Allison's Blog

The Last Post - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Wow. I'm impressed that I actually was able to do 30 post in 30 days. Well, I guess I ended up doing 31 posts when we found out about Kyra. I don't think that I have ever blogged this much or even talked about diabetes this much in such a concentrated time in my entire life! I really appreciate all the support that has been given in writing all these things. I'm just actually impressed that anyone read all of that writing. Geez. I think that it was really good for me to get it all out. I'm not one to talk about these things so it was kinda therapeutic to express the good, the bad and the ugly with what I have to deal with all the time. In my blogging, I have also been able to read other diabetic's blogs and see that my sister and I aren't the only ones who feel this way. That you can take a time out for a pity party and go back to life as normal again. I've had times when things were rough and I was told to just suck it up, so seeing that every diabetic has their ups and downs has been very nice.

The night Kyra was diagnosed I emailed Ashlee and Carrie to let them know what was happening. Their responses were words of comfort and I appreciate their friendship. Carrie mentioned something that I thought was interesting as well. She said, " What I think is interesting is that you've been doing your awesome 30 blog posts in 30 days all about diabetes and your experiences... not a coincidence, I think!" I agree. The Lord has his hand in everything and we just need to trust what he has in store for us. If Lisa and I were both given diabetes in part to be a support to Kyra, then it has all been worth it and all plays into having that faith that can get us through any trial in life, to make us the people we are, to help us return back to our Heavenly Father.

Thanks for taking the time to read my rantings about diabetes. I hope that something was learned!

Oh, and Merry Christmas from me and my sisters! ;)

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Complications - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

I guess I haven't really talked about the complications of having diabetes...probably my least favorite subject in the world, but here it goes!

Diabetes is silent, slowly killing or destroying. You could have horrible blood sugars and not really feel anything bad just yet. It isn't until down the road that these complications start to manifest themselves.

Here is a list of complications that come with diabetes (This list was taken directly off of the American Diabetes Association website...my comments are in red):

Eye Complications

Keep your risk of glaucoma, cataracts and other eye problems low with regular checkups. (AKA going blind)

Foot Complications

Learn about neuropathy (which can cause numbness in the feet) as well as other complications. (AKA amputations)

Skin Complications

Stay alert for symptoms of skin infections and other skin disorders common in people with diabetes.

ABCs of Heart Disease

Know your ABCs so you can maintain a healthy heart and manage your diabetes.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

High blood pressure—also called hypertension—raises your risk for heart attack, stroke, eye problems, and kidney disease.

Mental Health

Deal with natural emotions like sadness, anger and denial before they lead to depression. (I read somewhere the other day that diabetics are 50% more likely to have depression and 20% more likely to have anxiety.)

Diabetes and Hearing Loss

Diabetes and hearing loss are two of America's most widespread health concerns.

Diabetes and Oral Health Problems

Research shows that there is an increased prevalence of gum disease among those with diabetes.

Gastroparesis

Get treatment to help you manage gastroparesis, so that you can be as healthy and comfortable as possible.

Ketoacidosis (DKA)

Know the warning signs of DKA and check urine for ketones, especially when you're sick.

Neuropathy (Nerve Damage)

Nerve damage from diabetes called diabetic neuropathy can lead to many kinds of problems.

Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome (HHNS)

Blood sugar levels rise dangerously high in HHNS, a rare and serious condition.

Kidney Disease (Nephropathy)

Keep your diabetes and blood pressure under control to lower the chance of getting kidney disease.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Talk to your doctor if you have mild leg pain, troubling walking, tingling in the legs, or other symptoms of PAD.

Stroke

Maintain target levels for blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol to reduce your risk of stroke.

Stress

Relax! Making lifestyle changes can help reduce mental stress and manage your blood glucose levels.

I think that that is more that enough information to let anyone know that diabetes just takes everything that you could have and makes it worse. Awesome. But the better you take care of yourself then it is less likely to have these issues, although it doesn't mean you are exempt. Word to the wise, don't ever try to google "diabetes foot" in images. Gross.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Crappy Curve Ball - 31 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

The picture below is of my oldest niece, Kyra. The leg you can see in the lower right hand corner is my oldest sister, Lisa.

Yesterday Kyra was hanging out at a friend's house. This friend had been diagnosed with diabetes about a year ago. Before they ate their lunch, they decided to test both of their blood sugar levels. 373 was the number that came up for Kyra. Lisa made an appointment for her to go to the doctor the next day. However, after lunch (and drinking a non diet soda) it got up to 492 and then to 539. Lisa went and picked her up they headed to the Urgent Care.

They were there for a bit before heading over to the hospital. They were supposed to stay in the hospital for a few days, but since Lisa is diabetic, they decided that she could help Kyra with everything and they left the hospital this afternoon.

This sucks. I'm more upset about this than when I was diagnosed...granted...I know what she is getting into. At least she has much more of an idea than I did. She's one lucky girl to have so many people around her who care, and not only who care but people who know what she is going through. Now I know what it feels like to wish that you could take everything away from one person and take it on yourself instead. But she is a brave girl. Just another diabetic curve ball in our family's life.

Kyra's diabetes starting kit...that's a lot of stuff!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Bolus Vs. Basal - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

I still get confused with the two words bolus and basal. Every time someone says one of those words I have to stop and remember which one is which. Giving yourself a bolus is when you eat something and you have to give yourself some insulin to take care of it, or when you need to make a correction to your blood sugar level because you are too high, then you bolus (take more insulin). Each person has a different ratio for this. When I need to bring my blood sugar level down, I take one unit of insulin for every 30 points I want to lower my blood sugar. When I eat, I take 1 unit of insulin for every 8 carbs I eat. There is a lot of math going on here, but thank goodness for pumps that can figure it out for you when you program your ratios into the pump!!!

A person's blood sugar level normally just increases throughout the day, so since my pancreas doesn't work, I have to have a steady stream of insulin going into me at all times. This is also different for each person AND for each person it is a different amount during different times of the day. Like during the night my pump delivers about one unit of insulin over the time period of an hour, for about 8 hours, then during the morning hours there is a different amount of insulin going in for a few hours and then the rest of the day is a different amount again. This can get tricky because if you change your schedule or something is going on with your hormones, then the amount of insulin you need at certain times can change. It is a REALLY fun game trying to keep up with it. And this stream of insulin going through a pump into my body is the basal.

Now one would think that if you have your basal down and your bolus correct, that when you eat everything should work out just perfectly, right? WRONG. Sometimes you can be wrong with the carb intake and go high or low, sometimes you have more or less physical activity which you have to adjust for and then there is my favorite. When I eat something fatty, my blood sugar level will keep on increasing for hours and hours after eating. Therefore, I keep checking my blood sugar levels and even though I have taken the correct amount of insulin for the carb intake, my blood sugar just keeps on going up, and then I take more insulin and check an hour later and it still hasn't moved or it has just increased again. Drives me crazy. However, there is this little function on my pump called the dual wave bolus. This means that I can set it so that when I eat, it gives me the correct amount of insulin I need to take for the carbs I am eating right then, and then I can also program it to give me the "dual portion" which is me saying to my pump "please deliver an extra unit of insulin each hour for five hours" so that it takes care of the fattiness that is driving my blood sugar up for the next few hours. Now this is great and good and all, but first off, it is hard to remember to actually do it and secondly, there is no exact science as to how long the fatty food will be affecting my blood sugar levels or even how much higher the food will make my sugar levels as well. So, each time, it is just a shot in the dark, but heck, when it works well, it is very much so worth it!!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Sometimes I Like to Mess with People - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you gotta mess with people. It makes my life much more interesting.

When I was in high school...and I'm dating myself here...pagers were all the rage. I never had one, but it sure looked like I had one with my insulin pump. It was against the rules to have your pager at school, so the hall monitor ladies would confiscate pagers as they pleased. Most of the ladies would remember that my pump was, in fact, a pump and not a pager...all except one. This one lady would pull me over in the hall every time I we were near each other and would tell me to give her my pager. It kinda got annoying after the 800th time of explaining that it was keeping me alive and not a machine to alert me of a friend wanting to get a hold of me. So, one day I apparently had had it. She attacked me again and told me to give her my pager and so I did. I pulled up my shirt, detached the tubing from my stomach, unraveled the whole thing and placed my insulin pump in her hands and walked away without saying a word. She, of course, followed me and gave it back. Weird, I never had a problem with her and my 'pager' ever again!

Also, my best friend while we were growing up would ask me all the time how I was. I would tell her that I was ok and nothing to worry about because it would be a while before my feet would fall off. This always kinda freaked me out so even to this day she is still much more concerned about my feet than any other part of my body or physical ailment. It is pretty entertaining for me! :)

P.S. If you see me messing with my pump and ask if I am dying, more often then not, I'm going to answer with yes, I am dying...oh and for an extra special treat...sometimes if you ask me if I'm dying and I will start going into fake convulsions just for the fun of it :)

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

I Still Remember... - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

I still remember… Free write a post that starts with the line “I still remember…”

I still remember the day before Thanksgiving in 9th grade. Everyone was home and prepping the feast for the next day. I'm sure I had slept in that morning. I had gone out into the kitchen to see what was up and then went back into my bedroom to check my blood sugar before eating breakfast. It was 130. I went back out into the kitchen and had put down a piece of bread in the toaster and was waiting for it. The next thing I know, I'm being held up by family members and being forced to drink a concoction of orange juice and kero syrup. I don't know what was going on, but they kept on telling me to drink and so I did as I faded in and out of consciousness. When I really came to, I was sitting at the table still being forced to drink that mess. Jennifer was putting my hair in a pony tail as I puked and then would have to drink more. Apparently I had passed out and fell backwards hitting my head on the counter top behind me. The paramedics got there pretty quick and put me on oxygen and one of the guys was even a member in our ward. They loaded me up into the ambulance and headed to the hospital. While in the ambulance they tested me blood sugar and it was 40, but they weren't sure how accurate it was. My mom followed behind the ambulance. I chatted with the guy in the back and he asked if it would be funny if we covered me with a sheet while my mom was looking...I advised him that it probably wouldn't! They took me into the hospital and into a room where they drew my blood twice and checked my heart with some electrodes. With all the sugar that was in my system, my blood sugar had jumped to over 400. After a few tests and some rest, I was able to go home.

We are still not sure exactly what happened that day. Whether I just passed out for passing out's sake or if it had to do with diabetes. Not sure if the blood sugar meter in the ambulance was accurate or what, but that was the first time it happened and hasn't happened since.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Never Have I Ever - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Never Have I Ever. You stick to your guns – now tell us about what. What is something you’ve never done but want to. What’s something you’ve never done and won’t budge on?

