tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-282140492012-01-18T21:57:50.678-05:00Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.comBlogger731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-64322494931844112132010-10-06T00:11:00.001-04:002010-10-06T00:12:52.409-04:00

Anybody who has slept straight through the night while wearing a CGM, please raise your hand.Really?I think you're lying.

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-39164682090698388142009-01-26T09:38:00.008-05:002009-01-26T10:42:52.165-05:00

...à la Stephen Colbert.I've got some kudos Not the Snackbar But (oh!) did I love to make lunch-time trades for these little devils in elementary school! closeand complaints about Dexcom that I'd like to air.First, the complement: Before the holidays, I had two Dexcom sensors fail on me in rapid succession. One sensor lasted all of six hours! I waited a day or two to put in the next sensor

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-65414004114061970592009-01-05T21:07:00.004-05:002009-01-05T21:45:23.447-05:00

Well, not exactly Dilbert, but Scott Adams.And not exactly on diabetes, per se, but something somewhat related.And besides, "Dilbert on Diabetes" is catchy (and alliterative to boot).I've never been a huge Dilbert fan, but I've found the comic to be entertaining from time to time. I am, however, a fan of Scott Adams's blog. If you enjoy reading stimulating (and often very funny) thought

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-23392368673050987522008-12-20T20:49:00.010-05:002008-12-21T13:06:24.678-05:00

OK, fess up. Who's been standing on the fast-forward button??Don't you (whomever you are) realize that throwing someone into a time warp is seriously Not Cool? These are precious moments! They shouldn't whirl by in a blur!Anyway, now that time has approached a somewhat more "normal" speed for me, I wanted to take this opportunity (on the 1-year anniversary of my blogging absence) to: 1) let

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-47383891590423331352007-12-20T22:32:00.000-05:002007-12-21T00:12:45.001-05:00

These aren't happy or festive words. But 'tis the season of holiday parties and Christmas cookies and a constant barrage of sweets, so (sadly) these are the words that have been bouncing 'round my head lately.When faced EmbarrassingIt's really embarrassing how much time I have devoted in my life standing over such a tray and waging a gut-wrenching mental debate with myself over whether to eat

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-27211517205556424332007-12-10T21:16:00.000-05:002007-12-10T23:07:28.940-05:00

- Wow?!- It's been how long?- Really?- Wow, that's hard to believe.- Sorry 'bout that.First and foremost, thanks to all of you who have sent your congratulations and well wishes our way. In addition, I have a few BIG THANK YOUs to shout about:Minnesota Nice, for the totally rocking, Bob Marleyesque hats (which have been universally complemented by all who have seen them). The little melon heads

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-6882945868464491212007-09-28T16:06:00.000-04:002007-09-28T21:42:04.152-04:00

Wow!We've been home from the hospital for a week nowIn the first 48 hours after birth, they test the blood sugar for infants every 8 hoursThe "normal" range for infant's blood sugars is 45 mg/dl - 90 mg/dlBoth babies hung around the mid-40s to low 50s for the first day before pushing up into the 70s once they were getting some formula in their belliesThey're not checking for diabetes (as a nurse

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-9570469073841054862007-09-21T21:42:00.000-04:002007-09-21T21:51:18.631-04:00

We are extremely pleased to introduce two new people to the world:Ian Aloysius (born Wednesday @ 2:53pm; 5lb, 3oz, 17in) andEleanor Grace (born Wednesday @ 3:06pm; 5lb, 7oz, 17.5in)Megan and both babies are in perfect health.We could not CorrectionOur friend Jerome (aka, Jerry G.) has already corrected us on this: We can be happier, and we will be -- it just gets better and better (which is

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-64007358148362654712007-09-02T21:07:00.000-04:002007-09-04T20:27:29.938-04:00

Some of you know about the Excel logbook I created a little over a year ago. While I was working remotely with Gary Scheiner, I needed to record my blood sugars in detail and email them to him on a regular basis. I started off using one of his logbooks designed in Microsoft Word, but that became cumbersome to work with. I had also recently (at the time) purchased a bunch of "My Other

