Way to go, Genius! – DBW Day 3

Day three of Diabetes Blog Week is all about Diabetes Bloopers.  Occasionally, the most basic aspects of diabetes management prove too challenging for some folks.  Stick with me and you’ll see what I mean.

Have you ever noticed that when you hear someone say the words “Way to go, Genius!”, it is rarely meant as a complement?  Maybe it’s just me, but when I hear that, I know in my mind the person was really wanting to yell “Hey dumb-ass, you screwed up! ”

Occasionally, I find myself thinking and saying the very same things to myself after suffering from a flash of brilliance (read brain fart).  And we all know that life with diabetes certainly provides opportunities for brain farts on a regular basis.  More often than not, a lack of patience is to blame for them.  When I’m in a rush, it’s so easy for the basics to be overlooked, and funny things happen.

Like the many times that I’ve tried to poke my finger with a lancing device that contained no lancet.  Or that did contain a lancet, but the cap hadn’t been removed.  It’s amazing how well those things work when loaded properly.

And I know this will come as a complete shock to everyone, but it’s a whole lot easier to test your blood sugars if you take the time to put a test strip in the meter before you poke your finger.  Kinda helps avoid that whole “hold the bloody finger out of the way while trying to juggle a meter and test strip vial” scenario that is just so enjoyable.  But hey, if you enjoy playing 50 strip pickup, go ahead and give that juggling exercise a try.

Of course, a properly loaded lancing device and poking my fingers are completely pointless if there aren’t test strips in my meter case.  It helps to actually replace the empty test strip vial immediately instead of waiting.  Nothing worse than being at work, needing to test your blood sugars, and discovering that procrastination led to forgetting to pack your supplies.

Oh, and meters are small and portable for a reason; They are meant to be carried with you.  A meter will do you no good at all if it is left behind.  I’m not going to tell you how or why I know that. 🙂

As usual, there are lessons to be learned here.  The first is that being able to laugh at yourself is a good thing. The second is that sometimes, being considered a genius and a dumb-ass can be the same thing.  And finally, an ability to exercise patience, or a lack of it, can be what determines the outcome of lesson number two.