The Corner Booth

This fun post originally appeared here on The D-Corner Booth about two years ago . But Elvis was on my mind recently, as evidenced by a recent Facebook status: Lord Almighty, I felt a sting from infusing! Hotter hotter, it's burning under my skin. D, D, D, this feels like I am on fire. My set's a flaming, and I don't know if it should be pulled. Just a hunka hunka burning leg site. Hunka hunka burning leg site... #ElvisIsAliveAndLivingWithDiab etes So, in honor of that recent mindset, I've opted to re-post the following blog from March 2011. Enjoy! The King of Diabetes Rock N' Roll Those of us in the Diabetes Online Community are music lovers, and we're loyal followers of the magical musical phenomenon known as BluntLancet . ( #BluntLancet, for those Lanceters on Twitter ). We've come to know the story Behind The Music and even learned of some hidden lost albums of those years long past and rumored new releases on tap. But a recent...

Not long ago, my dad and I got together for a game of golf. We had a swell time, and of course chatted about family and our beloved black lab, Riley.   Particularly, the Riley Dog's love for squirrels and her mission to capture them. Somehow, this golfcourse conversation derailed into the pros and cons of having dogs out there on the golf course and how it'd be GREAT to teach them to carry our clubs... Or drive the cart for us. And so, this came about... Thanks to the very talented cartoonist Jerry King (who also does some great drawing over at DiabetesMine !), since he took some of his own time to draw up my imaginary golf course scenario for a favor... Much appreciated!!

Are those CGM farm animals alerting farmer to a Low?! I found myself singing this song recently, while sitting at my kitchen table: "Lantus in the leg. Lantus in the leg. Hi-ho, the derry-o, a shot of Lantus in the leg." Go on. Sing along. You know you want to. Now, I can't tell you What the Fructose a dell or derry-o even are, sine I'm not a farmer and I didn't care enough to Google it. But I do know it's a catchy tune. So that's all there is to it. (Humming to myself... Snapping my fingers to the beat.) Now, just imagine what it'd be like if Old McDonald Had a D-Farm...

Today I am living it up guest-post style for Kim, getting the chance to spend some time Texting My Pancreas while she's off having a blast at this year's Friends for Life conference in Orlando. I'm sad to not be joining some friends for all the fun, but am honored to have the opportunity to chime in here short of being there. In good form, the chosen topic this round is some food for thought about Wall Corners & Cartwheels - or simply: the joys of insulin pumping in the workplace. Enjoy! And please, drop some comments while you're over there! Yes, You CAN do this!

That end of the week time is here again, so here we go with another round of Friday Fun! Here's some random, but good tidbits, from the past week. Here we go: Ok. This isn't "fun," but it is important. So it leads the list. News of a disappointing encounter with a U.S. Senator came from D-Mom Moira McCarthy this week and spread quickly in the Diabetes Online Community and Beyond. But soon afterward, the incredible feedback to the situation prompted a response that includes an upcoming May meeting with Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts. This is an awesome example of the influence advocacy and social media can have. We will listen intently for how this meeting goes, and hope that it's not a one-time example of this lawmaker listening. Oh, and do you STILL wonder what the impact of social media is in today's world? Well, this is a must read about how social media played a part in informing and probably saving lives when tornadoes tore through Alabama recently....

Those of us in the Diabetes Online Community are music lovers, and we're loyal followers of the magical musical phenomenon known as BluntLancet . ( #BluntLancet, for those Lanceters on Twitter ). We've come to know the story Behind The Music and even learned of some hidden lost albums of those years long past and rumored new releases on tap. But a recent episode of Lows in my own D-Life revealed the makings of a truly epic Blunt Lancet secret, a golden nugget that can only be described as a secret that the world would marvel at. It may very well be destiny or will of the Diabetes Gods who made this revelation happen with the help of a Low Blood Sugar. It started with the classic symptoms: shaky limbs, falling body temperature, blurry vision, sweating and shivering. Getting lost on the way to the vending machine, and trying to be all "professional" in the workplace, I went back to my desk and started munching on glucose tabs as some musical vibes entered the mind: ...