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com165tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-66411745352818027112007-08-27T20:50:00.000-04:002007-08-28T22:51:51.120-04:00

In case you haven't noticed, it's been a while since I posted anything.First and foremost, no babies (yet).We're creeping up on 35 weeks gestation.This is a good thing.34 weeks was one milestone, now we're hoping to make it past 36 weeks.Meg's been on limited activity since 28 weeks.At 31 weeks we found out she was 1 cm dilated It's CrazyIn case you fellas don't know what that means, it means her

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-3471615350236938892007-07-26T20:54:00.000-04:002007-07-26T22:28:09.792-04:00

Well, it actually started last night:11:06pm - 81 mg/dl 11:06pmI had pizza for dinner and I was working around the house all night. I was running cable wire from the basement to the second floor (thanks for your help, Aron!). My legs were toast from the bike ride home and from climbing the stairs back and forth from the basement to the second floor so many times I thought I was on a Stairmaster.

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-86488683150165241192007-07-17T18:50:00.000-04:002007-07-21T00:19:53.820-04:00

First off, I owe a big (and long-overdue) Thank You to Scott for giving me a "Thinking Blogger" Award (though, I think a "Blinking Thogger" award is totally more appropriate!). I hardly feel worthy. I'm just happy to be a part of this group of folks sharing our stories (diabetic and otherwise). One of these days I will (hopefully) set up a Tu Diabetes page and join the 21st century (I kinda

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-63147636533883570232007-07-05T18:14:00.000-04:002007-07-17T18:49:51.496-04:00

Statistically speaking, a median is the point in a probability distribution above which 50% of observations reside and below which the other 50% live. Or mathematically:In a civil engineering sense, a median is a section of space that separates highways.In human anatomy, though, the median nerve is the nerve that runs from your shoulder all the way to the tips of your thumb, index finger, middle

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-38548320535230657072007-06-17T20:46:00.000-04:002007-06-21T21:36:45.125-04:00

I crossed paths with medical professionals three times last week.In chronological order:Monday, June 11thI had my six-month check-up with my ophthalmologist How do you spell that?I am almost certain I have misspelled that word several times in this blog. I'm usually pretty picky about things like this. But seriously, when did they put that "h" in there? I've always pronounced it "

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-54304326424949062152007-06-07T20:37:00.000-04:002007-06-21T21:40:05.266-04:00

I've figured it out.I know what makes diabetes so difficult:EATING.Today I did a basal rate test.And it clearly showed that I could acheive near normal blood sugars for a decently long time... if only I didn't eat anthing.It's been about a year since I tested my basal rate settings. Before then, I had been on an insulin pump for almost 5 years and had practically the same 2 (TWO!) basal rates

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-59168213492548784752007-06-05T18:17:00.000-04:002007-06-07T22:09:32.257-04:00

Turns out I've been doing this blogging thing for a little over year now. Who knew? (answer: Blogger Dashboard, that's who). I believe this will be my 58th post, which (if I'm doing my math correctly) is a little over once a week (okay, I couldn't help myself: it's 1.115 times per week). This is about what I was expecting (hoping) when I started this little venture (despite the lengthy hiatus

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-53837790579718126562007-05-30T21:49:00.000-04:002007-06-05T22:23:36.644-04:00

Hi.I'm Kevin.Remember Me?Yeah, I wouldn't think so.I used to write things here on a semi-regular basis (once (maybe twice) a week).Then life happened.Megan got pregnant (with twins).And I turned into a wildman focused on getting all the house projects we've been putting off for 2 years done in the next 6 (now 4) months. Many friends and family members have told me that I need to just chill out -

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-51823523743915614512007-04-25T22:16:00.000-04:002007-04-25T22:24:47.311-04:00

...but just barely.It's been about 3 weeks since my last post, which is the longest it's been in between posts for me, I think.I'm not sure when it started, I think sometime after college, but I rarely sleep through the night. I usually wake up once (sometimes twice) per night. I test my blood, go to the bathroom, have a sip of water, and go right back to sleep. Most mornings, it's like it

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-14615751261778881082007-04-01T20:25:00.000-04:002007-04-01T21:03:19.238-04:00

Last week's post was just foreshadowing.This one is the real deal.(I.e., don't let the date fool ya, this is no joke).I have never been so excited and so scared at the same time in my entire life.(6-weeks)(12-weeks)Can you say a ¿Gemelos? That's Spanish ForTwins? (Twins!) close (¡Gemelos!)

