12 years ago
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sneak Peeking
I spent the better part of yesterday working on these lovely things
This evening is going to be fun. We're leaving in a little bit to take Rylee out to get her a Thomas Balloon that I had ordered for her. Gotta grab a few last minute items AND I have yet to get my birthday picture of Rylee in her cute birthday clothes because Kenny slept in till noon AND Rylee has been a little cranky today so she's taking a nap.
My plans are all thrown off, but I'm flexible. That's what I do, throw aside plans and go with whatever happens.
So, we've got not much time for the rest of the day. But it'll be fun anyway!
This evening is going to be fun. We're leaving in a little bit to take Rylee out to get her a Thomas Balloon that I had ordered for her. Gotta grab a few last minute items AND I have yet to get my birthday picture of Rylee in her cute birthday clothes because Kenny slept in till noon AND Rylee has been a little cranky today so she's taking a nap.
My plans are all thrown off, but I'm flexible. That's what I do, throw aside plans and go with whatever happens.
So, we've got not much time for the rest of the day. But it'll be fun anyway!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Precious Down-Time
We had a lazy day at home today. The first I have had in a very long time. I'm so so so SO. Freaking. Tired. I'm always running around like a chicken without a head.
Working working working, whether it's for my dad or my own photography or household errands or holiday parties, or or or or...
Our official vacation starts in 2 days. I'm SO excited. ...aaaaand a little apprehensive. Rylee's birthday is on Friday. We had a little precursor to that party yesterday. All the husbands side of the family was over here at our house for a christmas ornament/gingerbread house making day. There were so many people over, and we're only going to add to that by 6ish more people when my side of the family comes over to celebrate Rylee's 2nd year.
I don't mind people, I LOVE people, lots of people. ....but not in small spaces. I forgot that we had this exact same number of people at our little apartment last year, and felt the same apprehension about having that so many in so small of a space. But it was okay. So this will be okay too, right?
Tomorrow I've gotta start preparing for said party. Getting the rest of the decorations, the baking supplies, baking the cake and cupcakes, wrapping her presents, cleaning..... aaah! I probably should have started on all that today, but I didn't. I needed to rest. I was so lazy. Sat on my butt screwing around with pictures or facebook or here. Took breaks to make and eat food. Also played with my kiddo a bunch.
Got her to actually enjoy her bath tonight! She got sick a little over a month ago and for some reason hasn't liked baths since then. Probably some association with baths and puking. Huge accomplishment there, I'm pretty happy about it.
She feel asleep SO adorably tonight, with her hands clasped... almost like when she was a newborn. I miss my newborn.
Maybe someday I'll have another. ....maybe. When we don't have 2 more years of school. When we have a house with at least a separate bedroom for the kids.
Rylee still isn't sleeping through the night and I've resorted to letting her sleep in bed with us again. Which happens to be more interesting than ever! She's now 2 years, so bigger than ever and we've downsized our bed from a Full-Sized bed to some in-between full & twin sized futon. I needed the space conservation in our room, so a futon or hide-a-bed seemed the most logical. A futon is what presented itself cheapest.
Yep, real college kids we are. Living in our parents' basement, sleeping on a futon, a steady diet of top-ramen and canned foods. Ha! It'll all be worth it in the end. Even if it was just to build our character and Kenny doesn't end up with a job in his degree. Heehee.
Working working working, whether it's for my dad or my own photography or household errands or holiday parties, or or or or...
Our official vacation starts in 2 days. I'm SO excited. ...aaaaand a little apprehensive. Rylee's birthday is on Friday. We had a little precursor to that party yesterday. All the husbands side of the family was over here at our house for a christmas ornament/gingerbread house making day. There were so many people over, and we're only going to add to that by 6ish more people when my side of the family comes over to celebrate Rylee's 2nd year.
I don't mind people, I LOVE people, lots of people. ....but not in small spaces. I forgot that we had this exact same number of people at our little apartment last year, and felt the same apprehension about having that so many in so small of a space. But it was okay. So this will be okay too, right?
Tomorrow I've gotta start preparing for said party. Getting the rest of the decorations, the baking supplies, baking the cake and cupcakes, wrapping her presents, cleaning..... aaah! I probably should have started on all that today, but I didn't. I needed to rest. I was so lazy. Sat on my butt screwing around with pictures or facebook or here. Took breaks to make and eat food. Also played with my kiddo a bunch.
Got her to actually enjoy her bath tonight! She got sick a little over a month ago and for some reason hasn't liked baths since then. Probably some association with baths and puking. Huge accomplishment there, I'm pretty happy about it.
She feel asleep SO adorably tonight, with her hands clasped... almost like when she was a newborn. I miss my newborn.
Maybe someday I'll have another. ....maybe. When we don't have 2 more years of school. When we have a house with at least a separate bedroom for the kids.
Rylee still isn't sleeping through the night and I've resorted to letting her sleep in bed with us again. Which happens to be more interesting than ever! She's now 2 years, so bigger than ever and we've downsized our bed from a Full-Sized bed to some in-between full & twin sized futon. I needed the space conservation in our room, so a futon or hide-a-bed seemed the most logical. A futon is what presented itself cheapest.
Yep, real college kids we are. Living in our parents' basement, sleeping on a futon, a steady diet of top-ramen and canned foods. Ha! It'll all be worth it in the end. Even if it was just to build our character and Kenny doesn't end up with a job in his degree. Heehee.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
WOW!
I've been away for so long! 2 months since my last post, I've got so much catching up to do!
I've taken a serious social networking break, partly out of necessity because of how extremely busy I've been. But also because I've been burned out, and then there is the endless family drama that a soap opera couldn't handle!
Of course I have been on facebook, but then if I wasn't on there I wouldn't be up on all the drama that is my family. Haha.
Kenny finished his 1st quarter of school last week!!!! .................
..............................................Only ***6*** more to go.
If all goes well he'll be finishing fall quarter of 2012.
I've taken a serious social networking break, partly out of necessity because of how extremely busy I've been. But also because I've been burned out, and then there is the endless family drama that a soap opera couldn't handle!
Of course I have been on facebook, but then if I wasn't on there I wouldn't be up on all the drama that is my family. Haha.
Kenny finished his 1st quarter of school last week!!!! .................
..............................................Only ***6*** more to go.
If all goes well he'll be finishing fall quarter of 2012.
2 more years. 2 more years. 2 more years. 2 more years. 2 more years. 2 more years.
Okay, on with the recap. Rylee is TWO next Friday! We're having a little family party, nothing huge, she's got plenty of years to care about big parties, but for now she's mine and she doesn't care, so we'll have a little party.
I've been busy with photographing families, babies, weddings, couples... whatever. It's been awesome and the funnest thing I've ever done. I love it.
Rylee is talking all the time these days. The love of her life (other than me) is Thomas the Tank Engine. So, you can guess what we're doing for her birthday.
We are officially on a 2 week vacation starting this Thursday. I'm pretty excited. "Real" paychecks again is going to be awesome! ...isn't that funny? Kenny has to take 2 weeks of paid vacation in order for us to get 'real'/'normal' paychecks. Well, I think think it's funny.
Anyways, I'll be back to posting more normally for the next couple weeks, at least. Some serious down-time is in my future and I am SO SO SO excited!!!
And here is a picture of my growing girl to leave you with:
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
"She might love you if you learn to play guitar"
I saw this as a comment on a friend facebook post and loved it too much not to re-share! Especially because the reason my husband and I even noticed each other after going to the same church camp for 5+ years is because we were both in the snack shop one day playing our guitars.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Diabetics and their toys
Yep! My new pump FINALLY got here today!
