Detached

I have read on other blogs, at other times, about people becoming "detached" from their pump. Taking it off to try on clothes and forgetting to reattach. Or having a site just not go on correctly. Well, it was my turn on Sunday.
I have ripped out a site before. But I've never had one not attach. I was running late on Sunday morning (too much lazing around!) and was in a hurry when I got out of the shower and started getting ready. I reattached my pump and threw on a skirt and shirt and headed to church.
I always check my pump a few times during church. I held stead around 100, according to the CGMS until about time to leave church. I looked down and saw my blood sugar was rising. By the time I got home and looked again, I had shot up to 189. This was in the span of about 30 minutes. I quickly changed clothes and noticed that my site was not hooked up completely. I'm not sure when it happened, but when I checked my blood sugar, I was 240.
I made sure I was firmly reattached and gave a correction bolus, but was still shocked at the rapid change in my blood sugar levels. I checked my clothing and my site. It wasn't wet, like it had been unhooked for a very long time, but it must have been for my blood sugar to shoot up so quickly.
If you have become unattached before, how long was it before your blood sugar started rising?

Nationwide Luminary Lighting Event to Support Juvenile Diabetes!

What: Annual Juvenile Diabetes / Type 1 Luminary Lighting
T-1 Luminary Enlightenment
When: November 5, 2008.
Where: Luminaries displayed in front of your home, visible from the road. All roads in town will be lit with luminaries.
Why: Three years ago, Harrison was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. This year he has one major goal: to build awareness for the millions of people with Type 1 / Juvenile Diabetes. With awareness comes compassion for ALL of our children.
How: Send an email to czjdrf@gmail.com with your mailing address and the number of luminary packs you would like to purchase. We will send you a pack of 3 luminaries and 3 tea lights for $5.00. On November 5th, place the T-1 luminary outside your house visible from the road and keep it lit in honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month. In addition, hang the Type 1 fact sheet on your front door for everyone to read and become “enlightened.” This is an easy way to show your support from the comfort of your home. You don’t need to join a walk team… climb mountains… or write a big check.

Thank you in advance for helping light the way to a cure for Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes.
This is a nationwide event. Don’t be the only street in your town not lit with luminaries.

Proceeds will go to support research aimed at finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Please send checks payable to Harrison’s Heroes T-1 Luminary Enlightenment.
Mail to:
Harrison Heroes
P.O. Box 2813
Westport CT 06880
czjdrf@gmail.com


DID YOU KNOW?
There are two very different types of diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes is when your body no longer produces insulin because the immune system kills the cells in the body that produce insulin. Insulin is essentially the key that allows the glucose (sugar/energy) from your blood into your cells. Since people with type 1 diabetes can’t produce their own insulin, they must put insulin into the blood stream 24 hours a day through injections or an insulin pump (See attached picture of the sensor and insulin pump infusion needles that are injected under the skin in the stomach or lower hips and need to be changed ever 48 to 72 hours in children. Imagine how hard it is to get the average five year old to brush their teeth…now imagine the strength and courage needed, at any age, to administer these needles every few days). Without insulin your blood sugar will become very high resulting in seizures, coma or death. To properly determine how much insulin a child with type 1 diabetes needs, they test their blood every two hours, around the clock.

A child’s body is constantly growing and changing, therefore the amount of insulin a child requires can vary from day to day. There are many different factors involved to determine the amount of insulin needed and too much insulin in the body will result in low blood sugar levels resulting in seizures, coma or death. Unfortunately, determining the amount of insulin is not a science, but rather an art. Adrenaline, growth hormones and stress on the body can all affect blood sugar levels and the amount of insulin required. Someone with type 1 diabetes must calculate the amount of insulin for everything they eat. You will often see moms inconspicuously counting every goldfish cracker their child eats at a birthday party or trying to guess the carbohydrate/sugar content in an orange at a soccer game.

Normally, insulin in the body starts working the second a person looks at food. However, for someone with type 1 diabetes the insulin that is injected can take two to three hours to metabolize in the body, resulting in very unstable blood sugars throughout the day. High and low blood sugars affect how a person feels resulting in blurred vision, headaches, nausea, confusion, irritability and exhaustion.

