Advancing to pump therapy and including Continuous Glucose Monitoring has been something of a rough journey for me over the past five years. All things being equal, the concept of Auto-Mode is a little bit scary. If your blood sugars start to rise, your pump will start trickling some extra insulin into your system. If you begin to drop, it will taper off your basal delivery (or suspend it, depending on how low you’re going). It demands a certain level of trust in an inanimate object that most humans won’t necessarily have. Myself included.
Artificial devices are the new way to go, since transplanting an actual pancreas is more complicated than it sounds, comes with its own batch of complications and has a pretty low success rate. Therefore, finding some other way to replicate or imitate the functions of a pancreas is the next logical step. Something akin to obtaining a prosthetic limb after an amputation. My new Medtronic pump, when including CGM and on Auto-mode, is about as close to what they refer to as a “closed-loop system” as you can get. The hardware and software basically work towards controlling your highs and lows on its own.
Sounds a bit like Skynet is taking over to me, but whatevs. Given my age and the fact I’m not getting any younger or stronger means I need to be open to new therapies and methods of controlling my Diabetes. The decision was ultimately taken away from me around mid-July, when constant issues with Auto-mode and multiple faulty sensor issues caused me to scrap the whole thing and simply use my new pump manually. I got some further coaching and guidance and have now been on CGM for well over two months, with minimal problems and/or difficulties.
That’s why, after being contacted by Medtronic to ask me “how Auto-mode is going,” I thought I should take another crack at it. With a fresh vial of insulin, fresh sensor set and a bit of patience, I activated Auto-mode and have been on it for about the past two weeks. Given that the pump has had two months to accumulate data for the purposes of Auto-Mode, I would have been pretty pissed off if it didn’t take. But I have to say, its been going much smoother and my blood sugar levels have been fantastic.
I’m still a bit leery and I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop because, well… this is me, we’re talking about. But besides my pump clip breaking last week (don’t even get me started on that one), I’ve had no issues except one infusion set failure, which was mostly due to scar tissue. Auto-mode certainly includes more alerts than I’m used to on manual mode, but I’m getting used to them. Skynet seems to be working just fine.
I guess it’s still better than having an internal artificial organ that I can’t see, or have any direct control over. And as long as it continues to do its job, I guess I’ll have one less aspect of Diabetes to bitch about. As with all new technologies, all it takes is a little patience and some getting used to. ☯
I feel that before I start writing about today’s topic, I should throw up a quick reminder that I am not a doctor. I have no formal training in any medical field, and everything I write about has been researched and has a source, or is something I have directly experienced or have trained in personally. So if anything I’ve written feels incorrect, please feel free to reach out on the “Contact Me” link on my Home page and feel free to voice your concerns. I’m definitely not above, nor do I object, to being corrected.
I think the title speaks for itself, and this is the topic of today’s post. This topic hits close to home for me. Much like Diabetes, this condition has affected many people I know and care about and I have in fact been affected by PTSD, myself. There has been a significant increase in attention on PTSD in the past two decades, and it has started to be recognized as a genuine mental health condition and not simply a passing thought process that the sufferer has the option of ignoring. Previously known as “shell shock” during the World Wars, it was originally associated mostly to combat veterans who had seen active military service, especially during times of war, and were exposed to the traumatic aspects of said war. This is no longer the case, and research has come to show that PTSD can affect anyone, based on their specific circumstances.
I’ll start with my usual, which is to define PTSD or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder so that we can all be on the same page about what’s being discussed. According to the American Psychiatric Association, PTSD is defined as “a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, rape or who have been threatened with death, sexual violence or serious injury.”
Although accurate, this definition is certainly a broad and generalized one. And whether or not something is traumatic is usually subjective to the sufferer. But the symptoms are generally pretty universal, which can include flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, anger and irritability, hyper vigilance and aversion to social gatherings or constant noise. According to an article posted by the Mayo Clinic, it may even be possible to develop PTSD without having personally suffered the trauma. For some people, just learning about the event can be enough to cause the damage. Like I said before, it can be pretty subjective to the sufferer.
At the outset, it can also be a condition that the sufferer isn’t even aware that he/she has. I can recall the story of a law enforcement colleague from years ago, who had been initiating a traffic stop along a busy highway. He walked towards the stopped vehicle and he saw something small sitting on the edge of the roadway. When he stopped and looked at the object, he identified it as a small child’s sneaker. He immediately threw up and went into convulsions, got vivid flashbacks of an investigation he had been working on that involved a small child who had been killed. Although he had coped well to that point, the sight of the child’s sneaker brought all the traumatic memories to the surface and he basically shut down, right on the edge of the highway.
