Skip to main content

Why I Will Advocate My Way, Not Yours

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

In the diabetes community there is a lot of uproar over how you are supposed to advocate, what you are supposed to advocate for and who you are supposed to do it with. Now, I might be mistaken, but don’t I have the right to advocate my own way, about what I want to and with who I want to? I will always advocate my way, because it’s what works for me. I can’t advocate a way someone else wants me to or about someone else’s passion because then I don’t have any passion behind that advocating.

Advocating for something requires passion. Without passion, your advocacy efforts will die out very quickly.

Also, I strongly believe that in order to find a common ground or to get something from someone you must work with them. Attacking people, or companies, is not going to work. It just won’t.

You may not agree with me, and that is fine, it’s an opinion. Opinions aren’t facts, so they can both potentially be right.

So, if that requires me to work with an organization or company to find a solution, then guess what? I’m going to do that.

And guess what else? If you don’t like it, I don’t really care.

You advocate your way.

I will advocate my way.

Build the Tallest Building

They say that there’s two ways to have the biggest building in town.

1. You can just work hard and outwork everyone to build the biggest building in town.

2. You can knock down the current biggest building in town.

Now, I will choose option 1 every single time. I will never try to advance myself or my advocacy efforts by tearing down someone else’s efforts. And to add to that, I can’t stand people who choose option number 2. Put in the work, do more, and support others who are in the fight together (whether you think they are or not).

There are just a lot of negative people out there. Twitter has made it much easier for these people to be even more negative. Wake up complaining, complain all day, go to bed complaining, yet do nothing.

Those are the people who choose number 2 above.

Start working towards accomplishing number 1.

And that’s that.

Bottom line is this. We all have different passions. We may share the same end goal, but approach it differently.

There are people who advocate for the same end goal as me, and I may not agree with how they go about it, but I will still support it, because I know that there are some aspects of their advocacy that are actually helping push the ball forward. I also feel that there are things done that roll the ball back 10 feet for every 1 foot they gain, but that’s how they decide to do it.

Instead of spending time (wasting time) arguing with others how they are advocating, use that same time to push your advocacy effortsforward.

Insert something about bees and honey and vinegar here. I would never want to attract bees, so it makes no sense to me, but you know what I’m saying.

Dexcom: One Week Later

Chris Stocker

I have been using Dexcom for longer than a week, but I’m just now getting a chance to write this post. I shared my thoughts on my first 24 hours with Dexcom, so now it’s time for my first week with Dexcom.

Comfort

From the time I inserted the sensor until it ended and I removed it, there was no discomfort. I inserted the first sensor just under my left breast. I was very happy with the comfort of the insertion and the fact that I barely even knew it was there for an entire week.

Adhesive

The adhesive stuck for an entire week. Now, I did have to use some reinforcements during the week. I started going back to the gym, so the sweat was really making the sensor adhesive come off of my skin. I actually used the Medtronic sensor tape to help reinforce the Dexcom adhesive. I’ve included an image to show you the Medtronic sensor tape in case you have never seen it. I cut it in half and then put half on the top of the Dexcom sensor and half on the bottom.

Accuracy

I cannot complain about the accuracy at all. There were a few finger stick checks that were a bit off, but nothing that was more than a few percentage points off. The accuracy came back quickly after a calibration. Two thumbs up for accuracy.

Overall Thoughts

So, my overall thoughts are that I am super excited and happy with the Dexcom. I’m going to do a full post on the Dexcom Clarity reports, but my time in range has increased tremendously in just one week being on Dexcom. Wearing it has allowed me to become an it more aggressive with my insulin as well. No fear of lows. No more not knowing my blood sugar is high until I test and going 2 hours with a high blood sugar and then another hour until it came back down.

More to come in later posts, but those are my initial feelings after a week.

First 24 Hours with Dexcom

Chris Stocker 2 Comments

This post was originally written last week, but just now posting it….

I’ve been using my Dexcom for a little over 24 hours now, close to the 36 hour range. My initial thoughts are pretty simple….AWESOME!

