Again. Would like to be packed and brought with Olivia. I can easily fit into a duffel bag. :)

Congratulations, Carey!!! The JDRF is so fortunate to have you... :)

Dear Lovemydad - Thank you for your note. I am glad that you found something in this piece that touched you. I am sorry about your dad - but I know that your love must give him a comfort beyond any other that exists in this life. I'll think good thoughts for you and your family. All the Best - Nicole

Thanks, Scott... This is probably the thing that I get hung up on most these days... Because I'm working so hard to maintain the progress I've made... Days like yesterday make me furious. - I'm glad to be back... :) Nicole

Julia - I'm glad you had the conversation - and that O seemed responsive. I've told you before, but I simply can't imagine being in your shoes. Living with this thing inside of you is one thing; having to care for someone with this thing inside is a whole other ball of wax. I admire you for all you do for O and for your other girls.

Might I suggest that showing O photos/stories about people who've lost feet, etc. because of poor control isn't the best idea... When you're a kid you can see all the photos of amputated feet and gangrene and blindness in the world - and still believe (wholeheartedly) that can't happen to me/that won't happen to me. It's easy to separate yourself from it when you're a teen - that whole "invincibility thing" is in full-force. What about the opposite tact? What about having O spend some time - real, face to face, one on one time - with Kerri or with me or with another adult who's living well and healthy - but who knows what a pain in the ass it is to have to heft this thing around with you all day?

My mother showed me photos of people with diabetes complications many times when I was a teenager - and in my early twenties - when I was going days without insulin, not ever testing, and generally doing anything I could to put diabetes in a corner where I couldn't see it - and it couldn't see me. I never quite made the associations my mother was hoping for. Though I feared things like losing my eyesight - I don't think I actually made the connection between my behaviors and the complications - I thought of it more as a "duration" thing - the longer I have this the more likley for me to get complications... The older I get - the more likely I am to get complications. And really, at thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, even twenty one - how often do we picture ourselves old (even healthy old)? Does that makes sense?

Anyhow - let me know if I can be of help in any way.

:) - Nicole

Dear Teadym - Thank you for your comment. You've reminded me that I really need to put another post up on here.

I am so sorry for your loss. I'd love to email you - but I have no email address - so I'm leaving you mine here: coletoy@yahoo.com - please write, I'm happy to share with you some ways you can make a difference.

Thanks again. - Nicole

How about this.

In the middle of the day - say to her, "I keep hearing this terrible noise. Oh, it's just an awful sound..."

"Oh, really???" She'll say...

Then you say, "Oh, wait, it's just your breathing... Can you try not to do that so loud??? I think it might be making me crazy..."

If she doesn't take that hint. I would TURN the beeping up as LOUD AS IT CAN GET... To blot out her annoying huffs...

I really don't like this woman, and I don't even know her...

Twikan - As I said in my comment, I think that some Doctors/CDEs would find a 5.9% too low because of the danger of low bloodsugars - I would imagine that their having both the A1C number AND the bloodsugar results of the person made them think to say that it was too low. A 5.9% that comes with lows in the 20s or 30s probably means it's being attained with lows and then rebounding highs... Not a great choice if you can attain a 6.2 or 6.3 or even 6.5% with minimal low bloodsugars.

Perhaps for you that level isn't too high - maybe it's perfect given your circumstance. I know for me, being on insulin for 25 years and prone to not recognizing my low bloodsugars, an A1C of 5.6% is too low - I'd end up with a lot of lows and put myself in a dangerous situation by getting to that level. My doc is happy with me if I'm anywhere between 5.9% and 6.8% - as long as he's not seeing lots of lows in my bloodsugar log.

Everyone is different - but I'd bet a lot of docs get nervous about lots of lows with patients on meds that can change their bloodsugar situation so quickly and put them into perilous situations.

I'm glad you're able to control as you do - I wish you luck going forward and I hope that you're able to stay off the meds...

Bill - She can say it's too low - because we are NOT non-diabetics. A 5.9% can come, for a person with diabetes taking synthetic insulin or other medication, with dangerous low bloodsugars. That's the unfortunate truth. For the record - for a non-diabetic, lab-standard A1C in normal range is 4.0 to 6.0%, not 4.6 to 4.8% as you state. And most docs and CDES recommend A1C at or lower than 6.5% or 7.0%... This is, in the grand scheme a good deal higher than a 5.9%.

Here, here, George. I agree wholeheartedly. These numbers are data - not self-judgement markers... They give us context regarding where we've been and inform our decisions to get us where we want to be... :) - Nicole