After a few days of excitement and rushing home to get my mail, today I found a huge package on my doorstep. I couldn't take off my coat fast enough and seriously almost lost an arm trying to get through the tape on the box. "Fragile" was stamped across the box and I couldn't help but giggle as I thought of A Christmas Story (F-RAG-EEEL-EEE....I think it says Fragile, dear).
And what did Jessica send me? A GORGEOUS breakfast set with a pitcher, two big mugs, and a great bowl. The bowl is screaming for me to put some stuff in it and display it on my kitchen table. I also got this awesome fold up blanket (from Jessica's college, perhaps?), and a pen that I'm sure was awesome but got completely destroyed by the good people at the US Postal Service.
Jessica, thanks so much for my sussy! YOU ROCK!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Ummm, diabetes, can you work with me?
For the past week, my numbers have been just plain crazy. I can't figure them out. Everything seems to be working okay, but for some reason I've been running high. Unfortunately, I don't have a great idea of my average, because I'm not using my Cozmonitor and am only entering in data for corrections. I'm eating relatively the same thing, doing relatively the same thing, and BAM...280...or something high like that. Seriously, what the heck is up?
I went to my new PCP yesterday and after my 7.1 A1C in November, she didn't think there was anything to worry about. She did a full lab work up so it'll be interesting if my A1C has gone up and what her reaction will be. I received a referral for a pretty progessive Endo practice, so I'm excited to see if a CGMs is in my future. I would love to have some idea what the heck is going on with my body. I want to be in control of this disease, but sometimes it just stumps me, and it would be great to get some help. I'm going to have to do some basal testing, which is never, ever fun and probably try and watch my carbs hardcore for a few days...what a drag.
Also, we're like 4 months away from our wedding and I'm in ultimate planning mode. I'm trying to control any Bridezilla urges that may arise (wedding stress+high/low/flucuation blood sugar=major meltdown) and am trying to be really upbeat about everything. Things will work out, it will be great...I have to start a mantra and chant it to myself. This weekend...Invitations, guest list, and contracts in the mail. For real.
Oh, and I'm super stoked about the "sussy" circle (a surprise). I put mine in the mail yesterday, so hopefully my person posts when they get it. I'm so excited to see what she thinks about it! I'll be sure to post when I get mine, don't you worry!
I went to my new PCP yesterday and after my 7.1 A1C in November, she didn't think there was anything to worry about. She did a full lab work up so it'll be interesting if my A1C has gone up and what her reaction will be. I received a referral for a pretty progessive Endo practice, so I'm excited to see if a CGMs is in my future. I would love to have some idea what the heck is going on with my body. I want to be in control of this disease, but sometimes it just stumps me, and it would be great to get some help. I'm going to have to do some basal testing, which is never, ever fun and probably try and watch my carbs hardcore for a few days...what a drag.
Also, we're like 4 months away from our wedding and I'm in ultimate planning mode. I'm trying to control any Bridezilla urges that may arise (wedding stress+high/low/flucuation blood sugar=major meltdown) and am trying to be really upbeat about everything. Things will work out, it will be great...I have to start a mantra and chant it to myself. This weekend...Invitations, guest list, and contracts in the mail. For real.
Oh, and I'm super stoked about the "sussy" circle (a surprise). I put mine in the mail yesterday, so hopefully my person posts when they get it. I'm so excited to see what she thinks about it! I'll be sure to post when I get mine, don't you worry!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The cost of diabetes
Yesterday, "Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2007" was released in the journal Diabetes Care. Alot of the media outlets picked this story up and I even received a call from my dad last night asking if I had seen it.
I had.
The study is an update of a previous cost study published five years ago and provides information about diabetes costs in the U.S. The new cost study finds that the total cost of diabetes in the U.S. in 2007 was $174 billion, up from $132 billion in 2002. Direct costs due to treating diabetes and its complications amount to $116 billion; indirect costs attributed to lost productivity amount to $58 billion.
