Diabetic Alert Dog Article

                I know quite a few people who own diabetic alert dogs which is wonderful. One of the toughest things I have had to deal with since I got Duchess is the public access issues and I am not alone in this issue. I know the main thing is people are unable to see our disabilities so they automatically assume are service dogs are fake. I was very upset when I read about a 20 year old in the article below who was trying to get lunch and was told to leave. He has filed a complaint which I support completely. I am hoping that the business gets hit with a fine in hopes that they learn that is not allowed. Everyday is a fight even with continued education. Things are getting better for me because I have made it my mission to educate as many as possible. I know this family is trying to do the same but not all people are willing to learn more until its too late. I am hoping as more service dogs are out and about that more people including businesses will familiarize themselves with the laws. I feel really bad that this young man had to experience this but I am glad he did file a complaint.

http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/18677652/article-Eatery-says-it%E2%80%99s-sorry-for-tossing-out-service-dog?instance=special%20_coverage_right_column

UGH Dr. Appointments

             Today I am going back to my Endocrinologist's office for a visit but I have a feeling it will not be fun. I changed all the setting to what I wanted to have them at and I'm sure I will get a lecture. My Dr.'s only see me occasionally and it is silly to think that I would not change the setting if necessary. I know my recent seizures of course is playing a part in their continued requests to reduce my basal rates, but I will never avoid lows for several months. It has not been possible for me all the times I have tried over the past 4 years. I will not go back to feeling bad again so they can feel better personally. I am looking forward to switching to my new Endocrinologist's office in hopes that they may have some other ideas how to handle my situation. I know each person's case of diabetes do differ quite a bit actually. I need to find out of the box solutions which I'm can be found. I only went back to this Endocrinologist because I am getting my Dexcom which they already said they would approve. Looking forward to seeing what the Dexcom can do. I had a medtronic previously and did not like it at all. Hopefully I can use the device to make even better basal adjustments in the future.

                I wish that I could get rid of the seizures for good but I think they are realistically just part of what I will have to deal with. I have dealt with them so long they feel like it's a normal part. I am concerned to an extent at my lack of real concern to an extent at this point but, If I do not get this sorted out soon. I will be headed straight for diabetic burn out. I am working on finding a better balance in hopes of avoiding burn out. I am usually really good at testing but recently I don't care as much as I should. I think all the trouble with Dr.'s has played a part sadly. Duchess has also been affected to an extent also by the Dr.'s wanting to me to run quite high and her training is to keep me between 90-120 as much as possible and they of course want me running over 150 at all times. I disagree with this as well. I actually do not feel great at anything 160 or over which is why I am fighting there want to have me always over 150. I have a high stress job which requires me to being going a hundred miles an hour. So this has created more issues and why I decided to change my basal rates. Even though I will get lectured today I think it was all worth it if I end up feeling normal instead of feeling sick.

Past Two Years

                   I have been thinking about the past two years and have far things have come. When I first got Duchess there was constant access issues where I live and there still is some, but I feel like I have started to educate the business enough that they have become more receptive. The good part of education is that they will tend to treat service dog teams with the respect that they deserve. Life has not been easy since Duchess, but the freedom she gave me back is priceless in my opinion. I am hoping the more time I spend educating everyone that in the end that someday Austin will be come a much friendlier place for service dog teams no matter what job they do. I still have one opponent that has been tough which is a local Cinemark theater  near my home. They will on and off give me issues including the management. I have contact corporate and that seems to usually help resolve the issue for the most part. I love to go to the movies and will not stop going. I have heard the security guards which are off duty cops point out to the ticket person that she is a medical alert dog and they usually leave me alone after that. I have seen improvements because of the guide dog group of puppy trainers have been targeting these locations to help further educate them as well.

                   I have come a long way and learned a great deal about how to educate. How knowing the laws can help especially when a business is unaware of the laws. Having information or websites they can go to and learn more about the laws have all helped. I was even asked by a store what questions they could ask a service dog team and when they can kick some one out. I know that store had this lady who came in who was disabled but I could tell was never trained the dog growled at Duchess and employee's said the dog was getting into stuff at the store such as sniffing produce and other things a service dog should not do. The store I was told was watching Duchess and comparing it to the other dog. The dog was not trained in my opinion and was not allowed back in the store. I am glad to see that they are trying to educate themselves as a business.

                   

Dangerous Times

                       This time of year always end up being the most dangerous for me. The end of fiscal year at a college is stressful. We are trying to use up funds, close out accounts, and clean up general paperwork. We also are preparing for auditors. So my job becomes extremely hectic and I honestly do not know what I would do without Duchess. She has been a champ with dealing with the extended hours,shorter lunches and my blood sugars dropping dramatically. These days I am not sure if I could do my job without her because I have no ability to feel lows or highs and honestly it is quite scary how fast I go into a fog which leaves me unable to respond. I am thankful that I am able to still work and have the freedoms I currently enjoy all because of Duchess. I do also love her playful funny personality she has. She is always making new noises because she is not allowed to bark they are quite but she always has an interesting way of trying to communicate. Life is and always will be interesting having Duchess around. Thankful for my partner in crime and best friend.

