American Diabetes Month 2015: Day 15

American Diabetes Month 2015: Day 15 - Are you okay?

Day 15 of 30 this month. 50% of the way through the month where my star is Diabetes.

One of the biggest discussions I have with many people who see me using needles to fill up my insulin pump reservoirs and testing my blood sugars tends to deal with asking if I am okay. In the end, it's a lengthy discussion about how much of my life is a continual assessment of how I'm actually doing. Taking out my insulin pump helps me to fix issues that I'm either feeling, or preparing for (i.e. eating food) and taking out my glucose meter is the way to assess my current situation.

I think of all of the tools in my arsenal of trying to live. Being a diabetic is a continual assessment of the current situation, you are replacing your body's normal biological functions with a bunch of technology. It's hard to think of it that way, but from a purely system/state-machine look, it's exactly what is going on. I look at the input data which includes the CGM sensor and Glucose meter measurements, and apply changes via the insulin pump with insulin delivery. So, to answer everyone's questions, I'm doing okay, I'm just trying to figure out how my body is doing and continue to improve the situation for my body.

4,018 days

4,018 days ago, my life was changed forever by a visit to a clinic in order to get a yearly physical. When I went in, I had blood drawn and went back to my day. When I returned home that night, after supper, there was a call from the hospital (not uncommon, my Dad worked there) and I was sent to pack my belongings and go to the ER immediately. I had been diagnosed with diabetes, my blood sugar in the tests (and hence the alarm) was 860 mg/dL and with that, my life has been different every day since.

I've blogged about this in the past: http://blog.daviddellsperger.com/2015/07/9-years-ago.html and http://blog.daviddellsperger.com/2016/06/tinaluminum-diaversary.html. In the end, this year isn't much different, I'm celebrating by baking the Diabetic's worst enemy (Pizza) and going on with the day like normal. It is especially strange this year, because 4,018 days ago was also a Monday, and I'm not sure, but I think this is the first time since my diagnosis that it ha…

Breaking Down the Cost of Diabetes #dblogweek

Today marks the second day of dblogweek for 2017 and today's topic is "The Cost of a Chronic Illness" which I feel like I've covered before, but it would appear it's only thinking of the cost that I've done, not writing about it.
Insulin and other diabetes medications and supplies can be costly. Here in the US, insurance status and age (as in Medicare eligibility) can impact both the cost and coverage. So today, let’s discuss how cost impacts our diabetes care. Do you have advice to share? For those outside the US, is cost a concern? Are there other factors such as accessibility or education that cause barriers to your diabetes care?

Using Diabetes as a Guide #dblogweek

Today marks the final day of dblogweek for 2017 and today's topic is "More Than Diabetes" which is a topic focused on letting readers of dblog week get to know me better. Below is the prompt, makes pretty good sense.
Lets wrap up the week by sharing a little more about ourselves, beyond the chronic illness we or our loved ones live with. Share an interest, hobby, passion, something that is YOU. If you want to explore how it relates to or helps with diabetes you can. Or let it be a part of you that is completely separate from diabetes, because there is more to life than just diabetes! For people who have previously read my blog, you would likely know some of the story of me outside of diabetes, but after diagnosis (just before my senior year in High School) it really did shape my life quite a bit, it changed the course of my life forever. It started me on the course to go into a major in college where I could use my skills to make a difference in the lives of other p…

The Life of David Dellsperger

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