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New Dexcom Milestone

Chris Stocker 2 Comments

Yesterday I reached a new Dexcom milestone since I first began using the Dexcom last year.  I have only worn the Dexcom six times since December, so I have not been very good about it, but it was one of my 2012 goals that I wanted to begin wearing it more often.  Why? Because my blood sugars are incredibly better while wearing one, I think just about everybody can say that who has had the priveledge of using one.

The milestone that I just reached is actually getting a full seven days out of the sensor.  The previous times that I have worn a sensor, it is either fell off or there were some sort of errors with the sensor.  I finally reached that seven days and it was such a relief.  The only part that sucked about that was that I was about 2 hours away from a no-hitter, my first 24 hour no-hitter!  And then I had to restart the sensor, so there was two hours without a reading.  Once the sensor was ready for the two blood sugar tests my sugar had gone higher than my high limit, so there went my no-hitter.

When I first started using the Dexcom, I set my high mark at 200.  I went above 200 a lot when I am not wearing the Dexcom, so I figured it would be a good place to start it at.  After a while, I then moved the high alert down to 180.  I figured, if I’m going to be using this device, I might as well get the most out of it and try and get my blood sugars within that exact range that I want.  I am going to keep the high alert at 180 for now, because I am fine if my blood sugar hits the 180 mark, I can bring it down pretty easily.

It feels great when you actually reach a goal and milestone that you have set out for yourself.  Some goals seem easy to accomplish, but in reality they are not.  Confidence boosters are always good.

So keep your head up if you are failing at your goals.  Keeping working hard and success will come.

Walgreens and Diabetes Research Institute

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

I have not really dealt with Walgreens too much when it comes to diabetes supplies.  I’ve had some rough times with their largest competitor, which has led me to never shop there again.  Well, here’s another reason why I shop at Walgreen’s now.

In south Florida, which goes from Port St. Lucie to Key West, you can purchase a $1, $5, or $10 scannable during the month of March and write your name on it.

DRI - Walgreens Scannable
*courtesy of the DRI

There is also a can jar that is in some Walgreens locations as well.  This can jar is perfect for your left over change from your purchase (for those that use cash).

To learn more about this south Florida Walgreens and Diabetes Research Institute fundraising program check out the full information with the link just above.

Bumpy Start to Month of March

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

The month of March has not been the best start of a month for blood sugar levels.  I have hit 300 every day so far this month.  Not just once a day, but for a few hours every day.  Morning blood sugars have been around 250-300 and when that happens it pretty much just screws up everything.  Dinners have not been anything out of the ordinary, and neither has breakfast or lunch.  I’ve just been in a diabetes rut, if you will, for a few weeks. I can’t seem to get myself out of it.

A couple of weeks ago, I tweaked a lower back injury that I had back in college and it has pretty much shut me down exercise-wise for about 2-3 weeks.  I have not been able to ride my exercise bike, go for a run, or really do anything in that time frame, so it’s been really screwing up my diet and weight loss plan.  I have a pool in our community, but I have not been utilizing that, I think it is time.

I have a doctors appointment in 2 weeks and my doctor said she would have liked me to lose some weight before that next appointment, and I don’t think that I am going to hit the goal that we had set for myself.

Well, this is just another day, week, month of my life with diabetes.

Take care ya’ll

Guest Post – Definitely Not Your Normal First Year of College

Chris Stocker

Today I have decided to share a guest post with everybody.  About a year ago, I received a message from my blog from a girl who was just recently diagnosed with diabetes in college.  I asked her recently to write a guest post about her first year of college, and just like the title says, it’s not a normal first year.  The reason why this story touches me is because I went through basically the same exact stuff my first year of college.  Well, enough of me talking, here is Lauren Kaphengst – @LaurenKaphengst .  Hope you all enjoy and feel free to leave her comments.

