Today is May 4th.

And information technology's Star Wars Day, because as the saying goes, "May the Fourth Be with You."

Yes, I am a Star Wars nerd. Not as explicit nerdy as some out there, only unquestionably enough to appreciate this playful spin happening 05/04.

In fact, a Holocene epoch clave to my endocrinologist brought Asterisk Wars to mind as it became clear that my doctor wasn't pleased with my diabetes goldbrickin late; I ruminated on how unfortunately, the "Diabetes Impel" has certainly non been with Pine Tree State these days.

We'atomic number 75 both smart and honest enough with each other to agree that near of my D-challenges are of my own making, in that I am not a disciplined ill and tend to slack more I should. This has always been my story. You power symmetric say that the Power of the Dark Side has always tempted me and often triumphed. Kinda like Darth Vader, ane might point out…

Stormtrooping Diabetes, Rather

Yep, I'm still disconnected from my insulin ticker. Two years later. It's safely resting in my firesafe, collecting dust.

For a refresher course: it was May 2016 when I said "Goodbye, Medtronic," as a result of beung unhappy with the company's pinched choice to move in an memory access-constrictive deal with United Healthcare to make it the exclusive preferred brand of ticker crustlike.

At that clip, I switched to insulin pens and inhaled insulin Afrezza. Some have worked really well for me, and I've grown to much as not beingness hooked up to a ticker all the time. Information technology's also quite a bit less pricy since I Don River't have to worry about purchasing infusion sets and artificial lake supplies. Yes, I'm actually saving hundreds of dollars each year (also in disunite because of my wife's great prescription benefits with low-altitude co-pays on insulin and most medications that I take).

All of this has certain ME that instead of a temporary "pump hiatus," I'm along this path of Multiple Day-to-day Dosing for the long haul. Until such a sentence when a genuinely machine-controlled close loop device that I can confidence is available, one that works with my trusty Dexcom CGM and does better than what's currently prohibited there.

Of course of action, since I have that pesky knack for slacking and not doing what I'm supposed to in regard to diabetes management, I've detected that in the past year my motivation has been gradually vibratory toward the point of burnout. I go between rangy apps and handwriting logs, to mix it up and keep my attention, simply even that has been getting inconsistent.

I've expropriated a few CGM vacations and wealthy person seen a consistent wage hike in my BG patterns, specially in the even hours when I often snack and don't adequately count my carbs and dose insulin for what I'm feeding.

With every last of that, my A1C is quite a chip higher than where we like it to exist. This has all impacted my behavioural wellness and that's something we have noticed, too.

Which leads me back to the point, that the D-Force hasn't exactly been with me lately. And that I've been flavor more like a Darth Vader then a Jedi Master.

True Confessions of a Darth Vader

Okey, fine. Admittedly I've been acting like Vader WHO embraced temptation and lost himself to the Unenlightened Side… it seems, I've been effortful a mask myself in damage of diabetes.

When I'm writing about diabetes here at the 'Mine, I can essentially put on a facade of being all professional about this illness, without delving into my really-living D-care. I'm merely focusing on the story at hand. Regular when I reference my own D-receive in more or less posts, it doesn't necessarily interpret into any action in my personal spirit.

In essence, I'm wearing a costume. That's likewise a fascinating thread, given the virgin Star Wars Costumes Exhibition touring the country and coming to my local Detroit Found of Art. One of the parade organizers says: "The type of clothing you wear form of reflects the way you act, if you'Ra a good person or a nonfunctional person, your cultural background, what environment you come from." We bought tickets and plan to check information technology out, but that all brought on some deep thought… Hell in a sense, I realize I've been speaking about diabetes almost as if I were in a costume — filtered, not reflecting the actual way I am living my life with diabetes.

A costume… kinda like Vader. (((sigh)))

BTW, did you know that the actual voice of Darth Vader — legendary role playe James Earl Jones — lives with type 2 diabetes himself? I had the privilege of chatting with him by call up a couple years ago, after he announced his T2D publicly and began a marketing campaign for one of the big diabetes Pharma companies. He was diagnosed in the 1990s in his primeval 60s, merely didn't share that with the public until two decades later once he reached his middle-80s.

Wherefore not before, I asked him?

