January 30th, 2010 by

The BYETTA Let’s Talk Atlanta will be making it’s stop at Atlanta’s Dogwood Festival at Piedmont Park which will be taking place April 13th – April 15th.

Upon visiting the BYETTA Let’s Talk booth at the festival you will be able to speak to Delta Burke who is currently the spokeswoman for the Let’s Talk Campaign. She along with Virginia Valentine, Chef Smith and Nikki Kimbrough of Bally Total Fitness, are trying to spread the word on the importance of a healthier more active lifestyle when battling diabetes.

If you suffer from diabetes or are the caretaker of someone with diabetes and are in the Atlanta area please stop by and see what the BYETTA Let’s Talk Campaign has to say. After all, knowledge is power.

Related Posts

1. FDA Warning On Byetta – Is It Safe?
2. What Does the Diabetes Drug Byetta and the Gila Monster Have in Common with Causes Weight Loss?
3. BYETTA Let’s Talk in Boston

Source: Ken

January 29th, 2010 by

I am SO itching to write my updates from Sundance, including posting photos and really describing how unreal this has been for my husband, but Internet access is pretty crap here, and I’ve had a lot of trouble keeping up with the online world.  Monday, I’m all over it.

What did dawn on me is how much has changed in the last 4 1/2 years, since I started this blog.  Back then, I had a different last name, lived in my own little apartment in South County, RI, and worked at a job that made my skin crawl.  I didn’t know another soul who had diabetes, nevermind having access to hundreds of other people with diabetes who really "get it," you know? 

It’s str
ange, chronicling life with diabetes and seeing how much has changed in the last few years. So much has happened, from moving to Connecticut and then planning a wedding and then marrying Chris, and then all the stuff with our respective careers and now little Ms. BSparl?  Some really tough times, some really triumphant times, and all the gray (like Siah) parts in between, many shared with you guys. 

And it started with one crappy little post back in May 2005, when I was just learning what the hell a blog ("blaaaaaaaaahgh") was, and how it could help me heal, emotionally, in the ways I didn’t realize I was a little broken.

*   *   *

I could go through the hassle of establishing a non de plume, but I wasn’t thinking when I set this up and I signed in with my real name. Note to Potential Stalkers: Please don’t.

The purpose of this is to make contact with other diabetics. It’s one of those diseases (or maybe they’re all this way, I’m not sure) where even if you have the mechanics of it completely mastered, the psychological battle is just as daunting. Every time I test my bloodsugar, the result stirs me up emotionally. If I’m high, I feel guilty. Or surprised. Or angry. If I’m low, I feel anxious. And slightly panicky. Or confused. A normal reading level might make me feel cocky. Or successful. But they all make me feel something. And it’s not just physiological. There is so much involved in the daily maintenance of diabetes that a support network isn’t just nice, it’s necessary.

Reach out. Ask questions. Answer the litany I’m sure to ask. Network network network. And when that doesn’t work, just repeat repeat repeat.

*   *   *

Funny how everything has changed, but absolutely nothing’s changed.  (Thanks for the line, Eddie Vedder.) How long have you been blogging, and what made you decide to take the leap into the online unknown?

Source: Six Until Me.

January 29th, 2010 by

Earlier this week, I got word that a woman who called herself “Goddess” online has passed away. She had over 6,000 friends on the DiabeticConnect community site. To be honest, I didn’t know much about her other than the tips and questions she posted very regularly.  Still, it’s the oddest (and saddest) sensation when any [...]

Source: AmyT

January 28th, 2010 by

We have a special treat for today’s edition of The Diabetic Partner Follies, the series featuring partners and loved ones of diabetics.
Today our guest is Andreina Davila, the behind-the-scenes partner at one of our largest online diabetes communities, TuDiabetes.org. Her husband is of course founder and diabetes advocate extraordinaire, Manny Hernandez. Andreina isn’t just a [...]

Source: AmyT

January 28th, 2010 by

I love, love, love the search terms that bring people to my blog. As I’ve mentioned before, most of the terms are related to diabetes, but there are some real ringers that come through … and those are the ones I want to share today. 

first man to describe type one diabetes – I thought, at first, that this said "first man to walk on the moon with diabetes."  It doesn’t actually say that.  It doesn’t say anything close to that.  The end.

sexy infusion set placement – What’s sexier than an insulin pump infusion set?  Not much, actually.  No matter where you stick it, it’s proof that you’re aiming for good control.  Rawr.

is martini good for diabetics - Yes.  So is proper verb/noun agreement.  Next question?

baked and fried diabetes brains – I can’t even respond to this. 

nothing says lovin’ like a bun in the oven – And nothin’ says lovin’ like leavin’ off the apostrophe.  ‘

no one understands how much I love Yanni – I do, dear friend.  Testing 1 … 2 … Yanni?

should I marry a man with
type 1 diabetes – Yes.  It would be sweet.  (PUNS!  Love them.)

up to my ears in cats – Don’t I know it, sister.

… I’m sorry.  I can’t get past the baked and fried diabetes brains ones.  I’m going to have to talk to Google and find out what the hell sent that search term here. In the meantime, what’s the weirdest search term to lead to your blog?

Source: Six Until Me.

January 27th, 2010 by

2 diabetes medications have helped some patients control their weight.

Barbara Oster has had diabetes for 15 years, and her medication wasn’t working so well, reported WBAL-TV in Baltimore.

“It just blows you up, makes you feel like you’re gaining all this weight,” she said.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved two new diabetes drugs — Byetta and Symlin — that studies have proved help patients control their illness and cut back their eating.

“One of the lovely side effects of both drugs is people tend to lose weight,” said Dr. Paula Yutzy, a diabetes educator at Baltimore’s Mercy Medical Center.

Byetta comes from the saliva of a scary-looking lizard — the Gila monster. The drugs mimic the effects of hormones, helping to regulate the disease by controlling liver functions and digestion, as well as making patients feel more full.

Yutzy said she’s glad the medications have reached the public.

“When you have diabetes, you don’t have cruise control, and so you have to monitor your blood sugar, watch what you’re eating, take your medicine — there’s a lot more involved in staying at the right speed,” Yutzy said.

The drugs have to be injected, but Oster said it’s no big deal for most diabetics because the needles are tiny.

“The girls at work, when I stick my fingers, say, ‘OK, let me get out of the room!’ But it doesn’t hurt,” she said.

Patients still have to watch their diet, exercise and monitor their other drugs.

“It has taken a long time to bring this drug to market, but those of us in the diabetes world are very excited about it,” Oster said.

Oster has only been taking Symlin for two weeks, but she said she already feels positive results.

Related Posts

1. How Byetta Helped My Out of Control Diabetes
2. Top Gun Training Tactics Result In Better Care For Inner-City Diabetes Patients
3. What Does the Diabetes Drug Byetta and the Gila Monster Have in Common with Causes Weight Loss?

Source: Ken

January 27th, 2010 by

My 12-year-old daughter’s become obsessed with a website called FMyLife, if you’ll excuse the expression.  It’s a collection of mishaps and hard luck stories that might not be a bad model for the StupidDiabetes.com concept we discussed here, come to think of it.
But what I wanted to point out was an entry about diabetes that [...]

Source: AmyT