Ninnifur

Opposite of a no hitter

2011-11-09T14:25:00.001-05:00

Ugh. Wish this never ending blood sugar battle would end!

I know it is a few things, I'm suffering from an allergic reaction to something, and I'm in work training from 8-4 everyday, I'm not used to sitting all day long!!!

I hope once the allergic reaction is over I will have more normal blood sugars again!

Blue Friday!!

2011-11-04T20:52:00.001-04:00

'round these parts, and by that I mean Indiana, blue Fridays are usually normal.

When the Indianapolis colts are doing well, the people of Indiana wear colts gear.

If you don't live under a rock, then you would know that the colts haven't won a single game. So the amount of blue on Fridays is a lot less. However this month on Fridays I'm wearing blue For diabetes awareness!!!!

Now maybe the colts will win a game!!!

NaBloPoMo

2011-11-03T21:33:00.001-04:00

Oh NaBloPoMo... This is the fourth year in a row that I've done it so I had to do it this year! I'm off to a rocky start... But I have faith. My life seems to have done a complete 180 in the past few weeks, so I'll be taking this month to post about these new things!

I am without a computer right now, I left my power cord at my boyfriends house, so I'm blogging from my iPhone for a little bit.

Last night I did something I have never done, I had a sleepover for the first time with my niece! It was so fun! We ate pizza, drank cherry juicy juice, and played with toys!

It was so fun! I cannot wait to do it again!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T22:17:00.001-04:00

NaBloPoMo by Katy

2011-11-01T21:00:00.000-04:00

Hello Jennys readers:)
This is Katy, Jennys sister, and I am writing her first November post:) Jenny plans on participating in NaBloPoMo but she is busy today so I am taking over:)

I made this incredible soup tonight for dinner and thought I would share:) If you are looking for a good fall soup this is it!

via

It tastes incredible and I am not a soup person! It didnt specify but I used wheat pasta and it tasted so good! The cinnamon adds an amazing flavor! Go here for the recipe:)

Have a wonderful Tuesday:)

Jenny Pritchard RN

2011-10-05T12:00:00.002-04:00

I did it!!!!!!

I passed my NCLEX! (the licensing exam to be a Registered Nurse)

HOO boy that was a LONG 2 years! But totally worth it. :)

I have some random thoughts swimming around in my head about all of this, but for now I just want to get it out there that

I DID IT!! I'M OFFICIALLY A REGISTERED NURSE!!!!!

This is what my mirror looked like the days leading up to the exam. I was lacking confidence in myself and in order to give myself a much needed boost I wrote on my mirror!! Then my sister and my friend both wrote on it :) So sweet.

Sorry the pic is so dark, I had to darken it so that you could actually see some of the words! It says

Jennifer Pritchard RN

2 hrs till test I will pass the I know the info

Good luck Ninn! NCLEX You WILL pass!

*The ones highlighted in red are from Kaylyn and Katy :)

Reason number 843279 I can't wait to take my NCLEX

2011-09-16T10:51:00.001-04:00

I need my life back.

[ this is how I feel about studying ]

Not wordless at all WEDNESDAY!

2011-09-14T13:04:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of my abdomen from the other day. It was time for a site change so I go through all the priming, and filling of reservoir, then pinch my stomach to insert the needle. Same thing I do every three days every week of every month of every year. Needless to say, I'm used to it.

"OWWWWWW. *explicit* GAHH. *explicit*" is what came out of my mouth.

I barely had the needle in my abdomen and it was killing me. Felt like a hot knife was slicing into my body. I debated whether or not to pull it out or push it in and hope it didn't hurt once it was in, so I pushed a LITTLE bit further in, then STRAIGHT out!! Way too painful! Then the little dot started to bleed. (square bandaid in upper right)

I always leave my old site in for a few hours to make sure that the new one is good before I rip out the old one, so later that night I pulled out the old site. Guess what? It started bleeding too! Did I mention I was wearing a white shirt? that little thing wouldn't stop bleeding! I had to cup my hand under it because I was not near a tissue and it was dripping down my stomach and I didn't want it to get on the carpet!

These type of things happen often, and separately they would not be super annoying. However together, they made me a bit nutty.

27

2011-09-10T12:14:00.000-04:00

27.

Nope its not my age. (24)

Not the amount of times I have been a bridesmaid (1)

Not the temperature outside (61)

Not the number of times I test my blood glucose daily (6-8)

27 is what my blood glucose was last night.

It was scary. Luckily I had a friend over, so he was able to help me. I suddenly started sweating PROFUSELY, and said, I think I'm low, and proceeded to test my blood glucose. It was dark in the room, but I kept seeing yellow auras. I was SCARED.

All I kept thinking was that I needed to stuff as many starbursts in my mouth as humanly possible before I passed out. HOWEVER, opening starbursts is extremely difficult when I'm low. My friend came over and helped me open them. Which was awesome but embarrassing!

He was really nice about it. I apologized like a million times and he kept saying, why are you sorry? I really am glad it happened when I was with someone, because I live alone. That is scary sometimes.

Nothing like getting the full diabetes experience after only 5 dates! lol.

Oh and of course, my CGM needed to be calibrated so it didn't tell me I was low!

I'm not sure if its blood glucose related, or what but I'm felling kind of groggy today. I hope it passes soon!!!

What have I been up to?

2011-08-30T00:58:00.000-04:00

What have I been up to? I have been a busy girl :) And I like pictures, so I am going to take you on an update on what I've been up to over the past few months!

Made a fool of myself with Family in June

My niece turned ONE on the 30th of June!

I GRADUATED FROM NURSING SCHOOL!!! (I'm in the black dress hugging my classmate in the middle)

Graduation


I baked what felt like a million cupcakes


My baby sister got MARRIED!


I got Mono and had a hard time with my blood sugar

I went from THIS:


to THIS! Chopped my hair off :)


Went to the beach with my cousins!


Cousins :)

Took random pictures of myself in the mirror with old buckets

Studied for my NCLEX (licensing exam) Which took 3 Macs!!

So that is what I have been up to. I have been busy, and my life will probably only just continue to be busy!! I hope to take my licensing exam in the next few weeks and then start WORKING!!!

Please pray! and pass on this blog post!

2011-07-03T16:43:00.002-04:00

I have a LOT going on right now, but I really want to get the word out about my friend Sheli. She is 29 weeks pregnant and on hospital bed rest, because the day after we finished nursing school, her water broke 12 weeks too early. I really hope we can spread the word about my friend and help her out! I am going to attempt to tell her story (with her permission)!!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Sheli in nursing school over a year ago. Sheli is an outgoing, fun girl with a fiery personality that matches her bright red hair! Sheli has two boys from a previous relationship as does her fiancee Tim. They wanted to add to their family, and subsequently became pregnant right around the beginning of the year.

However while at a clinical for nursing school while only around 14 weeks pregnant Sheli began to bleed. We all prayed and hoped she didn't lose the baby! Although bleeding, her little baby was determined to make to make it!! It has been scary on more than one occasion, but her little baby was still growing safe inside her!

Shortly after that scare, Sheli and Tim found out they were going to have a baby boy that they will name Deegan Wayne :)

Sheli started to feel better and better, and was excited to plan for her upcoming graduation from nursing school, and move from Indiana to Florida for Tim to go to school. On Monday June 27th we took our last final exam and we were finished with nursing school!!! The very next day Sheli was at a store with her sister in law and her water broke. She was only 28 weeks pregnant. 12 weeks too early.

Sheli was rushed to the Hospital to be assessed. She was then taken by ambulance from her hometown of Bedford Indiana, to Indianapolis. Two hours away. She is now in the hospital here in Indianapolis, her entire family is still in Bedford. Including her two little boys.

