When abstraction becomes reality

I had a delightful and shocking experience yesterday. My good friend Caitlin had her baby! I received a text message with the good news (a big, healthy baby girl!) and was absolutely thrilled for the whole family. A bit later, Ian (Cait's hubby) sent out pictures of the little one, and this is where the shock comes in. When I looked at the baby picture, and especially the family picture of the three of them, I had a hard time processing that the beautiful (and I mean GORGEOUS!) little baby in the picture is what Caitlin and I have been chatting about for 9 months. That the reason Caitlin's tummy grew so much was because of her. Because of that particular child in the photo. Of course I knew that Caitlin was pregnant with a baby girl. Of course I understand that when a mom gives birth a baby is the end result. But to be able to put a face to the abstract idea of "baby" or even associate the baby's name with her physical self, was a revelation of sorts. A beautiful, inspiring, surprising revelation.

Welcome to the world, little one. I can't wait to meet you in person!

A baseball stadium is not a good place to get a migraine

Not that there's a good place to get a migraine, but if I had to choose, I think I'd take a deserted cave: cold, dark, and quiet. A baseball stadium is quite the opposite: hot, bright, and noisy. On Friday night we went to the Nationals game with my former office mate, D, and our former coworker, R. We had GREAT seats - front row of the Diamond Club - courtesy of the connection D has at old work. We paid 1/5 the price listed on the tickets, and they came with $35 credit toward food, drinks, or merchandise. AND the Nats won! In a 10-0 shutout! That's something to get excited about! But, at about the start of the 6th inning I started to get a headache. And by the 7th it was clear it would be a migraine. I told Scott I wasn't feeling well and we left the stadium (after stopping in the store to spend the rest of our credit). The metro ride to Rosslyn, where we had parked, seemed to take forever. Then the 30 minute car ride home felt like an eternity, and I cursed the streetlamps the whole way. Finally we made it home where I was able to crawl into bed in our quiet, pitch black room, and sleep. I woke up Saturday morning bright and early to go to Hershey Park for a diabetic meetup without a migraine, but still not feeling 100%. On the way, we stopped and got water, which seemed to be the cure I needed. Lesson learned: when it's hot out, drink more water than you think you need.

We need ideas

Scott and I are preparing to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary on 8/12 (likely celebrating the weekend of 8/8), but we don't know what to do. Any ideas? Here are some criteria:

1. We don't want to travel more than a couple of hours away from DC
   
2. It'd be great if we could take the dogs
3. We don't want to spend a lot
4. Overnight is OK as long as it complies with 1 and 3 (and preferably 2)
   

CGM Denial Day (a day late)

I was one of the lucky ones. My Dexcom was approved by my insurance company without too much hassle. They also covered my pump supplies (including test strips) in full, and I was able to get a new pump before the old one's warranty was up.

That was with my old insurance, which was a PWD's dream insurance. I've since switched jobs, and my new insurance doesn't cover as much. They have a hard time even answering questions about what's covered and what isn't, so I can't report on whether or not my Dexcom sensors are covered.

I'm lucky. Many PWDs don't have the luxury of using the most advanced technology to manage their disease. Their insurance companies don't think it's valuable to have moment-by-moment blood sugar monitoring, to avoid dangerous lows, or coma-inducing highs. Apparently, to many insurance companies, the cost of life saving devices is worth more than the price of a PWD's life.