And because I am the kind of person that scours the internet looking for pictures (good pictures) of certain things I'm considering getting, want to find out more information about - whatever. I'm a visual person, I like pictures (obviously). So, I'll just grace this post with pictures of my new toy.
Rylee was almost as excited as I was...
...She couldn't keep her fingers out of my new toy! (I'm the kind of person that loves to look at and play with my new toys before everyone else, and no one should open my stuff before me. Ever.) But she was SO cute saying "Pump!" "Mama's Pump!" over and over and over again.
I thought the Ping was considerably larger than my old pump, really it's just a 1/4 of an inch at most longer.
And how cool is it that there is an actual moving animation on the screen of the meter?!! My husband has been saying that these things should do a lot more than they have been capable of. After just a few hours using it - I LOVE being able to see the status of my pump from the meter. I LOVE being able to give myself a bolus from the meter. I love that it's way easier to access the food list in the meter. So far, it's awesome.
Doesn't it look just right on my hip? Perfectly at home in my colorful house, my colorful wardrobe and personality. I'm in love with a stupid gadget.
Apparently I'm supposed to go through "training" with my doctors office to be on the pump. It's almost identical - as far as the functions go. So, I went ahead and hooked myself up anyway. I'll keep my appointment with my doctor, like a good little girl. But I'm a geek and like to go through manuals and figure things out myself. My own basal rates, my own insulin to carbohydrate ratios, my own insulin sensitivity factors... you get the idea.
Anyhow, There's my new toy. Sorry to put you to sleep with pictures (...okay, I'm not really sorry), but I love seeing pictures of everyone else's diabetic crap - so there's some of mine too.
Have a great night!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Cartridges, Pumps and Insulin - Oh Joy?
Oh, site change day, how I hate you - and yet, I am forced to love you.
Without taking the time out of my day to refill the cartridge with precious life-giving insulin I'd certainly be a lot worse off. A few minutes of the day really isn't so bad.
It does irritate me, a lot, though. While I certainly appreciate the blessing of having such a wonderful device to pump my insulin into me as I tell it - allowing me only one shot (if things go right) every 3 or 4 days instead of 6+ shots every day. It really is more convenient to my life to just punch a few buttons and have my insulin instantly on its way to me instead of having to draw up a needle every time I need it.
Okay, I'll try to be thankful, grateful, not so irritated every time I need to refill my pump. It only takes a few minutes, not several hours.
Oh, and these super cute pink infusion sets (a gift from a sweet woman in the diabetic community, as I had run out last week while still waiting for the insurance company to process thing), I guess they make it all a little more okay.
I love my pump, I love how it allows me to be as free and able to live life as I can. I love how it allows me to be a mother - skipping meals while taking care of my child, staying up all night as she gets up for the 100th time, chasing after her as she shrieks for joy. It allows me to be a wife, staying up late eating ice cream with my husband, going out for hikes, paint-balling...whatever the heck I feel like. I'm grateful, really, sometimes I just need some perspective.
Without taking the time out of my day to refill the cartridge with precious life-giving insulin I'd certainly be a lot worse off. A few minutes of the day really isn't so bad.
It does irritate me, a lot, though. While I certainly appreciate the blessing of having such a wonderful device to pump my insulin into me as I tell it - allowing me only one shot (if things go right) every 3 or 4 days instead of 6+ shots every day. It really is more convenient to my life to just punch a few buttons and have my insulin instantly on its way to me instead of having to draw up a needle every time I need it.
Okay, I'll try to be thankful, grateful, not so irritated every time I need to refill my pump. It only takes a few minutes, not several hours.
Oh, and these super cute pink infusion sets (a gift from a sweet woman in the diabetic community, as I had run out last week while still waiting for the insurance company to process thing), I guess they make it all a little more okay.
I love my pump, I love how it allows me to be as free and able to live life as I can. I love how it allows me to be a mother - skipping meals while taking care of my child, staying up all night as she gets up for the 100th time, chasing after her as she shrieks for joy. It allows me to be a wife, staying up late eating ice cream with my husband, going out for hikes, paint-balling...whatever the heck I feel like. I'm grateful, really, sometimes I just need some perspective.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Bleh, that's about it.
I'm exhausted. Rylee has slept through the night, or almost through the night 3 times in a row now (**knock on wood**) and my body is telling me how little sleep I have gotten in the last 6 months since we moved (yep, it's already been six months, 2 years to go).
My mother-in-law, Kenny and myself are all getting hit with a nasty cold following the cold my father-in-law had a week ago. It's definitely a nasty one, and my blood sugars are all wonky to prove it. I'm betting it'll either not get any worse than this, or it'll head into a full blown upper respiratory infection. It's that time of year, and I usually get one right about now.
Anyway, that's all.
My mother-in-law, Kenny and myself are all getting hit with a nasty cold following the cold my father-in-law had a week ago. It's definitely a nasty one, and my blood sugars are all wonky to prove it. I'm betting it'll either not get any worse than this, or it'll head into a full blown upper respiratory infection. It's that time of year, and I usually get one right about now.
Anyway, that's all.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Anniversaries, Sleep, Getting hit on...
My parents' 27th Anniversary was yesterday, the 10th. We celebrated it as a family - barbecued, had cake, did a few little presents - all in all, I think it was a fun day. I'm so grateful my parents have been together for 27 years. I know it couldn't have been easy for them. Marriage is hard, no matter how much you love each other.
Rylee slept through the night last night - probably due to how much fun she had playing with her grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousin.
Kenny and I have decided that whenever she sleeps through the night she gains a new level of sentience. She's never ever been one to sit and watch tv. She's never been one to sit still very long at all except when she's falling asleep. Today - She got a pillow, blanket, and set herself up on the floor propped up on the pillow and was beside herself with excitement at the movie I was putting on for her (sleeping beauty). She sat at watched that movie for nearly a 1/2 an hour!
She also brought a book to me, like she frequently does, and sat and paid attention to the entire book. Something she hasn't done before either - again, she's had an extremely short attention span that we've been working on.
It's really cute, I love it.
I'm exhausted, the one random night Rylee sleeps through the night always makes me more tired than I realize before. I'm used to running on no sleep - when I get it I can't handle it! ha, okay. Anyway.
Tomorrow we're going to a new church. I hope it goes okay. I'd really love to find a new church home to stay for awhile.
Oh - the highlight of my day!
Kenny and I went to a gas station so we could get some soda before we headed to a family gathering. A biker drove up and parked next to me (I had my window down, arm hanging out). We both nodded and said "hi." (Kenny was inside getting the drinks). Biker Guy, who was at least 55, starts to walk in to the station - then stops and comes back to my window and says "Hey, You're kinda cute, wanna go for a ride?" Heehee! Oh, it was funny and I had a really hard time not laughing. I didn't laugh, though, I was kinda and polite - I didn't want to crush his cute (for an older guy) ego. I just replied: "No, sorry, my husband is inside getting us some drinks." He said "Oh! I'm sorry!" and went on his way.
A couple things about this struck me funny - other than that I got hit on by a biker. Rylee is very much in plain view in the backseat - if I were to have gone with him, what about her? The other is that after Kenny came back we proceeded to have a lively conversation about going with bikers.