As I said before, Sheli and Tim were planning to move to Florida so that Tim could go to school there. Therefore they already told the apartment complex they were living in that they did not want to re-sign their lease. Shelis mother is packing up the rest of their things, while also caring for her 2 boys.

Sheli received steroid injections to mature little Deegans lungs. She is now on Hospital bed rest until Deegan is born. When he is born he will be in the NICU at the hospital in Indianapolis and she will stay in a Ronald McDonald house, because commuting 4 hours a day round trip is just too much.

If you could please pray for little Deegan to stay healthy, and for Sheli to be able to carry her pregnancy to 34 weeks, that would be much appreciated.

If you want to contact Sheli and Tim you can email them at deeganwayne(AT)gmail(DOT)com (remove what is in parenthesis and replace with @ and .)

If you want to donate money to her you can do so by going here. Any donation of any amount will help as Sheli will be out of work for quite some time.

The money can be used for gas money to bring Shelis boys up to see her! Their older son has Aspergers and he is not used to his Mom and Dad being away from him for so long. It would be great if we could get him up to see them!

Baby Deegan has had a rough go of it already, he is destined to make an impact on this earth! Please repost, retweet, make it your facebook status, I would love for to help Sheli and Tim as best I can!!! Thanks :)

PICTURES!!!

2011-05-15T00:00:00.007-04:00

Today the prompt for dblog week is to add some diabetes-type pictures!!

Purse full of diabetes things? YES PLEASE!

Trip to the pharmacy!

Oldest box of lancets ever!! DO you see that date? 2006!!

and I JUST finished it!!! I never change my lancet! oops...

ohhh not diabetes related... unless you count the fact that my beautiful niece is related to me and I have diabetes!!! yep that counts. I just couldn't resist! She is too precious!!!

Most Awesome Thing

2011-05-13T23:52:00.003-04:00

Todays prompt was to write about the most awesome thing you have done because of diabetes.

Why is this so hard for me to think of. I guess I'm having trouble thinking of the most awesome thing I've done BECAUSE of it. I have done a lot of things even though I have diabetes, but I'm not sure exactly if I've done anything AMAZING because of diabetes.

Well I guess becoming a nurse. I am not sure I would almost be a nurse if I didn't have diabetes. Well I know I wouldn't be as compassionate and as caring!!

I'm glad I rambled my way through this post... lol

10 things i hate about diabetes

2011-05-13T21:50:00.004-04:00

Yesterdays post was to write 10 things you hate about diabetes.. but since blogger was down when I went to write my post I just went to bed instead... lol So here are my 10 things I hate about diabetes!

1. I hate the terrible state my abdomen is in. As much as I love my pump and CGMS and would never ever give either of them up, they are causing some terrible scars.. and yes I do rotate but I'm on 5'1".. there just isn't THAT much room.

2. I hate waking up wrapped in pump tubing. My tubing isn't very long but sometimes it comes unhooked from my pants and it wraps around my body.

3. I hate not having a place to put my pump in certain dresses. Dresses with pockets are AMAZING.

4. I hate the relationship I have with food. Lets just say.. Its not normal.

5. I hate the way people look at me when they find out I have diabetes. You know the look right?

6. I hate the fact that I am always thinking about something diabetes related. I freaking dream about diabetes people.

7. I hate waking up low and eating candy at 3 am and being way too tired to get up and re-brush my teeth.

8.I hate getting low right after working out. I feel like it defeats the purpose.

9. I hate the terrible cotton mouth, headache, walking through jello felling that accompanies a high blood glucose.. especially if it happens in the morning.

10. I hate the unknown. I hate not knowing what my future with diabetes looks like. Will I live to see a cure? How long will I live?

Bloopers

2011-05-11T20:46:00.000-04:00

Todays prompt is to write about times when you have diabetes bloopers..

If my life were to ever become a sitcom it would be called diabetes bloopers. lol

I am continually amazed at how I can hit the wall with my pump but not one part of my body... I do it about every day.

I am going to repost this blog from a few years ago its pretty hilarious...

hicks-crawfish-forgotten pumps OH MY!
Its Indy 500 weekend. The best weekend in Indiana. By far.

There is an obscene amount of alcohol consumed by everyone.

The shorts are short, and probably should be considered undies.

The shirts are completely non-existent on most men and some women.

Its amazing. I love this state. Then of course there is the race!

If you live in Indiana I assume they expect that everyone goes to the race so we just listen to it on the radio. I love it that way. Its tradition! We can watch the race after it is over. haha.

Last night I went to a crawfish boil. (ate NO crawfish. ew) My Mom's friend is talking about this mosquito thingy that you can hook to your pants and she gestures to her pants where it would be clipped.

Suddenly I got an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't remember clipping anything to my pants after my shower.

Like you know, my INSULIN PUMP.

I didn't look. I took my shower about 2 hours ago at this point. I stepped back and reached down to feel my pants.

Nope. No pump. Tears welled up in my eyes. I was sure my blood sugar was through the roof.

I didn't want to go home and get my pump! I wanted to stay at the party. I remembered my sister (who I live with) was going to stop by the party! So I called her.

I asked her when she was going to be coming, she said probably soon why? I told her the story, I think she could her the fear/sadness in my voice. That amazing little sister that I have said, oh! Ok, Jenny, I'll get some makeup on and be there soon, I'll be there before you die. haha.

Seriously I love this girl. She walked up to the party with my pump clipped to her purse looking like a pseudo diabetic. It was cute!

When I re-connected I felt such a huge relief! I cannot believe how empty I felt without that thing! Well when I realized it. haha.

The blood sugar was 294. I took an injection while I waited for my pump and then bolused when it got there. And continued to have fun!

I'm going to put my bathing suit on and play volleyball with the family! Then listen to the race!!

Dear Teenaged Me

2011-05-10T23:14:00.002-04:00

This is the writing prompt for today:

Letter writing day - Tuesday 5/10: In February the Wego Blog Carnival asked participants to write letters to their condition. You can write a letter to diabetes if you’d like, but we can also take it one step further. How about writing a letter to a fictional (or not so fictional) endocrinologist telling the doctor what you love (or not) about them. How about a letter to a pretend (or again, not so pretend) meter or pump company telling them of the device of your dreams? Maybe you’d like to write a letter to your child with diabetes. Or a letter from your adult self to the d-child you were. Whomever you choose as a recipient, today is the day to tell them what you are feeling.

In one week from today on May 17th I will celebrate having diabetes for 10 years. This anniversary has weighed heavy on me for awhile. I cannot believe that it has been that long. I think of little 14 year old me and what I would endure over the next 10 years. Without further ado:

Dear Jenny:

Hi its me. You? Me? You (we?) got some tough news today. Diabetes. No I promise you are not going to die, at least not right this second. Diabetes is not terminal even though you were very scared with the word DIE in it. The next few days are going to be hard, you will learn a lot (and likely forget most of it) but those days will not be the hardest.

Over the next 10 years many things will happen that will not be easy. But let me tell you that you will get through it. You WILL make it. There will be a time when you are laying at dads house (you go to live with Dad in a little over a year) and you contemplate ending it all. You will feel like it is too much. Please don't do it. You are beautiful, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

You will go through a period of rebellion. You will quit taking your insulin and testing your blood sugar and you will physically harm your body. I know nothing that is said will stop you from doing it. Please try to not let it last very long. Your body is beautiful and one day you will regret all of the harm you caused it. At 24, the scars are still here. And you hate them. At this point, thanks to God, the fact that you didn't take insulin for such a long time didn't harm your body. At least not that we can tell yet.

