My Diabetic Heart

Four Scripts and an Apology

Posted on April 25, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

Well, I finally got my prescriptions Friday night. You know, the ones I was ranting about on Thursday.

It was late evening by the time I got to CVS, and sure enough, as I approached the counter, I saw that the pharmacist on duty was the same one who caught the brunt of my frustrations Wednesday night. I know she recognized me when she looked up, because I saw that “oh shit” look on her face. She was expecting more grief, but got just the opposite.

I gave her my name, and she pulled the four scripts I was waiting on from the bin. She scanned my CVS card, and then scanned the price tags on the scripts, and then asked if that all. I told her I had one more thing I needed, and that was to apologize for giving her so much hell Wednesday night. I told her I understood she was just doing her job, and it wasn’t her fault that I couldn’t get the medications I needed, and that she didn’t deserve that. She thanked me, and that was that. I paid for my scripts, wished her a good weekend, and headed for the door.

Life with any chronic health problem, be it diabetes, congestive heart failure, or something else, can be very frustrating. And unfortunately, too often, those frustrations boil over, and are taken out on innocent bystanders. We don’t mean for it to happen, but it does. That’s exactly what happen here. The difference being that I took the time to apologize and make amends, when far too many people would have just brushed it off.

The moral of this story: If you’ve wronged someone, and have the chance to make things right, do it. You’ll be glad you did.

Posted in Lessons Learned, Life | 3 Comments

Check your scripts, Twice!

Posted on April 22, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

“I’ll be getting my scripts, and checking them twice. Gotta make sure the doctor has written them right.”

As some of my twitter followers may know by now, I had some problems with some scripts that I needed to have filled last night.

The first problem being that I had misplaced them; I eventually found them in one of my bags, and thought the problem was solved. It wasn’t until I got to CVS at 2:00 a.m. this morning that I found out there was a much bigger problem. The scripts couldn’t be filled because of something the doctor did, or should I say, DID NOT do.

The script for my Metformin was missing a pill strength (500 mg/1000 mg/etc…). And to top it off, the script for one of my heart meds was missing the doctor’s signature. HOW THE HELL DOES THAT HAPPEN? Those are basic requirements on prescription forms. As if I needed any more headaches to go along with my medical problems.

I kind of feel bad for the pharmacist who was on the receiving end my response to being told that I couldn’t have the medicines that I need to keep me alive. She was only doing her job, unlike the doctor who wrote the scripts. She promised a call would be made to the doctor’s office first thing this morning, and the scripts would be this afternoon.

I’ll be going to pick them up during my dinner break.

The moral of this brief rant: when your doctor hands you a script, check it. TWICE!

Posted in Lessons Learned, Rants | 6 Comments

Little G visits Johnny Appleseed … Sorta.

Posted on April 19, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

Little G’s most recent adventure took a bit of a morbid turn, as he decided to tag along with April & I when we went to visit the grave of Johnny Appleseed on Saturday. Appleseed died and is buried in Fort Wayne, IN, where I live. The town hosts the annual Johnny Appleseed Festival each fall. Good times.

The original plan was to visit Johnny Appleseed Park and take pictures of the pink, white, and red blossoms on the trees. When Little G overheard April & I talking about the fact that Appleseed’s grave was at the park, our nice trip to the park turned into a full fledged adventure with the little ninja. I don’t know why visiting a grave was such a big deal to him, but Little G insisted on going.

When we got to the park Saturday evening, the little ninja was the first one out of the car, and he made a beeline toward the grave site. When we caught up with him, Little G was standing in front of the welcome sign, reading the information board. It was just a brief biography of Johnny Appleseed, but was interesting nonetheless.

There was a bit of a walk from the welcome signs up to the grave site, and Little G was being a bit mischievous along the way. We had stopped at a bend in the path and Little G was posing for a photo, when we heard something moving in the bushes behind him. And all of a sudden, this wild rabbit literally flew out of the bush, and ran down the hillside.

Now, I’ll admit it did startle April and I a bit, but not Little G. He took advantage of the time it took us to regain our composure, and his ninja skills for that matter, and simply vanished from sight before April and I turned away from watching the rabbit. We figured he had decided to run ahead to the grave, so we continued up the path.