This originally ran in late 2007, but with some of my latest sleep-deprived nights and reflection on this topic, I thought it'd be an appropriate time to run it again. I'd posted a note at one point opining that if sleep deprivation was a cure for diabetes, I would be well on my way - a notion that drew praise and thumb ups from fellow D-bloggers. Well, then comes this news bit : A new study shows sleep deprivation is pushing the diabetes epidemic, leading to more cases. Published in the Dec. 1, 2007 issue of a journal called SLEEP. How appropriate is that. As outlined in the article, they even have some tips: • Follow a consistent bedtime routine. • Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime. • Get a full night’s sleep every night. • Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime. • Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime either. • Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your...

As a reporter at a legal newspaper, I find myself regularly passing through courthouse security and sitting in courtrooms. A recent assignment took me to a local courtroom notorious for having a "no tolerance" policy on cell phones and related pieces of technology, to avoid any potential courtroom disruptions. The judge and bailiff are well-known for the policies and discipline imposed on folks who disobey. So you can only imagine my delight recently when my insulin pump appeared on their disruption radar and the court focused some of its attention on me. In the hours before entering court that day, I'd been flirting with Lows all morning. Blood meter checks showed my CGM paranoia was totally off base and was at least 40 mg/dL off the mark - meaning there was nothing to be worried about. But being in a constant on the run mode that day made it a little more uncertain, and meant the constant pump alerts...

Our nation's president gave the annual State of the Union Address on Tuesday night. Lots of politics, followed by many pundants analyzing what was said and what it all means. While I'm a politico newshound myself, I decided to deviate from those points and focus instead on the politics of my own D-Life. Photo source , thanks to a Google search. It's the State of the Diabetes Union, if you will. As the president spoke and then the reaction responses appeared on the TV, I was drinking a cup of tea in order to combat a common cold. Listening to Michele Bachmann speak as the Tea Party representative made me instantly regret this beverage choice. Listening to the political responses and reactions, it also made me ponder how difficult Diabetes Advocacy to new Congress members on Capitol Hill in March might actually be, when I disagree with so many of these people's stances ( more on that later ). But putting real politics aside, I turned to the Diabetes Online Commu...

Recently, my blood meter stole my socks. Yes, that’s correct - you aren’t reading that incorrectly. Here, I’ll explain. The Mystery of the Missing Socks began like this... Getting dressed for work one day, I resorted to my routine of scanning some online activity while putting on my black socks and shoes in preparation for that day’s beginning. I realized that I hadn’t tested before my shower that morning as usual. So, I turned my attention to a blood test. My black handheld blackberry-sized case was sitting in the usual spot on the half divider-wall at the top of the stairs, so I stood up and made my way over there to test. Test came back just above 100 mg/dL, and a sense of triumph enveloped my mind as I walked my sockless feet back to where I’d been sitting. Scanned more headlines, emails, updates, and tweets. Then realized, I couldn’t find my socks. They weren’t on my feet. Not in hand. Not underneath the laptop now back on my lap. Not on the floor. Or table nex...

Tis the season. Our Christmas Tree materialized in the living room a couple weeks ago. The burnt out strings of lights have since been replaced, ornaments are hanging tight, and the angel is lounging from a looking spot at the top. Our Diabetic Spirit is also singing strong as the D-Supplies have also made their entrance for the second year in a row. More spirited than last year's debut D-Tree, but some of the regular fixtures have returned. Pump tubing tinsel, hanging again without worry of being yanked loose by a jumping dog or sneaky aggressive doorknob. Plus a Glucose Tablet on a pump tube string . And a nearby emtpy One Touch Ultra Blood Test Strip Vial being recycled for D-Tree use! We have the controversial Sugar-Free Chocolate M&M from year's past . Yes, it is sugar-free despite claims to the contrary. Two other ornamenty versions of the bite-sized candies dangle nearby, fully capable of claiming the sugar-saturated status unlike their sugarless neighbor. T...

Recently, the CBS show Two and a Half Men had a great episode entitled, "Chocolate Diddlers or My Puppy's Dead." One scene in the beginning brings diabetes into the script, weaving both humor and mis-information that I thought needed to be written about. As the clip is central to the point of my post, I've included a link below. The only one I could find is the full episode online at the CBS site, and unfortunately you have to wait through a couple commercials totalling about a minute until you get to the scene at issue. But specifically, the point you want starts about 6:45. I recommend starting at 4:45 to get the full scene putting the song into context. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/two_and_a_half_men/video/ :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) "C is for chocolate, D's diabetes. Do your kids a favor, and buy a box of Wheaties. Chocolate Diddlers YAY!" Personally, I got a kick out of this. I...

