Living and Coping with Diabetes

A few weeks ago we received a an email update on the progress that is being made by Dr. Faustman and her team at Massachusetts General Hospital. The article was published by Diabetes In Control and it states that phase one of the clinical trial is actually progressing rapidly (it is ahead of schedule) and they are hoping to move into phase 2 of the trial quicker than previously expected.

In Phase 2 of the clinical trial Dr. Faustman and her team will be seeking to fine tune the amount of BCG which will be needed to reverse type 1 diabetes in humans. Specifically, they will be looking for the exact dosage and frequency with which it will need to be administered in order to have the appropriate affect on humans. BCG has been used successfully in humans for over 80 years. Tuberculosis and Bladder Cancer are two diseases which currently are being treated using BCG.

In our opininion, it’s very important for the diabetic community to spread the word about this important and ground breaking research. If enough people build momentum by bringing attention to this work it could possibly place this vaccine on a faster track for completion.  As you read this, we want to encourage you to get creative, think outside of the box… as a matter of fact, just throw the box away, and figure out ways to bring this work in front of the decision makers, that have the influence and financial wherewithal to make this cure a reality.

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Foot pain affects many diabetics…

We received a tweet from someone who wanted to recommend a brand of diabetic socks and foot wear that was very helpful in alleviating foot pain for his dad. We have not tried this brand personally… however, we wanted to share this information with you all in case someone may find a benefit from this type of product. Below you will find a brief synopsis of information along with the website.

Celliant/Health Sport socks and support braces, elbow sleeves are a newly created product. The Celliant yarn is patented and has been clinically proven to increase oxygen in the body, reduce pain, and help regulate body temperature.

Increased oxygen is known to promote quicker muscle recovery and healing. Increased circulation is a great thing for DIABETICS. My father is a Type II diabetic and he swears by the socks. Our product increases oxygen levels by up to 12%. You can look at the test and research results on our site www.clinicalcloset.com.

-Nick Lyle

http://twitter.com/nelyle

If you find this information helpful or if you know someone that may benefit from this type of service please pass this link on.

Here 2 Serve U

@DiabetesSupport

http://twitter.com/DiabetesSupport

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Tags: Diabetic Footwear, Foot Pain, Nerve Damage

On Yesterday @DiabetesSupport asked everyone to tweet about about a time when they discovered that their blood sugar levels hand gone unusually low. We did this to bring an awareness to some of the common experiences that we as people with diabetes share with one another. Well, needless to say there was quite an array of responses…. (smile) One of the responses was from @JennaNicoleS, and she suggested that we compile these @replies so that everyone could have an opportunity to read them.

We decided to take her up on that idea… below is the result of the tweets from everyone that were given on the subject of hypoglycemia. We hope that you find them insightful, and we are sure that you can relate. And if I may say… though this is a serious topic, some of the responses were very humorus and they gave us reason to pause and smile :o)

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with others… it helps to know that there is someone else there who can understand and relate to what you are going through at times.

* P.S. When reading through these tweets, if you see someone that has replied in chronological order start reading their tweets from the bottom up… I haven’t figured out how to flip them yet - smile.*

1. 

   shelbeewilliams@DiabetesSupport My daughter knows her blood sugar is low when she gets shakey and dizzy and her stomach feels funny34 minutes ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
2. 

   tparadella@DiabetesSupport When I start shiverring, shaking, absent-minded, light-headed, w/ difficulties in communicating…about 2 hours ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
3. 

   drdelacruz@DiabetesSupport sorry, I know hypoglycemia is not a funny, or fun occurence, but I just couldn’t pass it up. I see it in my pts often.about 3 hours ago from TwitterBerry
4. 

   drdelacruz@DiabetesSupport when the red neon “Fresh Donuts Here” sign goes off over your head.about 3 hours ago from TwitterBerry
5. 

   dgkdgk@DiabetesSupport It hits me very quickly and I start to feel like I’m very very drunk.about 4 hours ago from yoono in reply to DiabetesSupport
6. 

   Olivia200@DiabetesSupport When I cant focus my eyes on anything can look at something but eyes cant focus on itabout 4 hours ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
7. 

   cookinsforme@DiabetesSupport JK! When my heart is pounding, my hands are shaking, my teeth are chattering & I suddenly realize I could eat a 16 oz steakabout 4 hours ago from web
8. 

   cookinsforme@DiabetesSupport When the meter reads below 70? about 4 hours ago from web
9. 

   timothyevans@DiabetesSupport I know I have low blood sugar when I get tired, sweaty, and grumpy.about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to DiabetesSupport
10. 

    RHS76@DiabetesSupport I know when I’m going low when I complain of getting cold and disorientated.about 5 hours ago from mobile web
11. 

    endocrinewebRT @DiabetesSupport: How would you answer this question: “You know you have a low blood sugar when…?”about 5 hours ago from web
12. 

