The 2010 U.S Transplant Games begin July 30. Check it out!
So the picture is cut in half. click on the video to go to youtube and see the whole thing. :)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Electrolytes anyone?
So Monday I went to work and at said fine fine establishment there is what I affectionately call "The SmellyZone". Its an area of the building close enough to dumpsters that in the hot summer reeks like, for lack of a better way to describe it, hot diapers and decay. It's just that lovely. Any way, I had the joy of working in the SmellyZone on Monday. It was not fun. Immunosupression drugs seem to make me uber sensitive to smells. Said smells tend ot make me nauseous. You see where I"m going with this?
yeah. I was pretty crabby by the end of the day.
So, my work day over, I went about my usual after work type of business and around 5pm passed out on the couch in a well deserved nap and woke up about 30 minutes later in excruciating pain when every muscle in my toes, foot calf, ham strings and butt cheek decided to spasm. After what was probably the longest 3 minutes of my summer, I finally got my partners attention and she stuck a bottle of Gatorade in my face and my muscles relaxed enough that I could move.
Gatorade seemed to have fixed things but that night i had cramping again. In the morning I talked my transplant coordinator about it and after having some blood work done discovered my thyroid levels are too high and magnesium and sodium levels too low.
Today, after a day of magnesium supplements, I feel like a new woman. No muscle aches, no joint pain, no nausea.
It's amazing what a little salt lick will do for you.
As for my thyroid levels, meds can easily be adjusted.
Moral of my story?
It's summer time. if you have diabetes or spend a lot of time in the heat keep hydrated, but not only that keep salted.
Trust me on this one.
You'll be glad you did.
yeah. I was pretty crabby by the end of the day.
So, my work day over, I went about my usual after work type of business and around 5pm passed out on the couch in a well deserved nap and woke up about 30 minutes later in excruciating pain when every muscle in my toes, foot calf, ham strings and butt cheek decided to spasm. After what was probably the longest 3 minutes of my summer, I finally got my partners attention and she stuck a bottle of Gatorade in my face and my muscles relaxed enough that I could move.
Gatorade seemed to have fixed things but that night i had cramping again. In the morning I talked my transplant coordinator about it and after having some blood work done discovered my thyroid levels are too high and magnesium and sodium levels too low.
Today, after a day of magnesium supplements, I feel like a new woman. No muscle aches, no joint pain, no nausea.
It's amazing what a little salt lick will do for you.
As for my thyroid levels, meds can easily be adjusted.
Moral of my story?
It's summer time. if you have diabetes or spend a lot of time in the heat keep hydrated, but not only that keep salted.
Trust me on this one.
You'll be glad you did.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
On the Islet front.
My trip to Chicago for the most part went well. My islet cells are still producing huge amounts of insulin while by blood sugars are running a little higher then they should. Why I'm having issues with insulin resistance is a puzzle since I'm not over weight and didn't have resistance before my transplant. The game plan now is to increase aerobic exercise in order to increase insulin receptors in my muscles.
I have since started walking minimum of 3 miles a day and I'm seeing some results already in my fasting blood sugars. Now we just need my post meal numbers to start coming down a little faster!
While in Chicago I had a test called CIMT done. CIMT is an ultrasound of the walls of the carotid (neck) arteries, the thickness of which can be reflective of the health of coronary (heart) arteries. I also accidentally had C-reactive protein (a marker for heart disease) tested instead of c-peptides. Both the carotid artery u/s and c-reactive protein results were excellent. Which makes me happy since I've had diabetes for 30 years, been on cholesterol lowering meds for 20, and both of my parents had heart disease at a young age.
Kinda makes me feel like I'm doing something right. It's either my snack obsession with popcorn or celery. I can't think of anything else I do all that consistently, but eat those. ;)
I'm guessing its the celery.
or else the popcorn.
It is a whole grain after all...
Green Bean. Caught in the midst of mischief. Naughty bird likes wires.
I have since started walking minimum of 3 miles a day and I'm seeing some results already in my fasting blood sugars. Now we just need my post meal numbers to start coming down a little faster!
While in Chicago I had a test called CIMT done. CIMT is an ultrasound of the walls of the carotid (neck) arteries, the thickness of which can be reflective of the health of coronary (heart) arteries. I also accidentally had C-reactive protein (a marker for heart disease) tested instead of c-peptides. Both the carotid artery u/s and c-reactive protein results were excellent. Which makes me happy since I've had diabetes for 30 years, been on cholesterol lowering meds for 20, and both of my parents had heart disease at a young age.
