Category: Health & Well Being

Come On, Feel The Noise…🎶

Recognizing that my follower-ship has grown by a fair bit in the past year, it’s begun to dawn on me that I could and should start reposting some of the better topics I’ve written about. After all and if we’re being realistic, the odds of someone reading through the thousands of posts I’ve written is somewhat unrealistic. So reposting seems like the next logical step. Plus, when I do something that elicits a changes or reminds me of an already addressed topic, it only makes sense to talk about it, right? But now that I’m done explaining myself, let’s get on with it…

Sleep is something that I’ve had an issue with for as long as I can remember. An elusive thing at best, the quality of my sleep often depends on blood sugar levels, stress, PTSD symptoms, other medical issues (ex: colds, flus and the like) as well as the fact I have two small children in the house.

I’ve written a number of posts that outline the benefits of a good night’s sleep. There’s no getting away from it; sleep is a necessary and integral part of a person’s health, well-being and interestingly enough, their sanity. For Type 1 Diabetics, sleep is a mixed bag, because our sleep is affected BY our blood sugar levels, but sleeping through lows or highs can also be extremely dangerous.

I’ve written about the benefits of white noise and its counterparts before, and explained how they can help people with falling and staying asleep. Both my sons have somewhat chaotic sleep patterns and don’t always go to sleep easily or stay under once they do. As a result, my wife found them a couple of white noise machines on Amazon. The nice part about these machines is they come with a variety of different sounds, not just white noise. AND they also glow. And you can choose from a variety of colours. Not too shabby for a kid’s device.

After a particular weekend of camping out in the basement with my oldest, he brought all his blankets and toys back to his room and it was discovered that he had left his white noise machine behind. Curious and since he never uses the SOUNDS but only leaves the glow on, I decided to hook it up next to my bed and try it out. After all, I’ve used an app called Noisli on occasion (more on that below in this post), and white noise has been helpful on occasion.

Much as with my previous post, I should start by explaining what the hell white noise actually is. Not everyone is familiar with White Noise, or its lesser-know cousins, Pink Noise and Red (Brownian) Noise. Let’s do some learnin’…

White Noise is described in layman’s terms as a sound that contains all the audible frequencies that can be heard by the human ear. These frequencies are all at the same intensity, giving the sound an almost “static” quality, which is how many people describe it;

Pink Noise is a sound that contains MOST audible frequencies, except the higher ones, and whose intensity decreases as the frequency increases. This can potentially make it more pleasant than white noise, and a good alternative if white noise doesn’t work for you. The sound of a steady rainfall is a good comparison.

Red Noise, or Brownian is similar to White and Pink but with even fewer high frequencies, described as having more bass notes than white noise, which makes it more tolerable and pleasant to listen to than White Noise. An undisturbed ocean wave lapping on the shore is a good comparison.

All three of these are mathematical constructs that do NOT occur naturally in nature, despite what many people think. Although white noise is often generically described as “background noise”, all three of these sounds need to be carefully constructed in order to qualify for the definition. Some people have tried white noise and noticed no benefit. In cases such as those, it would be to their benefit to try pink or red noise, as these could be alternatives that would work well for them.

There are a lot of benefits to using white noise. First and foremost, white noise will buffer out background sounds that have the potential to wake you during the night. A slamming door, a revving engine outside or a family member going to the washroom all have the potential to at least partially wake you, disturbing your sleep cycle. White noise prevents this. It’ll also help you stay asleep as it will mask noise that may wake you and even if you do wake, it’s usually easier to fall back asleep.

White noise also helps to shut off your brain. Have you ever tried going to sleep, only to have life’s problems replaying in your head? Or upcoming tasks lingering in your mind? White noise will help to prevent this, as well. It can also be a helpful tool while learning how to meditate, as it helps the practitioner focus and shut out the distractions that may prevent them from effectively reaching a level of meditation.

I’ve been using my son’s white noise machine for a couple of weeks and the results have been noticeable. I use a sound setting that provides a thunderstorm in the background. Being born and raised on the Eastern coast, I spent a good part of my life sleeping through thunderstorm. The steady staccato of the rainfall, accented with the occasional crackling of thunder is a comfort and it was surprising to me how much that comfort has helped get me to sleep. That being said, you don’t need to pay big money or buy a white noise machine. You can experience the benefits of white noise in a number of different ways, from downloading free apps on your phone that will produce it, all the way to paying moderate money for an actual “white noise machine”.

I use a free app on my iPhone called Noisli. What’s nice about it (besides being free) is that it allows you to experience a variety of sounds such as rainfall, thunder, leaves blowing, rustling trees and has all three “Noise” options including White, Pink and Brownian. It allows you to blend and mix all these sounds to your liking, which means you can have a rainstorm with thunder and heavy blowing winds, if that’s your go-to relaxing sound. If anyone is interested in the actual machine we use in our household, it’s available through Amazon Canada here and retails for $29,99 CAD.

At the end of the day, sleep is one of those things that will affect every other aspect of your life. If your sleep routine sucks, it WILL affect your health, appetite, work and fitness life… all of it! That’s why it’s so important to have a regular and consistent sleep routine (going to bed around the same time every night) and ensuring your sleep is profound and deep. You can take advantages of the methods I’ve described above without breaking the bank, or don’t be afraid to take advantage of sleep therapy if you find that it still isn’t happening for you.