That particular guy I might have actually gone for a ride with - if I had no ties to a boyfriend/fiance/husband/child. He was really nice, helping out another fellow biker - bought the guy some gas and gave him some money. It was also major biker territory around there and they all look out for each other. Also, I found out that if a Hot Biker Chick asked Kenny to go for a ride - he would have too. Of course providing he had no girlfriend/fiance/wife/child ties in the world either.
So, we learned something new about each other today. And I was considered "Sort of cute" by an old biker guy. Haha!
Back to that exhausted point I made above - I'm going to bed early.
Then end, for now.
Rylee slept through the night last night - probably due to how much fun she had playing with her grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousin.
Kenny and I have decided that whenever she sleeps through the night she gains a new level of sentience. She's never ever been one to sit and watch tv. She's never been one to sit still very long at all except when she's falling asleep. Today - She got a pillow, blanket, and set herself up on the floor propped up on the pillow and was beside herself with excitement at the movie I was putting on for her (sleeping beauty). She sat at watched that movie for nearly a 1/2 an hour!
She also brought a book to me, like she frequently does, and sat and paid attention to the entire book. Something she hasn't done before either - again, she's had an extremely short attention span that we've been working on.
It's really cute, I love it.
I'm exhausted, the one random night Rylee sleeps through the night always makes me more tired than I realize before. I'm used to running on no sleep - when I get it I can't handle it! ha, okay. Anyway.
Tomorrow we're going to a new church. I hope it goes okay. I'd really love to find a new church home to stay for awhile.
Oh - the highlight of my day!
Kenny and I went to a gas station so we could get some soda before we headed to a family gathering. A biker drove up and parked next to me (I had my window down, arm hanging out). We both nodded and said "hi." (Kenny was inside getting the drinks). Biker Guy, who was at least 55, starts to walk in to the station - then stops and comes back to my window and says "Hey, You're kinda cute, wanna go for a ride?" Heehee! Oh, it was funny and I had a really hard time not laughing. I didn't laugh, though, I was kinda and polite - I didn't want to crush his cute (for an older guy) ego. I just replied: "No, sorry, my husband is inside getting us some drinks." He said "Oh! I'm sorry!" and went on his way.
A couple things about this struck me funny - other than that I got hit on by a biker. Rylee is very much in plain view in the backseat - if I were to have gone with him, what about her? The other is that after Kenny came back we proceeded to have a lively conversation about going with bikers.
That particular guy I might have actually gone for a ride with - if I had no ties to a boyfriend/fiance/husband/child. He was really nice, helping out another fellow biker - bought the guy some gas and gave him some money. It was also major biker territory around there and they all look out for each other. Also, I found out that if a Hot Biker Chick asked Kenny to go for a ride - he would have too. Of course providing he had no girlfriend/fiance/wife/child ties in the world either.
So, we learned something new about each other today. And I was considered "Sort of cute" by an old biker guy. Haha!
Back to that exhausted point I made above - I'm going to bed early.
Then end, for now.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Diabetes and Me
Kerri started this yesterday, myself and several other d-bloggers thought we'd steal it for ourselves too. heehee.
What type of diabetes do you have: Type 1
When were you diagnosed: March 22, 2002
What's your current blood sugar: Post breakfast (I forgot to test before hand) 278mg/dl
What kind of meter do you use: Whichever one I can find that my daughter hasn't lost - currently the One Touch Ultra 2.
How many times a day do you test your blood sugar: When I was pregnant 12+ times a day, now It's a struggle to get 6 times in.
What's a "high" number for you: Lately it's over 240 mg/dl.
What's do you consider "low": Anything under 70 mg/dl.
What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater: Child-sized apple juice boxes
Describe your dream endo: Understanding, Not Judgmental, (maybe not classified as a "specialist"!), Knowledgeable, Good Natured.
What's your biggest diabetes achievement: My sweet little baby girl - and the only 5.7 A1c I've had while I was pregnant with her.
What's your biggest diabetes-related fear: Losing my eyesight or ability to be as active as I enjoy.
Who's on your support team: My husband, parents, a couple of friends, the Diabetic Online Community! :)
Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime: Nope. I really don't.
What is a "cure" to you: At this point, I'd just love an Artificial Pancreas - but a real cure would be to have the entire auto-immune effects be reversed.
The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is: "I could NEVER give myself shots!" - yeah, you would if your life depended on it!
What is the most common misconception about diabetes: That my Type 1 Diabetes can be reversed by following some miracle diet for a couple months - my pancreas will start working again and I'll never need to take insulin anymore.
If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be: "Thanks for helping make me who I am today."
What type of diabetes do you have: Type 1
When were you diagnosed: March 22, 2002
What's your current blood sugar: Post breakfast (I forgot to test before hand) 278mg/dl
What kind of meter do you use: Whichever one I can find that my daughter hasn't lost - currently the One Touch Ultra 2.
How many times a day do you test your blood sugar: When I was pregnant 12+ times a day, now It's a struggle to get 6 times in.
What's a "high" number for you: Lately it's over 240 mg/dl.
What's do you consider "low": Anything under 70 mg/dl.
What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater: Child-sized apple juice boxes
Describe your dream endo: Understanding, Not Judgmental, (maybe not classified as a "specialist"!), Knowledgeable, Good Natured.
What's your biggest diabetes achievement: My sweet little baby girl - and the only 5.7 A1c I've had while I was pregnant with her.
What's your biggest diabetes-related fear: Losing my eyesight or ability to be as active as I enjoy.
Who's on your support team: My husband, parents, a couple of friends, the Diabetic Online Community! :)
Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime: Nope. I really don't.
What is a "cure" to you: At this point, I'd just love an Artificial Pancreas - but a real cure would be to have the entire auto-immune effects be reversed.
The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is: "I could NEVER give myself shots!" - yeah, you would if your life depended on it!
What is the most common misconception about diabetes: That my Type 1 Diabetes can be reversed by following some miracle diet for a couple months - my pancreas will start working again and I'll never need to take insulin anymore.
If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be: "Thanks for helping make me who I am today."
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Oh sweet bedtime
some days I feel like the time when Rylee goes to bed for the night (or the couple hours before she starts her wake up crying-make mommy lay her back down a dozen times routine) can't come soon enough.
Today was one of those days.
Rylee insisted on pushing every single one of my buttons almost from the moment she got up this morning.
My blood sugar was coming back down after a nasty overnight high due to a pump failure - so I was a little more on edge than I would normally be.
My new pump was still not at all in the actual works to get to me - which also meant that I wasn't going to be able to order more infusion sets and I'd be back on shots indefinitely.
- I was in a baaaaaad mood for well over 1/2 the day until...
Can I just say I LOVE the Diabetic Online Community!??!
I made a little rant this morning on facebook (I'm also rethinking even posting anything like that on facebook any more at all... some places just aren't okay to be "real" anymore...) and several of my fellow diabetics reached out and offered to send me some Infusion Sets until my insurance company gets their act together! Awwwwwwe, I love my diabetic friends. So thankful for you guys!
Anyway, the kiddo was out to get me today, diabetes was out to get me today, my "house" was out to get me with the clutter that won't end, and I think I was just cranky in general from the serious lack of sleep.
Tonight I'm happy my kiddo is in bed. So I'm enjoying a couple of "childless" moments to write this post. Now I'm heading to bed.
Today was one of those days.
Rylee insisted on pushing every single one of my buttons almost from the moment she got up this morning.
My blood sugar was coming back down after a nasty overnight high due to a pump failure - so I was a little more on edge than I would normally be.
My new pump was still not at all in the actual works to get to me - which also meant that I wasn't going to be able to order more infusion sets and I'd be back on shots indefinitely.