Just before getting to the grave site, we caught a glimpse of something moving in the trees ahead of us. It was Little G. When we reached that spot in the path, the little ninja dropped down from the tree, and struck a pose in front of the grave site entrance. And, of course, Little G just insisted on having his picture taken in front of the grave itself. He’s such a hoot some times.

After looking at the grave for a bit, we walked on down to path to look at a cabin in the park. To our knowledge, the cabin was believed to have been one that Appleseed lived in before he died. That may not be accurate, but that’s the story Little G insisted on going with. And who am I to argue with a ninja.

It was rather cold and windy out while we were at the park Saturday evening, and April & I were ready to leave long before Little G was. In fact, he decided to drag out our suffering a little longer, as he pulled another vanishing act as we were making our way back to the car. We were not impressed, but Little G really didn’t seem to give a rat’s pertutti. He wasn’t feeling a thing.

We eventually found him, swinging through the branches of another tree. He stopped on one of the branches and posed for another picture. April & I intended on it being the last during this trip. As I was giving directions to Little G, and focusing the camera, April was making her way around behind him. As soon as I snapped the photo, April reached up and grabbed Little G, and stuffed him in the camera bag, and we made a beeline for the car. Oh sure, Little G was yelling and complaining, but our give-a-damns were frozen, and we really didn’t care.

All-in-all, April & I had a great time at the park. It may not have ended the way Little G wanted it to, but I think he’ll be able to look back on it and laugh someday. I know I will.

Welcome sign at the grave site	Reading the information board.
Walking up to the grave	After disappearing, Little G reappeared in a tree near the grave.
Entering to the grave site	Here lies Johnny Appleseed.
A cabin believed to have belonged to Johnny Appleseed.	In a tree again, after a second vanishing act.
To see more photos from this and other adventures, visit the Flickr gallery titled “The Adventures of Little G“

Posted in Humor, The Adventures of Little G | 8 Comments

Weekend Photo Fun

Posted on April 19, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

I spent Saturday evening wandering around Fort Wayne with April, snapping photos here and there. One of the places we stopped was Friemann Square. We spent an hour or so taking pictures of tulips and other flowers, and at one point, I caught sight of a squirrel that was sitting in a patch of grass eating a nut. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have some fun with the moment, so I started shooting away from all sorts of angles. The photo below is one of my favorites.

To see more photos of the Squirrel, and the flowers at Friemann Square, take a look at this gallery: Around the Fort 2010 Enjoy!

Posted in Life, Photos | 4 Comments

Little G goes to work

Posted on April 14, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

On Sunday, as I was preparing for work, Little G made it known that he didn’t want to sit at home while I was at work. He, in fact, wanted to go to work with me. I was a bit hesitant at first, but after a great deal of insistence on Little G’s part, I agreed to the idea. So, shortly before 6 p.m., we got in the car and headed to the office.

As soon as we walked through the door, Little G made a bee line for my chair. It’s a nice high back office chair on wheels. By the time he was done goofing around, that chair had been spun both ways, the levers had been pulled, and the whole thing had nearly flipped over. I swear it was like having one of my nieces or my nephew in the office. Crazy! I finally got him to settle down. Thank God! It’s a wonder the co-workers didn’t call the police with all the racket Little G was making in here. Who ever uttered the words “there’s no such thing as too much fun”, was obviously full of crap. They’ve never met Little G.

After I kicked him out of my chair, so I could get to work, Little G decided to hop up on the desk and look at the items in the corner. He loved my Initech coffee mug. Apparently, the little ninja is as much a fan of the movie Office Space as I am. I was amazed at how well he could recite lines from the movie. And wouldn’t you know it, he knew the exact same lines that I did.

Little G then started looking through the programming books on my desk. As he flipped through the pages of the books on PHP & MySQL, Drupal Development, and CSS, I could tell be the look on his face that the languages were beyond his comprehension.

I had to leave my office for a few minutes, and left Little G to hold down the fort. When I returned, I found him on the phone. Now, I don’t know who was on the other end of that call, but he obviously didn’t want me to know, because he hung up really quick when he realized I was in the room. I explained why he really shouldn’t be making personal calls on my work phone, and despite the stupid look he gave me, I think he understood. He promised not to do it again, but I don’t know if I believe him or not. After all, those ninjas are known for being sneaky.