This is one of those things that you have to try for yourself in order to be the judge. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for a nap! ☯

The Keto Conundrum…

Because I don’t write quite as often as I used to but yet my number of followers apparently continues to grow, I’m going to preface this post by pointing out that in no uncertain terms am I a medical professional, dietitian or specialist. I’m just a tired, cranky Type-1 Diabetic in his 40’s that has managed to live through quite a bit and has tried quite a bit. That being said, the following post is essentially my opinion and what I experienced. It in no way reflects one way or another on folks who may be on a keto diet or planning to try one. Let’s begin…

One of the bigger components of good blood sugar control for someone with type-1 Diabetes is the calculating of one’s carb intake and the proper dosage of insulin to accommodate those carbs. Because not all foods are created equal, the absorption of those carbs can sometimes be tricky, which is why my old pump had an ability to bolus on a delayed timer, for slower delivery in some cases for those foods that digest slower. Something that sadly, my new, fancy pump does not have (although it does other stuff instead, so we’re all good).

One good example of this, is what i consider to be the most versatile and delicious meal in the world, second only to a gourmet cheeseburger… That’s right, I’m talking pizza! Pizza has got to be the nemesis of any insulin-dependent Diabetic. The heavy cheese, grease and processed meats will often mean that if you bolus a dose of insulin at the start of your meal, you’ll likely bottom out as your body will deal with the fat and oils first and only get to the dough later. By then, the insulin has already dropped blood sugar levels to a dangerous point. This is where some delayed bolusing or a lower dose comes in handy.

But if you find yourself hitting that low, you’ll be inclined to treat it with some fast-acting carbs right away. Even though the carbs in your pizza will eventually hit your system, you can’t allow yourself to sit at those dangerously low levels for any period of time. besides the immediate danger, there are health implications associated with frequent lows. I won’t get into those here but this makes pizza one of the most chaotic foods that I eat as it usually leads t a full night of being on the blood sugar roller coaster and going without sleep for most of the night. Not an ideal prospect.

So it would make sense that when it comes other something like pizza, a lower carb or carb-free option would be fantastic. On the flip side, for the same reasons I can’t stand tofu or similar substitutes, I still want my pizza to taste like pizza. this is where the keto diet comes in. For those who may not be in the know and don’t follow “trend” diets, we should start by explaining what a “keto,” or ketogenic diet involves.

Basically, a keto diet is where you try to eat as few carbs as possible and get all your calories from protein and fat instead. That’s why you’ll hear your pompous friend say things like, “I’m keto, I don’t eat that white bread stuff…” We get it, Kyle! You’re trendy. But seriously, the effect usually forces your body to start burning your fat tissues for fuel and energy; a process known as ketosis. This eventually causes some weight loss. This is generally intended as a short-term diet to lose some weight. People who hang on to this trend for longer periods can start to have some issues. For a Type-1 Diabetic, going into ketosis can cause the creation of ketones. Elevated keystones are bad news for Type-1’s. SO one needs to be careful if trying a keto diet.

This brings us to my recent conundrum. I follow a few nutrition and diet pages for multiple reasons and I recently found a post for a carb-free pizza. Are you kidding me? The possibility of having pizza that wouldn’t send my blood sugars into a manic fit for an entire night is like Charlie finding the golden ticket to the chocolate factory. The recipe looked quick and easy and my wife was on board, so I decided to try it. As is my usual routine, I took a screenshot of the recipe and transcribed it into my notes app and while later, so I unfortunately can’t link the recipe or provide credit where credit is due. Perhaps the poster will miraculously see my post and recognize themselves. In any event, here’s the recipe:

Low-Carb Pizza Crust
– 2 cups mozzarella cheese
– 2 cups Parmesan cheese
– 2 eggs
– 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.

Mix all that shit together in a bowl then mash it flat onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Put on whatever pizza toppings you like. We did cremini mushrooms, bacon bits, pepperoni for me and ham for my wife. Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees. The entire pan was only about 20 grams of carbs. usually, one piece of traditional pizza is more than that.

Admittedly, baking Parmesan cheese made the house reek like nobody’s business and I’ll admit that once the pizza cooled, it quickly lost its appeal. While flavourful and satisfied my cheese craving, it may not be something that we would repeat agin. That being said, I didn’t feel full and bloated afterwards like I would with a traditional pizza and my blood sugar levels stayed nice balanced for the night. So, it was a win. My wife, who doesn’t handle cheese very well, didn’t finish all of hers and likely won’t be partaking of the meal, should I attempt it again.

It was a good idea and help with carb and blood sugar control. My suggestions, for anyone attempting to make this, would be to cut the recipe significantly, unless you have a family of four partaking. Keep the portion small and enjoy your couple of pieces while it’s still hot as cooling makes it lose its flavour and honestly, makes it a bit gross. But I think most people can be honest that the soul of the pizza is in the toppings; the dough is just the carrier. So this was a good try. Doesn’t mean I’ll be jumping any deeper in the keto pool though. ☯️

The Ontario Odyssey: The Aftermath…

My wife and I recently travelled to Toronto for a work-related business trip. Since my lovely wife celebrated a birthday close to that date, we felt it would be a nice trip for her to join on, since we would have our evenings to enjoy each other’s company and a much-needed break from our little ones. We were lucky enough that their grandmother was able to come spend a few days with them so that our trip could be accommodated. This would be the first time my wife would actually stay and wander within the City of Toronto.

