Dear Diabetes, You Suck

life with type 1 diabetes

Year: 2015 (Page 4 of 6)

xDrip Parts Ordered, Adventure Begun

May 13, 2015 /

you know how when I barely passed “Intro to EE for non-majors” and said that I would never use physics, or circuits, or electric engineering ever again… yeah… #neversaynever

So I took a look at the xDrip specs and basic requirements… my assessment: do-able, but including material/knowledge I haven’t touched in awhile…but when I was learning it last time I didn’t have a reason to care… so here we go.  I’ve ordered all the components, a bunch from Adafruit (great company — check them out @adafruit), along with a basic soldering kit, it seemed the better option than putting one together myself, having not done anything with circuits since before I could drive… maybe in college, but let’s be real, who remembers anything from Thursday night 8pm labs… all I was trying to do was get it done and get out with my friends, haha. So back to the books for me 🙂

Turns out parts for these types of projects aren’t as available on amazon prime as my usual projects, so although I’m rearing to go, it might be a few weeks until all the parts are in… I guess that gives me time to study the plans and brush up on my physics/EE. This is getting real… bring it on diabetes, you’re going down. Back to learning… this shit is so fun!

Sited/Relevant: @NightscoutProj #WeAreNotWaiting @StephenIsTaken #xDrip @adafruit

so this might seem like rocket science…

May 12, 2015 /

Screen Shot 2015-05-07 at 5.31.25 PM

so the other day I spiked right after breakfast, I had just been to the doctor and I thought “what the hell, I thought the adjustments were supposed to fix this…” pause and rewind for a hot minute… I failed to take into consideration that the previous night at 1am my OmniPod had expired-expired (meaning passed the additional 8 hours it gives you to change it)… did I get up to change it? no. did I think ahead and change it before I went to bed? no. I thought about it and then I was already warm and comfortable and didn’t want to strip down to have to apply/remove pods, I just wanted to go to bed… so first I get woken up with a low alarm, which I ignore, then I get woken up with the pod alarm (which is way worse than the dexcom… ear piercingly loud), only to silence it and go back to sleep, to be woken up and then ignore the dexcom at least once more… so basically, all this technology I wear does not stand up to an idiot who refuses to use it properly… and when I spike after breakfast… maybe it has to do with me not having insulin in my system for the previous 7 hours… just maybe, you know? who knows? that doesn’t sound reasonable? or like science (#sarcasm)… so the answer is… not rocket science… change my pods on time, listen to my dexcom, and only expect good results if I’m putting in good effort… new page, new day, new chance to get it right… one minute, one moment at a time

Preparing for your Night Scout Build – Extra Help

May 11, 2015 /

I had a great time building my Night Scout, but I was really nervous about having the right parts to complete the build. The directions for building the Night Scout are incredibly detailed and amazing, that being said, sometimes I need a little extra help — here are some extra pictures and detail to help you prepare before starting your Night Scout build.  I have explained my decisions, but if you want the a + b directions they are in blue bold text through out this post.

First to clarify, I am building the least complicated model — just the Dexcom reciever to an android phone, not including the pebble or any other additional device (I plan to add/upgrade later).

Physical Components: 

The 4 things you need: Dexcom G4 Receiver, USB to mini USB cable (same as the cable used to charge your Dexcom), Smartphone supporting USB OTC and an OTC cable

1) Your Dexcom G4 Receiver and the USB to mini USB cable used to charge your Dexcom (any USB to USB mini cable can be used)

2) Smartphone supporting USB OTC — I could attempt to explain, or link to explanations, of OTC technology and how to tell if a phone is going to work, but our reality is that we just want this to work… with that in mind, I highly suggest just buying a phone that has been validated rather than going through your build and being frustrated by it not working. The Night Scout Build Page give a full list of phones that work with carrier details and a list of phones that have not worked. Here is a consolidated list of devices that I used to determine which phone to buy.

From looking at this list, and reading other people’s build stories, I would recommend picking up a version of the Samsung Galaxy (Other than the Mini or the Core Prime, see my simplified list of OTC phones)  — that being said, for cost purposes, since the phone does not need to work as a phone, only as a data transfer device, picking up any proven phone model from eBay or a certified pre-owed from your current cell phone carrier is a totally valid option. I fully tested my rig with an eBay purchased Samsung Galaxy 3 on wifi only, before investing in adding an additional phone to my wireless plan (enabling my Night Scout to work when wifi is not available).

