More random bits

Just some random bits for today:

- The house is sold. That's right, SOLD! In less than 24 hours and with 3 offers from 3 different parties. A bidding war ensued and I actually received more than the asking price. When the real estate agent told me, the most eloquent thing I could think of to say was, "Holy s**t!"

- On a whim, I visited my local diabetes clinic on Wednesday. I have been out of touch with them for over a year since I started traveling to a clinic in the next closest town with a pump therapy program. My town is finally starting its own pump program in the fall and asked me to:
a) attend their open house night to speak with pump candidates and answer their questions, and
b) be a "mentor" for the patients.
I'm excited, this is the kind of stuff I so enjoy.

- I tried a new site this week in order to give my abdomen a break. No, I did not try a thigh site. I tried... are you ready for this?... my, er, backside. Not so far back that I'm sitting on it - more toward the top of my backside and forward toward my hip. Insulin absorption has not been an issue at all, but catching my thumb on the tubing when I pull down my pants has been an incredible nuisance.

- It is a holiday weekend, which means we have Monday off (Canada Day - July 1st). Time to visit the lake for some swimming, cold beer, and maybe a bonfire with a marshmallow or two.


Have a great weekend everyone!

How low can you go?

As I sit here and type, I am experiencing one of the strangest lows I've had in some time.

My tongue is completely numb, and the feeling (or lack thereof) has spread to the roof of my mouth and into the back of my throat.

My brain feels slightly foggy, but somehow I am able to type here legibly (with several strokes of the <--Backspace key and the help of spell check).

My shoulders feel light, like they are floating. Strangely, my head doesn't feel light. Just thick and foggy.

My hands are shaky. I haven't had shaky hands during a low in a long, long time. Months, at least. More likely in over a year. I'm not sure how I'm even typing right now. I had a hard enough time checking and confirming my blood sugar (2.1/38 by the way).

I am "working" from home today. Checking work e-mail while I complete some final clean-up at the house. Had to take a break just now when the low came over me. I've scrubbed the kitchen floor and mowed the lawn. That would explain the sudden dive in my blood sugar.

I had to scrounge my kitchen for something to eat. Stupid me, I ran out of juice and sugar packets in my purse last night, and forgot to replenish my supply. Most items from my kitchen cupboards and refrigerator have already been packed and moved over to the new house. Somehow, I managed to find a box of Fruit-By-The-Foot stashed in the back corner of a cupboard. BF bought it a few months ago in order to have some fun snacks to offer my nephew while he's here visiting.

They each have 17g of carb. I ate two.

I'm feeling much better now.

Time

Who knew that selling a house could be so stressful?

My blood sugar has been on a serious roller coaster ride over the past week.

High. Correct. Oops, too much insulin, now it's low. Drink juice or eat some strawberry marshmallows. High again.

Aargh!

Stress, or maybe it's the crappy food I've been eating. Who has time to cook a healthy meal when there are so many other things that need to be done.

The house is going on the market this Thursday. A real estate agent came in on Saturday to assess the property and I was very happy to hear the number she gave me - almost double what I paid for it 6 years ago. Not a bad investment for a single (at the time) girl.

And she predicts that it should sell in about a week.

I hope she's right. I don't want to drag this on any longer than necessary.

I think once everything is said and done, a nice vacation is in order... that is, if I can squeeze it in before I start school at the end of August (and if I can convince BF to take the time off work).

School. Something I haven't even had time to think about.

All of these changes are happening so fast. Time, where are you hiding??

Little Things

Typically, I'm pretty easy going when it comes to big changes. Starting a new job, moving to a new home. I go with the flow and roll with the punches (well, maybe there are small what-the-hell-am-I-doing? moments along the way).

But the little things... small changes to routines or alterations in products seem to irk me (unless it's a significant improvement). Can't explain it, they just do.

I started using the One Touch Ultra 2 back in April. It came with a much smaller lancet device than previous One Touch models.

It took a bit of getting used to, but being an improvement - I have tiny hands! - I welcomed the new little finger sticker.

Then three days ago, it went all funky on me.

When I was getting ready to do my post-lunch test at work, posed with the lancet pen against my right, index finger, I pressed the button and heard the lancet spring forward, but it didn't even graze my finger. I checked the dial to see if it somehow got changed to a lower setting, but it was at 3 where it always is.

I tried again with the dial set to 4. Same result.

I took the pen away from my finger and loaded and clicked the button a few times. I could hear it spring forward each time, so I was a bit confused as to why it wasn't hitting my finger.

I tried again at 5 and 6. No luck.

