Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Minnesota Music Educator's Association (MMEA) conference in Minneapolis. I was thrilled to visit many friends and see family, but by the end of the long week, I was ready to come home and sleep in my own bed.
Wednesday started out with several piano lessons after school, dinner with Eric, and then it heading down cities. I beat my sister and brother-in-law home, so I enjoyed working on my Wizard of Oz score at their house while I waited for them. After a great night sleep, I headed it off early Thursday morning to the MMEA conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center. I'm clearly not a city girl any more, because I forgot how long traffic takes, especially with snow! It took me almost an hour and a half drive a 25 minute route. So I took off for the music store and picked up on my music for my students upcoming piano recital. It took me and hour and a half to pick it all out, I forgot how long it takes to match-up music with the students. What a tedious job, but rewarding! It's tough to guess where the students will be months from now.
I enjoyed the MMEA conference on Thursday. I had a great chance to enjoy many Kodaly and Orff clinics, and be surrounded by a number of other music teachers from the area. I found this much more helpful than ACDA convention, because it was all teachers, rather than conductors of fancy choirs. Also, MMEA has an entire track of clinics just for elementary music teachers. It was fun to meet, greet, and chat. I ran into 20 or 30 other music teachers that I know from college, high school, ACDA, etc. What a blessing to be able to reconnect with those of in life.
Thursday night, school paid for my Valentine's Day dinner as a part of my trip. They paid up to $20 for dinner, so I stopped at Noodles and Company and enjoyed a large mac & cheese with parmesan crusted chicken, breadsticks, a giant cookie, and a fancy pop. Even with such a gluttonous meal, I still only made it to $16. I enjoyed playing games with sister and brother-in-law Thursday night.
Friday morning, I packed up all of my things because it was the last day of the conference. I enjoyed a much faster drive to the Minneapolis, and was happily greeted by many of my college friends when I arrived. We enjoyed workshops on Friday, and going out to dinner Friday night! Right when we were finishing up dinner, I saw that the other choir teacher from Aitkin was also eating dinner the same place. What a small world! After dinner, I headed over to Becca's house to meet up with Becca, James, and Steven. We had a great time catching up, and enjoy ordering disgustingly greasy Pizza Hut. Friday and also provided another surprise! I had fun sneaking into the golf show at the convention center to meet up with uncle Tom. Again, what a small world! It was fun to chat!
Saturday began with an extension of MMEA, with a big elementary music clinic at the Hilton Hotel. Becca and I stayed for the workshop, while James went shopping. We had a blast sitting on the floor, playing xylophones and dancing around to a very hungry Caterpillar. We went out to lunch, came back to Becca's house, and played a rousing game of Settlers of Catan. After our game, we were ready to move! We headed over to Vertical Endeavors in Minneapolis, and spent three hours rock climbing! I'm proud to say that I remember some of my rock climbing skills from sixth grade with Kate.… But not many. After three hours we were so sore, we had to head straight home and rest. We ordered Pizza Hut again and watched Pitch Perfect. Saturday night, we headed over to James' friend Megan's house to play Catch Phrase. We were all exhausted by 10 o'clock, so we came back and went to bed.
Sunday morning, we woke up and enjoyed a great big breakfast. I headed off to lunch with my friend Heidi, and then took off for home. What a great weekend!
Friday, February 22, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Carrying case for my Omnipod
The Omnipod is different from other pumps on that I have a whole world of freedom. Most pumps need to be carried on a belt / on the hip 24/7, and the pump-wearer is always connected with a tube. However, since my pod is wireless, I can leave my PDM controller in my desk while I'm teaching or on my bedside table at night. Because of this, cases made to hold insulin pumps don't work we'll with he Omnipod.
As a result, I've been searching around online for cases made specifically for the Omnipod. I have all sorts of supplies to carry around, so I was hoping to find or make a cute, utilitarian case. Thankfully, I found this cosmetic bag on sale at Target for only $11.90. It has plenty of room for my PDM, test strips, backup syringe, extra pod, batteries, and more!