- I was in a baaaaaad mood for well over 1/2 the day until...
Can I just say I LOVE the Diabetic Online Community!??!
I made a little rant this morning on facebook (I'm also rethinking even posting anything like that on facebook any more at all... some places just aren't okay to be "real" anymore...) and several of my fellow diabetics reached out and offered to send me some Infusion Sets until my insurance company gets their act together! Awwwwwwe, I love my diabetic friends. So thankful for you guys!
Anyway, the kiddo was out to get me today, diabetes was out to get me today, my "house" was out to get me with the clutter that won't end, and I think I was just cranky in general from the serious lack of sleep.
Tonight I'm happy my kiddo is in bed. So I'm enjoying a couple of "childless" moments to write this post. Now I'm heading to bed.
Monday, September 6, 2010
I love me some hiking!
This morning I got the privilege (I'm not joking) of waking up before 5am to get ready to go hiking. I love hiking tons, but I haven't had the chance to go on a good hike since Kenny and I got married. My Father-in-law was awesome and invited me to come along with him and his uncle and my brother-in-law.
Such an awesome day! We had just started out on the trail and it started snowing! ...the only (only!) problem with this is that I had dressed expecting this hike to go like all other hikes - start out the hike with the weather a bit chilly then shed the layers as you continue on. Not so today, it started out clear and beautiful (although morning chilly) and just got colder, windier, and foggier.
Despite the unforeseen weather and the lack of appropriate clothing - it was a gorgeous climb to the top of the Roman Nose Summit.
I had (I think) a minor low blood sugar at the bottom of the hill before we even started the actual climb and by the top of the hill (a 3 hour climb to a 7200 elevation peak - freakin awesome) I was so pleasantly pleased to see this number on my meter:
119 is not bad at all for such a strenuous hike! When I had the low I realized I forgot to mess with my pumps basal rates before starting the climb, so I decreased them by 60% and did fantastically the rest of the day. After just a sandwich at the peak I ended the fun at 181mg/dl - I'll take it. Not a bad day at all considering it's been years since I've done this sort of thing and wasn't sure how much food I might need to make it through - I definitely had a stash with me.
I hope I can go hiking more - also hopefully with Kenny and later in her sweet life with Rylee too. We were considering taking Rylee today - I'm so glad I didn't! It was an awesome hike - but it would have been pretty much impossible with her.
Well, I'm exhausted so I'm gonna call it a night. Maybe more pictures another time. :)
Such an awesome day! We had just started out on the trail and it started snowing! ...the only (only!) problem with this is that I had dressed expecting this hike to go like all other hikes - start out the hike with the weather a bit chilly then shed the layers as you continue on. Not so today, it started out clear and beautiful (although morning chilly) and just got colder, windier, and foggier.
Despite the unforeseen weather and the lack of appropriate clothing - it was a gorgeous climb to the top of the Roman Nose Summit.
I had (I think) a minor low blood sugar at the bottom of the hill before we even started the actual climb and by the top of the hill (a 3 hour climb to a 7200 elevation peak - freakin awesome) I was so pleasantly pleased to see this number on my meter:
119 is not bad at all for such a strenuous hike! When I had the low I realized I forgot to mess with my pumps basal rates before starting the climb, so I decreased them by 60% and did fantastically the rest of the day. After just a sandwich at the peak I ended the fun at 181mg/dl - I'll take it. Not a bad day at all considering it's been years since I've done this sort of thing and wasn't sure how much food I might need to make it through - I definitely had a stash with me.
I hope I can go hiking more - also hopefully with Kenny and later in her sweet life with Rylee too. We were considering taking Rylee today - I'm so glad I didn't! It was an awesome hike - but it would have been pretty much impossible with her.
Well, I'm exhausted so I'm gonna call it a night. Maybe more pictures another time. :)
Friday, August 27, 2010
Kickin' it to the curb
I've been eating out quite a bit over the last several months. Many things led to it - the first was moving. Driving back and forth 45 minutes across town one direction multiples times a day for a couple weeks - with a baby - made it almost a necessity to eat out more.
Then, finding it more difficult than I anticipated to adjust to our new home, I was spending more time away just "doing" things with Rylee - causing us to be out during times Rylee should eat - so I'd buy food out.
That led to just plain wanting fast-food a little more regularly.
There are several problems with this for me:
1. When I was working full-time - before Rylee was born - I was just buying food for me. I'd get the "cheap" items from Taco Bell or something and it wouldn't cost that much. NOW - I'm buying food for Rylee and myself, so eating out is costing me almost twice as much as it used to. - So it's getting expensive! With Kenny going back to school that's one expense that should definitely be cut out!
2. It's so not healthy! The Fat content, Caloric content and Carbohydrate content of fast food is just awful! Definitely not good for me, and not good for a growing baby! I do try and get the 'healthy' menu items as far as fast-food goes (I prefer Tacos over Burgers, that kind of thing). BUT - it's still not to be eaten often.
3. Along the "unhealthy" lines - it's awful on my blood sugars! It causes icky spikes - usually caused by the high fat and carbohydrate content. That's another little side-note: the high fat-content also just kills my stomach. My poor gall-bladder needs to come out at some point, and fat exacerbates it.
I've taken it upon myself to try and have the same control over my diabetes I did when I was pregnant. I was bound and determined to eat well, not snack, and keep my blood sugar in the best control I could - but I didn't beat myself up over a few bad days/numbers here and there.
To expect that I would have the exact same kind of control would be ridiculous - and honestly not realistic. Chasing after the munchkin every day is a full-time job itself, so is being back at work 2-3 days a week (where I get to bring munchkin with me), there is also my photography and and and and.... LIFE.
But because I am living life - it'd be best to live. So, I'm working on improving our overall quality of life by taking inventory of the things we eat as a family. I always feel so much better when I eat healthier - Kenny notices he feels better as well when we eat healthy together. So, I'm going back to that. I don't expect perfection, because sometimes its fun to go out and eat together, and sometimes you end up being stuck in town and necessity demands it. I'd like to make eating out the exception rather than the norm.
So, that's my new goal. And I like it.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Numbers, Blues, and Gadgets.
I've mentioned before that one of my biggest concerns - one I also have no way to do anything about - is that Rylee will become diabetic too. I know the signs and get a little panicky whenever I think Rylee is exhibiting any one of them. Then I force myself to realize that she's fine, it's a normal toddler behavior to drink and pee a lot - just because they are playing AND it's hot out, and she definitely doesn't do it all the time. Nonetheless, it's still always in the back of my mind.
So, when she scratched herself pretty good the other night and had a nice drop of blood sitting on her nose Kenny and I thought "hey! We should test her blood sugar just because we shouldn't waste such a nice drop of blood" (uh, yeah, we're freaks).
Can you guess how surprised we were when this came up on the meter:
Yeah, Kenny and I both looked at each other with that "oh crap" look. Then we both thought, she's got to have sugar on her face, she's a kid - she's *always* got sugar of some kind on her skin. So I broke out the alcohol swabs (being a "pro" at being diabetic, I always feel that I have risen above the need to use those things), swabbed her hand, put a new needle in the Lancet - poked her hand a retested. I nice 104mg/dl showed up.
We breathed a sigh of relief - she did just have sugar all over her face - like usual. We both swear she's a sticky factory.
Moving on... sort of... I snapped this picture the other day:
Cause it struck me funny.