Never have I ever participated in some sort of clinical trials for a cure for diabetes. I would love to be able to be one of those people that they try stuff out on. Totally worth it to me! I tried signing up for it once, but apparently you had to live in Boston to take part in the study. Dang it. Why doesn't Salt Lake do something like that?

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Traveling With Diabetes - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Oh packing to leave on a trip is always so fun. I always think that I'm going to miss bringing something or not enough of something. It isn't as big of a deal when I go visit my sister since she has all the stuff that I would need anyway, but going anywhere else and especially out of the country it gets a little nerve wracking checking and double checking that I'm bringing everything. Not only that, but I pack about half of Costco with me when I travel. You can't always stop to eat in some foreign country, so I always always bring a TON of food snacks with me and then when I go out for the day my purse or backpack is fill to the brim with things like granola bars, fruit leather, trail mix and fruit snacks.

Then comes the airport. When I go through security, I just take off my pump and put it in my purse and walk right on through. It got a little trickier when they started doing the x-rays and I had my CGM sensor on. I would usually warn them before hand and sometimes I had to show it to them afterwards, or get patted down or get wanded. Sometimes nothing. It really just depends. I almost got stuck in Panama because they did a pat down and wanted to know what my CGM was and couldn't understand what I was saying in English and finally just let me go. I usually have a wallet card that certifies all my equipment, but I had switched my wallet before going and didn't have it. Hmm...speaking of which, I hope I can remember where it is right now too... Anyway, usually airports in the US are really very nice about it.

Before getting the CGM sensor I usually just let myself run a little high with my blood sugars. With running all over the place and having low blood sugars kinda puts kink in things, it worked out ok. But with the sensor, I don't have to worry about it as much! Although traveling adds stress to your body and stress makes your blood sugar levels go higher anyway. So, yes, when I travel, my sugars usually are out of whack. I also have to remember to change my pump clock when I go out of the country so that I'm getting the right amount of the steady stream of insulin at the correct times.

So, as I have mentioned before, I can sleep through the alarms on my pump with the CGM sensor, or just turn them off and go back to sleep, but it still takes a while for me to wake up to turn them off. When I travel I am usually sharing a hotel room and a bed with someone. I shared a bed with Ashlee when we went to Ireland and every time my alarms went off, she would wake me up very nicely and then ask if I was dying. I would tell her I was ok and she would turn over and go back to sleep. Now contrast that with when I have traveled with Lisa and shared a bed with her. If an alarm goes off in the middle of the night when I'm sharing a bed with Lisa she starts hitting and punching and kicking me to wake me up. If I don't wake up fast enough she tries to take my pump off of me and push random buttons to turn it off. I laugh every time! After a couple days of this I usually feel bad and therefore change the sensitivity of the alarms, but it is always very entertaining for me cuz I probably don't feel as bad as I should for waking people up :)

About seven years ago I went to Hawaii with my parents, Lisa and her two kids. I had just gotten the Animus pump and it stated that it was waterproof. So, our second day there I went out into the ocean with it for a little bit. When I got back to the beach...oh yeah, it was dead! NOT so much waterproof. I called Animus and they had to overnight a new pump to me in Hawaii. It was kinda a pain, but thank goodness Lisa was there so that I could attach to her pump throughout the day to get insulin. I was told that when I go out of the country that I'm supposed to call up the makers of my pump and they will send me another pump to take with me on my travels to have just in case. Had no clue! I actually have never taken them up on that seeing as though I can just bring syringes with me, but it is a nice idea!

Then, about a year ago I went with some friends to Prague/Austria in December. It was Sunday and we had just finished up church in Prague and hopped on a bus to go to Austria for a few days. When I got onto the bus I took out my blood tester and apparently the cold had just killed my tester! PANIC. I dragged my friends to pharmacy after pharmacy trying to see if I could get a tester there, but all of them would have needed to order them and it would have taken about three days. We would be heading back to Prague before they would get to Vienna. Drove me crazy to have no idea where my blood sugar was, so as soon as I got home I ran into my house and found an old tester. Needless to say, I now have an extra "travel" blood tester that is in with all of my luggage!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Placement - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

When you have an insulin pump you really have to get creative with where you hide it. Sometimes this little box can seem HUGE. You can always tell when a female has diabetes because it is harder to hide on a female's body than on a male's...they can just stick it in their pocket and no one knows any differently! Normally I just clip my pump to my pants. Not a big deal. Most people think that I'm a freak with a pager... When I wear a dress it gets a little bit more complicated. I do have this little spandex thing that goes around my thigh that I can put it in. Although when I go to give myself some insulin it looks really awkward with me attacking my upper and inner thigh! I used to wear my pump in my bra, back when I had an animus pump, mostly because the clip that comes with that pump is HUGE. My friends had to get used to me digging around in my bra to get the pump out whenever I needed to use it! Or I had to be sneaky to get it out in public, sometimes it didn't work so well...and sometimes my shirt would reveal a small box in between my boobs...awkward...

At night I used to just clip my pump to my pants and not think a thing about it. I've actually had a lot of questions about where I put it when I sleep. I never felt it, so it wasn't a big deal. Now that I have the sensor I clip it to the top of my tank top in hopes that I can hear the alarm if it goes off in the middle of the night. If I clip it to my pants, I can't her a thing with my down comforter over me!

Another fun thing is having to deal with the weird protrusions coming out of my stomach...aka...the sensor and the place where my insulin pump is attached to me. Try putting on a semi tighter shirt or swimming suits and you can see all these weird pumps on my stomach...it is very attractive. I usually just wear a shirt over my swimming suit

Speaking of swimming...not only when I go swimming do I have these funny looking bumps but then I clip my pump to the top of my board shorts...man, I look cool doing that. It is also kinda a pain to deal with a one piece swimming suit and being connected to my pump and then when I need to take off my pump to get into the water...yeah...that's a fiasco and a sight to see!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Being Employed With Diabetes - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it can be tricky to have diabetes and a job. A lot of times I have to take off time from work to go to doctors appointments, or I show up late because I had a low blood sugar and waited until my blood sugar level was higher so that I could drive safely. There are also the times where either my sensor's battery dies or my pump runs out of insulin when I'm at work and I have to go home to fuel up again. I have to make sure that I'm not low before going into a meeting. I'm lucky that if I do go low at work that I can just stop whatever I'm working on and grab something to eat. I'm lucky that I work in an environment that is very conducive to this disease. They are flexible with me and have even dealt with me changing my pump set right in the office before!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Rough Nights - 30 Health Post in 30 Days

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

So there are times when I just have a rough day with diabetes. My blood sugar won't go up, my blood sugar won't go down, it keeps going up and down, my pump ran out of insulin, the pump is alarming for highs, lows, weak signals, low battery, the list goes on and on. Diabetes issues don't tend to take a break when night time comes along. Let me give you an example of a really rough night...

10pm: Getting read to go to bed, pump alarms saying that insulin is running low. Shut it off figuring that I have enough insulin to get me through the night.
11:00: Crawled into bed. Pump alarms that my blood sugar is going low. Get out of bed and eat something.
11:15: back into bed.
11:30: Alarm telling me that the CGM needs to be changed. Get up and change the CGM. Note that I will be woken up in two hours to calibrate (testing your blood sugar and entering it into the pump so that the CGM has a number to go off of to convert the number it is getting from the fluid in my body into what my blood sugar level is).
12am: Back into bed.
2am: Alarm telling me to test my blood sugar so that I can calibrate the CGM. Test my sugar, it is high, calibrate and give myself insulin.
2:30: Alarm telling my my blood sugar is high.
3:30: Alarm telling me that I've run out of insulin. Get up, change my pump set and fill pump with more insulin.
3:45: back into bed.
4:30: Alarm that my blood sugar is low. Get out of bed, eat something.
5am: Back into bed.
7:30-8am: Phone alarms start going off telling me that it is time to get up to go to work.
8am: Last wake up alarm goes off...in my daze of sleepiness I turn off the last alarm and fall right back to sleep.
10am. Wake up panicked because I am now an hour late to work.
11am: Show up to work 2 hours late. Good thing my boss loves me!

Granted, this doesn't happen all the time but all of these things can happen during the night and do, sometimes just a few, sometimes none and sometimes all. At this point my body has learned to sleep through my pump alarms for the most part, so instead I wake up with the battery on my pump dead because it has been singing to me all night!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

The Nicest Thing - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-20T09:00:00.001-07:00

I'm a pretty independent person. I don't usually tell people when my blood sugar levels are high or when they are low. I pretty much just deal with it, because a lot of the time, they can't tell anyway. After getting diabetes, my parents let me take care of when I tested my blood sugar or how much I ate and how much insulin I took. My mom even forced me to take on the responsibilities of dealing with making my doctors appointments, prescriptions and insurance issues...this was probably a good thing seeing as though as soon as I got kicked off my parents insurance, I could deal with my own insurance and new doctors like a pro! But sometimes you do need a little help...One Christmas my family went up to Tahoe for a family getaway. The evening after we got there, I went to check my blood sugar and my tester was no where to be found. PANIC. The rest of my family was either watching a movie or playing a game and I went around asking if anyone had seen my tester. Everyone mumbled a no and went back to what they were doing except for my sister, Jennifer. She got up and helped me look for it until we found it. I'm not sure exactly why I remember this incident so clearly, probably because I was so grateful for someone to help me in my time of need and panic. Granted this was the same sister who offered to give me a shot of insulin in my butt the first week I was diagnosed..I still haven't taken her up on that...

I feel like most diabetics like to do things for themselves, but when this situation came up and I wanted some help, help came, even if it was as small as helping me find my blood tester.

P.S. This is also the only biological sister that does not have diabetes...we're not sure exactly how she lucked out and was the one out of three to not get it! She sometimes gets jealous and wants to test her blood sugar whenever she's around her diabetic sisters...we indulge her on that one :)

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

I Don't Remember - 30 Health Post in 30 Days

2011-11-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Since I was diagnosed at the age of 11 and I don't have the best memory, I don't really remember what it was like before I had diabetes. I am lucky that I got 11 years of not having to deal with this disease, but really I just can't even understand what it would be like. I don't remember what it is like to not count carbs, to exercise without worrying about my blood sugar going low. I feel naked if I don't have my insulin pump on. There was a time that I wasn't wearing a pump because my old one broke and they were sending me a new one...my stomach felt so smooth without any tubing stuck in it and without this little box attached to my pants. I don't remember a time when my fingers weren't calloused from testing my blood sugar or when I didn't have to worry about being thrown in a pool for fun, fearing that my pump would get wet and die. I don't remember a time when I didn't have to go to the doctor at least every three months. I don't know what it is like to not always be carrying a purse with me that contains a blood tester, glucose tablets and a ton of food...just in case. I don't know what it is like to not stand in line at the pharmacy for forever only to be told that they don't have all that I ordered or that my insurance has issues with what I ordered. I don't remember a time when I wouldn't go more than a few months without having to call up my insurance and have to fight them over one thing or another.

