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Should kids be in charge of their shots?
Topics sometimes converge in the worlds of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Diabetes. Kids needing injections is one of those topics. Parents do not need reminding about how difficult it can be to give injections. Recently my friend Christine Swab wrote a lovely blog for CreakyJoints about the question of kids using needles. With her permission I am reposting the item here and on several diabetes related outlets. Obviously there are differences in how we deal with Insulin verses RA medications. Most of us do not use Lanacane spray, and insulin is...
read moreAll of Me
I have been segmented, subdivided and otherwise dissected by the medical establishment, and as a human being I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. I do have this need for people to see the whole me—or as Frank Sinatra once sang, “All of me. Why not take all of me?” Instead, pieces and parts of me are seen through the distinctive lens of my cardiologist, endocrinologist, therapist, rheumatologist, dermatologist, family practitioner, neurologist and numerous nurse practitioners, altogether I see 16 terrific professionals all of which I...
read moreDiabetes Online Community
Report of the Non-Participant in Social Media Burnout Blog Day You likely noticed that September 1, 2015 was Diabetes online Social media Burnout Blog day. I chose not to participate (I will explain). But before I get into the whole issue, I want to clarify it is great that everyone blogged on the same day about the same topic. I am a big fan of doing that activity. It gives power and spirit to what we write. Why I Chose not to participate First, I was burnt out, I had been away all weekend and I just did not have the strength or will to sit...
read moreTrust Yourself
Kathy Putzier and I have been friends for at least 8 years. We became friends because we share a love of classic rock music, including Dylan, Neil Young and all the rest. After we became friends, we found that we have been people with diabetes for almost the same amount of time. In addition, we share similar journeys with our diabetes, which includes resignation, neglect and coming to terms with diabetes (I have found this is more common than not, for people diagnosed in the first half of the 1970’s). So today please welcome my dear...
read moreI carry a purse – a diabetes story in 4 parts
I carry a purse. I know it may seem odd about how a 58 year old man in Indiana to carry a purse. It is a diabetic story told in 4 parts. I hope you enjoy it. Part 1 onset: In 1974 when I was diagnosed with diabetes men were men and women were women and yeah, never mind, it was the same then as now. Anyway, when I was diagnosed men carried two items reliably, a billfold and keys. We carried change because what other good choice did we have? We are men after all. At any rate, I swore I would never carry anything that looked like a purse. We (me...
read moreWagner Lake, Camping, Canines and Cats, Oh My!
Today I am so pleased to have my friend Trudy guest blog. Trudy and I met on TUDiabetes and she has become a trusted and much loved confident of mine. She gives me encouragement to write and for that I am eternally grateful. Trudy wrote this post as a reflection of her life. She has five chronic conditions, including diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis so her thoughts are pertinent to this site. In addition to being a gifted writer Trudy is also a poet, and at the end of this post she blesses us with two poems. Wagner Lake or, Camping, Canines...
read moreIntroducing Hank the Rheumatoid Arthritis Weeble person
I have been noticing stairs. I suppose when you are not walking so well you see things like stairs. I see the stairs as obstacles. I have friends who see them as barriers without resolution. The thing is, once you see them, really see them, you cannot help but notice. They are seemingly everywhere. Yet when you are not looking, they are nowhere. Trifecta That is the issue with all chronic disease. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis and Type 1 Diabetes. These are all autoimmune diseases and they all leave a genetic artifact on...
read moreRA and the View from Behind
I am a slow walker and frankly I am tired of the view from behind. I like walking side-by-side or ahead—I hate behind. These days I am slow, and as the effects of Rituxan seem to fade, I am increasingly slower and even more behind when walking. I can manage Admittedly, it is not terrible. I realize other folks with rheumatoid arthritis have it much worse. So to keep my dislike of dragging around behind the pack in perspective, I try to find some humor in my slowness situation. As I fall behind I imagine being towed. When my hands hurt, I say...
read moreDiabetes is random sometimes
Today I am introducing my friend Trip Stoner (better known by the picture of her trusty puppy). Trip and I met on TUDiabetes.net a few years ago and we hit it off immediately. Trip is funny, kind and all the rest you woudl want in a friend. I hope you will welcome Trip and her incredible story of Random Spikes of Highs, Lows, and Butterfly Farts One of my children had a favorite high school teacher who once was complaining about one of his students who tended to get up and move around the classroom. “Good Gracious” he said, “You are...
read moreThe Lilly 25 year diabetes medal
My mom was a person with diabetes. I have written about it many times. So this blog is not so much about my mother, but more about me and what receiving the Lilly 25 year award meant. I have had diabetes for 41 years. A few months back a friend of mine said she had received her 25 year medal from Eli Lilly Journey awards program. I inquired, about the medal, she showed me a picture of it and I then asked the inevitable question, what proof does one need. She explained the program to me and how to qualify and I proceeded with the task at hand....
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