I should preempitvely start this post by mentioning that I have no inherent dislike or hatred for large cities in general. After all, having travelled the likes of New York ( 8million people) and Tokyo (about 13 million people), Toronto is a far cry sitting at only about 3 million people. Still, that’s a marked departure from our home city of only about 250,000 people and the difference in population exposed us to some very harsh realities of modern society at its worst. Here are some of the highlights…

Our trip started decently enough, albeit with a 30-minute flight delay on our departure. While this didn’t affect our 1-leg direct flight, some of the passengers connecting in Toronto were visibly nervous and upset with the delay. Understandably so. While not seated together (we booked separately as my job covered my flight cost), our flight was uneventful and we landed in Toronto in late afternoon. The differences in our home environment and the big city were immediately evident upon trying to get through the terminal.

Majoratively and for the most part, I’ve noticed that people in the big city will go absolutely out of their way to avoid eye contact with others. While this is a personal choice and fine in concept, the practice is a bit more problematic. Especially when you’re in a large crowd. As we were walking at a rushed pace to find a cab, I had to repeatedly ask people to bring their eyes up as most people either had their eyes down on their phone or would simply walk right into others by virtue of not making eye contact. Just to be clear, I’m not of the impression that it’s everyone else’s job to get out of my way. But at least have the decency to keep your eyes up and contribute to the flow of foot traffic instead of being a hindrance. This would be common sense but I guess if sense were common, there wouldn’t be a term for it.

We stepped out of the terminal into. 36-degree summer heat. The sweat immediately bloomed on my forehead and the dizziness from the heat kicked in immediately. Exhausted and harassed by the crowds, we were quite happy to get to the hotel and check in. Not wanting to exhaust ourselves further, we opted to dine at the bistro located within the hotel, where I enjoyed a very lovely gourmet burger and some crispy fries. It was a nice ending to a day’s travel. We retired to the room and unceremoniously passed out shortly thereafter.

The next morning saw me deal with day 1 of my meetings, followed by an evening of dining with the group at an organized dinner. The menu was too extensive to get into, quite honestly, and the food and wine flowed freely, which made for an excellent evening of conversation, food and relaxation. The following day saw my meetings end around the noon hour. With the second day of conferences completed, we now had the remainder of the day to ourselves and decided to venture into the downtown core to shop and explore. This is where the issues began…

Besides being misdirected to a shopping centre we didn’t want by a “helpful” taxi driver, the heat basically floored us and sapped all life from us. By the time we reached the downtown core, we experienced the full gamut of human ignorance and indifference for one’s fellow man. Walking like a flood of angry badgers and completely oblivious to other people in their path or attempting to walk through, the population continued on the almost religious adherence to avoiding eye contact and willingly walking into others. Despite some verbal attempts, I even had a couple of occasions where I had to hold a had up to prevent someone from walking face-to-face into me. I’m surprised I didn’t get into a fight, to be honest.

Our overall downtown trip was not only disappointing but was enough of make us realize that populated city centres are not our thing. We begrudgingly made our way back to our hotel and once again dined in the main floor bistro, as it was convenient and easy. While we were still ultimately happy at having had some private time to spend together, the overall experience that was Toronto was not ideal. For us. Just to be clear, it wasn’t ideal for us. But we still had the opportunity for good conversation, some fine meals and the opportunity to travel together. That still tips the scales to the positive side.

The lesson for anyone out there reading my little rant right now, is that we live in a world of continuously evolving technology and as it carries on, we get more and more immersed in this technology. We ignore the real world in favour of burying our face in screen where we suddenly become brazen, outspoken and even quasi-offensive (or sometimes flu-blown offensive). But yet in the real world, we ignore the people around us and pretend they’re not there, even in a large crowd. In many ways, this is quite sad.

Let’s just say that I’m quite happy living in an environment that has a little population as it does. Both my wife and I are from towns with a population of a few thousand. Neither one of us can stand large crowds or millions of people. Despite this, we try to accommodate living in the real world because that’s where we all exist. But I won’t lie when I say we were quite happy getting back to our little city and making it to our quiet home in our little suburb. ☯️

Don’t Stress Over It…

I’ll be the first to admit that my tactics at approaching life have changed significantly over the past five years or so. And undoubtedly with positive results. It’s no secret that stress can have a number of adverse effects on one’s physical and mental state, especially in the long term. If you live a life of constant stress and anxiety, you’ll do more damage to yourself than the stress is worth. And chances are, the people behind that stress won’t give two shits about how far you put yourself out there.

Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to nasty effects like muscle tension, headaches, stomach problems and even heart and blood pressure issues. In addition to those few and according to an article posted by WebMD, symptoms of prolonged stress can include chest pains, rapid breathing, insomnia and loss of sex drive. I can’t but help but feel that the last one is a bit of a chicken or the egg scenario… lack of sex drive stresses you out, so you suffer more lack of sex drive, which stresses you out further… Brutal. But i digress…

Stress can also lead to the old saying about things “weighing on your soul,” as it can affect the emotional part of one’s health, as well. Loneliness, difficulty relaxing and becoming easily agitated can all be caused by prolonged exposure to stress. The problem comes from the body “fight or flight response,” which is triggered by harmful situations in one’s environment. It’s important to note that what may be considered stressful for one person may not be stressful to another. For example, some people may give zero fucks about how clean their bathroom is, while another person may get stressed out if a towel sits out for more than a couple of days.

So how does this tie in to Type-1 Diabetes? Well, the short answer is, surprise, surprise, EVERYTHING affects Type-1 Diabetes and stress is no exception. Stress will often adversely affect blood sugars, mostly due to the release of adrenaline and glucagon during those periods of increased stress. The result can be blood sugars that will slip easily out of whack, especially if you’re on a clever little insulin pump that will try to adjust for rising blood sugars but won’t understand WHY it’s happening. But all things being equal, everything described in the last few paragraphs are reason enough to try and avoid stress as much as possible.

We live in a crazy world that seems to promote stress rather than try to mitigate it, so it can be hard to avoid. For the most part, I spent over twenty years waking up to an alarm, hitting the ground running and rushing to get from point A to B, every day. There are reasons why my A1C’s have been total shit for almost two decades. In recent years, I’ve flipped the script a little bit on what it means to be healthy and have made some changes. I no longer wake up to an alarm. No, I’m not rich and I do hold a day job. I’ve accomplished this by having a reasonable bedtime at night and sticking to it in general terms as a daily routine. Even on the weekends, when I know I can sleep in a bit, I won’t wake to an alarm but will allow my body to wake on it’s own, which is far less stressful and shocking to the system than any alarm one could imagine.

A bit part of managing one’s stress has to do with how you choose to begin your day. My morning routine usually includes those first few sips of caffeine, followed by showering, dressing and prepping my lunch. Sound pretty standard? That’s because it is. The difference is I make a point of taking my time and not rushing. If I should be a few minutes behind or late, so be it. Granted, not everyone has that benefit but if you do, be sure to take advantage of it. On your way to work, try listening to some music as opposed to the news. Find a tune that you’ll sing to or groove to. Or both. Puts you in a much better mindset than hearing what political or world issues may be threatening your world.

Obviously, I’m not suggesting burying your head in the sand; I’m just saying there’s no need to constantly make yourself on edge and there’s plenty you can do to calm yourself and reduce your stress level. Finally, find some time for yourself. Whether it’s meditation, sitting with a book or just sipping a pint while watching a game, take the time to decompress and unwind. While built with the inherent ability to react to stress, we’re not built to be constantly exposed to it. That’s why so many people experience burnout and develop mental health issues.

Keep tabs on your stress. Doing so will help with one’s overall blood sugar control and help promote better overall health; diabetes-related or not. And let’s not forget the most important reason, health and stress issues aside, for doing well of this for yourself, which is to be happy. It’s important to be happy. If that isn’t motivation enough to help get you out of bed without an alarm, something may need to be changed. Food for thought… ☯️

A Belt Is Just A Belt…

I still vividly remember the first night I stepped into Sensei’ dojo. I was young, impressionable yet still chock full of sarcasm and quasi-narcissism. However, I was extremely aware of my own reality and recognized that I needed something life-altering in order to keep myself alive. Karate turned out to be the path towards that goal. After that first night, it would only get better. That’s not to say there wasn’t a significant amount of literal blood, sweat and tears. But I was willing to work at it and do what had to be done to reach my goals.

As I began to grow and progress within the dojo, I started to take notice and recognize the different belt ranks and how they seemed to play a role in the overall flow of the dojo. Generally speaking and for most people, black belt is usually the ultimate goal for the students. Ironically, achieving black belt was never ACTUALLY one of my goals, although I would eventually achieve it in early 2002. It would be a turning point for me and a significantly important day in my life and my martial arts journey.

One phenomenon that I’ve come to realize over the years is that the majority of students who stick with it long enough to reach black belt soon quit afterwards. For me, I never actually permanently stepped away from karate, although I can admit there have been times in my life where I’ve taken a hiatus. Such a break is never inherently a bad thing; one sometimes needs to evaluate one’s life in order to rot determine next steps. But the one thing I never did is hang up my belt permanently. And such a thing should not be done. Although addressed in different ways in different styles, Sensei always said that passing black belt was a student’s way of formally asking his Sensei to teach him karate. Can’t do that, if you quit.

I recently read a post online by Steve Rowe. For those who may not be familiar, Steve Rowe is a martial artists and author and has posted a number for very insightful things about the martial arts. One of the best takes on black belt that I’ve read in while was from him. Here’s a taste…

“Taking responsibility for themselves.
Their own training.
Their own standards.
Their own progress.
Never blaming others for a setback.
Being stroking enough to help others.
THAT’s a black belt.”

I wish I could find the post again but I’m sure if you Google Steve Rowe, you’ll no doubt find it. But the post goes on to talk about how becoming a black belt is an investment in oneself and how passing black belt is like finding the ladder that you now need to climb. Not only do I truly love this perspective but I agree with it, as well. Over the past 22 years, I’ve continued to push myself, to learn new things, to teach others and to continue my training.