No, I really don't love that shade of blue. Seriously. I'm more of a bright/turquoise-ish blue person. My pump is that color blue because I was tired of Black and Silver - and Blue was the only other choice I was allowed. My phone's case is only that color blue because it's the case that came with my phone - not the color I would have chose if I were, you know, choosing it. My meter - well, that just happens to be the particular one I could find in a pinch last week and it made its way into the rotation for the currently used meter.
I didn't even realize that my main gadgets were all matching until the day I snapped that picture. I had them all sitting next to each other during a infusion site change (yes, it took me until they were all right next to each other). Seriously, though, that's not my favorite color.
My new pump - it's going to be lime green! It'll match my bed spread and I'll probably lose it in my sleep. But it'll be great.
Okay, I'll leave you with this:
I said it was falling apart. There's more to the "falling apart" but that's the most notable/visible.
Come ON doctor! Get that dang prescription faxed back to Animas stat!!!
So, when she scratched herself pretty good the other night and had a nice drop of blood sitting on her nose Kenny and I thought "hey! We should test her blood sugar just because we shouldn't waste such a nice drop of blood" (uh, yeah, we're freaks).
Can you guess how surprised we were when this came up on the meter:
Yeah, Kenny and I both looked at each other with that "oh crap" look. Then we both thought, she's got to have sugar on her face, she's a kid - she's *always* got sugar of some kind on her skin. So I broke out the alcohol swabs (being a "pro" at being diabetic, I always feel that I have risen above the need to use those things), swabbed her hand, put a new needle in the Lancet - poked her hand a retested. I nice 104mg/dl showed up.
We breathed a sigh of relief - she did just have sugar all over her face - like usual. We both swear she's a sticky factory.
Moving on... sort of... I snapped this picture the other day:
Cause it struck me funny.
No, I really don't love that shade of blue. Seriously. I'm more of a bright/turquoise-ish blue person. My pump is that color blue because I was tired of Black and Silver - and Blue was the only other choice I was allowed. My phone's case is only that color blue because it's the case that came with my phone - not the color I would have chose if I were, you know, choosing it. My meter - well, that just happens to be the particular one I could find in a pinch last week and it made its way into the rotation for the currently used meter.
I didn't even realize that my main gadgets were all matching until the day I snapped that picture. I had them all sitting next to each other during a infusion site change (yes, it took me until they were all right next to each other). Seriously, though, that's not my favorite color.
My new pump - it's going to be lime green! It'll match my bed spread and I'll probably lose it in my sleep. But it'll be great.
Okay, I'll leave you with this:
I said it was falling apart. There's more to the "falling apart" but that's the most notable/visible.
Come ON doctor! Get that dang prescription faxed back to Animas stat!!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Still Waiting
I had to fax them 30 days of blood sugar logs (do you know how annoying that is? I HATE, and I mean HATE - absolutely Detest logging, I could barely keep it up while I was pregnant). Animas called me back later to "confirm" that my current pump is malfunctioning - before the insurance company would approve it. - it is, it's definitely falling apart. I should post pictures of my poor sad pump, maybe I will try to tomorrow.
So, as of last Wednesday all we were waiting on was the prescription from my doctor and final insurance company approval before they could finalize the whole thing. Gr. That's about all I have to say about that. It's really irritating to me. I can be a very patient person, but I would really like my new pump now. My current pump is falling apart, I question how much longer it will last me in its present state. Also, I HATE - absolutely HATE the infusion sets I'm being forced to use through my prescription plan.
I think they are a huge cause of why I've been able to get sick so easily these days. These infusion sets fail so much faster than my old ones. They are about 20 inches too long, so they get caught on EVERYTHING. I have found holes in my tubing more times than I can count with this brand. All in all I am beyond fed up. - Why is this part of getting a new pump? Well, once I meet my deductible I can get the infusion sets that I like (or that I KNOW will actually work) via the Durable Medical Equipment clause and end up paying just a couple bucks more than the prescription plan.
Kenny and I've both decided it's worth the couple extra dollars to not constantly have failed infusion set sites.
So, I'm sick of waiting now. I've been "good" and not plagued Animas with phone calls just to see where we're at in the process, but I think I might tomorrow. Heehee.
In the mean time, I'm alive and well. My little episode last week didn't linger on past Thursday. I've been catching up on my house work and errands that got seriously set back from my 2 days down and out cold.
Rylee has had a major growth spurt and is seriously taller than most of the children her age that we regularly see. I wish she'd quit growing. I miss my little infant child.
Aaaaand to finish this all off - Kenny goes back to school in a month! It's going to be an epic year, that's for sure!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Getting hit by a train
I've read stories from other Type 1 Diabetics where they go from feeling fine to DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis) just from being mildly sick with something that wouldn't typically phase "normal" people - but I had never experienced it myself.
...until Tueday.
Oh my gosh I was so sick. There are only 2 other times in my life I can recall being so sick:
1st time: The week leading up to my diagnosis as Type 1 Diabetic.
2nd time: being a stupid teenager and not taking care of myself I wound up in serious DKA that landed me in the ICU for several days, unconscious and a dozen wires hooked up to me.
This time - it hit me like a train.
My husband was out of town for a few days starting Monday. A few hours after dinner I realized I felt funny - checked my blood sugar and saw "HI" (blood sugar over 600mg/dl). "CRAP!" My infusion site had failed on me so I changed it out, had a new one going and took a ton of insulin. I put our daughter to bed and decided to sleep on the couch - I don't like sleeping alone in the bed - it's too lonely.
I woke up around 2am and wondering why the heck I'm awake if my daughter is still asleep - that shouldn't happen - I casually checked my phone, and my email - then it hit me: "I'm going to puke!" From the point on Tuesday was spent in agony.
SO thankful to be living with parents that day - my mother-in-law took Rylee and took care of her, while I continued to puke every hour or more. She brought me water and toast - none of which I could keep down for more than an 30 minutes (and the dang dog kept eating the toast!).
At one point I considered having my Mother-in-law take me into the doctor but I thought if I could just get my blood sugar under 300mg/dl I'd be okay. It was 2pm by that time and I hadn't been able to see a number under 300 despite taking tons of insulin. An hour later it finally broke and I got down to 209, then a little later 126mg/dl - but I still felt like dying.
My husband came home a day earlier because they got the jobs they were working on done quickly. He came home and saw me sprawled out on the floor - it was cooler there and my back didn't hurt as bad on the floor either.
I told him I thought we needed to go to the ER, I hadn't been able to keep anything down all day, my blood sugar was 84mg/dl and I was afraid of then having a nasty low blood sugar reaction due to the serious lack of food and hydration. He called a nurse - packed me up and away we went.
After getting to the ER they got me into a bed quickly. I almost (mind you - *almost*) felt guilty - they got me in ahead of every one else sitting in there except a little infant - she got to go ahead of me just by minutes.
They got an IV started, gave me an IV line of anti-nausea meds AND some Morphine. I started feeling better once that Morphine kicked in. I've never had the stuff before and let me tell you - it was the strangest sensation as it hit my body. But it took away my back pain, the raging migraine I'd had all day and all the other aches and pains - because everything hurt. I was able to relax finally - no longer feeling the intense need to throw-up and getting rid of all the bodily aches.
After some blood-work they determined I had some sort of infection, possibly from food poisoning or some other bug. They gave me another IV bag of antibiotics, another full bag of fluids, and a prescription for antibiotics for the next couple days to make sure whatever was getting me would be gone.
The attending doctor was a neat guy, he gave me a prescription for anti-nausea meds too - for "in the future" if I do get a stomach bug again I can take those and hopefully avoid another ER trip.