I know not everyone has diabetes, and you feel like you are the only one in the entire world, and you know what? Its NOT fair. I'm sorry it was you, and I have no idea why it was you that got it, but I promise that you will go far. It will be worth it. You will meet and help people with diabetes.

You will fall in love, and you will have your heart equally as broken.
You will question your faith and you will beg God to help you get through the next minute without a cigarette.
You will laugh often, and smile constantly. You will cry when Grandpa dies, but smile because all donations at his funeral will go to helping cure Juvenile Diabetes.
You will pierce your nose, tongue, neck, belly button ears a bunch and get three tattoos. You will eventually take every piercing out.
You will graduate from high school, and next month from nursing school.

Life is hard, and you will have periods that are much harder then other people. But you will be ok. I promise. You are beautiful and smart and everything that happens to you, and every choice that you make does have an impact on your future. Weather it is good or bad, it happens for some reason.

Love 24 year old Jenny.

and P.S. You will discover a straightener soon... and it makes a HUGE difference! Use the straightener... your hair will thank you.

Dblog week!

2011-05-09T19:12:00.002-04:00

In case you don't know what Dblog week is (which means you are either 1. my family 2. my friends that don't have diabetes or 3. randomly clicked here) click here to read all about it!

Karen started dblog week last year and I didn't participate. I can't remember what was going on in my life.. I think I was planning Katys baby showers while in school. I just couldn't let one more second of time be used! anyway...

I'll be posting all week on one of the different topics that Karen has chosen to write about!

Here is the prompt:Admiring our differences - Monday 5/9: We are all diabetes bloggers, but we come from many different perspectives. Last year, Diabetes Blog Week opened my eyes to all of the different kinds of blogs (and bloggers) out there – Type 1s, Type 2s, LADAs, parents of kids with diabetes, spouses of adults with diabetes and so on. Today let’s talk about how great it is to learn from the perspectives of those unlike us! Have you learned new things from your T2 friends? Are D-Parents your heroes? Do LADA blogs give you insight to another diagnosis story? Do T1s who’ve lived well with diabetes since childhood give you hope? Pick a type of blogger who is different from you and tell us why they inspire you - why you admire them - why it’s great that we are all the same but different!!

I hate to admit this.. but when I started this blog I didn't know what LADA was! I KNOW! I'm so sorry all of you out there with LADA!

In case YOU don't know, LADA stands for Latent Autoimmune Diabetes. It is basically adult onset Type 1. I just didn't even know it existed.

Many of these people get misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and they struggle to find balance because just taking an oral antidiabetic doesn't work if you don't make insulin!

I am in nursing school (almost done!) and we learn about diabetes ALL. THE. TIME. but not ONCE have I heard LADA in text books or anything. I will make it my goal if I ever think someone who has been diagnosed with Type 2 and they could be LADA, to get more testing!

camera strap!

2011-04-27T22:29:00.003-04:00

Look what I have!

Finally :) I have wanted a cute camera strap since I got my DSLR for my birthday/christmas in December.

Katy didn't actually know this and she just made one for me!! It is my favorite colors which is awesome!!

It was Katys first sewing project and it turned out PERFECT! That doesn't always happen with first projects! lol

notice how my right pocket his weighed down? Its from my pump in my pocket :) I cut small holes and thread my pump through them if I have a dress with a pocket. It looks a little silly in this dress!!

Good Friday

2011-04-22T23:48:00.002-04:00

I babysat the family of the family I normally babysit for tonight. They have an almost 4 year old son and he told me the story of Easter today. (He learned this at preschool)

(while swinging the cross necklace he made at school around his fingers) "Jesus had a dinner and then the bad guys took him and they put a very pointy crown on his head and then he put him up high and blood. and then he died. but then he came BACK TO LIFE. and then HOSANNA HOSANNA! This is a REAL cross you know." (pointing to the cross)

How cute is that! I love little kids :)

HOSANNA HOSANNA!!!

HOLY THURSDAY

2011-04-21T23:23:00.000-04:00

My lent blogging is almost over.

Which is good because I keep slacking. :P

Maddy had a play today at school, they did the last supper. Maddy got to be one of the three disapproving priests! Along with two other girls. lol.

Because they were disapproving, she was not aloud to smile or anything, and the teachers said that they would get in a lot of trouble if they smiled.. I hope they were just joking so that the kids would take them seriously!

The outfits that the girls are wearing are the real priests wear at their school! They are pinned up at the bottom. how cute :)

Swinging

2011-04-20T23:23:00.012-04:00

What is this? Why are they always putting me in things?

I.. don't.. get..it..
are you freaking kidding me Aunt Juju?? SERISLY?
I don't think I....
THIS IS AMAZINGGG!!
WHY HAVE YOU NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT PLASTIC SUSPENDED FROM TREE THING BEFORE???
is she leaving? She better not be leaving. AUNT MADDYYY!!
I think she left me... Why did it stop going?
i want to file a formal complaint. this plastic thing quit moving.
SOMEBUDDY LISTEN TO MEEEEE
I'm outta here. Peace.

baby

2011-04-19T00:05:00.000-04:00

My cousin Ciaras baby treating my phone like a baby :) so cute!

I hope Laney saw her doing this and catches on...because she recently learned the word "uh-oh" and thinks that playing the uh oh game with my phone is the best thing EVER! (and because I just can't help it... i let her..)

i seriously have nothing to blog about!!!

2011-04-18T23:48:00.001-04:00

except for this amazing face of my niece!

HAHAHAH love it!

gun shot

2011-04-17T23:23:00.006-04:00

I was in my room and I thought I heard a gun shot.
Then I thought maybe it was a car backfiring.

Nope.

Ghetto

2011-04-16T23:52:00.004-04:00

This is what happens when the brand new IV3000 you put on your back gets a little roll in the corner and you decide that it will probably be ok and you go to your moms house!

Then your sister has to find some very random sensor taping things to secure that sucker on!!

Thanks Katy and maddy! lol

btw those are 2 super big band aids covered with PINK duct tape! lol

50!

2011-04-15T23:22:00.000-04:00

happy birthday daddy!!!!

overheated

2011-04-14T23:35:00.001-04:00

my computer overheated tonight. So not a great post tonight. Go read my sisters blog... Upsetting. http://mylifeas12maddy.blogspot.com/2011/04/walkathon.html

hope my computer is better tomorrow!

ignorance

2011-04-13T22:46:00.002-04:00

This was my facebook status tonight:

I'm getting yelled at by the chick next to me in nclex review class.. First testing my blood sugar was too loud, then entering my BG in my pump was WAY too loud. Now she is threatening to cut my thumbs off.... Lovely

My friends are so sweet :) a few called and texted me to make sure I wasn't upset. No I wasn't. She was the ignorant one.

The sad thing is... this person is a recent nursing school graduate.

The story!

2011-04-12T22:18:00.002-04:00

hahah I love what my sisters guessed happened in my last post!
Maddy:I your thingy mah bob popped off and ur shirt did too with a bunch of wrappers?

katys right :P
im wrong :( lol
Katy:sensor fell off in the middle of the night and you got super low and it made you hot so you took your shirt off:) i hope i win!

hahah Katy is close! Maddys answer is just FUNNY!! The real story...

I had this AMAZING sensor in my back. It had lasted about 13 days and it was AWESOME! But my skin did not love it :( My skin reacts to the tape I wear (IV3000) and it was itching SOO bad.