Parents of children with type 1 diabetes are up all night testing blood sugar levels -- giving apple juice to prevent low blood sugars and administering insulin to prevent high blood sugars. There is no vacation from diabetes. Every 2 hours of every day—every meal, every sports activity, every play date, when they are healthy, when they have a cold, and even when they are sleeping—parents are making decisions to maintain tight control of the diabetes in their little ones.

It is a misconception that you can grow out of type 1 diabetes or that it can be controlled by diet and exercise like type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease -- it is not a result of obesity or a poor diet. While diabetes is sometimes genetic in most cases the cause is unknown. Unfortunately there is no cure for type 1 diabetes YET! Only with a national enlightenment will we be able to develop a cure for type 1 diabetes and other chronic diseases that affect children. There have been many amazing advances in care over the last five years and we are grateful for anything that will help the quality of the day to day life for our children. However, our children deserve more… they deserve a cure! Thank you for helping us light that way to a cure.


Nationwide Type 1 Diabetes
Luminary Enlightenment
November 5, 2008

Thank you again for your support and participation in the Type 1 Diabetes Luminary Lighting! If you can’t participate, please pass along the luminaries to a friend, neighbor or someone who can.

Directions for November 5th, 2008:

1. Fill luminary bag with 2 cups of sand or small rocks.

2. Place tea light inside the bag.

3. Place the bag outside your front door, visible from the street, and light the candle.

4. Keep candle lit in honor of the Type 1 Luminary Lighting event.

5. Hang the Type 1 Diabetes Fact Sheet on your front door for people to read and become “enlightened.”

6. On the night of the Luminary Lighting event, take a picture with your luminaries in front of your home/street and send to P.O. Box 2813 Westport, CT 06880 or email to czjdrf@gmail.com

Hopefully the weather will be great on November 5th, if it is raining or too windy to light the luminaries then wait until the next best evening. November is Diabetes awareness month so we have the entire month to enlighten the Nation.
Keep your luminaries in your sock drawer for safe keeping until November 5th -or- keep a note in your sock drawer to remind yourself where you have them stored. (If we all keep the luminaries in the same place then we can remind each other where to find them on Nov. 5th and for years to come.)

Note: All luminary bags are flame resistant. However, be sure to be careful and do not leave the bags unattended.

These are 3 of the 4 attachements that Courtnie sent me. I have already posted on TuDiabetes about this and am now posting it here. Courtnie said to be sure that everyone knew you CAN make your own luminaries. This is about raising awareness for Type 1 during Diabetes Awareness month.
If you'd like these attachements, along with the order form, let me know through comments and leave me your e-mail address.
Thanks to all!!!!

The Today Show-Diabetes T-1

This looks like something that might be of interest to our Diabetes online community. I am going to e-mail this lady and see what happens.

Gathering Coming...and a Poll

I am just posting a lovely reminder that the Tennessee Gathering that will be next Saturday, October 11th in Cookeville, Tennessee. I am hoping to see several different people there. Let me know if you need directions or more information. Or you can visit the event page on TuDiabetes.com.

Also, I am naming my pump with all of your help. There is a poll on this page that is good until October 17th. Help me name my pump. :)

Name That Pump!

Okay, after persuasion from Daniel (his mom is over at Danieldoo), I have decided my pump needs a name. I know Amylia's is Gil. Daniel's is Zack (or Zach, I can't remember). Now mine needs one.

But I am coming up empty. So here's what I've decided to do: I want suggestions. Give me your best shot (pun intended!). After a few days, I will pick my favorites and make a poll on my site and let you, my readers, decide my pump's new name.

My only suggestion so far: Arnold (as in "I want to pump you up!") :D

So you see why I need help. Take pity on me and save my poor pump from a horrible name.

Friday Night Lights...and Diabetes

Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Vivian, from over at Danieldoo. We live about 2 hours apart and had never met. Last night, my former high school played her daughter's high school at football. The game was in their town, but I gathered up a friend to go with me, and I knew I would know other people that came down from home to watch the game.

