HATSabout

About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes, and much as it runs against the grain to admit to a short-coming, I was a "lousy diabetic".

Because my A1c test came back above 7.0, I became a finger-poking member of the Type-2 Diabetes Club. Take my word for it, that is NOT a good deal! My doctor started me on a couple of pills and I tested my blood glucose once a day.

Throughout my entire life I have never had ANY health issues other than an occasional cold. I worked and played as much or as little as I cared to. I ate when I was hungry. The menu consisted of whatever was interesting or available at the moment. In short, my life-style did NOT lend itself to being a "good diabetic". In spite of my cavalier attitude the medications resulted in glucose levels of 100 plus-or-minus 20 and A1c in the 6.xx range. I DIDN'T make any lifestype-changes, but I DID keep records of the glucose tests, and included daily blood pressure and pulse readings as well.

After a year or so the glucose numbers had crept upward and A1c was again above 7.0, the meds were "tweaked", things fell back in line, and life continued on. My attitude didn't change, but I did continue keeping records.

In late 2009, or the first of 2010, my glucose readings were back up, consistently at or above 200 with an occasional 140 but more often 220 or above. It was time to face reality and move to the next level. My membership was upgraded to the "shoot before you eat" category, glucose testing 4 times a day so I could calculate the dosage of a shot of "quick acting" insulin before eating, and I continued with the "long acting" insulin at night. For a period of about six months I reported frequently to, and worked closely with, the Diabetes Care and Education team and grumbled about feeling like the recording secretary for a project development team.

Over a period of several months I found and used a number of different computer programs to assist in my record-keeping, because I'm lazy, paper ledgers are "old school", and interpreting a "log" was way too difficult. It became obvious to me that the software writers, while probably well-meaning, didn't understand the MY problem. I've spent a lot of years developing and supporting software focused on the needs of the organization and the people making up that organization - I decided it was time for "the shoe-maker to begin wearing his own shoes" and HATS development began.

HATS© (Health and Activity Tracking System) allows all of the related information to be maintained in a single set of records and provides quick and easy review and reporting. The information tracked includes:

Blood Glucose test results;
Food Intake and nutritional content;
"Quick-acting" and "Long-acting" insulin usage and dosage calculation;
Other, non-Insulin, medications usage;
Exercise;
Height, weight, blood pressure, and pulse;
Health Care Appointments and related notes.

The insulin dosage calculations are produced as part of the record-keeping process so remembering is easy and I don't have to test my math-skills before every meal.

Printed reports and graphical presentations are available based on the recorded entries and combine related information to present:

Blood glucose readings by Meal-or-Event, by Day-of-the-Week and by Time-of-Day;
Insulin usage by Meal-or-Event and by Day-of-the-Week, including blood glucose level, carbohydrate intake, "Quick-acting" and "Long-acting" insulin dosage;
Food intake by Meal-or-Event and by Day-of-the-Week, including carbohydrate, calorie, protein, and fat intake and calories burned;
Weight by day or by weekly average aligned with calculated Body Mass Index to assess weight condition;
Blood pressure and pulse by day or by weekly average.

A year or so has elapsed since I began the "poke and shoot before you eat" routine and I am VERY HAPPY to report that as a "good diabetic" I now -

Have blood glucose numbers consistently in the 100 plus-or-minus 10 to 20 range and A1c in the mid-5.xx level.
Walk for about 30-minutes 5 or 6 days each week.
Watch what, and how much, I eat.
Have dropped about 40 pounds. And that was an unexpected by-product of diet adjustment for glucose control, NOT the result of any weight-loss effort, but obviously it was needed.
Spend less than a minute per meal keeping records, calculating insulin dosages, and recording weight, blood pressure and pulse regularly.

I recently received a note containing a link to an article entitled "Type 2 Diabetes: Jeffrey's Story" and reading it was like looking into a mirror. I'm a little older than Jeffery, and I carried a little less excess weight than he, so my story is a little different, but not much. His story pretty well tells my tale.

Are my results all because of HATS? Absolutely not, Jeffrey's Story attests to that, HATS just allows me to quickly and easily maintain the records and then to easily review the results. It prepares printed reports for my far less frequent meetings with the Diabetes Care staff.

I'm sure there are needs that HATS doesn't address. If they are sent to me and can be implemented reasonably I'll do that, but keep in mind this is a my hobby, not a business venture. I do want to add functionality that will allow me to use my cell-phone, or maybe my ebook reader, for data-entry when I'm away from home, how that plays out remains to be seen.

REMEMBER
Taking control is how this game is won!