Research Purpose

As I reflect on my experience this weekend, I am grateful that I was able to be a part of this fantastic study.  I have NEVER been able to take some time just to focus on my diabetes.  I am thinking this is what camp would be like.  Anyway,  the study is through NIH, as well, and they are developing an artificial pancreas.  When I return in December, I will be wearing an evolving version of an artificial pancreas.

Day 3 - UVA Basal Rate Research Trial

Upon waking, I felt better physically than the day before, just tired.  I ate breakfast and we headed to the gym.  I completed the exercise easily and then returned to the research house where I ate lunch.  Oh, I forgot, I was given a Fitbit to use for the 30 days and instructed on how to download it as well as the blind CGM and my pump for additional data.  The great thing about this study is 3 doctors, IT technicians and more were watching my data live on a computer the entire time I was in the study.  I did get to nap this afternoon before leaving the research house.  I returned home with their CGM, glucometer and a Fitbit.  Each Tuesday I am to download everything onto the computer, including my Verio pump.  The data will be collected until Dec. 18, when I will return for the final part of the study.  It is my understanding that at this point I will be fitted with a device that will automatically manage my diabetes based on the test results.  I am intrigued to see what happens.  I am very tired tonight and look forward to sleeping in my own bed.  

Day 2 UVA Basal Rate Study

Technology can be great and then again, it can have shortcomings.  I was hooked up to all of the devices yesterday and for some reason my sugars went to 300.  This meant I was awakened many times during the night for blood sugar readings and blousing to cover them as well as encouraged to drink water.  By morning the readings still had not come down and I was beginning to suffer from the highs.  I awoke at 6:50 and was not able to eat until 9:30 because we were waiting for me to respond to insulin on board.  Once the doctor got here, we agreed that I should take an injection.  The injection, water and Pedialite helped me to begin to respond.  I really did not think I would be able to continue with the day's activities, but alas, I started feeling less nauseous and my ketones reduced.  Onto the exercise portion of the study,...  This went very well.  I rode a stationary bike at a gym for 3 15 minute intervals with a 5 minute rest in between.  My heart rate needed to get as close to 140 as I could maintain through the 15 minutes.  It felt good once I got through the first session.  I struggled with that one being that I had such high sugars.  Once we completed the exercise we had to wait for a taxi that did not show so we walked back to the research house.  My sugars have been much more stable through the day.  The CGM refused to function properly so we reinserted the sensor and calibrated it.  Dinner is minutes away now,...  Let's hope the evening goes smoothly and I can get a good night's rest.  The evening did not go as smoothly as I would have liked.  My Nokia for dinner when I counted my carbs was to be 9 units.  I have never taken that much insulin for a meal!  After the highs the night before, I was convinced to take the 9 units as I trusted they were watching me very closely.  I knew the exercise would keep my sugars down.  After 2 hours, I dropped and from that point through the evening, I had to treat for low blood sugars.  Even through the night.  

T1D Research Weekend at UVA

Today I entered the beginning of a 30 day research trial for optimum basal rates for the artificial pancreas.  This trial is being held in Charlottesville.  I stay this weekend with the team and complete the trial Dec. 18-20.  So far, so good.  I have applied their CGM, insulin pump and been given a phone as a remote for the pump.  As I go through this trial, I will keep you updated with information. Any out there who are interested in participating, let me know.  The trial runs through March, which means the last group will begin in February.  The more people who are involved, the better data.  I can pass your name along to the study coordinator.  I hope to not only provide the researchers with data, but to also optimize my pump and its many functions so I can be the healthiest I can be.

So far the staff has been great!  I am connected to a system that everyone can watch my CGM, but me.  They will monitor me at all times.  This entire process is very interesting.

As for the rest of life, we moved to Churchville, VA, Oct. 2014.  After 6 weeks in our new/old house, we became sick and learned the house had black mold to the extent that it had to be torn down.  We rented a house in Staunton, VA and built a house with a wonderful builder.  Last Thursday, we moved into our new house!  As much as I would love to be able to help more with organizing and settling into the new house,  my husband and I believe this study is valuable for the diabetic community, so here I am,...   Some of the things we appreciate having again in our new house, a dishwasher, a flat sink, good quality washer and dryer, a gas stove, a large refrigerator and best of all living on our property, finally, and waking up to the views out of every window.

I Won!

After a long patient time, I found out a week ago that I won my ordinary disability claim with the State of Maryland Retirement.  I can now retire.  It is a bittersweet decision, but I believe the right one.