If you haven’t checked out my Dexcom G5 Unboxing video yet, go check it out.

I have had a CGM in my life in the past, but I didn’t wear it consistently. It was always a hassle and a pain and I was just always too lazy to insert a new sensor.

My first sensor insertion was super easy and was done in seconds.

The first sensor site that I chose was where I used to wear my Medtronic sensor which is just under the breast. I like this spot because I don’t feel it and it does not move a lot.

I have problems using my stomach because of how overweight I am and the “rolls” that I have on my stomach. This causes the sensor to fall off pretty quickly.

Setting up the receiver and the app on my phone was pretty easy as well. I also wear an Apple Watch, so I installed the app on my phone as well. Being able to use my phone to see my current glucose levels is one of the primary reasons I was so excited to start wearing a Dexcom. And, I must say, it didn’t fail. It is pretty exciting to see those numbers right on my watch.

The 2 hour waiting period was not a big deal for me. I’ve been without a CGM for such a long time that 2 more hours isn’t that much. We will see how the 2-hour warm up period is when I am so used to having the CGM data.

 

Everything has been pretty accurate so far. Meter and CGM have not been more than 10 “points” off, so that’s a huge plus.

I have set my low and high limits at 70 and 200. I will slowly move the 200 “high” down to 150. I am still getting used to MDI and now that I have the CGM, I can get a lot more aggressive with my insulin. Previously, I had to rely on feeling low or testing more often. At this point, with the CGM, I am ready to get aggressive to hit my overall time in range goals and ultimately my A1C  (although I don’t put too much weight on that number, it’s still a goal of mine)

I haven’t had two consecutive A1C’s below 7.0 in almost 10 years, so that is my goal.

That’s pretty much everything from my first 24 hours with Dexcom.

I will continue to share my journey with Dexcom and how it has helped me manage my diabetes.

Please be sure to sign up for the newsletter, subscribe on YouTube or the email newsletter to stay up to date and be eligible for lots of giveaways!

two doctor appointments

Two Doctor Appointments in One Day

Chris Stocker 2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago entailed a lot of doctor appointments. I have new insurance this year, which is a lot better than the insurance that I had in 2017. I will be posting about my horrible experiences with them and my on-going issues with them. Anyway, all of my doctors now accept my new insurance. But I had not seen a primary care physician in over 2-3 years for multiple reasons. Primary reason was because I just didn’t care to go see one.

With new insurance and a new year comes new reasons to make sure that I am healthy. It just so happened that both of these appointments were back to back with each other.

Primary Care Visit

First up was the Primary Care appointment. This was a new doctor, so of course I had to sit in the waiting room for 20 minutes filling out information. Apparently this place is a doctor’s office for a much older crowd. The average was probably about mid to late 70s. I was by far the youngest person and they were looking at me weird. It’s probably why the office staff was so nice to me, it was nice to see a younger person who isn’t so angry.

I really was happy with this doctor. The nurse was friendly and had a conversation with me. Asked me what I do for a living, where I was from (she knew my PA accent), where I went to college, kids, wife, etc. The doctor asked a lot of questions. A lot. But the main part, and the most important part to me, he allowed me to talk.

How I Handle Doctor Appointments

I handle my doctor appointments pretty much the same way that Eminem handled the final rap battle in 8 Mile. If you never saw the movie, he basically made fun of himself. He put everything out on the table about himself, so that when the other battle rapper was about to go, he would have nothing to say about Eminem.

That’s exactly how I handle my appointments.

I told the doctor that I know I am overweight. I know I need to lose about 60 pounds. That I don’t eat healthy all the time. I haven’t been to the gym in like 3-4 months. I don’t check my sugar as often as I should. I don’t rotate my shots as often as I should. I don’t go to the dentist or get my eyes checked regularly.

After I was done with all that, there wasn’t a lecture. In fact he said, “I’m not going to lecture you. You’re a grown man, you know what you need to do, you just need to do it.”

