Co-Pancreating

Yeah, I know that's not a word, but it's kinda fitting for our current co-habitating lifestyle (I seriously dislike the word "lifestyle", but can't think of a better one right now). Papa Bear has always done a great job of "filling in" with William's D-care as needed, but has recently made it known that he wants to step up and take on more responsibility. And, Kitmama has been great about jumping in to do testing and dosing since she and her family began residing with us. So, now I've got two co-pancreases on the job (or is it "co-pancreai"?), which is a huge relief. I can actually GO SOMEWHERE and leave William at home, knowing that he's going to be taken care of (okay, I still text someone when it's time to test, and still confirm doses, but that's small buscuits for a solo trip to the grocery store!).

The problem is, so much of William's hour-to-hour management resides inside my noodle, and a lot of the time I "feel out" dosing based on what's been going on the past several hours, what's currently happening, and what I expect will be happening. I also sometimes "try out" an adjustment to see if it's going to help his numbers, before making it "official". I didn't really realize how much of this stuff I've got in my head, until I sat down with Billy and tried to tell him everything that would need to be incorporated into the "perfect" T1 diabetes app. The glaze-over factor for this particular conversation was pretty high, and it quickly became clear that this would be a very complex app. You'd have to find a really dedicated and highly-charged detail-oriented programmer who is a pit-bull with a challenge. (I'm not saying this "perfect" app will actually get written...it was just an idea we were talking about...something that I recently began fantasizing about. But, that's a post for another day).

Anyway, the problem with what's in my head that needs to be accessed by other people is compounded by my compulsion with creating new log sheet formats and fiddling with the formats of the log sheets I already use. Sometimes I use the "basic" log that tracks by meal, and there's a "fill-in-the-blank" at the top for including ratios, and one at the bottom for correction factors. But, if I'm doing middle-of-the-night checks, or our "routine" is not really very "routine" in terms of meal times, I need a 24-hour log sheet to spot trends, and there's just not space to include much information about calculations. I just can't seem to find the perfect log sheet (kind of like trying to find the perfect purse or diabetes bag...you know it's out there, but you just can't seem to find the one that has everything you're looking for). And it came to a head, so to speak, because I needed to tweek William's ratios again.

So, this is what I came up with:



Yep, a plain ol' blackboard with my shorthand notes for ratios and correction calculations. With a swipe of a cloth and a bit of chalk, I can make an adjustment and it will be implemented whether I'm doing the dose or someone else is. (I almost forgot the Lantus, until I was laying in bed at 3:00 am considering whether or not to change his dose...oops). It's hanging in the kitchen right next to the Diabetes Counter, ready for whichever pancreas will be doing the next dose. Low-tech solutions are sometimes the best.

And, of course, I still do this...

...at least, I will until that perfect app gets written ;)

Update 6/16/11: File this one under "oops". Due to yet another whacked-out BG crisis this afternoon (BG 48 1.5 hours after a snack), I realized my entire D-Brain did not actually fit onto the blackboard. So, I Rethunk my Glunk, got the bigger blackboard, and tried it again.

This once specifies carb:insulin ratios for "food with protien/fat" and "food without protien/fat" at various times of the day. These numbers, I am sure, will require a bit more tweeking before we get settled into some calmer numbers...just in time for everything to change again ;)

Okaaaaay, one more update (6/16/11): I added a note between "breakfast" and "lunch" that BG will rise before lunch. Just so you won't be shocked at lunchtime.