Friday, September 24, 2010

I LOVE THIS DOG!!!!!!!!

 026

 

Okay so as per my last post you can tell I have been a little bit….well PISSY. I have a saying that it is better to be pissed off than pissed on. Well it seems that Puzzle also agrees with me to a point.

This morning I could not get going. I just couldn’t get awake…I could hear Puzzle howling her issue but I just couldn’t get awake enough to act. Finally I get moving and go to her kennel to find that I am to late (only the 2nd accident in her short life). The thing of it is…it appears that she tried to make it go out side of her kennel. It is a guess but it appears that she backed up to the kennel door and tried to pee through the door. How did I make this out ….well my BG meter was laying outside of her kennel in front of the kennel door and it was WET. Not just damp but WET and there was yellow water all around the case.

Hmmmmm it appears that Puzzle says “Let’s pee on all things diabetic to!” I LOVE THIS PUP! She may be to smart for her own good!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Some Cheese With that Whine!

Before I start let me say this….THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE IN PARTICULAR…it is simply words!  I am spouting off because I am just a little angry!

I am PISSED OFF AT DIABETES and worse yet DIABETES IS PISSED OFF AT ME. Yes I know diseases can’t show emotion but some time it sure seems like they can and diabetes is one of them.

Diabetes is a nasty disease. It affects each person slightly differently and it manifests slightly differently in each person. They can call it Type 1, Type 2, auto immune, gestational, LADA, MODY, etc and each person who has been given a label wears that TYPE like a badge. It is a brand…a brand that we are different that we are somehow broken and un-whole. Sometimes it feels like we are also unworthy of even wearing that badge. Like for petes sake: CANT YOU EVEN DO DIABETES RIGHT????

I am just getting lab results back….my A1C was 8.3. My cholesterol was high and my thyroid a tad on the low side. Plus I gained back the weight that I lost. I am pissed because the only thing that has changed is the amount of insulin that I am taking. I am MORE ACTIVE and eating close to the same that I was when I lost the weight…so what the h#(* is going on? In May I was taking .025 units of insulin per hour of U50 (half strength of regular) insulin. In September…just this am I upped my dose to .850 units per hour of regular insulin PLUS I GET AN A1C on 8.3. WTF!

Add that into the fact I am REALLY SICK AND TIRED OF THE BLAME GAME! Well it is YOUR FAULT that you have diabetes!!! You need to lose weight, You need to exercise more, you can’t do that, you should do this, WELL OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG OR YOUR NUMBERS WOULD COME DOWN! Read any diabetic website and you will see the blame game…..YOU EAT TO MANY CARBS….YOU NEED TO USE THIS SUPPLIMENT…YOU NEED TO TRY THIS MEDICINE….WELL THIS PRODUCT WILL HELP CURE MORNING RESISTANCE.

EVERY DAY I pray for a cure…..I don’t see that happening. It actually wouldn’t surprise me if there isn’t already a cure that we are not hearing about . Diabetes is a TRILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY…..those making that kind of money don’t want a cure! Are you kidding me…..one test strip is one dollar…..in my case they are making between 10 and 15 bucks a day just to check my glucose levels. The needles, insulin, pills, sensors, pumps tubing, glucagons, glucose tabs or solutions…oh wait don’t forget the lil thingy that cuts they end off of needles so you don’t accidentally jab yourself, or how about carrying cases for all the junk you got to carry….this list could go on and on.

OK so it is my fault and they are going to bankrupt me for being so weak and helpless……no kidding a casket at Costco is $950….YOU DO THE MATH which is cheapest! No I am not going there but don’t think I don’t ponder it.

Then lets talk about what diabetes can do to your body in the long term……skin rashes, heart problems, strokes, eye problems, just to mention a few…oh gee we have that to look forward to as well. WELL IF YOU TAKE CONTROL of your disease then those problems MIGHT NOT HAPPEN. So gee I get to be responsible for all of that to….

I am not a saint but I can sure as hell tell you I haven’t done anything in my life that would CAUSE this disease. This disease I WAS BORN WITH IT and while I can do a lot to take action against it and slow down its progression it is still going to be there! I have done EVERYTHING they have told me to do and more. I have read everything I can get my hands on and applied it. I have thought outside of the box and tried new and unusual and yet for this moment the diabetes seems to have won this round of the battle. There will be another round and I am sure that sometimes it is going to win and sometimes I will win but you know what the END is going to be the same. Maybe sooner…maybe later…but in the end it is still the same.