Little G also did a good job guarding my testing supplies on the desk. He even got a little pushy when it came to my bg testing throughout the night. I was amazed at just how much he knew about diabetes. He must have learned a lot during his stay at the Hoskins residence.

As he was looking through my meter pouch, Little G found the Underdog sticker I got from one of my doctors’ offices. I explained to him the symbolic nature of the sticker.

As a person with type 2 diabetes (PWD T2) and congestive heart failure, I am the underdog; the odds are definitely stacked against me. And every day is a battle against the evil forces that are waging war inside my body. Some days I win, and walk away unscathed. Other days I’m beaten, and left wondering how I’m ever going to keep going. But the fact that I do keep fighting is what makes me a winner. A true champion of the underdog.

Little G was speechless when I finished talking. His silence amazed me because that little dude has a motor mouth that just won’t quit.

Before the night was over, Little G wanted me to take his picture one last time. So, he posed in front of my “Is This Good for the Company” sign (another Office Space momento). In the end, we agreed that the answer to that question was “Probably Not!”

And while it may not have been good for the company, having some company was definitely good for both of us.

Posted in Humor, The Adventures of Little G | 6 Comments

The Adventures of Little G

Posted on April 13, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

Say hello to … Little G. He’s the cool ninja dude who managed to stow away in the back of my car before I left Mike & Suzi Hoskins house the Saturday before Easter.

Now, I don’t know what he was thinking as he got into my car. Maybe he didn’t want to be mistaken for a chew toy by Riley “The D Dog”, or maybe he was trying to avoid becoming a scratching post for the elusive Shadow Cat. We may never know.

What I do know, is Little G seems to be a fun loving guy, who’s just looking for a little adventure. And that’s exactly what he’s going to get!

In what I’m hoping will become an on-going series of posts, entitled “The Adventures of Little G”, we’ll tag along with the little ninja dude as he roams from place to place, looking for his next big adventure. There’s no telling where he might lead us, but if my instincts are correct, there certainly won’t be a dull moment with this guy.

Stay tuned for his first big adventure: Little G goes to work!

Little G

Posted in Humor, The Adventures of Little G | 4 Comments

D-Meetup Replay

Posted on April 12, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

Here comes the ruling, friends. And, it looks like the officials have called a personal foul on Me, citing a major delay in posting this D-Meetup Recap. Sorry folks. Life happens.

On Saturday, April 3rd, a day when the Final 4 teams were meeting in Indianapolis to battle for the right to play in the last game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, another meeting was set to take place just south of Indy, between two members of the Diabetic Online Community’s (DOC’s) Indiana Team.

It was a D-meeting of “Mike-sized” proportions, as Michael Hoskins (#MHoskins2179), author of The Diabetic’s Corner Booth, and I met face-to-face for the first time. And while we weren’t competing for championships or anything of the sort, I still have to say Hoskins definitely had the home court advantage, considering he lives in Greenwood, where we met. I had been on vacation in Louisville, KY during the week leading to the meetup, and my route back to Fort Wayne, IN passed right through Greenwood. Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria, which is right off of I-65, made for a perfect meeting place for both of us.

The first half got off to a great start, and was filled with excitement all the way through.

Mike and I met and exchanged pleasantries outside, and shared a story or two before making our way into the cafeteria. Having made our dinner selections, we found our way to a table. I’ll tell you, that was some of the best cold food I’ve had in a long time. With all the talking, and participating in the BBQ sauce taste test JB’s was conducting, our food was cold long before we were finished with it. The conversation and bonding experience was definitely worth it.

Michael and I are both newspaper guys; he’s a writer and I’m a code monkey (assistant systems manager). So, as you might imagine, work and the shape of our industry were among the many topics discussed throughout the course of lunch.

We talked at length about our love of the Diabetic Online Community, advocacy efforts, and of course, our health. And, when it comes to our health, it’s safe to say we have a mutual respect for each other. Just as Mike can’t imagine what I’ve been through with my double diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for him living with Type 1 diabetes for 26 years. I mean, he was diagnosed the year I was born. Amazing!