The phone must be running Android v 4.x for the Night Scout app to work. If you are also interested in building the xDrip device the device will need to be on Android v 4.3 in order to support BLE.

3) OTC Cable(s) – again, here I could explain/link to explanations, but rather than all that — this is the OTC cable I purchased, I prefer the “L” shaped end of the cable to help minimize the chances of the cables being knocked loose. The linked cable is a two pack, as with any other technology, I would recommend at least two cables for replacement purposes, but also for testing, to ensure your rig is working (see other Night Scout documentation for more information on cables, replacements/reliability).

My current rig consists of a Samsung Galaxy 3 purchased on eBay, previously used on Verizon, the above linked OTC cable,  my Dexcom G4 receiver and a USB to USB mini cable as pictured below.

Once you have the components — I suggest that you verify your version of the Android operating system before starting with the build. 

Now you are ready to build your Night Scout device! Start here!

Simplified Night Scout Phone List

May 11, 2015 /

Below is the summarized list of phones that I used to make my decision when building my Night Scout Device*

Night Scout Phone List

 

*It should be noted I compiled this list based on available Night Scout information, after first failing using another phone. Additionally, this list does not include carrier information, some phones have only been tested on specific carriers, for my purposes I assumed that the technology was based on the device and would be compatible with a wifi only build, and then later with a build on a major carrier — this is not necessarily true, it was my assumption that has held so far for my builds.

you don’t have to be okay, and everything doesn’t have to be fine

May 11, 2015 /

these words might sound kind of depressing out of context, but when a friend said this to me it was absolutely freeing… I was ramping up to a full scale panic attack, trigger by something I couldn’t identify, scaring the crap out of people around me (or so I thought) — as I was slowly backing away from friendly faces as if they were trying to mug me in a dark alley, all I can remember saying over and over again is “I’m okay, everything is fine.” And through the mist, a voice of a friend, a new friend at that point, telling me that I was okay as I was, even in my not-okay-ness. “you don’t have to be okay and everything doesn’t have to be fine.” it was like someone pulled the power cord from my panic attack… I have been to a lot of therapy and no therapist has been able to diffuse me that fast. I was all of a sudden okay in my not-okay-ness, I was still scared and shook up, and left to try to explain myself, but with the knowledge that someone else understood enough to meet me where I was, and love me enough not to ask me to change or fix myself — that I was enough, even in my unravelled state.

I still don’t remember what had spooked me so bad, I give it an 89% chance that it had to do with diabetes… scratch that… everything in my life has to do with diabetes… but seriously, I don’t even know. What I do know is that this little piece of wisdom is applicable in every single part of my life. Yes, I am happy to report that sometimes I am okay and everything is fine or I am even better than fine and life is fantastic, but remembering that I don’t have to force everything to be okay all the time, or pretend that it is, is a wonderful thing. the end.

Night Scout Victory! and my next project…

May 10, 2015 /

So I got the new phone (samsung galaxy 3)… and it worked. So excited. Like I said before, I won’t necessarily be using this all the time, but it was cool to see how it worked — and if I were a parent rather than the type 1, I’m sure I would be more keen to use it everyday. The next project I’m looking at is the xdrip (formerly DexDrip) that was  — you can find an intro here. The xDrip is a project put together by Stephen Black (@StephenIsTaken) that is so cool — find the git info here — basically taking NightScout and getting rid of the cable, Dexcom G4 to android without dexcom share — and then on top of that there is NightWatch that takes the information from xDrip, NightScout, or DexShare, and transmits to an android wear device.

I know that I will have this Dex-to-wrist capability once I get my new DexShare receiver and Apple Watch (both pending arrival), but until they arrive, and also because I think it will be fun to see how it works, I will be starting on this project.

I fell like I have just opened my eyes to trying to live a better life instead of just knowing there is a way and being stuck in fear that nothing will work and I’ll still be stuck where I am… if I don’t try I’ll still be here anyway, at least if I do try I get to keep working on really cool projects… next up, wireless xDrip bridge…

@NightscoutProj  @StephenIsTaken #WeAreNotWaiting

Night Scout Project… in progress

May 8, 2015 /
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nightscout.info — @NightScoutProj — #WeAreNotWaiting — #Awesome

So I got over my pride of “I don’t need this” and “I should know how to do this” and decided to build a night scout rig… even though there is no way in hell I am letting my parents monitor my numbers from across the country (perks of a late diagnosis), I could transmit to see my numbers from my primary phone so I don’t have to pull the dexcom out of my briefcase all the time… I think it’s over kill for me, but I want to understand how it works, it is ridiculous that this doesn’t exist already… I am learning more about it so I can be part of the solution.