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-73347761603680732582007-03-23T22:15:00.000-04:002007-03-23T22:36:21.644-04:00

In the past two days, there were two separate (and completely independent) items/events that occurred where I thought to myself: "Hmmm, I should write something about this..." Rather than trying to choose which one to write about in my limited writing time, I've decided to just include both of these unrelated items here in this one post. As such, they are likely to each be given a half-assed

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-57595411670521964032007-03-19T20:42:00.000-04:002007-03-20T10:28:09.046-04:00

The other day at work I was feeling a little funny before lunch.Symptoms weren't too strong, and not really my normal visual pin-wheel thing either.I opened up my meter that I keep out on my desk next to my keyboard and went through the few steps that are so second nature to me that I can literally do them in my sleep. 42 mg/dLI actually started laughing Even though......we all know that's

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-13111244499839442862007-03-09T19:04:00.000-05:002007-03-09T22:50:08.231-05:00

Today in the comments section of my previous post, the Inflexively Flixable Flux Guy pointed out some research by Robert J. McCarter et al.. Below are some of the more salient sentences from their paper:Blood glucose levels are clearly a major determinant of HbA1c levels. Population studies in patients with diabetes have shown that HbA1c is highly correlated with preceding MBG [Mean Blood Glucose

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-9798389094957094332007-03-06T20:08:00.000-05:002007-06-05T22:24:40.962-04:00

Okay.So last weekend I ate the better part of a half gallon of Breyer's Vanilla ice cream, had a slice of birthday cake, and a few Girl Scout cookies.I think I've got that out of my system now (at least I hope so). But the non-movement of my A1c still haunts me.So when faced with a situation like this I decided to do what any self-respecting geek would do: turn to the data. WARNINGThis is going

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-9097579221923707242007-03-01T20:11:00.000-05:002007-03-01T20:15:00.462-05:00

I got my A1c result back.7.1No change since November.It makes NO sense.Doc says it's because the standard deviations of my blood sugars are too high. "Once you get your standard deviations down around 30, you'll be in the 6s!"Never mind the fact that I have lowered both my average readings and my standard deviations since November. My Stats November Stats days mg/dl # tests

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-17741766519199016172007-02-22T21:52:00.000-05:002007-02-23T00:09:50.193-05:00

I don't know how women do it.If I didn't have 3 pockets in each and every pair of pants I own, I would be lost.A wreck. A disorganized wreck.Below is a blue-print of what I keep on my body (in my pockets) at all times(in case you want to rob me, though please don't):Left-front pocket: keyscash Scary details...folded in half, ordered from smallest bill on the outside to largest bill on the inside,

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1171082054487898922007-02-09T23:16:00.000-05:002007-02-10T13:43:28.996-05:00

A few days ago we had a going-away party for a colleague. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but it fell to me to set up the cookie tray during the party prep..."Pssstt.""Huh. What?""Watch this," they wispered."Watch what?" "We'll make the diabetic put out the cookies.""Hehehe... Cool. It's fun to watch him twitch in self-restraint.""Yeah...Hehehe. I can see the veins start to buldge on his

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1170638656714641802007-02-04T20:18:00.000-05:002007-02-04T20:38:26.720-05:00

When dining out:Survey the plate of food.Make as best an estimate of the carbohydrate (CHO) content as possible.Then double it.(consider throwing a dual wave bolus in there, too).Three-hundred-thirteen-milligrams-of-glucose-per-deciliter-of-blood-plasma three-hours-post-meal is NOT cool.Restuarants are evil.I've got an A1c test coming up. I can't have crap like this popping up.

