Your 15 Minutes of Fame
dLifeTV is recruiting people to appear in upcoming shows on pumping, type 2 diabetes medications, and dealing with diabetes in the workplace. Find out more about these and other dLifeTV topics here.
Comments
- At 01:20 PM on Sat, Oct 14, 2006 Kimmie wrote:
I have had type 1 diabetes since Sept 1993. I feel that it controls me most of time. I have very hard to control blood sugars which roller coaster everyday and I need to at times change my ratio's each day.I take 5 shots of Humalog, Levemir and 3 shots of Symlin as long as I am not nausaed each day plus I check my sugar 5-7 times each day. Besides Diabetes I have been suffering from severe miagraines that causes my heart beat funny and has caused me to pass out several times. The hard thing is these episodes copy low sugar reaction's and no Dr can find out excatly what to do to help me. The good thing they seem to be connected to my period so I only have to deal with them for about a week each month. I work at great place with some really awesome co-workers. They always keep a constant eye on me and are able to let me go rest just about anytime during day and I can eat whenever I need to. califoriagal75@hotmail.com
- At 03:39 PM on Fri, Oct 13, 2006 Eva Clarke wrote:
Hi! I developed Type 1 diabetes 6 years ago. I had gestational diabetes with my last 2 pregnancies, but since I'm thin and exercise, the doctors told me it would go away. I wear an insulin pump, and surprise people all the time, because taking care of my diabetes is just second nature and not an obstacle to living a normal life. In fact I'm leaving for my yearly trip abroad, this time to India for 2 weeks. I am passionate about raising money for research for a cure, in the meantime, I'm staying as healthy as I can by eating well, walking and yoga.
- At 10:22 AM on Fri, Oct 13, 2006 Carey Campbell wrote:
I am going through a tough time at work. I have pretty much been laid off because they cannot find a place for me to work that is within 150 miles of my husband's job and our home. My employer is just so ignorant about Type 1 Diabetes and "their" doctor is just as stupid. I was a State Trooper and had a lot of difficulty with low blood sugars after my son was born. I was in an accident in the state's car. They transferred me to a Dispatcher position. I found out that dispatcher's are second class citizens when it comes to lunch and breaks. There were days I would not get lunch. I had several low blood sugars at work due to this. My supervisors said that they would accommodate meals and breaks into my schedule. It didn't happen. The higher ups got word and sent me back to their not so brilliant doc. He advised I needed a M-F job during normal business hours. Again, they could not provide one close that would accommodate my hubby and my kids. I applied for short term disability until a position near me would be open at the end of the year. I was later informed since I had used all of my leave and their doc wouldn't sign the disability papers that I would be put on conditional employment! That means if my position is filled before the papers are somehow signed, I will have to re-apply with the Department!!!!!!!! I am so aggravated right now. They have done nothing to accommodate me!
- At 01:38 PM on Wed, Oct 11, 2006 Ted Quick wrote:
For Dennis D,
I'm also in Ohio, but there IS a way to fight your employer for your rights with diabetes. File an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accomadation request with them. This Federal law requires them to accept or reject your request, and rejecting it leads to further trouble for them if they don't have an overwhelming reason, basically that it is too expensive for them to do, Also note that the ADA can only be applied to employers with more than 25 employees, but the Ohio Civil Rights law copy of the ADA applies to any employer with 4 or more employees. They cross file any charge made by the other agency. The ADA carries fines of at least $55,000 if they are not in compliance.
You are not asking for what others need, but what your disability requires. This is the most common accomadation made for diabetics, and really costs them nothing. I necessary you can work extra at the end of the day to make up your time.
I know a bit about this since I am a Type 1 that has had it for 50+ years, since 1956 when I was 5 years old. During the '80s I was persecuted at work for my diabetes and helped push the ADA being passed through publishing a newsletter for the local JDF chapter. I'm also about to file again against my current employer.
I've been using insulin pumps for almost 13 years, first 2 MiniMed pumps at 5 years each, now an Animas 1250.
- At 07:33 PM on Tue, Oct 10, 2006 Doreen Taylor wrote:
I have had Type 1 since 1974. I was doing alright unil 1999, when I had a low blood sugar while driving because I have hypoglycemia unawareness. I ended up against a telephone poll and decided to get off the NPH insulin and go on an insulin pump. It's much easier to control and my last Hgba1c was 5.8. I am a RN and CDE and have helped others with this disease because they know I know what they are going through.
