The Corner Booth

This post comes in the name of equality. You see, Diabetic Women have their own groups that us guys just don't have. Take DiabetesSisters , a worthy and awesome organization that comes complete with conferences bringing D-Women together from across the country. We see articles focused on our female counterparts, from pregnancy issues to where pumps can be placed on wedding gowns, everyday dresses, or in places that we guys just don't have to worry about. They have cute designs, full of flowers and colors and creative designs. Kids do, too, and you might even have some more boy-focused elements when it comes to D-Fashion. All of those are important, needed,and worthwhile - don't get me wrong. I understand and appreciate that men and women have different challenges on many fronts. But to me, it seems that us Adult Diabetic Men just have fewer resources for our D-Lives overall. D-Fashion for Men is just one of those topics that doesn't have the same kind of attention. ...

Tuesday may be gone with the wind as Lynyrd Shynrd says, but remnants of my most recent Endo Visit still loom large in my mind and we're already preparing for the next one in the regular three-month cycle. Coming from work on a Tuesday morning last week, I had an already-busy morning and was trying to clear my head briefly for would likely be about an hour-long visit scheduled for 11:10 a.m.  That day, I had a few different missions: Waiting Room Observations, Big Picture D-Management Discussion, and a Look Ahead at where we want to be and how to get there. Checking in, the receptionist quickly checked her computer screen and informed me about the co-pay of $50, almost asking as if it was correct. Me ( voice dripping with sarcasm ): "I suppose, if Dr. P considers herself a 'specialist.'" Receptionist: "Well, of course she does. Her work is specialized and her time is valuable." I smiled, and handed over my Insurance Flex Card without argument. ...

On Sept. 24, 2005, we put rings on our fingers, made some serious promises, and began our life together as a married couple that was the happiest moments in my life. That also happened to be the time we dripped wax on our hands, nearly tripped walking up the stairs at church, and laughed at each others' total unpreparedness in actually getting married. Funny and serious, there we were. And here we are. These past five years have complimented the five we'd been together before marriage, and we've endured so much during our first decade together. Every day has been an adventure and I'm so incredibly honored to be sharing these days with you. We've been through so much. But you've put up with my stubbornness, my legal-argument articulating mind, and endured all the Highs and Lows. And that's before we even get into the whole diabetes aspect of our life. Ten years ago, life was so much different. Those where the days Before Pizza Had Carbs - or more specif...

Musical talent isn't something that graces my life. Singing is taboo, or at least it should be... Even in the shower, where the water goes ice cold whenever I tempt fate by starting to sing. Haven't played any musical instruments since my high school drumming days, which lasted about a year. Some say I can dance on beat, but that alleged rhythm and coordination remains a debatable point still baffling the wisest of the wise. However, I'm fortunate enough to be blessed with musical talent from others when it's needed most. There's church song, which lifts the spirit and makes you appreciate having a voice. Then, there's just great artists on the airwaves who have some outstanding tunage, songwriting, and craft in performing. Lately, I've been having a tough time and haven't been all too fond of my D-Life. Paramedic visits, Ill-Timed Lows, and overall uncertainty more than usual have been mounting - on top of the regular life hurdles and stres...

Six months ago, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. Many parts of this new law take effect gradually and are scattered throughout the coming years. On Thursday (Sept. 23), several important reforms become law. Most importantly, these points expand health care coverage to millions of children who previously fell through the cracks of our health care system. Specifically, these now-in-effect provisions are: Extending Coverage for Young Adults : Young adults can stay on a parent's plan until they turn 26. This doesn't apply to young adults who already have health insurance through a job. Free Preventive Care : New plans must offer free preventive services, such as flu shots, mammograms, and even diet counseling for adults at-rsk of chronic disease ( read: pre-diabetics, this applies to you! ) This means they cannot charge you a deductible, co-pay, or coinsurance. ( Note: This only includes new plans, not those "grandfathered" ones already in effect...

Diabetics Unite. No one needs to tell the Diabetes Online Community about how awesome D-Meetups are. We know it. We love them. Welcome them. Encourage them. As much as cats, bacon, and Tweet-versation. Tapping into that meeting-loving mantra, the JDRF has come up with a plan for World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14 , with what it calls Type 1 Talk . Basically, it's a huge network of local D-Meetups on World Diabetes Day that will all be connected through the JDRF's use of Facebook and a live video streaming Q&A. Participants will have the chance to meet new people in their community through "events" at homes, offices, community centers. Not just meeting, people will be able to view a live streaming video presentation from JDRF staff and volunteers, ask questions, and then continue those conversations at their local events. People can host their own event or find one to attend, using a new Facebook application being created and unveiled somewhere on or about Oct...

Every once in awhile, a Person With Diabetes feels as though he or she is The Cure Incarnate. We see spectacular blood sugar readings that at first signal good tight control, but eventually the continuing trend defies logic and becomes something more. It's as though you can "do no wrong." We feel as though our insulin-producing beta cells are actually functioning again, and no matter the carbs we eat everything comes out "normal." This was my experience during the past week. For five days, I had outstanding BG tests. Granted, there were some Lows and unexpected Lower Lows where the paramedics had to be summoned . But overall great numbers. My definition of "overall great numbers": No Highs. As of mid-Sunday, my seven day average: 124, two-week average was 143, and month average was 172. At least according to my One Touch UltraLink meter data. Using a combination of online data from both the Carelink program and s5health , my further analysis s...