Medical Frustrations

                    It seem recently that things medically have been nothing but crazy. I recently got a raise but most of my raise will go to pay for the hospital bill I have for my hospitalization when I had my seizure. Next time I am leaving AMA (against medical advice). I found that the experience was not great and I ended up being just fine and could of taken care of myself at home and missed less work. Diabetes is so expensive. I use a healthcare account through my work and they have denied my claim for my insulin pump which is crazy because it was a medical device. I think they believe the insurance company should of paid for the expense but what they don't realize is that the cost was my deductible for my insulin pump. So now I am fighting to get them to approve the charges so I don't have to pay the deductible out of my own pocket after I had already paid it with my pay flex.  The company I purchased it from could of charged me around quite a bit more but they worked with me. I am getting really tired of all the medical bills that I need to make phone calls for and all the arguing I have to do with the insurance company. Some days all this stuff is just too much especially when I am in the busiest week of the year for me. I am so frustrated between the Dr.'s and the bills but I also very aware of how lucky I am to have health insurance that I can use for emergencies, illnesses and management of my diabetes. I need a another vacation badly but that would cost money.



            

Treats or No Treats

                    I have seen changes in the diabetic alert dog forums recently. There is a movement to move away from treats or transitioning away from treats to just praise as a reward for alerting. I have an extremely treat motivated service dog and I was thinking about trying it but the other part of me is like why fix something that is not broken. Mind you my dog is sneaky and she is always trying to come up with new ways to get extra treats. She will for example wait til exactly and hour after I have eaten knowing that my blood sugar will be above 120. That would then fall in a high alert. She is extremely smart so here doing this is no real surprise to me. I have a feeling that taking away the treats for  her could have some adverse effects to how she alerts and so I am not going to do it. I know some of the people who have been able to transition from treats their dogs are not very treat motivated. I am not the best dog trainer and so I have been learning as I go but I think on my part that I am doing the right thing for Duchess and I. She is an excellent alerter and I rely upon her so much. I cannot even justify trying it at this point because I do worry about it being dangerous for me. I have been giving her treats for the past two years and it seems like my choice is the best for both of us.

                             

Fake Service Animal Run-In

                     A couple months back I was at a restaurant with a friend. We were entering the restaurant and saw a couple. The couple had three Pomeranian's with them. My friend noticed all three of the dogs had service dog vests on. The vest did not state what job they do. I have a medical alert dog patch on Duchess because I find that stating what their job is helpful. I have educated my friends about service animals and how to spot fake one's. There has been a growing number of places on the internet selling service dog vests and certifications so people can fake. My friend approached the couple about their dogs and what kind of service dogs they were? They would not tell her what their jobs was which I understand on some levels. Disclosing your disability can be hard. I on the other hand found it strange to have three service dogs. I know some will have two at most when training the successor of their current service dog but to need three their is no valid reason I could think of. I even had a discussion with other disabled handlers and we all thought they were just people trying to fake their dogs were a service animal. The dogs once they saw Duchess started barking and I knew right them that these dogs were not service animals. Another clue to me is that most of the time service animals tend not to be Pomeranian's they are hard to train and are usually do not handle the job of a service animal as well. I am not saying that they should not be, but they tend to be the exception.

                    I can understand how fun it could seem to take your dog with you, but when it affects people who rely on their service animals to give them their freedom that's what I have a problem with. These fakers have cause me more issues and stress because they are only tend to create bad feeling about service dog teams because of their bad behavior. Service dogs spend two years training to be one. So taking your semi well behaved animal makes it harder for me to grocery shopping, restaurant and other places. I know we all love our animals but leaving them home really makes things easier for the people who rely upon these wonderful animals to help. I know this was a clear incident of people passing their misbehaving dogs off as a service animal.

Pressure from Family

                    I am not very good these days with communicating with my family especially when it involves the scary lows or seizures. I don't because most of the time they really just don't get it. My father who experienced all the scary incidents I had as a small child and teenager seems to of forgotten how dangerous diabetes is. My family since they do not seem me on a regular basis really does not understand fully how dangerous things have gotten in the past couple of years even with me telling them. I know this last seizure incident they think moving home will help curtail this from happening, but sadly that is not the case. They are continuing to put pressure on me to move when I am perfectly happy with my life and where I work currently. I know they are concerned, but sadly they would not be able to do much in these situation either. I know my father now thinks Duchess is not worth the money spend on her because she did not alert me to the seizure before it happened. I know from what happened my blood sugar was dropping way too fast and there was not enough time for here to catch it. Honestly she did alert my co-workers which was wonderful. So I am not going to blame my service animal when I really truly feel that she did a great job.

                     I think my family's expectation of Duchess are not realistic in that I do have dramatic drops and even my father has admitted that. Sadly though he still expects her to catch them before and normally she does, but when they drop dramatically her trainer has told me there is not always enough time to stop it. So I feel blessed to have her and hope I can avoid the dramatic drops as much as possible. I know service dog are still dogs and expecting perfection is not realistic. Even the expectation for a CGM is not realistic either. I know my family cares, but honestly things would not turn out any different even if I was back home.