#GiveAllTheThings: Adorable Bags.

UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to the winners:

Tuff Clutch: Lora: "Justin doesn't look very "tough" carrying around my Vera Bradly with his things... He would love a boy clutch to "toughen" up ;) but the I'd is good as well, since Justin can't find any of his."

Tuff Band: Denise: "Bean has some girly ID bracelets that she loves, but I think she totally needs something to reflect her tough side, too."

If you're listed above, please email me with your full name and mailing address by clicking here!

* * * * *

Check out yesterday's winners on last night's updated post... and here's what you can win today:

Products: A "Tuff Band" (up to US$22.00 value) and a "Tuff Clutch" (US$39.99 value) for your diabetes swag!

Made possible by: Stick Me Designs

Why you want this: Rickina makes great accessories, and the bag I have from her seems to have a space for everything! These are super durable, as well as being customizable. Click through some of the pictures on the Stick Me Designs site to see just how much this little clutch can hold, and what the options are. Aren't they fun?

To enter today's contest: Leave a comment on this post that uses the word "tough"! Comments must be time-stamped by 7:00pm CST, at which time I'll select TWO winners via random number generator and update this post with the winners. (One winner for the Tuff Band, and one for the Tuff Clutch. If you have a preference, let me know... but that doesn't guarantee anything.) This contest is open to everyone, not just U.S. residents!

Remember that Give All The Things! prizes are intended for people with diabetes and their caregivers, only.

Good luck!

For more information on what "Give All The Things" is about, visit the original post.

#GiveAllTheThings: Guts.

UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to the winners:

Giant Pancreas: Nikki B.: Costa Rica bound/Pancreas says, not so fast/Stuck here in a gown

Mini Pancreas: Alecia: Islet cells I miss/Will have to fight without you/Pump is second best

Pancreas Buttons and Pins: Laura: Pancreas revolt/Permanent vacation too/wish I was there *sigh*

If you're listed above, please email me with your full name and mailing address by clicking here!

* * * * *

It's the first day of Give All The Things! Ready? Let's do this!

Products: Not one, not two, but THREE plushy pancreas prizes. Grand prize is a giant plush, second place gets the mini plush, and third place receives buttons and pins!

Made possible by: I Heart Guts

Why you want this: Because you have a sense of humor; because these pancreases are worth far more than the one in your body anyway, and because they will make you smirk, smile, laugh, and squeal with joy. Probably all at the same time. Awkward.

To enter today's contest: Put your creative thinking caps on! Leave a comment below with your best pancreas-related haiku.

"Really?"

Really.

Here, I'll get us started.

My pancreas sleeps

It cares not that I need it

Long to gut-punch him

See? Easy peasy. Just remember - it's 5 syllables for the first line, 7 for the second line, and 5 again for the third line. Haiku comments need to be time-stamped by 8:00pm CST tonight to qualify, and this is open to U.S. residents only (not every contest will be, though, so hang with me) - I'll update this post with the three winners, who will be chosen via random number generator. Remember that Give All The Things! is intended for people with diabetes and their caregivers - if you don't have diabetes, congrats. That's your prize. ;)

For more information on what "Give All The Things" is about, visit the original post. 

One Too Many And Eleven Short.

I just spent 39 minutes on the phone with Peyton, a member of Sanofi's iBGStar tech support team. What we determined (rather, what I unofficially deduced from our conversation) is that the iBGStar is not a fan of tequila. And neither is an 18 day-old Dexcom G4 Platinum sensor, for that matter.

Verio, my hero.

When I use the iBGStar meter, I typically keep it attached to my phone all day and use the case that encloses them both. I don't open the iBGStar app every time; actually, not even every day. When the app is opened, it automatically syncs the meter with your phone, and thereby downloads all of the readings it has recorded since the app was last opened.

After consuming a few margaritas and checking my BG eleven times throughout the course of yesterday evening (this is how I drink with diabetes - YDMV), I noticed that my last three readings were suggesting a pretty steep drop - and no thanks to my CGM, I couldn't verify this via visual aide - 356, 226, and then 184. Pleased that I was dropping but concerned with the velocity, I decided to open the app on my phone to help me remember the times of those tests. I had a need for speed (information).

Instead, I was informed that I would be on my own with this one.

Excuse me, what? I then clicked the (only) button on the meter, to see if I could scroll back on there to see the times there.

DENIED.

"Awesome".

