Finally, A Useful Upgrade

I just received the new Minimed pump. It now asks stupid questions to remind me to do things I instinctually do because I have been pumping so long. After I prime the tubing, it asks me, "Do you see drops at the end of the tubing?" I usually yell at it, "You think I would have stopped priming if I didn't?" I wish I knew how to hack into its software and program it to ask more relevant and helpful questions. Maybe questions Stewart Smalley would have been proud of. "Did you know you are a really good athlete?" "Did you know that book you're writing is going to be read and loved by millions?" Or maybe it could just make statements. "You deserve a vacation today. Take the day off and don't even think about feeling guilty for it." "All the work you do to take care of your diabetes everyday is paying off. You are a better person for it and will live a long and complication free life." Now that would be an upgrade I would pay for. - See more at: http://erinspineto.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-08-31T14:43:00-07:00&max-results=6&start=35&by-date=false#sthash.ekViUZtY.dpuf

Sunbathing on the First

Laying out in the sun in eighty degree weather on the first day of the year sure makes me grateful to live in Southern California where I can train outdoors year-round with no problems whatsoever. I don’t even own running pants. Most days I can barely stand to run in more than shorts and a running bra.

But it also means I never really have a good excuse to wimp out of a run or bike. It's this time of year that I understand why we have to pay the big bucks to live in San Diego.

It’s also the time of year when I start to put together my plans for this year's race/adventure calendar. And it’s loading up fast. My last race was February 2010 when my thyroid finally won and I had to admit that I was no longer capable of any sort of physical exertion.

Finally, after two years of finding a diagnosis and fighting this disease with meds, I have the upper hand. I am, for the first time in a long time, looking forward to a full year of racing and adventuring.

First up is the Carlsbad Half-marathon. For me this means an entire weekend of fun and events. Insulindependence is a major charity for the race and makes it worth your while. The weekend starts with a Torrey Pines hike and a time to meet the athletes in from all over the country. Saturday morning means breakfast and a surf session or watching the kids race at Lego Land.

Of course there is the carbo-loading dinner the night before the race and the celebratory party after the race. There is nothing better than celebrating with over one hundred diabetics and diabetic friends after a huge race.

Next up is the race that ended my 2010 season, the Race On the Base in my hometown of Los Alamitos, CA. It’s an early season reverse triathlon which means you run then bike and then swim. I love these because there is nothing better after a four mile run and twelve mile bike than to jump in a super warm pool and rinse off. You finish the race squeaky clean and smelling of chlorine.

This year it is also the first race for each of my kids and hopefully the beginning of a whole new love for them. It may make Eli one of the youngest bilateral club footers to finish a triathlon. He is following closely in his father’s footsteps as he may become one of the first bilateral club footers to finish an Ironman Triathlon next November.

In February I may also be applying for a Captain position for the Insulindependence A1Sea program. This is, I think, one of the greatest parts of Insulindependence. If I get accepted it will include a week at Insulindependence University in late June, a possible sailing trip to Florida next February and a possible trip to Hawaii in June of 2013 to spend a week mentoring the group of Junior Captainsand taking advantage of all the aquatic opportunities Hawaii has to offer. The Captainship also includes some work fundraising.

Other than my races, I will be spending a large amount of time and energy trying to bring down my A1C’s which have shot out of my comfort zone while I have been battling this thyroid thing. And more time trying to finish the book. And, of course, I was silly enough to swear off all soda, so it should be an interesting year.

Tip of the Day- Basal Checks

So here's the diabetes tip of the day. Make a basal check a standard procedure every two to three months. Like I've said before, I've been struggling with blood sugars all over the place but mostly up. My first thought is always to my site failing or my pump not working properly.

But rarely do I figure that maybe its my basal rates that have overstayed their welcome. The last time I checked or changed my basal rates was at least six months ago. I keep thinking that nothing has really changed since then so why change my basal rates, but when I really sit down to think about it, a lot has changed.

I have gone from working full time to ten weeks of an amazingly relaxed summer vacation and then back to work again. I have begun working out again and made some huge advancements in my overall aerobic fitness. My stress level has dropped since my kids are now going to the same school I teach at so I no longer have to fight thirty minutes of traffic while preventing fights and major meltdowns in the house and the backseat and worrying if I will make it to my classroom in time for the first bell of the morning.

And the biggest factor in all of this, my thyroid is closing in on being back at a normal level. After three years of being totally out of control, it is responding to the meds and mellowing out. Its amazing the effect it has had on my basal rates over those three years. When it was at its max my nighttime basal rates were reduced by fifty percent while still fighting off constant lows.

Now I have hesitantly brought it back up to pre-thyroid levels and even a little higher since I was in much better shape before this whole ordeal started. For the first night in weeks, last night I had a good blood sugar night. Nick didn't wake me once and the clarity of mind I have found today from quality sleep is terrific.

The worst part is that I should have figured this out months ago, if I had only done a basal check. So now along with my quarterly A1C check, my TSH, T3 and T4 check and my five minute conversation with my endo, I will be performing a basal check. -