So bad, that I woke up in the middle of the night scratching it! I took the tape off which just left the little transmitter with the stupid piece of tape on it. I knew it was going to fall off but I was too tired to get up and retape it. Also I didn't think that my skin could handle it!

then I woke up low about an hour after that and ate 4 orange starbursts (ew)

I woke up and looked at my bed and it was full of diabetes stuff!!

My shirt was just laying there... it doesn't have to do with the story!

But i like imagining that it popped off! hahahahah

There is a story behind these pictures..

2011-04-11T21:39:00.005-04:00

can you guess what it is?

2011-04-10T22:43:00.002-04:00

I almost forgot to blog tonight!!

We cleaned my moms garage for 5 hours today. The weather was beautiful!! Even though we have NO spring here in Indiana. %t doesn't bother me :) we just go right from winter to summer. This was such a lloonngg winter, I'm ok with going right to summer..except I need my air conditioning fixed...

Tomorrow I start my last quarter of nursing schol.. Freaky. In 12 short weeks I graduate!!! INSANE!!!!

So much to say

2011-04-09T22:28:00.002-04:00

So little energy. Today I met a new cousin :)

I just found out that he even existed about a month ago.

And today I met him! He is 16, and such a sweet guy :) We all loved him.

I want to write all about that and also about how my cousin finally has a brother. (he has a bunch of sisters and a niece, and female cousins!)

But I am too sleepy. So I will leave you with picture of my maid of honor dress!
It has a pocket! Best! Thing! EVER!

I'll just cut a hole in it and thread my pump through it :)

The dress will be in canary yellow, not this blue

Save the Date!!

2011-04-08T23:54:00.003-04:00

My sister is getting married in 92 days! ahhhh!!.

I made the save the dates :) I can't believe its coming so soon!!

Beach

2011-04-07T21:12:00.004-04:00

dangerous

2011-04-06T22:48:00.002-04:00

dangerous is:

Driving while low

Driving on the interstate while low

Pricking finger while driving on interstate while low

Trying to get small blood drop on test strip while driving on interstate while low

Opening 4 tiny little starbursts while driving on the interstate while low

very dangerous. Yet I did it today.

oops

Hair Wraps

2011-04-05T22:28:00.004-04:00

Did you ever get a hair wrap when you were on vacation??

They are awesome!!

Yet expensive!

The girls wanted to get them done but it was going to cost $3.00 an inch which would be over $40 for my sister and even more for my cousin!

So I did them :)

I think I did a pretty good job!!

Airport

2011-04-04T22:13:00.003-04:00

I have flown a few times this year, december was the first time I had flown with my pump. I had a not so great experience then. I had to go through the x-ray and it caused a huge fiasco because I had to refuse to go through!!

I had a much better experience this time!!

My pump started beeping telling me I needed to enter a BG in an hour JUST as I was walking through the metal detector. The TSA agents saw my pump and sort of blocked my way walking through the scanner. They told me to step to the side while they got a female. I immediately got scared because I knew what happened last time! The men must have seen the fear on my face and the one cracked a joke about it :)

The female TSA agent just asked me to touch my pump and she swabbed my hands for explosives.

Then I was let to go on!!

On the way home I was at the TINIEST airport (only had 6 terminals!) and they saw my pump... one TSA agents said "MAMN TAKE OFF YOUR PAGER AND----" One of the other agents swatted her arm and said "its not a pager"

um DUH. Who carries a pager??

I had to go in the same clear plastic area with the feet on the mat. The agent told me to touch my pump. She called it a pump!

I had not said one thing about it being a pump or anything.

She said "We are getting pretty good at this!"

I was so happy :) We are making an impact!!!

Home

2011-04-03T21:58:00.002-04:00

We are home. :( I have a LOT of stories about the trip that I will be sharing in the coming week.

But for now I leave you with this picture. Where in the world did my baby sister go? She is so beautiful :) I feel like I just blinked and she is not just a little baby, she is a beautiful young lady. Oh my.

Vagabonds

2011-04-02T09:51:00.002-04:00

We are vagabonds today.

I thought that we had the house at the beach until Sunday at 10.

Nope! Its Saturday at 10! Whoops!

Our flight is tomorrow at 5:20am. So from then until now.... we live on the beach! lol

GO BUTLER!!!!

Beachy

2011-04-01T18:52:00.002-04:00

Wet Hair.

Towels.

Tan lines.

I don't want to go home..

Another Missed Anniversary

2011-03-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm just not with it lately... I missed my blogging anniversary!!

I started blogging in January of 2008 which makes this blog 3 years old!!

There has been many periods of blogging off and on for me, but not without good cause :)

I have done so much in the last 3 years that its almost hard to believe!

I was not on a pump when I start blogging, I had a not so great A1c, I smoked cigarettes, and wasn't in school!!

You all have been around for a lot :) and I can't wait to see what my life looks like in another 3 years!!!

Beach

2011-03-30T23:33:00.003-04:00

is amazing :) Today started out like this

So we did some shopping and then....

it ended like this!! So we got a few hours of tanning in :)

love it

Anniversary

2011-03-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

I NEVER miss anniversaries. I am a dates person and I always remember them!

Well, I failed. I totally forgot my 2 year anniversary of quitting smoking!

I quit smoking on February 17 2009 and I haven't had a smoke since. Every year I go back and read all the posts about how HARD it was for me to quit smoking.

I never want to smoke again. I never WILL smoke again.

Happy 2 years of not smoking to me!!!

LEAVINGG......

2011-03-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

ON A JET PLANE!!!

In about an hour (at 9:00am) I will take my first final exam, then at 10:45 I will take my second final exam and then....
(source)
I will board a plane to Florida!!!

I am so excited :)

Hope I get A's on my finals!!

My beloved CGMS

2011-03-27T12:00:00.001-04:00

I love it. However, sometimes I leave it in longer then recommended.

Actually, I always leave it in longer then recommended!! I don't think I've ever only had it in for 3 days.

Usually I leave it in for 7-10 days. I take it out when it gives me wonky results.

I ripped this site out in the middle of the night (more on that later) because it hurt SO BAD. When I woke up I saw why it hurt so much!! Do you see the cut there? That was from the sensor slicing me. The little dot to the left of the slice is where the actual sensor was under my skin!

Bizarre.

Saturday.

2011-03-26T12:22:00.001-04:00

About a year and a half ago Katy and I attended our friends wedding. Katy was 6 weeks pregnant with Laney when we went there :)

Today, Katy, Laney and I are going to their baby shower!!

CONGRATS JENNIFER AND HOWIE!! I cannot wait to meet little Kinsley :)

same dress. same me. just 25 pounds less of me

2011-03-25T22:09:00.005-04:00

August 2010

August 2010

March 2011

March 2011

March 2011

March 2011

This is the YEAR baby.

pain

2011-03-24T23:05:00.002-04:00

My tooth.

It wasn't a filling. It was an onlay I had put on my tooth about 4 years ago.

I went into the dentist at 10:20 and left over an hour and a half later at noon. My mouth is KILLING me. I did the smart thing and ate food when my mouth was still numb :)

Sadly because this was an entire tooth process I am not done. There is a temporary tooth on there right now, and in 3 weeks I will go in for the real one to be put on.

I'm just glad it happened before I went to Florida!!

Laners

2011-03-23T22:44:00.001-04:00

LOVE her.

SO tired tonight.

Cannot form complete sentences.

Spring break yet???

filling

2011-03-22T23:42:00.004-04:00

I ate some pita chips for dinner and as i was eating one..

My filling fell out!

EW.

To make matters worse.. I swallowed it.

EW. EW.