    LAtheDJ@DiabetesSupport Went to look for the muffins from the other day and that site is sold out. Do you know the full name of the product?about 5 hours ago from web
13. 

    onesweeterlife@DiabetesSupport to really know I have to test. a lot if times lows and highs feel the same.about 6 hours ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
14. 

    rclove4u@DiabetesSupport shakey sory bout the misspell I have an emergency shot now in case I ever pass out againabout 7 hours ago from mobile web
15. 

    rclove4u@DiabetesSupport u kno ur 2 low when ur shacky but quickly u go unconscious I was completely passed out and my family dumped o j down my thrabout 7 hours ago from mobile web
16. 

    DalekKillerRT @DiabetesSupport know you have a low blood sugar when your brain suddenly applies the brakes & you talk gibberishabout 7 hours ago from web
17. 

    mrtoure@DiabetesSupport — know I’m low when I start feeling shaky, or flighty.I usually check at that point, and am somewhere in the low 60’sabout 7 hours ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
18. 

    Kitsa@DiabetesSupport the HEADACHE! OMG, the headache is horrible when I’m low.about 7 hours ago from web
19. 

    Timthomson@DiabetesSupport My wife says I stand a particular way, left foot at 90 degree to right foot and start bouncing my leg. I think she’s rightabout 8 hours ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
20. 

    dustinkarnes@DiabetesSupport I know my sugars going low when I get a tingle on the roof of my mouth and my tongue and cant concentrate on anything.about 9 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to DiabetesSupport
21. 

    Nyxks@DiabetesSupport I haven’t got a clue I’ve never gone low since I’ve been monitoring myself lowest I’ve gone is 5.5 and that is within rangeabout 9 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to DiabetesSupport
22. 

    somebunnyslove@DiabetesSupport “You know you have a low blood sugar when?” I get “punch drunk” dizzy; my hands shake.about 9 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to DiabetesSupport
23. 

    bytesize23b@DiabetesSupport I waited too long when I start feeling a little dizzy, get sweaty, shaky and white spots in front of my eyes.about 10 hours ago from web
24. 

    victoriaaa_RT @DiabetesSupport: “You know you have a low blood sugar when?” /lightheadedness,feel faint,headache,feel really sick, get quite hotabout 10 hours ago from Snaptu
25. 

    evieness@DiabetesSupport i feel out of sorts, dizzy and slightly nauseous.about 11 hours ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
26. 

    Hollandsgirl414@DiabetesSupport I start acting like I’m drunk when I know I shouldn’t be.about 11 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to DiabetesSupport

    

27. theblakesterr@diabetessupport when you think nothing of ripping that pack of skittles out of a child’s hand and pouring them all into your mouth at once.about 11 hours ago from web
28. 

    kissaboo12@DiabetesSupport i no wen my sugar is low wen i get a really bad headache <<33><33><33><33>>about 11 hours ago from txt

29. 

    jhrbr your sweating, shaking, not thinking clearly, not seeing clearly, a sense that you are out of control and could collapse.about 6 hours ago

30. 

    JennaNicoleSwould u consider starting a blog that u could post all your @ replies to your questions? would be great resource to read!about 6 hours ago

31. pixie_ala_mode@DiabetesSupport My Dad knows when he gets dizzy.38 minutes ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
32. 

    nicole_rios@DiabetesSupport my hands start shaking and i sweat profuselyabout 1 hour ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport

33. mellow2yellow@DiabetesSupport its hard to tell btween the shakes due 2 my epilepsy but that is how I tell..My hands start shakin,I get hot,really scary.13 minutes ago from TwitterBerry
34. 

    hjhazarika@DiabetesSupport U know u have a low blood sugar when you feel everything around you is slowing down and you have shivering sensationabout 8 hours ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
35. 

    modkoko@DiabetesSupport I am now successfully managing it without med, so I don’t have hypo any longer about 9 hours ago from web
36. 

    modkoko@DiabetesSupport When I had Hypo I also felt like I was having an anxiety attack of some sort.about 9 hours ago from web
37. 

    modkoko@DiabetesSupport My doc switched me to the national brand that is readily available in most pharm; I no longer had to have the same issue.about 9 hours ago from web
38. 

    modkoko@DiabetesSupport After an emergency visit to the hospital in ambulance due to Hypo, I demanded to my doc to switch my supply company.about 9 hours ago from web
39. 

    modkoko@DiabetesSupport During that time I had too many hypo and was so scared all the time because I couldn’t test to confirm how I was doing.about 9 hours ago from web
40. 

    modkoko@DiabetesSupport The company keep saying they shipped my strips but I never got them. I had to go to my doc’s office 2 pick up more samples.about 9 hours ago from web
41. 

    modkoko@DiabetesSupport I had a difficulty with getting enough strips to test initially because my doc started to try new supply company.about 9 hours ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport
42. 

    modkoko@DiabetesSupport When I felt like all of my blood was suddenly draining from my head and I had a feeling of “sinking” into blackout.about 9 hours ago from web in reply to DiabetesSupport

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Tags: Blood Glucose Testing, Blood Sugar Levels, Hypogycemia

In a recent twitter post I tweeted about the affordability of testing supplies. We were surprised to find that while some diabetics are very concious about testing and monitoring their blood sugar levels they aren’t able to. If that weren’t surprising enough, the reasons for not being able to test and monitor were even more suprising.