I think when it really sunk in was when he spent the next 5-7 minutes dictating it all into the computer. So, hearing him basically repeat everything that I just said was pretty surreal and an eye-opening experience. But I liked it, because I heard the doctor’s notes. I never know what is being put into those notes, but this time I did.

After that part of the appointment, they draw some labs right there and then it was off to my next appointment.

Endo Appointment

This one was my endo. Now, when I say endo, she’s not an endo, she’s a ARNP, CDE and something else (sorry I forget all the titles).

I didn’t have labs to review, but I had an agenda coming into the appointment.

The morning of the appointment, I received an email with a press release from Novo Nordisk about Fiasp. So, I wanted to talk Fiasp with her. She didn’t have samples at the time, but I picked up a few from her the other day, so I will be using it soon.

My other agenda item was to discuss with her my decision to go off of the pump and move to MDI and an insulin pump. I want to stress what I said here….. MY decision to do this. She is a huge proponent of insulin pump therapy. So, when I said what I wanted to do, she just asked me to justify the decision. I explained to her exactly why I wanted to and why I felt like it would be better for me.

5 minutes later, she was writing new prescriptions.

That appointment was primarily based on those discussions and also me admitting to her that I was in a bit of a funk towards the end of 2017. I wasn’t really myself. There were some personal issues holding me back, but I’ve been able to work through them.

I left the appointment feeling refreshed and motivated to move forward.

Both doctors recommended to me that I start a baby Aspirin and both said that they hope they see less of me next time.

Here’s to the journey.

Called a Dexcom Rep

The Time I Called a Dexcom Rep

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

So, as you may know, I have recently stopped using an insulin pump. The insulin pump that I was using was the 670G. I loved the accuracy of the CGM, but unfortunately, I can’t wear it without using the insulin pump part of the product. Since, I have decided to go back to MDI, I will need to start using a Dexcom as my CGM of choice.

Calling Dexcom

So, for the first time ever, I called a Dexcom rep.

I used a Dexcom for a few months about 8 years ago. I don’t even remember what model it was, but I do remember it was the egg shaped one. I was given the Dexcom for free because of the company that I worked for at the time. I know there have been a lot of changes to Dexcom since then and I never really paid attention to them because I knew that I was a Medtronic user, so I didn’t bother keeping up with the product.

I’ve seen a lot of the great things (Nightscout, AppleWatch, iPhone app, etc.), but I definitely don’t know much about them. I am excited to get caught up on all of the technology and the Dexcom lifestyle.

Teacher Becomes the Student

Dexcom Integrations
Photo Courtesy of Dexcom

My niece has been using a Dexcom for over a year now, so it looks like I will now be the student to my brother and sister-in-law who have been learning anything and everything about Dexcom since my niece was diagnosed.

As soon as I made the decision to give up pumping and go back to MDI, I called my local Dexcom rep and explained how I was giving up pumping and he was a bit shocked by my decision to go back to MDI.

He was extremely helpful and got the ball rolling right away. Which, when it comes to my health, I don’t want to wait, I want it now! (Except for the whole losing weight thing, that seems to be something I push off).

It looks like there is going to be a lot more Dexcom related content coming to The Life of a Diabetic.

I have put in the call to Dexcom and submitted my insurance information and now am in waiting mode.

As soon as I know something, you will know something!

Back to MDI After 13 Years

Why I Decided to Go Back to MDI After 13 Years

Chris Stocker 2 Comments

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes back in 2004, I was on MDI for the first year and a half. In December of 2005 I began using a Medtronic insulin pump. I have been on one ever since. During those 13 years, I have taken plenty of pump breaks and used MDI for a few days, even weeks at a time. I would eventually just back to my trusty insulin pump.

After a lot of thought and consideration, I have decided to give up the insulin pump and go back to MDI full-time. There are several reasons for this, but before I get to that I just want to mention this. I think that MDI is looked at as a barbaric, old school method of management these days, especially with all of the amazing technology that we have, but since we all know that your diabetes may vary, it works for some people.