Although it isn’t always to that extreme, I’ve heard a lot of stories like this one. And have had plenty of colleagues who have suffered in silence. The ultimate symptom of PTSD and the one that often takes hold before friends and family become aware that there’s a problem, is suicide. Because of the stigma associated with PTSD in previous decades, many people choose to stay silent about their condition and try to self-medicate or isolate from others. When that fails, many often feel the only remaining option is to end their own lives.
For myself, nightmares and insomnia have certainly been the prevalent symptoms. But hyper vigilance, irritability and anger are high on the list as well. I have difficulty being in large crowds and will often find myself with increased sense of anxiety and shaking when I’m surrounded by people, especially if it’s a room full of conversation and noise. I’m quick to anger when consistent loud noise is happening in my immediate environment, which makes my days difficult considering I have an infant in the house.
There is a lot a person can do to lessen and help treat symptoms of PTSD. I find meditation helps, although having the time and opportunity to do so has been far less in recent years. A rigorous fitness regime and plenty of fresh air. From a medical standpoint, there are many therapies and medications that can help manage and lessen, if not eliminate PTSD. I’m not a big fan of the medications route myself, but I’ve known folks that have benefited from it.
I think the big thing is to talk about it. There’s no shame and no embarrassment to having PTSD. It’s part of who you are and certainly isn’t your fault. And talking about it to family and loved ones can be a powerful means of treating PTSD, in and of itself. And if your family at least understands what’s happening, it can go a long way towards preserving those relationships in the face of the difficulties you’re facing. And if you or someone you know may be thinking of harming themselves, the Suicide Prevention Hotline is always available at 1-833-456-4566. That’s a Canadian line, of course. If you’re one of my readers from out-of-country, you’ll have to search for whatever equivalent number you may have in your country.
We’ve come a long way from the time when friends, family or employers would say, “you’re just making excuses” or “you’re just being lazy.” But there’s still a long road to travel. There’s plenty of research and articles on the diagnosis, treatment and assumed causes of PTSD. So feel free to have a read and educate yourself. And be certain that if someone you know says they have PTSD, don’t take it as a passing thing; they’re likely dealing with it as best they can. ☯
As human beings, we’re creatures of habit. And to be honest, most of those habits are terrible for us. Smoking, drinking, gambling, addiction to electronics or social media… It’s all horrible and it all has terrible short and long-term effects on a person’s health. I can promise you without any doubt, that any of the people whose life was brought to a sooner end as a result of any of these bad habits wish they had never gotten into them in the first place.
Don’t get me wrong; in the past twenty years, I’ve effectively indulged in everything I’ve listed above at one time or another. Even now, I admit to being guilty if enjoying the occasional cigar or having a bottle of wine while watching Lord of the Rings and contemplating life. I don’t really do the whole gambling thing, unless you count my weekly lottery ticket (don’t get me started on THAT one). And since I’m currently writing this blog on a laptop, the use of electronics speaks for itself.
My grandfather lived to be 96 years old, after surviving active service in World War II and enjoying his drink just a little bit more than the average person. Actually, if I’d fought on active front lines during World War II, I’d likely enjoy my drink a LOT more than I do. But I digress… My point is, some people have the ability to manage their vices without it being detrimental to their lives. And as I’ve often said, all things in moderation. But here’s the part that sucks: all of it is worse for someone with Type-1 Diabetes.
Although I can totally admit that gambling is more of a detriment on one’s life in general, it’s mostly the consumption of alcohol and smoking that has some measurable effects on the system of anyone living with Diabetes. And yes, this applies to both Type-1 and Type-2, as well as any of the unpleasant in between versions of Diabetes that I’ve written about before.
As far as alcohol is concerned, a Diabetic first needs to be knowledgeable on the amount of carbohydrates contained in their drink of choice. The average can of beer usually contains about 11 grams of carbs. That likely doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you sit to an evening with your pals during your favourite UFC pay-per-view and down a six pack on your own, you’re looking at 66 grams of carbs you need to bolus for! And that’s without taking into consideration the fact that by your sixth beer, you’re likely starting to forget you should bolus.
