Living with Diabetes

Someone hounding you to go see a doctor, good or bad ?

2010-02-23T23:26:00.000-08:00

Last few days I have a nurse who is calling me to checkup on me and know how I am doing and if I have seen the doctor.

Thing is that I have not taken care of the medical stuff that I should have, so I am avoiding her calls.

In a way it is great that she is calling and reminding me, but then in a way it is bothersome when it is happening at a frequency that is not comfortable. I should not have to avoid her. I know it is not her problem, but my guilt, sigh... Got to get back in control of my doctor appointments.

On a side note, I have never actually met her. Only talked to her over the phone. Sometimes I wonder what she looks like?? Is that weird?

Going Dolphin with my Diabetes

2010-02-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

Saw a very interesting link related to some facts that scientists have discovered regarding Dolphins haveing a Diabetes switch that gets turned on and off every night.
Essentially every night the Dolphins become diabetic and each morning they turn their Diabetes off.
Can't wait to see what more they find out.
Read more about it -
Dolphins and Diabetes

More, You know you are a diabetic when ....

2010-02-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

You know you are a diabetic when ...
you reach for the glucometer and not the coffee pot first thing in the morning. - This is from Bob Fenton
You converse with yourself when you are going to eat carbs late in the night.
You have nightmares about loosing limbs because you could not control yourself during the party.
You are scared to eat even a small piece of cake in case it starts the craving cycle for more.
You intimately know what A1C means
When you reach a party, you first check out what low carb foods are available
You have a reminder to visit your doctor every 3 months for checkups
You are or have been a subscriber to Diabetes Health magazine
You are or have been on Metfornin
Random folks give you remedies of all sorts to fix you up..
You carry some sort of fast sugars with you in case you run into a low!!!
You are terrified of the shaking and loss of control when you experience a low
You have agonized over deciding to tell folks at work whether you have the diseases
You feel like going to sleep after eating a large bowl of white rice
The doctor wants you to take your socks every time you visit him or her
Everytime you see an overweight person you wonder if they have diabetes

More later..

A very inspiring story about a Diabetic Ballerina, a book review

2010-02-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

Full disclosure - I did not buy this book, the publisher sent it over to me to review.

And I am glad that I did get my hands on this great book. What an inspiring story. Zippora gets Type 1 diabetes early in her life when she is training to be a ballerina. This was a time when knowledge about the disease and its cures are very primitive and she goes through an odd assortment of cures before she settles into the one that works for her. All this while she is growing through the ranks of a great ballerina. What an achievement.

Reading the book was inspiration in lots of ways. Reminded me of the struggles as I was discovering what it means to be a diabetic and how to change my life. She brings out the angst of trying to balance food, exercise and LIFE at the same time. Amazing, but true.

Also lots of insights into the life of a ballerina. I had no idea of how complex this dance form is. It was fortunate that my 5 year old started taking ballet lessons at the same time too. I actually knew some of the terms that were being used :-)

This is a great book to read. It is light reading and leaves you feeling great at the end.
Thank you Zippora for sharing your life with us.

You know you are a diabetic when ...

2010-01-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

You start worrying about every small crack or cut on your feet !!!

Testing to start on an artificial pancreas

2010-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Just read this article. Finally someone is coming up real life tests for an artificial pancreas. It will take time, but there is hope in the future of some improvements with handling this disease.
Business & Technology | J&J, charity to start testing artificial pancreas | Seattle Times Newspaper

Some of the other promising researches are -
1) Replace the Islets in the pancreas so that you can start making more insulin again.
2) Genetic recreation of a new pancreas.

Do you have Diabetes? How to find out... Check your A1C

2010-01-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

Looks like the ADA finally came out with new recommendations on what is considered diabetic, pre diabetic or not based on the A1C numbers. Nice to know.
http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8789&catid=1&Itemid=17
Lots of times I have had folks who talk about taking the fasting test and trying to manage it, e.g. by eating no carbs the night before and fudging the results. I always tell them that it does not matter. This result is not for the doctor, but for you. If you are pre-diabetic or even diabetic, it is better to know than not. If you do not know, you will cause a lot more damage to yourself. With the A1C test, it is almost impossible to fudge the results, so I am happy about this improvement.

How do you save the day when you wake up to a sugar of 183???

2009-12-26T14:07:00.001-08:00

In my case, you do not...

You feel so bad that you just continue on the destructive track and tell yourself that you will eat better for dinner and exercise before sleeping...

The strange relationship between me and my meter

2009-12-26T00:02:00.000-08:00

First of all, I will like to state that I think of my blood glucose meter as a girl. So when I talk about it, I always do it in the feminine form. What she ( my meter ) says is what goes.