I don't remember a time when I didn't wish that there was some sort of a cure for diabetes.

I also don't remember a time when I was ashamed of being diabetic or a time when diabetes didn't make me a stronger person.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Blog Post Comment - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the questions and comments from the post two days ago...

Callie J said...

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Still in normal range? :) Glad to hear you're doing well.

Callie is one of my dear friends from living in the Terrace. She married another one of my friends and they just had their first child, a little girl named Maggie! In five years...I plan to still be in range. I know that I have clearly gotten out of range before, but especially with having the CGM I am not scared to adjust my insulin rates on my own now. Before I wouldn't touch them and actually have never changed them without a doctor doing it all until about a month ago. Other than that, I see myself as retired and living on an island! :)

November 16, 2011 9:45 AM

Mandi said...

I definitely read your blog. ummmm...a question...lets see. do people every confuse your diabetes with type 2, and does that bother you?

Mandi is my second cousin, I love seeing that family keeps up on each other because I secretly stalk her blog as well! People do confuse my diabetes with type two. Telling me that I should be able to control my diabetes with diet or even that they think that I shouldn't have eaten so much sugar as a child or something. It can get annoying, but I have to remember that they don't know and I probably wouldn't know except the fact that I have it myself.

November 16, 2011 12:58 PM

Natalie Smith said...

I think you have done a great job of living a good life even with the challenges that you have had :)

Natalie is my best friend's sister in law...we had a great time hanging out at her other sister in law's wedding a few months ago and she has the most adorable children and I love reading her blog! Natalie's comments are always so supportive and I appreciate our long distance friendship! :)

November 16, 2011 4:15 PM

Miss Chris said...

So great to read you're doing well. :) It's always nice to hear the doctor say something is "normal".

Chris is one of my new blogging friends. She has a blog that talks about her life with MS...you should all check it out! I agree, Chris, it is always nice to hear that everything is normal, especially when sometimes with things like diabetes, something could be wrong and you don't even know it.

November 16, 2011 6:18 PM

jenny said...

Hi! They said that diabetes is something that you would get from your ancestors. Can I avoid that? Our relatives have diabetes and they said that I'm doomed to that kind of sickness. BUT, I really try my hardest to eat healthy foods, exercising, drinking lots of water. Help!

Jenny-sounds like you might be talking about Type 2 Diabetes...check out this page for more information on risks for diabetes: Type 2 Diabetes

November 16, 2011 9:13 PM

kp said...

I would like lots and lots of stuff from your personal life. Juicy stuff. Like so juicy you'd need to take insulin after. (see what I did there, I tried to make a diabetic joke). And I loved the last post. I have the impossible love on a plate I made at color me mine in my closet.

KP and I were roommates from 2005-2007 and life long friends...seriously, this girl is amazing! The funny thing is that if I had juicy stuff in my life to tell, she would for sure hear it! Probably the juiciest thing I have to say is that I need to find some new fake crushes! (I'm not interested in any of the guys I know, so I have to come up with "flirting friends" I guess you would call them!

November 17, 2011 5:21 AM

Lisa said...

Uhmmmm why aren't u going to Breaking Dawn tonight?!?! There's gotta b one other twihard out there for u! Calling all crazy twihards!

Lisa is my sister...my oldest sister who has diabetes. I blogged about her already, so you can click here if you want to know more about my relationship with her. She's a little bit of a Twilight nut and doesn't understand why I'm not going to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn. Well, Lisa...I like to sleep when I have to work in the morning and I promised you that I would get someone to go with me this weekend!

Thanks for all your questions and comments!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Highs and Lows - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is going to be my attempt at explaining what it feels like to be high or low, for me anyway. Granted, your body gets used to where ever it is at. Say, I was high all the time, so then I wouldn't feel the symptoms as severely as I could, but when I would go low, then I would feel low much sooner than I should. And the same is for the reverse. If I was low all the time, or even just in normal range, I could feel highs more intensely and wouldn't feel lows until I was really low.

Low blood sugars occur when there is too much insulin in the system and therefore I need to eat food to bring my blood sugar up. High blood sugars are when I have too much sugar in my blood and I need to take insulin to bring it back down.

So this is how I feel when my blood sugar is high:
My lips feel chapped
My eye sight can get blurry
thirsty
I have to go to the bathroom more often
There is a left over sweet taste in my mouth
I feel like I am going to throw up (Some diabetics throw up when they get too high, I never have actually thrown up from being high)
Tired and lethargic

When I feel low:
I get a twinge of hunger even when I probably shouldn't be hungry
What feels like a slight electric vibration goes through the bones of my forearms and legs
I want to lay down and fall asleep and not deal with it
I get confused
I can feel my heart beat
Irritability
Weak
Sweaty
I see spots
Panic
The world seems slightly sloshy

Each low and high are different. I can be low one day and feel everything I listed and another day I can be just as low and feel nothing of what I listed. Same with high blood sugars. Who knows why they are different. When I was younger, my lows felt different than they do now even.

I really have to listen to what my body is telling me all the time. It is much easier now that I have the sensor, but even that is 15-20 minutes behind, so I usually can predict a low before I hear the alarm. Other times my pump alarms a low is predicted and I haven't felt a thing.

The lowest I have ever been and checked my blood sugar was 22. (Non diabetics are usually between 80-100) I had taken some insulin for something I was going to eat and fell asleep before going to eat it. I woke up, felt weird, checked my sugar and ran to the fridge and ate orange juice concentrate. I felt like I was in a tunnel. I start feeling low around 75-65. When my blood sugar is around 45 is when I really really start feeling like crap and seeing spots. The highest I have ever been was 700...if I remember correctly, I think that my pump site was infected and I hadn't checked my blood sugar for a while. I felt like crap, so I took insulin and fell asleep until it went back down. With my bloodsugar levels in control now, I can usually feel the high when I'm around 190.

To recover from a low, I usually only need about 15 carbs to bring me back up, but that also depends on how low I am or how much insulin is in my system. It takes about 10 minutes for the sugar to get into the blood stream and about another 10 minutes to feel normal again. (So, about a 20 minute recovery from a low, on average)

When I take insulin for a high blood sugar, it takes about 15-20 minutes for the insulin to start working and then my blood sugar should be back to normal levels within an hour to two hours...of course this is all depending on insulin already in, what has been eaten, etc etc etc. It is annoying to wait for a high to come back to normal, let me tell you!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Questions and Comments - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, for the most part, I can't really tell who is reading my blog unless you leave a comment. So for this blog post I'd like to ask anyone who reads this blog (and would like to) to post with a comment or a question that I can respond to in a couple days in another post. Questions and comments can be anything you want...from about diabetes, to my over all health, to my personal life. The sky is the limit!

P.S. Went and got my blood and urine lab work done today...everything is in normal range!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

This One's For You, Baby - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

"This one’s for you, baby. Dedicate a song to your condition."

I'd like to dedicate Hot n Cold by Katie Perry to diabetes.

I think it is pretty self explanatory...

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

LOL - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

LOL post. Write a post about a moment that made you laugh. Or a video, picture, blog post, or something else that made you laugh.

This cartoon still makes me laugh every time I look at it. My old roommate, Kristen, was the one who showed me this...probably back in 2005 or 2006. It makes me laugh cause it is so true, but at the same time, I personally would have taken the cookie! (I'm pretty sure she made that observation at the time she showed the cartoon to me as well...) I also have this on a shirt...thanks to Kristen, we decided that we should make our own funny shirts one time. I decided to put this cartoon she found for me on an orange shirt, and she put this one on her shirt:

It's ok...we know we are funny! While we are talking about funny things and Kristen...here is a video that always makes me laugh...sorry...it has nothing to do with diabetes, but I get a kick out of it!

Note that she's wearing the shirt we made!

I definitely miss Kristen as a roommate...she was also convenient to have around because she is in the medical field...peace of mind, people....peace of mind!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Someone Who Understands - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

I really appreciate those people who aren't diabetic who try to really understand diabetes. The hard thing, however, is that they will never actually FEEL what it feels like. Well, I don't know, maybe really involved parents might feel it. But either way, when a diabetic finds another diabetic there is an instant bond there. Someone who knows what it is like to be frustrated over your numbers or how exciting it is when you have been in range all day. To be able to test your blood sugar levels at the same time and see who has the best number or who can guess the closest as to what the numbers are going to be. Seems pathetic, but we diabetics get a slight thrill out of seeing how close we can be to guessing our numbers or a little bit of competition between each other. Every diabetic should have a diabetic friend. It is nice to not feel different.

My oldest sister has Type 1 diabetes as well. She was diagnosed in her early teens, probably when I was about one year old. She also was diagnosed in October, but instead of spending a week in the hospital like I did, they showed her how to give herself a shot on an orange and off she went. My, have times have changed! When I was diagnosed at 11, my sister was already married and off in Utah. It wasn't until I lived with her and her family for a summer after my freshman year of college that we really got to know each other and I realized how nice it was to have a best friend who also had diabetes. When I get together with my sister, I can talk. Talk freely. I don't have to explain the difference between bolus and basal. She knows what I feel like when I'm low or when I'm high. I don't try to hide my numbers when I test myself. She doesn't judge where I'm at. When we get frustrated with diabetes, we can go on for hours and hours and know that we just needed to vent. It is a tender mercy having someone you love understand what you are going through so well and so deeply themselves. She was probably given diabetes in her life so that I would have someone to talk to so that I could get through it. It is especially nice to have her around during the holidays when we are at my parents' house and we get in trouble for eating cookies because "we are diabetics." (My parents still haven't latched on to the whole carb counting thing...) It is almost like sharing a hobby...

To say the least, it is nice to have her around.

Nice to be the same.