Wines and spirits are just a little bit better, with wine coming in at about 4 grams of carbs per glass and most pure spirits having no carbohydrates at all. One of the secondary concerns is that we tend to snack on some rather nasty snack foods when we drink, which can also lead to bad blood sugar control. Don’t get me started on the fact that increased alcohol consumption can lead to higher blood pressure, sleep and weight issues, all of which can adversely affect Diabetes.
Next, let’s look at smoking. Because I enjoy bumming everyone out. It’s no secret that smoking will lead to a host of health complications, not least of which includes high blood pressure and cancer. But according to an article posted by the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation, an important study was conducted from 1983 to 1993, which was named the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. It found that increased levels of smoking led to higher HbA1C results, increased chances of retinopathy and kidney issues. The only good news is that the Diabetes-realted complications disappear almost immediately, if you quit smoking.
The bottom line is that poorly-controlled Diabetes will cause increased blood pressure on its own. Why make it worse by introducing something that will aggravate that condition? This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a beer with your friends. It simply means to consider moderation, monitor your blog glucose levels closely and don’t allow yourself to get into a situation where you start neglecting your insulin and/or blood sugar levels. ☯
I had to go downtown and stand in line last Wednesday for something work-related that I needed. Due to social distancing requirements and the location’s own internal policies for dealing with the public, a facemask was obviously required and I was asked to wait outside the building until one of the people seeking the same service as I was, exited the building. Luckily, I was the first one at the door but I had no idea how many people may have been inside or how long it would take them to come out.
I had dressed reasonably well, wearing a cotton shirt covered by a thick, cotton hooded sweatshirt. Although I won’t be a little whiner and complain that I was freezing to death, I’ll admit that it was only 7 degrees outside with cold winds. This made the wait all the more painful. People accumulated in line behind me, and the general public’s penchant for complaining shone through like a bright beacon in the storm. People were arguing and complaining to the two poor security guards who were monitoring the building’s entrance. One lady, who was there for the same purpose as I was, had brought someone else with her and got visibly angry when she was informed that she wouldn’t be allowed to bring her friend inside with her. They had arrived together in a cab. She was pissed.
Apparently, not everyone took the same precaution as I did by checking the location’s website in order to confirm their requirements prior to coming down. But as the weeks go by, I’m noticing this kind of trend more and more, with people fast becoming frustrated with the restrictive requirements brought on by COVID-19 and the limits imposed by businesses and government locations. The wearing of masks, limits on the number of people within buildings and the need to socially distance is starting to grate on everyone’s patience as the world waits on baited breath for everything to go back to “normal.”
Here’s the problem: This IS the new normal. Leading experts, as well as health authorities and the World Health Organization all agree; there will be a resurgence of COVID-19 in the near future, and likely with a vengeance. I could try and cite some sources, but there’s enough out there that a quick Google search will show you what I’m talking about. At the time of writing this post, the Government of Canada’s website reports an estimated 158,758 active cases of COVID-19, with Ontario and Quebec carrying the brunt of that number (Canada.ca). If you click the provided link, I’m sure that number will have changed, likely increased.
One of the bigger problems is the fact that there seems to be a growing number of the population who simply don’t take the pandemic seriously. I’ve seen this first-hand and even have members of my family who think this is the case. Just a few weeks ago, I saw someone standing by Wascana Lake, here in Regina, holding a sign that stated that Corona Virus was a lie told by the government. Right. Because there isn’t enough on the government’s plate without creating a pandemic that’s currently damaging our Nation’s economy.
But plenty of people are ignoring the easy, common sense precautions that have been put into place. Things like social distancing, wearing a face mask when out in public, and avoiding outings unless for work or mandatory requirements like groceries or medical appointments. A good portion of the population seems to have gone back to the “old” normal, including having large gatherings and carrying on as though there ISN’T a pandemic happening. Idiots.
If there’s one thing history has taught us, it’s that viruses can evolve. We’re not done with COVID-19 and if people continue to ignore the easy steps, the results that follow will be much, MUCH worse. So, why take chances? Wash your hands frequently (which you should have been doing all along, anyway), before and after any outings. use hand sanitizer and wear a face mask. Stay socially distanced and don’t wander needlessly for anything you don’t absolutely need. That seems like a pretty reasonable way to avoid a serious respiratory virus that could kill you. ☯
I’ve had Type-1 Diabetes for almost four decades now, and during those decades I’ve seen it all, heard it all and almost tried it all. With the exception of some of the more complex procedures, such as pancreas and/or islet cell transplants, I’ve been on every kind of therapy and have tried several different diets. Some have even been rather “new age” and eclectic. I’ve also dealt with a number of conditions, such as Diabetic Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy and Diabetic Ketoacidosis.