If I were back home, I have every confidence that I would have climbed the dan ranks without question by now. But deep down, I understand that it doesn’t matter. It’s just a belt. And the certificate is just a piece of paper. It’s what you do with those that knowledge once you have it that will make you an effective martial artist. Food for thought…☯️

A Hearty Middle Finger To Type-1 Diabetes…

It’s been a little over two weeks since I started on my brand new Medtronic Minimed 780G insulin pump. To be completely honest, I upgraded primarily because my previous pump’s warranty ran out and I didn’t want to risk being stuck high and dry if something happened to it that required repairs. While I looked up some of the new pump’s enhanced features, including but not limited to upgraded SmartGuard technology and Bluetooth connectivity for better communication with the CGM sensor, I kinda wondered just how worth it getting a new pump would be.

Over the past couple of weeks, my curiosity was satisfied many times over. With at least two sensor changes and multiple reservoir changes, the difference in my overall blood sugar control has been phenomenal. While I couldn’t guess at what my A1C is currently sitting at, I would assume it’s dropped significantly from my last bloodwork results, all thanks to the increased control and time in range that the new pump has provided. One handy feature is to be able to monitor my blood sugars and perform certain functions through an app on my phone. One of the fun features is that it provides a percentage of time in range for the previous 24 hours. I used to average somewhere between 70 to 80% time in range. Lately, I’ve been hitting the 90’s. And then a few days ago, this happened…

It’s a pretty satisfying feeling, knowing that for the past 24 hours, your blood sugars have been so well controlled that you haven’t gone out of range at any point. Obviously, I could hit a low or a high in the following hour and that percentage would drop but still… In that moment, I had been in range for the 24 hours preceding that moment. While it could have happened before, I don’t know that it ever has. And even if it had, I would have had no way to comprehensively know it before getting this pump. I’m almost looking forward to my next round of bloodwork…

To say I’m impressed and happy with this new pump would be an understatement. The monitoring and micro-bolus adjustments have made things great. Between that and how much my blood pressure and organ health are improving, it kind of feels like everything is coming up me. Here’s hoping that nothing breaks the spell… ☯️

Welcome to Medtronic: The Next Generation

Time flies… It’s a constant of life that people rarely choose to acknowledge. Almost to the point where most folks seem to be of the opinion that they have all the time in the world. But I digress… In this instance, I say that time flies because somehow, five years have gone by in the blink of an eye. In late 2013, my endocrinologist and the RCMP were both pushing me pretty hard to start insulin pump therapy. I resisted this with all of my will, because I didn’t like change and I was fearful of wearing a pump while working as a police officer. Oh, how wrong I would turn out to be.

I started on the Medtronic Minimed Paradigm in early 2014 and it would turn out to be nothing spectacular. Sure, I no longer had to carry an insulin pen and all I had to do was input my carbs and the pump would do the work. It was neat; a technological gadget that was more fun to talk about than actually deal with. That first year was an absolute mess of botched infusion sets, inadequate ratios and failed boluses due to injecting into scar tissue. There were growing pains but after a while, the pump became as much a part of me as Type-1 Diabetes had been for all the years prior.

In 2020, I was told that I qualified to obtain a newer pump and was issued the Medtronic 670G insulin pump. I’m usually very in line with “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” so I wasn’t jazzed about getting yet another new piece of equipment. Plus, this new pump featured continuous glucose monitoring, which I would be on for the first time. I never could have anticipated how much of a difference this would make in my life and my A1C even dropped below 7.0 for the first time in almost 20 years. Despite the many pieces of hardware taped to my abdomen and some of the headaches that come with using new equipment, there’s no arguing that pump therapy has been a game-changer in ensuring my advancing years are healthy.

My new Medtronic 780G. Don’t judge the blood sugar; Auto Mode isn’t on, yet.

Yesterday was like Christmas. After 5 years, I ordered and received my new, upgraded Medtronic 780G insulin pump. I spent the better part of a few hours in the evening getting everything charged and ready, examining the new functionality and a new glucometre (boo). By the time I finally crashed for the night, I was using the new pump, had a brand new Bluetooth CGM installed and I am now waiting for SmartGuard to finish warming up so I can jump on auto mode. Some of the fun benefit with this upgraded version is the Bluetooth pairing, which improve CGM connectivity and prevents all those nasty communication losses. It also allows for a fun mobile device app, which allows me to monitor my blood sugars without constantly in clipping my pump or pulling out of my pocket.

The app screen

I should probably make it clear that there are several companies that distribute insulin pumps in Canada and that, much like martial arts, which brand/company you use is subjective to one’s preferences and experiences. For me, this will be my third Medtronic pump because I like the functionality and excellent customer service. And I don’t like change. Although I always look at all available options, I’ve never been able to bring myself to switch to anything else. Plus, Medtronic spoils their customers. They sent me a shit-ton of supplies along with my new pump.

The stockpile

As I get older, life makes it more difficult to properly maintain blood sugar levels and stay healthy. Eventually, Diabetes will kill me. That may sound a bit morbid but it’s a stark reality. While acknowledging that reality, it’s nice to know that technology is doing its part to ensure that my longevity is as long as it can be. Maybe eventually, technology will outrun Diabetes and it will be a thing of the past. Until then, I’ll continue to be the nerd who gets excited over the prospect of a new insulin pump. ☯️

The 6-Month Aftermath…

Throughout my life, there have been a few times where my life was in genuine jeopardy and I stared death in the face. Sounds a bit melodramatic, perhaps, but accurate nonetheless. The first although not the most memorable, is when I was initially diagnosed with type-1 Diabetes. This happened at the tender age of four, which means that while I fell ill and passed out in my bowl of Froot Loops, I didn’t necessarily have a clear grasp of what was happening or even what Diabetes even was. That being said, it started a lifelong journey of obstacles, medical complications and even goals for myself.

It wouldn’t be until years later and poor treatment of my Diabetes that complications and insulin resistance would threaten to end my life before I had the chance otherwise live it. It would be at this stage that I would begin to lose faith in the health care system and take my care into my own hands. This is also what prompted the beginning of my martial arts journey. While I have always been successful in, to quote Star Trek, take death and turn it into a fighting chance at life, there is some damage that I’ve never recovered from. One good example are my eyes. As a result of my preteens being spent with extremely high blood sugars and living through a half dozen comas, my eyes have damage to them that would decades to treat and those treatments are still ongoing to this day.

However, nothing has been quite as scary as test results I received from my endocrinologist back in November. Although I usually have the benefit of a “boring” visit by virtue of how tightly I control my Diabetes, this visit would be anything but. While going through my blood test results, my kidney function was raised as a concern. For those who haven’t read previous posts and may not be aware, my brother had kidney disease and had a transplant, and it eventually contributed to his death. I knew how serious this was and the potential negative outcomes. To put things into perspective, the normal range for proper kidney function is between 0 to 20 mg/L. My test results in November showed me at 175!

My doctor did the usual, where they try to sugar coat and soften the news as much as possible, mentioning that losing some weight and altering my diet would help to reverse some of the damage. But the basic reality slapped me in the face; I was beginning the downward spiral towards the earliest stages of kidney failure. I left the doctor’s office a deflated man, that day. My doctor had also prescribed Ozempic to help with some of the concerns surrounding my Diabetes. As I’ve written on a couple of occasions, smaller portions and an altered diet have actually given me some success and I’ve shed a fair amount for weight. Having started at about 217 pounds back in November, I weighed in at 191 pounds last week when I visited the doctor’s office.

My doctor was extremely pleased, not only with my weight loss but with the results of said weight loss, which included my kidney function having dropped to 16 mg/L! Coupled with all the nasty issues like cholesterol and blood pressure being absolutely normal, my kidneys had not only completed recovered and all damage was reversed but I essentially had the kidneys of a non-Diabetic. The sense of relief I felt was indescribable. The only thing better than getting a clean bill of health is getting one after you spent months believing you had reached the point in your Diabetic journey where everything was going to start shutting down.

Now, it’s important to recognize that although I work really hard to maintain my health and fitness, none of that whole “turning death into a fighting chance at life” could have happened without help from others. Without Sensei to teach me and train me the way he did, my health and overall fitness wouldn’t have progressed as well as it did. And who knows where I’d be today. By the same token and despite my best efforts, weight loss has been a difficult journey for me over the past fifteen years. Without my endocrinologist prescribing the right medication and seeing me through to losing roughly 25 pounds, my kidneys would likely still look like Rocky Balboa at the end of the movie.

In closing, I think it’s important to recognize the significant difference a bit of weight loss also makes in one’s overall health. People are often resistant when their doctor tells them they need to lose some weight and people today are usually more for the whole “love yourself the way you are” than they are for getting up off the couch and doing something. But that proposed weight loss can make a significant difference in all the systems in your body. And it’s important to recognize that sometimes, one needs a little help in getting there. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Some food, albeit a lot less of it, for thought…☯️

Deadly Roller-Coasters (yet Another Diabetes Story…)

It’s been a hellish week for me and given that it’s only Wednesday, that’s saying quite a bit. Last Thursday, I had the benefit of going out for drinks and games with some associates of mine. For anyone who knows me, that’s a rare and unusual occurrence for me. As much as I immerse myself in time at home and running errands, it’s nice to occasionally grab a pint and let one’s hair down. Conceptually speaking, of course. I’m bald. But it was a god evening of a couple of pint of white IPA (my colleague’s idea) and a platter of appetizers, couple by unlimited access to games and challenges. We spent only a few hours before I made my way home to crash. All seemed right with the world.

Over the past decade, I’ve come to learn that having Type-1 Diabetes shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the things in life that everyone else does. That’s a pretty broad statement and one that, while certainly applicable, doesn’t always work out the way we want. Even if my endocrinologist tells me I can enjoy that large wedge of chocolate cake thanks to my insulin pump doesn’t mean that it won’t completely fuck with my blood sugars while the insulin is trying to catch up. Some of it is timing, some of it is calculating carbs and some of it is just plain ol’ luck. But on occasion, there’s just no accounting for the uncertainties. A plate of random appetizers is extremely difficult to carb-count.

