March 20th, 2010 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Patient Interviews, True Stories
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I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just before I started second grade, back in 1986. I played with Barbie dolls, colored countless coloring books with my box of Crayola 96 (sharpener in the back), and sported a messy ponytail as often as my mom would allow.
But my life also included dozens of plastic bags filled with orange-capped syringes. And black meter cases that zipped up the side and held my glucose meter. And small vials of bandaid-scented insulin. My childhood was colorful and fun and just like every other kids’, but there were some dreary bits of diabetes management as a running thread.
I wish there had been things like this to hold my meter in when I was growing up with type 1 – because these meter cases are awesome:
This meter case was created by Kyrra Richards, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2007. I think it is GORGEOUS. After her diagnosis, Kyrra created Myabetic – a specialty store stocked with playful and cool glucose meter cases. She sent me a few of her meter cases to review here on SUM, and she also offered to share a little bit of her story. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
March 13th, 2010 by David Kroll, Ph.D. in Better Health Network, True Stories
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A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about being stricken with pneumonia and my reflections on what it must be like for people who live continually with chronic illnesses. I was surprised by the response from many readers, quite a few of whom I’ve never seen comment here, who voiced understanding and even relief that a “normal” would take the time to reflect on what their life might be like.
Well, my illness is continuing even longer than my pulmonologist had expected and this has evoked for me a whole new layer of emotions. I write the following not for sympathy or concern, but rather for the Medicine and Health channel of ScienceBlogs to give voice to those much worse off than I who may not otherwise have a voice in our national health care dialogue. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Terra Sigillata*
March 9th, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Opinion
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The CDC has put out an interactive map of heart disease and stroke so you can compare your state or even county with the rest of the country. It offers data on mortality, hospitalizations and even penetration of generalist and subspecialist availability.
What I found interesting was the lack of definitive association between access to generalists or subspecialists and mortality. While rural areas with a low penetration of physicians generally had a higher mortality than urban centers, many urban centers with a high penetration of generalists and subspecialist also had a high mortality as well. One could presume that rural America has many factors separate and independent of health care that affects their mortality rate. The same could be said for urban America. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
March 7th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Humor
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Chaos theory – Noun – The branch of mathematics that deals with complex systems whose behavior is highly sensitive to slight changes in conditions, so that small alterations can give rise to strikingly great consequences.
Alternative definition:
Chaos theory – Noun – The branch of healthcare that deals with making the payment system increasingly complex and ever changing. This complexity and confusion impact physicians and patients in such a way that appropriate services in care of the patient are subject to rules and regulations that are deliberately complex, making alterations from the momentary rules inevitable. This exists so that even small alterations will free the insurance company from the responsibility to pay for said service.
I am no physicist, but I honestly think that a grasp and understanding of the first type of Chaos theory is more likely than that of the second. Let me give a demonstration of the second chaos theory in action: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
March 6th, 2010 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, True Stories
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I love “free shower” – which, if you’re diabetic and using an insulin pump or a CGM, you know that means “the shower when you’re changing sites and you don’t have any hubs connected to you.”
It’s nice to lather up and not worry about catching on an infusion set or a sensor edge. Thing is, this is what’s waiting for me when I’m done getting all cleaned up:
The potlock o’ diabetes crap
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