One of the bigger issues that many if not most people fail to recognize is that not every therapy works for every person. In fact, many therapies simply won’t work for different people. For example, there have been types of insulin that simply have little or no effect on me the way my current insulin does. And for the most part, these issues have been discovered by accident, or through a change in my prescriptions or therapies.
This is one of the reasons why, as a child and a teenager, I hated going to doctor’s appointments or even changing practitioners. Every doctor or medical practitioner I’ve had, has changed my prescriptions, altered my therapies or has tried to put their own personal spin on my condition. It can make life difficult; especially when any change can upset the balance of one’s daily routines.
On the face of it, we usually have very little choice but to accept it when a doctor says, “we’re going to try this and see how it works for you.” As a child, I would usually just sit there and nod. I’d let my parents take the prescription or document the change in requirements and then I’d ride the change. More often than not, I’d find myself getting ill or suffering major complications and I’ve been in several comas, between the ages of 6 and 10.
This has led to a certain level of paranoia when trying new things, in relation to my health. But the reality is that there is no REAL way of making progress in the available therapies without some trial and error. If I hadn’t tried certain diets and prescriptions, I wouldn’t have found what’s worked for me and what hasn’t and I may well have not survived beyond my teen years, which is what my doctors at the time offered me as a life expectancy.
It’s pretty similar to trying out a specific type of diet. Let’s take something reasonably well-known, like the Paleo or Keto diet. Some people try these fad diets and lose a reasonable amount of weight and it works well for them. Others will try those same diets with no measurable results. Or worse, they’ll gain weight. The same can be said for certain Diabetic therapies. What works for one person with Diabetes may not necessarily work for someone else.
It reminds me of when I started on pump therapy. I avoided insulin pumps like the plague. Given my chosen profession and the nature of how insulin pumps operated, I honestly didn’t think it was for me. Until I tried it. After a significant amount of trial and error, pump therapy wound up being the best decision I could have made. Even recently, adding Continuous Glucose Monitoring to the mix has proven to be an exceptionally good decision.
My point is that you may have to throw caution to the wind and try a few things in order to smooth out your therapy. Diabetes is a well-known condition, albeit not always understood. But every human being is different and every person’s system is different, so one particular therapy may produce different results for different people. Makes sense, right? Don’t be afraid to branch out and try different things in order to keep yourself healthy. As long as you take ownership of those attempts and take care, you can almost be guaranteed to find something that will work for you. ☯
People love to eat. And that stands to reason! There are so many cultural foods, restaurants and options available, as compared to even 20 years ago when the best you could hope for was a local fast-food joint and perhaps one fine-dining restaurant in your home town. And for the most part, you wouldn’t set foot in that fine-dining establishment unless it was a special occasion. But these days, you can order just about any type of food online, in person or through delivery. Eating what you want (so long as you can afford it) has never been easier. And that’s a problem…
Over the past century, there has been a measurable increase in how much the average person eats during a meal. This has led to a heavy increase in obesity, heart and circulatory issues as well as contributing to Type-2 Diabetes. In fact, according to a 2012 article posted by The Globe And Mail, “most Canadians underestimate what constitutes one serving of meat, grains and fruit and vegetables under Canada’s Food Guide.” And that’s a pretty accurate statement, when you consider that the t-bone you just seared on your barbecue this summer was without a doubt higher than your recommended daily intake of meat.
For those who don’t live in the Great White North, Canada’s Food Guide was created in 1942 in order to help ensure Canadians were eating in the proper proportions and maintaining their proper health. It also took wartime rationing into consideration, but the Guide is still accurate and actively used. It essentially describes that the average plate of food should be comprised of 50% vegetables, 25% grains and fruits and 25% protein. Although that’s just the gist, it’s also the basis for how we should be measuring out our plates on a daily basis.
There are a lot of reasons why we tend to underestimate portions and eat more. Some of it is perception. Plates and implements are larger than they were in, say, the 1950’s. Some of it is a monetary issue; we expect more for less, as in we expect our plates to be loaded when we go to a restaurant or eatery even though portion sizes would dictate that we should eat far less. Just think about the last time you went a restaurant and ordered a plate of pasta. In Canada, if you pay $25 for a plate of pasta, you would damn well expect that the plate will be piled high with pasta, sauce and plenty of meatballs. And where the hell is my garlic bread???