Looking back I don't think this trip was avoidable at all, like I said: it hit me like a train. I came home from a full, but good day out helping my dad and running errands. I was hungry so had some left-overs in the fridge, since Kenny wasn't going to be home I didn't need to worry about making dinner. I had a snack later - realized my infusion site was bad - fixed that - went to bed - woke up ILL. No signs. No warnings - nothing.
No, this one hit me hard. Hard enough that the next day I spent napping - except for having my mother-in-law take me to the store. Today I *still* felt weak. It's frustrating not being up to my normal self! I'm a "go go go" person, not having the energy or strength to do it is strange.
So now I guess I do understand a little better how something so simple as a stomach bug can hit us diabetics harder than normal. It just might change the way I think about being around sick people too - I certainly would like to avoid a repeat of the last few days!!!
Monday, August 16, 2010
JDRF
When I was in the hospital I got this awesome backpack - in it was a bunch of goodies: A Rufus Bear (Being a teenager I wouldn't admit it to friends, but I snuggled that thing at night for years), A One Touch Ultra meter kit (it was the latest and greatest at the time), A lot of literature on how children with diabetes can live perfectly normal lives, and a bit more I don't remember. Most of it had that good 'ol JDRF stamp on it.
I spent hours on their website (and www.childrenwithdiabetes.com too). Researching diabetes, learning the ins and the outs. Learning about complications if I don't take care of myself, teaching myself all the tricks of the trade from other more seasoned Diabetics. Being the book worm I am the internet opened so many more avenues of learning for me - so I made sure I was always up-to-date on the latest and greatest treatments and gizmos and gadgets.
What is it about a nice new gadget? I just LOVE to have a new thing - even if they are nearly always diabetes related. I love new treatments that will help make things "easier" to deal with. Yet, I've never been one to jump on all the latest trends. When CGMS first came on the seen I was excited about it, but knew it was too new to be accurate enough to be worth it for me - AND those first receivers were freaking huge! Haha.
So this year I decided would be the year, rather impulsively tonight, I would join in the walk! I don't anticipate raising tons of money or anything of the sort - but just to go down and meet some others, maybe I can help be a support to other young women or mom's who are concerned for their kids living with this blasted disease - that would just be such a blessing to me.
It doesn't hurt to ask, though, if you do feel like donating no matter how small, that would just be awesome. My Walk fundraiser page can be found here.
Diabetes is not an easy thing to live with day to day. There is no "vacation" from it. We have to make choices every day that most people would consider trivial like "do I eat toast or cereal for breakfast" can actually be a big deal - "Well, toast doesn't raise my blood sugar as much as Cereal, but my blood sugar is a little low this morning so maybe Cereal would be the better choice in this case..."
Like Cancer and so many other things, we'd also like a cure to come around some day.
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
It's a Beautiful Day
In the Neighborhood
To go out and get some donuts for breakfast with my husband and daughter. To go play at the track with hubby's truck
Then later go out to a small lunch and get some pictures of a potential spot for family photos
Yeah, it's been a pretty awesome Sunday.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Doctor Stuffs - Part 2
Yesterday I went in for what's called a HIDA scan.
I got to spend an hour laying underneath this funky contraption:
When I got there the really really nice technician started an IV and injected this dye into it. I had to lay on that thing for 30 minutes doing nothing but twiddling my thumbs - except not really twiddling because you have to lay *really* still. So I just laid there wishing I could twiddle my thumbs. We were waiting for the dye to become fully active - or something like that.
When the technician came back in he brought the computer screen over to where I could actually see it and showed me that my gallbladder was almost where they "wanted it". The screen looked similar to this:
That bright glowing thing is a gallbladder! Behind it is the liver and to the right side of it is the pancreas. (See all the cool things you can learn at a doctor appointment! haha!)
So, I guess when it was glowing "enough" or something like that he injected something similar to Bile into my IV - basically trying to make the gallbladder do it's thing so they could watch how well it was functioning. At that point I was supposed to tell the Tech how I was feeling - if I was feeling any pain, discomfort, nausea or nothing at all. Almost immediately my stomach started hurting. A few minutes later he gave me a second does and - Nausea! - I thought I was going to puke right there and ruin the whole test.
In order to get an accurate look at how the gallbladder is functioning I had to lay there another 30 minutes before I got to be done and go on with my day - waiting for a call from the doctor - or something - I wasn't really sure what was going to happen at that point.
A couple hours later the Urgent Care doctor I saw on Tuesday called me and said "Well, according to what we saw - your gallbladder didn't function at all and you're pain confirmed it! We'll get you set up with a surgical consult and get you on your way to feeling better."
I've got the surgical consult coming up in a couple weeks, not sure when, though, the actual surgery is going to happen yet. There are so many life variables going on right now.
Animas never got back to me about the process of getting a new pump. I'm assuming it's because it is so freaking hard to get a hold of any one that knows anything within our insurance company. - Or at least I'm hoping that's what it is, because Animas has always been so great to me. Heehee.
So, I feel a bit "validated" in a way - I haven't been feeling so terrible for nothing! I'm hearing of more and more people I know that have had their gallbladder out. I'm really not concerned about it at all. I'm looking forward to the minor surgery because then I'll be on my way to being a normal person again, considering this has been going on since before Rylee was born.
The question I've gotten from a few people that's surprised me (although I guess it shouldn't have) is if this is "related to my diabetes." Uh - No. People having their gallbladder out is far more "normal" than I knew before and definitely not anything to do with me being diabetic - just to clear that up!
No, my body just has a superiority complex and is deciding to allow all the non-essential organ fail me! Haha!
Okay, I'll leave you with that thought for the night.
I got to spend an hour laying underneath this funky contraption:
When I got there the really really nice technician started an IV and injected this dye into it. I had to lay on that thing for 30 minutes doing nothing but twiddling my thumbs - except not really twiddling because you have to lay *really* still. So I just laid there wishing I could twiddle my thumbs. We were waiting for the dye to become fully active - or something like that.
When the technician came back in he brought the computer screen over to where I could actually see it and showed me that my gallbladder was almost where they "wanted it". The screen looked similar to this:
That bright glowing thing is a gallbladder! Behind it is the liver and to the right side of it is the pancreas. (See all the cool things you can learn at a doctor appointment! haha!)
So, I guess when it was glowing "enough" or something like that he injected something similar to Bile into my IV - basically trying to make the gallbladder do it's thing so they could watch how well it was functioning. At that point I was supposed to tell the Tech how I was feeling - if I was feeling any pain, discomfort, nausea or nothing at all. Almost immediately my stomach started hurting. A few minutes later he gave me a second does and - Nausea! - I thought I was going to puke right there and ruin the whole test.
In order to get an accurate look at how the gallbladder is functioning I had to lay there another 30 minutes before I got to be done and go on with my day - waiting for a call from the doctor - or something - I wasn't really sure what was going to happen at that point.
A couple hours later the Urgent Care doctor I saw on Tuesday called me and said "Well, according to what we saw - your gallbladder didn't function at all and you're pain confirmed it! We'll get you set up with a surgical consult and get you on your way to feeling better."
I've got the surgical consult coming up in a couple weeks, not sure when, though, the actual surgery is going to happen yet. There are so many life variables going on right now.
Animas never got back to me about the process of getting a new pump. I'm assuming it's because it is so freaking hard to get a hold of any one that knows anything within our insurance company. - Or at least I'm hoping that's what it is, because Animas has always been so great to me. Heehee.
