Dblog Day 1: Changing the World
Let’s kick off Diabetes Blog Week by talking about the diabetes causes and issues that really get us fired up. Are you passionate about 504 plans and school safety? Do diabetes misconceptions irk you? Do you fight for CGM coverage for Medicare patients, SDP funding, or test strip accuracy? Do you work hard at creating diabetes connections and bringing support? Whether or not you “formally” advocate for any cause, share the issues that are important to you. (Thanks go out to Kim of Texting my Pancreas for inspiring this topic.)Diabetes is the leading cause of nothing..so they say.Oh,wait. That's not quite right..well-...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - May 12, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

The First Mothers Day
Mothers Day, 2011.As I stared into the church rafters that day, I wondered if I,indeed,would be joining those ranks soon. It was a melancholy sort of feeling..and an intense one,to boot. But it was far too early for even a blood test. I could hear the words of my Endocrinologist echoing in my brain..and she was of the opinion that this was it..time to batten down the blood sugar hatches. She would prove to be right.Five days later, my world shifted on its axis ("hello,yes,you are pregnant")and every "am I or aren't I" symptom hit with a bang. (At 28 days) My little blastocyst lost no time in announcing his likes/dislikes ...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - May 10, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

The Early Bird & The EI Therapy
In the 80's(and prior), the popular opinion of the day was that if you didn't worry about your kid's development,they'd eventually catch up with the others and turn out normal. (I'm still not sure this worked on me.)Not speaking till the age of 4? Your little Einstein is just thinking deep thoughts...just relax, Momma. 30 years later, we've progressed to Early Intervention Programs and nipping those problems right out of the womb,so kid turns out As Normal As Possible. My child is almost 2.5 now..and he's been in EI for about 9 months. He isn't on par with the other kids his age,he speaks mostly in one word requests(while ...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - May 5, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

The Endo & the Gastro
I saw both today. The Gastro spent time berating on my lack of good control (I don't really care,he doesn't know anything about type 1) and said the plan of action is to run a stool study(yay,poop collecting!) and a colonoscopy to make sure things look to be normal /not inflamed down there.(slated for middle of May) This is not a test that I ever envisioned myself having before the age of 50,but if it clears up the mystery of the magnesium problems I'll do it. The stool study will measure my pancreas enzymes.(or lack thereof)A few hours after that, I hopped on over to my Endos office. She is going off on surgical leave and...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - April 30, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

Down
The phone rang,right on cue with my toddler's "waaaaaa"ing for some more juice.Deep breath. Check number. Pick up."hello?""Hi Heidi this is Dr. Nephrologist. Your mag is still low at 1.1 and there's something not right going on..how much mag are you getting?""4 grams a week.""I'm concerned you may have a malabsorption problem..you need to see your primary and a gastroenterologist,are you cramping?""All the time.""And I think you will need a port,because your veins are probably giving up by now.""Yes,"(fighting back the urge to bawl).."The pancreas is responsible for an endocrine function and an exocrine function and I thin...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - April 16, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

Stuck
Unless things really improve with my mag levels in the next 2 weeks, I'm going to have to get a port.(in my upper arm or chest) All my arm/hand veins are completely shot. Ports scare the bejabbers out of me,& I refuse to have one done. But magnesium has to get in somehow. I'm trying to supplement with fast-acting magnesium liquid,& I 'm going to talk to my doc about Epsom Salt soaks(that is a very iffy method of upping levels though and my doc said he once knew someone who did it so much she put herself in a high magnesium coma that led to death). My mag levels are being drawn weekly.(and they are staying stable-low end wi...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - April 10, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

The 31 Days of Blood Sugar Control
(28,29,30...as the case may be.Warning:the below post is about women stuff!!)If you don't have diabetes, or much of a relationship with a PWD..you are probably laboring under the assumption that blood sugar control is easy. You are either "in" or "out." (Think Top Chef) This is an assumption that has permeated every inch of society, to the point where even educating those willing to learn TAKES YEARS for them to get.(Namely,that blood sugars are a living,fluid thing...not at all static and stuck on "104") - you go low in the grocery store,a kind soul hands you a sugary drink..and assumes you are fragile,etc.-you eat a brow...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - April 1, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