What I realized, as did Peyton by the end of our lengthy phone conversation, is that there is no good reason my meter wasn't tagging date and time on those eleven readings. We tried everything to figure out why - close the app. Restart the app. Unplug the meter. Replug and sync the meter. Check the phone's time/date settings. Check the meter's time/date settings. Make sure the meter is fully charged (it was). Make sure the meter was fully plugged into the phone (it was). We must have gone through 30 different potential factors. (I also elected not to delete the app and re-download it. While I was able to back up the iBGStar data through my iTunes account, you can't actually look at it. Petyon told me that if I deleted and then downloaded the app again, I could reinstall the old data. I didn't want to muck around with it.)

We have no idea why, but the good-ish news is that it's recording those things again. I tested twice, voluntarily (he suggested I use control solution; I laughed) and both of those readings downloaded just fine, while continuing to ignore the previous 11. I could manually enter them, but seeing as how I don't know the times for most of those, I'm hesitant to do so.

Tidbits I learned:

1. it's recommended that you plug the meter into the wall, using the micro-USB cable provided, at very minimum once every six months - more frequently if you're a more frequent user. I asked him the logic behind this, seeing as how the meter is charging every time my phone is active, and he mentioned something about it being a more potent power source. I still don't get the reasoning - if it says 100% charge, is that a lie? - but okay, fine. I'll do it.
2. it's also recommended that when you first get your meter, you should charge it with the wall outlet cable for three to five hours. Again, I don't know why, but just do it.
3. Sanofi really wants you to be happy with this system, and will do things like send you more strips to replace the ones you used when the meter wasn't marking a time on them (they're sending me 20, which is lovely) or replace the meter if you feel it isn't working to your liking (I declined this time, but if it acts up again, yes please). I know that the test strips are where they make their money, and so a replacement meter really isn't that big of a deal, but it was still nice to find out.

I also was reminded that you always need a back-up for your back-up. CGM won't give you readings? Time for a fingerstick. Meter won't function properly? Use a different one. 

It's possible that everyone in your usual device line-up will fail you at the exact time you need them most. Channel your inner boy scout, and always be prepared.

Because I know some of you will like "closure", here is what
my graph looked like from midnight to noon.

#GiveAllTheThings.

It has been two months in the making. The lineup has grown far past what I hoped for. And it's all for YOU!

I may not be Oprah, but these are definitely some of my favorites.

I hope you're sitting down, because it's time to:

(because it's better than cleaning)

Here's what's going down:

What: I'll be hosting a series of rapid-fire, back-to-back giveaways right here on TMP in the month of December. Every weekday until I run out of sponsors (there are a lot, but just in case any companies* want to jump on this bandwagon last-minute to make this a month-long shindig, I won't name the exact number yet), you'll have a chance to enter to win. There will be all kinds of diabetes-related things you can win, and even a few things from non-diabetes-centric companies. You'll find stuff for kids and adults alike. There will be sponsors you're very familiar with, and some that you may not have heard of before. Some of the things I'm giving away, you actually can't buy anywhere. What are they? You'll just have to keep coming back each day to find out!

Who: As long as you or someone you care for has diabetes, you're eligible!

When: Give All The Things will officially launch this coming Monday, December 3rd. I'll publish a post announcing that day's "thing(s)" along with who is generously sponsoring the giveaway. I'll give you instructions on how to get yourself entered to win - it will always be by leaving a comment on that particular post, but the rules may change with different giveaways, so pay close attention! When I say rapid-fire, I'm not kidding: each giveaway will only be open for about 12 hours. I'll specify in each post when comments need to be submitted by, and the winners will be announced on the same post, as I'll update it with the winner(s) once the timeframe has elapsed. Still with me?

Why: Thanks to YOU, the diabetes online community has become a wonderful oasis of support, humor, and understanding. Not only are you taking care of your own diabetes, you're also looking out for others, and that's a lot of hard work. (And if you're thinking right now, "But I haven't really done a lot for others"... here's your nudge.) I'm hoping that this sort of paying it forward will inspire you to keep the goodness going with the people YOU come into contact with. I hope that as you see the kindness being channeled through Give All The Things, you'll extend some kindness to someone else. Let's start an avalanche of awesomeness! If you do something nice for someone else, be sure to tweet it using the hashtag #GiveAllTheThings (because not only am I giving away free stuff, you'll also be giving kindness, help, and compassion - get it?), or leave a note about it on the TMP Facebook wall. If you're in the coffee drive-thru, pay for the person's drink behind you. Pay a heartfelt compliment to someone. Leave a note on someone's car, telling them to have a wonderful day. Send a tweet to someone to tell them how absolutely fantastic they are, despite the high blood sugar reading they just shared. What you do is up to you, but make sure you do SOMETHING!

Happy weekend to you, and I'll see you back here on Monday morning!

*If your organization would like to sponsor a giveaway during Give All The Things, email me by clicking here.