So, I feel a bit "validated" in a way - I haven't been feeling so terrible for nothing! I'm hearing of more and more people I know that have had their gallbladder out. I'm really not concerned about it at all. I'm looking forward to the minor surgery because then I'll be on my way to being a normal person again, considering this has been going on since before Rylee was born.
The question I've gotten from a few people that's surprised me (although I guess it shouldn't have) is if this is "related to my diabetes." Uh - No. People having their gallbladder out is far more "normal" than I knew before and definitely not anything to do with me being diabetic - just to clear that up!
No, my body just has a superiority complex and is deciding to allow all the non-essential organ fail me! Haha!
Okay, I'll leave you with that thought for the night.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Doctor Stuffs
Awhile back I posted about having stomach problems and suspecting it to be Celiac Disease considering it's also an auto-immune disease it makes me a little more likely to have it.
Finally keeping a doctors appointment I asked her to have me tested for it - she willingly obliged and the tests came back negative.
Back to square 1.
For awhile I decided to try the gluten free thing just to see if I'm "gluten intolerant" and it initially seemed to help but the symptoms never really went away and then started coming back just as bad.
Alright, it's not that for now. My stomach has been hurting more and more so I drug myself into an urgent care doctor cause I didn't want to wait a month to get set up with a doctor to "look at my problems." That was one of the best decisions I've made in awhile, Haha. They were very nice and I suggested to them possibly a gall-bladder issues - so we started doing tests for that.
They drew blood and sent me down for x-rays of my stomach just to rule out anatomical problems like a twisted intestine. The next morning was an ultrasound to check out the gallbladder, kidneys, spleen and (I think) liver. That found nothing too - no gallstones or anything.
The doctor I saw that morning, though, was even better than the previous one. She told me it definitely sounds like gallbladder. The blood tests the previous doctor ran were the wrong ones to check for gallbladder problems, apparently, so we had to re-draw those. She's also sending me in for a dye type test to check the gallbladder function. I've got that going this morning (so I should wrap this up and get ready to go).
I hope that they'll find find something there so at least I'll have an answer and can do something! Haha.
Finally keeping a doctors appointment I asked her to have me tested for it - she willingly obliged and the tests came back negative.
Back to square 1.
For awhile I decided to try the gluten free thing just to see if I'm "gluten intolerant" and it initially seemed to help but the symptoms never really went away and then started coming back just as bad.
Alright, it's not that for now. My stomach has been hurting more and more so I drug myself into an urgent care doctor cause I didn't want to wait a month to get set up with a doctor to "look at my problems." That was one of the best decisions I've made in awhile, Haha. They were very nice and I suggested to them possibly a gall-bladder issues - so we started doing tests for that.
They drew blood and sent me down for x-rays of my stomach just to rule out anatomical problems like a twisted intestine. The next morning was an ultrasound to check out the gallbladder, kidneys, spleen and (I think) liver. That found nothing too - no gallstones or anything.
The doctor I saw that morning, though, was even better than the previous one. She told me it definitely sounds like gallbladder. The blood tests the previous doctor ran were the wrong ones to check for gallbladder problems, apparently, so we had to re-draw those. She's also sending me in for a dye type test to check the gallbladder function. I've got that going this morning (so I should wrap this up and get ready to go).
I hope that they'll find find something there so at least I'll have an answer and can do something! Haha.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Breaks, Insurance (again), and Pumps
So, I've been taking a bit of a break from most social-networking. I've still been on facebook, just not as much. It's been a nice break. Sometimes for the sake of my sanity I need to disconnect from everything.
Anyhow, I think I'll be back more regularly again.
The glutton for punishment that I am - I'm going back into dealing with my insurance company.
My Insulin Pump's warranty has been gone since February. It's been proven that my pumps only last me about 6 months at a time before I need them to send me a new one - just because I'm so hard on them in every day use. The battery case ends up cracked, the rubber on the buttons wears off leaving electronics exposed, it refuses to prime... and so on.
In the name of tradition - my pump is rapidly falling apart. The rubber over the buttons is peeling off - and I've already done my best to preserve that. I accidentally exposed it to several X-Rays last week- it doesn't seem to have done any damage, but it's just another risk to it seriously failing me soon. I've already noticed some problems where it's not actually priming even though it says it is - leaving me with awesome high blood sugars, usually overnight.
When changing my infusion site the other day I realized that I will either
A. Need to order more supplies soon
B. Go back to Multiple Daily Injections (MDI)
or C. find out exactly how much a new pump is going to cost and see if that's even an option
I decided I've got a little bit of time before I'll need to order more supplies (a few weeks) so I'll call Animas and see what we can get going for me there. I had them run the numbers with my insurance company to help me figure out how much money I'll actually have to pay out of pocket after my 20% deductible and possible trade-in value for my current pump.
No one told me it takes 48 hours for them to talk to my insurance company and figure everything out so - impatient me called them yesterday afternoon and then I felt like an idiot after they told me it takes 48 hours so they'll call me tomorrow (now today). Ah well. I'll know more at some point today, I hope.
I kind of exciting prospective with possibly getting a new pump (under warranty!!!) is that we might be able to do a CGMS system for me too - we'll meet the deductible for the year and all the rest of my supplies will be covered 100% for the remainder of the medical year. - We'll see, though. Everything is all just "possibilities" right now and nothing is set in stone.
I'm really really really really hoping it'll all be feasible, though. The pump at least. If we can meet the deductible too - that would just be awesome. I absolutely HATE the infusion sets that I'm being forced to use right now because they are all that is covered under my prescription part of my medical plan. I could get the ones that I want under Durable Medical Equipment but at at 20% copay per box - it's just not a do-able option right now.
Here's a vent - Why does diabetes have to be so expensive!? It's irritating that my medical condition takes away from things I could be doing/getting for my daughter. It takes away from going out to dinner once in a while with my husband. Gr.
My husband is so sweet, though. Yesterday I told him I was feeling bad about possibly getting a new pump because it makes me a really expensive spouse - he told me "I married you knowing you're going to be expensive. I still love you!" Okay, he's definitely a keeper and the sweetest guy ever.
Alright, so I'm going to wrap this up for now. Here's to being back to some regular-ish posting!
Anyhow, I think I'll be back more regularly again.
The glutton for punishment that I am - I'm going back into dealing with my insurance company.
My Insulin Pump's warranty has been gone since February. It's been proven that my pumps only last me about 6 months at a time before I need them to send me a new one - just because I'm so hard on them in every day use. The battery case ends up cracked, the rubber on the buttons wears off leaving electronics exposed, it refuses to prime... and so on.
In the name of tradition - my pump is rapidly falling apart. The rubber over the buttons is peeling off - and I've already done my best to preserve that. I accidentally exposed it to several X-Rays last week- it doesn't seem to have done any damage, but it's just another risk to it seriously failing me soon. I've already noticed some problems where it's not actually priming even though it says it is - leaving me with awesome high blood sugars, usually overnight.
When changing my infusion site the other day I realized that I will either
A. Need to order more supplies soon
B. Go back to Multiple Daily Injections (MDI)
or C. find out exactly how much a new pump is going to cost and see if that's even an option
I decided I've got a little bit of time before I'll need to order more supplies (a few weeks) so I'll call Animas and see what we can get going for me there. I had them run the numbers with my insurance company to help me figure out how much money I'll actually have to pay out of pocket after my 20% deductible and possible trade-in value for my current pump.
