Today I was completely shocked but ecstatic to receive a letter in the mail from my insurance, Regence BlueShield, stating that they had authorized my new Dex! I was so shocked because it was just about 1.5 years ago that they denied me for the Seven. I got one anyway, and have been paying out of pocket every time, so I wasn't always wearing it continuously. I had called Dex to ask them about an upgrade from my Seven to the new Seven Plus (which I didn't qualify for), and the rep told me that my…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on July 23, 2009 at 6:52pm —
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What was I thinking? Two days ago I forgot to celebrate my 17 years of being a diabetic! Guess I missed out on my opportunity to eat cake:) Actually what I should be doing is celebrating that I have lived the last 17 years healthy and complication free, and plan on doing so for many years to come. The fact that I forgot it was my diagnosis day is a good thing, meaning I don't obsess over my diagnosis nor does it define who I am. So join me in toasting the next 17 healthy years!
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Added by Toni Crebbin on May 22, 2009 at 8:06pm —
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So last week I received a letter from the Health Dept. of the State of Washington stating my phone number had been randomly selected for a survey, and that I should expect a call within a week. So last night I spent about 20 minutes on the phone answering some nice man's questions. One of the questions was whether or not a doctor had ever told me I had diabetes. The next question was if I had ever had to take insulin. The thing that really annoyed me was that other than asking me if I had pregna…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on May 8, 2009 at 8:28pm —
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I'm glad to be home, but had a wonderful experience in China. It is such a blessing to bring smiles to the children's faces. I'm happy to say my blood sugars were great, and I loved traveling with Louise (my Dexcom). This was my first big trip with her, and it was so nice to be able to check it frequently. I checked her when I was on top of the Great Wall, and after viewing the steep downward trend, I decided to eat a snack and turn off my basal (I had already put it down to 1/2). I should've ke…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on July 17, 2008 at 1:31pm —
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So this Thursday I am heading back for my 4th trip to China, my second to work in an orphanage. However, this time I am heading off with two great tips I learned here since joining tudiabetes. I have been on a pump for 12 years now, but from this site I learned I can request a loaner pump from Animas, which I did. I feel much more at ease knowing I have a backup with me:) The other thing I learned about is the
frio wallet to keep my insulin cool. In the past…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on July 1, 2008 at 11:57am —
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Spring has to be my favorite season of the year around here! The late snow that we received last weekend made me fear that it may never get here. But alas, today was a gorgeous day, so I got to spend some time in the beautiful tulip fields in Skagit Valley. My two favorite photography subjects, my girls and the flowers. I can never take in enough of either of them! The pictures don't do either justice, but nonetheless, they take me back to the fields every time I look at them.
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Added by Toni Crebbin on April 26, 2008 at 10:29pm —
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So I had every intention of posting on my blog yesterday regarding the Raise Your Voice campaign. However, when I sat down to write, I found myself zoning out on the computer screen, debating with myself whether or not I needed to go test my bloodsugar. After some time passed, I finally decided I needed to go test, which ended up being the right thing to go do. After that, I never had the energy or clarity of thought to post. I couldn't decide what to say. A bit ironic, huh? I guess that speaks…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on April 15, 2008 at 10:36pm —
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I know this isn't diabetes related, but it's one of my passions. This summer I am returning to Chaoyang, China to work in an orphanage. If you would like to learn more about how you can sponsor a much needed new crib for an orphan, then follow this link to
my blog. Thanks!
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Added by Toni Crebbin on April 9, 2008 at 7:10pm —
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I wanted to update everyone since my last post, losing Louise (my cgm). Well I didn't lose all of her, just the transmitter. I didn't actually lose her either; she was thrown away by my three year old! Anyway, I called Dexcom today, assuming I had to buy a new one (says $250 on their webpage), and was thrilled to learn that they would be sending me a new one! I was honest with what happened, and that was okay with them. Said you're allowed one replacement within a certain time frame. I can't tel…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on March 28, 2008 at 6:18pm —
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I don't know how else to explain my frustration right now. Frustrated doesn't quite do it justice, and I don't want to beat myself up by calling myself too many names. My initial reaction is that I want to place the blame on my husband or my three year old, but I know that's not right, the blame lies with me. So I guess dumbfounded is appropriate.
