LifeAfterDx--Diabetes Uncensored

A internet journal from one of the first T1 Diabetics to use continuous glucose monitoring. Copyright 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

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Location: New Mexico, United States

Hi! I’m William “Lee” Dubois (called either Wil or Lee, depending what part of the internet you’re on). I’m a diabetes columnist and the author of four books about diabetes that have collectively won 16 national and international book awards. (Hey, if you can’t brag about yourself on your own blog, where can you??) I have the great good fortune to pen the edgy Dear Abby-style advice column every Saturday at Diabetes Mine; write the Diabetes Simplified column for dLife; and am one of the ShareCare diabetes experts. My work also appears in Diabetic Living and Diabetes Self-Management magazines. In addition to writing, I’ve spent the last half-dozen years running the diabetes education program for a rural non-profit clinic in the mountains of New Mexico. Don’t worry, I’ll get some rest after the cure. LifeAfterDx is my personal home base, where I get to say what and how I feel about diabetes and… you know… life, free from the red pens of editors (all of whom I adore, of course!).

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

A sign for the times

Rio is learning about signs in Kindergarten. Last night, as we were unwinding from the day on our back porch, R shared some of his knowledge.

“There’s a sign that says ‘open’ or ‘closed’ on a businesses so that you know if you can spend some money there. Like if Daddy wanted something. Or Momma wanted something. Or maybe if we needed to get a little toy for Rio.”

That’s true baby.

“And there is another sign that says ‘Beware for mean dog.’”

That’s a good sign to know how to read.

“And,” he said, extending his hand out flatly, fingers spread, “there’s a sign that says STOP!”

Also true.

After the sign dissertation I took 25 units of Levemir. It was a bad night requiring a couple of hits of fast acting carbs. I woke up at 74 but was in the mid 60s by the time I got some Muslix poured into a bowl. I had intended to eat something more carb-friendly, but at this point some dried fruit was sounding like a good idea. I took a baby hit of Humalog, grabbed my coffee and checked my AP headlines at Yahoo.

20 minutes after eating it was time to get Rio up and to kindergarten. The SG was still sluggish and low. Damn.

I bundled the punk up, the mornings are getting cold. I strapped him into his car seat and he pulled a sheet he brought from his bed over his head. Like his mother, not a morning person.

Zipping north to town, passing through rare fog banks, I’m still showing a low SG on the Guardian. I decided to double check my sugar with a fingerstick. I slip a Accu-Check Aviva out of the sunglass holder in my wife’s aging CRV. I unzippppppp, pop open the vial and slip a strip out. Into the port. I lance my finger with a One-touch Mini lancer (best ever made, works one-handed or strapped into the case).

Beep! BG is on the rise at 74. Good.

Voice from the back. “Remember we were studying signs in school, Daddy?”

Sure, I remember. Why?

“I just saw a sign that says ‘No checking your blood sugar while you’re driving because you might lose control of the vehicle and crash down.”

I don’t recall seeing that sign.

Oh. Wait. There it is:




(base image pirated from Everydayhealth.com)

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Note to self:
Try using Mini lancet while still strapped into case.

That would mean I don't take anything out because I already leave the meter and the vial in, hmm...

7:39 AM  
Blogger Scott K. Johnson said...

Haha!! That is GREAT!!!

2:06 PM  
Blogger Barb Smith said...

LOL! I'll have to be on the watch for that sign...it's a new one on me.

Too funny!

8:41 AM  

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