So I have been somewhat on a mission to figure out the best way to wear my Dexcom G4 and get the most out of each sensor.  Between working out, yoga and showers, it usually only lasts a few days before it starts to peel up.  I had received a bunch of 3M Tegaderm adhesive patches when I got my pump, so I made a little template and cut a space out and put it directly over the Dexcom patch (white adhesive part).  It helped with the skin irritation and the peeling versus medical tape that I used to use.  Once the Tegaderm started to peel, I was able to remove it and replace with a new fresh one. I was able to get 12 days out of the sensor and it made the Dexcom G4 feel a lot more secure.  

I usually go with my lower abdomen when thinking about where to put my sensor each week, but also wanted to try out other areas that a few readers suggested awhile back, and wanted to give my stomach a break.  It's currently in the back area of my arm and so far it seems to work pretty good. It isn't as accurate as when it is on my stomach, but much much more comfortable. 

I am not one to go to the doctor much, except to get my blood work done.  Well, mostly just to get my A1C checked but last year I still had money in my flex budget for healthcare expenses, so I thought I would try an at home A1C kit.  It comes with two tests and I think it was roughly $30, so depending on co-pays and lab fees, it might be well worth doing it at home.  Also, it is only a regular finger stick versus having blood drawn. 

This is the quick and dirty on my diagnosis and evolution of treatment.  I was diagnosed at the age of 17 while going to the doctor to get results of a neck x-ray from a football injury.  I was a couple months away from being 18 and insisted to my mom to be able to go to the doctor by myself for the first time.  As I mentioned to the doctor my insane thirst and frequent urination, he order the nurse to check my blood sugar, which struck me as odd.  Didn't really have any idea why?  As the nurse showed the doctor the results with a puzzled look on her face, he told her to check it again.  As she did, she got the same result - "HIGH".  Side note - "Well hello there to you too my new side kick, blood glucose monitor, that will not leave my side for the rest of my life."  

So this post is coming a bit out of left field, but certainly does have some relevance to events that have been in the news recently.  Also, because I went to a new Crossfit gym here in Vancouver and I could hardly get out of bed this morning, but my blood sugars were spot on.  As most know, Lance Armstrong has finally come clean (somewhat) to the allegations he was "doping" & used performance enhancing drugs while professionally competing.  There have also been many MLB players that have been under investigation for the use of banned substances.  The most common thought for people is steroids.  Well, yes the majority of the time they are taking steroids but usually it's coupled with other substances.  There are numerous ways you can enhance your physical performance, which most people aren't really aware of, well, at least I was not.  I wouldn't have thought about doing blood transfusions during any of my physical competitions.  Also, I am sure most people would not associate INSULIN as a performance enhancing drug either!  

Yes, I know I have some rather interesting jumping abilities and strength to size ratio, so for those of you that may have suspected, I am coming clean.  I MUST ADMIT, I HAVE BEEN USING PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS FOR OVER 10 YEARS!!! INSULIN!!! hahah

So it has been a few too many days since my last post, but I came down with a nasty cold and havent really had the energy for a post.  Not to mention my last day of work is this Wednesday, then move to Vancouver Friday, and start my new gig next Monday.  Kinda busy and this sickness has been untimely.  [So excited too, because I also got my ANIMAS PING insulin pump a couple days ago and have been doing the saline trial (post to come soon)]     

That being said, this is just going to be a quick post about being sick.  Being sick consists of watching quite a bit of T.V. and when the news came on the other night, I wasn't too surprised to see that this is one of the worst flu season ever.  Everyone at work has seemed to be sick this last week.  The story was about a healthy 17 year old teen who came down with the flu and ended up passing away from pneumonia.  I was blown away.  They mentioned a staggering statistic of people that die each year from the flu, but it is usually because of an existing condition that the flu complicates.  Of course, first thing I think about when I hear "pre-existing condition" is Diabetes.  

Doctors always recommend Diabetics get a flu shot. I sometime do and I sometimes dont with no rhyme or reason.  I am not sure how I feel about it.  Leave a comment below to your experiences with the Flu Shots.  Below is my experience with the Flu shot this year.   

So last week, I went into the nuclear medicine dept at Kaiser to get a test done to see if I had a condition called Gastroparesis.  Yes, I am sure it sounds pretty foreign to most, but it is basically a type of nerve damage somewhat common with Type I diabetes that delays the stomach from emptying.  The test lasted four hours!  I basically had to eat an egg scramble that was injected with radioactive material, so they  could take a two minute x-ray of my stomach every hour for four hours to see how quickly the materials emptied from my stomach into my intestinal track.

It can be difficult to keep track of all the sugar substitutes these days and to really understand the health implications of each of them and how well they really work for people with diabetes.  One of the substitues that you will find in a lot of sugar free gums is called Xylitol.  You might be thinking from the title of my post that Xylitol is another one of those cancer causing sweeteners like Saccharin (SweetN' Low, Sugar Twin), but in actuality, Xylitol has been proven to be safe for human consumption.  In addition, it has been proven to have little to no effect on blood sugar levels, so is a great option for people with diabetes.  As you might guess, my distinction is "Human Consumption", as Xylitol can be DEADLY in dogs!