What a blessing.
The case is designed with all sorts of neat zipper pouches, clear vinyl, and slots for storage. And it is cute! Check it out.
As a result, I've been searching around online for cases made specifically for the Omnipod. I have all sorts of supplies to carry around, so I was hoping to find or make a cute, utilitarian case. Thankfully, I found this cosmetic bag on sale at Target for only $11.90. It has plenty of room for my PDM, test strips, backup syringe, extra pod, batteries, and more!
What a blessing.
The case is designed with all sorts of neat zipper pouches, clear vinyl, and slots for storage. And it is cute! Check it out.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Learning, learning, learning...
One of the best parts about my insulin pump is that it allows me to fine-tune how much insulin I get, and when it is delivered. However, this process involves quite the learning curve. For the next few weeks, I'll be working with my DE (Diabetes Educator) to tweak ratios, doses, etc. A few of my favorite new features of my pump include...
Insulin:Carb Ratio
This number calculates the amount of insulin I receive for each gram of carbohydrates I eat. For example, I can input that I ate 93 g. of carbs tonight with my pizza dinner, and my pump will calculate that it needs to deliver 6.32 units of insulin. This allows me to be very precise with my doses, instead of guessing myself and rounding up to the nearest unit.
Basal Rate
When I was on the MDI program (multiple daily injections, or shots), I gave myself one shot each morning that lasted for 24 hours. This was called my Lantus, or long-acting insulin. Lantus delays the delivery of insulin so that it acts for a full 24 hours. I took Novalog, or a short-acting insulin with each meal. Novalog only works for a few hours, so just long enough to cover meals. However, I still needed Lantus to make sure my blood sugar wouldn't rise overnight or in-between meals.
On the pump, I am only taking Novalog (short-acting) insulin. However, the pump delivers a tiny amount of insulin every hour (just like my pancreas should) in order to keep my blood sugar from rising on its own, without food. This is really neat, because I'm able to tell it to deliver different basal rates at different times of the day. For instance, I know my blood sugar is always high around 9 am, so an hour early, my pump will squirt out a little extra insulin. I can also tell my pump that I'll be doing Zumba tonight, so it should slow down the insulin then. When I was taking Lantus, I would have to pay attention to these random factors and do things like eat M&Ms during Zumba to keep my blood sugar from dropping. Now my pump is a Zumba master! How neat is this?
Self-Insertion
Each pod is wirelessly connected to my PDM (Personal Diabetes Manager), or the handheld device that controls my insulin. The Omnipod is the only insulin pump without tubing connected to my body 24/7. This means that I am able to shower, swim, or participate in activities without having to "disconnect" my pump. However, I do need to replace the pod every three days.
When it's time to connect to a new pod, my PDM tells me exactly what to do. First, I tell my PDM that I'm connecting, and it wirelessly searches for pods within 2 feet. When it finds my pod, it does this weird connecting thing where the pod and the PDM beep and shake a little bit. When the alien moves are done, I'm able to use a vial and syringe to fill my pod with insulin (the insulin stays on my pod, or on my body, all the time). Once my pod is full, I stick it to myself. I can put it on my arm, buttocks, stomach, leg, or myriad other locations. After placing the pod on my body, I tell the PDM that I'm ready to go! It inserts a permanent plastic cannula (little tube) 6.5 mm into my body at a 45 degree angle. This cannula stays in my arm to deliver insulin over the next three days. It's pretty slick, and only feels like a little snap of a rubber band on my arm.
I LOVE that I only give myself a shot every three days, as opposed to five or six a day!
