I'm still here..... barely!

So after a long 5 weeks with no posting I figured it was about 4 weeks past due! I have failed at blogging......

Within a day of my last post I was running a temperature anywhere from 97-101, had most of the minor flu-like symptoms, and felt terrible! Like most people with diabetes, the common cold makes managing my diabetes very difficult. My basal rates can get thrown out the window. My insulin to carb ratio's can get flushed, and my insulin correction sensitivities need Midol!

After a few days of high temps and nausea it migrated into the a head cold that would not budge. For about 4 weeks I have been a mucus coughing/spitting machine, feeling less than stellar. I missed all 5 remaining cyclocross races (although 3 would have been missed due to work schedule changes anyway). So the only exercise I have gotten has come from hikes with the dogs since the Shedd Park race. This has been somewhat self inflicted with the Holidays and all.

Shedd Park Cyclocross Report

photo by someone in the J. White clan, maybe
 Jamie he was done well before me!

So the guys on the team decided that for this weeks race we should all ride in the same category so we could represent! Jamie, Glen, David, Rob and I all lined up in our black Racer-X jerseys and shivered until the race promoter blew the whistle. High temps for the day were scheduled for 39 degrees, but it was more like 34 when we started at 9:45am! It was chilly but managed to bundle up enough to stay warm until I got in a couple mile pre-ride and a warm up lap on the course.

This was my first race in a while (about a month) and my first on the new Omnipod insulin pump, and Dexcom CGM (continuous glucose monitor). I had in stalled my pod last night on my left under arm

My new tools...

Here is my new insulin pump PDM, and CGM (continuous glucose monitor). The PDM, on the left, has a built in Freestyle glucose meter that I check my blood sugar with. The CGM is on the left and shows current blood sugar, trend arrows, and a 1-24 hour graph tracking my blood sugar. I only need to carry the PDM when I am going to bolus insulin. Bolus insulin is insulin given to correct a high blood sugar or to cover crabs eaten. The PDM sends the basal programs to the pod, and the pod will remember it on its own. Basal insulin is the small about per hour of

Doctor report and new tools!

I have been working a lot and have not had a ton of time to keep up on the blog, or ride for that matter! But alas, I have much to tell! Mostly on the agenda is a report about my appointment at the Joslin Diabetes Center with my new CDE (Certified Diabetes Educator). Oh, and also I made a major change in my CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and Insulin pump..... as in I got new ones!

Catch up!.....

Not the kind I like to put on most foods...

So it has been a couple weeks since I have written a post, and in a way I am glad! Lets just say it has been a while since I last worked. 16 months to be exact. I have now been back to work for 4 weeks, and it feels great! I have a paycheck, adults to talk to, problems to solve, and time to manage!

New cross frame...

Have been working non stop since I started my new job. I do IT at the TD garden in Boston, and it is very fast paced. My sugars have been consistently low at work so an adjustment in my basal rates is imminent!

I have been working a ton, so to help work through that I ordered on of these! $200 and some change on ebay or from Bikeman.com....

Thanks to Jamie who has a spare pit bike. Yeah a spare pit bike! It must be nice to be so wicked fast (hey, I live in Boston) that companies just throw race bikes at you like that! More to come....... back to work!

Cyclocross Race in Gloucester, MA

This past weekend I was talked into doing a cyclocross race. It really wasn't that hard to talk me into it, but I did at one point a few months ago say that there was no way I would do a cross race! Mainly I didn't want to do a race because my cross bike is my commuter bike and it is a single speed. Taking a single speed cross bike to a race is kinda like taking a tooth pick to a gun fight! Alas, I was up for the challenge.

So, I have come to terms that for the most part I am the 'middle of the pack sport guy' right now, and that is ok. My fitness will improve. My goals are all focused around managing my