From a comment on one of my previous posts, a nod to those who are ready to judge, particularly about the lack of greenness of chronic illness. Sustainable chronic illness, a whole new realm of environmental activism! Sounds exciting?
Seriously, though - I have considered it. I am an environmental educator, after all. And the fact that my pump only takes standard batteries that don't recharge? That sucks. Apparently the pump doesn't recognize that the batteries work unless they have a complete charge, and only disposables appear to have a full charge.
So I purchase disposable batteries, and a lot of them. My sensor alarms drain battery power like you wouldn't believe. What do I do? I put the batteries into the hazardous waste container in our church, so they don't go into the landfill. I'm investigating the new Enviromax batteries that they have at health food stores, though I expect that they'll generally be a little more expensive than the current ones that I use. But not by much, surprisingly.
And how about this super funky idea? Using the body's energy to power the extra parts that some of us need to live? Wow. This could be the basis of a pump could be implanted, a closed loop system.
What else? Pump supplies come in major packaging. Some is paper, easy to recycle. Our community has a recycling day once a month, and at the moment I am saving the weird little packages to give to the people who collect weird little packages for recycling.
My current pet peeve? Fed Ex-ing supplies. Yes, sometimes it's an emergency, and I'm all for sending my goodies on a quick trip on the plane. But an extra part that I might need for my pump someday? Not so much. Let us make a choice how we want things shipped.
And yes, my insulin. I'm sure it's a fabulous concoction of stuff derived through mad scientist-like experiments, combined with some really great preservatives. Ick. But you know, it keeps me alive, and I am grateful for that. I know that there are animal insulins out there that are less removed what's natural, but I find that the system I use right now works for me most of the time, so I'm sticking to it. Preservatives be danged. Genetically-modified mad scientist cackling be danged. Fingers in ears. La la la.
Let's not forget self-forgiveness. If I can eat local most of the time but eat avocadoes some of the time, I can forgive myself for using disposable batteries to power my existance.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
The other rant
Some days, I've had it with doctors. I love my new health care team, but honestly, every time I go to see one, I head off into a new realm of worry. First it's my feet. Then my thyroid. Then my cholesterol. Then my cholesterol's actually not too bad. And my thyroid is actually somewhat ok. And my feet are probably damaged from running, not diabetes. Life is good. Then I have another appointment.
Like the other day. I went to the opthamologist, who asked me how my blood sugar control is. Now, it's been difficult due to seasonal allergies, so that is what I told him. He told me I should keep my cholesterol down, due to a comment by my GP. The comment by the GP is actually based on a conversation I had with her in which we concluded that my lousy cholesterol of last year was caused by excessive quantities of Cornish Pasties eaten during a trip to England. I shudder to think about the cholesterol levels of the average pasty-eating Brit.
Actually, my cholesterol is ok. Not fabulous, but ok. However, she noted in my chart that we had a discussion about it, therefore the opthamologist tells me sternly to control my blood sugar and my cholesterol...and I have to explain the above and sound like a rambling, excuse-making, non-compliant person.
I get tired of being scolded for something new every time I see a new doctor. It's tiring. It uses up my mental energy. And you know, they should try living with serious allergies, hormones, and diabetes. Sure, it's easy to scold someone and tell them to be perfect. But perfection isn't possible with this disease, at least not for me. And telling me that I fail to be perfect at every turn isn't really all that helpful. Support, empathy, and a small amount of understanding would be a good alternative.
Like the other day. I went to the opthamologist, who asked me how my blood sugar control is. Now, it's been difficult due to seasonal allergies, so that is what I told him. He told me I should keep my cholesterol down, due to a comment by my GP. The comment by the GP is actually based on a conversation I had with her in which we concluded that my lousy cholesterol of last year was caused by excessive quantities of Cornish Pasties eaten during a trip to England. I shudder to think about the cholesterol levels of the average pasty-eating Brit.
Actually, my cholesterol is ok. Not fabulous, but ok. However, she noted in my chart that we had a discussion about it, therefore the opthamologist tells me sternly to control my blood sugar and my cholesterol...and I have to explain the above and sound like a rambling, excuse-making, non-compliant person.
I get tired of being scolded for something new every time I see a new doctor. It's tiring. It uses up my mental energy. And you know, they should try living with serious allergies, hormones, and diabetes. Sure, it's easy to scold someone and tell them to be perfect. But perfection isn't possible with this disease, at least not for me. And telling me that I fail to be perfect at every turn isn't really all that helpful. Support, empathy, and a small amount of understanding would be a good alternative.
Choice
A couple of pent up rants from the last few weeks.
Since I hang out with a relatively crunchy crowd, I knew that it was only a matter of time before someone told me that it is not good to have radio waves and batteries next to your body all the time. Electromagnetic fields and all that.
So, it finally happened. And I was crochety. It's hard to explain to someone that sometimes there isn't the luxury of choice when you have a chronic illness. Yes, I could go off the pump and the sensor. However, that would mean much worse control than I have at the moment. Fewer electromagnetic fields messing me up, more blood sugar agony messing me up.
So I choose the technology that comes with the batteries and the radio waves, because I've determined that it's what is best for me in the long run. I could be wrong. Sometimes, it's all about choosing the least bad option. Unfortunately. And that's something that healthy people don't necessarily understand.
Since I hang out with a relatively crunchy crowd, I knew that it was only a matter of time before someone told me that it is not good to have radio waves and batteries next to your body all the time. Electromagnetic fields and all that.
So, it finally happened. And I was crochety. It's hard to explain to someone that sometimes there isn't the luxury of choice when you have a chronic illness. Yes, I could go off the pump and the sensor. However, that would mean much worse control than I have at the moment. Fewer electromagnetic fields messing me up, more blood sugar agony messing me up.
So I choose the technology that comes with the batteries and the radio waves, because I've determined that it's what is best for me in the long run. I could be wrong. Sometimes, it's all about choosing the least bad option. Unfortunately. And that's something that healthy people don't necessarily understand.
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