The Corner Booth

He sits on a ledge on the second floor of my home, each day peering over the side and pondering whether he should plummet to the carpeted stairs below. A suicide leap, as it might be. The reasons are probably what many face at down-times in their lives: feelings of being all alone, abandoned, not loved or appreciated by anyone. Simply, they have nowhere to turn and it all seems like too much to handle. During the past two months, that's been the case in my house. We have a possible jumper, and those thoughts of being abandonment likely flood the system despite the reality that I do, in fact, have nothing but love and respect and appreciation for this wonderous creation of God. Who do I speak of, you ask? You may know him by other names or even the opposite gender, but in my household we know him by the name of Bacon Gibbs . Yep, my Minimed 722 insulin pump. Who has the name honoring both the wonders of those meaty strips as well as the NCIS character we all love by the name o...

Early this week, we discovered an Ant Infestitation in our kitchen. They were climbing on cupboards, countertops, crevices in the sink, on the stove and wall, and appearing in freaky numbers inside a lollipop-filled ceramic cookie jar that sits on our counter. Despite frequent counter cleaning and spraying, it became obvious that the ants weren't going away and there might be more dubious behavior at work here. So, it was time to go Gibbs on these invading ants. Time to eradicate them from our home. There was only one thing we could do... We formed our Ant Elimination Plan. First, I engaged in counterintelligence recon and watched the Dreamscape movie Antz, in order to better understand their world and better enable myself to put strategery into place. Then, we stocked up on Ant Elimination Tools such as Borax, bleach, fresh ant traps, and counter wipes - complimenting the massive jug of HouseGuard bug killer...

Living with Diabetes can be crazy enough. But try being a racecar driver living with diabetes, and you've got the makings of what should be dubbed a D-Life in the Fast Lane. That's the world Charlie Kimball lives in, but he's behind the steering wheel on this one. The 25-year old, European-born professional racecar driver was diagnosed in 2007 with Type 1. He currently holds the distinction of being the only licensed driver with diabetes in the history of the Indy Racing League, which is pretty much something in the racing world. Beginning with go-kart racing at age 9, Charlie sidestepped his admission into Stanford to follow a dream of professional racecar driving. He started racing in Europe in 2002 and built up an impressive racing resume, before his Type 1 diagnosis derailed his racing program in the middle of the 2007 season. But he didn't let that stop him, and he returned in 2008 to compete in some of the most competitive racing categories in the world a...

A return to Diabetes Camp for the first time in more than a decade was on the agenda for Sunday morning. The point was to talk about my 26-years experience of Living With Diabetes, and talking to some newly-diagnosed familiies at the Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana's Camp Until a Cure . This was the first time in many years that I'd be back to a Diabetes Camp since leaving Michigan, and I was nervous but very excited to have this opportunity. I had a plan and was all set to start as the weekend rolled around, and my outline planning before Sunday convinced me that all was in order for success. But, my morning bowl of Cheerios got in the way. To be accurate: my bowl of Cheerios didn't get in the way. That was the problem. The night before, a bedtime blood test showed 118. All was good so I went to sleep. Woke up at 3:30 a.m. to an alarm clock that was slightly louder than I'd planned, and pulled myself up to go test. A 61 mg/dL flashed at me on th...

We recently participated in a local effort dubbed "Dining for Diabetes" at multiple Chili's restaurants in Indianapolis and the surrounding suburbs, one that I understand has happened in other spots throughout the country. Basically, you print out an online voucher or coupon and 10% of your total bill is donated to the JDRF. It ran from Sunday to Thursday, and so we thought it would be a good worthwhile time to grab a meal there and take part in a good D-Cause. Of course, we waited until final day to head out to our local restaurant in Greenwood, on the city's southside. However, our charitable meal attempt almost failed. Arriving at the later part of the dinner-hour near 7 p.m., we saw a somewhat packed front lobby area and opted to sit in the bar area at a high-top table. This would ensure quicker service and an even more relaxed setting, we assumed, since it wasn't a very busy time and the bar area wasn't too f...

