The Corner Booth

Bolus. Eat. BG Monitoring to follow. Rinse & Repeat. Just like I have for a lot of years. Simply enough, right? Not so much for me, apparently. At least not lately. My newest habit appears to be forgetting at least one of those two important parts, totally throwing off the third leg of that three-part routine. The monitoring part doesn’t exactly turn out the way it should, thanks to the lack of one of those key influences that makes the numbers go up and down. Usually, it’s the first. Taking insulin for breakfast before I head out of the house in the morning, and then walking out the door and forgetting to grab the toast, pastry or mini-muffins I’ve already bloused for. Bolusing ahead of time for that morning trip to Starbucks and then, upon seeing a long time-stealing line at the drive-in and being too lazy to go inside, I cancel the plan despite. Planning to make up for my earlier forgetfulness by grabbing a vending machine snack at work, yet realizing I have n...

I’ve never been a fan of skiing. Cold weather isn’t my favorite, and I have no desire to climb toward the sky and then pretend I’m a snowball and plummet down a hill. But the body apparently doesn’t agree with the mind. Or maybe my CGM didn’t get the memo. It seems that my new Dexcom CGM (aka Johnny 5) is a fast fan of the ski slopes and mountainous terrain, evidenced by these snapshots from a recent 24-hour period. Made it up to the very Highest peaks. Broader Mountain View Jumping Off The Mountain Edge Time to ski down the slope... A "smooth" path ahead, at least. And J5 isn't lying. Well, at least not most of the time. About the trends. The One Touch meter confirms it: there’s some internal body action going on, in the mountain-jumping and slope-riding sense. Apparently, that must mean my opposition to skiing is in the mind alone. The body and BGs don’t seem to agree, and are hitting the slo...

Every Friday in November was devoted to wearing Blue. A color meant for advocating the diabetes message and spreading awareness. We had blue circles, clothes, wristbands, lighting, and everything you might think of. So, with that logic in mind and continuing the blue-streak... How is it that there are actually people in the world who ARE NOT fans of the University of Michigan??? You know, the team that has the awesome chant " Let's Go Blue! " Seriously. Everyone in the Diabetes Community should be Michigan fans. I think it's pretty clear. Don't ya think? Yep. Especially after Saturday when the Wolverines finally won The Game (at the Big House) for the first time since 2003. C'mon. You know you wanna be a Wolverine fan.. just say it: "Let's Go Blue." See, you're already halfway there. (wink and smile) GO BLUE!!!

I have a Dexcom! Yes, I'm now sporting my own little oval Continuous Glucose Monitor. With that, I introduce you to my new friend who's taken on the name Johnny Five . Yes, I name my D-devices - because if I must wear them with me all the time, then I might as well make it as fun as possible. This particular name comes from the fact that I'm an 80s movie fa natic and the Short Circuit movies are totally bolus-worth. This isn't my first round at the Dexcom rodeo - I'd done a trial-test for a few weeks back in early 2010 and liked what I saw. Trial-tested the Navigator for a few days before that and then earlier this year used a loaner Minimed 523 for a few months before making a decision that the Dexcom could be a part of my life. There's pros and cons about each, and I say this one is better than nothing... so here we are on the grand ole CGM ride together. Wearing Blue!!! J5 arrived by UPS this past week, just in time for Blue Friday where we con...

The Indianapolis-version of World Diabetes Day on November 14, 2011. My day, in blood sugar readings from start to finish: 352, 116, 65, 103, 154, 144, 143, 107 And then there was everything else, a few moments captured by camera-phone snapshot. At the #adainwdd11 event in Indy   The Lilly Fountain, colored (aqua) blue. Indy's Soldiers & Sailors Monument... ... lit up in blue - for Diabetes. NOT for the Colts. The Blue Hair Challenge Hanging with Charlie Kimball. The Indy Blues Brothers of Diabetes?? BUT LASTLY, NO DIABETES EVENT IS COMPLETE WITHOUT.... D-DECORATED CUPCAKES! Carb counts listed (each cupcake = 36g)!!! It was a good day, indeed. There was much advocacy. And just as much fun. Now, it's time to let some of the blue soak out of the head before getting at the bigger lessons of this WDD 2011...