Meanwhile, the actual recommended portion of pasta for a single meal is no bigger than a tennis ball. And that’s just one general example, but because of rising meal costs in most restaurants, we expect more bang for our buck. For food products in general, most Canadians tend to measure portions on the fly, meaning if you eat cereal you’re likely to fill your bowl and grab some milk as opposed to reading the label to see what the actual portion size is. In many cases, the nutritional information label will list a portion size that’s much smaller than what you’ve been consuming in one sitting.
There’s a lot you can do to fix this problem. I found an article on Australia’s Huffington Post that provides “8 doable tips” to help with portion control. Rather than list them all in detail, I’ll let you click the link and give the article a read. It’s quite good, but the tips include simple things like drinking water prior to eating a meal, properly measuring out carbs and proteins, using the same plates and bowls consistently for frame of reference and eating slowly. There are more tips in the article.
For those who have Diabetes, portion control is critical because we need to count all the carbs we ingest and calculate the amount on insulin we need to take to counter them. Most Diabetics would be prone to saying, “But Shawn, it doesn’t matter how many carbs we eat, so long as we take the required insulin for it…” First of all, you may be right. But secondly, it’s not just about the carb versus insulin consideration. It’s the fact that overinflated portions can lead to unnecessary eating, weight gain and health issues.
You don’t need to keep eating until you’re stuffed. I know I’m guilty of this one myself. If we make a pizza and I earmark half of it for myself, I’m usually inclined to eat the entire half in one sitting. The nutritional label usually reads 1/3 of the pizza as a single portion, meaning I’ll often wolf down three portions in one meal. And I wonder why I can’t slim down my middle!
Children are lucky in that they still have the instinct to stop eating once they’ve had enough. In fact, that’s why most parents find themselves barking at their kids to finish off their plates. They’ve just gotten full and no longer WANT to eat. But by the time they reach adolescence, that instinct disappears and overeating rears its ugly head, leading to a score of health issues.
As I always say, it’s important to consume any and all things in moderation. But what’s even more important is portion control. You don’t want to skip meals or starve yourself as you’ll be more likely to gorge yourself on unhealthy snack along the way. But as you eat, you should try cutting down your portion sizes. Combined with consulting your health and/or medical practitioner and regular exercise, it’s a sure recipe for success. ☯
Okay, this is one of those “silly” holidays that hold no real history or bearing and that most wonder if they should actually be “celebrated.” But I enjoy including some of these from time to time, especially when they relate to something near and dear to me. And I love coffee. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of caffeine, and since coffee is consumed pretty much everywhere in the world in some form or another, I though I would throw a few facts out for International Coffee Day…
The first thing would be the development of this holiday. The International Coffee Organization in Milan came up with this little gem back in 2014. Depending on your source, the holiday is celebrated either on October 1st or September 29th. According to a Wikipedia post, International Coffee Day is celebrated on different dates ranging from early January to early October, depending on what country you hail from. I’ll stick to Canada’s September 29th.
I couldn’t find exactly how one “celebrates,” other than to consume and enjoy a nice, hot cup of coffee. And most people do this on a daily basis, anyway. But now is as good a time as any to remind you of some of the potential health benefits of coffee, so long as with all things, you consume in moderation. Avoiding the fact that many experts believe we’ll run out of coffee beans by 2080 due to climate change, let’s examine my top five benefits of coffee:
Coffee will make you less tired: This one should be pretty obvious, but I always like to start WITH the obvious one. Caffeine is a stimulant, and once it hits your blood stream and reaches your brain, it can help wash away fatigue;
It’s good for you: As long as you don’t douse your coffee with a bunch of sugar and loads of creamer, black coffee has zero calories, zero carbohydrates and contains a batch of B-vitamins as well as Potassium;
Coffee makes us happier: This is another d-uh moment. If you’re a coffee drinker, there’s a noticeable “pick-me-up” effect, due in part to caffeine’s stimulant effect but also because we enjoy the coffee. Any good part of your day is a good part of your day, and will make you happier;
It can help stem Type-2 Diabetes: Despite having Diabetes myself, albeit Type-1, I’m a touch skeptical on this one. But there are a batch of studies that have apparently shown that coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of Type-2 Diabetes;
Coffee is high in antioxidants: Next to the occasional glass of red wine, coffee contains a huge amount of antioxidants and can help clean you out from the bad stuff.
