Tuesday, February 27, 2007

An end to injected insulin?

The BBC is reporting that a reservoir in an artificial tooth implant could be used to disperse diabetes drugs. While I guess it would be relatively simple to use this method to replace diabetes drugs I hope that someone at Intellidrug is working on a way to make it work for insulin too. This project is in its trial phase but a possible launch date of 2010 is mentioned.
I have the perfect place for it, a bridge between my upper left molar and canine tooth. and I'd willingly swap the pain of an implant for a lifetime of shots. If they can stick regulated doses of all the other damn drugs I need in there too, I'd be really thrilled but I fear I would need an entire mouth of implants, which I think may be both scary and pricey.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

The wiggle is back

Nine months or so after I first noticed the bump on my Achilles' tendon I'm finally walking normally again.
I carried two coffees to a table at a cafe and then walked back for napkins. That's when I noticed something strange - my hips were moving, and I was distributing my weight evenly on both feet. I was actually putting one foot in front of the other. In other words I was walking like a woman.
I hadn't realised how walking properly affects self-esteem because it's just something we do. But limping along these past few months had literally and psychologically been a drag. Then, just like that, from one moment to another I could move freely again with no pain or stiffness and it felt fantastic. I swear I bounced along for the rest of the day, chin up and chest out.
I'm sure that in a couple of days I'll be taking it for granted again but right now I'm saying look at me I have the sexy walk back.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

How embarrassing is this?

Sunday night Super Bowl Party, a feast of football, food and fun. I'll rant about why non-Americans can't watch American football without a) going into a coma or b) going ballistic another time, but it has to do with switching to an advert every time someone does something interesting like catch a ball, or run with a ball. Tell me, if the game is only 60 minutes long why does it take four freakin' hours to get a result? But I digress.
Very aware that I have an endo appointment at 9:50 the following morning and the six weeks I had to take off from the gym for the ankle injury will have done nothing to improve my A1c, I avoid bread, rice, pasta, desserts and stick to chili, guacamole and a few potato chips. I also pass on the beer and have a gin and diet tonic. This is risky for me because diet tonic still makes me BG soar like the real stuff, but I was low before I started and I'm really counting carbs carefully tonight.
I know some thing's wrong when we get home and I feel sick, I test: 415. What? What the hell was in that chili? Fast forward to Monday morning when I hand over my meter to my endo. "So how have you been?" she asks as she hits the results button "What on earth happened here?" she squeaked. We discussed the game for a while because I couldn't account for the 415 but I wasn't looking forward to the phone call from the nurse when my blood work came back.
And yet, despite the lack of exercise and the Super Bowl pig out my A1c was 6.6. A whole .1 lower than last time. I was shooting for 5.9 but lower is always better so I'll take it. But next year I'll avoid the chili, too.