I woke up at about 2 in the morning with blood sugars reading at about 30 mmol/L. Yes, you read that right. Fuckin’ 30! For you non-Diabetics out there, normal range is between 5.0 to 7.0 mmol/L so sitting at 30 involves a whole slew of bad bullshit that happens inside the body. And outside, if you include the vomiting. But we’ll get to that. I got home at about 8:30 pm on Thursday evening and my CGM sensor expired. Just my luck. Since it takes about two hours for a fresh sensor to warm-up and calibrate, I was in for a bit of a late evening. Nonetheless, I charged the transmitter, grabbed a shower (bare abdomens mean Diabetic happy showers) and installed the new sensor. I calibrated around 11:00 pm and hit the sack, exhausted at having actually gone out into public and done things. I anticipated going into work the following morning.

On the Friday morning, I did my usual thing, which includes hitting the ground running. Since I had showered the previous evening, I had a bit of a head start. I prepped some lunch, packed my work bag and got dressed in casual attire, since it was “jeans Friday.” By the time I got to my office, the veneer of starting my day had worn off and I started to feel it… An intense feeling of nausea and body pain, specifically in the joints and muscles. I got through the start of my daily routine at the office but I was distracted and unable to focus. My boss came in and took one look at me and told me I looked like shit. I couldn’t fault him because he was right. I was an unpleasant shade of grey, sweating through my shirt and felt as though I might pass out.

You may have heard the expression that the shoemakers kids go barefoot… I’ve always been far better at encouraging other to get rest and be healthy than I am at taking care of myself. Oh, I can rock this whole T1D thing like nobody’s business but I tend to fend off and stubbornly press through anything that seems like common symptoms. On this occasion, I chose to take my boss’ advice and packed up to return home. It turned out to be a good idea since, I barely had time to dump my bag and remove my jacket before running to the bathroom and purging the limited contents of my stomach. The pain was unreal. Ai this point, I realized I should lie down. I should point out that I had been spending most of the night bolusing and slowly bringing my blood sugar down. I woke up ayt 14 mmol/L, which is not great but it’s a far cry better than 30.

Over the next 48 hours, I consistently retested my blood sugars, bolused additional amounts to keep bringing my blood sugars down and try to feel better. I sipped ginger ale and sugar-free Gatorade to keep myself hydrated. Given the pain I felt, I knew I was dehydrated but if I had to venture a guess, I’d say I was in some level of ketoacidosis. It wasn’t until about 8 pm on Friday night that my blood sugar had dropped low enough to allow me to have something to eat. I ate sparingly, concerned I would just spew it all up. But it stuck. I changed my infusion set once, believing I was possibly not getting the doses I needed. Absorbtion rates can differ depending on where your infusion set sits or how much scar tissue you have. I also took a couple of manual injections when I realized that despite an empty stomach and plenty of bolusing, my levels didn’t seem to be coming down.

It was a hellish weekend and by Sunday morning, my throat felt raw and on fire. The pain was at a level that was radiating into my ears and head. Acetaminophen had zero effect. No surprise there; it never does for anything I get. I finally went to the pharmacy and got some over-the-counter throat spray. The problem with those sprays is actually having shoot to the back of your throat properly. Yes, I heard it as I typed it. Let’s move on… I eventually moved on to a homeopathic throat syrup that worked far better. A mild, minty-hint of Ibuprofen later, the pain passed just enough that I was able to get some semblance of a night’s sleep on Sunday. Going back into work on Monday was far easier. But the pain was ever-present. Here’s where I start bashing the current state of our health care system. Buckle up…

On Monday afternoon, I attended a walk-in clinic at about 4:15 pm. Pay close attention to the fact I stated it was a WALK IN CLINIC. I was told that walk-ins would only be accepted as of 5 pm. Hmm, interesting and mildly stupid but okay. I offered to give my information and be called in at 5 pm. The receptionist refused, citing my check-in couldn’t be accepted UNTIL 5 pm. Fuck me. So they expected me to cross one of the busiest boulevards in the city during a key traffic point of the day. Say it with me: HAPPEN. NOT. GONNA. I stopped at the next clinic on my route home. This is also a walk-in clinic AND there was a huge decal on the window boasting that the walk-in clinic is open from Monday to Thursday until 7 pm. Another rather important detail to bear in mind.

I walked into this second location and the first thing I noticed is that the lobby was completely empty. It was 4:25 pm. I walked up to the reception counter and presented my health card. When I was asked if I had an appointment, I said no. She explained that they were “no longer accepting walk-ins.” I asked how a walk-in clinic could not accept walk-ins, to which she replied that they were closing shortly. I checked my watch in the event I had suddenly shifted forward in time. She said they were closing at 5 pm and I pointed out that they’re door sign said they were open until 7 pm. She didn’t believe me, despite it being on THEIR FUCKIN’ DOOR!!! I also pointed out that their lobby appeared empty and I just needed five minutes for the doctor to look at my throat and potentially subscribe something. It was unreasonable for them to turn patients away with 35 minutes left to the day. She suggested I go to the other location I had attended as they accept walk-ins as of 5 o’clock.