So last Wednesday my cgm sensor went out, and I was unable to fool it for another week's worth, like I usually can. I set the sensor, w/transmitter s…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on March 25, 2008 at 8:35pm —
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Imagine my surprise tonight to find a check in the mail from my insurance company! After they told me "no" for the CGM, I went ahead and got it anyway, and Dexcom helped me file it with my insurance. I had assumed the "no" was to everything regarding the cgm, but evidently they will pay 80% of the supplies. It's not actually 80% though, because like the problem I have ordering from Animas, they are looked at as "out-of-service area" by my insurance, so they actually pay it at a lower percentage.…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on February 12, 2008 at 9:52pm —
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So I was completely surprised today when I came across one of my tudiabetes "friends" in the
Time for Kids magazine that I was reading with my 6th grade class. I instantly recognized Mollie's smiling eyes, and impressed my students when I told them I knew her. Way to go Mollie, and keep up the good example that you are!
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Added by Toni Crebbin on January 30, 2008 at 9:12pm —
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What a day today was. I woke up at 133, and looking at Louise (my cgm), my overnight numbers looked good (no alarms, which is set at 180). I ate my usual breakfast and was off to school. About an hour later my high alarm went off and I was 188. I was in the middle of teaching so didn't go test at the moment, just thinking it was my peak post meal number. About 45 minutes later I glanced at Louise and was shocked to read 400! The graph on my screen went straight up! Thankfully I was just about 1/…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on January 29, 2008 at 5:25pm —
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Last night I came upon the next fad diet....the DQ Blizzard Diet! This is the first time I have had one since being on the cgm, so I was very curious as to what my overnight numbers would be. I ate the blizzard around 9:00 pm, and did a 40/60 bolus over 1.5 hours. Would you believe I had the best night on my cgm that I've had since I began wearing it last month?! I had no peaks, nothing over 120, and woke up at 82. Hmmm, I think I'm on too something!
*disclaimer: Although the above resu…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on January 17, 2008 at 6:31am —
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So the Christmas present I bought myself arrived today. Let's hope number Seven is lucky for me! Who named it Seven anyways? That's boring! The thought of wearing the pump and the cgm is a bit daunting, but I'm willing to give it a go. I'm thinking about naming them both, since they will be my best friends, going everywhere I go, experiencing everything I experience. Of course, they have to be girl names, or my husband may get jealous. Any suggestions out there?
I go in next week to get…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on December 11, 2007 at 9:31pm —
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Well last week's white blood cell test came back in 5.0, which is normal, and significantly better than the 2.8 I had earlier this month. Don't know what was up with that, but I'll take it! So what was going on with my bg? My next endo. appt. is in Jan., so hopefully things go back to normal. My doctor really wants me to go on the cgm, and so do I, but I'm not sure I can swing the $180 a month for supplies he says it will cost. I'm also wondering where I'm going to wear it, since I'm on the lean…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on November 27, 2007 at 6:28am —
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So my endo called yesterday (yes, my doc called me on a Sunday as he had just got back into the country...he's great!) to tell me my bloodwork results. The good news that the celiac test showed negative, the thyroid level was steady (I have hypothyroidism), and the iron was good. There was a "but" though. Along with the CBC test comes the white blood cell count, which was very low. I had no infection at the time, so it is unexplainable at this time. He tells me not to be alarmed, but doesn't wan…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on November 19, 2007 at 9:25pm —
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As an adoptive mother of two girls from China, this story just breaks my heart. A family just received their new little one this past week. However, the father went into a diabetic coma and passed away yesterday! I cannot imagine what the wife/mother is going through. The nightmare continues in that now they have to battle government to bring their daughter home. Please keep this family in your prayers.
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Added by Toni Crebbin on November 12, 2007 at 5:18pm —
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So I shed a few tears in my endocronologist's office for the first time today, as I have been quite frustrated with my inexplainable blood sugars lately. I've been seeing him every 3-4 months for the last 15 years, so that's saying a lot. For some unknown and frustrating reason my A1C jumped way up to 7.9! I haven't been that high since early in my diagnosis. After watching my numbers drop these last couple years, this year I was officially diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. That has been no big dea…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on November 7, 2007 at 9:55pm —
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So I guess I never posted a proper introduction, so here goes. I have been diabetic since 1992, but diabetes is not what defines me! I am a mother of 4 children, married for 19 years! I have been teaching middle school for 13 years and coaching HS volleyball for 16. I don't let diabetes get me down. To me, attitude is everything! Don't get me wrong, I'm not thrilled about it, but I figure it is something I can live with and have a certain amount of control over. My prayers has always been for th…
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Added by Toni Crebbin on October 24, 2007 at 10:09pm —
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