I thought it was a hard part of the chip and jsut decided to swallow it. YUCK. I just got this filling less then a year ago, it was August or something. I wonder if I will have to pay for this or not...

Regardless.. it sucks.

1 more week till Florida!!

2011-03-21T22:58:00.001-04:00

Its the week before finals...

And I was in the hospital last week..

I'm beginning to feel the effects of all this!

So here is a cute picture of Me and my niece!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2011-03-20T19:18:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday to my beautiful Mom!!

(this picture is my Mom when she was 23 holding my cousin Ciara. adorable!)

My Mom and I are a lot alike. She is such a beautiful woman and I am so happy to be her daughter!

For her birthday I got her half of a plane ticket to Florida for spring break! I couldn't imagine going to florida without her and so I bought her half of a ticket!

This vacation is MUCH needed. My Mom and I haven't been on vacation together in SO long. It has been 7 years!!!

I love you mama!!

RIP Sammy boy

2011-03-19T19:15:00.000-04:00

Maddy and Sammy in a few months ago

(This was supposed to post yesterday and it never did. Not sure why)

Laney

2011-03-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Its nothing new that I am completely in LOVE with my niece. She is freaking amazing you guys. If I could bottle up her giggle and sell it I would take over the pharmaceutical companies, there would no longer be a need for anti depressants!

She is just so amazing. :) Last week when we attended the funeral of a friends baby my niece was on her best behavior. Now let me tell you something before I start this story.. Laney is NOT quiet. The girl LOVES to talk! She is constantly talking about something. I love her little voice so much. She will sing in her carseat when Katy and I are driving around and it is the sweetest thing!

At the funeral during the eulogy the room was quiet. Obviously babies have no idea what quiet means and Laney was no exception. (she was not the only baby there)

I gave her some of her crackers and that lasted until the crackers were gone, and then she wanted to play and talk!

(sidebar) Laney is the first baby in a LONG time and just a wee bit spoiled. Everything she does she gets praised about. We clap and say YAYYYYAYAY!!! and she just eats in all up!

back to the story.. She is looking at me and she starts performing all of her tricks! She knew that if she did her tricks, that I would talk to her! She had no idea why I was not talking to her in the first place. So first she pulls out her go to trick.. she waves. Oh the wave is so cute! It involves her whole arm :) I smiled at her and blew a kiss.

Not the reaction she wanted! She went on to her next trick the clap. Who doesn't love some chubby baby hands clapping together! Everyone does. I couldn't give her the reaction she wanted! I touched her cheek and smiled really big at her through the tears in my eyes.

She then pulled out the big guns. I have been teaching her sign language. We started with just one sign, more. The sign for more is putting your closed hands together at the fingertips.

Laney does a slightly modified version (don't know why) with one of her hands open. She KNEW this would HAVE to get a reaction out of me! I taught her that sign and I go CRAZEEE when she does it!

I leaned in to her ear ear and whispered "yay laney! good girl! yay!" and kissed her on the cheek.

She seemed satisfied :)

I love that girl.

Hospital :(

2011-03-17T18:33:00.003-04:00

Well my blogging for lent had to take a small hiatus. I have good reason though! I was hospitalized :(

I haven't been hospitalized in THREE YEARS! I got a stomach virus (which I talked a little about) and couldn't keep anything down! I was getting dehydrated very quickly...

So my doctor advised I go to the ED just to get fluids. I knew it would make me feel better so I did!

My blood sugar skyrocketed to 291 and then plummeted to 37 within one hour. I only took HALF the insulin dose when I discovered I was 291, the fluids I was receiving made me low.

I have never had glucose IV, but I did for the first time! That stuff is amazing! It brought my blood glucose up SO QUICK! I wish I could do that all the time! The nurse and doctor were amazed at how conscious I was with a blood glucose of 37. Comes with the disease I guess!! (truthfully I was not very "with it", I felt very very bad)

I'm not sure if that why they admitted me, but they wanted to keep an eye on me I guess.

I got out yesterday and I feel SO MUCH better :)

On a sad note my grandmas beloved dog is getting put down tonight. :( she has had him for 15 years. I picked him out of the litter. I am so sad for her. He is her baby. But he lived a great life :)

ps: i am going to add a few pictures for the last few days blogging so that I will feel better :)

socks!

2011-03-16T18:50:00.000-04:00

hehe

do you SEE this TV?? Its HUGE!!! I wish I had one like it in my apartment!

novalog

2011-03-15T18:48:00.000-04:00

The hospital I was at uses Novalog, which is fine with me! I was just glad they let me keep my pump on! they were not very willing at first! They wanted me to take it off and do it their way... I kindy explained how that was NOT a good idea!

2011-03-14T18:44:00.001-04:00

My IV... made me feel MUCH better :)

Magic Fluids :)

2011-03-13T20:01:00.002-04:00

well, I spoke too soon about my blood glucose being low. It's been opposite today :(

but I don't feel like complaining. I've gotten a lot of studying done!!

my sister got her wedding dress yesterday! She looks so beautiful in it :) only 118 days left till her wedding!!

have you seen those commercials with that lady talking about the cookbooks and diabetes and medicare? She says something about loving fried chicken?? GAH I hate her voice! She drives me nuts!!! I don't like when people have sing songy voices!

What is wrong with me??

2011-03-12T13:34:00.003-05:00

I'm thinking its NOT infection. If you can tell by this graph... I have only taken insulin TWICE in the past 24 hours.

And I'm still on the verge of low.

I'm really over this whole sickness thing... I am person that like to GO i like to DO things. Get stuff DONE. I do not enjoy being stuck on the couch. I have zero energy thought. Getting anything done is a huge task. :(

I need to push fluids. I am afraid I am getting dehydrated. I do not want that.

On the plus side. At least my blood glucose is not skyrocketing!!

sick

2011-03-11T20:29:00.002-05:00

will return tomorrow..

if I don't... Send help..

Bucket List

2011-03-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

I don't exactly have a bucket list. I just have this random list of things floating around in my head of things I want to do before I die. Today I have to do something that was NEVER on my bucket list. Something I NEVER wanted to do.

I have to attend the funeral of a 4 month old baby.
I hurt so badly for the family. I cannot imagine the pain and sadness they are going through.

Masons mom wants to be surrounded by people that love and care for her so my sister, her daughter and I are attending.

There is a facebook page that you can get to by clicking here if you want to read about the family and send prayers their way. I know they appreciate all the prayers they can get.

Rest in peace sweet Mason.

Lent

2011-03-09T20:31:00.004-05:00

I am Catholic and have been giving up things for lent every year for many years.

The first year that I gave something up I was around 7 or 8. I gave up candy. That was SO HARD. Do you know how hard it is for a little kid to give up candy around Easter time?

Oh the agony. I still remember it so vividly. I wanted jelly beans and chick and bunny shaped sweet tarts SO BAD. My best friend gave up chocolate. So she could eat candy as long as it didn't have chocolate on it. I was so jealous! I am not a fan of chocolate so I couldn't give that up! lol

I gave up candy a few years in a row.

One year I gave up potato chips. I love potato chips :)

3 or 4 years ago I gave up fast food. I lost almost 20 lbs. I have not eaten it since :)

I have eaten at places like Steak n' Shake and I will randomly get Chick fil a (like once every 2 months)

This year I struggled. I just had NO idea what to give up! I know that sounds terrible, but the only things I could think of were things like Diet Pepsi! UGH I don't think anyone wants to be around me if I give that up. I am way to in love with that stuff :)

So I have decided that I am going to blog every day of lent! Even if its just a picture.

I hope you stick around!!!

Happy valentines day.

2011-02-14T20:49:00.004-05:00

I have no Valentine.