Definitely Not Your Normal First Year of College

My first semester at Grand Valley State University was much like that of any other college freshman.  I had no shortage of friends with incredible people in my dorm and joining Sigma Kappa Sorority.  However, by the end of Christmas break, I had lost a total of 30 pounds.  My mother thought I was just walking more around campus and eating different food now that I was away from home.  My friends, however, thought I was bulimic (they didn’t tell me until months later).  I had all the usual symptoms we all now know about, but I just thought, hey I’m busy so of course I’m tired, thirsty, ect., you know, the usual.

February 4th, 2011, I had a routine checkup with the clinic on campus (that I almost cancelled because who really wants to walk 25 minutes in the frozen tundra that is West Michigan). Later that night was President’s Ball, so I just wanted to do my hair, put on my new dress, and party with thousands of other students from my university.  The Physician’s Assistant who was seeing me, after some normal tests, told me my urinalysis was positive for glucose.  Alone in the Campus Health clinic at the age of 19, I was told I might have diabetes.  After a blood test and many tearful phone calls, I learned later that day my A1C was 13.7 and I was in fact diabetic.  The PA gave me prescriptions for Metformin and a glucometer and sent me on my way.

I still went to President’s Ball that night.  My frantic mother drove the 3 hours the next morning to come get me, and I convinced her that I did not need to go to the hospital, despite her persistence.  I met with an endocrinologist three days later, on a Monday that I would have normally had Anatomy, Psychology, and Biochemistry lectures.  She told me that I have Type 1 Diabetes and I was immediately put on insulin, and to throw away the useless pills from the PA.  After more tears, especially during the first few shots and finger pokes, I was back at school as if nothing had ever happened.

When I was first diagnosed I thought diabetes was going to rule my life, and it did for a while.  I didn’t go out, drink like many of my friends, or even exercise because it was just too hard.  I put on a courageous mask, told my friends no, I am not bulimic, and tried to pretend I didn’t hate my life. Every finger poke was a challenge, my best friend would threaten to check my blood sugar for me when I reached the 5 minute mark and still hadn’t released the lancet. And the insulin pens and needles, I was definitely not their biggest fan. Eventually I came to a wonderful realization, I had an incredible group of people supporting me and slowly, I got through it.

This has been the craziest year of my life.  I am now living in the sorority house, ready to start the nursing program in August, and I actually go out on the weekends.  In my other life, my A1C is 7.0, I’ve been on the Medtronic insulin pump since July (which is incredible and everyone should get one!), and I have yet to be hospitalized.  It is a difficult life to adapt to; the ‘so, why do you have a beeper?’ questions or watching people almost pass out when you start to check your blood sugar (really its only a drop, come on).  Now, hiding my pump while wearing a dress on Saturday night, carb counting, and explaining my life to those who just don’t get it, are second nature.

I am a Sophomore Nursing Major at GVSU, a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority, Vice President of Fundraising for Rock Against Rape, Vice President of G.A.M.M.A. (Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol), and a Type 1 Diabetic.  I know my life will never be “normal,” I will always have that last aspect that labels me, but now after one year, I’m okay with that.

Achieving Failure Diabetes Style

Chris Stocker

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Achieving Failure”?  I know, it sounds weird.  The phrase can mean something different to everybody, but I am going to talk about what it means to me and how I feel about it.  To me, it is very simple.  When you set yourself up for failure, you are making it so much easier to achieve that failure.  So it seems that the easy solution is to just not set yourself up for failure right?  Sounds pretty easy, but it’s not.  I’ve come up with a few ways that I have achieved failure with my diabetes and if I could just listen to my own advice, I think I can change that failure into a success.

Achieving High Blood Sugars

Of course this is something that you don’t want to “achieve”, but you don’t want to achieve any failures.  I have been able to achieve this failure because, like I said, I set myself up for it.  Deciding to eat fast food that is extremely high in fat and having a lot of carbs in it, not testing my sugar before I eat, not testing sugar after I eat, and not exercising.  These all lead up to disaster blood sugar levels.  So how do I set myself up for more success than failure with blood sugar levels?  I think this is pretty easy, wear my Dexcom at all times.  Of course changing the eating habits are going to help as well, but if I’m wearing the Dexcom, I can at least see the high blood sugars coming before they get too high.