I realize this is pretty negative but I am tired and frustrated. I want to lash out at folks who don’t even quite get the words that they spew out of their mouth as easily as they fart. I won’t but I want to!!! What I do get is the CRAP HAPPENS IN THIS WORLD….IT IS WHAT IT IS AND IT WILL BE WHAT IT IS. At some point you just step back and say I AM DOING THE BEST I KNOW HOW AND SCREW YOU IF IT IT ISNT UP TO YOUR STANDARDS!

So would you like some cheese with my whine????????

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Bravo In the News

 

Bravo In Tree 2

Bravo was recently wrote up in a local newspaper called the Deseret News.  A wonderful lady by the name of Cathy Free came to my house and interviewed me.  She even got to see a real time alert.  I thought Bravo was alerting to Kim as she is very often low….but no he was alerting to me. 

Here is the link to the article… http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700063994/Bravos-sensitive-sniffer-is-life-saver.html

Be sure to read Vickie Trainers comment underneath the article. 

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Puzzle

Soldier Hollow 2010 Puzzle (9)
This is the newest addition to my house.  Puzzle is past cute….she is adorable and smart! I have raised ALOT of puppies in the last 15 years and she might just be the best puppy I have had. 
I took possession of Puzzle at 6 weeks.  Two of the pups stood out to me when i evaluated the litter.  Well actually they all did but looking at a dog for me and looking at a dog that will go to someone else is 2 different things.  I like independent, free spirited, and VERY energetic…….but most people don't need, want, nor can handle that.  Puzzle and her sister both really showed an attraction to diabetic scent.  Her sister was just more independent and wanted to do things her own way, while Puzzle was into being with me.   She followed me everywhere.   When I threw the wing she would go get and come back to me.  When I placed the diabetic scent on the path and threw the wing over the top…she tore after it and hit the diabetic scent and immediately stopped and went “wow…what is that”.  Then she picked the scent tube up and came back to me.  She rode quietly in her crate for 2 hours before she told us that she needed to go out.
Puzzle was in my home for 2 weeks before she had an accident in the house.  She is very clean and meticulous.  That is her dad coming out in her.  The accident was more my fault than hers…..I just could not up enough to get her outside.
For the first 4 days of her life, we had lots and lots of snuggle time, we worked on sit, scent, place, and here. She would tuck her lil bum and come to a perfect sit.  She would lay down and relax on place.  I would take my scent containers and place in the middle of the floor as soon as her lil nose would hit the scent we would have a party.  I would get all excited and give her a special treat for the “find”’  Here is a short clip of Puzzle on 3rd day of her being with me doing “scent work”.
The very next day after I had worked her on scent, worked the other dogs on obedience, fed, and aired dogs I was sitting in my chair snuggling with Puzzle.  She was in the crook of my arm fast asleep.  She suddenly awoke and looked up at me.  She stood up and crawled up my chest and got on my shoulder and started sniffing and digging at my ear.  It wasnt like a puppy playing with your ear…this was more a dog on a mission.  I pulled her back down and she crawled right back up and repeated it.  About that rtime Bravo sits up, walks over puts his head in my lap and gives me THE STARE. Radar jumps up on the back of my chair and starts swatting my head.  Oh gee….do you think I need to test.  I was 62.  At 6 weeks…this lil dog alerted.  It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck!
A few days later a friend who is diabetic and I were driving somewhere with the puppy in back seat in her crate.  Puppy was thoroughly aired and was expected to sleep for our trip.  We had gone maybe 10 miles when puppy starts whining.  She gets louder and louder.  I pull over to air her…nothing.  Back in the crate still she complained about something but we didnt know what.  Finally I suggested we test our BG…..sure enough Kim was low.  She treated…puppy went to sleep.
Two nights ago, I did the whole cascading low crap.  Once again the thing that got me up was Radar biting the soft flesh on the back on my arms…but Bravo was pawing n whining and Puzzle was HOWLING in her crate.  Epie was in her crate running circles.  According to my meter I was 12 (BG number not age!)
She is very young and the jury is still out as to who and what she will become….but I sure am liking what I am seeing so far!
Here are a few more pictures of her…045 Puzzle and Cheveyo (Dad)026 Puzzle
024 Puzzle n BravoSoldier Hollow 2010 Puzzle (4) Puzzle n Radar