I have found ways to connect with young people to encourage those who need positivity in their lives.  I am also considering volunteering in a program called AVID at the high school to tutor students.  If there is misbehavior with students, I can opt out of helping them.  I may also consider tutoring privately in math.

I spend my days visiting friends, riding my horse and taking life at a much slower pace.  This gives me time to manage my diabetes and live my life with much less stress.  During my time off, I have thought a lot about my life.  It has taken me this long to realize, my thoughts and attitude are in my hands.  No one can make me happy.  I am the only one who can make me happy.  I will not tolerate others bullying or negativity, nor will I allow it to make me unhappy.  Stating this clearly to others, has reduced their abuse on me and actually allowed them to have a more positive attitude.  Clearly better for everyone!  Life is far too short to be miserable.

I have one more claim to file.  I will keep you posted on how it goes.

By the way, we are in my most favorite time of year.  The days are cooler, yet not too cold.  The woodstove has been fired up to take the chill off and the coziness of being home is wonderful.  Sometimes, I wish the days were longer since the sun's presence keeps depression from trying to creep in.  Mostly, I am very happy and grateful for my life.  Being able to cook again and allowing heat from cooking into the house is a pleasure.  Cooking in the summer is difficult.  By freezing, canning, and dehydrating, I am able to save money, live frugally and eat healthy.

Off to clean the kitchen floor!

Have a great day,
Tammy

Contributing

It has been a while since I have written and posted.  Life has been very good and busy.  My daughter is nearing the end of her first year of college and her lacrosse season has been going strong.  It has been so fun traveling to watch her games.
I have contracted with lawyers to prepare my case for disability retirement.  There are only two highly rated law firms in the state of MD that do this.  I am grateful that I located the firm I chose who believe they can win my case, actually two claims.  One for ordinary disability through the state retirement policy and one for long term disability insurance that I opted to pay for that coverage when signing my contract 8 years ago.
Day to day life is busy with taking care of the 3 dogs we now have, caring for our horse who has a foot injury, gardening, caring for the home and preparing meals.  I love the slower pace of my life and am able to step back to care for my diabetes as needed.  My A1C is slowly coming down too.
With the warm weather expected today, I plan to bathe the horse and dogs before the cool air returns and I miss my chance.
Something occurred yesterday while driving and I am sure many of you T1's have experienced this.  I took a break from my CGM for the weekend and thought I was dropping low because my focus all of a sudden became difficult.  Luckily, my husband was with me and I pulled over so he could drive and tested.  I was 87, but the symptoms felt like I was dropping lower so I ate some almonds.  My focus slowly improved.  This feeling of reduced focus and difficulty thinking was what I dealt with in teaching day in and day out.  Whether my sugars were high or low, my thinking could be affected.  Looking back I do not know how I persisted in the classroom with the type of students I had and did not have something awful occur.
Life is much better.  For those of you new to this blog, see my history for a more in depth description to why I left teaching due to my diabetes.

Have a great day!

Monday

Not a bad Monday, as Mondays go.  I am grateful to be available to help a friend who is a neighbor and is elderly.  She is 86 and is in need of rides to visit her husband who is still in a nursing home and is suffering from a stroke.  I do not have living parents so I do enjoy spending time with them.  These are the neighbors whose dog I watched for 5 weeks.

I am still dealing with high blood sugars after most meals.  My endocrinologist has contacted Animas who is to send me someone to show me how to use the combo bolus feature on my Animas Ping pump.  I will try this for meals before trying a drug called Simlyn which replaces the hormone Amylin.  Amylin prevents the liver from producing too much glucose with meals and upon waking in the morning (dawn phenomena).  I suffer from this, but the drug is dangerous because if you go low with it, even when you eat, the drug prevents glucose in the liver so no matter how much you eat, it may not be enough.  It also slows down digestion.

The other issue I need to get an answer to is my CGM.  It will occasionally shut off and make this awful beep.  Then the word 'INITIALIZING' will go on the screen and after a few minutes the monitor will beep loudly twice again.  At this point, sometimes it comes on and sometimes is shuts off.  I have not been able to get it to come back on unless I plug it in to charge.  I have no idea what is going on with it.  This is why I stopped using it when I was teaching because the sound of the device was so loud and I could not predict what made it beep so loudly.  Now that I am home and not teaching, I use the CGM more often and find the information it gives me useful.

I made two good recipes through AllRecipes that we had for dinner tonight.  One is Chorizo Lentil Stew and the other is Blueberry Cornbread Muffins.  They compliment one another nicely and the carbs are included with the nutritional value!

I hope everyone had a nice day!