tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37733728063089302072026-03-31T19:33:25.501-04:00Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03836215891806148229noreply@blogger.comBlogger775125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-81595337082704802362017-09-05T13:45:00.000-04:002017-09-05T13:45:01.263-04:00

What do you call it when a whole bunch of great things happen on one day?  When the stars seem to have aligned for one perfect moment?  When more good happens than you could ever imagine?  Well, I called it Friday, September 1st. To start off, it was my husband’s birthday.  And the start of a three day weekend.  So that right there makes it a pretty good day. It was

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-42622470065297688302017-07-10T12:56:00.001-04:002017-07-10T15:02:49.820-04:00

Usually when I can do something on autopilot it’s a good thing.  It means it has become a part of my routine and I can quickly get the chore done without investing too much brainpower. But sometimes?  Sometimes running on autopilot doesn’t work so well.  Like this morning when I did my site change.  I estimate that I’ve done well over 1,200 site changes in my years of pumping

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-33721829888843460022017-05-24T11:01:00.000-04:002017-05-24T11:03:15.934-04:00

I'm a bit late with this year's Diabetes Blog Week wrap up, but I wanted to make sure we capped things off.  And better late than never, right? This year we had 114 bloggers officially signed up.  That makes this year the smallest #DBlogWeek, but we certainly made up for it with extra enthusiasm.  There are over 350 wonderful blog posts on last week's link lists. 

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-72191280523117770682017-05-19T11:21:00.000-04:002017-05-19T11:21:27.632-04:00

Time to wrap up another Diabetes Blog Week already?  I’m afraid it is, as we’ve reached our final day of DBlogWeek #8.  I will do one final wrap up post next week to reflect back on the week, but for now let’s get to today’s topic. Today’s topic is More Than Diabetes. Lets wrap up the week by sharing a little more about ourselves, beyond the chronic illness we or our loved ones live

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-26299057165643199802017-05-18T09:41:00.000-04:002017-05-18T09:42:00.138-04:00

We are flying through #DBlogWeek with only today and tomorrow left to go!  Before I get to today’s post, I want to remind everyone of the Link Lists.  From what I can tell, most of you have been remembering to add your posts each day.  (Thank you for that!!)  It really is the best way for other bloggers (and lurkers) to find what you’ve written each day.  You can find the

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-28537873096545384732017-05-17T09:20:00.002-04:002017-05-17T09:20:51.618-04:00

We are halfway through Diabetes Blog Week already!  I wanted to take a minute today to send out a thank you to Stacey Simms for including me on her latest episode of Diabetes Connections.  If you’d like to listen to the episode, you can check it out here. On to today’s topic, The Blame Game. Having diabetes often makes a visit to the doctor a dreaded experience, as there is invariably

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-70898288326514861522017-05-16T08:28:00.000-04:002017-05-16T16:41:18.783-04:00

It’s the second day of  Diabetes Blog Week and we’re off to a great start so far with 105 bloggers signed up.  Please take a look at the Participant’s List and make sure I’ve listed your information correctly.  I double checked every entry but I’m far from perfect so if I’ve made an error please email me and I will fix it right away.  If you’re blogging along with us but

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-46104092635352289162017-05-15T10:14:00.000-04:002017-05-16T16:41:44.409-04:00

Welcome to day one of Diabetes Blog Week, Year Eight!!  If you’d like to participate but haven’t signed up yet, please do so here (scroll down a bit to find the form).  The more the merrier and it’s definitely not too late. Today’s topic is Diabetes and The Unexpected.  Diabetes can sometimes seem to play by a rulebook that makes no sense, tossing out unexpected challenges at

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-15970708304331781062017-05-09T10:19:00.000-04:002017-05-09T10:45:39.334-04:00

When I first started Diabetes Blog Week way back in 2010 I wasn’t sure if anyone would sign up.  I was so excited to see how many of you wanted to participate.  And each year I become more and more grateful that so many d-bloggers continue to show such support and enthusiasm for this event.  I’m also thankful for all of the help you’ve given, with topics for us to write about and

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-21498982413185316692017-05-02T11:29:00.002-04:002017-05-02T12:11:19.339-04:00

Sometimes I think of the Diabetes Online Community (or DOC) as a huge beach, and each of us are the tiny grains of sand that make up our beach.  Sometimes we quietly lay there, sometimes we drift in and out with the tides, and sometimes we come together and do something huge.  When that happens, I see us as a big beautiful sandcastle. Last week I once again attended the HealthEVoices

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-16175379360168075752017-04-26T10:00:00.000-04:002017-04-26T19:57:32.598-04:00

And you know what May means, don’t you?  It means Diabetes Blog Week!! I’ll admit, I’m a little bit behind on things this year.  I’ll also admit it has crossed my mind more than once that perhaps #DBlogWeek has run its course.  But I have had a few questions and seen some interest- so I’m game to give it another go. Sign ups will open on Tuesday, May 9th.  Yes, they

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-89430560302699699282017-04-04T10:44:00.001-04:002017-04-04T10:44:08.297-04:00

“Ouch!” From the moment I inserted the infusion set, it hurt.  Not a constant throbbing pain, but a soreness that spiked up every time something brushed up against it. “That site still hurts?” Pete asked.  “Why don’t you change it out?” I can tell you exactly why I didn’t.  This sore site was working really well.  You know what I mean, that blissfully flat graph on the CGM

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-82483119359614165452017-03-31T15:51:00.000-04:002017-03-31T15:52:12.108-04:00