Corrections
When I'm setting my pump, I can let it know my target blood sugar range. For instance, I entered the following ranges as target blood sugars:
7:00am-4:00pm: 90-130
4:00am-9:00pm: 80-120
9:00pm-7:00am: 90-130
My pump tries to get me within these ranges whenever possible. If I test my blood sugar and it is 100, my pump will either suggest I do nothing, or it will give me insulin if I'm eating. If my blood sugar is 65, my pump will remind me to eat some sugar! If my blood sugar is 180, my pump will give me a little bit of insulin to bring me back into my goal range.
The amount of insulin my pump gives me is called a bolus, or a correction. My DE figured out that for every unit of insulin I take on an empty stomach, my blood sugar will drop 90 points. So if my blood sugar is 180, I will take a unit of insulin, and I will drop to 90 (a much more reasonable number). What a helpful device!
I will be sure to update you as I learn more about this pump and the whole new system. Meanwhile, wish me luck - I'm pretty pumped! ;)
Insulin:Carb Ratio
This number calculates the amount of insulin I receive for each gram of carbohydrates I eat. For example, I can input that I ate 93 g. of carbs tonight with my pizza dinner, and my pump will calculate that it needs to deliver 6.32 units of insulin. This allows me to be very precise with my doses, instead of guessing myself and rounding up to the nearest unit.
Basal Rate
When I was on the MDI program (multiple daily injections, or shots), I gave myself one shot each morning that lasted for 24 hours. This was called my Lantus, or long-acting insulin. Lantus delays the delivery of insulin so that it acts for a full 24 hours. I took Novalog, or a short-acting insulin with each meal. Novalog only works for a few hours, so just long enough to cover meals. However, I still needed Lantus to make sure my blood sugar wouldn't rise overnight or in-between meals.
On the pump, I am only taking Novalog (short-acting) insulin. However, the pump delivers a tiny amount of insulin every hour (just like my pancreas should) in order to keep my blood sugar from rising on its own, without food. This is really neat, because I'm able to tell it to deliver different basal rates at different times of the day. For instance, I know my blood sugar is always high around 9 am, so an hour early, my pump will squirt out a little extra insulin. I can also tell my pump that I'll be doing Zumba tonight, so it should slow down the insulin then. When I was taking Lantus, I would have to pay attention to these random factors and do things like eat M&Ms during Zumba to keep my blood sugar from dropping. Now my pump is a Zumba master! How neat is this?
Self-Insertion
Each pod is wirelessly connected to my PDM (Personal Diabetes Manager), or the handheld device that controls my insulin. The Omnipod is the only insulin pump without tubing connected to my body 24/7. This means that I am able to shower, swim, or participate in activities without having to "disconnect" my pump. However, I do need to replace the pod every three days.
When it's time to connect to a new pod, my PDM tells me exactly what to do. First, I tell my PDM that I'm connecting, and it wirelessly searches for pods within 2 feet. When it finds my pod, it does this weird connecting thing where the pod and the PDM beep and shake a little bit. When the alien moves are done, I'm able to use a vial and syringe to fill my pod with insulin (the insulin stays on my pod, or on my body, all the time). Once my pod is full, I stick it to myself. I can put it on my arm, buttocks, stomach, leg, or myriad other locations. After placing the pod on my body, I tell the PDM that I'm ready to go! It inserts a permanent plastic cannula (little tube) 6.5 mm into my body at a 45 degree angle. This cannula stays in my arm to deliver insulin over the next three days. It's pretty slick, and only feels like a little snap of a rubber band on my arm.
I LOVE that I only give myself a shot every three days, as opposed to five or six a day!
Corrections
When I'm setting my pump, I can let it know my target blood sugar range. For instance, I entered the following ranges as target blood sugars:
7:00am-4:00pm: 90-130
4:00am-9:00pm: 80-120
9:00pm-7:00am: 90-130
My pump tries to get me within these ranges whenever possible. If I test my blood sugar and it is 100, my pump will either suggest I do nothing, or it will give me insulin if I'm eating. If my blood sugar is 65, my pump will remind me to eat some sugar! If my blood sugar is 180, my pump will give me a little bit of insulin to bring me back into my goal range.
