutely is and she needs to eat NOW."

There is my Endo “The Rocking Dr. J.” Medically on top of all the latest and greatest diabetes trends. He put me on Metformin 2.5 years ago! Dr. J never yells at me, always points at the positive and helps me to work on the negative in all aspects of my diabetes care. He slips me insulin samples because he hates my insurance. He talks me down from the “diabetes what ifs” that have haunted me for years.

I’m blessed to have him as my Endo and am happy to see him every three months.

There are my CDEs Cheryl Marco of Jefferson University & Gary Scheiner of Integrated Diabetes who continue too teach and fine tune this hot diabetes Porsche known as k2.

And then there's the DOC. Seriously, without you guys I'd be up the creek. YOU GET ME, because YOU ARE ME - And by "ME" I mean in the "diabetical" sense, not the "It puts the lotion in the basket," 'Silence of the Lambs" sense~

You speak the language of diabetes and understand the frustrations that go along with living in Diabetes Land. I'm never alone with my diabetes because I have all of you. I consider all of you peers, friends, mentors, teachers, and partners in crime.

Everyday, I learn something new about living life with diabetes. And every single day all I have to do is read a few blogs to realize that I'm not alone. I'm not the only one who feels like she's walking through a world filled with J-E-L-L-O instead of oxygen when my blood sugar shoots to the stratosphere, or who's lips go numb when her blood sugar heads towards hell.

Others have followed the "Test Strip Trail," smeared blood on their laptops after testing, and read labels on absolutely every item of food they put in their mouth.

I'm not the only one whose pump has an unholy attraction to doorknobs - being clumsy has nothing to do with it!

Every single day I learn something from reading your posts and comments. My world is richer, my voice is stronger, and because of you – I feel like the richest woman in Bedford Falls. And by Bedford Falls, I mean the DOC ;)

"Quack!" Just another personal attack from a Homeopathy Denialist

"Quack!" Just another personal attack from a Homeopathy Denialist
Writing, and providing evidence about the safety and effectiveness of Homeopathy is a task that always attracts the attention of 'Homeopathy Denialists', or 'Militant Skeptics'. I have talked about them before, here:



Twitter is their favourite vehicle, particularly if I have the audacity to say that homeopathy can treat serious illnesses and diseases effectively. These are not statements I make without supporting evidence. Many millions of very sick people have been treated successfully with homeopathy. And there is a growing body of scientific evidence to support their experience. But the militant skeptics, no doubt in the pay of the Big Pharma companies, just don't want to know!

I have talked about their argument before. Basically, they have none, other than abuse, and statements of denials, unsupported by evidence. I have provided examples of this in both the blogs I mentioned above. But to my amusement they continue to come! Here are some of the recent ones!
  • "He actually believes homeopathy works! Stunned silence"
  • "Homeopathy does not work. Transmission ends"
  • "For unsound, illogical and poorly researched medical tips, give @stevescrutton a follow!"
  • "It works for making the credulous poorer and/or dead. It also works for making the scumbag homeopaths rich!
  • Maybe he didn't see that? Hey, @stevescrutton, seriously, pay attention. It's no better than a placebo.
  • Are you a Homeopathy Practitioner?" < no, because I'm not a dangerous lying charlatan like you.
  • dangerous charlatanry
  • utter twaddle. You charlatans are being dealt with finally.
  • Homoeopathy is utter nonsense peddled by charlatans to the gullible.
  • @stevescrutton #homeopathy is still horses hit
  • How vaccination compromises our natural immunity. // It doesn't.
  • You are sentencing kids to death you obscurantist knob end.
  • homeopathic remedies don't interact or have side effects because they have no effects. Shame on you, you leech
  • pathetic beyond words. Still breaking the law claiming your magic water cures measles?
  • Your ignorance is laughable
  • Scarlet Fever and Homeopathy: a remedy used 200 years ago is still used today! And still no fucking use"
The assumption is always that homeopathy does not work, and that conventional medicine and drugs do! Most recent comments come about my ebook, "Why Homeopathy?", which for each illness or disease goes into detail that just the opposite is true, that homeopathy is a more effective, and safer treatment for the illness. Big Pharma skeptics don't question the evidence - they just stick to their guns - and throw abuse. They have nothing else to say.
  • Risks but no real benefits. Potentially leading to illness going untreated with real medicine. To be avoided.
  • Right up to the point where your child goes blue and dies from entirely treatable asthma.
  • associating homeopathy as a 'treatment' for TB (even in addition to standard treatment) is dangerous and evil.
  • Measles. Why risk the MMR vaccine?" < because it *works* you utter charlatan.
  • homeopathic remedies don't interact or have side effects because they have no effects. Shame on you, you leech
  • People like you have children's deaths on their hands.
  • Homeopathy for tetanus? Please tell me you're joking. Your advice will kill people.
  • Why homeopathy's dangerous - if used in place of medicine.
Recently I have received an email, in similar vein. Is there any argument here that provides evidence that homeopathy does not work? See for yourself!
 

WOW you are dumb.  Like cures like right?  So what cures stupidity?  Hanging out with other stupid people?  Then I guess you are healed already! 

You guys remind me of my old school nurse… what ever was wrong with you she’d give you a panadol and a glass of water…  except, you know, with you guys it’s water and sugar… but same diff… except at least the panadol helped with any pain!  Lol…

My theory is that surely no one is that dumb.  You must just be one of society’s leaches sucking money out of vulnerable people.  Either way you’re either an idiot or a scumbag, hence I’d rather be me than you J Enjoy your life as an Idiot and/or Scumbag. 

Your children must be so proud of their idiot/scumbag Dad! 

Here is a list of things people believed in 200 years ago:
  • apoplexy (a syndrome of fainting spells)
  • spontaneous combustion (especially of "brandy-drinking men and women")
  • death from drinking cold water (your guess is as good as mine)
  • death from near-misses from cannonballs (yes, seriously – they believed that the close contact could shatter bones and even cause blindness)
  • Bloodletting
  • Homeopathy (no really, people back then believed this rubbish!  Luckily we are smarter now than we were then!)

Check out what they used to do for toothache 200 years ago, it’s almost as weird and crazy as believing in homeopathy!
  • "In order to relieve the tooth-ach, we must first endeavour to lessen the flux of humours to the part affected. This may be done by mild purgatives, scarifying the gums, or applying leeches to them, and bathing the feet frequently with warm water. The perspiration ought likewise to be promoted, by drinking freely of weak wine-whey, or other diluting liquors with small doses of nitre." - 1828

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.  I have to go cure my aching feet by putting three leaches on each leg, standing on one leg, hopping and then doing three twirls to the left, three to the right then barking like a dog and speaking in tongues.

Good day to you sir!

So, as you see, not much light here either. 
It's not my task to throw abuse back at these people. Yes, they fail to provide any evidence that homeopathy does not work. They fail to explain why the millions of people cured by Homeopathy over 220 years, and throughout the world, are not to be believed. They cling to their unshakeable belief that homeopathy cannot work, and so does not work. No doubt they earn their Big Pharma pay (?) by attempting to rubbish homeopaths who are treating patients, successfully, throughout the world, every day.

If Homeopathy Denialists wish to do so, indeed if Militant Skeptics have nothing better to do, and nothing better to offer ill patients, than pharmaceutical drugs, okay. That is their prerogative. As patients, we are all entitled to choose the medicine we want.

So excuse me if, in the meantime, we homeopaths get on with treating patients, and making them better.