We’re in the final days of the Big Blue Test, and we haven’t yet hit our goal of 8,000 people participating! So, we need to get on that. If you aren’t familiar, here’s the promo video below and some basic background can be found online at the Big Blue Test site . Originally, I’d planned to participate every day between Nov. 1 and Nov. 14. But I slacked and dropped the ball, and have only done a two-test and exercise routine a handful of times since Diabetes Awareness Month began. Generally, my results haven’t changed much. A couple have gone down some, a couple have gone up. Two tests stand out in my mind. - On Sunday, Nov. 6, a Big Blue Test happened in downtown Indianapolis. Kim and her husband were in town from Nebraska for a friend’s wedding, and so Suzi and I along with Cherise and her daughter gathered in downtown Indy for brunch and to hangout. After eating, we tested outside the restaurant and then walked Monument Circle for about 15 minutes before testing again. Che...

Just like last year, I'm participating in the Promise To Remember Me Campaign and meeting with my area's elected leaders in Congress to discuss diabetes. On Monday, a group of eight advocates came together to meet with Rep. Todd Rokita, a Republican congressman who's been in office for less than a year after winning in November 2010. In total, we had 130+ years of Type 1 experience either present or represented in the room. Our group included three Adult Type 1s - myself, fellow DOCer Jeff Neitzel who was diagnosed 27 years ago at age 13, and another man diagnosed 26 years ago at age 14. Jeff's mom was also there, representing Jeff's sister who was diagnosed almost 40 years ago. We also had a grandmother, a mom, and a family whose 6-year old daughter was diagnosed at 16 months old. See me there, in the back 4th from left... WEARING BLUE!!!! Being a freshman lawmaker, Rokita hadn't before heard the JDRF pitch and wasn't familiar with the group....

A building is nestled at the heart of the city. Driving into town, you see it standing there taller than others on the skyline. Tall, strong, proud, confident, capable. Even if it would rather blend in and not be noticed. On its face, you can’t tell how the building feels inside. One moment is bright, happy, radiated by sunlight. Next it’s dim, depressed, gloomy as clouds above darken the view. Every moment changes, as the wind blows and the clouds pass by overhead. Hope with the sunshine, depression with the clouds. The two become one. Soon, the clouded-view can't be escaped even when the sky is blue and the sun is everywhere. Below, traffic moves on without noticing the shifting clouds above. Noise continues, traffic lights change, life moves on. Even as the wind blows and the clouds dance on. You may see a building standing tall. Strong. Sturdy. Withstanding the wind, even with the clouds occasionally interfering. But the wind is ever-presen...

The JDRF ran an ad in the New York Times and Wall Street Post on November 1, marking the start of Diabetes Awareness month and the push for more general public awareness about the FDA regulatory delays impacting our D-Lives. As many reading this probably know, the ad said that one in twenty people with Type 1 will die from a low blood sugar. (YIKES!!!) The JDRF ad, featuring Piper, age 8. That 1:20 stat caught many off guard and generated a mixed response from those in our Diabetes Community, some agreeing with the point of the ad and some questioning the accuracy and source of that information as well as the overall intent of it. In response, the JDRF offered a Q&A that cited several studies ranging from recent years and dating back decades. A forum discussion began, and then another , with Mr. Artificial Pancreas Aaron Kowalski (a longtime Type 1 himself) responding about the evidence behind the stat - that it comes from the cited data and a ratio describing the chances...

The JDRF has a new message. With it being November and Diabetes Awareness Month, the time has come for the marketing of that message to begin. See Disclosure point in italics belo w New tagline: Improving lives. Curing Type 1 Diabetes. New logo: a blue hand with an extended index finger pointing in #1 –style, with T1D written on the finger. The name is now, simply: JDRF. All words behind that have been eliminated, though it’s pretty obvious what the letters mean and it’s more of an attempt to market the “juvenile” out of the name in order to represent the broader Type 1 community. I’ve written about this “culture sift” before, after attending JDRF Government Day in March and the third Roche Social Media Summitin June where JDRF CEO Jeffrey Brewer hinted about the coming changes. Now, the time has arrived. The JDRF chose the start of D-Awareness Month to unveil this new logo, and with it they have a new marketing campaign that's basically aimed around "Giving ...