I am currently involved in a couple of projects that require tracking my diabetes data. The good part is that some of the data is automatically logged with little or no input from me. The bad part is that I am using 3 different apps on my phone and must enter food information twice. The good part is that I have learned new things about my diabetes. The bad part is that I am uber-involved in the input of data and not paying much attention to the output.
Big Blue Test
Most of you are familiar with the Big Blue Test sponsored by the Diabetes Hands Foundation. Every test logged between October 14 and November 14 will result in
a $3 donation to support people with diabetes. Three charities will receive $5000: Diabetes Sisters, We Are Diabetes, and the Riverside Community Diabetes Collaborative.
The Big Blue Test is by far the easiest of my current data projects. I use the app on my phone and it’s a quick 30 seconds to record my exercise. Although participation is easy, I am no Big Blue Test slouch. Yesterday I managed to input 5 (!) tests. Dog walk. Gym session. Rake. Rake again. Dog walk. That translates into a $15 donation for diabetes.
If you are participating in the Big Blue Test, keep up the good work. If you are not involved, check out this link to learn more. It’s not just walking and running. You can include housework, yard work, weight work, and dancing. You can help a couple of diabetes groups while receiving the physical and mental benefits of moving your body. Sounds like a win for all.
mySugr Consulting
I continue to be a beta-tester for the mySugr consulting module. As outlined in my September post, mySugr is launching a feature to allow virtual coaching from Gary Scheiner and the team at Integrated Diabetes Services. You can learn more about the
program here and here.
Today I am not addressing the coaching experience except to say that Gary Scheiner does a better job of understanding my D-data than I do. Instead I am writing to share that amazingly I am still logging after 3 months!
I am still learning shortcuts for entering my data and have reduced the number of data points I am tracking. I continue to enter food and carb counts, but don’t classify the food anymore as vegetable, meat, etc. Similarly I am not distinguishing between food and correction bolus amounts, just total insulin. What I like about mySugr is the ability to customize my logbook to show only the data points that are important to me and to list them in an order that makes sense to me.
My newest “cool” discovery about mySugr is that if I use the workout app on my Apple Watch, it automatically transfers the activity to mySugr. Another diabetes/life datapoint automatically logged!
Glu and T1D Exchange
Glu is the patient community of the T1D Exchange and provides an easy way to participate in research relating to type 1 diabetes. I am currently part of a study about blood sugar results and treatment satisfaction for T1 adults using pumps or multiple daily injections.
The logging requirements of this study are not difficult because most of my data goes into Tidepool’s Blip. If you don’t know about Tidepool and their innovative diabetes apps, check it out here. I download my Animas pump and Freestyle meters once a week. My Dexcom CGM automatically links with the Blip Notes app on my iPhone. My only daily responsibility is to create a Blip note whenever I eat. I click on #food and record the meal with the carb count. To make it easy, I copy and paste the meal info just entered into mySugr. Takes 30 seconds or less.
Where to from here?
The Big Blue Test ends November 14.
The mySugr logging has no end date and I’ll keep at it a while longer. But not forever.
The T1D Exchange study lasts 4 weeks.
I have learned a lot from this intensive logging. I tend to eat a little bit all of the time and now have visual proof that my BG is better when I eat more at meals and reduce snacking. I have done some basal testing and am seeing better CGM tracings. Better basals allow for less snacking.
But I am tired of logging. My head is exploding with numbers and my brain is drowning in data. I am thinking about diabetes too much and will be happy to quit recording my life in a couple of weeks. Being a diabetes data machine is fine for a while, but for me the benefit gets lost when I do it too long. For sure I will quit before Thanksgiving because there is no way I want to start the holiday season being accountable for my food decisions….
I have been raking for a few weeks now, but one maple tree refuses to shed its leaves. Our last leaf pick-up is Friday and I am hoping that these leaves will drop before then. If that doesn’t happen, my fingers are crossed that strong winds next week will blow the delinquent leaves into my neighbor’s yard….
The signage at Hyland Lake Park Reserve where Abby the Black Lab and I walk several times a week has changed in anticipation of winter. The trail labeled for dog walkers, bikers, and rollerbladers in the summer is now marked for dog walkers and snowshoers.
Although I shudder at the idea of snow, we have already seen flurries this fall. Once it gets colder, the snowmaking machines in Hyland Park will start blowing snow for the nearby cross-country ski trail. Although I live in the suburbs, I can see downhill and cross-country ski trails from my house. Just barely out of sight is a 70-meter ski jump. And you wonder why I spend my winters in Arizona!
An apple on the ground and you question why I am showing you my garbage. My neighbors have apple and crabapple trees and fruit litters my backyard. The fruit-eating animals I have seen in the last week include coyotes, birds, deer, squirrels, and Abby the Black Lab. Who left the half-eaten apple? Probably Abby who really prefers deer poop. Yeah, we’ve got piles of that in the yard also.
Diabetes social media has been saturated this month with blue photos as part of the JDRF T1D Looks Like Me campaign. I have a long history of hiding my diabetes, but thanks to my years in the DOC, I proudly share my photo.
Saturday was the JDRF TypeOneNation Summit for the Minneapolis area. Author and CDE Gary Scheiner (
This post is a mixture of important and not-very-important stuff. If you’re like me and getting tired of ‘heavy” and “try to change the world” issues, you might want to just read the last section which deals with autumn colors and burned-out lightbulbs. November is coming soon and I need to re-energize myself when it comes to diabetes advocacy. I will — because diabetes never takes a vacation.
Most of us try to live a healthy life. Yeah, we make some bad decisions but we also do a lot of things right. I always think that it is funny how many of us share photos of post-doctor appointment cupcakes. Why do we work hard to prepare for medical appointments and then revel in “forbidden” treats afterwards? Are we just being healthy to impress our medical professionals? Beats me, but I always feel the need to “reward” myself after a stressful appointment or lab test.
So far I have not had a great experience with long-lasting power-saving lightbulbs. My latest glitch was the rattling and sizzling demise of a $15 lightbulb. I put in another bulb and it died in a day or two. Being the electrical whiz that I am, I determined that I needed to replace the burned out socket in the lamp. A trip to the hardware store, a new socket, and a $20 LED bulb solved the problem. The new bulb is advertised to last 22.8 years and ultimately save me $231. I’ll be 84 years old when it bites the dust (unless it’s like the old one which only lasted a month).
Mid-October is a colorful time in Minnesota. This photo was taken late last week on an early morning dog walk. Unfortunately strong winds and cold temperatures have resulted in a blanket of beautiful leaves in my yard. But one good thing: Raking counts as exercise for the Big Blue Test!
Test Guess and Go 