Diabetes Action Center

I just got an e-mail from the American Diabetes Association’s Action Center. Please read and if you want to make a difference click on the Take Action Now! link below.

 

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Dear Diabetes Advocate, As you may know, Stephen Orr, a pharmacist at a Wal-Mart in Nebraska, was fired for taking lunch breaks to eat and manage his diabetes. Yet he was never able to remedy this injustice. The reason? Courts have been throwing out diabetes discrimination cases because of an absurd Catch 22, siding with employers who claim that a person with diabetes is "too disabled" to do the job, but not "disabled enough" to be protected by the laws! That's what happened to Stephen. Congress has still yet to act on closing the loophole in the law that continues to allow discrimination again people with diabetes. Tomorrow, the House Education and Labor Committee is holding a hearing on the bill that could close this loophole in the law. Ask your U.S. representative to support the ADA Restoration Act (H.R. 3195). The stakes are huge: if a person with diabetes isn’t covered by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), then it's perfectly legal to fire or refuse to hire that person explicitly because of his or her diabetes. Help Congress get the message. Click on the link below and ask your Representative to protect people with diabetes from discrimination and to support H.R. 3195. Take Action Now! http://main.diabetes.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=1167

 

It's an I-pump, not an I-pod

So yesterday while I was running on the side of a road and I had to change my basal rate. I had pulled out my pump and while jogging along I was trying to lower my dose. Some guy almost ran me over (I actually think he swerved on purpose). He had his window down and I heard him yell ‘get rid of the %^&^$# i-pod’! So I did what any other sane adult would do….I picked up a rock and threw at him.

 

Ok, so maybe that was the wrong thing to do (especially since that was on mile 18, and was beginning to slow down). But that brings up an interesting point. And since I had another hour of running, I decided to ponder it. It’s always been discouraged in running circles that you should not run outside with headphones. In fact, many races have outlawed them. Although it’s not strictly enforced, people can be disqualified for their use.  And although I had never thought about it – had redneck Robert decided to swerve another foot, he might have gotten me. And worse yet, had I been wearing headphones I never would have heard him coming.

 

Don’t get me wrong. Music during exercise is awesome. I’ve used it many a time to get through a workout when I just don’t think I could have without it. I think that listening to a favorite song can get lots of people to exercise – and if that’s how it has to be done then so be it. But after this experience, I think I will be sure the i-pod is kept either in the gym or away from oncoming traffic. It’s just not worth the risk.  I hope others will do the same.

 

Plus I want to make sure I have every chance to make that rock hit its target.

 

 

 

I've had better...

Last night was awful.

 

I’m talking about sleep of course (get your mind out of the gutter would you?) Last night before bed I realized I only had about 10 units left in my cartridge and did not want to start using a new infusion set before bed. So I put one in (a set that is) but kept using the other one, thinking that I would wake up and insert new cartridge into the pump and hook up to the new site and be that much closer to getting on the bike for my one hour ride. It was actually a good idea.

 

But I should have known it was going to be bad when the set hurt going in – I should have been smart and pulled it out right away – I should have thought ahead. But I didn’t (of course). And thought to myself the pain will subside. It did, but it didn’t go away entirely.

 

I was so exhausted I fell asleep right away – I had biked at a pretty goof clip for about 45 minutes right after work and when you add that to the three hour run yesterday, I was falling asleep through dinner. But every time I turned onto my left side (and I’m a turner) I felt the site, and although it didn’t wake me fully it kept me from sleeping soundly. I ended up sleeping right through my alarm for my ride (darn) and when I finally managed to drag myself up and tried to use the site this AM and it was just unbearable. I pulled the site out only to be met with a nice stream of blood. Yea – nice move Guru.

 

The area hurt so bad that when I tried to insert another set an inch away from the old one it was still too painful – nice and bruised too. (My modeling career will have to be put on hold). I ended up moving the site to my right side.  So I missed my morning ride, my left side hurts like h$ll, and for the first time in two weeks I’m actually having coffee in the morning (and I thought I had almost kicked the caffeine addiction.

 

The insulin pump is wonderful. I’ve said it once, twice, three and one million times. I’d trade my car for it. But it isn’t always a bed of roses.

 

 

The Long Run

Today’s goal for the run was at least 3 hours – I got 3.17 in. I tracked the mileage on USA Track and Field’s mapping system, and it was about 25 miles give or take a mile.  I was surprised at how well I felt after, I was sore but was able to run errands, do the laundry, etc.  Then as I was writing today’s entry I realized I didn’t have one BG over 150 today and it hit me like a tone of bricks – when my body’s BGs are in range I recuperate twice (probably even three times) as fast as when I have a high after a long run. Let’s hope I’m in range while I’m sleeping tonight – I want to bike tomorrow.

The Rythym, the Rebel

Last night and today went great! Both from a training and from a family perspective.
It's hard to juggle the family comitments along with the training, I try to train every morning at 5 but it can get tough sometimes - especially when Iwant to take Tricia to restruant on a Fiday night. But last night worked perfect, so i had to share.
I did get to the gym after work for a 1.5 hr bike ride - I went about 31.5 miles which felt like a really comfortable pace. (gee if only i could keep that up for more then 1.5 hours).
But the gem of the evening was that the YMCA I work out at is right next to our favorite resturant (and incidentally about 8 miles from home). After the ride I showered, then walked over to the resturant to meet the wife (she had a beer waiting for me - boy do I love her) for dinner. We drove home in her car, and left my car there. Then this morning I ran the 8 miles back to the parking lot to pick up my car and drive home before she was up. It worked out great!!! Why didn't think of this sooner?