The Hunt for Adult Type 1s has begun in Central Indiana. At a recent JDRF Indiana Outreach Committee meeting Monday on the northside of Indianapolis, those people attending focused on the topic of finding more adult Type 1 diabetics who might be interested in getting involved in this area's chapter of the now 40-year-old national organization. Most of the active members and volunteers are Parents of Children With Diabetes, who are the very ones in fact who founded the foundation back in 1970 to focus on cure research. You have some adult diabetics who've been very involved for years, but they are a minority. We want to increase that presence and what the JDRF means for us overall... At least here in Indiana. Sure, being a member of the ever-expanding Diabetes Online Community through blogging, Twitter, Facebook, Juvenation, has connected me with many awesome adult Type 1s nationally. But I haven't met many inside Indiana, and that's something I'd like to se...

You could have heard me gasp. Recently, I nearly fell over when opening up the fridge in our kitchen to retreive a new bottle of Humalog from the Butter Compartment, a common place for keeping insulin and glucagon for us People With Diabetes. Heck, some of us have even given our D-Blogs creative names to reflect this trend (like Lee Ann, who runs The Butter Compartment !). As the door opened, I flipped open the clear, hazy plastic door where the bagged boxes of insulin sit peacefully on top of the five-pack box of Lantus Pens. On top of the Humalog boxes was the red glucagon container in its own prescription-coded pharmacy baggie. But to the right side of this storage area, there was a sight that just blew my mind. Something completely unexpected... There, despite my belief at the time that it was in fact a dream, was a stick of butter. A stick of butter! Fullly wrapped in paper inside a ziplock baggie. A mostly-used little quarter stick sat nearby....

Three years ago, I posed a question: Does Size Matter? You may not recall this, as it was roughly two and half years before my activity in the Diabetes Online Community became regular. At the time, I was a D-Lurker learning the ropes and reading the great words of those who fellow D-Bloggers. Today, I revisit that 3-year-old question and am armed with an answer: Yes, Size Does Matter. As it relates to Diabetes Supplies such as Syringes and Insulin Pumps, of course. (C'mon, people. Focus. Here, not on the Mind Gutter.) P luto knows it, after being demoted a couple years ago to the dismay of millions of former schoolchildren who had their childhood foundations shattered. But the question lingered as it related to my diabetes on several fronts. Most recently, my answer arrived in the 4th week of my Pump Hiatus , which you'll remember I began to help my war-torn infusion site riddled body heal a bit. A new reality has evolved with Multiple Daily Injections, one that I'...

Today is the final day of Diabetes Blog Week. More than 100 of us D-bloggers have written about a specific topic each day, as coordinated by Karen over at Bitter-Sweet Diabetes . In this last installment of the Diabetes Online Community series, she asks us to: Dream a little dream about Life After A Cure. To wrap up Diabetes Blog Week, let’s pretend a cure has been found. We are all given a tiny little pill to swallow and *poof* our pancreases are back in working order. No side effects. No more insulin resistance. No more diabetes. Tell us what your life is now like. Or take us through your first day celebrating life without the Big D. Blog about how you imagine you would feel if you no longer were a Person With Diabetes. On the First Day of Life After a Cure... I'd wake up and have a bowl of Cheerios. Because the Os rule. Then, I'd have a bowl of Fruit Loops - generic Fruity Os style, because once again Os rule. And I wouldn't have to take a shot or pump a bolus. And I...

This is the fifth installment of Diabetes Blog Week, as envisioned by Karen at Bitter-Sweet Diabetes . Our regularly assigned topic today is to offer some snapshots of this chronic condition in our lives. However, in that I've stopped my D-365 Project on Flickr thanks to the free account limitations and my non-desire to purchase the larger account size, I'm tapped and somewhat burnt out on the D-Photo train of thought. So, I opt to take advantage of the Wild Card option available in just this kind of topic-blocked moment. I offer one photo before jumping into the Wild Card Topic, which also goes to the heart of simply trying to have what one might consider a BG Nirvana Moment(s)... With that, the topic is: Blood Sugar Nirvana or Moronic Moment.   Blog about the time you ate a meal that tends to spike you to the moon, but your perfectly calculated and timed bolus kept your blood sugar happy. Or tell us about that time your brain had a little diabetes-blip and you ...

My initial post on this Day 5 of Diabetes Blog week, " Exercise... Not So Much " made me feel lazy. By no means am I lazy and without any activity in my life. I don't want to give out that impression. So, in order to set the record straight (if even in my own head), this Second Post was born. You will see that I do, indeed, get exercise. But please, don't take my word for it. Hear it straight from those in my household who know best... my cat and dog. The Wise Shadow Cat: Full disclosure: I'm not a willing participant in this blogging event - I was bribed with tuna, and I firmly believe the keyboard may have been laced with catnip. However, since I'm here, I might as well make some use of it and spread my wisdom... Plus, any other cats ( Siah, Siah ???) who may be reading as part of "The Plot" for World Domination... Yes, the Moron who calls himself Daddy sometimes does move around and get exercise. I've witnessed it, sadly. You can't call...