The amount of insulin my pump gives me is called a bolus, or a correction. My DE figured out that for every unit of insulin I take on an empty stomach, my blood sugar will drop 90 points. So if my blood sugar is 180, I will take a unit of insulin, and I will drop to 90 (a much more reasonable number). What a helpful device!
I will be sure to update you as I learn more about this pump and the whole new system. Meanwhile, wish me luck - I'm pretty pumped! ;)
Monday, January 21, 2013
Whew, what a month!
I have happily moved to my new house, just a block and a half away from my old rental house. I was blessed with the support of friends last Wednesday, when I had ten friends come help me move. They showed up around 5:30 PM with smiles, pizza, and cleaning supplies. What troopers! Highlights of the night included moving my giant plant, selling my couch on Craigslist, and completing the move by 8:30 PM. However, my house was such a mess by this time, that I had to stay with a friend. My bed was in the living room, couch in the kitchen, and boxes up the wazoo! Here are three pictures for you to enjoy.
1. Living room three weeks before I moved in!
2. Living room the night I moved in!
3. Living room five days after I moved in!
So, I guess the move was a success! I guess?
I was blessed with a three-day weekend. I spent Friday night with Eric's family, playing lots of cribbage. On Saturday, we went into town to run errands, including picking up exciting things for my house (like a shelf for the bathroom and a dish rack). The Brainerd Jaycees were hosting a fishing tournament with 10,000 contestants, so town was nuts, yikes! On Sunday, I didn't get out of bed until 1:30 PM, and enjoyed watching Enemy of the State in bed. Today was a busy day. I paid bills, worked at school for a few hours, finished cleaning my house, met with my landlord, filed the claim for my car, talked with my Omnipod representative, made a pheasant in the slow cooker (weird), installed curtain rods, and did my lesson plans for the week. Whew!
I have happily moved to my new house, just a block and a half away from my old rental house. I was blessed with the support of friends last Wednesday, when I had ten friends come help me move. They showed up around 5:30 PM with smiles, pizza, and cleaning supplies. What troopers! Highlights of the night included moving my giant plant, selling my couch on Craigslist, and completing the move by 8:30 PM. However, my house was such a mess by this time, that I had to stay with a friend. My bed was in the living room, couch in the kitchen, and boxes up the wazoo! Here are three pictures for you to enjoy.
1. Living room three weeks before I moved in!
2. Living room the night I moved in!
3. Living room five days after I moved in!
So, I guess the move was a success! I guess?
I was blessed with a three-day weekend. I spent Friday night with Eric's family, playing lots of cribbage. On Saturday, we went into town to run errands, including picking up exciting things for my house (like a shelf for the bathroom and a dish rack). The Brainerd Jaycees were hosting a fishing tournament with 10,000 contestants, so town was nuts, yikes! On Sunday, I didn't get out of bed until 1:30 PM, and enjoyed watching Enemy of the State in bed. Today was a busy day. I paid bills, worked at school for a few hours, finished cleaning my house, met with my landlord, filed the claim for my car, talked with my Omnipod representative, made a pheasant in the slow cooker (weird), installed curtain rods, and did my lesson plans for the week. Whew!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Back to Reality
Last time I blogged, it was December, 2011. Whoops. I have some updates for you!
Hit and Run
Whew, my car was hit in the grocery store parking lot two weeks ago. I have an irritating 10" dent on my driver's side door, but it's nothing imminent. However, the repair cost is $600.00 for a crummy repair, or $1400.00 to replace the door panel, a more permanent fix. I pay the $500.00 deductible, and insurance will pay the rest. Unless, I could still decide not to submit a claim, and just pay it myself. If I submit a claim, I'm risking my insurance rates going up in the next year. If I repair it for $600.00, I'm risking decreasing the value of my car for a future trade-in. How fun is this?