Achieving Weight Gain

A lot of the same issues that go into the high blood sugars also affect the weight gain.  The Dexcom is not going to help me with the weight gain, but cutting out the fatty foods and exercising more will help with the weight gain. So how am I able to st myself up for a more successful life and have better success at losing weight?  Buying only healthy food and only having healthy food in my house.  That currently is the case, but I still find ways to get unhealthy food into my system.  So the next step is more will power, mental toughness if you will.  Even if I don’t feel like eating what’s in the house, tough luck, I need to eat it.  Giving myself a better opportunity to achieve success is what it is all about.

Achieving Unproductivity

I think that just about everyone has achieved this failure multiple times in their life.  The unproductiveness that I am speaking about here is keeping up to date with the blog and interacting with other blogs and just keeping myself updated on what is going on in everyone’s life.  This happens because I set myself up for it by not always putting dedicated time to the side for it.  I run a business as well, so that takes up a lot more of my time than it once did, but it also provides me a lot more time (does that make sense?)  Being productive within that time is the only way that I can continue to achieve success.

Achieving failure is typically a lot easier than achieving success.  However, after reaching those failures, it is easier to reach the success afterwards, as long as you make the necessary changes.  Well, I wish the best of success achievements to everybody out there.  If you hit a failure, do not let it stop you.  Learn from it, make changes, and turn it into a success.

 

 

 

Why Do I Not Listen to Myself

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

Have you ever asked yourself that question?  “Why do I not listen to myself?”  Now, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has weird, crazy voices in their head, but those aren’t the ideas I am talking about when I say listen to myself.  I’m talking about the good things.  Why, when I tell myself, “it’s time to ride the exercise bike”, I decide not to.  Or when I tell myself, “you don’t need that second plate” I still go and eat that second plate?

If I could just actually listen to myself then I would be a far more healthier person.  Last week, or maybe two weeks ago, I don’t even remember now, I wrote a post about working from home once again and the benefits that were coming from it.  Earlier dinner times, cooking healthy meals, more time to exercise, and many other exciting things.  I am still doing these things, but they are becoming few and far between now.

My business is beginning to pick back up again, so I am once again working 8-10 hour days, which is perfectly fine.  I keep telling myself that I am going to wake up at 7 and exercise.  When I wake up at 7, I usually just go right back to bed or lay around until about 8, which is when I open up the Macbook and begin my day.

Do you have any tips or suggestions on how to make yourself listen to…. yourself more often?  If you do, I’d really like to hear.

Thanks ya’ll and have a kick ass weekend!

Both JDRF Walks on Same Day

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

This is something that really irritates me.  In fact, it pisses me the eff off.  Where I live, I am in the middle of two JDRF chapters that are about 25 miles apart from each other.  The walks for these chapters are about 15-20 miles away from each other.  I have relationships with both chapters and would like to see both chapters to succeed.  For that reason, I planned on going to both walks for each chapter.

Well, guess what?  Both walks are on March 31, 2012.  Can you believe that?  Two JDRF walks within a short driving distance between each other are on the same exact day.  I would expect that JDRF and the ADA have some sort of event on the same day, because that usually always happens.  Or maybe, a walk in south Florida and another walk in north Florida that is about a 6-7 hour drive away, that is acceptable.

But having walks this close together?  Unacceptable.  Now, I am only able to help one chapter, as opposed to two.

I’ve sent an e-mail directly to JDRF President Jeffrey Brewer.  Hopefully this is something that doesn’t happen again.  I don’t want to hear any excuses of “scheduling issues”, because there is no way that the schedules were so screwed up that two walks had to be held on the same day.

Unbelievable.