Overweight

One of my biggest issues is that I am overweight. Big time overweight. Because of this, I use a lot of insulin. Primarily because of the unhealthy food choices that I make, which has caused me to be overweight. In any given day, I may range from 180-220 units of insulin in just one day!

That’s 180 units of insulin going into one infusion site. There is absolutely no way that the infusion site can handle that much insulin in such a short period of time. This then leads to my sites leaking, not absorbing the insulin, and hard build ups in areas which then do not allow me to use them again as an infusion site for a long-time.

The primary solution here is to stop eating like an idiot and lose weight, but in the meantime, I have decided to go MDI.

One Bolus, Multiple Injections

With MDI, I can divide all of my shots to different areas throughout the day. For example, my Tresiba is taken in two shots, both at the same time, but I split the amount in two, one shot in the left arm, one shot in the right arm. That way, my body absorbs the insulin much better. Same goes with bolus shots. I am able to split them and inject insulin into different locations for the same meal. This helps my body absorb the insulin much better, not cause scar tissue to soak up the insulin, which all leads to better blood sugars.

With all that being said, my new game plan to manage my diabetes is going to be Tresiba, Novolog, and Dexcom (more on this tomorrow). I am also going to take a trial run of Fiasp, which is a much faster acting insulin. I sometimes don’t take my insulin until after I ate (lazy) or right before the meal, so this Fiasp reacts much quicker. I’ll have a full review of Fiasp after I can sample for a week.

Switching back to MDI is the number one reason why I stepped down as a MiniMed Ambassador. I could not continue to do that while not being on the pump. I feel like this is the best management for me and the best way for me to lower my A1C and spend more time in range!

Here’s to a new journey in life and I’m looking forward to sharing everything that I discover in this new journey with you.

Stepping Down as a MiniMed Ambassador

Chris Stocker 5 Comments

This post is something that I knew I had to write, but was not looking forward to it.

I am stepping down as a MiniMed Ambassador.

There is simply one reason why I am doing this; I am no longer using an insulin pump.

Medtronic has been there for me since I first went on a pump 12 years ago. I have been using a MiniMed pump ever since then. Their customer service has always been amazing. Their marketing team has always been great to work with. They have always treated me with the utmost respect and have gone above and beyond for me on any request that I have ever asked of them.

As a company, they are one of my favorites.

Unfortunately, I have decided to stop using an insulin pump.

Why would I go off some of the best technology available in the 670G? Because my diabetes is different than every one else’s and it’s what works for me.

I will be going into more depth in tomorrow’s post as to why I have decided to stop using an insulin pump, but today is a sad post for me.

I have enjoyed my time as an Ambassador. I first wanted to become an Ambassador because when I was first going on a pump, I had a million questions. My first question was, “is it surgically implanted?”

I knew NOTHING about an insulin pump. And that’s why I wanted to be an Ambassador, because I wanted to help people who had questions.

I just want to end this post with THANK YOU to everyone at Medtronic for everything you have done for me.

Planning for 2018 – Type 1 Entrepreneur Ep:011 Podcast

Chris Stocker

In today’s 5 minute podcast, I’m talking about my 2018 planning and goals that I am setting. Give it a listen and also please subscribe.





Subscribe to The Life of a Diabetic

I’m Too Damn Lazy – Type 1 Entrepreneur Ep:010

Chris Stocker

In today’s 5 minute podcast, I’m calling myself out. I’ve been too damn lazy when it comes to my own health.





Subscribe to The Life of a Diabetic

Checking More Often – Type 1 Entrepreneur Ep:009

Chris Stocker

In today’s 5 minute podcast, I’ve been checking my blood sugar more often thanks to my unlimited supply of test strips from One Drop.

Check out how it’s helped and visit https://thelifeofadiabetic.com/onedrop and use promo code “STOCKER” to receive 10% off your order.






Subscribe to The Life of a Diabetic