Diabetes Blog – Happy-Medium.net

This blog is a place for me to write about diabetes, but it’s also a place for me to write about my diabetes. So today, I’m telling you eight things you might not know about what’s going on in my life, diabetes-wise:

1. Diabetes By The Numbers is not going away. As seems to happen with all things audio in my life, technology has let me down. I had been recording my podcast interviews through my ten year old laptop, and frankly, it’s just running out of juice. It was having trouble recording my interviews without garbling up important parts of what people were saying. If I’m going to do this podcasting thing, I want to have as good a sound as I can get. So I’ve invested in a new laptop (prices have really come down– this has more computing power for about a thousand bucks less than a decade ago). So look for new episodes of Diabetes By The Numbers soon. I don’t know about you, but I miss it.
 
 
2. I’m finally seeing doctors again. After writing about letting my appointments with various doctors slide for a while, I made a couple of phone calls. I have an appointment with my endocrinologist this afternoon, which, actually, I’m looking forward to. It’s been about 4 1/2 months since my last visit, and we have lots to discuss. I’ll let you know if there are any great nuggets that come out of this appointment. There usually are.

I’m also seeing a new ophthalmologist in a few weeks. Fingers crossed that this one is a little more detailed than the last one. Plus, I need a new prescription.
 
 
3. I’m training for a 5K run. This is my local neighborhood run, that takes place about five minutes away from my house. I had run this race every year for about ten years until I had knee surgery last June. This is my comeback run, my first athletic event in two years. I’ve lost weight in the past year, but I’m still not in great shape, so I don’t expect to do well. I don’t care. Simply put, this event is very important to me, and I will participate, even if I have to crawl my way to the finish line.

Then it’s back to the bike for a while.
 
 
4. I will be in Orlando in July. Actually, I should say I hope to be in Orlando in July, provided I can get the okay from my job to take off that week. I plan to be onsite during the Friends for Life conference, but I’m not necessarily going as an attendee. The plan is to go to MasterLab (sponsored by Diabetes Hands Foundation, which is letting me attend for free) on July 6, and then I’ll be working in the exhibit hall on the 6th, 7th, and 8th. If you’re going to be there, please come by and see me… there’s something I want you to do, and it will help all of us living with and affected by diabetes. I mean it.
 
 
5. It won’t be long before September is here. And September means… the Diabetes UnConference Atlantic City, September 9-11! In case you’re wondering, yes, this is the weekend of the Miss America pageant, which is held there each year, and while those festivities are occurring, scores of adults living with diabetes and the people who love us will be getting together for the only peer-to-peer conference of its kind. We’ll be talking about all the psychosocial aspects of living with diabetes 24/7/365. There will also be fun get-togethers, new friends made, lots of acceptance and support, and probably some hugs too when the UnConference makes its way to the U.S. east coast for the first time. Check out the super team of facilitators. I’ll bet you can recognize one or two.

More to come as deadlines near. I don’t want you to miss out on anything! To find out more, CLICK HERE. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I will be one of the facilitators in Atlantic City this September, and I can’t wait.
 
 
6. I will be hosting DSMA next week. I’ve been keeping to about a once-per-month schedule moderating the fastest hour of the week, the DSMA Twitter Chat, which happens every Wednesday at 9:00 p.m.(US). The other moderators are (of course) Cherise Shockley, Kelly Kunik, and Chelcie Rice. The DSMA chat is great fun, and it’s a great way to meet others from the diabetes community, all while answering prompts from the moderator. It’s been a great honor to help lead the community discussion on both important and fun topics, and that honor continues next week.

If you’d like to participate, it’s easy. First: get a Twitter account. Second: follow the @DiabetesSocMed Twitter handle and/or the #DSMA hashtag to participate. Come and join the conversation!
 
 
7. Still going on the Animas Vibe pump. I’ve been on the Vibe for about six months now, with a short break in April (I ran out of supplies– I’ll get that worked out with my endo today). Overall, the pump has been durable and delivers insulin like nobody’s business, but there are definitely things I don’t like about it. No use complaining anymore… I’m stuck with this one for another 3 1/2 years. Boo on the local trainer who was going to get together with me to show me some of the more intricate features of the pump. I got sick just before we were scheduled to meet, so I had to cancel. After that, repeated phone messages have been met with only silence. Maybe I can hit up the people working at the Animas booth in Florida for a quick tips and tricks session.
 
 
8. My diabetes circle is getting bigger. I work in a building with about 500 or 600 other people. Lawyers, admin assistants, architects, financial wizards. Just a couple of years ago I didn’t know anyone there who was living with diabetes. As far as I knew (though I knew it wasn’t true), I was the only one. Well, now I know three, two Type 2s, and a Type 1 who is wearing the same insulin pump that I wear. He got his first. It’s a double edged sword, really… I’m happy to know there are a few others around who get it, but I’m not happy that they have to live with this stupid condition too.
 
 
Okay… so that’s what’s happening in my world lately. What’s new with you?