New House
My rental house sold in December, so in two days, I'm moving to a new rental house just a block and a half away. I'm so blessed by how well everything is working out - my new landlord is my old neighbor, and the pastor at a church in town. My new house will have a spiral staircase, a dishwasher, new floors, recently repaired drywall, and all sorts of surprises! It has a cute entry way, a bigger kitchen, a nice living room, a tiny bedroom, and an ancient bathroom. The upstairs is a tiny A-frame loft, barely big enough for me to stand up in. It will work perfectly for a cute sewing area, where I don't need to worry about keeping the space impeccable! I will also be blessed with two porches, a garage, and similar rent to what I'm paying now. My friends will be helping me move boxes in two days, and in four days, I'll be completely moved into my new home! Pictures and updates to come...
Omnipod
My Omnipod insulin pump is arriving in the mail today! Omnipod is the only insulin pump without tubing, so it involves a little pod that I can wear on my arm or stomach, and a handheld device to control my insulin intake. The PDM can wirelessly deliver insulin, calculate my doses, and store information like blood sugars, carbohydrates, etc. A pump will help me to have quite a bit more freedom - I won't have to be awake at 9:00 PM and 9:00 AM to deliver insulin, I will be able to "snack" during the day, and I won't have to give myself shots in public. I'll be able to exercise whenever I want, more quickly control lows and highs, and wear dresses without concern. I will never need to disconnect the pod while showering or swimming, but I will change the infusion set every three days. This is not a permanent deal, and it does not stop me from checking my blood sugar 4-6 times per day. However, I can't wait to give myself one shot every three days, rather than the FIVE shots I give myself each day now! I couldn't be more ecstatic to receive my Omnipod today, and to have it set up within the next month. What a blessing.
Wisdom Teeth
I got my wisdom teeth out two days after Christmas, and what a whir! I was unable to have anesthesia because of some funny miscommunication with my doctor about my insulin. So, I told him, "If I don't have my surgery today, I'm walking out of the clinic and you will never see me again. It's a miracle you got me here in the first place." So, I was awake for my surgery! I had twelve Novocaine shots and lots of laughing gas. It was a miserable sixteen minutes during which I was shaking, sobbing, and the nurses kept asking me if I was going to make it, or if they'd have to stop. Yikes! I'm sure the surgeon probably went home and told his wife all about the sad little girl they had to operate on. Anyway, I was blessed to have very few post-op concerns. I was really nauseous that afternoon, but I was blessed to be able to walk out of the operating room feeling fine since I didn't have anesthesia. My biggest concern was a few days later when I was eating dinner and found three pieces of rice stuck in a tooth socket. YUCK. Glad I had a quick recovery!
Thanks for reading, hopefully pictures of my new house and my Omnipod pump system will come soon. :)
Hit and Run
Whew, my car was hit in the grocery store parking lot two weeks ago. I have an irritating 10" dent on my driver's side door, but it's nothing imminent. However, the repair cost is $600.00 for a crummy repair, or $1400.00 to replace the door panel, a more permanent fix. I pay the $500.00 deductible, and insurance will pay the rest. Unless, I could still decide not to submit a claim, and just pay it myself. If I submit a claim, I'm risking my insurance rates going up in the next year. If I repair it for $600.00, I'm risking decreasing the value of my car for a future trade-in. How fun is this?
New House
My rental house sold in December, so in two days, I'm moving to a new rental house just a block and a half away. I'm so blessed by how well everything is working out - my new landlord is my old neighbor, and the pastor at a church in town. My new house will have a spiral staircase, a dishwasher, new floors, recently repaired drywall, and all sorts of surprises! It has a cute entry way, a bigger kitchen, a nice living room, a tiny bedroom, and an ancient bathroom. The upstairs is a tiny A-frame loft, barely big enough for me to stand up in. It will work perfectly for a cute sewing area, where I don't need to worry about keeping the space impeccable! I will also be blessed with two porches, a garage, and similar rent to what I'm paying now. My friends will be helping me move boxes in two days, and in four days, I'll be completely moved into my new home! Pictures and updates to come...