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1170213980545842522007-01-30T21:51:00.000-05:002007-01-30T22:34:16.603-05:00

I haven't kept exact count, but it's been longer than a month since I've exercised -- until tonight, that is.Before this little hiatus, my only form of exercise was riding my bike to work. There and BackThe best thing about biking to work is that I'm killing two birds with one stone (note: no birds were harmed in the writing of this post, nor on any of my bike rides). I'm getting my exercise,

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1169692908387930052007-01-24T21:31:00.000-05:002007-01-24T22:39:01.556-05:00

It's been a while since my last post, and I feel guilty. Well, I've got some excuses. So here's the skinny, the low-down, the inside track, the hotcakes, &c. (where'd that come from?) on what I've been up to ('cause I know you're all wonderin').What I've been doin'Last week, I went to 3 four-hour tax preperation classes after work. Crazy, I know. I'm going to volunteer to fill out tax returns

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1168665669575848972007-01-12T23:59:00.000-05:002007-01-13T10:20:53.200-05:00

Please accept my apologies (especially Nic) in advance.I am bragging. No body likes a braggard, I know, but I'm just too damn happy.This past week1, my body has seen the best blood sugars since more than 1,404 weeks (i.e., ~27 years) ago. That is to say, I don't think that I've had blood sugars like this since I was 5 years old!I'm pretty friggin' excited by this:Somewhere around Tuesday, I

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1168187353455930242007-01-07T11:28:00.000-05:002007-01-07T22:32:02.516-05:00

Aside from being a bad pun/reference to a 1987 Micheal J. Fox movie, the title of this post is also the (somewhat unbelievable) punchline to this little yarn I'm about to share.Even though Meg and I were just coming down with a cold (which has since had us lying around the house with tissues up our noses, taking sick-days off from work, and watching A LOT of bad, bad cable movies for over a week

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1167755182568091592007-01-02T11:26:00.000-05:002007-01-02T16:46:15.883-05:00

After driving 6 hours in the rain from Pittsburgh on Christmas day, my sister told me when we arrived at my Mother's house that Grandpop was in the hospital and that they'd found inoperable cancer in both his lungs. Meg and I made plans to go visit him in the hospital the next day before we left town. But the next morning we got the call that he had died in the middle of the night. He was 82

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1166658536485538362006-12-20T18:31:00.000-05:002006-12-20T22:23:59.240-05:00

Okay.As promised, here are two links that have thoroughly amused me in the past week or so, and I am happy to share them with y'all.First, in the holiday song spirit, check this out: O Holy Crap"...just when you think it couldn't possibly get any worse, it does. By a lot."And second, here is a really cool blog that I've stumbled upon recently.indexed.blogspot.comThese are so cool. Who knew Venn

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1166592297929256592006-12-20T00:05:00.000-05:002006-12-20T20:07:01.286-05:00

On with the bad day number two. This was on Monday, so I'll keep it short.I had my 6 month follow-up after my laser surgery with my endocrinologist.The first part of the exam involves a basic vision test. I've had the same glasses with the same prescription for 3 or 4 years now. At times I've been told that I could use a slightly stronger prescription, but that I probably wouldn't notice much

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1166501195216647732006-12-18T23:05:00.000-05:002006-12-18T23:19:59.640-05:00

I'd like for this to be a happier, more upbeat post, but unfortunately, it's not.Yesterday (Sunday) was a very sucky blood sugar day. It actually started on Saturday night. Meg and I spent Saturday in the city doing some Christmas shopping and each of us getting haircuts (as odd as that sounds). We decided to stop in at a favorite Italian restaurant of ours. Meg gets the same dish there every

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1166286745960355322006-12-16T11:21:00.000-05:002006-12-16T13:11:34.150-05:00

Thursday night we went to Megan's office holiday party. It was a nice affair, in a semi-fancy location in Dupont Circle full of food, drink, dancing, and mingling with colleagues and friends.The evening started off with Meg and I coordinating our departure times to arrive at the party at approximately the same time. This was all and good, and although we "arrived" at similar times, the problem

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1165540631005852932006-12-07T20:15:00.000-05:002006-12-07T20:19:50.166-05:00

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, indeed.89¢ down the drain.