Vivian and I agreed on a place to meet and she told me Daniel was excited to meet me (and I, him!).

When I got there, I'll admit, I was nervous. You just never know how you are going to get along with new people. But I'll tell you there was not a thing to worry about. I got to meet Vivian, her husband, and all three of her children. They are truly wonderful people. We found out lots of fun facts, like her younger kids go to an elementary school where I used to teach.

Sadly, we didn't really get to sit together as I was sitting in my purple and gold on the visitor's side and they were sitting on the home side. But I did join them at half time for a little while, but we decided I should probably go back to the visitor's side when my team made a touch down and I started cheering for them. Let's just say there were people sitting around giving me some strange looks! :D

This was the first blogger meeting for me and for Vivian. It was nice to be able to see (in person) one of the people who has been supporting me online for over a year now.

I look so forward to meeting more of you in time. If any of you are ever in Tennessee, let me know!

Here are some of the pictures we took:

Vivian, Sarah, and Daniel

Daniel and I and our pumps

Vivian and I

On the diabetes note: I hung out steady in the low 100s all night long...until the game was over. Then I promptly shot up to over 200 and had to bolus while driving down the interstate. Fun, fun, fun.

Teaching Diabetes 101

My teacher of the graduate class I am taking has Type 2. I've never hidden my diabetes so they all know. When I got to class this week, I was obviously not feeling well.
Blood sugar check rang in at 368. My teacher about had a meltdown wanting to know if she could get me anything. I told her I was fine, I would just take some insulin and go get some water.
I came back and sat next to a fellow student. After I bolused, she says to me, "So, if your blood sugar's high, why did you take insulin? Doesn't insulin bring your blood sugar up?"

Insert Diabetes 101 lesson.
:)

The Biggest Loser

Tonight was the season premier of The Biggest Loser. I have watched the show occasionally in the past and enjoyed it.

I am overweight. According to the BMI, I am obese. That disturbs me. It always has. I wasn't always overweight. As a child, up until I hit puberty, I was average for my height. Then, around the time I was 14 or 15, I hit puberty (I was a late bloomer) and I went from taking 2 shots per day to taking 4 shots per day. Increased insulin intake makes for weight gain, which we all know. But puberty often leads to weight gain in girls. So I've never really known what to attribute it to.

I never really let my weight bother me too badly. But when I went on my insulin pump, I lost almost 20 pounds in the first year. This was from the decrease in insulin, along with some small changes in eating habits due to my cholesterol and my blood sugar levels.

That made me feel really good. I didn't really have to work for that weight loss.

But then I leveled out. I have wanted to keep loosing, but I have NO desire to exercise. I joined the gym for a while, but quit going. I have never been an athletic person. I never wanted to play sports. In fact, I was just plain BAD at any type of sports, so I never even bothered trying.

When I was going to the gym, my blood sugars did such crazy things that it wasn't worth getting it figured out. I was either running up my blood sugars, to keep from going low during the work out, or I was going low and consuming as many calories as I burned in juice boxes to bring myself back up.

It was frustrating and I hated it. So I quit.

Tonight, while watching the Biggest Loser, it made me want to do something. I just don't know what. I don't know how to start.

My nutritionist and I met a few months ago. She advised me to consume 1300 calories a day to loose weight (that's with no extra exercise). I have done that some days, but most of the time I end up eating more.

How do you do it? How do you make yourself keep going? How do you count your calories?

I have spend the better part of my diabetic life counting carbs. Do I HAVE to count something else??

What is your motivation to keep going? Do you have someone to encourage you to go, even when you don't want to?

Please, lend me your tips. I need help.

A Busy Week

I've been absent from the online community for almost 2 weeks now. Life has certainly come at me fast and furious.

I had a wedding cake to make last weekend, which took a massive amount of time and ended up taking my whole weekend up. On that Saturday morning, my step-dad lost his father.

I ended up taking a day off work to be with my family and attend the funeral on Tuesday.

Then, while I was in the funeral Tuesday, I received a text message from a dear friend of mine, letting me know she had lost her grandfather. I had spent a lot of time with her family, so I knew her grandfather and thought very highly of him. He was an honest, hard working, Christian man who always put others before himself.