Kinda makes me feel like I'm doing something right. It's either my snack obsession with popcorn or celery. I can't think of anything else I do all that consistently, but eat those. ;)
I'm guessing its the celery.
or else the popcorn.
It is a whole grain after all...
Green Bean. Caught in the midst of mischief. Naughty bird likes wires.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Chicago Marathon 2010
The Chicago Marathon is sold out, however if you'd still like to run, you can join CellmatesOnTheRun, and help support diabetes research at the same time.
You can find registration info here.
You can find registration info here.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
I'm heading to Chicago Sunday for a 3 month follow up appointment with the islet cell transplant team as UIC. I'll be having two more metabolic tests done. The first an IV glucose tolerance test and the second a glucagon stimulation test. Both will give the research team a better idea of how my islets are functioning. I'll finally be able to talk to them about the results of the metabolic tests I had done in April.
Hopefully this next set of tests will be better then the April's. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me and I'll let you know what they say.
btw. June's donation goes to the American Cancer Societies Relay For Life.
Hopefully this next set of tests will be better then the April's. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me and I'll let you know what they say.
btw. June's donation goes to the American Cancer Societies Relay For Life.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
It's Tranniversary Time!
Yesterday was the 4 year anniversary of my islet cell transplant. I'm still off insulin, have minimal side effects from the current immunosupression meds I'm on, and even though my blood sugars are occasionally higher then I'd like to see them my over all control is great.
Would I do it all again?
you bet.
Happy tranniversary to me!
Would I do it all again?
you bet.
Happy tranniversary to me!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Chicago and Back Again
I went to Chicago this weekend for yeartly metabolic testing. This time the results weren't exactly what I wanted to see.
The first test, an oral glucose tolerance test, my blood sugar spiked at 216, which isn't all that bad, but it ended at 152 when it should have been under 140. They also said that my c-peptides were high. Really high. like 9.6 when the upper end of normal is around 3.4.
Once again I don't think they really know what to do with me because they're not sure why I get the results I do. They've mentioned that it could very well be my weird anatomy and whacky vasculature, but like I said. they're not sure.
I have two more sets of metabolic tests to be done in June and hopefully they'll be more normal like. We'll see, until then I haven't been told to change anything.
On the non islet front, I was diagnosed this past week with frozen shoulder. It's fairly common with people that have type 1 diabetes and I'm not sure what triggered it, but I start physical therapy this week. yay
Dr. O at UIC has reluctantly said I can use Motrin if I need it during P.T as long as I drink a lot of water to help protect my kidneys. Nsaids in combination with immunosupression medications are harsh on the kidneys.
Yet another good reason for islet cell encapsulation to be approved for human trials soon. And that sadly takes funding on a national and private level, neither of which are free flowing in the current economy.
*sigh*
we all want a cure, no one wants to fund it.
btw. this months donation goes to CellmatesOntheRun because Dr. O ran in the Boston Marathon on Monday. And how else to I say thank you for being a crazy person that runs all the time to raise money for people like you and me?
The first test, an oral glucose tolerance test, my blood sugar spiked at 216, which isn't all that bad, but it ended at 152 when it should have been under 140. They also said that my c-peptides were high. Really high. like 9.6 when the upper end of normal is around 3.4.
Once again I don't think they really know what to do with me because they're not sure why I get the results I do. They've mentioned that it could very well be my weird anatomy and whacky vasculature, but like I said. they're not sure.
I have two more sets of metabolic tests to be done in June and hopefully they'll be more normal like. We'll see, until then I haven't been told to change anything.
On the non islet front, I was diagnosed this past week with frozen shoulder. It's fairly common with people that have type 1 diabetes and I'm not sure what triggered it, but I start physical therapy this week. yay
Dr. O at UIC has reluctantly said I can use Motrin if I need it during P.T as long as I drink a lot of water to help protect my kidneys. Nsaids in combination with immunosupression medications are harsh on the kidneys.
Yet another good reason for islet cell encapsulation to be approved for human trials soon. And that sadly takes funding on a national and private level, neither of which are free flowing in the current economy.
*sigh*
we all want a cure, no one wants to fund it.
btw. this months donation goes to CellmatesOntheRun because Dr. O ran in the Boston Marathon on Monday. And how else to I say thank you for being a crazy person that runs all the time to raise money for people like you and me?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