No one told me it takes 48 hours for them to talk to my insurance company and figure everything out so - impatient me called them yesterday afternoon and then I felt like an idiot after they told me it takes 48 hours so they'll call me tomorrow (now today). Ah well. I'll know more at some point today, I hope.
I kind of exciting prospective with possibly getting a new pump (under warranty!!!) is that we might be able to do a CGMS system for me too - we'll meet the deductible for the year and all the rest of my supplies will be covered 100% for the remainder of the medical year. - We'll see, though. Everything is all just "possibilities" right now and nothing is set in stone.
I'm really really really really hoping it'll all be feasible, though. The pump at least. If we can meet the deductible too - that would just be awesome. I absolutely HATE the infusion sets that I'm being forced to use right now because they are all that is covered under my prescription part of my medical plan. I could get the ones that I want under Durable Medical Equipment but at at 20% copay per box - it's just not a do-able option right now.
Here's a vent - Why does diabetes have to be so expensive!? It's irritating that my medical condition takes away from things I could be doing/getting for my daughter. It takes away from going out to dinner once in a while with my husband. Gr.
My husband is so sweet, though. Yesterday I told him I was feeling bad about possibly getting a new pump because it makes me a really expensive spouse - he told me "I married you knowing you're going to be expensive. I still love you!" Okay, he's definitely a keeper and the sweetest guy ever.
Alright, so I'm going to wrap this up for now. Here's to being back to some regular-ish posting!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Living Life!
To say things have been busy would be an understatement!
Almost 2 months ago (I think?) I "officially" jumped into the world of photography. It's been a blast and I've had a fairly consistent number of jobs, about 1 a week or so, and it's been really wonderful. I'm learning a lot - like how to write things down in my schedule book (or even having a schedule book!) making things more "presentable" and just how to organize my computer/external hard-drive! I love it, though. A LOT. I could do this every day for the rest of my life and be quite content.
Kenny is completely registered for school! We got the financial aid numbers in and it looks like we'll be okay! Things will be a little iffy when his hours go down to part time (that's another thing - his boss created a part-time position for him!!) we'll probably have little to no money extra, and I may end up getting an additional part time job too. We'll see, all in time.
Rylee is on a food strike this week. It's frustrating me to no end. I know kids do that, it's normal. However, she's been getting more and more lethargic, grumpier easier AND dehydrating herself. Usually I end up giving her 10+ 10oz bottles a day with either Gatorade or Milk in it and she drinks them all down. Yesterday - she had 2, and only wet 2 diapers enough to kinda warrant a change. She'll sit in her highchair over an hour, just sitting there doing nothing - not touching her food except for when she thinks it might need to be slightly moved or (when I'm not looking) tossed on the floor for the dogs. Not much else to do except watch and make sure she doesn't need a doctor visit from dehydration. - That itself is frustrating to me.
I'm still having a hard time not having my own house, but I've come to accept that I'll always have a hard time not having my own place. It's just something I'll deal with until we move out. My in-laws are awesome, things are really great. Kenny has been able to have something to do with his Dad - which is awesome because Kenny needs projects, it's in his nature. Rylee has a fenced yard to play in, I can let her out back to play with the dog without being too worried about her. We're near by a river, which has been a nice little option for when it gets hot out.
Our dog is **finally** almost housebroken! It's a miracle! Haha, okay, maybe not really quite that extreme. We got a mini dog door (cat door) for her to go in and out of our room so she's better outside trained. She still has accidents - but that's WAY better! Accidents are where we wanted to be a couple months ago. Accidents are okay, they happen with puppies being the nature of a accident. It was just killing and frustrating us SO much that when she would go in the right place(s) it was more of an accident that she got it right.
Kenny blessed me last week by carpet cleaning (this will be the 4th time since we moved in) before I got home. Our room has smelled SO awful I did actually spend some time crying about it. I can't stand places that smell bad - neither can Kenny.
I can't wait for school to start for Kenny and see where things end up. I feel like it's taking forever to really get the new rollercoaster ride going, as if the past few months haven't been one of their own. My lovely sister in law is getting married this weekend and it's going to be a beautiful wedding. I'm pretty darn excited for her. - So that'll be keeping me very busy for the next few days until it's over.
So, that's it for this morning. Have a great day!
Almost 2 months ago (I think?) I "officially" jumped into the world of photography. It's been a blast and I've had a fairly consistent number of jobs, about 1 a week or so, and it's been really wonderful. I'm learning a lot - like how to write things down in my schedule book (or even having a schedule book!) making things more "presentable" and just how to organize my computer/external hard-drive! I love it, though. A LOT. I could do this every day for the rest of my life and be quite content.
Kenny is completely registered for school! We got the financial aid numbers in and it looks like we'll be okay! Things will be a little iffy when his hours go down to part time (that's another thing - his boss created a part-time position for him!!) we'll probably have little to no money extra, and I may end up getting an additional part time job too. We'll see, all in time.
Rylee is on a food strike this week. It's frustrating me to no end. I know kids do that, it's normal. However, she's been getting more and more lethargic, grumpier easier AND dehydrating herself. Usually I end up giving her 10+ 10oz bottles a day with either Gatorade or Milk in it and she drinks them all down. Yesterday - she had 2, and only wet 2 diapers enough to kinda warrant a change. She'll sit in her highchair over an hour, just sitting there doing nothing - not touching her food except for when she thinks it might need to be slightly moved or (when I'm not looking) tossed on the floor for the dogs. Not much else to do except watch and make sure she doesn't need a doctor visit from dehydration. - That itself is frustrating to me.
I'm still having a hard time not having my own house, but I've come to accept that I'll always have a hard time not having my own place. It's just something I'll deal with until we move out. My in-laws are awesome, things are really great. Kenny has been able to have something to do with his Dad - which is awesome because Kenny needs projects, it's in his nature. Rylee has a fenced yard to play in, I can let her out back to play with the dog without being too worried about her. We're near by a river, which has been a nice little option for when it gets hot out.
Our dog is **finally** almost housebroken! It's a miracle! Haha, okay, maybe not really quite that extreme. We got a mini dog door (cat door) for her to go in and out of our room so she's better outside trained. She still has accidents - but that's WAY better! Accidents are where we wanted to be a couple months ago. Accidents are okay, they happen with puppies being the nature of a accident. It was just killing and frustrating us SO much that when she would go in the right place(s) it was more of an accident that she got it right.
Kenny blessed me last week by carpet cleaning (this will be the 4th time since we moved in) before I got home. Our room has smelled SO awful I did actually spend some time crying about it. I can't stand places that smell bad - neither can Kenny.
I can't wait for school to start for Kenny and see where things end up. I feel like it's taking forever to really get the new rollercoaster ride going, as if the past few months haven't been one of their own. My lovely sister in law is getting married this weekend and it's going to be a beautiful wedding. I'm pretty darn excited for her. - So that'll be keeping me very busy for the next few days until it's over.
So, that's it for this morning. Have a great day!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Summer Fun Times!
So, I've been remiss about my blogging lately. Summer is (FINALLY) in full swing and so are weddings, and the photography fun and everything else in between!
It's late and I'd like to be in bed now, so I'm just gracing the world with a quick update in pictures!
It's late and I'd like to be in bed now, so I'm just gracing the world with a quick update in pictures!
She loves swinging!
She's my little dare-devil with the slide love!
She's Mommy's little helper!
Rylee's Got a Secret!!!
(Okay, not really, but we thought it was hilarious!)
She looooooooved the teeter-totter
Okay, so that's my picture update for today, a real life update coming soon! I promise!
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