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1164937129673862252006-11-30T20:02:00.000-05:002006-11-30T22:07:00.436-05:00

A diabetic with a sweet tooth.What the Hell is that?!The punch line to a cruel, cruel joke?Some sort of practical joke Mother Nature decided to play on me?Ummm, well, you can stop laughing now... It IS NOT funny.I swear, sometimes I think I'm cursed by the gods.I blame it on my parents. I blame it on my grandparents. Inveterate Sweet EatersGrandparents on both sides of the ol' family tree love(d

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1164253097707282122006-11-22T22:16:00.000-05:002006-11-22T23:00:00.156-05:00

It was one year ago tonight, 'Twas the Night Before ThanksgivingWhen all through the house, a new creature was stirring, but he wasn't a mouse.close that we adopted a beagle (with a little basset hound in him too). We adopted him through a rescue service called Homeward Trails that culls dogs from West Virginia and rural Virginia and brings them closer to a market where they might find a home.

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1164238681775156172006-11-22T18:20:00.000-05:002006-11-22T22:02:09.100-05:00

'Tis the season for giving thanks and all that, and so I wanted to jot off a post about just that. Although, after the evening What a Crappy NightSo.I get out of work early for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I'm happy as a clam. I've got a shopping list that Meg just sent me to get a few things at the grocery so we can "be prepared" for some family guests staying with us and to prepare a little

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1164073822963409502006-11-20T20:44:00.000-05:002006-11-20T22:22:13.893-05:00

I got my A1c back on Thursday last week, but unfortunately, I've been so disappointed by the results and my appointment with my endocrinologist went so badly that I haven't been able to figure out what to say about it. So the best I could come up with is this ramble of a post.I knew going in to the test that my glucometer readings were not all that different then they were before my last A1c A

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1163823753672201352006-11-17T22:58:00.000-05:002006-11-20T21:45:48.936-05:00

When will I ever learn?I don't know how often this happens to me, but it's quite frequently. I'll be getting ready for bed, go brush my teeth, then test my blood sugar just before going to bed to find out I'm low (like just now: 61 mg/dl). I then proceed to cover my minty-clean teeth with glucose tabs (grape flavored for me, please!). Or sometimes I'm just above being low (say somewhere sub-80)

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1163044366949631352006-11-08T22:12:00.000-05:002006-11-09T08:00:19.410-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,As some of you may know already, I have a blog. This is it, and I'm pretty proud of it.I know that some of you come here ocassionally to read about my life with diabetes, and that for some of you, this is probably your first time here. This post is written for you specifically, though, regardless of whether it's your first time here or 20th time here.I want to tell you a

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1163038882048786932006-11-08T20:50:00.000-05:002006-11-08T23:08:25.530-05:00

Wow!I've seen a few Memes go around before I started blogging, and I kinda did one before, but I have never seen one spread like wild fire like this before! I have a weird system of writing / posting / blogging at night and on weekends, but reading and commenting during the week. So I basically missed the start of this thing on Friday afternoon, and then practically EVERYONE had a post of 5

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1162613267251355682006-11-03T22:58:00.000-05:002006-11-04T14:24:25.856-05:00

As I have mentioned before, I had set some goals for myself when I made some New Year's Resolutions last year. One of these was to get my A1c below 7.0 (Although, like Zak, I too had a "public" goal, and a more aggressive "private" goal of below 6.5 (Note, however, that neither of these goals are as low as Zak has set for himself)).I bitched and moaned when I had my last A1c done and I didn't

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1162347900834287472006-10-31T21:24:00.000-05:002006-10-31T22:01:59.586-05:00

Let me start off by saying this: I have next to no will power. As in nil, nada, zilch.Okay, on with the story. The festivities began on Saturday evening. We were invited to 3 halloween parties, but only made it to 2 of them. I was reluctant to go at first, but Meg gave me the required kick in the pants and we dressed up It was a re-treadMeg went as Little Red Ridinghood and I went as the Big

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1161397331621694372006-10-20T22:04:00.000-04:002006-10-20T22:23:57.420-04:00