I ended up taking a day and a half off work to go be with her and her family during the visitation and funeral. It was out of town, so I had to travel and spend the night.

Then, Friday was the birthday of a friend of mine's son. He's the light of my life and makes me smile every time I see him. I also made his birthday cake for his party on Saturday. He wanted a Mater cake (from the Disney movie, Cars).

So, as you can see, I am completely surrounded by LIFE. Marriages, deaths, birthdays. I am hoping that life slows a little for me in this next week.

On the diabetes note, today was a completely CRAZY day. I had a 41 after lunch. I ate some candy corn because I was out of juice and I was at work (okay, it was a lot of candy corn). Well, a few hours later my blood sugar was 368!!! I am still trying to get it back down in range. I skipped dinner and am feeling pretty lousy.

Note to self: take more juice boxes and glucose tabs to work.

A New Friend

I was pretty much the only diabetic I knew growing up. There was one person who was an adult and her daughter, who was much younger than me who I knew that were Type 1. I, essentially, was on my own. Until I discovered the Diabetes OC, I knew very few Type 1's. We are a minority in a minority.

I had some friends when I was in high school who were siblings. They didn't go to high school with me, but we all attended church together. I haven't kept in touch with them as well as I wish I had done in the past, but I still see them from time to time and I see their mother more often, since I live in the same town as her.

But, ah, the wonders of My Space. :) I have found all three siblings again, online, and keep in touch with them some that way. The youngest of the siblings is in the Air Force. He married a girl who is a Type 1. I found out about her and her diabetes from their mother. I never contacted her on My Space (she also has a page) because I thought it might be weird to be all, "Hey! I was friends with your husband in high school and I'm a diabetic too!"

But, she contacted me one day. They were coming stateside (they are in Germany now) for a visit and she wanted me to make a cake for a party they were having. During the course of our correspondence, I brought up the diabetes. And like I have found many times before, there was an instant bond.

We chatted over the weeks in between her first contacting me and them finally coming to Tennessee.

When we met, it was like I'd always known her. They have a beautiful baby girl and another boy that is due in a few months. I admire her. Plus, I can ask her all kinds of questions in case I ever decide to have a baby. :)

We shared stories and ideas and things that only another diabetic can understand. We found things in common, like we both want peanut butter when we are low. And our lips go numb when we are low.

Flat out, she's just cool. And she's someone who can understand and know exactly what I am living through, just like the rest of you on the OC. And I got to meet her face-to-face.

I look forward to meeting other people with diabetes. I like being able to be "just like everyone else".

So thanks, Angel! You were so much fun to meet. And meeting you makes me feel less alone in this puzzle of life we call diabetes.

Lifesaver

I found out last week that BCBS of TN is going to be making their decision regarding if they are going to continue to pay for CGMS for certain patients. The decision is supposed to be in the next week or so. I have known that CGMS coverage was important. I have even know that CGMS coverage was important to me. But I didn't realize how important it was until last night.

After having only 1 low in the past two months, I have been fighting lows for days. On Tuesday I had 2 lows. Wednesday 1. Thursdays I had one in the afternoon and another yesterday evening during the graduation of one of my oldest and dearest friends.

As I stood in the back of the room, holding her 2 year old son as he yelled "Yeah Mommy!" even though no one else was yelling, I knew my blood sugar was dropping. I had rung in at 79 right before the ceremony and quickly ate a cupcake, no icing, before I headed off to the church where the service was being held.

During the ceremony, I tested again. 68. Drank some juice. Later in the ceremony, tested again, 69. Ate 4 glucose tabs since I was out of juice.

After the ceremony, there was a small reception. By the time I got to the table, my blood sugar had dropped to 49. I was shaky and sweaty. I drank a cup of punch and by the time I left the church, I was back at 89.

I came home, ate a little something. When it came time for bed I was 160. I gave a bolus since I knew I had eaten and not bolused earlier. I didn't want to fight a raging rebound.

I went to bed.

Suddenly, around 1:30, my pump was wailing and vibrating and it woke me with a start. I rolled over and realized immediately that I was low. I was having trouble with my movement. I tested, somehow, and rang in at 36.

