Welcome to the End of the World?

Well, did anyone think this is what 2020 would look like?

Global pandemic and worldwide public health emergency, everything shutting down and a potential economic collapse on the horizon.

Holy fuck.

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A "Pandemic (in Quarantine) Playlist on my Spotify is now a thing, and my own remote worklife now in its 8th year has taken on an eeerie new spin. As are my watchlists full of dystopian and post-apocalyptic TVs and movies for streaming in these strange times.

All of my work travel and conferences for the spring have been nixed, and we're all watching closely to see what the impact may be for summer events.

What about my "underlying health condition" that is type 1 diabetes?

So far, so good. No signs of anything astray. As I've shared over on DiabetesMine, I have been using the Tandem t:slim X2 device since mid-October 2019. That followed three-and-a-half years of Multiple Daily Dosing with pens and Afrezza inhaled insulin insulin. I started off with Basal-IQ and then in mid-January transitioned to the spectacular Control-IQ feature. This is only a trial run for product review purposes, and I'm still determining whether I will be able to buy and access this technology for my own use going forward... but given the state of affairs, I've been given the OK to keep using this loaner CIQ for the time being.

We'll see where we go from here.

Of course, with the pandemic fears everywhere you turn, I'm a bit nervous and anxious. Any spike in blood sugars are getting more attention and I'm not as quick to shrug them off. Our house is stocked full of hand soap (WASH YOUR HANDS!) and hand sanitizer and we're taking all the recommended precautions... as well as staying home as much as possible.

There was a common cold in the house a few weeks ago, but that was closely monitored at every stage and it's since passed without escalating to anything of concern.

Still, as everything evolves by the hour and day, it all raises the anxiety level.

Every sneeze and throat tickle raises my worry-level. But it's important to remember that sometimes, a sneeze is just a sneeze. Sometimes Michigan cold weather leads to throat fussiness. I am checking my temperature daily just in case. No signs of anything outside the norm, as that's concerned.

Doing our best to not panic and stay calm, and we're certainly not on the page as some seem to be with hoarding and stockpiling everything. Still, we did replenish our food and necessary items ahead of time just in case.

And as to meds and supplies?

Yes, I am being cautious and prepared on that, too. Making sure my insulin and supplies are all filled for at least the next few months, and have also managed to get backup insulin syringes on hand in case anything goes very sideways for the future.

In the supply container that slides underneath the bed, I was also amazed to find a couple boxes of older syringes filled about 5 years ago just before our move from Indiana back to Michigan... do syringes actually expire? I thought about tossing them as medical waste, but hesitated and flashed to scenes of The Walking Dead in my mind. So I opted to set them aside and keep, in the event of an apocalypse or something.

This whole ordeal has also motivated me to actually change my lancet for fingersticks after each use, which is a HOLY WHOA kind of moment in itself. That huge backup of never-used lancets is looking quite interesting these days. As are alcohol swipes, not only for actually wiping my fingers before each fingerstick but also for general sanitary use to stop spreading germs.

Amazing times, indeed.

I'm trying to keep everything balanced for the sake of mental health, but this is all pretty intense.

OK, this is stream of consciousness post is coming to an end... back to CNN and my Pandemic Playlist.

Be safe, calm and healthy, Friends.