What does that mean for us as Americans, and us as people with diabetes? Alot. So much money is being spent on the treatment of diabetes and its complications, but we hear little about where the money is going in terms of research. What would happen if that amount of money would be given to researchers who are searching for a cure or provided to educators in order for people to have a true understanding of what living with diabetes means, how they can prevent Type 2 diabetes, etc?
According to the study, people with diagnosed diabetes have medical expenditures that are approximately 2.3 times higher than the expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes. This is something that I've totally noticed in my short time on my own-worse than my parent's- insurance, especially compared to my friends who just graduated and are perfectly healthy. They're not worried about when payday is in order to get supplies or making sure that they have a stockpile of test strips in their closet during the period where they are between jobs so they don't have to pay the full price.
I'm taken back by the numbers because they are so big that it's almost hard to wrap my mind around.
What do we do to reduce these costs?
I had.
The study is an update of a previous cost study published five years ago and provides information about diabetes costs in the U.S. The new cost study finds that the total cost of diabetes in the U.S. in 2007 was $174 billion, up from $132 billion in 2002. Direct costs due to treating diabetes and its complications amount to $116 billion; indirect costs attributed to lost productivity amount to $58 billion.
What does that mean for us as Americans, and us as people with diabetes? Alot. So much money is being spent on the treatment of diabetes and its complications, but we hear little about where the money is going in terms of research. What would happen if that amount of money would be given to researchers who are searching for a cure or provided to educators in order for people to have a true understanding of what living with diabetes means, how they can prevent Type 2 diabetes, etc?
According to the study, people with diagnosed diabetes have medical expenditures that are approximately 2.3 times higher than the expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes. This is something that I've totally noticed in my short time on my own-worse than my parent's- insurance, especially compared to my friends who just graduated and are perfectly healthy. They're not worried about when payday is in order to get supplies or making sure that they have a stockpile of test strips in their closet during the period where they are between jobs so they don't have to pay the full price.
I'm taken back by the numbers because they are so big that it's almost hard to wrap my mind around.
What do we do to reduce these costs?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Busy
Busy Busy Busy...
Oh and I have to get my Sussy Circle gift in the mail. Super stoked about that one!
What's up with you?
- Wedding planning weekend complete
- Church is good to go
- Photographer is awesome
- Reception facility is willing to work with the fiance's food allergies (milk fat, not lactose is in everything!)
- DJ is all about having a party after 9:30pm and super excited to play for my college friends
Oh and I have to get my Sussy Circle gift in the mail. Super stoked about that one!
What's up with you?
Thursday, January 10, 2008
CGM? and Cozmo?
So after this announcement and this announcement, I hoping that Smith Medical is next on board for a partnership, seeing as I'm obsessed with my Cozmo but have been wishing that they would incorporate the CGM in some way.
After a pretty rough low at the gym tonight, I'm thinking this may be a good option for me since I would really like to have a better idea of what my body is doing during exercise. I'm trying to get to the gym on a regular basis, but lows like the one I had tonight make me nervous.
I'm in the process of finding an Endo on my new insurance and am thinking that someone that has a CGM in the office or is proactive about CGMs for their patients is probably the endo for me.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
2008 so far
I just realized we're already over a week into 2008 and I haven't even looked at my blog. The last two weeks have been super busy with celebrating the holidays with my fiance's family, ringing in the new year with some friends from high school, and heading back to work. Things have picked up at the office and I'm really enjoying my new job. I'm really happy to be working with people I really like and working toward a mission that I firmly believe in. Ross and I are also busy with finishing up our wedding details. We're 5 months away and I have already started to experience some severe anxiety over the the details. I ordered our Save the Date cardsalready and am trying to order the invitations by the end of the month. We're also meeting with our caterer and photographer on the 19th. I'm starting to feel like planning the wedding is a full time job.
I've also resolved to get alittle bit more organized in 2008. So, my random pile system of organization looks to be on it's way out. I'm throwing away old stuff and trying to put things in places where they make sense. I'm also trying to get into a better gym routine and add some running to my workout. I've downloaded a few podcasts on interval training and have been listening to those to get more ideas.
Hope that your 2008 is going great!
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