- At 12:23 PM on Tue, Oct 10, 2006 Dennis D wrote:
I have had a terrible time at work with my diabetes. I know what I am supposed to do, but if you have an employer who doesn't want to work with you for breaks and lunch, it becomes that more difficult to control diabetes. It has become even more difficult lately because of reduced staffing and an even heavier work burden with more responsibilty. I happen to work in a state (Ohio) where the only people that "have"to have breaks/lunch are minors. My health care provider has asked about the problem and is amazed when I inform him about the situation, but can offer no solution.The state can offer no help because of the laws. I even asked the ADA for advice and couldn't get any. I don't want to blame someone else for my problems and I'll take some of the blame. But, you can't just quit a job and find another one around the corner in the next ten minutes. I would like to be positive about the whole thing. Right now I am having a difficult time doing that.
- At 10:25 PM on Mon, Oct 9, 2006 Debbie McHugh wrote:
I was diagnosed with Type I in 1968 at the age of 10. I never felt I would be around for a long time so I made the best of it. Ran away to the Fl.Keys in an 18 wheeler and never returned home. I've had some lows even the EMT's were amazed at, 17 & 18mg/dl. I've been on the pump for four years, it has it's good and bad. Still doesn't stop me. I sky-dive, rollerblade, ride my Harley and whatever else I can. Diabetes is always a backseat driver in my life. It keeps me level, not grounded.
- At 01:54 PM on Mon, Oct 9, 2006 Leslie wrote:
I would like to encourage my daughter to better her health by helping me out more and helping her realize that she can do everyday activities and that diabetes is not an excuse, that it can be better. Also I would like have a little encourage myself because I find very hard to do so with all on my plate 3 children two of need for daily medicines and a daily medicine for myself with the help of not really anyone.
- At 12:47 PM on Mon, Oct 9, 2006 vicki kaufman wrote:
Not only do I have type II diabetes........I am allergic to sorbitol, corn syrup, fructose, bran and yesterday I found out the very painful way, I cannot eat products with wheat germ. Can someone assist me with my planning of meals? If I find a food I can eat I eat it day after day after day. My meds for diabetes are prandin and glucophage. By the way I am 68 years young and want to look forward to eating more than I am eating. Thank you for your help.
- At 12:03 PM on Sun, Oct 8, 2006 john s. barrow wrote:
i can tell you some horror stories i have had to
deal with while at work with hypoglycemia - At 11:20 PM on Sat, Oct 7, 2006 Linda Tempco wrote:
Hi my name is Linda and I have been a diabetic sence Sept. of 2000. I was on pills then about 6 months latter I got a urinary track infection and my sugars were still hi after that and my doctor checked to see what I was producing on ny own, he said it not to much. and he wanted me to go on shots.
- At 10:32 PM on Fri, Oct 6, 2006 Brenda Altschul wrote:
I am 65 years old and have had Type 1 diabetes for 45 years. During June and July I received extensive pump training at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. In August, I stopped using injections (at that time I was on five shots per day) and began pump therapy using the new Insulet Omnipod. I am doing quite well and am very proud of having been able to make this transition at this time in my life. It's been a rough road because the remote controlled Omnipod pump is not without technical problems. I am hopeful that in the future, with some design changes, this pump will function more dependably, and I'm happy to be using it right now.
- At 12:30 PM on Fri, Oct 6, 2006 Victoria MacFarlane wrote:
I have been a diabetic since 1978. After enduring horrific highs and lows, I decided it was time to try an insulin pump. I received my first pump in 1994 and have enjoyed more controlled bg's without the complications of shots (I was taking 5 shots a day). My A1C dropped from an all time high of 11 to 6.6. It's still a difficult road with diabetes, but knowledge of the disease and Q and A's from others brings a better understanding of how individual diabetes is to each person in symptoms and treatment.
I would like to have someone clarify type 1 and type 2 on your show. I have a child with type 1 and know several adults with type 2. There is no comparison. One disease is totally insulin dependent while the other can be usually controlled by pills and lifestyle. Type 1 is totally autoimmune which strikes mostly children. I wish that people would change the name of type 1 diabetes to autoimmune disorder so it is not associated with type 2. This is not fair to the millions of people with type 1 to be in the same category disease as another disease that can be controlled most of the time by pills, diet and exercise. Type 1 diabetics are on isulin and that's it!!! They don't have any choices of pills or any other medications. If you would ask a child what they're life is like pricking themselves 7-10 times a day, because they're bodies need the hormone, insulin,they would tell you that it has to be managed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It's a big DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!