Nice to be understood.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Mini Me - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have a horrible memory. I don't remember when I got my first pump! I mean, it could have been in Jr. High and it could have been in High School. Who knows!? But either way, my friends from Jr. High and High School named my pump. I'm guessing it was sometime before 1997 because my pump's name is Mini Me. 1997 is the year that the movie Austin Powers came out. I got the MiniMed 507 insulin pump and, if I remember this correctly, I was in the office at school with some of my friends and they thought it was funny that my pump would sing when I would do an audio bolus (when you press a button X amount of times for X amount of insulin and you can tell how much you have chosen by the pitch of the noise that comes out when you push the button). So my friends were dancing to the music on my pump and noticed that it said MiniMed on it. They thought it was funny that if you covered up the 'd' it would say Mini Me, just like the guy on Austin Powers! And thus a name for my insulin pump was born! I'm pretty certain that it was Calen who came up with the name...he was the one doing the most dancing as well :) The only time that my pump was not called Mini Me was when I had an Animus pump, which is not my favorite pump and therefore had no name. All other pumps I have had have been Minimed, which I love! I am currently on Mini Me III.

I love having an insulin pump. Before getting my pump, I remembered hating going out to dinner because I would have to either go to the bathroom to take my shot or do it at the table and freak some people out. Life is much easier for me being able to have the pump and not have to take a shot every time I eat something. So, I'm grateful to be able to have my little Mini Me with me all the time!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Cost of Diabetes - 30 Health Post in 30 Days

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

What I Have Ordered Through A Doctor:

With these items I have to pay 20% of the cost after hitting my $700.00 deductible.

Revel Insulin pump:

Somewhere between $7000.00 to $8000.00

Continuous Glucose Monitor:

Around $1000.00

Things I Get a Three Month Supply of from the Pharmacy

Insulin

$40.00 every three months

Blood test strips

$135.00 every three months

Things I Have to Get Through A Supplier Online

I pay 20% of the price after hitting my $700.00 deductible.

Infusion Sets

$380.97 every three months

Sensor

$840.00 every three months

Extras I need To Get

Reservoirs

$35.99 once a year

Tegaderm Tape

$35.00 twice a year

Lithium batteries

$10.00 every three months or so

Doctor Appointments

Specialist Doctor Appointment

$60.00 every three months

Regular Doctor appointment

$30.00...3 a year

Blood Work

$40.00 At least once a year

So...let's take this year and add it all up. I got a new pump and the sensor transmitter, so that used up my deductible and comes to $2300.00 for those two things. At least my deducible is met for the year...

Pharmacy: One year of strips and insulin: $700.00.

Stuff I order online (and have already met the deductible and therefore only have to pay 20%) so a year supply of infusion sets and sensors: $976.78.

Extras for a year: 145.99

Doctors appointments: $370.00

Total for the year with insurance included: $4492.77. About $374.40 a month. This is just an estimate, mind you. I don't even want to figure out what it would be if I didn't have insurance!! UG!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

The Future of Online Activism - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is probably a topic that I would have changed, but heck...why not try to write about it?

I have been quite surprised at the comments about my blog either actually on the blog, on facebook or in person to me. I talked to one of my best friends on the phone today and she brought up my blog and how she is loving reading what I have been writing about diabetes and how with my posts she actually feels like she can understand better what diabetes is all about. She and I have known each other for over ten years now. Another best friend of ten years has made comments on the blog stating that she has never head a lot of what I am saying. I wasn't kidding when I said that I don't talk that much about my thoughts and feelings, especially when it comes to diabetes. I decided that I'd just lay it all out on the table as much as I possibly could for this blogging challenge. I don't know if this means that I am doing some sort of diabetes advocacy to the world or anything, but if my friends are understanding my condition more and more than it is really worth it to me. I don't like to make people sit down and listen to me, so letting them decide whether or not they read this has worked out well in this case.

If I listen to my friends and see the stats of how many hits my blog has been getting since these posts, it seems like the future of online activism actually does have some sort of a future. You never really do know the power of your voice until you use it!

Oh, and I hope that I don't bore most of you with my long posts and no pictures...I've been trying to find pictures cuz I don't always enjoy a post with no pics!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

The Advantages of Having Diabetes - 30 Health Post in 30 Days

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so there are some advantages of having diabetes. Like...back in Jr. High and High school. There were days were my blood sugar wouldn't be high enough that I would be able to run the mile. Sweet. Maybe this is why I haven't run a mile straight since I was in 8th grade... :) Being diabetic I always have some sort of food on me and situations where you're not supposed to have food and/or drink, I'm allowed to. When I get a blister I can just suck the juices out with a syringe....gross I know, but really convenient! I was allowed to eat and go to the bathroom as much as I wanted in school.

Not only that, but diabetes was used for the benefit of my sister! When I was in 9th grade, Jennifer was in 12th grade and she was able to get out of class to 'help' her diabetic sister. We had a class in the same wing that year and every so often I would see her walk past the door of my classroom...

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Exercise - 30 Heath Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. Exercise and diabetes is a vicious cycle. For those of you who don't know, exercising is like giving steroids to the insulin that you already have in you. Here is how my work out goes:

30 minutes before working out: decrease my basal to 50% for three hours
20 minutes before working out: eat about 20 carbs...not taking any insulin
Start working out on elliptical machine.
20 minutes into work out: alarm from pump saying that I'm going low
30 minutes into work out: check blood sugar and see that I'm 65. Jump off the machine, go eat something
35 minutes into work out: sitting on couch watching tv waiting for my blood sugar to raise
45 minutes into work out: Back on the machine, however, now I've eaten enough carbs to bring my blood sugar up, and just enough calories to erase what I've already burned
30 more minutes on the machine...repeating previous scenario if I go low again.
When I reach a total of about 60 minutes of working out, I finally am done.

The rest of the night is a game to see if my blood sugar sky rockets because I didn't take enough insulin and then if I take insulin to bring it down, then it works overtime and brings me down too much again and I'm woken up in the middle of the night needing to eat something erasing again more calories that I tried to burn off. Or sometimes it just goes low without going high and then I have to eat more calories that I already tried to burn off.

Or sometimes it is just fine.

You never really know.

Exercise to lose weight? Yeah right, it makes me GAIN weight!

But at least it is healthy, right? :)

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Case of the Mondays - 30 Health Post in 30 Days

2011-11-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

"Case of the Mondays. Write about something that gets you down, burns you out, or makes you sad. Purge it in a blog post."

Hmmm...a sad post. I don't know. I don't think that I really get sad often or most things don't really 'get me down" that really has to do with diabetes. I mean, every time I see that commercial about animal cruelty with Arms of an Angel playing in the background, I seriously contemplate crying and throwing all my money at them, but sad with diabetes, not really. I guess I get burned out more than anything. On days when my blood sugar is just whacked out for no reason, I get burned out. My thoughts from the other day have come to be just normal in my life, but on days that are especially out of whack with high or low numbers I end up talking out loud to my pump saying "WHY?!" or "WHAT THE HECK?!" My co workers, I'm sure, hear it the most and probably think I'm talking about work. After a day like that, I'm ready to just crawl into bed and hope that the next day isn't going to be as frustrating and it usually isn't.

I guess the reason why I don't get sad about me having diabetes is because I know that there is reason why I have this disease. I wouldn't be the person I am today without it. It has caused me to be strong in areas that I never would have had strength in and has humbled me enough to rely on the Lord instead of myself. I can't chalk my diagnosis up to fate, or even genetics. It is a trial given to me to overcome in this life. As much as I don't want it, I am grateful for what it has taught me.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Turning It All Around - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-06T13:27:00.001-07:00

When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I was given a whole team of people to work with. Every three months it switched off between going to my normal pediatric doctor in Petaluma and going to my diabetes specialist in San Rafael...which included a specialist, a nutritionist and a nurse who specialized in pump therapy. We all knew each other very well with how often we all got together. After turning 18 I had to start going to a normal doctor and an endocrinologist. I went away to college and would only go to these doctors when I came home for breaks. Then I graduated from college and was kicked off my dad's insurance and went to my own insurance through my work. This meant getting all new doctors. I found myself a general doctor and went to him every few months or so.

When my hemoglobin A1c (a blood test showing your average blood sugar levels over the past three months...for a normal person it would be between 4.0 to 6.0 and a diabetic shoots for between 6.0 and 7.5ish) started getting into the higher 8s, my doctor told me just to add x amount of insulin (without any rhyme or reason as to why it should be that much) to my normal basal (the steam of insulin going into me all day long). When my blood sugar levels kept going up and my A1c was a 9.3, he referred me to the Diabetes Management Clinic, just down the road from my doctor's office. I was hesitant about going, because what were they going to say to me that was going to make anything any different than what had been told to me before? Despite this, I finally made an appointment in December 2010 to meet with them.

At my first appointment I met with the nutritionist who decided that I did have a firm grasp on counting carbs. I then met with Dr. Day who is the specialist. He actually downloaded all my readings off of my blood tester and really looked at them. He was shocked that I tested my blood sugar so much during the day and still had horrible numbers, but he said it wasn't too bad because it looked like I just needed more over all insulin through out the day at certain times, for certain lengths of times, with other minor adjustments. So, right then and there he went through with me on my pump and we changed amounts given at certain times. He asked if I had ever considered the continuous glucose monitor and I let him know that my insurance wouldn't pay for it. He said he would have the nurse see about that. Next thing I knew I was meeting with the nurse who had come up with a fantastic way to get me the CGM. If you want to read about that check out this blog post: Pre Pregnant.

By the beginning of 2011, I had a new and updated pump, the CGM and updated basal amounts. I went back in February for my next doctor appointment and my A1c had already dropped to 8.1. Crazy. Since I now had the CGM, not only did that help me all the time, but it also gave my doctor more readings to work with. Instead of just seeing the results of when I test about 10 times a day, he now could see the readings from my CGM which is about every five minutes. The next time I saw him my A1c was down to a 7.0. Wow. I couldn't remember the last time it was that low. He made a couple more adjustments and then two months ago it was down to 6.8.

I guess you could say that I had pretty much given up hope. I have had doctors who have lectured me to get my levels up to par, parents who have threatened and my own guilt. It was horrible testing my blood sugar as often as I would only to get the same horrible numbers show up on the screen. It was like I was failing at life. I really could never have done that on my own. Dr. Day is so extremely knowledgeable and his team at the clinic is just wonderful at helping me with whatever I need. At one point I my blood tester broke while I was in Prague and I ran to the clinic as soon as I got back to get a prescription for a new one and they just handed over a brand new one to me for nothing. Dr. Day's assistants know who I am and he asks me about my trips every time I go in. What a difference an amazing team makes in a diabetic's life...along with all this amazing technology!

A1c(%)	Mean blood sugar (mg/dl)
6	135
7	170
8	205
9	240
10	275
11	310
12	345

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

5 Things That Have Changed My Life - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today's assignment is to write about 5 things that have changed my life...