I finally pulled the cap off the pen and, biting my lower lip in preparation, stabbed myself with the lancet manually. More than enough blood sprang forward, and a nice, purple bruise followed seconds afterward.

Later when I was at home and prepared to test before dinner, I forgot about the malfunctioning pen. When the lancet didn't pierce my finger, I suddenly remembered the bruise from the forceful jab I gave myself on my index finger. Not wanting to repeat the same incident, I retrieved the pen - which is the same as the Ultra 2 pen - from my Ultra Mini case (as excited as I was to get it, I have decided to keep the Mini as a back up since it doesn't store much data).

I used the pen for that particular test, but I didn't want to permanently separate pen from meter because, as silly as it sounds, they go together. They're the Mini meter and mini pen. Like Ben & Jerry or Häag & (I mean, Häagen-) Dazs.

I went to my stash of old glucometer cases in the closet and dug out the pen from my One Touch Ultra.

The earlier generation of One Touch lancet device felt GI-NORMOUS! And after using the new-old pen for almost three days, it still feels very awkward in my hand.

So I may need to break up Mini meter and mini pen. I hope they don't miss each other too much.

Please forgive my pathetic photo-editing skills.

tu diabetes

Thought I'd jump on the bandwagon to plug Manny Hernandez's great networking site, Tu Diabetes.

Everyone is there. You should be there too.

Another great way to kill time while I'm supposed to be working.

I need a better profile picture though. Maybe Scott can give me some tips? :)

New surroundings

I moved into BF's house on the weekend.

Well, I've moved most things... the important day-to-day things, like my clothes, toiletries, and D supplies since we're spending our nights there now. The furniture will have to wait. We are still finishing the last few cosmetic things on my house, but we're on track to get it on the market by next Monday.

Although I have spent many nights at BF's house before, I am still finding my way around my new residence with all of my belongings in it. Where to store things. The easiest order to go from room to room as I get ready for work in the morning. The easiest place to keep my D supplies and change sites...

The house is a raised bungalow. On the main floor, there is the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two small bedrooms.

The master bedroom is in the basement (as well as a rec room and an office/workout room).

On Sunday evening, after a long day of packing and moving in the rain, I looked forward to taking a long, hot shower. It was also time for a site change, so I took out my old set and enjoyed being site-free for a little while.

As I stood under the flow of tepid water, I felt a headache starting. It was the dull throb of a low setting in. I had been fighting lows for most of the day after lifting heavy boxes and running up and down various flights of stairs.

I stepped out of the shower, toweled off, and wrapped myself in my favourite robe. I picked up my pump from the edge of the sink and put it in the pocket of my robe.

I went out to the kitchen, found my meter on the counter, and tested - sure enough 2.7 (49). I poured myself a glass of lemonade and gulped it down quickly.

I found my large box of D supplies in the living room and grabbed a new infusion set and reservoir. I threw them in the travel toiletry case I keep my Quick-serter and alcohol wipes in so that they would be easier to carry downstairs. I went back to the kitchen, stopped at the refrigerator to grab a new vial of insulin, put it in the case too, grabbed my meter, and headed downstairs to the bedroom where BF was already in bed.

I sat down on my side of the bed and placed the case and my meter on the night table. Actually, more like flopped on the bed and threw my case and meter AT the night table. Right away, BF knew...

"Low babe?"

I nodded. I waited a few minutes for the fog of the low to lift a bit, then picked up the case again to dig out my supplies for the site change.

Infusion set, check.
Reservoir, check.
Quick-serter, check.
Alcohol wipe, check.
Insulin...

Where the hell is the insulin?

Sighing loudly and mumbling "shit" under my breath, I got up from the bed and ran up the stairs back to the kitchen. I could have SWORN I put a vial of insulin in the case. I got a new one from the fridge and went back downstairs.

When I returned to the bedroom, BF asked what had happened and I told him that I forgot my insulin, but was sure I had already brought some downstairs with me the first time. He picked up my case, looked inside, and found the insulin stuck under the cloth barrier dividing the case into two pockets.

I cursed again and with the second bottle of insulin in my hand, ran back upstairs to put it in the fridge (I should have waited or let BF bring it upstairs for me when he immediately offered, but I wasn't thinking clearly and was feeling slightly stubborn - one of my obvious low symptoms).

I returned to the bedroom and, exhausted and frustrated from the low and running up and down the stairs, I threw myself down on the bed, buried my head under a pillow, and felt tears well up in my eyes. BF asked what was wrong.

Sniffling slightly, I replied, "I'm just hating diabetes right now."

He held me for a few minutes until my blood sugar came back into range. I inserted my new site, turned out the light, and went straight to sleep.

Note to self: Do site changes upstairs from now on.