My only resolution for 2016 was to write more. Not necessarily here on my website, but wherever the words seem to come most comfortably. I have a few fiction ideas I’m fleshing out here at home, but blogging has always served as a way to unknot some of the thoughts in my head, mostly centered around my disease. Once my disease angst is unknotted (with blogging being the mental equivalent of gently tapping a fork against a knotted necklace chain until it goes slack and gives up), my mind feels better about diverting thoughts to things that are More Fun.
The problem with blogging is that it’s a public forum. Which means that I sometimes write with readers, or perceptions, or assumed judgments in mind. Sharing while simultaneously panicking doesn’t make for good writing, and more importantly, it takes away from the whole therapeutic/fun aspect of blogging. SO. I’m trying to blog like no one’s reading. Which means there may be more fractured sentences. And shit that doesn’t make the most sense. And probably less-than-lovely language, but oh well.
[ clumsy segue ]
I’ve been making use of Dexcom Clarity over the last few weeks and while it’s humbling to see my blood sugar graphs plotted out in full color folios, but there is a certain power to logging and reviewing my blood sugars. (Huge sigh here because I make progress when I fastidiously review my blood sugars, which means I should continue to review my blood sugars, which I hate because is a tedious pain in the ass. That’s kind of a diabetes theme: tedious pain in the ass.)
Applications that actually DO SOMETHING USEFUL and don’t require extra work are my favorites, like the One Touch Reveal app that my Verio Sync uses and the Dexcom Clarity one. Checking my blood sugar is mildly painful; reviewing data compilations should not be.
My numbers are improving, and with them, my mood.
This A1C is not entirely accurate (as it changes every few days when I review the PDF downloaded from Dexcom Clarity), but it’s very close to where my lab work pinned me, so I’ll fucking take it.
Also bringing much joy this week? These Tweets:
I smiled that the American Girl doll diabetes kit includes a blood gluce meter that reads "104." That's always what my meter says 😉
— Kelly / Diabetes (@KellyRawlings) January 6, 2016
Hello
Itsa me pic.twitter.com/9oH0048gcl
— Elliott Zelenak (@ElliottZelenak) December 26, 2015
Looking forward to chatting about #DIYPS and #OpenAPS next week! https://t.co/p50IkphmnA
— Dana | #hcsm #DIYPS (@danamlewis) January 7, 2016
Folks, HUGE difference b/t foods that do not significantly raise BG and foods that "lower" BG. One has an answer. One is a unicorn. #myEHCS
— Melissa Lee, PWD (@sweetlyvoiced) December 11, 2015
So this is what those symbols on my dash mean …. pic.twitter.com/WihnazLe9k
— Toni Turner (@ArtDecoBiz) January 6, 2016
Unrelated to anything: I found this sleeve smiling at me the other day:
And now it’s smiling at you.
I love this. All of it, your honesty, your Dexcom Clarity good news (mine is similar so I understand the feeling!), and love the tweets, especially the car symbols. Smiling back at your sleeve… 🙂
Hi Kerri,
Stay the course. Those are great numbers. Defining an outcome and working to achieve are two different factors and they are linked. I do agree that it would help to be able to link all of the data and our individual “notes” for better clarity. As always have a great day.
Dan
Congrats on that projected A1C!
It’s crazy how useless a lot of the data reviewing options we have are. For those who can’t afford/choose not to pump/use CGM, the options are even more limited. I know we focus on other kinds of tech a lot, but better access to data could make a huge difference for all of us.