Thriller Week

This week has began in an interesting way. My PC was acting like a voodoo experiment gone bad. It crashed and I had to do some reconfiguring and organization work. I have also had to change infusion sites on my pump and use my thighs and tail end. Problem with that is being of limited and often spastic reach it's difficult to use the tail end. I have also had my allergies and rashes spread too. Saw my nurse practitioner at clinic yesterday and she advised meeting with my pump trainer and trying some different infusion sets on my pump. I am glad that I have a pump with Luer Lock infusion sets. More options that way and you can use whatever your body likes. I was also advised to try different adhesive removers. Confucian curses strike again.

Also, got my flu shot last night and a HbA1c ran. Got the result back 5.5% a few moments ago. Bliss! With very few lows at that. I have been listening to lots of fine music. I heard the Haydn String Quartets by the Lindsays. Superb recording. Also, been listening to lots of singer/songwriters and looking back to the old days. If you have a turntable, get thee the new Warner Brothers/ Because Music Matters reissue of "Sweet Baby James". It is superb and the best you'll ever hear this classic. Thanks to Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray at Acoustech Mastering. Costs about $25 and worth the investment. Act now as the edition is limited.

With this post and onward, I will also have reviews on records, compact discs, and audio equipment old and new. I love music as a way to unwind from Diabetes and disabilities. Also, some commentary on the arts is now a feature. Also, I will comment on wheelchair athletics and adapted vehicles and their maintenance. In short, broadening my horizons.

I drive a 1996 Nissan Sentra with hand controls and a knob on the steering wheel. My wheelchair is a Quickie Ti Titanium I have had since 2002. I use Loftstrand Crutches for short distances. I use Walk Easy ultralight crutches and they are superb and save energy.

I prefer Nikon manual film cameras for my photographs and get my film scanned. I also use a Kodak Retina 1b from Germany with a Schneider Xenar 2.8 50 MM lens which is focused by distance scale. It was made in 1957. My Nikon FG was made in 1982.

My audio preferences will be discussed next time. I do prefer vintage gear for the most part. Have a super Halloween and a fun time.

A Day In The Life Of A Challenged Man

This week has gone by in a blur. I have gotten rid of a serious ear infection. I have also picked up a urinary tract infection (the bane of a Spina Bifida person). I have had a visit from some friends from Knoxville and fellow audio enthusiasts and photography buffs. We had tea and listened to much music and had superb conversation. I also looked for a source for custom orthotics for my club feet and plantar fasciitis. My gait is hard on feet, legs, and hip joints. One reason why my wheelchair is thought of as a booster amplifier for my lower half. I have also dealt with insulin pump infusion site issues. I have had the quick disconnect and the fitting it attaches to fail frequently on my Animas Comfort infusion sets. I contacted my educator and discussed it with her and my Animas rep. They agreed that I likely had a bad batch of Comfort sets. I called Animas Pump Support and discussed it with the lady who was working. Turns out that there was a problem with them. I love the quality and promptness of Animas Corporation's Support people. A superb company to deal with and essential to the good pump life. I have had to deal with being in sick day mode. I am draggy but surviving. My primary care clinic and D team have been as fine as I can ask for.

Major upgrades!

Yesterday, I received my replacement pump from Animas. I changed to a Silver colored pump from a blue pump. Working fine at the moment. Had fine blood sugars except for a drop suddenly to 46! I had to get out the glucagon and prepare and inject it. Got my blood sugar up to 123. Had a rash which started spreading. Breathing got a little tight. Out came the Epipen! After 2 doses, I started improving and returned to my day. Turned out my basal rate was on my high setting.

I have decided to change blog styles since I felt the current style looked cleaner. I am doing OK outside of stiff hamstrings and hip muscles. Spasticity and aging disabled body rear their ugly head. Did do some stretching. Am getting very hard on shoes due to gait being an issue. I will have to change approaches to spasticity control. This is also having bearings on my basal insulin needs and even insulin/carbohydrate ratios. So, some basal tests and a meet with my diabetes team is in order. I have been listening to a great deal of jazz lately. Especially the work of John Coltrane. A Love Supreme has gotten me through much meditation and stretching. I do some Yoga but couldn't get within 50 miles of the Lotus Position. The good news is I am still upright. Does make dressing and transfers a bear. Gotta leave for now and see my internist at clinic and my PT for advice. Also, I play caregiver to my 86 year old grandmother who has a lot of issues and my lady friend and her toddler, Erik!

More spastic adventures!

I drove my mom and Alex to Lenoir City this afternoon. Dropped them off at Krystal (a small, square hamburger which is excellent. 1 of them is 17G carbs or about 1.1 U bolus. 1.15 carb ratio and delicious. Equivalent to White Castles for northerners). On the drive to Lenoir City, hit several bumps putting the left hip out of socket. Reboot needed. Put hip in socket and drive to Knoxvile, TN for a staff meeting at WUOT-FM 91.9 concerning the new satellite receivers and other technical issues. After meeting, cut several LP records on the old Neumann Lathe ( A German made record cutting system which most fine records were made on, built in 1971). After supper, drove home to Athens, TN (60 miles) in my old 1996 Nissan Sentra ( a fine small car). Got home, napped about 45 minutes and logged on to the WWW. Also looked at some LP records I am considering purchasing for my collection and saw my lady friend and her toddler. Just another day in paradise. Good BG values for the day. 100 on the low end and 144 on the high. 122 for the day average. Thanks, Pump!

I have had quite a weekend!

I have had an interesting weekend! First, my left hip went out of socket 3 times and was swollen and inflamed. Meaning a late night trip to the emergency room for a Toradol shot in my left hip to calm that down.

I also had issues with my Animas IR 1250 insulin pump. I had a difficult time with priming cycles on the pump. Would go to prime my pump and the pump would get stuck in the middle of the priming cycle. It usually worked fine on the second attempt. Then I got a Call Service alarm on the pump. So I called Animas Pump Support (wonderful people) and they walked me through the issue. I had to take the battery out of the pump and reinsert it, I then had to rewind and prime the pump. So far, so good. Until Saturday night.

I was at WJSQ/WLAR studios in Athens, during a Nascar race broadcast. My Blood Glucose was dropping (misjudged a carb count on the supper bolus). So I opted for a 70% basal reduction, I entered TEMPBASAL on the pump, it wouldn't let me enter one. So another call to Animas Pump Support. After trying several different things, the support engineer recommended sending me another IR 1250 pump. I chose Silver instead of my usual Blue. Superstition perhaps. I called my girlfriend and let her know about the issue. She suggested I try activating Child Lock as Pump Support said I had a stuck button on my pump. The pump is OK for now.

I attended a street fair in Athens Saturday morning. It's PumpkinFest. There were many booths with community services and businesses, food vendors, and arts and craftspeople and a large crowd. Beautiful old small town, Athens is. I got quite a workout in my chair with my mom, Helen and my nephew, Alex. Had a superb time. Slept in this morning. I am taking Helen and Alex back to meet Stephanie, Alex's mom in Lenoir City, TN halfway. Then back to reality for the week.