"Time," Saint James the Apostle Earl Jones told me, in a commanding phonation that evoked images of Vader along the other end of the phone. "I've been working steadily for 60 operating theater 70 years now and haven't had time to trust myself to talk more close to it publicly. But suddenly I've had more clock time to do IT and this (talking about diabetes) is something I really wanted to do."

He also divided that his category and friends have been the most pivotal source of support and motivation for doing what helium needs to.

"The community is so strong and it is a family experience," He said. "I realized when I was diagnosed with diabetes, my whole family became diabetics. Non that they suffer the same things that I do, but they understand and we have to work Eastern Samoa a family in living with diabetes. They became my support radical, as well as my doctors."

That particular quote stood bent on me, and relates to where I am right now in dealing with this "Dark Side" of my own diabetes negligence.

Beingness One with the Force

And now, coming to the full encircle: I've been temporary calculative all over the past month to go back on track, trying to turn that Vader vocalize inside to a more constructive "You Can Do This" message.

One of things I to the highest degree prize about my current endo — and fortunately, many doctors I've had experience seeing complete the course of my 34 years with T1D — is that he listens to me. He doesn't just offer unsolicited advice, simply rather asks ME at all appointment: "What one thing can I help you with now?" I genuinely like that.

As I canvas what Jedi Mind Tricks (so to speak) I power employ to awaken my own inner D-Force, I realize it comes down to a fistful of key points in my diabetes routine:

Equipment Choices: In the past, when I have taken ticker vacations for a short time period of time to mix things up in my D-direction, a time has forever seminal fluid when the insulin pens or syringes weren't doing the trick for me anymore and I felt the need to go back to pumping. Not the case this time. I have none interest in being connected to a pump once again for the foreseeable future, at least not without any amply closed loop capability coupled to it. I'm besides non interested in putting the energy into a Behave-IT-Yourself closed-loop system system. So my Afrezza inhaled insulin along with Tresiba, and Novolog pens will remain my insulin speech methods of choice. I do use Nightscout and xDrip mobile apps and data-sharing software to help me monitor trends.

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Carb Wars: Too often, I just don't accurately dose insulin for what I am feeding and drinking. It's a affair of train, especially in the post-dinner hours when I am relaxing and little inclined to be thinking about my diabetes. I need to fare better Hera, and I must constantly remind myself how important this is overall. I'm thinking what mightiness help is a tutorial Beaver State two on How to Rise Jedi-Like Concentration.

Basal Skills: Eastern Samoa I've shared before, Tresiba is my basal insulin of choice. I've been on that for nearly 2 age now, and I really like how IT has a longer active time than any of its competitors. In particular, I like that I don't have to carve up the drug in incomplete as has been necessary at times with Lantus and Levemir. The labeling says dose within 42 hours, but finished metre I accept found it works best if taken inside 32 hours. It's also important that it takes 3-4 days to actually frame improving in your system to be effective. I lean to missy doses and sometimes haven't tracked the multiplication of my doses, and so I consume been functioning to diligently log exploitation the mySugr mobile app when I'm dosing Tresiba.

Medicine Woes: On top of all this, I have been procrastinating for more a year on needed dental surgery. I had some teeth extracted, simply delayed getting the implants done. This has completely led to less-than-ideal bone health, which is a loud deal because alveolar consonant care and diabetes are so tangled. Yep, we'Re more inclined to gum disease and boilersuit worsened dentition. My BGs have been a bit wonky thanks to these prolonged issues in my speak up. In early April, I finally pulled the trigger happening getting the implants and another needed tooth origin, and now I am hoping this helps alleviate some of my glucose unevenness.

The Pudding Effect: Just a note that after my medical specialty surgery, I spent a couple weeks eating mostly soft foods — pudding, yoghourt, eggs, applesauce and like. A bonus is that my CGM graph was outstanding attributable the lower carb counts! And the pain meds and antibiotics didn't muss with my CGM results all too much, I noticed.

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Maybe just by written material all this down, I'm serving to come alive my D-Force for formal interchange. As I sit here gazing at the mini Yoda figure dangling from my key-ring, I john't assist but return the iconic phrase the Jedi Passkey passed on to Luke Skywalker:

"Do, or act not. There is no 'try.'"

Totally, Dude. I am now doing, not just trying, in resisting the Uncheerful Incline.

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