Our "thank you" gift for participating in the BBQ sauce taste test was a bag of goodies. It consisted of trail mix, Lorna Doones, PB Crackers, Oreos, and a sugar-free lemonade drink mix.

After a cool reception, Riley "The D Dog" warmed up to me. She definitely loved the extra attention. Photo courtesy of Mike & Suzi Hoskins.

At halftime, it was decided a change of venue was needed before the meetup could continue. So, we left JB’s and headed over to the Hoskin’s residence for the second half, which was filled with just as much excitement as the first half.

When we got there, we were greeted by Mike’s wife, Suzi, and their dog, Riley. At first, Riley barked, and even got a bit snippy with me, but as you can see in the photo, she quickly warmed up to me. What can I say, animals love me for some reason. And to further prove that, check this out.

Mike & Suzi’s cat, Shadow, also came down to see what all the fuss was about. Now, I was told that Shadow is anti-social, and that might be true, but it was hard to tell when the cat jumped up on the arm of the loveseat and nuzzled up to me. It’s a damn shame the picture I tried to take didn’t turn out.

We threw a ball around with Riley for a while, as we continued to talk about life. We talked about the highlights of my vacation that was ending, Mike’s love of visiting newspapers and Suzi’s love of visiting zoos. I invited them to come to Fort Wayne sometime, and I’d take them to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.

The famous Ninja Dolls. Aren't they cute? Photo courtesy of Mike & Suzi Hoskins.

While I was at their house, Mike & Suzi introduced me to the Ninja Dolls that I had heard so much about. Suzi did an awesome job making those little ninjas. I posed with them for a photo, and when I left, Mike & Suzi gave me one of them to bring home. Way cool! In honor of the DOC’s favorite ninja, George Simmons, I’ve named him”Little G”. Look for more posts on the Adventures of Little G in the near future.

And on that note, I’d like to thank Mike & Suzi for welcoming me into their home as they did. I really do appreciate the hospitality, and the gift.

No D-Meetup would be complete without a photo of the participants. So, before I departed for Fort Wayne, Mike and I posed for a picture on his front porch. Thanks to Suzi for doing the honors.

So, that’s it ladies and gentlemen. The D-meetup is in the history books, and what an exciting and memorable time it was.

We may not have battled for championships, but Mike and I both walked away winners. He has his first meetup, and I have my second. We both have photos, and I have a Ninja Doll. More importantly, though, we each have a new diabetic brother.

Rock on!

Michael Hoskins & I on his front porch. Photo courtesy of Mike & Suzi Hoskins.

Posted in D-Meetups, Diabetes, Life, Shout outs, Travel | 6 Comments

Spring Vacation Highlights

Posted on April 6, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

Well friends, my Spring vacation has come and gone, and it’s time to get back to the grindstone. It was a great vacation, and while I’m sad that it’s over, I have experiences and memories (awesome photos and souvenirs, too) to last a lifetime. So, with that being said, here are some of the highlights from Spring Vacation 2010.

Kentucky Horse Park

The day after I got to Louisville, March 27th, my aunt, uncle, and I drove to Lexington, KY to visit the Kentucky Horse Park. We had an great time down there. The weather was beautiful, which made walking around the 12,000 acre park more tolerable. I was wore out by the time we left the park, but it was worth it, just being around those awesome animals, and getting to pet some of them. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out the photo gallery I linked to in my last blog post.

One other interesting thing that came out of that day happened during dinner. After returning to Louisville, we decided to have dinner at a seafood place called Kingfish. A short while after ordering, my dinner was served to me on a red, fish shaped plate. I thought it was so cool, that I took a picture with my phone so I could show it to everyone.

My 26th Birthday

My 26th birthday was on March 28th, which happened to fall on a day while I was on vacation. OK, so I planned the vacation so my birthday would occur during it, but whatever. Anyway, I really didn’t put any effort into planning a party or anything to celebrate my birthday, because I honestly didn’t care. I wanted it to be a low key, laid back day. Sure, I had dinner with the family at my grandmother’s house, and we had strawberry cheesecake for desert, but other than that, there really wasn’t much hype. And that’s the way I wanted it. Oh, and my mother fixed chocolate cupcakes, too. Can’t forget them. They were delicious!