Being Diagnosed
This one probably could go without saying. Being diagnosed with diabetes has changed my life forever. I mean, really...if I didn't have diabetes, I never would have to think about all the things I wrote about yesterday. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I didn't have to work at staying alive every day. But at the same time, I have a disease that I can still live everyday as a normal person does. If I don't let diabetes limit me, then it won't!

Insulin Pump
Oh bloody heck...if I didn't have an insulin pump, I'd be giving myself shots a bazillion times a day! Instead I can just punch a few numbers into a little box clipped to my pants and it will even figure out how much insulin I should take! What a blessing this has been in my life...seriously makes it so much easier to deal with. I hated taking shots, especially when going out to dinner or something.

Diabetes Management Clinic
When my blood sugar levels had gotten way out of control, I was referred to the Diabetes Management clinic in Provo. The whole team there have really changed my life and helped me get my blood sugar levels back into control. Seriously, they are amazing and I actually look forward to going to my doctor appointments! If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't feel as great as I do now and I wouldn't have a CGM!

CGM
Continuous Glucose Monitor. What can I say? I love this thing. Almost as important it as it is for me to always know my blood sugar level is to see where it is trending as well. That is what this little piece of technology does for me. I can't even express how wonderful it is to see the graphs on my pump showing me what my blood sugar is and where it is going. It gives me peace of mind, which is what I need.

The Atonement
Especially because of diabetes, I realize that the atonement is not only for sinners, but also for those in pain for any reason. I can lean on the fact that the Lord knows exactly what I am going through and it gives me the strength to keep going when I don't want to or want to wonder why I was given this trial in my life. I am grateful for my Savior who has suffered for me so that I might not have to go through anything alone.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

In My Head - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Today is another day where I am deciding a topic on my own...these questions and statements are ones that go through my mind constantly everyday for as long as I can remember and I'm not sure that I have ever really shared them out loud...

Why am I waking up in the middle of the night? Am I high? Am I low? Where's my blood tester?

What am I going to eat? I want something with chocolate. There is nothing in the house that I want to eat to get out of this low.

I feel low. I just want to fall asleep and die. (don't worry, I'm not suicidal)

How much fiber is in that?

Is my blood sugar level going up or down? If I leave for the store now will my sugar be low by the time I get there and I'll have to eat something in the store?

If I eat this I need to do a dual bolus. How many hours should I do that for? At how many units? Why is there no exact science for fatty foods?

I've been running low at nights so if I eat 10 carbs before going to bed without taking any insulin, I should be fine.

If I get my blood sugar up to a certain amount, I can work out for a while and not get low, but will have to start a decreased basal for a bit before and a few hours after so that I don't go low and I have to make sure that I have my tester with me and some fruit snacks so that I don't have to go grab something to eat, etc etc etc...

Why won't my blood sugar level go down? I've been taking insulin every hour and it isn't moving.

I didn't even eat anything, why is my blood sugar level spiking right now? What the heck?

Why am I still low?!

I can't wait for the resurrection!

I'm going into a meeting, I should eat something just to be higher so that I don't go low and have to stop the meeting to go get something to eat.

How is my pump out of insulin already???

Crap...did I just pull something out?

This is the second time I've gone to the bathroom in an hour, I'm probably high.

My lips are chapped, am I high?

My saliva tastes sweet, am I high?

My eyesight is blurry, am I high?

I feel weird, am I low?

The bones in my legs tingle, am I low?

I don't get what they are saying, am I low?

I'm hungry when I shouldn't be, am I low?

I'm too tired to change my set all the way, if I add a few more units to the pump I won't have to change it until tomorrow night.

If my pump says I need 2 unit of insulin to cover this amount of food, but my blood sugar level is stable and I have 1 unit of active insulin already in me, should I take the two units of insulin to cover what I'm going to eat or should I subtract the active insulin from the two units and only take one unit and risk going higher?

Man, I don't want to take my blood tester out in public to test my blood sugar.

Why doesn't every restaurant have nutritional information?

What does that alarm code mean!?

Where on earth am I going to hide my pump when I wear that?

How long should I wait this time to take insulin after eating more food than needed to compensate for a low?

Is my pump site infected? How long has it been since I changed it?

How come the left side of my stomach is allergic to the sensor tape and the right side isn't?

I need to calibrate my sensor but my blood sugar is going up but my pump is going to get mad at me if I don't give it a blood sugar number that is stable and then I'll have to wait to adjust the sensor again when my sugar levels aren't moving as much.

How can I be low when I just ate so much? I'm so full I don't want to eat anything!

Do I have enough strips/insulin/pump sets to last me until I am allowed to get my next 3 month supply?

How much is that going to cost me?

Why isn't there a light on my blood tester? I can't see to be able to get blood on the test strip or see what results come up!

Why is my pump vibrating again?

Uhm...how many carbs are in that??? Let's just say this much...

Why is the signal weak on my sensor...the pump is right next to it!

How many times do I need to prick my finger before I actually draw some blood?

Dang, way too much blood...I need a tissue.

Oh shoot, did I take insulin for that?

Did I eat the amount of carbs I took insulin for? and if not, how many did I not eat so that I can go find something to eat to make up for the insulin I already have in my body.

I'm going to throw my blood tester against the wall if it tells me that I didn't put enough blood on the strip AGAIN.

How are there so many bubbles in my tubing?

Ug, I feel like crap.

Should I eat 15 carbs of candy or 15 carbs of an apple?

Maybe if I eat more, my blood sugar will go up faster and I won't feel like this as long as I could.

Have my prescriptions expired?

When is my next Dr appointment?

Why is my health insurance SO retarded??

No, I'm not dying.

Ug, I clearly didn't estimate the carb count on that correctly.

My blood sugar is too high, I shouldn't eat the cake being offered to me.

If I pass out right now, will someone know what to do for me?

I feel like my blood sugar is going low, how am I going to get out of this so that I can find something to eat...where's my purse?

If I change my sensor now, it will wake me up in 2 hours to calibrate, and then I can fall asleep again.

I have 20 units of insulin left in my pump and I'm at work, will that last me until I get off at five or do I need to run home and refill my pump?

Those are just a few thoughts that go on in my head throughout a day...I'd say I probably think 90% of them at least once a day. Neurotic enough for you??

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Dear 18 Year Old Me - 30 Health Post in 30 Days

2011-11-03T09:23:00.000-06:00

I think that today I will actually take the writing assignment that was given which is "Dear 18 Year Old Me." In YW growing up, I never did so well with the "write a letter to yourself ten years from now" so maybe I can do better writing to the past instead of the future...

Dear 18 year old Allison,
Hello...this is you ten years later and I have a few things to tell you. You are 18 and you are about to head off to college, a little bit sooner than you had expected, but this summer at college is going to be a blast! You will meet people this year who will become your best friends for life. People who ten years later, you are still in weekly to daily contact with. People aren't kidding when they say that college is the best time of your life, so live it up. Maybe study more than you actually do (which I know...is basically not at all!) Enjoy the fact that you can eat whatever you want and not gain any weight! At this point in your life, your blood sugar levels are okay. They are in no means great, but they could be better. Quit being so lazy and work on that. New technology is coming that you will just fall in love with to help you with your diabetes, but until then, work with it. Ten years later you don't have any regrets. You have experienced many things, have had wonderful friends, fallen in love with travel and enjoy your independence. Don't worry, there will be some crappy times, but it isn't anything that you can't get through. When things get rough, Trusting Jesus is your favorite book, Josua 1:9 helps you in your times of need and your patriarchal blessing is always a comfort. A long bubble bath works wonders, calling an old friend always lifts your spirits and NEVER underestimate the the comfort of your bed! Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride...as if that wasn't what you had planned already!

Much Love,
28 year old Allison

I guess that wasn't so hard...

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Diagnosed and a Miracle - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-02T12:10:00.000-06:00

Today I'm going on my own again. I wrote this a few years ago for a churchy thing that never actually worked out..haha!

In order to receive my Merry Miss award, I had decided that one of my goals would be to read the New Era Magazine, cover to cover each month. I didn’t realize that this goal was going to be an answer to my prayers, merely months later.

My parents had known the symptoms all too well. So when I came to them with my problem, they had a good guess as to what was going on. They had been through this same situation eleven years earlier with my oldest sister. My mom quickly made an appointment the next day for me to see my pediatrician.

I can still remember sitting in the waiting room after having my blood drawn There were kids much younger than I playing house with the plastic kitchen set while I sat silently next to my mother. It didn’t take long for the nurse to call me back into to hear my results from my doctor. My parents had been right. The doctors had just diagnosed me with diabetes at the age of 11, less than a week before Halloween.

I was sent off to the hospital for a week. I didn’t have to go to school, I had lots of visitors and received about nine teddy bears that week. The nurses taught me how to test my blood sugar levels and give myself insulin shots. At that time, I couldn’t understand why my parents were so upset, this didn’t seem all that hard.

Then one morning after coming home from the hospital it hit me. I filled my syringe with insulin to give myself my normal morning shot and placed the needle just above the skinned I had pinched on my stomach. I should have easily been able to slide the needle through my skin, but I just couldn’t do it. This lasted for a while where I would sit on my bed, crying, praying, that I would be able to give myself a shot before one of my parents would come in and take care of it for me. This was going to be harder than I had once thought. It wasn’t going to be easy to be different, to watch what I ate, to deal with low blood sugars, needles and pricking.

In all my prayers, I never asked why I had to deal with this disease, but I cried for help and help came. Not too much later, we received the New Era and I held true to my goal of reading it all the way through. To my astonishment, the second story in the 1994 November New Era was a story about a boy with diabetes! As I kept reading through the magazine, there was a second story, this time about a young woman with diabetes! This second story, especially, gave me hope. What rang true to me in the words she said was that Heavenly Father is never going to give us a trial that we cannot bear. It was no coincidence that only weeks after being diagnosed with diabetes, the church magazine was running articles on people with similar stories.

I would like to say that I went back to normal immediately and was able to give myself my shots, but it still took some time to get into the swing of things. Trials aren’t meant to be a quick and easy fix, but something that as we work through it, with the Lord, we can be strengthened by what we learn.

As I look back on m my experience, I realize that being diagnosed with diabetes was a testimony gaining experience. Not just because I was able to get through it, but because I knew the Lord was aware of me and answering my prayers. He may not answer our prayers the way we think He should, or even as fast as we would like, but He is mindful of what we really and truly need in our lives.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Health Advocacy - 30 Health Posts in 30 Days

2011-11-01T10:07:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine from back home has four children and three of which have Type 1 Diabetes like I do. I was reading her blog that she has dedicated to her children and diabetes and saw a post that showed a bunch of different ways that are going on right now for advocacy in health/diabetes. Apparently it is health advocacy month and there is a program asking people to blog 30 posts in 30 days about your condition and I signed up for it. I got an email with ideas for each day and decided that sometimes I will use their ideas, but other days, like today, I will do my own thing. Today I wanted to explain why I decided to do this.