My grandmom passed away last weekend. I went to her funeral on Wednesday. She had had a long fight with Alzheimer'sNew ResearchBeing the only person in my family with diabetes and with a grandmom with Alzheimer's, I have found the recent research that has hypothesized that Alzheimer's may be a special type of diabetes (some have gone so far as to call it "type 3" diabetes) to be particularly

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1161123248518346972006-10-17T18:02:00.000-04:002006-10-19T19:54:31.500-04:00

This past weekend we had another bout of gucci camping in Shenandoah National Park. It was cold... damn cold. I'd say mid-20s at night. All that was good and fine standing by a camp fire (though it was difficult to play guitar unless you were perilously close to the flames).Meg (unfortunately) has had some problems with her sleeping bag in the past, and sure enough, she had them again. It seems

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1160099227395452762006-10-05T21:39:00.000-04:002006-10-06T16:19:01.623-04:00

I've been back from vacation for just about a week now. I'm finally getting back into my routine. While I was on vacation, my control slipped significantly. My averages hopped up to the 180s or 190s (yikes! that's like the olden days before I became a reformed diabetic).This week has been great, bloodsugar-wise (although I have been having a few too many lows, but nothing too, too bad). I've

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1158416762267460222006-09-16T10:17:00.000-04:002006-10-05T21:50:30.476-04:00

It's official:I'm on vacation! Yaaahhooo!We're heading out tonight to spend the next two weeks driving and camping andsleeping andskipping andreading andfishing andrelaxing andhiking andyucking it up andeating andvisiting andlolly-gagging around in Colorado and New Mexico.Oh, I need this, and it's going to be good.Be well folks, and I'll catch up in a few weeks!

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1158200339055120802006-09-13T22:16:00.000-04:002006-09-13T22:47:57.726-04:00

Neruda Pablo NerudaSome worthwhile Odes:Ode to a Pair of SocksOde to TomatoesOde to Broken ThingsNow that man could write an ode!close I am not, so this ain't poetry (sorry).We are diabetics; we come with baggage (physically, emotionally, and literally). I've always known this about myself, and I've kinda had a hunch that it was true of others with diabetes, too, but have never known for sure.

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1157414114604721292006-09-04T19:42:00.000-04:002006-09-04T20:12:53.260-04:00

My sugars have been awful lately, I haven't been keeping up with my logging, and I am not pleased.I'm a man of routines and habits. When I'm in a groove, things can chug along quite nicely - I eat the same meals, I test like crazy, I keep detailed notes in my logbook. When I'm in this groove, I've been able to keep my average readings in the 140s range (and occasionally into the 130s and once

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1156793547531460922006-08-28T15:20:00.000-04:002006-08-28T21:54:56.813-04:00

This past weekend it was my older Sister's birthday. This is particularly interesting for a few reasons:She's pretty cool and very worthy of many fine birthday wishes. She's got two great children (and thus I have an awesome niece who is about to start middle school this week and I have a wildly creative 6-year-old nephew, too). She's a teacher's assistant working with severly handicapped

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1156272632135938452006-08-22T14:40:00.000-04:002006-08-22T14:53:47.860-04:00

Last night at 8:38PM I rang in at 77. This was just before driving home from the grocery store, so I stuffed a (strawberry) Nutri-Grain cereal bar in my mouth. When I got home, I had a late dinner of thin crust pizza (and a beer). Before going to bed, I was again at 77 (at 10:23PM) so I ate a few grapes before hittin' the hay. I was at 113 at 2:49AM (I rarely sleep through the night) and

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1156089724641061792006-08-20T10:26:00.000-04:002006-08-20T20:45:54.653-04:00

Yikes!It's been two weeks since my last post. And while I've got some good excuses (and some not-so-good ones, too), excuses are lame, so I'll spare you. If I'd been keeping up with my writing/blogging, I'd have posted at least twice about 3 or 4 random topics. Here's my current brain-dump (sorry for the back-log).Minimed CGMS® System Gold™ (sic) Results I got my CGMS results back two weeks