:(

I'm not happy about this, but I'm ok.

I just hope next year I have a Valentine.

Happy Birthday Maddy!

2011-02-12T14:44:00.012-05:00

Happy

(Maddys 2nd birthday)

Birthday

(Maddy napping with her daddy)

To the most beautiful,

(First day of Kindergarten!)

Caring,

(Maddy, Hoppy and I having a Tea Party)

determined,

(Not sure, but she is just so cute!)

amazing 12 year old in the world.

(Maddy and I in Hawaii, July 1999, she was 5.5 months old)

Its hard to believe that 12 years have ~~FLOWN~~ gone by since my baby sister entered this world.

I had just turned 12 when she was born. Although I am often not sure how I lived that long without her.

On every 11:11, shooting star, birthday candles, eyelash on my cheek I would wish for my Mom and Dad to have a baby.

I would pray ALL the time for God to give me have a baby sister or brother. (Yes I do have a sister, Katy, but she is 2 years younger than me and my desire for a younger sibling started when I was about 7)

On February 11th 1999 at 1:37am, my wish came true.

(Maddy and I, She is just a few days old)

Every minute since then has been a blessing having you in it.

(Maddy last night at Comedy Sports for her birthday)

I love you baby girl.

(Blowing out her candles)

I can't wait to see what the next 12 years brings for you

multiple sugars

2011-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is hanging on the wall in the waiting area of my Endocrinologists office.

Every time I'm there I can't help but laugh at it!!

I imagine all these multiple blood sugars running around and getting very glucose deprived.

I also imagine walking up to the receptionist while eating starbursts and saying "That sign told me I had to tell you when I was feeling like the many little sugars in me were low.. but don't worry... I can handle it. I just didn't want the blood sugars police to come after me for not reporting my low to you."

hehe. For the record I either refer to it as my blood glucose, or my blood sugar. Not my blood sugars... thats why it makes me chuckle!!

Life with Laney

2011-02-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

My sister has started a blog!!

I am so excited for this :)

She is getting married in July, and has a 7 month old daughter Laney.

You should go check it out and leave her some comment love!

You will not regret it :)

Laney welcomes you to her office

It was that time of year again..

2011-02-03T22:43:00.004-05:00

It was time for my quarterly endo (diabetes dr) appointment.

I couldn't help but notice how relaxed I felt the whole time.

There was many times in that past (almost) 10 years where I have just DREADED going to the endo. Hell there was many times I just wouldn't go at all.

All morning I kept thinking about all those times I would dread going, and how terrible that made me feel.

I am so glad that I no longer fear going to see my doctor.

My A1c (measure of blood glucose over past 3 months) was 7.6%. She was happy with that number. I was not.

I want it in the sixes. There is always 3 months from now to shoot for.

My doctor noticed and commented on my weight loss. Yay. :)

She tweaked my basal rate just a tiny bit and told me she would see me in 3 months. It was such a breath of fresh air!!

I am almost 100% positive that I have THE CUTEST NIECE in the world. I know its not difficult to agree with me :) She has a little bit of dinner on her cheek!! So cute :)

Running on E

2011-02-01T08:00:00.004-05:00

EMPTY.

FULL!

*200 units is full for me. It takes me about 4-5 days to get through that much insulin so I only fill my pump with that much*

**This stupid battery would not work for some reason when I put it in! I had to try it like 3 times before it worked!**

mystery..

2011-01-25T08:00:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time not very long ago.. (January 9th to be exact)

I had a mysterious night.

I ate pizza while watching a terrible Colts game with my mom. I only ate one and a half of those small pieces.

I took a large enough bolus for said pizza.

This is where it starts to get mysterious.

The Colts lost STUPIDLY in the last few seconds of the game and I tested my blood sugar so I could go to bed. This is what I saw.

Hmmm.... I took a large bolus and decided to try to stay up a little while longer and drink a bunch of water. about 40 minutes later I tested again.

I thought it was odd... But I went to bed anyway. It had only been 40 minutes and all of the insulin had probably not been absorbed enough to bring me down and I knew that I would wake up in a few hours to do one of two things. 1: go to the bathroom because my blood glucose wasn't coming down. or 2:wake up sweaty and shaky with a low BG.

Sure enough at 2:37 I woke up at this.

However at this point in my SLEEP INDUCED STUPIDITY I just tried to take more insulin. TRIED.

Up again to go to the bathroom and chug some water at 6:11. BG is a few hundred points lower.

I guess being in the 300's is when my mind becomes clear. Or maybe its 6:00am. Either way this is when I remembered being at my sisters house earlier in the night at around 7:00pm and she said I smelled like insulin. She told me TWICE that I really smelled like insulin and I'm pretty sure I just said. "hmm. weird"

Obviously my pump was somehow leaking insulin. I have NO idea how, or where, but it obviously was. So I did a quick site change and climbed back in bed. I woke up at 10:00 and my bg was this...

Oh boy... Morale of the story: If someone says you smell like insulin... LISTEN TO THEM AND CHECK YOUR SITE!! Or make sure you are not carrying around a vial of leaky insulin or something equally as random as that!!!

low

2011-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Do you know how hard it us to open 4 of these...

When your blood glucose is this?

It can be difficult.

What does this look like to you??

2010-12-07T11:44:00.002-05:00

There is a funny story to tell you about this!! See if you can guess correctly!!

ETA: Bleach stain pancreas!!! How weird is that? My friend thought I did it on purpose! She is the one who thought it looked like a pancreas. :) Nursing students have all the fun :P

nothing else to blog about...

2010-11-30T22:56:00.008-05:00

So I will end NaBloPoMo with adorable pictures of my niece!!!

dear arm sensor...

2010-11-29T22:07:00.002-05:00

dear 6 day old sensor on my arm...

thank you for being such a great sensor. You were the first sensor that was on my arm that actually gave good results and didn't feel like fire under my arm.

thank you for not being a bleeder, (so rare) so that wearing short sleeved shirts was actually possible!

however it seems as if we must part. My blood sugar is not 69. Nor is itdropping I know this because I can feel it and my meter also confirmed that my blood sugar is 124. So my dear sweet arm sensor, I think we must part...

You know you are the sister of a diabetic when...

2010-11-28T23:06:00.000-05:00

(given to me by katy)

...You find boxes of Nerds candy and starbursts in your diaper bag and don't question where they came from, you just keep them there...

...when talking to a stranger about diabetes the persons stops and asks "do you have diabetes? you know an awful lot about it?"...

...you see a person wearing a pump and call your diabetic sister just to tell her that...

...when someone says something about diabetes, and how their (insert relative here) had 'the bad kind of diabetes' you have to bite your tongue not to tell them that they are both bad!!!...

...your sister stops making sense while talking, and you ask her if she feels low, you can sometimes tell your sister is getting low before she can...

...your baby enjoys playing with bottles of test strips rather than real baby rattles...

...every three months you get really excited, anticipating the A1c text message!!...

...a little drop of blood on random things doesn't gross you out (ie, the steering wheel)...

... you know how to dose insulin into your sisters pump from the passengers seat...

wordless Saturday

2010-11-27T22:25:00.002-05:00

black friday!

2010-11-26T19:23:00.003-05:00

happy black friday!

I didn't do any black friday activities, but I'm going to repost a black friday experience from 2 years ago!

it's sooo funny!
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2008
Holy. Crap.

*Updated:I wrote this post at around 9 this morning, and as I waiting for the picture to load, I fell asleep! Oh my. So I am now posting this at 5:15. ha!*

I have been awake since noon YESTERDAY. 21 hours now.
My brain is not working so well right now.
After we got home from Thanksgiving dinner we came home and watched some TV, then all of a sudden it was 1 in the morning.