I was diagnosed with diabetes 17 years ago last week and I have never really gotten into going out there and rallying up the troops. I usually just go about my own business and keep most of my trials, failures and successes to myself, minus a couple blogs that I have done in the past or when I talk to my sister about it, since she has Type 1 as well. When I talk about diabetes, it is usually just an overview to others around me or reminding friends that I have to eat when my blood sugar level is low, not take more insulin.

Reading my friend's blog has inspired me to take this opportunity to inform others as to what it is like living day to day with diabetes. I am not the best at telling other people my thoughts and feelings, especially when it comes to diabetes because unless you have it or are the parents of young children with it, it is hard to understand what it actually feels like. My only disclaimer is that at times my thoughts on this 30 days of blogging might seem neurotic, but that is what it is like inside a diabetic's head and may seem weird to others, but to a diabetic, or parents of a diabetic, it is perfectly normal and is the way to stay healthy and alive.

So, here's to 30 days of posting my feelings about diabetes...let's hope I can make it...!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Expectations

2011-10-30T23:42:00.002-06:00

Vegas, Baby!

2011-10-21T14:55:00.000-06:00

I met Lisa down in Vegas this past weekend. One of her friends was there for a bowling tournament. We also got to see the Lion King, which was awesome!

Lisa bowling

I snuck away to the Bellagio

Our king suite!

We also ate at Hooters for the first time, did a lot of sleeping and I even took two bubble baths! Thanks for a great weekend, Lisa!

Peyton

2011-10-20T12:40:00.002-06:00

So, Lisa surprised me and got me tickets out to California for Peyton's baby shower. Then we surprised everyone else by not telling them that I was going to be there! It was a lot of fun and Peyton is adorable!

Thoughts Lately

2011-09-29T15:35:00.002-06:00

I've realized that it isn't always your closest friends who add that extra special touch to your day.

As much as I have loved living with each of my roommates, I'm loving living by myself right now...I guess it is a good thing that I don't have a choice about that at this point anyway.

I love to travel, but having traveled so much this year, it is nice to have a break to stay put and be involved in my own life again.

Trying something new, like cake decorating, has been fun...even if I can't stand the sight of frosting at the moment.

Most girls at my age and status are pining for a husband and children. I look forward to having those things someday, but for now, I'm enjoying my life.

It is nice to have a boss who is a female.

God not only answers my prayers, but also the random thoughts that I have in the back of my mind sometimes.

Funny that after blogging about my fabulous blood sugar control, I couldn't get my blood sugar levels to stay down for the life of me for days. I forgot to knock on wood after writing that post.

I'm glad that I ended up staying in Utah for now. My tune will probably change once it starts snowing.

Nothing is a coincidence.

Control

2011-09-14T16:05:00.001-06:00

For the first time in over 5 years (that I remember...actually...that I have record of through my insurance information online) my A1C level (test showing how well your blood sugar level is doing over the past three months) is in CONTROL. The goal is to have your A1C level to be in the 7s, but even better is to be in the 6s. Non diabetics should be around 4-5. At my doctor appointment on Monday, the results came back that I was at a 6.8. So, 5+ years of being in the 8s and 9s and it only took my doctor 8 months to get me into a healthy range. I love my glucose sensor and diabetes management team!

Conversations

2011-09-13T10:09:00.000-06:00

Karlie: Sorry I missed your call Saturday
Karlie: We were in Sanibel Island
Allison Murray: Oh I feel horrible for you!
Karlie: :)

Why oh why do I live in the middle of a landmass?

I'm an Aunt Again!

2011-09-08T10:21:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the family Peyton Marianna!

Congrats Susannah and Kevin!

Born July 9, 2011

Can't wait to meet you!

Fall

2011-09-02T13:46:00.002-06:00

Since June I have been complaining about how summer was almost over. Everyone pretty much just laughed at me and said we had plenty of summer left. And now. Here it is. SEPTEMBER and summer is GONE.

That happened fast.

I guess I was right.

As usual.

Fan/Not a Fan

2011-08-26T23:24:00.001-06:00

I am not a fan of...
The cold weather coming back.
Freshman.
Students in the streets at night on their skateboards ASKING to be run over.
Provo traffic.
Being ignored.
Construction on the 15.
Halloween candy being out in August at Smiths.
Christmas stuff being out in August at Costco...but we'll let this one slide since it IS Costco.
Working at least 8 hours a day.
Fat.

I am a fan of...
My friends' children.
Weekends.
Snickers Ice Cream bars.
Finally having a calling.
My parents buying me stuff at Costco.
My boss letting me off early to help a friend.
Getting packages in the mail, even if I was the purchaser.
Thai food with friends.
The Help.
My visiting teachers, teachees and companion.

PANAMA!

2011-08-17T12:59:00.000-06:00

So, I decided one day that Jenn and I needed to go to Panama since I wasn't there and she was born there...so she doesn't remember anything about it. So we decided that we would go, and then the rest of the family decided to invite themselves! It was fun to have them come along and go down memory lane! Here are a few pics from our adventures!

A ship going through the locks of the Panama Canal

Panama Temple!

A walk through the rain forest at our hotel

a trip down the chagres river

Going through the locks

bridge of the americas

Panama City

Contadora

We saw a whale!

Lots of fun...I love rain forests...I need to live in one!

July 27th

2011-07-27T09:16:00.003-06:00

27 JUL : The arrival time is about 08:00 to Istanbul. You will be transferred to the airport.

July 26th

2011-07-26T09:15:00.005-06:00

26 JUL : Free day in Kusadasi

July 25th

2011-07-25T09:14:00.007-06:00

25 JUL : The pick up time is 09.00 from the hotel for full day Ephesus Ancient City and Virgin Mary´s House Tour. You will visit Ephesus which is known to be the Commercial, the Religious and the Social Center of Antiquity, and one of the Highlights of any Visit in Turkey.

After the lunch, you will drive to Temple of Artemis (Diana), the site of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world; House of Virgin Mary, probably where She spent recent years of Her life;

Isa Bey Mosque, this impressive mosque from XIV. Century A.D. is unlike any other you will see in this country. Return to the hotel about 17.30. Accommodation in Kusadasi. (B.L)

July 24th

2011-07-24T09:14:00.006-06:00

24 JUL : Upon your arrival to Pamukkale about 07:00 am, you will be met and transferred to the hotel for refreshment. Departure for the tour about 09.00 am which is the center of natural thermal spring waters with healing properties. Due to the chemical properties in the water, pure white colored travertine and stepped water terraces have been created on the mountain slope. It is for its resemblance to cotton piles that it is called ´Cotton Castle´ in Turkish. Visit the travertine and the ancient city of Hierapolis which has the biggest Necropolis with 1200 gravestones in Anatolia. The sacred pool also is one of the highlights of the site. There shallow thermal waters ripple over a wonderful scattering of ancient roman ruins that lie beneath. After the tour, you will be transferred to the bus station for taking a bus to Ephesus which is about 4 hours of journey. Accommodation in Kusadasi. (L)

July 23rd

2011-07-23T09:14:00.009-06:00

23 JUL : Start the day from your hotel about 09:30 with a walk in Red Valley, famous for its rocks capes, local culture and historical sights. Depending on the season, you may see local people plowing their gardens or harvesting their crops. This walk normally takes 2 - 3 hours.

At the end of your walk you will reach Cavusin Village. Here a spectacular rock castle that once housed everyone in the village is awaiting you. Climbing up on the top of the castle you can see the ruins of Saint John the Baptists, a very large Byzantine church. Walk around the castle and visit some of the homes that were lived in until recently. Lunch.

Continue driving to Kaymakli Underground City, one of the best preserved and most visited Underground Cities in Cappadocia. This city is approximately 40m deep. It contains all the usual rooms found in an underground city (stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, churches, wineries etc.).

Continue to Pigeon Valley a spectacular view of old abandoned cave homes and old Greek houses of Uchisar.

End your day with Uchisar Castle . This tall rock, the highest point of the Goreme region, is a 25-floor beehive of cave rooms forming an underground-type city reaching into the sky. It was used as a citadel during Roman, Byzantine and Seljuk times. After the tour, you will take an overnight bus departing to Pamukkale about 21:00 which is 10 hours of journey (B.L)

July 22nd

2011-07-22T09:13:00.014-06:00

22 JUL : Upon your arrival you will be met at the buıs station for the tour. Start the day visiting Dervent Valley, also known as "Imagination Valley", this is the most surreal-looking landscape.

Your next stop will be Pashabagi called also the Monks Valley because Christian hermits chose to locate hermit cells and churches in these three-headed pinnacles symbolic of the Holy Trinity, it's possible to see all the stages in the formation of fairy chimneys at this spot.

Proceed to Avanos (Venessa) the pottery centre of Cappadocia, this village is set on the banks of the Kizilirmak/Red River. The river gets its name from the red clay it deposits. You can watch the potters at work using kick wheels, the technique which has remained unchanged for generations. Lunch.

Continue to Göreme Open Air Museum. The world's most important Byzantine cave churches are found in these once remote valleys where monks and nuns pursued monastic life from the 3rd century on. Here you can see the best preserved Byzantine cave wall paintings and frescos from the Iconoclastic period through to the end of Seljuk rule. Icons with scenes from the Old Testament and the New Testament above portraits of Church Fathers and saints depict the structure of the Byzantine universe. Panoramic view point Esentepe. With a spectacular view over Göreme from Esentepe see the complete view of Goreme valley and Goreme village: fairy chimneys, rock formations and cave houses.

End your day with Uchisar Castle. This tall rock, the highest point of the Goreme region, is a 25-floor beehive of cave rooms forming an underground-type city reaching into the sky. It was used as a citadel during Roman, Byzantine and Seljuk times. The view of the Cappadocian countryside from here is just brilliant. After the tour you will be transferred to your hotel. Accommodation in Cappadocia. (L)

July 21st

2011-07-21T09:13:00.005-06:00

21 JUL : One free day in this great city. You will take an overnight bus to Cappadocia with non smoking, fully air-conditioned bus. The shuttle departs about 18:30 from our office and the bus departs about 20:30 from the bus station which is about 11 hours of journey to Cappadocia (B)

SO...From HERE:

To HERE:

July 20th

2011-07-20T09:12:00.017-06:00

20 JUL : Pick up time is about 08.30 am from the hotel. You will visit :

Topkapi Palace (Harem section is extra),

Blue Mosque,

Roman Hippodrome 12:30 noon Free time for lunch.