Joslin Blog Project: Moving Forward.

This post wraps up my part in Joslin Diabetes Center's Blog Project, which I participated in alongside a handful of other dedicated and passionate diabetes advocates during Diabetes Awareness Month. We each wrote four posts (you can find my first three here, here, and here) that detail our personal journey with diabetes, in the hopes that we could raise $5,000 as a team for the Joslin High Hopes Fund. It's not too late to donate, and any amount helps!

Our prompt for the final week is: What tech/management tools/delivery systems have helped you live more normally? How could these things be better?

Much like Batman and his utility belt, I carry and/or wear devices and gadgets that make my job - the job of living well with type 1 diabetes - less difficult. (I hesitate to say "easier", because it remains a fact that exactly none of it is easy, and won't be until technology can do the thinking for us. And even then... okay, I'm stopping this tangent here. It's a whole seperate blog post.)

My trifecta of necessary evils - glucose meter, insulin pump, and continuous glucose monitor - allow me, when used optimally, the information and flexbility to live as "normally" as anyone with diabetes can.

The pump, when programmed correctly for that exact moment in time, gives me the freedom to do things like eat Mexican food (love you, temp basal + extended bolus) and sleep in (love you even more, sleep) on the weekends. It does some of the work that my pancreas won't.

The CGM looks out for me most of the time, alerting me to rises, falls, and out-of-range readings. But more than that, it gives me some degree of confidence. Confidence to exercise, to try new foods, to not eat at all, to sleep (perchance to dream?), to live with a smaller amount of fear and worry. If I had to pick only one piece of tech to help me with diabetes management, this is it.

Glucose meters give me valuable information, too - and some even provide that information in ways that are comfortable and convenient for me - even fun, sometimes. They help me make dosing decisions, food decisions, and mood decisions. (High? I'm grumpy. Low? I'm confused. Just right? I'm Goldilocks.)

But "how could these things be better"? Hoooo, boy. This one's a doozy.

Gadgets, apps, and everything else under the "tech stuff" category is great, and something I'm grateful for - it's more than someone like my grandfather could have ever hoped for, I think - but it's still flawed. It still leaves an enormous cognitive burden on the patient - not just decision-making, memory, and judgment, but also the emotional repercussions of all those. What would be abso-freaking-lutely lovely would be technology that carries more of that burden for me. I'm talking some serious science here - I want an artificial pancreas. I want a Bigi. I want a system that forces diabetes to take care of its stupid self, so that I can take care of me.

And if I can't have that (yet), I want better interoperability, for the love. Nearly everything I use is an island. Does my CGM make recommendations to my pump? Nope. Does the iBGStar app integrate with the GoMeals app? Nope. Can I use one charging and data transfer cable for all of my devices? HA! With the exception of the few bits of data that can ping between my pump and the meter it rode in on came with - that I never use, because it's ugly and clunky and ugh don't even get me started - nothing talks to anything else. Correction: they all talk to me, and no one/thing else. Not good enough. It's like trying to conduct an orchestra that I can't hear. I want auto-tune.

What I need is more, so that I can have the luxury of less.

Little Things.

It's a pump infusion site that lasts longer than two days, right down to the last drop.

It's catching that low before you brush your teeth, for once.

It's helping yourself feel better by helping someone else feel better.

It's a pretty number when you didn't expect to see one.

It's that small, defiant tuft of fur on your dog's back that refuses to lie down when he's freshly bathed.

It's being thankful that you were wearing black pants, as that pump site you pulled a couple of minutes ago ended up being a gusher, and now the whole side of your pants is soggy with blood.

It's being thankful that you aren't squeamish.

It's being able to FINALLY thread that damn sewing machine, slightly before going completely Yosemite Sam on it. (I should mention that I haven't sewn since Home Ec class in middle school, and that I bought myself a Singer on Friday through an awesome deal on Amazon. It turns out I can sew straight lines on scrap cloth just fine, thank you, so Project Runway will be my next stop. WATCH OUT.)

It's being thankful for the little things, even if the big things may feel heavier.

It's the little things.

Joslin Blog Project: Talking.

I'm honored to be participating in Joslin Diabetes Center's Blog Project this month, alongside a handful of other dedicated and passionate diabetes advocates. We'll each be writing four posts that detail our personal journey with diabetes, in the hopes that we can raise some awareness along with some money. Our goal is to raise $5,000, as a team, for the Joslin High Hopes Fund through this blog project.

Our prompt for this week is: Why/how did you get into blogging? What have been the best and worst parts of doing so?