This post originally appeared here a year ago in November 2009, but the shortened holiday week and never-ending array of deadlines and to-do tasks have combined to steal my time and energy to do anything that requires massive brain power. So, here's a blast from the past that I hope you enjoy - whether it's the first read or not. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  The Riley Dog, now 5 years old.  Our eyes met in an instant, and a disasterous cycle of events was set into motion. The dog leaped from her spot on the green recliner chair where she'd be sitting. I'd just arrived home from work and was ready to go change into more comfortable non-work clothes. She was in pounce mode, her backend sticking up and her eyes fixed on me standing at the top of the stairs. "Riley!" I said happily, greeting my 4-year-old black lab. She responded by sprinting toward me, eager to offer a similiar welc...

You could feel the chill in the air. October was coming to a close and with it the month of Diabetes Awareness would begin. Marking this start of November, the American Diabetes Association and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation joined together to kickoff their advocacy efforts that would be incredibly visible for a month but carry on long past that time. You had a panel of speakers on a stage, medical and scientific and real People With Diabetes talking up this chronic condition and all the basics one might need to know about. Differences between Type 1 and Type 2 and the other varieties. What daily management looks like. Why insulin is life support, why a cure is needed to “Stop Diabetes,” and how people can do their part to push for that. Apparently, I was working this story because I had a reporter's notebook in hand and press credentials tacked on to my belt. A swarm of reporters were nearby, with pens and cameras, writing the stories that would reach the masses....

Recently, I was pondering funny names and an idea came to my mind. I could change my name to Glucose. Mr. Glucose Hoskins. Friends might call me Sugar, for short. At this point, I honestly don't remember what spawned this train of thought. I'd been reading a court decision that day that delved into this history of surnames, so maybe that was a part of it. But I really don't remember. Just that it was pretty funny to my sleep-deprived, coffee-craving mind. Tweeting this, the Diabetes Online Community got some laughs and someone observed how wrong it sounded on so many levels. Bernard also opined with a laugh while making the astute observation that it would be a cold day before he'd ever refer to me as "Sugar." We all got some laughs for a few hours, and then the funniness and novelty of it began to fade. That is, until a news story came across my screen and made the whole name-change phenomenon more timely and pertinent. My mind began swirli...

Being that it's Friday the 13th, I thought I'd share a strange diabetes-themed dream that recently entered my sleeping mind. While the particulars may be a little odd or eyebrow-raising, but the themes represent larger points and feelings about the Diabetes Online Community and how we're all in this together. It seems as though some other DOCers (like MsMegan777 and Jacquie over at Typical Type 1 ) have also been having strange D-Dreams, signs of a larger trend that we're all interconnected both in our real life advocacy but also in the dreamworld. __________________ ______________  __________  ________  ____ First, I was on a river. A rocky river. The sky was dark and cloudy, clearly a storm was moving in and the air smelled as such. Probably somewhere on the East Coast, as there were lobsters clawing at me and trying to snip the pump tubing that hung from my waist. My method of traveling along this waterway appeared to be a raft - no, actually it was a small yel...

The most recent annual camping adventure took me up to Interlochen, Michigan for a week and allows me to trade in the real life stresses and online universe for much-needed relaxation outdoors. Here's a Friday Lite post with some snippets of My D-Life Around The Campfire and nearby places. Moonlight, Campfire, & The Darkness Outdoors: This was my 5th year in the past decade on a summer camping adventure, and the the third straight in late July heading up to the northern part of Lower Michigan with friends. But it was my first where I wasn't pumping, but rather endured Multiple Daily Injections. My sugars were pretty steady or even slightly Low a majority of the time, and only a few times did they rise Higher when overeating and not compensating with enough insulin. Daytime was easy enough. But after dark presented some challenges. Being at a Michigan state park helped, as there were lighted restrooms, showers, running water and electricity. Washing the hands was easy eno...