The Permanence of Performance
They don't knowthat the pain I feelIs not from IV tracksUp and down my armsA disease unleashedMonsters knocking down my bodyMaking me fear the futureI only hope that I can die from diabetes in 30 yearsAnd not from plummeting magnesium levels."What does this doAnd this?!?"Uncharted watersNot easily measuredI trust my doctorBut I don't trust my body.There is no roadmapNo blueprint It is not diabetes,and Your Disease May Vary.Will it get betterWill it stabilizeCan I go to sleep without worryingCan my toddler know his mommy for a good long whileWill my husband still have a wifeCan I functionWill it eat up all the moneyWill my ...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - March 26, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

And the Winner is..
Alexis Nicole! Congrats and I'll contact you through FB!-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone (Source: The D-Log Cabin)
Source: The D-Log Cabin - March 24, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

Diabetic Dabs & More! Giveaway
I'm very excited to be holding The D-Log Cabin's very first diabetes giveaway..fueled in part by Elizabeth Sacco of Diabetic Dabs who offered a sample of their product to myself,and a blog reader. She's a mom to 4,and D-mom to one.(her son was dx'd in 2011 ) It comes in 4 packs of 50 sheets each. Each sheet is highly absorbent,and can be ripped off and discarded although I use them for as many blood blots as I can. Easily fits inside my meter case although it would be a bit bulky for your standard ugly black case. Each box is available on her website for $9.49 plus s&h. After reviewing this product, I feel like I'd have w...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - March 20, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

March Madness (part 2)
Day 13:Slowly but surely, I think I'm getting better from this flu crud.(Yes, it was Influenza A..major good diagnosing skillz, Dr. Hyphenated Last Name of the Cardiology persuasion) The fevers and sweats of last week have subsided, the cough is nearly gone and it's just the exhaustion that's left now. Rubber legs,that's me. I suppose it's all very normal but I don't recall having ever been this wiped out from the flu before. I had a follow up with my primary today(the office, as my real primary is off on maternity leave for the 2nd time in 22 months!) & they took some more blood to check my electrolyte levels. Tomorrow, ...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - March 19, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

March Madness
They say it takes a village to raise a child. And that it so true,.especially when the child is just two years old and needs full time supervision.In my case, it takes a husband, a friend, and a babysitter for the week as I try to recover from the virus that put me in the hospital over the weekend & caused fluid to accumulate in the heart sac. I wish for my mom in circumstances like this,but she is 2 states away and works full time..not practical to come up,unless I'm dying. It started late Thursday morning, a heavy sort of chest pain with random stabbing action on the side. It didn't feel muscoskeletal or heartburnish,an...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - March 11, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

The Type 1 Connection
Why are there so many songs about rainbowsand what's on the other side?Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,and rainbows have nothing to hide.So we've been told and some choose to believe it.I know they're wrong, wait and see.Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.The lovers, the dreamers and me.Who said that every wish would be heardand answered when wished on the morning star?Somebody thought of that and someone believed it.Look what it's done so far.What's so amazing that keeps us star gazingand what do we think we might see?Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.The lovers, the dreamers and me.All of ...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - March 1, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

Dear Miss Manners: It's not the Hunger Games
Dear Miss Manners,Allow me to introduce myself. I am a wife, mother (to a very small child) daughter, friend, Chevy driver, lover of all things Diet Coke, and future nurse.. I, like many People With Diabetes, wear many hats. I check blood sugars and take shots (when warranted, but normally I utilize and insulin pump) to ensure my safety and the safety of those around me. I do it for me, and my loved ones.Somehow, I get the idea that your knowledge of diabetes may be slightly impaired, or even downright non-existent. "oh, don't diabetics take shots? And blood test..once or twice a day? This can be done discreetly, away from...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - February 20, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

On Scientific Debates
I don't consider myself to be an uneducated hillbilly..by any means. My family has engineers and a physicist,computer programmers, a nurse,a Marine...3 PHD's. I don't think you can pigeonhole a certain lifestyle onto a group of people who believe a certain way. I happen to believe in Biblical (6 day) creation, although many scientists believe in evolutionary(million of years) creation. My husband works in a place that has many such people (who don't consider themselves to be religious) who believe in theistic evolution..why,because while science is still the biggest belief in their life the evidence still points to a highe...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - February 5, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs