Melissa's Forum Archives, Page 2
Coping With Diabetes ~
This forum was held July 30, 1998 in my NEW chat room! We discussed one favorite topic... Pet Peeves about diabetes! That got us started on a good discussion about daily problems and the stress involved! One point that I liked was.. as parents, we try to get away from diabetes for a night out or while our kids are at camp! We give ourselves breaks whenever we can! It's good for a parent to have a break once in a while! But our children NEVER get a break from diabetes! It's always with them... there is no vacation for them! I suppose I already knew this but it really struck me at this forum!
Back To School With Diabetes ~
This was our second forum in the new room! We had a really good turn out and everyone seems to really like the room! We had this forum August 6, 1998, right before most kids go back to school! We discussed concerns about sending a child to kindergarten, good teachers and nurses, the 504 plan and much more! This is a really good one to get good advice about dealing with diabetes at school!
Health Insurance ~
This was a good long forum held August 20, 1998! They even got started without me, discussing the problems Linda from South Utah was having getting her daughter's pump covered by insurance! We discussed every aspect of insurance, with some good stories but mostly the problems we have with insurance! Definately some kind of insurance reform is needed cause at this point, it seems like the insurance companies are calling the shots! Hope you enjoy this one! It's an eye openner!
Diabetes Campaign News ~
This was one of our busiest forums! Held September 10, 1998, 37 people turned out for this one and a whopping 6,461 hits were tallied. Stacey Harmis introduced her new t-shirt campaign called "Making Noise to Cure Diabetes". The t-shirt is so cute and the cause is wonderful. Dave Groves and several people from the Compuserver forum joined us to update us on the Silver/Grey Ribbon campaign. Here, you will find the addresses to send off for your own ribbons. We also discussed Deb Butterfield's photocard campaign, Joseph LaMountain's Canidate survey and the possibility of sending canidates their own grey ribbon and of course, the collection for the russian children. Excellent forum! I enjoyed this very much!
JDF Center for Islet Cell Transplantation ~
This forum, held October 1, 1998, drew another record crowd! It was good to see old friends and new ones. I invited William T. Schmidt, the Director of Public Affairs at Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International to come tell us about the new JDF Islet Transplant Center at Harvard Medical school. I also invited Sandra Silvestri, who is on the International board of the JDF, to help out with the deluge of questions! And knowing there would be more technical questions about islet transplants, I invited Al Gordon, president of The Islet Foundation, to help also. It was an incredibly busy forum with about 50 people turning up to participate. You will learn alot from this one and be inspired to catch up on your reading! The links provided for this forum are very good! Enjoy! (Special thanks to Kurt Swank who sent this forum back to me when I had lost it! **HUGS**)
Diabetes and the Holidays ~
We got an early start on the holidays this year and had a really nice chat about them on November 5, 1998! There have been alot of new folks just joining us so there were some good questions about food and how to use Humalog! We didn't talk so much about recipes like I thought we would but if you're looking for a good one, be sure to check out the links I've provided with this forum! At the end of this forum, we had a little discussion about our family's recent problems with getting a pump that I thought you might be interested in reading! I'd be interested to know if you're having these problems too! In all, it was such a nice, cozy chat that I enjoyed very much!
Islet Cell Regeneration with INGAP ~
What a fantastic turn out we had on December 3, 1998. It was Dr. Aaron I. Vinik's first time in a chat room but he kept up so well and gave such long thorough answers. This is just what we needed to learn about the work he's done with INGAP, a gene that starts the regeneration of islet cells. Dr. Vinik has done extensive research with hampsters, dogs, mice, rats and monkeys. Progress with islet cell regeneration has progressed faster than islet transplantation and there is great hope that this will be the CURE for diabetes... a TRUE cure!! Read on and if you have any questions you'd like to submit for Dr. Vinik's next visit with us on December 10, EMAIL them to me and I'll see that he gets them!
Islet Cell Regeneration with INGAP, part 2~
A rarity happened on December 11, 1998... my room crashed on a forum night! But Jeff Hitchcock of Children With Diabetes came through at the last minute, with a room we could use just for this forum. Thank you very much Jeff. The forum started smoothly and we had a very nice chat with Dr. Vinik about regenerating islet cells. He answered everyone's questions and even a few that had been sent to him. I hope this will answer any left over questions you may have.
The Reversal of Neuropathy ~
In our last chat with Dr. Vinik on December 17, 1998, we discussed neuropathy. I was surprised to learn how many different types of neuropathy there are, as well as the many treatments for it. Dr. Vinik even listed how to tell which medication would be best, depending on how the neuropathy hurt or where it was. This was a very interesting discussion. I hope you will get alot from it.
Diabetes and the entire family~
January 21, 1999 we got together to talk about how diabetes effects our whole family. Dr. Wendy Rapaport, a psychologist specializing in diabetes for 20 years at the Diabetes Research Institute, at the University of Miami Medical School, came to chat with us, giving us professional advice about how we and our children can deal with diabetes. Topics ranged from how to deal with unhealthy expectations, to helping spouses deal with diabetes, to how to explain to others, in a calm manner, without feeling accused. This was a wonderful forum; something here for all.
What we want nurses to know about diabetes ~
February 6, 1999 was the date of our next forum, where we got together with a few nurses from Virtual Nurse to discuss diabetes. They were very interested to know about the proper treatment for a low blood sugar and we helped them with some ideas. I was surprised that they didn't know anything about Glucagon and one nurse said she's look into using that, besides a dextrose drip to treat severe lows. We also touched on Todd's Paralysis, which few people know about. As the conversation went on, we talked about research and pumps. This one has alot of good links with it. Check them out.
The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Children's Congress ~
Sandra Silvestri, Chairman of the JDF Children's Congress, came to speak with us about her latest campaign on February 16, 1999. A special event for 100 lucky children who get to go to Washington DC to speak to their congressmen about the need for a cure for diabetes. The 100 children are being selected from the letters they send in, addressed to their individual congressmen. They are also encouraged to get their family and friends involved by sending in letters also so when they meet with the congressmen, they will have bags and bags of letters to deliver to them. The children's letters, for inclusion in the selection process, are due by March 1st. PLEASE continue sending letters up to the event date of June 21st! It's a great way for kids to learn to advocate for themselves. Be sure to have a look at THEIR WEBPAGE for more information.
Glucose Meters ~
We got together on March 25, 1999 to discuss all the different glucose meters on the market. I asked for people to send me letters about their meters and we read them during the forum. There was alot of interest in the Dex meter and many people like the Accucheck and Lifescan meters. If you're looking for a meter, read this forum first!
Dr. Aaron Vinik returns ~
On April 15, 1999, Dr. Aaron I. Vinik of the Leonard R. Strelitz Diabetes Institutes in Norfolk, Virginia joined us again, to update us on the latest research with INGAP. There were many good questions and Dr. Vinik did a great job answering as many as he could. His latest experiments show that when more INGAP is given to a test subject, more islets are produced. He also discovered that islets begin to grow within hours of administration of INGAP, rather than days. He is working on discovering absorption rates now. This is a MUST SEE forum if you are interested in the latest research for a CURE for diabetes.
All About Insulin Pumps ~
On May 6, 1999, a very large crowd of over 50 people gathered to discuss the virtues of the insulin pump and ask their questions. This was also my chance to tell my good news of the day, that it looks like our pump start up date with be June 3rd. A pump can help your diabetes control tremendously but it takes alot of work. I happen to think the pros outweigh the cons. You only need to read and investigate to and make your own opinions.
JDF Children's Congress Update ~
Sandra Silvestri joined us on May 20, 1999 to update us on the Children's Congress. We had the opportunity to meet some of the children who were chosen to go to Washington DC to meet with congressmen. It was fantastic to read about what they are doing to collect more letters to show the congressmen they meet. The trip sounds very exciting and there's a wonderful effort going on here. Read this forum to learn more about how YOU can help.
Back to School '99 ~
After a busy summer, it was sure nice to get together again for another forum on July 29, 1999. I can't believe another school year is starting. We talked about meeting with the teacher and what to say and also what papers or letters to give them to read. There are alot of good ones here in my links for you to choose from. We also talked alittle about the 504 and about taking the pump to school. I hope you find this informative and helpful for your little one's first day of school.
Diet & Nutrition ~
I'd seen alot of chat lately about diet, especially between all the type 2's that have joined us in the room. So on September 15, 1999, I had a forum about diet and Nutrition. It was good to see so many people turn up and we discussed carb counting vs. exchanges, insulin ratios to carbs and even alittle about vitamins and "cure-alls". Hope this is a helpful forum for you.
Diabetes & Sports ~
We've been so busy this fall with soccer and I've been struggling so much with schedules and blood sugars. So we got together on October 20, 1999 to talk about how sports and exercise effect diabetes. Delaine M. Wright, MS, CDE, a Clinical Exercise Physiologist & Certified Diabetes Educator joined us to answer questions about how our bodies react to exercise and what it does to blood sugars whether you're on shots, the pump or pills. This is a must read for everyone facing diabetes of any kind!
Pancreas Transplants ~
Deb Butterfield of The Insulin-Free World Foundation joined us and spoke of her pancreas/kidney transplant on December 1, 1999. She told us of her own transplant and informed us of statistics, where to get one, what all is involved in getting one and at what age most pancreas transplants are done. There was quite alot of conversation about the antirejection drugs which is what most people think of when thinking of a transplant! It was reassuring to discover that immunosuppressants are getting better all the time and the side effects of these drugs aren't as bad as they have been in the past. If you're looking for options, this is the forum to read!!
Coping With Diabetes In The New Millennium ~
We started the New Millennium with a bang on January 6, 2000. We got together and met alot of new people and talking about how diabetes effects us and how we handle it! I was happy to see that most of the chat was very positive. We talked about the good things that make keeping blood sugars in line easier. We talked about many aspects of diabetes care and basically enjoyed eachother's company. It was a nice way to start the new year and the new Millennium!
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Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 by Melissa Davis. All rights reserved. Copies may be made for personal use but not for publication.