Yesterday was not really my best day.  I got engrossed in a project and it was late afternoon before I realized the only thing I had to eat or drink was my morning cup of coffee.  It’s definitely a weakness of mine - the fact that I can get so absorbed in what I’m working on that hours fly by unnoticed. I was pretty annoyed with myself as I changed out of my pajamas and

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-490617339977744612017-03-23T11:45:00.002-04:002017-03-23T11:45:17.942-04:00

When I was in high school, I didn’t want my friends to know I had diabetes.  I did everything I could to hide it, pretending I was just like the other kids.  But as I went off to college, I felt I had a fresh start.  I didn’t know anyone who was going to the same college I'd be attending  So I felt that telling classmates I had diabetes wouldn’t be awkward, since I hadn’t

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-33535515238511267612017-01-25T10:36:00.004-05:002017-01-25T11:37:57.402-05:00

Pete and I have often discussed giving me a Diabetes Day Off.  Of course, it wouldn't really be a day off from diabetes because that just isn't about to happen any time soon.  But the idea is that Pete would take over all of my diabetes tasks for a day.  When my blood sugar needed checking, I'd give him the finger (so to speak) and he'd do the rest.  He would do all the carb

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-47807647635286828952017-01-04T12:24:00.002-05:002017-01-04T12:24:59.180-05:00

About a year ago I had a decision to make.  I could attend JDRF Government Day or I could attend The Diabetes UnConference.  They overlapped in 2016 so I could not attend both, as I had in past years.  It wasn’t an easy choice to make. Government Day is a great event, focused on advocating to our elected officials in their offices on Capitol Hill.  We educate them about

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-37753159957658831942016-12-14T12:31:00.000-05:002016-12-14T12:31:46.324-05:00

Remember when my hard drive bit the dust two years ago?  I invested in a new PC.  A pretty pricy one that was supposed to be great.  Except it wasn’t.  It was a LEMON.  Within a month it was sent out for repair.  I got it back 5 weeks later and absolutely nothing had been done to fix it.  After fighting with the manufacturer, a tech was sent out who replaced the

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-19745087118964615262016-11-28T12:05:00.002-05:002016-11-28T12:05:39.760-05:00

The other day I was wasting time on Facebook and I came across this . . . flipflap - 12/28/2015 1:31:47 AM And I chuckled and thought about how nice it would be to take a nap and then I moved on. I later came across this post from Riva Greenberg about advocacy burnout.  And it resonates with me.  As always, Riva has a remarkable way of always getting to the heart of what I’m

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-87163632614416311752016-10-14T13:16:00.001-04:002016-10-14T13:16:53.966-04:00

The Big Blue Test starts today, and I’m certain you can find numerous posts around the DOC telling you why you should participate.  But it’s Friday and I’m tired and cranky and probably need some more coffee (or a cocktail but it’s too early for that, right?).  So I decided to let my cynical narcissistic exercise-hating side take over and come up with some reasons why I shouldn’t do Big

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-67796757059590773522016-10-13T10:03:00.001-04:002016-10-13T10:03:13.213-04:00

When I was a tween . . . well . . . when I was a tween the word “tween” didn’t exist, actually.  But that’s beside the point.  Anyway, when I was a tween we had a favorite game at sleepovers called “What Would You Do If . . . “.  Shocking scenarios were imagined and we had to confess what we would do.  For example, “what would you do if you were walking home from school with

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-87467524681363035692016-10-07T14:58:00.001-04:002016-10-07T15:00:44.777-04:00

My world is the patient world, the Person With Diabetes world.  So when I decided to attend the AADE Annual Meeting this year, I was a little bit nervous.  Sure, I've been to plenty of conferences. But they have all been geared towards patients. This conference was different. This was my first diabetes conference that was geared towards health care professionals. I’d be in a whole

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-34755534321951832462016-09-21T11:14:00.000-04:002016-09-21T11:14:08.925-04:00

I’m a haphazard gardener.  Pete says I love the planting and I love the harvesting but I hate the tending.  He isn’t wrong.  But as he started tending my neglected garden, he found the garden upkeep to be soothing so I guess we make a good team.  (#thanksPete) This morning I harvested, and the harvest was really good.  Especially considering the fact that this year we

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-24565594764325838652016-08-31T12:18:00.000-04:002016-08-31T12:23:26.176-04:00

This isn’t Diabetes Burnout.  At least this isn’t what burnout looks like for me.  But there is definitely something going on.  And I’ve realized it’s best described as Diabetes Tune-out. When I’m in burnout, things get really sloppy.  I swag bolus more than I carb count.  I dose off my CGM rather than doing finger sticks.  I don’t pre-bolus.  I graze and

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-18276215891375939422016-08-08T11:37:00.001-04:002016-08-08T12:31:43.548-04:00

Last night I slept without a sensor.  I’ll be traveling later in the week and delayed inserting my new sensor so its life will span the entire time I’m sleeping solo in a hotel room.  I don’t know how diabetes inherently knows that I’m lacking the safely net of my sensor, but somehow it does.  And it picks that time to go completely off the rails. Pete and I are working our way

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773372806308930207.post-3559045197428742902016-07-28T11:11:00.000-04:002016-07-28T11:11:31.339-04:00

I’ve been leading DiabetesSisters Virtual PODS for almost two years now.  I love getting together each month to discuss diabetes with women all over the United States.  I’ve learned so much from each and every “sister”.  It’s been especially interesting to hear some of the different challenges we may face based on where in our country we live.  Weather can cause challenges.&

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853213615426205881noreply@blogger.com6