My meter cab control how I start my day. If I wake up and she gives me a good number, then I coast through the rest of the day a much happier person. If she gives me a number that is too high right in the morning, I know that it is going to be one of those hard days. It sure is hard to recover from a bad morning number on my meter.

Sometimes the meter loves to blow my fun cover. Like the other day I was rolling through the day a happy camper and was thinking that the sugars must be doing good as my body seems to not want to drop like it is made of lead. So I happy brought her out of her case and poked myself and waited eagerly for the results....298. I was lost. She had taken the winds out of my sails. And sure enough I got lethargic right after that..What is up with that.

Then there are days when she shines her benevolent light on me. I went out for some dim sum and ate to my hearts desire. I was sure that I am going to run a high number then and even felt like taking a mid afternoon nap. I pulled her out and checked,,,it was...146. Now I could have jumped up and danced, but all I did was thank my lucky stars. I did consider testing another time to be sure, but decided to not push my luck :-)

Depression and Diabetes, like skating on thin ice.

2009-12-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to understand this whole depression, feeling blue thing. Why do some of us diabetics suffer with it so much?

It is amazing how depression is so prevalent amongst the diabetics. Not sure if this is a factor of some chemical changes due to the lack of insulin or is it the fact that we have to spend our time worrying about what is going in and what the sugars might be running and what the future is bringing. If you are looking towards a future with possible amputations, blindness, sores, ulcers, it is kind of hard to be upbeat about it !!!!

The closest analogy I could come up with was a person skating on thin ice. You are feeling good as ypou are skating and can feel the cool wind on your face and feel free with the movements. But under you, the dark swirling waters are always existing. It is just a matter of time and chance that the ice might break and you get wet again. Hopefully you are alble to pull yourself back up and come back on the ice sheet and be safe. I hate the idea of falling through anf never being able to come back up. I guess that is where you have to have a support strucutre around you which can throw the ropes and pull you back if you are having a hard time coming out.

Well.... back to life and looking forward to the Christmas and New years. This year I am going in positive, but am ever mindful of the fact that the ice is thin. Got to pull those support ropes a little closer now :-)

A prisoner of diabetes

2009-11-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like diabetes has me trapped in a a jail. I can see the world outside from a small window and can see others have the freedom to roam free and enjoy their lives, but I have to stay within the confines.

Like any other good prisoner who craves the freedom, I break out of my cell one in a while and go romping around the hillsides. But soon enough the Diabetic police catch up with me and bring me back.

My hands are always tied in the back. I would like to be free and spread myself wide and reach as high as I can, but the cuffs keep me in check. They are my own good, to keep me and others safe.

A book about diabetes that I enjoyed

2009-11-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

Now that I am using the bus, there is so much more time to read. Last week I decide to get back at reading the diabetes related books. A while back one of the companies had sent me a book to review for them. I would totally recommend this book for any person to read. The book is very well put together and a lot of fun to read. I was entertained reading it and learnt some new facts and brushed up on old ones. The little research briefs that are sprinkled through the book really helped my scientific brain.
Grab a copy when you get a chance -

It is definitely time to read some more. I feel better reading it and learning some more.

Achieving change with small steps ove time

2009-09-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

It is a lesson that I seem to have to keep getting once in a while.
Sometimes I want the changes to come fast, infact really fast. I put in a lot of effort, then I get discouraged when the results are not what I would like to see and then obviously I end up quitting the stuff and basically give up.

I read somewhere that it take about 6 months for a habit to change. So the idea is to make small change into the habit or the behavior and then let it soak into the routine of life for about 6 months and then you make more smaller changes.

Sometimes I think that 6 months is a long time, but then when I think back, 6 months was march this year. It is not that long of a time.

Daily walks are working for me

2009-09-16T00:08:00.000-07:00

I have started using the bus to go to work. I started it in the month of September and I have managed to keep it up. It has added more time to my commute, but also gives me a chance to walk about 40 mins a day and I get to relax and listen to music on the bus.

So now I am not getting a lot of sleep, still just 5-6 hours a day, but I am not in danger of a car wreck or anything since someone else is driving me.

This seems to be potentially beneficial deal for me. Hopefully I can continue it in the winter months, especially when it starts to rain in Seattle.

Latest Numbers in...Good but can be better

2009-09-09T00:40:00.001-07:00

Got my latest A1C, it came out as 6.8
It has dropped from 7.0 the last time I checked, but I was hoping for lower.
Also I have gained 3 more pounds in the last 6 months, which is not so good.

So the quest to get healthier continues...

Tomorrow I know how the summer really went on my sugars

2009-09-07T10:14:00.001-07:00

I am going in to see the doctor tomorrow. I will get the results of the various tests. I have not been in for almost 6 months now. Bot good.