Omnipod
My Omnipod insulin pump is arriving in the mail today! Omnipod is the only insulin pump without tubing, so it involves a little pod that I can wear on my arm or stomach, and a handheld device to control my insulin intake. The PDM can wirelessly deliver insulin, calculate my doses, and store information like blood sugars, carbohydrates, etc. A pump will help me to have quite a bit more freedom - I won't have to be awake at 9:00 PM and 9:00 AM to deliver insulin, I will be able to "snack" during the day, and I won't have to give myself shots in public. I'll be able to exercise whenever I want, more quickly control lows and highs, and wear dresses without concern. I will never need to disconnect the pod while showering or swimming, but I will change the infusion set every three days. This is not a permanent deal, and it does not stop me from checking my blood sugar 4-6 times per day. However, I can't wait to give myself one shot every three days, rather than the FIVE shots I give myself each day now! I couldn't be more ecstatic to receive my Omnipod today, and to have it set up within the next month. What a blessing.
Wisdom Teeth
I got my wisdom teeth out two days after Christmas, and what a whir! I was unable to have anesthesia because of some funny miscommunication with my doctor about my insulin. So, I told him, "If I don't have my surgery today, I'm walking out of the clinic and you will never see me again. It's a miracle you got me here in the first place." So, I was awake for my surgery! I had twelve Novocaine shots and lots of laughing gas. It was a miserable sixteen minutes during which I was shaking, sobbing, and the nurses kept asking me if I was going to make it, or if they'd have to stop. Yikes! I'm sure the surgeon probably went home and told his wife all about the sad little girl they had to operate on. Anyway, I was blessed to have very few post-op concerns. I was really nauseous that afternoon, but I was blessed to be able to walk out of the operating room feeling fine since I didn't have anesthesia. My biggest concern was a few days later when I was eating dinner and found three pieces of rice stuck in a tooth socket. YUCK. Glad I had a quick recovery!
Thanks for reading, hopefully pictures of my new house and my Omnipod pump system will come soon. :)
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Top Viral Videos of 2011
These are my favorite viral videos of 2011...I'm sorry I don't have a better post/update, but I wanted to make sure this list was recorded forever... :)
Neature Walk
Chuck Testa
Double Dream Hands
Backing Up/Bed Intruder
Double Rainbow
Old Spice
Friday, Friday
PS22 Lisztomania
Singing five octaves
Charlie Bit My Finger
There's a Party in my Tummy
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Misunderstandings
I am stealing this post from a blog I stumbled upon, because I think it is neat and the author speaks wise words:
(the author is writing about her daughter, a seven year-old who was just diagnosed with Diabetes in May)
When you have a child with a disease or any other issue you open your world to a lot of people making numerous comments that make no sense or are completely inaccurate (I have to believe that they think they are doing it out of kindness – or I would be punching a lot more people these days!)
The hardest part is explaining to someone that feels they know more about your disease than you, even though you are living with it day and day out. At first I just accepted the comments with an “okay” and moved along as soon as you I could, but not anymore!
Diabetes is very misunderstood.
First and foremost there are 2 types of diabetes:
Type 1 – Insulin Dependent from the onset and for the rest of your life with little to no understanding of the cause or why it happened to you or your family member, and
Type 2 – Healthy diet and exercise and for most people a pill can manage this type. They know or are aware of the major causes for this type: family history, diet and lifestyle all play a part. You should know if you are at risk for Type 2 – please find out – you can work on avoiding it more if you know! (Check out this website to check your risk factors: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/diabetes-risk-test/?utm_source=WWW&utm_medium=DropDownDB&utm_content=RiskTest&utm_campaign=CON
More people have Type 2 and are at risk for Type 2 – everyone that thinks they understand diabetes knows it from people with Type 2 – most people do not understand that Type 1 is in no way avoidable and you really can’t know if you are at risk for Type 1.
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