Some expressed that their ability to test was limited; either because they don’t have any insurance and therefore they have to pay for their testing supplies out of pocket. Or the insurance that covers them has placed a cap on the amount of test strips they can receive in a given month.

U.S. citizens not having any insurance coverage was not surprising because we find that coverage is available in the U.S. if you are a child. Once you become an adult though you either have to have parents who can place you on their policy, have a good job with an affordable comprehensive diabetic insurance plan, or you have to be very sick before you will qualify for government insurance due to lack of affordability.

We were a little taken a back to find that some diabetics expressed their insurance companies were placing a cap on the amount of strips they were able to use monthly. Upon further investigation though we found that there is an amicable way to work through this. In short, you have to speak with your physician/endo and let them know about your desire to test more frequently. They then will be able to approach your insurance company on your behalf to request that the cap be lifted or raised so that you can test more often. A few of our diabetic twitter friends were tesing only 3 - 4 times per day because of the cap. So simply talking with your doctor will help you with overcoming this obstacle should you desire to test more frequently.

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Tags: Blood Glucose Testing, Blood Sugar Levels

Hi Everyone, We are going to be launching a video to help us raise financial support to cover medical expenses for our daughter and we would appreciate your help… If you have a facebook, twitter, mypace, wordpress blog, email (who doesn’t have email… smile) etc. We would be grateful if you’d help us spread the word about our daughters video.

We have put a thermometer on the sidebar of our page to keep track of our fundraising goal… as we get closer to reaching our goal we will place the amount in the thermometer.

Our family would like to thank everyone for all of the well wishes and the support that we have gotten thus far. Please don’t hesitate to leave Charla a tweet on our twitter page or on this blog post. Charla really enjoys getting mail… (smile).

Here is a link to the video: http://budurl.com/CharlasDiabetesStory

Please share it with your family, friends, co-workers, and community.

Sincerely,

Charla, Jovan, Sandra and John… (that’s me - smile)

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Tags: diabetes, Diabetic, Juvenile Diabetes

Many of you know that we are having an online book drive. The book drive is helping to raise money for our trip to New York to visit with Dr. Bernstein, and it’s helping to cover Charla’s on going medical expenses. Mrs. Doreen Sheinman heard about what we are doing and she was kind enough to speak with the principal at the school where she serves called Temple Israel. The response from the students, staff, and family members was heartfelt and overwhelming!!! Temple Israel has donated boxes of books and we are very grateful… (smile). We asked Charla if she would create a thank you card to show her and our family’s appreciation for all that Temple Israel has done to support us during this difficult time… take a look at the thank you card that charla has made… (smile).

Once again, we would like say that we are very, very, very, very, grateful for all that you have done for us…

Sincerely,

Charla, Jovan, Sandra and John

P.S. Others have expressed an interest in donating books toward our book drive. We will welcome all books, and we would really, really, appreciate “non-fiction” books in good to average conditon (i.e. biographies, self help, hobbies, textbooks, interesting titles etc.) 

If you would like to donate books contact us at: charla@livingandcopingwithdiabetes.com

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We have begun a book drive to help with raising monies for Charla’s trip to meet with Dr. Bernstein, and to help with covering her medical expenses. If you have books that you want to donate and you live in Brevard or Indian River County please contact us via email at: charla@living-and-coping-with-diabetes.com

We will welcome all books, and we would really, really, appreciate “non-fiction” books in good to average conditon (i.e. biographies, self help, hobbies, textbooks, interesting titles etc.) We have set up an online bookstore to help raise the monies that we need. Book Donations have already started coming in… please feel free to tell others about what we are doing.

Your book donations will help us get our daughter the medical treatment she needs.

Please contact us via email at: charla@livingandcopingwithdiabetes.com

OR

By phone at 1 (321) 608-9117

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Tags: book donations

One article from an ADA (American Diabetes Association) representative stated that an estimated 10 percent of the U.S. American population has Diabetes. Both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes has skyrocketed a whopping 61 percent since the early part of the 1990’s. To compound matters, more people have died from complications of the disease than from both aids and breast cancer… combined!!??

On a postive note, great advances have been made in the area of diabetes research and living with the disease has become some what maneagable… Over the past 60 years diabetes patients have gone from having to check their blood sugar levels using a test tube over an alcohol flame lamp (which had very unstable result readings) to being able to get fairly stable blood sugar levels within minutes of inserting a small drop of blood into a tiny computerized meter that will fit into the palm your hand. They have gone from having to use large painful horse syringes for insulin dosages to being able give self injections using very fine and thin needles. 

That being said, diabetes is rapidly growing in the U.S. and there are currently 24 million people with the disease. More people are being diagnosed with the ailment than ever before, and while managing diabetes has become more convenient it is still a very far cry away from having a cure. 

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