Healthline.com has a fantastic article entitled 13 Health benefits of Coffee, Based on Science, which outlines not only the five I mentioned above but eight more benefits as well. And I mentioned moderation earlier because as with all things in life, moderation is key. Overconsumption of caffeinated beverages can pretty much worsen or CAUSE the opposite of all the benefits I have listed above.
I also forgot to mention my favourite benefit of black coffee: the enjoyment. If you had told me I’d love coffee this much, twenty years ago, I’d have called you crazy. But with all the different blends, types and flavours, there’s a lot to be experienced and enjoyed simply from that small cup of steaming liquid you start your day with. So, hopefully you did. After all, it’s International Coffee Day! ☯
I hate cardio. This probably comes as a surprise, coming from someone who believes that if you aren’t dripping in sweat when you’re done, it wasn’t a workout. And the truth of it is, I do enjoy cycling. But that’s mostly because it allows me to get outside, reconnect with nature (to a degree) and keeps the cardio aspect buried in the background. The best of both worlds. But to say that I’m heading out for a run or doing cardio for the sake of doing cardio would be a stretch.
Cardiovascular endurance training is important for one’s health. According to an article posted by the Mayo Clinic, cardio exercises help to strengthen your heart and muscles, burn calories, help control your appetite, increases sleep, promotes joint movement and helps to manage Diabetes. Cardio can be a long-term or long-distance thing, like long-distance cycling or swimming 30 laps in a pool, or something incorporated into a weight or resistance workout, such as jumping rope.
Jumping rope is an easy, convenient way of including some light cardio into your workout routine. I’ve kept a jump rope in my gym bag for the past ten years, and I make use of it whenever I get the chance. Jumping rope can burn a wicked amount of calories; several hundred calories in a 15-minute period, in fact. It can help improve overall balance and coordination, not to mention that the heart benefits are the same as with traditional cardio. And although it can be taxing on the knees and leg joints, doing it properly is considered a lower-impact than something like running.
I like to incorporate it by using it with circuit or interval training with karate techniques. For example, I’ll do a minute of front kicks, followed by a minute of high-speed jump rope. Then a minute of the next kick and a minute of high-speed jump rope. So on and so forth. Sometimes I’ll simply use it as a warm-up or a cool down. A good quality jump rope is portable, convenient and low-cost. You can stuff it into any gym back or backpack and all you need is about a 25-foot square of space.
As much as I dislike cardio, it is a necessary aspect to proper health and fitness. And there’s no denying that it also helps with the blood sugar control and sleep quality required for someone with Type-1 Diabetes. If the last time you used a jump rope was during a spirited game of double dutch during your school years, you’ll want to start slow and ensure you do it on a stable surface. Avoid grass or carpet as it can snag the rope or catch against your footwear. ☯
I have clear memories of all the stuff I had to go through when I was first diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes. Since my older brother had a wide variety of illnesses, junk food and sugary snacks were never really a staple in my household anyway, but I remember that certain things took a dramatic change nonetheless. I was no longer allowed to drink juice whenever I wanted. I was subjected to frequent daily shots for insulin and finger pokes for blood glucose testing. It was a traumatic time for a 4-year old who hadn’t even had the opportunity to grab life by the horns.
The irony is that all the traumatic stuff is the only reason I’m still alive, even if some of it was misguided, wrong and in some ways caused more harm than good. Back in good ol’ 1982, carbohydrate counting wasn’t a thing at my hospital. Maybe if I had lived in a larger centre, there would have been better Diabetes education available. But in my hometown, there was a singular mantra when it came to the control of Diabetes: Don’t eat sugar! That was it. In tandem with a morning injection of short-term insulin and an evening injection of basal insulin, my blood was tested once a day before bed and I was good to go.
Yes, you read that right! My blood was only tested once a day. Quite a far cry from the dozen times I finger poke myself these days, or the Sensor Glucose readings I get from my pump every five minutes. Not to mention that my first glucometer was roughly the size and shape of a brick. (There’s an illustration of that glucometer in my previous post: When Diabetics Get High… (but not the way you think) But Diabetes therapy has come a long way from it’s beginning, when a person diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes usually considered it a death sentence.