Katy and I decided it would be better if we just did not sleep. We are not morning people, so getting 3 hours of sleep? We would not wake up. So we stayed awake. Oh. em. GE.

Was it crazy? YES. Were the people just as crazy as I thought they would be? YES. Did the cheeriness of the workers freak me out a little and wonder where there stash of cocaine was? OH YES. Was it fun? Yes! Did I save enough money to be worth it? Yessir.

Katy and I looked super sexy. Remember NO sleep. NONE.
black pants, black shirt, ready to rob a bank? or um
shop on black friday?

Totally ready for the money, er um deals
This is the look you get after NO SLEEP.
BAHHAHhah. Slap happy at this point.
and READY TO GOOO!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T21:46:00.006-05:00

Happy thanksgiving :)

I am thankful for so many things this year.

Like my family

And especially my niece

My health

That I'm able to go to school

The great friends that I have made this year

the friends I have had for all these years

and so much more :)

Contacts!!

2010-11-24T15:42:00.003-05:00

Happy thanksgiving eve!!! I am sooo ready to EAT!!!

Our family is very big on traditions, we have a LOT!!

Tonight My dad and all the kids* go out to sushi, while my stepmom organizes all of her stuff, and gets the few dishes that she needs to ready without any people interrupting her. Then tomorrow we just do the normal Thanksgiving thing, and have Cheery Jubliee because it was my stepmoms dads favorite!! He passesd away 2 years ago this week :( I hope the Cherry Jubliee tradition sticks!!

I can't WAIT!!

Today I got contacts! I have had glasses for 3 years, and have to wear them all the time. My eyesight has gotten worse over the past 3 years, I can't see much without them anymore. But today... I got contacts!!! It is so bizarre to be able to see without glasses!!!!

Because this needed its own post.

2010-11-23T11:14:00.009-05:00

If you didn't check out the link I posted last night, thats ok.. I think the pictures that were on the link deserve their own post.. Without further ado.. My beautiful, well behaved niece..

Baby Snooki!

Don't you love the hair?

Baby Gaga!!!

Baby Britney!

Baby Katy Perry :) (from her album cover)

All the single ladies!! (Or all the diabetics:D)

Cher

Oh man that was way too much fun!! Thanks to our 2 friends that came over to help too!!!

this is what i was working on...

2010-11-22T23:50:00.002-05:00

My sister and I are trying to win camera from dooce. The contest was to make a photo book on shutterfly.com. Here is our final product.. OMG my niece is adorable.

Wait till you see what I'm doing!!

2010-11-21T23:28:00.002-05:00

You will have to wait until tomorrow!

All good!!

2010-11-20T21:52:00.003-05:00

I went to the eye doctor today.

Going to the eye doctor can be a scary place for me. As a diabetic, I can have lots of scary complications that can lead to blindness in my eyes. I go to the eye doctor once a year, and I always hold my breath until they say All good!!!

HUGE pupils

Today I got that again :) I am about 6 months away from my 10 year anniversary with diabetes. The symptoms of my diabetes started right around this time 10 years ago. And with my few years of non-compliance, I always get scared of my eyes being bad.

My prescription of my glasses got a little worse, but not too much, so he is keeping my glasses the same, which is good! Last year my eyes got 3 times worse in one eye and 2 times worse in the other!!!

So I'm clear for another year, and also I'm getting contacts on Monday!!

Let me explain!!

2010-11-19T19:39:00.003-05:00

Or not...

haha. although incredibly painful.. the duct tape is keeping my sensor on!!

I was in a pinch :)

Thanks Katy!!

MEME

2010-11-18T23:29:00.003-05:00

1. Who makes your Thanksgiving dinner? My dad!! I make the mashed potatoes and the ham. But my dad makes everything else!! ohh I am so excited!!

2. What is your favorite recipe that includes pumpkin? (bonus points for including the recipe)Pumpkin PIE!!! No recipe..

3. What are 5 things you want for Christmas? -hmm my sister is going to like this question :) She has been asking me for awhile!! I want a DSLR. But my birthday is 10 days before xmas, so if a few family members chipped in together to buy me one, it would not be very expensive!! A sewing table. A hard drive for my computer. Clothes, or money for clothes would be nice!! OH! A new TV!!

4. Does your family draw names or do you buy for everyone? Buy for everyone :) or make for everyone, I usually make my presents.

5. How do you feel about motorcycles? I am fine with them. I don't really care either way. I think a guy in a dress suit riding a motorcycle is sexy :) office job, but a little risky!!

6. What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy Saturday? When I'm not in school?? READ!! Oh i love reading. :)

7. What is the coolest thing to do in your city? umm... There are a lot of cool things, but it just depends on what you like to do, there are great malls, and a few great museums, some great bars, and a lot of parks!

8. Do you paint your fingernails? I wish :( Nurses can't have painted fingernails, and since I am now in clinicals, I can't wear polish. It has potential to chip and get in a treatment that you are performing on a patient.

9. Who is your favorite actor over the age of 50? ummm George Clooney? Is he over 50?

10. Do you have a high school letter jacket? um no.

23 going on 55

2010-11-17T14:55:00.004-05:00

Today I was at a child consignment store buying something for my niece and had the weirdest conversation with the checkout lady.

So I look really young. I am aware of this, but not SUPER young. Well I guess I do, but that is a different story!! So the lady is trying to ask if I am a super spender, but I guess you have to be a parent to be one, and she kind of stumbles over her words, and then just asks if I'm pregnant.

UM. no. Now she couldn't see my body because I was behind the counter and wearing scrubs and a coat, so it was not based on that, but she says "well you never know! We have some really young moms come in here." I responded with "yea.. My little sister is the one with the baby" lol..

Then came the weird part. She says "oh you know don't worry, you should be in no rush to have children." I'm not, because of the whole SINGLE THING.

She proceeded to say that she didn't have kids until she was 30, and I would surely find a man soon.

It was odd. She made it sound like my ovaries were about to shrivel up and die. DOODE. I am only 23. Well almost 24. (ugh) It was just so weird, she seriously sounded like I was on the verge of being an old maid.

Oh boy. Some people!!!

Diet Pepsi... my love :)

2010-11-16T22:44:00.004-05:00

I was reading Scotts blog today about fountain pops and how sometimes they can put the wrong syrup with the wrong drink, so its not diet!!

This has happened to me a LOT of times in my life. I guess the more you drink fountain pops the more chances of them being wrong!!

But for a person with diabetes, it can be VERY bad if its the wrong drink. I don't bolus for diet Pepsi, but if I drank Pepsi... I'd have to bolus. (yuk i hate Pepsi)

The most recent terrible drink encounter was in June at a Mexican fast food restaurant. I took Katy and Caleb out for a dinner before they went in the hospital to have their baby!!!

Caleb got Vanilla coke, and I got diet coke. Or so I thought... Mine was vanilla-ie tasting.

So I had Katy and Caleb taste it and they both said it was not diet. I went back in and asked them if they could fix it, because I didn't think it was right.

They came out and told me that they fixed it and that I could come get my drink. Except when I tasted it, it was STILL vanilla tasting!! So I tested my drinks sugar.

LOL. I learned that somewhere, if you put a drop of the drink on a test strip and it comes back with a number, its not diet. If it says LO then its diet!! My meter said 240mg/dL. gggrreeeaaatttt. Back in the restaurant I went.

They looked at it again, and this time assured me that it was in fact diet.