Progress: I have the db end all setup (great directions!) — ordered the right OTC cable (plus a spare) from amazon… Best Buy was even less helpful than I expected them to be… then neither of the android phones I have seemed to work (one that I bought for the project and one that I had laying around), so I bought a Samsung Galaxy 3 that has been proven to work according to the Night Scout documentation — it arrived today, it’s charging now, so I’m hoping to get a working rig together tonight…

 

@NightscoutProj #WeAreNotWaiting

A shitty doctor’s appointment… as expected

May 7, 2015 /

my numbers have been shit, I know this, also I was traveling which rained crap all over my routine… nevertheless I am determined to keep the travel in my routine, so I’m adjusting my diabetes around my life and not the other way around. That being said… my numbers really were shit and I did really say “fuck it” a couple times… I mean I was 300+ or under 70 pretty much the whole time I was in NYC, in Denver I mistook a sugar drop as altitude adjustment and very nearly passed out (40)… there were some learning opportunities… on the whole it was an amazing trip, a testament to the fact that I can be away if and when I need to be… that it’s okay to ask for help, and there are creative solutions for when living on my own is sub-optimal, other than hiring a nanny for myself… go me! But really my numbers are shit, so I’m getting back on that now… back to paleo light… and “remember to eat” alarms, if that’s what it takes, then there it is… today is a positive day, there was a lot of swearing about this yesterday, my lap time to sanity is getting shorter — big improvement, xo

mystery and danger?

April 21, 2015 /

meh, not so much…. Mystery and Danger of Type 1 Diabetes, an NYT article found here

so far as I understand the article it breaks down to

stress > destabilization of immune system > Type 1 diabetes

while I agree with the premise, it’s basically republishing of really simple information — Type 1 is an autoimmune disease, it is different than Type 2 and it’s annoying to have to explain the difference to everyone who’s grandmother/uncle/sister had diabetes and was able to get rid of it by working out more, or still has it because they exist off of mountain dew and cheetos… no, I’m not bitter or angry and all… working through it… anyway, while nice for Type 1 and the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 to get some press, it’s not exactly ground breaking, or all that interesting if you have a basic understanding of autoimmune disorders.

back on the horse… a new horse

April 13, 2015 /

so here’s the deal… I feel better when I do the shit that I know I should be doing (go figure)… get enough sleep, wake up at the same time, eat at the same times and on a regular schedule… walk in the am… and like magic my body needs less insulin, I feel better… and then I stop jacking up on caffeine and my anxiety totally levels out… I know it’s rocket science-y level shit. But here’s the thing, sometimes I still don’t do this stuff… I’m getting better. I’ve started a nutrition program through a friend and my sugars have become stable… like stupid ridiculous stable. I’ve upped my protein level, taken gluten out (again)… and I feel so much better, it’s like everything in my body is moving again. I’ve been walking in the morning too… that has made a big difference in the rest of my day, both with my sugars and with my mood, outlook… a lot of the time I walk down to the beach, I am always insight of the water, something to be grateful for — so many things to be grateful for… like being in a grateful mood right now, so next time I’m in a shit mood I can look back at this and remember that shit moods always end.

Yesterday I had to eat a bed time snack… I resent having to eat at night because it doesn’t match up with my health/fitness goals… but I was a bit low (80), too low to go to sleep without an assured dexcom wakeup 2 hours later… so I ate a rice cake with almond butter… and then another one, and then I ate almond butter out of the jar… because I triggered the hunger monster… and because deep down (sometimes not so deep down at all) I am SUPER resentful at Diabetes. Why should I have to eat when I don’t want to — it sucks. This morning I woke up in the 200s, a carb “hangover” if you will…I had two choices, I could say fuck it, skip breakfast like I prefer to, skip my walk because it’s “inconvenient” today, and sit right down to “work”… or I could do what I know works… go for a walk, down a protein shake, and start over today, at that moment… so that’s what I did… 12-ish hours later I’m back in the 140s and dropping down a bit… still fighting the fishtail effect from being so high… I should test and eat… so I think I will. I’m choosing me, my health, and trying to get out of my own way in the process. Life is good, the guidance is there… now I just have to put one foot in front of the other… xo

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