A photo of the first insulin pump
Pump therapy, along with carb-counting and exercise, have made the life of a Type-1 Diabetic easier by scores from what it previously was! As illustrated above, the first insulin pump was basically the size of a large backpack and included metal parts and was cumbersome and impractical. It looks like something Tony Stark developed in a cave. Would I use something like this today? Obviously not, but back in 1963 when Dr. Arnold Kadish designed it, it would prove to be the launching pad for an insulin therapy device that would be widely accepted.
Smaller insulin pump. Source: Wikipedia
Smaller versions were developed by others roughly a decade later and they started being developed with wearability and accessibility in mind. But it wouldn’t be until the early 2000’s that insulin pump therapy would catch on as a common thing. One of the main obstacles is the overall cost. Although I don’t remember the exact retail price of my most recent insulin pump, I do know that it ran to the tune of about $8,500. If I didn’t have benefits through my work, I wouldn’t be on pump therapy.
That’s without taking into consideration that a box of infusion sets runs at about $200/month, reservoirs are about $50/month and the CGM sensors are about $400/month, making for a lovely total of almost $1,000/month when you factor in the insulin and test strips and anything else I may not have mentioned. Is it any wonder why people without solid medical insurance can’t take proper care of themselves? But I digress…
My point is that Diabetes therapy follows the very same trends as modern electronics and technology. When computers started becoming a thing, the average computer took up an entire room that had to be temperature controlled. Imagine trying to play Candy Crush on one of those bastards? The concept of a “personal computer” didn’t take hold until the 1970’s and even then they were boxy, clunky, difficult to move around and were pretty limited in what they could do. Today, the average smart phone has more computing power than what astronauts originally used to land on the moon.
The same can be said for insulin pumps. What started out as a huge, boxy, metallic backpack has now become a small, inconspicuous 3-ounce plastic box. Smaller than most cell phones. And technology is just getting better and better. There are different aspects being developed, including an artificial pancreas going through clinical trials, which could be promising for the future of improved Diabetes control. Who knows, maybe we’ll reach a technology that will allow for the wearing of a simple “insulin patch,” like a nicotine patch, and forego injections and needles altogether! We’ll get there, eventually. But getting there is the obvious problem and as the old saying goes, the waiting is the hardest part. ☯
Never, in the history of mankind has anyone ever calmed down after being told to calm down. Has this ever happened to you? There’s nothing I dislike more than being genuinely upset about something and having someone try and tell me to calm down. The same concept applies to bad moods. I’ve never understood why people feel compelled to assume that one’s bad mood is attached to an underlying condition. For example, have you ever tried assuming that a lady’s bad mood is because of a particular “time of the month?” How did THAT exchange go for you? You probably can’t answer on account of your wife/girlfriend/sister breaking your jaw for making the assumption…
This same concept can be applied to Diabetes. I know I harp on the pitfalls of Diabetes in a lot of my posts, but that’s because the list of symptoms and complications is almost endless. And mood swings are one of the worst. Although every person is different, there’s no denying that uncontrolled blood sugars will cause a change in one’s mood and emotional well-being. For myself, high blood sugars will turn me into the loveable care bear you all recognize into an angry grizzly hell-bent on destroying anything in his path. I’m usually the same before my morning coffee. But I digress…
There have been so many times in my youth when this phenomenon affected my position in life or my relationship with others. Since my blood sugar control was limited to testing about once or twice a day and treating when I “felt” a low, there were times when I was a mean grump and treated those in my immediate surroundings harshly. Most times I wouldn’t even be aware that I was being a total ass but that wouldn’t stop the damage from being done.
Eventually, some relationships ended and some were forever altered into something less special. I mean, who wants to be around a cranky bastard all the time, right? But I’ve had times when my increasing bad mood has caused friends to avoid me and relationships to be damaged or lost. And this is not even including the fact that badly controlled blood sugars will usually make you sluggish and lethargic, making people believe you’re lazy or unmotivated. There have been days when I would just sit there with no energy, while friends and associates would try and convince me to go do something, anything other than sitting like a lump.
Knowing what I know now (say THAT three times fast), I understand that the frequent testing of one’s blood sugars and proper control of one’s Diabetes could have prevented those symptoms and I likely would have had a much happier adolescence. Hindsight is a hell of a bitch. At least I understand and have a much better control now. Life in general is the only thing that makes me cranky now, hahaha… haha… ha (cries a little while laughing). ☯
The Blogging Buddhist 