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1154923235137368622006-08-06T23:57:00.000-04:002006-08-20T15:24:55.543-04:00

This past weekend I had a handful of firsts:I went to the beach Well...Obviously not a true "first" but certainly the first time in a long time. It's easily been several years since I've last spent the day at the beach. Four, maybe? Five? I don't know.We used to go every year with another family for a week's vacation to the beach when I was a kid and we loved it. We'd spend all day, everyday

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1154567000590848572006-08-02T20:50:00.000-04:002006-08-20T15:28:54.210-04:00

Okay, so I have a dilemma (and yes, I'm hoping you can help me with it).First some back-story:I've mentioned this before, but back in May I hastily decided that I was going to participate in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes on the National Mall. Two weeks before the walk, I sent out an email to friends and family, and another to coworkers asking for their support. I was absolutely stunned,

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1153602079489732772006-07-22T16:54:00.000-04:002006-08-20T15:31:14.890-04:00

Abandon ship! Abandon ship!Aaarrrrr.... I just saw "Pirates of the Caribbean" last night so I'm feeling a little dramatic. My feelings on the movie (in case you were wondering), unfortunately, are a bit on the tepid side.closeWell, my experience with Minimed's CGMS® System Gold™ (sic) has been cut short.I was helping a friend move this morning, and all I can say is this: IV3000 prep tape sucks.

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1153501231452044602006-07-21T12:52:00.000-04:002006-07-30T22:39:23.303-04:00

As in: 9.8 m/s2 of force... constantly being exerted on us... day in and and day out... even when we shower. It's kinda nice, really. It keeps our feet on the ground, makes water run downhill, ocassionally makes one fall down, but then again, it also allows one to juggle things. This relatively weak force, however, was obviously not a design concern when manufacturing the little waterproof

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1153447317566941002006-07-20T21:35:00.000-04:002006-08-20T15:33:54.716-04:00

Right now, I feel like I'm a little bit closer to being a real-live cyborg.This morning, I got set up with Minimed's CGMS® System Gold™ (sic). In addition to my insuln pump, I'll be wearing this second, larger, non-detachable machine on my opposite hip for the next 72+ hours. First impressions: This thing is bulky. It’s probably about the size of a blackberry, but rather than the thin tubing

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1153088265133433812006-07-16T17:34:00.000-04:002006-11-20T21:46:19.683-05:00

Well, somehow it's the middle of July already (unbelievable).I've never been much of one for New Year's Resolutions, but this past year, I took them a little more seriously than previous years gone by. Usually, I never made resolutions. This year I made several. I wrote them down. I've been keeping track of my progress. And now I'm taking stock. Crazy, I know. Who does this sort of thing?

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1152485735736855202006-07-09T18:54:00.000-04:002006-07-16T18:57:47.936-04:00

Top Nine Top Nine? Yeah! Why the Hell Not!?A "Top Ten" is so Lettermanesque and decimal centric. Nine, being a square and everything, is a much nicer number. But oh!... One of my favorite poems is about the number 10 (though that (along with the fact that I couldn't think up another complaint) isn't enough for me to go the conventional route with a Top Ten list) : "On Turning Ten" by Billy

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1151725012111105432006-06-30T23:19:00.000-04:002006-07-16T18:34:11.886-04:00

I was inspired by Scott's post today to float a request for analogies / metaphors A favorite movie quote: Young boy: "That's not a metaphor, that's a simile. 'Laying pipe' is a metaphor."Props to anyone who can name that movie.close / similies for what it's like trying to "manage" or "control" one's diabetes. Scott quite nicely sums up many of our frustrations in trying maintain all the

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1151252775363790622006-06-25T12:07:00.000-04:002006-07-16T19:01:08.040-04:00

WARNING: The author of this post realizes that it is long, detailed, and embarassingly revealing of just how much of a freakshow Ladies and Gentlemen! Step Right Up!Admission is FREE!Don't Be Afraid!Kids, don't try this at home! closehe is. But if you feel as if you're ready to cash in your chips and click yourself away from here before getting to the end of the post, please check out some