You will see: St.Sophia Museum,

Basilica Cistern (Underground Water Palace),

Million stone,

Tomb of Sultan Mahmud and

ancient Ottoman cemetery,

Cemberlitas (Burnt Column) and the tour end at

Grand Bazaar about 16:30. Accommodation in Istanbul. (B.L)

July 19th

2011-07-19T09:11:00.016-06:00

19 JUL : Pick up time is about 08:30 from your hotel. You will visit :

Yedikule Dungeons,

City Walls,

Chora Church,

Pierre Loti Hill

and Fener Orthodox Patriarchate.

After lunch you will see Rustem Pasha Mosque,

Spice Bazaar and

Bosphorus Cruise by boat.

Return back to the hotel about 18:00. Accommodation in Istanbul. (B.L)

July 18th

2011-07-18T11:10:00.016-06:00

18 JUL : At Ataturk Airport, one of our colleagues will be waiting for you at the arrival hall bearing a sign with your name on it. You will be greeted by a courteous member of our staff who will load your luggage into our midi-van and take you directly to your Istanbul Hotel Accommodation in Istanbul.

July 17th

2011-07-17T09:05:00.009-06:00

We arrive early in the morning to NYC and have about 11 hours to kill...not a bad place to need to kill some time!!! Hopefully we will get to see Rickard!

July 16th

2011-07-16T09:04:00.012-06:00

Did I mention that I'm heading to Turkey today. Not to eat Turkey. But to Turkey the country. Sherstin needed to use some of her skymiles. So off we go!!!

Tonight, after Kristen's reception, I will be flying the red eye to NYC!

Fun With Traci's Camera...

2011-07-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Rach came into town, so of course we had to have a girls night!!!

We had a great time together!

Carl even joined in on the fun!

Pool Party!

2011-07-11T08:52:00.000-06:00

Tiffany came into town and so as many of us that were around got together for a pool party, just like the good old days!

It was kinda different having kids there and not blasting music or having huge water fights, but it was so fun to see each other and have all the babies together!

Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-08T10:52:00.000-06:00

I love the Fourth of July weekend. What is better than a paid day off of work, BBQs, warm weather, awesome friends and beautiful fireworks?

This was my first year going to the Stadium of Fire. I don't think that I will ever be the same! It was awesome!

Then on Sunday, Olivia was blessed and I got to go enjoy that and hang out with dear friends!

Isn't Olivia cute? Her Grandma Bevans made the dress!

Summa Nights

2011-06-29T00:35:00.000-06:00

Can I just say that I love Provo summer nights? Seriously. I just went on a little walk around the neighborhood and the temperature was perfect...even at 11:30 at night. Back when I was young and fun, I would go running through the sprinklers with friends. Tonight I avoided them, but enjoyed the memories all the same.

FYI

2011-06-14T14:20:00.000-06:00

Well, just so you blogger stalkers know...you weren't much help in figuring out my life for me!

Sincerely,
Still in Limbo

Olivia Jayne Bevans

2011-05-31T10:04:00.001-06:00

During the week this cute girl was born, every time Shauna wasn't online, I would freak out and call her and if she didn't answer I'd call Mark to see if they were at the hospital. Finally, on the 12th I called Shauna, Mark and then a while later they called me back to say that Olivia had arrived! I got to go down to the hospital and visit the cute family of four! Welcome to the world Olivia!

Life

2011-05-29T22:21:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness. If I knew what I was supposed to be doing with my life, life would be great! Which, it actually is, but I would like to know what is going on in my future, right?! So, I made the decision back in December that I was going to start looking for a job in the Bay Area so that I could be closer to my family. I'm going to skip all the messy details, but let's leave it at this...I have a good chance of getting a job in the San Jose area, I would be living with my sister and brother in law, be close to my family etc. Or Prosper has finally decided to put me in a department with people who I enjoy and finally give me a raise (after putting up a fight about needing a raise for the past 4+ years). Plus now they are offering to make me a manager. I just got put back into my old ward with the new boundary changes and have a fabulous roommate and still don't pay rent. What am I supposed to do with my life?!

SUMMA-TIME!

2011-05-29T22:04:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness. I met Summer when she was 11 years old...and now she is MARRIED! Joao and Summer are an adorable couple!

Karlie, Brett and Zanin came out to visit, it was a blast having them here!

There were a few apostles at the reception. Ain't no thang...

It was a beautiful party and we are so glad that everything went off without a hitch! What a fun day it was! Congrats, kids!

Ireland!!!

2011-05-29T21:58:00.000-06:00

So, I finally have some time to post, so here are some picture from my Ireland trip back in March!

Headed out!

Dinner at Kenny's Pub

MMM...dinner!

Church in Dublin

Newgrange

I drove the whole time, a stick, on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car!

Giant's Causeway

Rope Bridge where you can see Scotland

Dunluce Castle

Limerick Castle

Cliffs of Moher

Our car!

Ring of Kerry

Our carriage ride

Muckross

Pretty flowers

Church in Kilarny

Loved Killarny!

Blarney Castle

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Poison Garden...you're not allowed to breathe deeply...

Blarney House

Gaol

Rock of Cashel

Wicklow Mountains

Wicklow

Beautiful Drive

LOVE IT!

SHEEP all over the place!

View of Dublin

My camera died on our day at Dublin and I still haven't gotten those pics from Lisa and Ash...

Yet Another California Post!

2011-04-08T16:00:00.000-06:00

I went to California for a few things...Kyra's birthday, my birthday, and Austin and Michael's baptisms. Kyra turned 11...it is crazy to think that Kyra is so old! That makes me even older! I don't want to think about it.

Kyra had her birthday party with a bunch of her girl friends at the bowling alley...they had a lot of fun!

Afterwards we all went back to the house for a slumber party...Lisa and I ended up getting in a whipping cream fight with the girls...I'm pretty sure that we won!

The weekend after Kyra's birthday we had the baptisms...these boys are so cute! Poor Michael had the flu, but was such a champ! Aren't they so cute in their shirt and ties???

Proud grandparents with their 8 year old grandsons!

After the baptisms, we went back to the house for a little family gathering. A lot of Jean's family were able to come and it was great to see them all!

Pre-Pregnant

2011-03-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

Back in December I finally went to see a Diabetes Specialist upon request from my general Dr. When I got there, Dr. Day checked out the information from my pump and my meter and said that it really looked like I needed to change my insulin rates. So, he told me what to adjust them to and I did so. Then he told me that I should look into getting the continuous glucose monitor. I told him that my insurance didn't cover it. He told me that I should talk to the nurse about it. I then went in and talked to the nutritionalist for a bit before heading over to see the nurse. One of the very first things she said was "So, Dr. Day says that you are single, but that could change at any time, right?" I was like...uhm...not bloody likely. She kept at it until I agreed that anything was possible and she basically had me married off in about a month and pregnant in two months to Mr. Right. Then she told me that I was pre-pregnant! What the? Isn't any woman who is not pregant pre pregnant?? So she told me all the information about how I am of child bearing age and that if I were to get married and want to start a family that my A1C levels would have to be at a certain number for about 6 months. So, she informed my insurance company that I was pre-pregnant and they approved for me to get the sensor! I also had to pay some money to upgrade my pump to the newest and greatest, but it was totally worth it! We waited to order the sensor until after the new year and then I was trained on it on January 28th and started wearing it that day. I have heard that most people have a love/hate relationship with the sensor, but mine has mostly been a love/love relationship...other than when my pump has a weak signal and when I have to calibrate at times that are not convenient for me. BUT, other than that, I have really enjoyed it! I think that a lot of people want to rely on the sensor to tell you where your bloodsugar level is at all times,but it really is about a 15-20 minute delay in your sugar levels, but it shows me if my bloodsugar levels are trending high or low and that is what I really want to know in the first place. Who cares if my blood sugar is 120 if it is trending high and will be 300 in 30 minutes? The sensor also alarms me when it predicts that my bloodsugar levels are going high or going low or when it is high or low. By my next Dr. appointment on Valentines Day, my A1C level was down more than a full point since my first appointment with the specialist in December. My Dr. said that it was only going to get better! I asked him a few questions and since then it has been pretty rare for my blood sugar level to go over 200, even after a spike from eating! Ok, enough talking...I'll put a couple pictures up. I tried to write this in the most basic diabetes terminology ever, but that is hard, so I hope most of you can understand what I am talking about!

Don't mind the gross tape...it just keeps it attached and from getting wet.

Pizzookie Reunion!

2011-02-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Everytime I see these girls...mostly at their weddings, we've all said that we need to have a pizzookie night! So finally we planned one! We had a great time chatting and EATING. Mmmm! I've trained these girls well to be able to eat as much of their pizzookie as possible! It was crazy to see where everyone is at now in their lives. Emily has been married for a while and just had a baby. Becky is married and pregnant with a little boy and Katie has been married and is pregnant with twin girls! Melanie and I have a lot of ground still left to cover apparently!

It will probably be time for another pizzookie night pretty soon!

Thalia Ellen Croker!

2011-02-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

I was finally in town long enough to meet Thalia!

She's such a cutie and just let me hold her all evening! Sarah is such a cute little mommy!

Aren't they a cute family? I keep on using cute...but that really is the best word to describe it!

Welcome to the world Thalia!!

Pillow Fight!

2011-02-11T09:15:00.001-07:00

We decided to recreate this picture...in a more modest way...

I think we did a pretty good job...

When I Grow Up...

2011-02-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

When I grow up, I want to be KP. Here are my reasons:

She travels all over the place.
Owns her own house.
Quilts amazingly!
Has a garden.
Has more tools than any boy I know in Provo.
Boys fall all over her.
Has an awesome job.
Can build things.
Her mom works for the airlines.
Has a cool dollar sign scar on her back.
Has a comfortable bed.
Has guns.
Has great points of view, I trust anything she says.
Is from the Bay Area.
Is going to AFRICA in March.
Snowboards, hikes, slacklines, camps, etc etc etc...
Oh and the list could go on and on!
Who wouldn't want to be Kristen???

Prosper Girls Night!

2011-02-10T09:14:00.001-07:00

Rach came into town and we decided that we needed to have a girls night!

Whitney, our cute little RM, was a little late coming....

So we had fun chatting it up before she got there!

When she got there, we revealed some of what we had been talking about...above is her reaction to our scandelous ways! :)

The tradition is to then play with the Wii. I'm not very good at it. I think I stressed myself out a bit....

We had a blast and I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time! These girls are great! They are the ones that keep me sane while I'm at work!