I can't remember a time when I have been that low and still be alert. I reached up to my bedside table and grabbed the juice box that resides there and drank. I waited. Trying not to fall back asleep, but knowing that my pump would start going off again in a few minutes. After 20 minutes passed I realized I was floating in and out of sleep. I re-tested. 39. Not coming up quickly enough for me I made myself get out of bed. I turned on every light that I passed and came into the kitchen where I consumed two more juice boxes, a spoonful of peanut butter and a single size cup of ice cream. Total cab intake (including the first juice box) was 57 grams.

I was in haze and I knew it.

I was dripping in a cold sweat and burning up at the same time. I kicked my air conditioner down so it would come on.

I contemplated calling someone to let them know what was going on. I was afraid to sit down or lay down because I thought I might pass out. I thought about getting out my glucogon shot and using it on myself.

I ended up walking around my kitchen for an hour. I finally tested again. 89. I feel safe to sleep. But I was still afraid.

I knew, in my mind, that my blood sugar had dropped so quickly the sensor couldn't keep up. And unlike previous times in my life, I didn't wake myself up naturally when I hit 45 or 50.

Had I not had my CGMS I fully believe I wouldn't have woken up. I think I would either be dead or in a hospital right now. I live alone. I would have been hours before anyone realized anything was wrong.

And that scares me so badly that I don't have words. I don't have anything to say.

So I have two options if BCBS decides to stop paying for my sensors. I can get a second job and try to pay for them myself. Or I can find a very understanding roommate.

Desperation

I had my endo appointment today and I was severely disappointed. He had ordered a thyroid blood test, but no A1c. They did it in the office again. In my finger. Instant results. I STILL don't think these can be so accurate. I just don't see how they can be. And my fears were confirmed when the results came back 6.3.

I'm sorry, but there is no WAY my A1c is that low. My blood sugars have almost been out of control for the past 2 months. Very very few lows. In fact, until today (I had 2), I hadn't had a low in weeks. And my blood sugars have been fighting highs all the time. Correcting, correcting, correcting again.

Also, I have been having some discomfort with my feet. I'm not sure if it is diabetic nerve damage or if it could be from a vitamin D deficiency.

When I mentioned to my doctor about the discomfort in my feet and asked about vitamin D he said it was a possibility, increased my vitamin D intake, and said he'd request the test to check for vitamin D deficiency. So far, so good.

When I told him I thought my A1c should be higher, based on my blood sugar readings and my CGMS readings, he asked what I thought it should be. I said high 6's or low 7's. He laughed and said, that's not that much of a difference from the 6.3. You are obsessive.

Um, yeah. I am. I should be. I've been a diabetic for 23 years and am trying to keep myself complication free for as long as possible.

Then he gave me the orders for my vitamin D test and a microalbumin test and said "see ya in 3 to 6 months". Shuffled me out the door. Next patient please. No changes to my basal rates. No changes to anything. Even when I told him about my blood sugars.

Um, okay. You aren't going to test the vitamin D now? Okay. I'm obsessive. I get it.

Usually he is running behind. I've been seeing him for almost 4 years now. He's always in a hurry, but he usually talks to me. He didn't really listen to me this time. It annoyed me. I didn't like it. It made me angry that he thinks I'm obsessive.

I realize that not everyone is as serious about their diabetic care as I am. I've not always been this way. But I realize the wear and tear this disease has on my body. I know that I am spending precious time and the better I take care of myself, the more healthy time I get.

What do I do? Do I look for another endo? That's what I want to do. But I've been with him a long time now.

Do I go back to see him in January and see what happens then? I just don't know.

What would you do? How would you handle it? I just feel like I was blown off.

