First Family Visit Since Diagnosis

The title says it all. Today my sis arrived from DC, the first family member to see me since my diagnosis. I gotta say that missing the first 8 weeks was probably good in the respect that they never saw me super weak, but also bad in that none of them will ever have quite as specific of a sense of how bad it got. I'm better now, not cured, but under control.

The reunion was sweet. She cried a little, but, she's a crier. I laughed a little, but, I'm a laugher. I showed off my insulin pen, taught her how to use a glucagon pen* and in general threw all my new gadgets and knowledge and excitement about the disease in her face and hoped she would share some of my new forced passion for the subject. She will, in time, but for now in classic fashion she's tired and wants to sleep.

Dailies:

11:32 -> 106 Hooray! Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c. At noon I had a banana 25c. At 1:00 I had an apple 20c. I rode 18.5 miles with Seth. At 2:30 I had toast 25c, carrots 14c and cucumbers 2c = 41c.
6:15 -> 74 Not a bad number considering the big morning workout and distance from my first pill. Took a Prandin. Dinner: yams with onions 45c, broccoli rabe 12c, 3/4 of a chicken, apple sauce 10c, 2 tangelos 40c = 107c. Felt a little light mid show and had a few bites of chocolate 7c. At 11:30 I took 5 units Lantus and had a gluten-free beer.
12:56 -> 71 Had a salad 25c but didn't take a pill.
2:34 -> 79 Moving in the right direction, and it will continue to move because the olive oil and avocado are slowing down the break down to glucose. But because of the workout and because I'm going to bed I'm going to play it safe - apple 20c.

Nothing quite like family.


* Here is what the Glucagon Kit looks like. It's in a sexy red medical case that I will ALWAYS keep in my diabetic bag. Inside, along with some confusing instructions are the two items you see. The syringe is filled with some sort of saline, something unoffensive to your body, think of it as water. The vial is filled with some sort of powdered broken down sugar (glucagon), think of it as the medicine. If I'm passed out or convulsing or something else frightening like that please administer an injection of Glucagon.

1. Pop off all the caps, the syringe should have just the needle showing. As for the vial pop off the plastic cap, there's probably some sort of porous covering underneath.

2. Stick the syringe into the vial and drain all the fluid so that it's in the vial. Remove the syringe.

3. Swirl (don't shake) the vial until all the powder has dissolved.

4. Draw the now mixed medicine cocktail back into the syringe.

5. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the syringe.

6. Find muscle tissue on me (I assumed this was a no brainer but then my sister pointed to the spot on my arm
between tricep and bicep right where the bone was and said "there?") preferably in the meat of the shoulder, meat of the butt or meat of the thigh.

7. Wait a few minutes for it to work.

8. If it doesn't work call 911.


Day 59