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1150857322030329722006-06-20T21:50:00.000-04:002006-07-16T19:02:41.080-04:00

So yesterday I had the laser surgery for my right eye. Overall, things went okay, I guess (it’s all relative). I wrote about the procedure in a previous post, and my experience yesterday was pretty much the same (in all the places that I mention "my left eye", just switch that with “my right eye”). The doc checked the left eye out before doing the laser on the right eye and said that it looked

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1150497973204665212006-06-16T18:41:00.000-04:002006-07-16T19:03:12.673-04:00

Following Kassie’s lead, here’s my list of 27 “pretty cool things" I’ve done in the 27 years since I’ve been diabetic (in approximate chronological order).Learning to tie my shoes (don’t undervalue the small things)Going to an amazing elementary school where I learned to love learning (how many people do you know that rave like this about their elementary school? It’s actually the only diploma I

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1150338245782642062006-06-14T22:16:00.000-04:002006-06-14T22:51:58.956-04:00

(i.e., the blood is with the lab now). Now, it’s just a matter of waiting for the results. I’m very hopeful that I’ll hit my A1c target this time around. (And let me tell ya: I’ll be dancing a jig if I do, and crying to fugues if I don’t). I’ve been working my ass off to get my levels as low as possible, and I really want to see that the effort is worth it. I’ve gone through basal tests, I’ve

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1149816658819873812006-06-08T21:30:00.000-04:002006-06-09T10:26:01.090-04:00

I was at the Children with Diabetes Quilt for Life display in front of the Capital today. I walked by the display on my way into work this morning and found out that the ADA’s Call to Congress was going to be at 10am (certainly worth skipping out of work for an hour for). The speeches were heart-felt and motivational. Jeff Hitchcock, who started ChildrenWithDiabetes, and his daughter Marissa

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1149560146662941622006-06-05T22:12:00.000-04:002006-06-05T22:45:13.163-04:00

So I have my quarterly appointment with my endocrinologist at the end of this month. This means it’s time for me to go and get my A1c drawn. The usual deal is I get the lab request at each visit with my doc, take it home, place it somewhere safe where I’ll remember it so I can find it 3 months hence and go get my blood work done for the next appointment. This never happens.Last Thursday

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1149219922507833132006-06-01T23:33:00.000-04:002006-06-05T15:50:10.170-04:00

The basics are this: laser treatment for retinopathy sucks (plain and simple). It's a painful experience, scary as hell, and I have had some side effects from the procedure, though hopefully they are temporary. I definitely found, however, that of all the fear I had going into the procedure, the fear of the unknown was BY FAR the largest. I write this in detail because that’s what I hungered

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1149129471861030692006-05-31T22:37:00.000-04:002006-06-01T15:32:23.380-04:00

(Everything you wanted to know about retinopathy, but were afraid to ask)In my last post I promised that I would share with Second person, plural "y’all" -- if you’re from the South, "yous" -- if you’re from Philly, and "yinz" -- if you’re from Pittsburgh/Western PA close you all I have learned about retinopathy and give some details on my own experience with laser therapy for treating

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1148953694276348912006-05-29T21:45:00.000-04:002006-05-31T11:49:16.523-04:00

So... the title “Born Again Diabetic” (which, I love) suits me perfectly. For the past 27 years, I’ve been nothing but average (if not worse) in terms of the care and upkeep of my diabetes. My A1c readings over the last 7 years or so have had a Yes I have actually plotted them in Excel and can clearly see that my control was worse around the Winter holidays (aka: food fests) and better in the

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28214049.post-1148609974373451082006-05-25T22:14:00.000-04:002006-05-29T22:02:44.596-04:00

Hi, I’m Kevin.I used to be a lurker in the Diabetes OC, but now I’m a blogger -- just like you! (unless you’re a lurker in the Diabetes OC (like I used to be), or a random friend or family member I've gotten up the nerve to share this little web page of mine with). I’ve been reading many of the blogs in the Diabetes OC for many months now and have seen a lot of these Memes, Interviews, and Top 5

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896184498657223994noreply@blogger.com22