Weekend Pointless Post

Okay, has anyone seen the new JC Penny's commercial? The spoof of the Breakfast Club? I can't decide if I love it or hate it.
Technically, it's target audience is the Junior High/High School age children from about 12 thru 18. At least, that's what I would think a commercial that's advertising back to school clothing would be aimed at.
But yet The Breakfast Club was release in 1985. The year I was diagnosed with diabetes. I remember the movie growing up. In fact, I have it in my DVD collection as part of my tribute to all things 80s. It sits on my media stand right next to Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo's Fire.
People my age and a little older, we "get" this commercial. I would venture to say that most of the children that this commercial is targeting have never seen this movie.
I may be wrong, but I can tell you that my 14 year old nephew, my 19 year old niece, and my 12 year old sister have never seen it.
So basically, love it? Hate it? I still can't decide.



I know it's not diabetes related today, but it's what I was thinking. :)
If nothing else, enjoy the video. And have a wonderful, stress free weekend.

A Mental Disease

I fully believe diabetes is a mental disease. Now don't get all defensive on me! Diabetes is a disease that your pancreas doesn't work or doesn't work well enough, causing a rise of glucose in the blood. I understand that.

I'm talking about the mental part of dealing with this disease. It's something that I think many people don't think about or realize.

People talk about dealing with a diagnosis of cancer or some other chronic illness. But I think sometimes people overlook diabetes as a mental disease.

Diabetes is something that I deal with 24 hours a day. Every day. With no vacations. I can not deal with it, sure. But it's going to deal with me regardless.

I am one of the lucky ones who doesn't remember my life before diabetes. But I still deal with it in a very personal way, every single day. Some days I get down in the mouth because my blood sugars won't level out. Somedays I am thrilled with a lower A1c. Some days I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. But every day it's here.

I think about those of you in the diabetes OC who deal with diabetes having been diagnosed later in life. When you were able to remember life before. And having to change all of your life in order to deal with diabetes.

I think about those of you who are parents of diabetic children, and how much diabetes is a mental disease for you also.

I have been so lucky to be surrounded by people who have supported me when I deal with diabetes on the mental level. It's helped me to deal with the emotional issues that come with the diabetes "package".

Some people may not have that support system in place, or may not know how to use it. So to you, I encourage you to seek help. From a pastor, a friend, or even a professional. Deal with diabetes. Don't let it rule you. You rule it.

Arguing with Myself

The past few days have been crazy for me. Starting Saturday, I have done nothing but fight with my blood sugars.

I have not had a single low. I've been fighting highs. Some even over 350. This is so uncommon for me. Especially since I have been on CGMS.

In fact, getting a number that's close to 150 has been a huge thrill for me. Just to see something below 200 has been wonderful.

I go to get blood work done this week for my endo appointment on Tuesday. I know these numbers are going to screw everything up. I know when my endo downloads all my information that he is going to yell at me. Well, he doesn't really yell, but it's his equivalent of yelling.

I also know the problem. I haven't been counting my carbs well. Or eating the "good" carbs that I know are kind to my blood sugars.

So instead, I have been arguing with myself.

"Don't eat that cereal! God, why did you even buy it?? You know what it does to your blood sugars."

"And TORTILLA CHIPS??? Are you CRAZY? You can't stop with 1 oz, you know that!"

"How many carbs are in that Amish bread your co-worker brought???? 40 you say? Yeah right! More like 70!"

And for this, I have been paying. I know what I need to do, but I don't want to do it for some reason. Right now, I just want to scream and yell and not be a diabetic.

I want to not feel like crap right now. I want my blood sugars to stay between 70 and 140 all day long. I want to not worry about what I'm eating.

I guess I'm just a little frustrated with diabetes right now. I want it to do what I want, but I don't want to do the work.

So, right now, I'm arguing with my "good" self and my "bad" self.

The good me says, "A piece of low carb toast and an egg is what you want for breakfast."

The bad me says, "Oh, you're late for work already! Eat the cereal."

And unfortunately, right now, the "bad" self is winning.

The Report Card

I know that we are told, time and time again, not to look at the A1c as a "report card". But in a lot of ways, that's really what it is. It's a literal progress report of out last 3 months of blood sugars. Just like in school, we get an average of our "grades".

In school a 90 is a good, solid average. Not perfect, but not bad either. But in that average of 90, there may be five 100's and a 60.

In our A1c, we may have a great number, but have some days that we could get below 180. Or a day that we fought lows all day and had several numbers lower than 75.