Diabetes in Dunkin Donuts

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

About two years ago, I went into one of the Dunkin Donuts by my house and had a diabetes experience that sticks with me today.  *Side note, I say “one of” the Dunkin Donuts because in south Florida you cannot trip and fall without landing in a DD.  Anyway, when I went in there, my pump beeped so I pulled it out to hit the ACT button to get it to stop beeping.  The cashier said, “is that an insulin pump?”  I said, “sure is”.  We began to have a short conversation while I was waiting for my bagel.  Basically she told me that she was recently diagnosed with type 2 and that her doctor wants to put her on insulin, but she doesn’t want to give herself shots because she was too afraid.  I told her that she can’t be afraid and just have to conquer her fears to save her life.

I need more coffee
I need more coffee

Fast forward to today.  I have gone to that DD 100 times in the years since that occurrence happened, and I don’t think she remembered me.  Until we had another diabetes experience this morning.  I started to take my insulin while I was in line, trying to do that 15 minutes before meal time stuff.  Unfortunately, I got the annoying beep, not the ‘doot-do-doo’ beep that goes off when you have a low reservoir, but the loud, obnoxious no delivery beep.  So, I pulled the pump out to get the beeping to stop, and she noticed it again!  What are the chances of that?!?

Long story short, she has lost 20 pounds and doctor took her off insulin and she is now on a once a day pill and strict diet.  She quit smoking and hasn’t eaten fast food in over a year.  You don’t always get a lot of time to talk to cashiers at DD in the morning time, but when I do get a chance, this is what I love to hear.  Wish I could say the same to her, except I was ordering a large iced coffee, sausage and cheese english muffin, hash browns, and of course the Cupid Special heart shaped donut for Amanda.  At least I know she’s not part of the diabetes police.

Well, have a great Valentine’s Day.  Help boost the economy today!

Infusion Sets not Lasting Long

Chris Stocker

Lately, I have been going through infusion sets like it is my job.  I wish I was getting paid for this job though.  Normally I can keep an infusion set in for about 4-7 days before I start experiencing any weird effects or begin to think that maybe some insulin is leaking.  However, it’s been about 2-3 days at most before I can feel and smell it leaking.  I don’t know what it is lately, but it’s really starting to piss me off.

It’s a new year so my deductible is back in business again, so I really would prefer to not have to order supplies for a few months, but diabetes doesn’t really care about that does it?

I have been eating a little unhealthy lately, so the extra insulin could definitely be a factor, too much insulin to the same site too quickly.  My fridge died on me 2 weekends ago when I was camping.  I had a mini fridge to store things that needed to be cold, but the new fridge did not get delivered until yesterday after a bunch of nasty phone calls to Sears.  I didn’t go grocery shopping within that time period because I had nowhere to store all the cold food.  So, I have been eating out a lot over the last few days, not good.

The good news however, is that that fridge is here, and I’m going grocery shopping tomorrow morning, and I can’t wait to fill it with a bunch of veggies and healthy food.

Well, I hope you all have a great weekend.

JDRF Walk in Boca Raton

Chris Stocker

It’s that time of the year again.  Time for the 3 local JDRF Walk’s in my area.  I typically make it to 2 out of the 3, but this year scheduling issues only allow for me to make it to one.  If you are reading this blog, than you don’t need to be told why it’s important for me to reach my goal.

I know that times are still tough for a lot of people, so I have decided to set the goal at $500 this year.  I set it at $1,000 last year, and I did not make the goal, so I want to make sure that I am setting goals that are challenging, but still able to be accomplished.

The link to my JDRF Donation Page is…well right there, you just skipped over it.  Go back a few words to the link.  It’s also on the right hand sidebar too.  If I can just get $1 from all my Facebook friends, Twitter followers, offline friends and family, I should easily be able to reach my goal.  I know that there are a lot of people out there doing walks and raising funds, so there is no hard feelings, trust me.  If I donated to every person that asked me, I’d be spending about $2,000 a year in donations, on top of what I already donate from my business.

Well, I appreciate any and all support and donations in advance.