The Diabetes Online Community has been full of Diabetic MeMe posts in recent weeks and it seems Kerri kicked off the trend, so here's my jump onto that worthy bandwagon. Seemed like a good time in general, but also because I've been busy with a mix of work priorities, writer's block, and just a sense of burnout in doing so much lately. Plus, it's Invisible Illness Awareness Week and I wanted to catch the end of it before it was too late... So, enjoy this one all about Me!     What Invisible Illness do I live with? Type 1 diabetes. Yes, that's not a pager or phone at my waist and I'm not carrying a little Iphone case with me everywhere I go - that's an insulin pump and blood meter case, two of the many tools you might otherwise not even notice when seeing me sprinting down the street like a madman (in search of sugar, not because I'm running late to a meeting.)   When were you diagnosed: My D-Life Adventures began in Spring 1984. An exact date isn...

Recently, I was pondering funny names and an idea came to my mind. I could change my name to Glucose. Mr. Glucose Hoskins. Friends might call me Sugar, for short. At this point, I honestly don't remember what spawned this train of thought. I'd been reading a court decision that day that delved into this history of surnames, so maybe that was a part of it. But I really don't remember. Just that it was pretty funny to my sleep-deprived, coffee-craving mind. Tweeting this, the Diabetes Online Community got some laughs and someone observed how wrong it sounded on so many levels. Bernard also opined with a laugh while making the astute observation that it would be a cold day before he'd ever refer to me as "Sugar." We all got some laughs for a few hours, and then the funniness and novelty of it began to fade. That is, until a news story came across my screen and made the whole name-change phenomenon more timely and pertinent. My mind began swirli...

This is the second of a two-part post, the first you may have noticed earlier in the week about Dennys and Diabetes at 1a.m . We now move into the second half of the adventure...   As you might have guessed, winding up in a Denny’s parking lot in the middle of the night usually signals what can only be assumed to be an interesting time. Especially when there are needles, flashes of skin, “magic drugs” and a sniffing dog involved. But that wasn’t the most eventful part of the night. What truly sparked the “adventure” came in the hours after that late-night Denny’s parking lot scene, where I’d gone to help a fellow Adult Type 1 who was without insulin syringes and battling a cranky insulin pump and High blood sugars. You might remember this detail from Part I: that prior to leaving my house just after midnight, my pre-driving blood test rang in at 57. Well, crap. That’s not going to work, I thought. So, I crammed a handful of orange glucose tabs into my mouth and went all vacuu...

Get ready for a rocky ride, one that calls for a two-part post. First, you'll learn why two Type 1 diabetics were in a Denny's parking lot at 1 a.m. on the northside of Indianapolis, exchanging syringes and a "magic drug" while talking of blood and being High. Not to mention every under the sun (or moon) as far as diabetes management. But that's only the first part, which sets the stage for a Starbucks-free night complete with a Power Outage - both electrically for my neighborhood and metaphorically as it relates to my D-Life. We won't neglect telling how the paramedics came out to visit from there, spilled blood all over the sheets, and manage not to terrorize the trusty D-Dog who'd been detecting Low BGs since the earlier C-A-R R-I-D-E. All of this before 7 a.m. It is what it is, in the Life of a Diabetic who tends to avoid sleep way too often but keeps things interesting. Staying up late Tuesday night in preparation of a busy workday Wednesday...

In a small group at church this past weekend, we delved into a current events course and how these issues of our time can be viewed based on Scripture. The key topic of discussion was one the Florida pastor who doesn't deserve to be named, simply because of his most recent plan to burn another faith's Holy Book. Thankfully, this act of hate didn't happen. But what we discussed was how this particular "Man of God" seemingly wasted what could have been such a wonderful opportunity to express why he and his congregation opposed this religion, and used that as a teaching tool to educate others about those issues. One group member whom I've grown to greatly respect in the past two years of our church-going experience made an interesting point: this highlights the line between Prescriptive and Proscriptive. As the terms suggest, Prescriptive systems tend to list out all the possible things that can be done legally. Clear lists of what can be done, so that everyth...

We won't have huge boulders to outrun. No leather whips, snake pits, temples of doom, or power-hungry tyrants and bloodthirsty cult worshipers. Even so. Feel free to call me Indiana. Not because I'm named after the dog, but because I'm a Hoosier. At least that's what they tell me after living in this state now for six years. Just don't ask me to define what that word means - nobody here knows, even the lifers. But more significantly, you can refer to me this way because for the 1st time since I've lived here we are actually taking part in our Central Indiana Walk to Cure Diabetes on Oct. 9. That makes me Indiana, officially. Every other year that we've had this walk, something else has interfered and pulled us away from participating- work, out-of-state travel, conflicting church charities. So six years have passed and we haven't found a chance to be a part of the type of event that I spent many of my younger years participating in, fundraising for...

Aerosmith said it best when they coined the phrase, "Back In The Saddle Again." So, in honoring that great rock song and also the classic Gene Autry film by the same name, I offer my own D-Version of that saddle-ness recaptured. Now that my five-month Pump Hiatus has come to a close, I've reconnected to my trust Minimed 722 Paradigm and am back in the pumping game. It's been a long MDI adventure, but one that I'm glad to have experienced. You may remember that I had no issue with my pump as far as how it enabled me to live a more free D-Life. Just with not rotating as often as recommended by the powers that be, for nine years of mostly continuous pumping, took a toll on the body. It just got to be too daunting and frustrating to endure the pump site changes every handful of days, and the prospect of non-working sites and gushers just got to be too much. So, we took a bit of a break. That led me to realize that it wasn't the pump that was dict...