Rach celebrating her victory!

Thanks, Trac, for letting us come invade your house again!

Such great friends!!!

March 25 through April 3, 2011

2011-02-09T09:27:00.002-07:00

Reunited Again!

2011-02-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Christmas time is such a wonderful time for obvious reasons, but another reason is that the girls and I are all in the same area at the same time! With Rickard on one end of the United States and Carrie on the other side of the world, it isn't very often that we can all get together. We went out to brunch and had a great time getting caught up with everything in life! I sure miss these girls! Good thing I at least have Ashlee in the same state!

New Years!

2011-02-08T09:09:00.002-07:00

I got to spend New Years with Lisa and her family this year! We had a fun little party with a couple families!

Ella, their new dog, fell asleep...that's about how I felt the next morning! I think I went to bed around four??

I had fun rotating between the adults with their Ticket To Ride game and bugging the kids...they were pretty excited to play with the fireworks!

Yeah, those left a huge mess afterwards...I made Austin and Kyra clean it up the next day...I'm the mean aunt!

Happy 2011!

Christmas!

2011-02-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

So, Christmas Eve this year was pretty quiet. I was still jetlagged from my trip and fell asleep during whatever movie that we put on to watch that night. Mom wasn't too thrilled at me for doing that because I had fallen asleep the night before at about 7pm as well!

Lyle's family came over after they had Christmas at their place...if twas fun to see all the kids get into opening their Christmas presents!

After they left, we took off and went to see True Grit...I really enjoyed the movie! It was a nice quiet Christmas this year...but at least it was green!!

We also had a chance to get all these Petaluma kids together to hang out for one night! It was a lot of fun to get caught up on everyone's lives and love that we are all still friends!

Prague and Vienna

2011-02-04T11:12:00.001-07:00

Finally! You get to see pictures from my December trip! This pictures aren't exactly in order of what we did and I doubt that I'll be able to remember everything in order as well! Our arrival was quite interesting. We flew from SLC to Paris. Got into Paris early but sat in the plane for forever and then missed our flight from Paris to Prague! It was crazy trying to get through customs too! But it all worked out and they actually ended up putting us on the same flight as Mary, so it was nice to get there all at the same time! We got to the hotel that night and just crashed! I think we were all pretty exhausted.

(Prague)

We did a lot of walking around Prague and seeing the Christmas Markets and went to two operas (Tosca and The Magic Flute) while we were there. We also went to a string concert which was really cool.

(Jewish Cemetary in Prague)

(Concentration camp Terezen, outside of Prague)

(Concentration camp Terezen, outside of Prague)

One of the days we took a bus out to Terezen to a concentration camp. It was the "posh" concentration camp that they were showing off saying things weren't so bad for the Jews! HA! It was also where Hitler was building a museum to an "extinct race." Little did he know.....

(Concentration camp Terezen, outside of Prague)

(Prague)

(Prague...I was kinda obsessed with the snow...they put rocks in it so it would be harder to slip, but it made it look like chocolate chip ice cream!)

(Vienna)

(Prague Airport)

(Vienna)

(Prague)

(Prague)
On Sunday we went to church in Prague. It was a really neat experience and I even got to see one of my old co workers there! After that we jumped on a bus and headed to Vienna. We got there and dropped our stuff off at the hostil and went downtown and ended up going to a beautiful concert that night! While we were there we also went and visited the Vienna Palace and took a tour through it. At night time, the Christmas decorations were breathtaking! The pictures do not do them justice! After spending a couple days in Vienna we headed back to Prague via the bus. We visited a friend of Sherstin's and enjoyed more Christmas Markets.

(Vienna)

(Prague. Funny story here...we went to ice cream at this place and we decided that the four of us would share three ice creams. So we ordered a nutella sundae, a chocolate sundae and a fruit sundae. We had an interesting experience with the chocolate sundae...Mary took a bite of it and thought it was great and was going to town on it. I took a bite and thought it tasted gross, so I started going to town on the nutella sundae. Sherstin and Ashley took a bite of it and it burned their throats....alcohol of course! So, Sherstin took it back to the waiter and he got us a new one...minus the alcohol! We thought it was funny how representative that was of our personalities...)

(On the subway)

(Prague)
Something I will always remember about Prague is that the food was not very good. Very greasy and there was always some mystery meat in the morning to eat. Gross. But when we got to Vienna, we were all thrilled to get to eat really good food! All in all, it was a great experience and I will for sure end up going back to Austria to do some more traveling in that country!

Kalais and Zach's Wedding!

2011-01-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

We all kinda thought Kalais was a little bit crazy when she said that she was leaving us to move to VERNAL, Utah. I mean, come on....what is out there in Vernal? Well...apparently it was her eternal companion! She moved in Julyish and got married in December. AMAZING! They are so cute together!

Crystal and Chance came down as well, it was fun to get caught up with them!

I love Zach's face in this picture!

Kalais' dress was SO her! She looked AMAZING! The sealing in the St. George temple was beautiful!

The St. George temple had the nativity scene set up and we had a little bit of fun with it! :)

Me with the beauitful couple...they both love to strike a face in any picture..their kids will have the best facial expressions!

Seriously, the funnest wedding I have ever been to! We just had a blast!

Thanksgiving

2011-01-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

My sister was nice enough to fly me out to California for Thanksgiving. I usually don't come out for Thanksgiving, but the whole family was getting together and she kinda surprised me! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so it was wonderful to be home with family!

We had sister's night out in the City. We went out to dinner and then we went and saw West Side Story at the Orpheum Theater.

We were in the nose bleed seats, but it was still fun!

We had two Thanksgiving dinners...one with kids and the other with no kids...both were great...I love Thanksgiving food!! All the cousins had a great time getting together and playing and we all finally got to meet little William!

Sunday was awesome, as usual...the Petaluma kids hung out and got caught up during Sunday School. Love it when we all get together!

I spent most of my time living it up at the residence inn, where lisa and family were staying before moving into their gorgeous new home! One of their new favorite actvities is going bowling!

Pretty sure Kyra beat me...

Aren't they so cute when they are asleep?!

Colorado Weekend!

2011-01-13T13:41:00.000-07:00

This little cowboy...

and his mommy decided to go Colorado for a bit, so I jumped on the opportunity and drove out to Delta for the weekend...we had such a great time!

Even went and got pedicures! Although we weren't sure that we got the picture on our toes that we had requested...turns out it looks a little different on a toenail than a fingernail!

Can't get enough of this girl! She really needs to move back and be closer to me!

We had a fun little photoshoot after church on the ranch...we thiwe are so fun! :)

My second home!

Ma and Pa Smith took us out to some fabulous Mexican food...we had a great time!

Can't wait to see my second family again!

Girl's Weekend in Idaho!

2011-01-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

This amazing thing happened! Kjerstsin texted me asking me if I wanted to go to Idaho with her, Kristen and Shandy and it was the one weekend I was going to be in town, so I was able to go! We all were able to go on the same weekend on the first try...it was amazing!

We went to this burger joint called the Snake Bite...kinda scary name, but seriously the best burgers EVER! Kristen and Shandy stayed with Emily and Kjerstin and I stayed with Tiff.

Sunday was nice and chill and we just hung out for a while at Tiffany's place. They were nice enough to put up with us!

I'm pretty sure Lyla enjoyed all the attention... :)

It was so fun reuniting with these girls! I've been roommates with each of them except for Shandy (who actually took my spot in Township). Love that we are all still great friends!

Halloween!

2011-01-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

There was a party up in the Canyon that I think our stake or the older singles put on? I can't remember now, but it was fun to see everyone dressed up! Jeanna, Cindy and Abby looked AMAZING!

I'm too lazy to go back and flip this picture, but I really enjoyed it!

Mary was the Runaway bride...she looked fab!

Baby Shower!

2011-01-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

Isn't Sarah just the cutest little pregnant lady? This is just before the babyshower that we had for little Thalia! It was so fun to get together with old friends and eat such great food!

Myton House

2011-01-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

Ok...I am finally back to the real world and figure that I should get caught up on the blog! So, going back to when I dropped off the face of the earth...here are a few pictures of when I went with some family members to go clean up around my grandma's house in Myton, Utah.

The front of the house, even though I didn't know that until I was much older because we always went through the back way.

EVERYONE loves this old swing, it was great to be able to chill on it again

Stairs leading to the upper part of the house..we always went down these in our sleeping bags...always a fun time at grandma's!

Side of the house...

The upstairs bathroom. Everytime you open the door, there is a noise that happens...any Murray would be able to recognize it in a heartbeat!

Word Verification

2010-12-27T00:43:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is anyone else shocked each time they go to post a comment on a blog and do the word verification and you were actually correct on the first try? Those things just keep getting harder and harder!

Here's a little sneak preview of a future post...

Missing

2010-12-09T11:22:00.002-07:00

I think I might exist again in January. We'll see.

A to the B To the H

2010-11-02T14:41:00.000-06:00

So, I was chatting with Ashlee online and we decided that the end of the year is shot. I mean seriously, how are we expected to have any sort of desire to work when we have Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years coming up? Not to mention going out of town a ton until the end of the year?! So, I figured I would blog about something and asked Ashlee what I should blog about. Here is our conversation:

Allison: i still have no desire to do anything at work. the rest of the year is shot

Ashlee: amen to that
Allison: maybe i should blog. what should i blog about
Ashlee: me

Allison: ok, what should i say about you?

Ashlee: i'm awesome!
Allison: k

I figure a picture is worth a thousand words....

You really can't get more awesome than that, now can you?

Idaho

2010-10-21T09:31:00.001-06:00

So I went to Idaho with these lovely ladies

To see this fabulous couple get married.

In this beautiful temple.

And realized why I didn't go to BYUI... :)

Pumpkins

2010-10-20T09:33:00.001-06:00

Above is a picture from Halloween 2005...

My pumpkin from 2010.

Apparently my pumpkin carving style hasn't changed much...

Remember That Time We Stole a Car?

2010-10-19T12:25:00.000-06:00

And drove it all around Provo and Orem?

And then suddenly KP's car looked like this...

And we all ended up looking like this....

Oh, and I'm pretty sure we got the cops called on us. :)

Correct Answer:

2010-10-14T14:14:00.004-06:00

is Summer's! I will be in each of those places before the year is out (California, Colorado, Prague, Vienna, Budapest)! Isn't life great? :)

What Do All These Places Have In Common?

2010-10-11T11:18:00.000-06:00

Answers

2010-09-24T15:51:00.000-06:00

LOL, I enjoyed the guesses to the questions!

Answers:

1. Purple and blue
2. Tiger
3. 2 1/2