In both cases it is an average.

I have been reading blogs on a pretty regular basis. There have been several in the past couple of weeks that are talking about recent A1c results. One was thrilled with a 6.8. Another happy with a 7.1.

To me, this is where A1c's stop being report cards. It's not about reaching a certain number. It's about feeling your best and doing what you can to make progress toward a better number. For me, I want to be in the low 6's. But for someone else, who has more trouble or who has had a history of higher numbers, reaching 7.0 might be a proud moment.

So what's an "A" on my report card, might not be an "A" for you. And that's okay.

I say, set your own goals, with the help of your doctor, and reach for those goals. Don't compare yourself to me and I won't compare myself to you.

On that note, I go to get blood work done this week to prepare for my endo appointment on the 26th. Wish me luck.

Absolutely everything and nothing is going on right now. I've been very busy with church, friends, and cake decorating all week long. This weekend is going to be crazy, so probably no posts for a few days.
By the way, I am going to be meeting a fellow diabetic (although not a blogger or a member of TuDiabetes to my knowledge [I am working on it!]) this weekend. I will be posting all about this meeting sometime next week.
By the way, I know it's small, but check out my Wee Me on the upper right corner of my page. I (it) has on a Jonas Brothers shirt. :)
Also, don't forget about the Tennessee Gathering! Spread the word and let me know if you'll be there.

Gathering Date Set

Okay, for all of you that commented here and on TuDiabetes, I have set a time, date and place for a Tennessee gathering. However, it is not limited to Tennesseans, bloggers, or TuDiabetes members. Let lots of people know. Anyone is welcome.

Date: October 11, 2008

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Place: Cane Creek Park, Shelter #2, Cookeville, TN!

I am still open to suggestions on either a potluck type deal, or just hanging out and then going as a group to eat at one of the many local restaurants. Either way is fine for me.

If you are interested in attending, please let me know, either by posting here that you are coming, or by visiting TuDiabetes.com and the events section, where you can RSVP.

For directions, please contact me and I will try to e-mail them to you. If you put the physical address of the park in google or yahoo maps, it takes you the long way and it's very confusing. I can make it much simpler for you.

Thankful and Blessed

I went to church tonight to be greeted with the news that a friend of mine lost her husband day before yesterday. My church has a phone tree, but I don't get the calls as I have a cell phone and it doesn't call cell phones.
She and her teenage daughter teach with me in my Mighty Mites class (5-6 year olds). Her youngest child is in my Mighty Mites class. They have 3 children total, ranging from age 15 to age 5. The family is also in my cell group (kind of like a mini-church that meets twice a month).
My heart aches for this family, who lost their father/husband. It's one of those things where I am helpless to do anything but pray.
Our entire class of 5-6 year olds prayed with the youngest child tonight in class. It was such a blessing to see these little children praying with their child-like faith.
I feel blessed and thankful that I have my family. I don't always get along with them, but they love me, and I them. And they are a blessing to me. And seeing someone else loose a member of their family makes me all that much more thankful for my family.
I know this post isn't diabetes related, but it is heart and emotion related, which I think diabetes also is. So those of you who pray, please pray for this suddenly single mother and her 3 children. They are going to need all the prayers they can get in the next weeks and months.

Readers

I know there are those of you who faithfully read as many blogs as you can. I have several of you who regularly comment on my blog.

But sometimes I feel like no one is reading. I am sure that some of you deal with this too.

Logically, I know there are some people reading.

Illogically, I think no one is.

The other day I was catching up on my blog reading when I came across this post on Lemonade Life. Allison was covering several topics, but posted a website called All Top. It is apparently a site that you can look up a topic or subject and get links to other helpful websites, blogs, etc.

All Top has a diabetes page.

Allison's blog is listed there, along with Kerri's, Amylia's, Donna's, Kelly's and a whole bunch of others....including mine.

I was shocked to see it there. All total, there are probably 30 or so blog sites listed, but I was still surprised to see mine also listed there. It made me happy to know that someone was reading. And that others might find me because of All Top.

I don't write to get attention. I don't write to be famous. I write for myself. But it's nice to know that someone is paying attention.