Newport Aquarium

My April Fool’s Day was spent at the Newport Aquarium, in Newport, KY, with two aunts and an uncle. The cost of admission was a bit steep, but considering that I got to pet live starfish, horseshoe crabs, and SHARKS, I’ve decided it was well worth it. I mean, how often do you get to pet a live shark? It was AWEsome!

Pair that with walking through tunnels with all kinds of sharks, sting and manta rays, and other sea creatures swimming around you, and you’ve got one awesome day.

Unfortunately, the day didn’t go without a cruel April Fool’s joke being played on me. A park bench, a concrete sidewalk, and Mr. Gravity teamed up and broke the $13 coffee mug I bought in the gift shop. Thankfully, I was able to go back into the shop and get another mug, but I could have done without that little incident. Other than that, it was a great day.

D-Meetup with Michael Hoskins

The final event, on the final day of my vacation was a special one. The route that I drive to and from Louisville runs through Greenwood, Indiana, which is where fellow D-Blogger and Diabetic Online Community (DOC) member Michael Hoskins lives with his wife, Suzi, and their dog Riley, and their cat Shadow.
Mike and I met for lunch at Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria on Saturday, before heading over to his place, where I met Suzi, and their animal friends. We spent a while chatting about everything under the sun, playing with Riley and Shadow, and just having a good time. Look for more on the D-Meetup in my next blog post.

The Rainbow on the way home

My Spring vacation was filled with lots of excitement, and in the end, Mother Nature wrapped it in a bow. A rainbow in fact.
It had been raining off and on between Louisville and Fort Wayne; it wasn’t when I left Greenwood, but started up again soon after. I was more than halfway between Indy and Fort Wayne when it finally stopped raining. As the storm system was passing on, and the sun was beginning to shine through, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky, to the east of I-69. While I wasn’t able to get a very good picture of it, I did manage to snap a shot of the rainbow while I was driving.

It really was the perfect ending to a great day, and an awesome vacation.

Posted in Life, Travel | 4 Comments

KY Horse Park Photos

Posted on March 31, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

As promised in a tweet yesterday, here are some photos from my trip to the Kentucky Horse Park this past weekend. It was an awesome day all the way around. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and please post comments if you do. 🙂

KY Horse Park Gallery

Posted in Life, Travel | 1 Comment

Today’s PCP Visit

Posted on March 25, 2010 by mydiabeticheart

Had a routine visit with Dr. Cabe (Primary Care Physician) this morning. Those of you who follow me on Twitter should already know this, considering that I relieved my boredom by tweeting and ranting about amount of time I spent waiting to see the doctor.

My appointment was at 11:00 a.m., and I didn’t see the doctor until about 12:30 p.m. Now, I generally try to exercise what little patience I have, but that waiting BS really drives me crazy. And then the doctors wonder why my blood pressure is elevated when I finally see them. I generally hit them with some perfectly flawless logic, like: “Well gee, Doc, my blood pressure was fine before I left home. Could it be that you ticked me off by making me wait so damn long?” That gets them every time. 🙂

Actually, aside from the wait, and having to return to the office because the doctor forgot to sign one of my scripts, the appointment went rather well. Dr. Cabe was happy with my latest A1c results, and the blo0d glucose (BG) logs that I showed her. The results of my creatinine and bun tests were also good. And even my blood pressure was pretty good. 😉

We are going to work on tweaking my Crestor dosage, to see if we can find a level that won’t cause the muscle aches that I’ve been experiencing. If that doesn’t work, we will be looking for another cholesterol medication. And we’re going to tweak my Protonix dosage, as I probably don’t need to take as much as I have in the past. Other than that, there were no other changes to any of my medications. That’s definitely a good thing.

In early June, I’ll have another A1c test, as well as Lipid and Microalbumin checks. Then I’ll go back to see Dr. Cabe at the end of June. Good times.

For now, I’m going to focus on the countdown to my vacation, which will begin in exactly 5 hours & 48 minutes. 🙂

Posted in Diabetes, Doctor Visits, Health, Heart | 5 Comments