I managed to get home despite the heated anger building behind my eyes. My recipe of Ibuprofen and throat syrup saw me through another “reasonable” night’s sleep but on Tuesday morning, I attended a couple of meetings where I had to speak through most of it and my throat caught fire. I had had enough. One of my colleagues mentioned a walk-in clinic in the downtown core, which was close. I cleared it with my boss and went down. To my surprise, I got in within 15 minutes. Unfortunately, besides a bit of throat irritation, the doctor didn’t find anything. When I asked why the pain would be so bad and radiating into my ears and head, I was told people manage pain differently. Fuck my life. Because I DON’T routinely get needles in my eyes, have had bleeding ulcers and broken bones. A sore throat is putting me down this hard? I somehow don’t think so.

As of today, the pain has almost disappeared but the throat still stings a bit. The whole blood sugar issue was extreme and is something I never want to go through again. It was also dangerous and rather stupid, on my part. As I get older, recovering from these sort of things is becoming harder and harder. Given the high blood sugars and how long it was taking for it to come down, I likely should have sought emergency medical attention. Woulda, coulda, shoulda… But there were definitely some lessons there, for me. Next time, I might just skip the appetizers. Eating any amount of something I can’t positively crab-count is never ideal. With the weekend coming up, hopefully I fare just a little bit better. Diabetes certainly makes every day interesting. ☯️

Read Your Labels… (A Diabetes Story)

I’ve spent more years treating Type-1 Diabetes than not. It’s sometimes hard for me to imagine a time when I WASN’T Diabetic. By virtue of this, I often find myself in a position where I become… shawl we say, complacent? Laziness has never been an issue for me but I would be lying if I said that I don’t occasionally get a bit too comfortable with certain routines and overlook some important details. And as anyone living with Type-! Diabetes will agree, even a small detail can be an important one and can adversely affect you.

One of those details is the proper and thorough reading of the nutritional label on absolutely everything I eat and drink. The reason behind this is quite simple: I need to know the amount of carbohydrates I’m ingesting. Although I’m quick to say how marvellous a piece of technology my insulin pump may be, it still requires significant attention and care on the user’s part to ensure everything is working as it should. Letting my pump know how many grams of carbs I’m about to eat allows it to inject the proper amount of insulin for my meal according to the different ratios I have programmed for the different times of the day.

This is where my tale begins… Over recent years, we’ve started buying large, club pack boxes of ramen noodles. Setting aside for a moment that one pack of ramen noodles contain more than half one’s daily intake of sodium, they often make a quick meal when there’s little else available. It’s also a great “sometimes” meal for my boys on the weekend, who tend to be fussy as fuck and will barely touch prepared meals that my wife and I make. We’ve taken to buying the chicken-flavoured no name brand, since it costs a bit less and no one in the house will eat any of the other flavours, other than myself. This is where my complacency comes into play…

For years, I’ve been accustomed to the fact that each pack of ramen noodles contains about 50 grams of carbs, give or take. And I usually bolus for this amount. I rarely question this and I don’t bother checking the label as it’s the same stuff, every time I have one. Yesterday, my wife and I took our boys to the grocery store to grab a few items as we had also completely ran out of ramen noodles. As usual, I grabbed a club pack box of the chicken flavoured for everyone to have but I also decided to grab a few name brand ramen noodles in the other flavours. I grabbed a beef, a shrimp and an oriental flavour. I figured I could bring one to work sometime in the next week.

So today, I decided to crack open the oriental flavour for lunch. As I was mixing the noodles and seasoning with the water, I decided to glance at the nutritional label, since its’ theoretically something new, given that it’s name brand, and maybe the carb count is different. See? I’m not completely negligent. I do TRY to stay on track. Anyway, I was surprised to see that not only was the carb count about half of what the no name brand usually has, the package size is also much smaller. This struck me as odd but I didn’t question it and bolused accordingly. I proceeded to enjoy my noodles while I worked.

About an hour later, I started to feel flush and nauseous and couldn’t seem to sit still. I pulled out my pump and noted that my blood sugar levels were rising pretty damn quickly. The CGM reading had three arrows pointing straight up which, for you non-Diabetics, means my levels were skyrocketing. I was mildly confused but bolused a correction dose of insulin to counteract the high. I remembered I had a spare package of no name noodles in my desk and pulled it out. Same as usual, the total carb count was shy over 50 grams. What I realized is that the package didn’t really feel bigger than the name brand one.

I pulled the wrapper out of the trash and took another look at the nutritional label. There it was… the smaller size was because the label measured on SERVING, not one PACKAGE. And one serving was approximately half of the package, which is why the carb count was so much lower. In reality, the total package was abut the same as the no name brand. Now, I don’t know who the hell would prepare and only eat half a pack of ramen noodles or what kind of communist bullshit that serving size is, but shame on me for not picking up on that. The result was an adverse effect on my blood sugars.

So, the important takeaway for today’s post is to pay attention to details and read your nutritional labels carefully. Bolusing properly can be difficult at the best of times, even when there is a label. But overlooking small details such as serving size can have a meaningful impact on proper control. And there’s nothing worse than being on the blood sugar roller coaster; where you’re high so you can correct, then you drop low and have to treat. Wash, rinse and repeat. I’ll be watching my nutritional labels far closer now, believe me. ☯️