I've shared my "how I found the online community" story before - so there's the beginning of how. But why? My first entry here explained how I hoped that adding my voice to the diabetes blogging community would bring "more awareness to the cause, and some comfort, information (and entertainment?) to those affected by diabetes". I think all of those still ring very true for me - I'm here to share my story, through whatever medium seems to fit best. I'm here because I know that feeling alone is one of the most toxic parts of life with diabetes. I'm here because I wish someone like me had been around when I was going through my lowest points.

My very favorite moments of being a diabetes advocate are the ones that connect us on emotional and personal levels: the swell of cumulative encouragement when someone needs it, the realizations and connections that lead someone to feeling the very essence of community in their heart, and the forming of friendships that sometimes begin with just a tweet and grow into the deepest sorts of love and support.

image credit: Wendy at Candy Hearts

When we give, we are beautiful. When we show love, we are true.

My less favorite parts center around the things I shouldn't care about, but sometimes do: Is this my last good idea? What on earth am I going to write about today? Am I tweeting too much? How can it take me five days to respond to an email sometimes? Why am I literally losing sleep so that I can stay up to write something that no one comments on? Why is no one commenting? Why do I care that no one is commenting? Was I off base? Do I care? Should I care? Should I really be using every vacation day from my "real job" to go to conferences? And then, shouldn't I just be grateful I have these opportunities and who needs a real vacation anyway? Is it worth the sacrifices I make in my "real life" to continue being this heavily involved in advocacy? And what on earth am I going to write about today?

The truth is that I pour my energy, time, and heart into what I do as a diabetes advocate because it feels right to do so. There are times I can help someone laugh at something so cruel and punishing as diabetes - I love being able to do that. There are times I'm able to really connect with someone; to perhaps put words to something they've been feeling but haven't vocalized - I love that, too. There are times that someone who feels as I once have finds me and says, "I thought it was just me".

What I love most is being even a small part of that realization in others. It's never just you.

If you would like to make a donation toward our $5,000 blog project goal for the Joslin Diabetes Center, you may do so here.

Long Weekend.

Oh, hey there. I guess I took an unintended (but thoroughly enjoyed) bloggy break. I've been busy, you know?

Clockwise from upper left: Nebraska game + coffee = yay; my only Black Friday experience of the day at JoAnn Fabrics (three hour wait to get my fabric cut and three glucose tabs consumed - NBD); Christmas decorating is DONE; Billy thinks the garland is for him to wrestle with.

Hope you're having a nice long weekend, too!

A Short Roundup.

Things! Stuff! I have these! And the Corgi-to-other-things ratio is pretty high!

• So... rashes are a good time. I discovered one this morning, not from a pump or CGM site thank goodness, but it was mildly amusing that a bandaid I wore for eight hours (oh hi, gusher last night) does more damage to my skin than the CGM sensor adhesive (and Flexifix tape) that I wear for 19 days. Yay? I don't know how to feel about this.
• It occurred to me just this morning that I have three dishes to make for three different family gatherings (on on Wedneday night after work, and two on Thursday) and I have absolutely no idea what I'm making, or when I'm finding the time to make whatever those things will be. Happy Thanksgiving!
• Tell me Corgi puppies aren't the cutest dang thing you've ever seen.
• Okay, adult Corgis are pretty okay, too. This should surprise exactly none of you.
• Did you know that JDRF's Juvenation community has a new name? Go check it.
• I've been trying to keep up with the #NDAMphotoaday challenge, but I haven't been entirely successful. Follow me on Instagram (my profile is here), if you're not a robot made of spam.
• And if you'd like more coherent ramblings than this post, you'll find them in the form of contributions to the Timesulin site, the Glu community, and Insulet's "Suite D" blog.

Let's cap this off with some some more Corgi photos - this time, of one you might recognize. D'awww.

Excellent.

Chosen Wisely.

Remember how a couple of weeks ago I got all sassy about how diabetes email pitches are crafted? Last week I received one that, for the first time in a while, I thought was pretty good (the fact that they used the term "diabetic" aside), so I thought I'd share.

It was for an app called iCookbook: Diabetic. I like it because it puts everything I want to know right where I want it, and in a way I want to view it.

High quality images of the foods? Check.

Stuff we care most about, like carb counts, shown right in the preview? Check.

All recipes under 350 calories per serving? Check.

Ability to filter by requirements like gluten-free, low carb, or vegan? Check.

Free to download from iTunes? Check.

And here's the other thing I was delighted by: see that "Rotate phone to prepare" note on the middle-right image? When you do that, you can turn on the "voice command" option. Which means that while you're cooking and getting your hands dirty, you can just speak aloud things like "next", and the app advances the pages for you. Say "back", and it goes back a page for you.

Which made me react like this, once I figured that out.

Nice work, you guys.