We are asked by Karen today to write about the wonders of exercise... Love it or Hate it? Do we have regular exercise routines? Trouble finding the motivation to exercise? How are food and insulin intake managed to avoid bottoming out during a workout? This is the day to tell all about exercise habits, or lack thereof. When I was 5, my exercise activity was playing baseball. Did it as part of a league. Tee Ball at first, then moved up the ranks as the years moved on. My dad was the coach. Good times that gave this little Kid With Diabetes the needed exercise. When high school hit, the ball and bat got traded in for the swim team. Did that for all four years, in addition to all the other regular exercise tasks this teenager had going on. College brought a more sedentary likestyle without swimming or regular sports activity, meaning the exercise routines were getting fewer and farther between. Sure, there was the regular campus walks and such, but the team sports went away. ...

This is the fourth installment of Diabetes Blog Week. Today, I blog about what I eat, as that's what Karen asked us to do in setting the foundation for this whole thing. The point in her mind is that some believe a low carb diet is important in diabetes management, while others believe carbs are fine as long as they are counted and bolused for. She wants us to talk about meals, snacks, special occasions... Whatever we deem food and bolus worthy. To Carb or Not to Carb? That is the question Shakespeare didn't ask, but should have as it would have given us food-calculating diabetics some guidance. In my opinion, the problem with so many in this country is that we don't respect the mantra of "good in moderation." Whether we're talking about food or alcohol beverages, this is a key. Yet, so many are afraid of things all together. Carbs are evil, I've heard some say. Just stay away. It's an old-school thought that doesn't deserve a place in our mod...

This is Day 3 of Diabetes Blog Week. Today, the topic is entitled "Your Biggest Supporter." As Karen pitches it: "Sure, our diabetes care is ultimately up to us and us alone. But it’s important to have someone around to encourage you, cheer you, and even help you when you need it. Today it’s time to gush and brag about your biggest supporter. Is it your spouse or significant other? Your best friend, sibling, parent or child? Maybe it’s your endo or a great CDE? Or perhaps it’s another member of the D-O-C who is always there for you? Go ahead, tell them just how much they mean to you!" I'd planned on some elaborate post being the end-all-be-all tribute to the wonderous person I consider my biggest supporter. Words. Poetry. Picture prose. Something grand, as that's what is deserved. Heck, even in realizing that it wasn't going to play out that way and it was self-defeating behavior to even think I could write something eloquent to capture it all, I pon...

This is Day 2 of what's being dubbed D-Blog Week by the Diabetes Online Community. No need to read them in order, but here is Monday's post if you're interested. The second installment: Making Lows Go Away. This is where we get to talk about our favorite ways to treat a low, whether it be by juice, glucose tab, or secret candy stash. You just might find a new trick to add to your D-Arsenel Belt in treating a Low, learn what brings blood sugars up fast without spiking too high, or even just getting a laugh at common tales or stark differences between us People With Diabetes. Glucose Tablets have always been my thing. As a kid, you had those little white squares that just resembled hardened sugar and came in little silver-wrapped packages. They were "for emergencies only..." But that didn't stop me. Even without a Low, sometimes I'd go for one. If you were watching, you might notice that the numbers dwindled and the squares would just magically d...

You may notice that this is the second part of my first installment. After reading several other D-Blogs today, I decided that a breakdown of my day was in order. It may not be "typical," but it's as close to routine as I sometimes get. As always, Your Diabetes May Vary because mine does every single day, no matter what I do. 6:15 a.m. Alarm clock screams at me. Volume bars get pushed down (my makeshift Snooze) and my head drifts back to the pillow, craving more sleep before the hectic Monday begins. 7a: Pull myself out of bed. Dog is there to greet me with a lick on the face. I pet her, slip on my sandals, and move out of the bedroom to do a BG test. It says 124 mg/dL, down slightly from the 136 at bedtime shortly after midnight. Nice. Ready to roll! 7:30a: All showered off, now ready to throw on the work clothes. First, I head to the computer out in the upstairs living room to check the day's news so far and send out a few work emails ...