Except it STILL wasn't. GRR. I was so frustrated!! They didn't even have another machine to get it from!! After all this, I ended up just asking for my money back because I couldn't' drink anything else! And I didn't want to spend $2.00 on something I didn't get!!

That was the worst experience I have ever had, usually they can get it out of another machine, or they fix it right away, but at this restaurant they couldn't!!

Don't get in between me and my diet drink addiction :)

On a sightly different note... What do you call a fountain drink where you are from?? I call it a coke. But I actually prefer Pepsi, but I refer to everything as Coke. hahah. I can't say soda, or pop, or soda pop!! Nothing sounds right except Coke!!

Who needs toys!

2010-11-15T21:31:00.007-05:00

When you have old test strip bottles to play with!!

Definatly not the niece of a diabetic. :)

Love this baby!!!

World Diabetes day!!!

2010-11-14T23:16:00.005-05:00

Happy World Diabetes day!!

Today I wasn't able to take part in the big blue test. (Which is testing your blood glucose at 2pm and exercising for 14 minutes then retesting)

I was in the car at 2pm going to my friends baby's 1st birthday!

But we did wear our World Diabetes day ribbons!

Oh and I had my sister Katy test my blood sugar at 5:00pm. Why? Because its when I remembered, and it is 2:00 on the west coast! lol

I was happy when people would ask about what our ribbons were for.. It gave us a chance to talk about diabetes!!!

2010-11-13T23:46:00.003-05:00

so I am 14 minutes away failing nablopomo. And that just can't happen. But I'm not even at home! So this is my really lame blog post for the night!

I promise I will make up for I tomorrow on WDD!!!

grades.

2010-11-12T19:29:00.002-05:00

I made deans list last quarter.

I got a 3.95.

I have made honor roll every other quarter.

The worst grade I have gotten at the end of a quarter was an 86%.

I am doing better then I have done in my ENTIRE life.

Yet for some reason I still feel like I am not a good student.

I have no idea why. You would think after this long of me getting these grades, I wouldn't think this way.

I guess after years and years of struggling through school, I just have it in my head that I am not very good at school.

Which sounds pretty silly now doesn't it?

Cheater :)

2010-11-11T23:13:00.000-05:00

I am tired. So I'm cheating. But look how CCUUTEEE she is!!!!!

scars

2010-11-10T20:57:00.005-05:00

I have written about my scars before. It was freeing. It felt good. I feel like every little tiny poke I get I scar. I LOVE my cgms, and would NEVER stop using it because of the scars, but its getting a little insane. This picture is from a sensor I wore in APRIL. I can still tell right where it was!!

This picture is just from a few months ago, but STILL. This one is from an infusion set. Those suckers just don't like my legs!!

6 things I want you to know about diabetes...

2010-11-09T20:51:00.004-05:00

I'm following the crowd today on D-blog day!!! I am posting 6 things that I want you to know about diabetes...

1. When I have a low blood sugar, its not fun, I feel light-headed, dizzy, sweaty, shaky, and sometimes out of it. Never ever will I have an 'episode' like Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias. I'm sorry that is the only thing you can base a low blood sugar on. Its not like that.

2.I don't make insulin. I never will. Losing weight, exercising, drinking whatever drink you have that 'cured' your great uncle won't make me produce insulin.

3. My pump does not automatically adjust to my blood sugar. It is just an eaiser, more effective way to deliver insulin!!!

4. I can eat anything that I want. I know its hard for some to understand... but I take insulin for the amount of carbohydrates in the food, so I can eat whatever. If you are offering everyone candy or whatever, offer me a piece. I most likely won't take it, but that is because I'm on a WEIGHT LOSS diet not a DIABETES diet. :)

5. don't feel bad for me. If you do, I may end up thinking about it really hard and feel bad for myself. Which I don't!! I am a happy healthy person!!(with diabetes)

6. Nope it doesn't really hurt to prick my finger anymore... I don't really even feel it!!! Well... that is unless I haven't changed the lancet in awhile... Which I should probably do.

The Five Month Dentist Appt.

2010-11-08T21:11:00.003-05:00

Well Ok. I wasn't at the dentist office the entire time! But it sure felt like it!! I went to the Dentist (who will now be called Dr. Neighbor. Because He is my neighbor)in June.

He told me that I had 11 cavities and possibly needed a root canal.

11 filled cavities later and a re-root* canal that took 2 sessions... I'm finally done!!!

When I tell people about my 100000 cavities they automatically assume that it is from my diabetes. I am not sure but I don't think that it is directly related, I have senstive teeth, and they are really close together. So even though I brush and floss 2 times a day, I can't get all the stuff out. (gross)I really do think that eating sugar in the middle of the night and not brushing after probably adds to my cavities. But come on... who is going to get up and brush their teeth after a low blood sugar in the middle of the night!!! Not me at least!!

This is my root canal tooth. Its my front right one. Pretty cool huh???

*I had a root canal on this tooth when I was 19, but because I am ME, somehow bacteria got back in there and was causing pain and infection. Which as a person with diabetes knows, that infection causes high blood sugars... and just no fun in general.

How do i stop this??

2010-11-07T20:10:00.002-05:00

Every time I put in a sensor I BLEED. It doesn't matter where I put it. I have put it in my arm, my leg, my stomach, my back.. they all BLEED!!! I put the IV3000 over it and have to change it right away because it gets all bloody and yucky!

Is there anything I can do to fix this? Or is it just going to happen every time??

PS: I love this sensor, and can't imagine not having it...

thoughts for your saturday night

2010-11-06T21:44:00.002-04:00

-I thought that the NPH and humalog combination of insulin died. NOPE!!! I have given SOO many injections of this insulin. (In clinicals) I think may have a touch of PTSD when it comes to the clear and the cloudy. SHUDDER.

-PETPEEVE: In the health care setting everyone calls a glucose meter an "accucheck." Like that is the brand name of the thing!! At one of the nursing homes that I am at they don't even use an accucheck brand meter!!! They use some random meter I have never heard of, yet all of their blood glucose logs and such say "accucheck." My friend always jokes and says "hey Jenny, have you done your one touch today?" :)

-I am on another diet. I don't want to talk about it. I always seem to fail if I talk about it.

-I have lost 3 pounds.

-I hate when people say irregardless. That is redundant. Just sayin'.

-Maddy did GREAT at her audition for Americas Got Talent today!!! She won't know anything until March, but I am just SO proud of her for trying out!!!!

-Hope everyone has a good saturday night!!!

how awesome is this??

2010-11-05T19:46:00.001-04:00

Guess you just have to be diabetic to enjoy this kind of thing!!

(i know the number isn't ideal.. but that's not the point)

Have a good Friday!! I'll update about Maddys audition tomorrow!

NORMAL!!!

2010-11-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

At least for now!!!

I tweeted the other day that my little sister maddy was at the doctor for headaches and they were testing her for diabetes.

All of her lab results came back normal!! We still do not know what is causing these headaches, but its not diabetes!

I was SO scared. She has an incresased risk or getting type 1 diabetes because of me, and I really hope that she doesn't. :(

ALSO Maddy is trying out for Americas got Talent this weekend!! I really hope she makes it and at least goes on the show!! How freaking SWEET would that be???

Maddy is an amazing singer, the kid has been singing since she was a baby! I'm not even kidding. So she is going to chicago this weekend to try out for the show!!! I am so proud of her and I hope she makes it!!

My beautiful niece

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Day One! 6.30.10

One Month! 7.30.10

Two Months 8.30.10

Three Months 9.30.10

Four Months 10.30.10

We are all so totally wrapped around her chubby little fingers... and completely in love! I LOVE being an aunt :)