Like always there is a little nervousness. Not sure what to expect. I am always a little worried that my A1C would have gone through the roof. My triglycerides would be too high...I might need to get onto some newer medications.

My blood pressure is al;ways high when I go in to see him. I am nervous. I have tried some relaxation techniques, but they leave me really fast once I am in there.

But most of the time once he tells me the results I am all calm. Then you have the data and you can start to work on a program to make it better for yourself.

Being positive through a long weekend

2009-09-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

I know that when the long weekend rolls up I start to feel like I need time..yada..yada ...and start to slip into the familiar negative regions.

So I am going to avoid it all this time with these ideas -

1) Monitor my mood -
I will watch as I change from a happy positive person and figure out ways to life my mood. There is so much good to look at and bask in.
2) Think of the Sun -
I will think about all the good that God has given in my life and not let the current situation with the difficulties keep me down. I will put my trust in God (This is going to be the hardest , to just let go). I have been blessed with lots of good time in the past and will have a lot of good time in the future. I need to trust and do all the things that I need to do to weather through this set of difficulties.
3) Clear your mind -
Another idea that I can already see the benefits for. I will not focus on the negatives. It is hard, but I will push negative thoughts aside and meditate on all the good.

Have you accepted your diabetes yet?

2009-08-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

I was reading a book that talked about making acceptance as the first step before you start dealing with tough things.

The idea is to accept the truth. You have to step up and accept what is true and then you can feel bad about it and then start making a plan to get the better of it.

I think I have accepted diabetes. But probably not had the stage where I voiced my dispair over yet. I still end up at time very despondent as to why I was given this GIFT in my life.

News article on diabetes foot amputations

2009-08-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

I am terrified with the idea that my diabetes can eventually lead to a limb being aputated. Check out this new latest article on how some of them can be avoided -
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32542672/ns/health-diabetes/

When your support structure gives in

2009-08-23T22:08:00.001-07:00

My family, mainly my wife, has been the pillar of my support structure. In the last few months she herself is having her issues and the kids are demanding more time as they grow up, so recently most of her time was taken away and my support structure crumpled. So now I am beginning to realize how much I need it and wondering how I should setup a new one.
Some ideas swimming in my head -
1) Make sure that the structure is not sitting on just one pillar. Like anything else in the world, there needs to be redundancy. I think having four pillars will be ideal. Still need to know who will be these four pillars.
2) Make sure that the support gets stronger as time goes by. So need to acknowledge and keep visiting the shortcomings of the structure. Needs regular maintenance.
3) Know that everybody needs it, so be willing to be other people support pillars. Give back what you get.

The summer is coming to an end, the weight is where it was

2009-08-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

I was hoping that this summer I will be able to exercise and reduce the fat around the belly. But as we end this summer, I am still where I started. I am not as commited to this weight loss thingy as I should be.

My fellow diabetics, watch your nerves !!!

2009-08-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

It is starting to cool down in Seattle. I guess Summer is already nearing its end. Along with the cold in the night, I start to get numb fingers. It is quite annoying. I hate the feeling of waking up in the middle of the night and finding numb fingers or sometimes the whole hand. I tell myself to shove them in a blanket or under a pillow to warm them up, but in the back of my mind I am always thinking, is this the start of nerve damage that I hear about from all other diabetics?

It is a major stress in the back of the mind that I keep bottled up. After having discovered eye damage last year, I am always just a little scared of when and where the nerve damage is going to strike me. Irrational fear, but that is what it is.

My favorite, I guess I can call it that, site to read up on this is the http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/neuropathies/ site.

If you can fully trust the governments word, which I sometimes do with a grain of salt, you can read up this information. I am always worried about reading things on the internet.

So all my fellow diabetics, keep your nerves. Control your sugars, exercise and no smoking !!!!

Eating fruits for diabetics

2009-08-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

A lot of diabetics struggle with the inclusion of fruits in our diets. We always tend to associate fruits with sugars as they are sweet and they do have a very sugary taste. Due to this a lot of my diabetic friends tend to avoid fruits at time.

I think that is a big mistake. Fruits are and should be an essential part of the diet. They are loaded with so many goodies like fiber, vitamins and minerals. It would be a shame to miss out on the natural sources of these and keep trying to supplement with other vitamins and minerals.

The resource I use for checking on my fruits is the Glycemic index database avalable at - http://www.glycemicindex.com/
This site gives me the information on how much the serving size for the fruit is, you do not want to loose track of the carb counting. It also tells me how soon the sugar will metabolize in my system. The sugars in the fruits is fructose and it metabolizes a little differently.

Hot summer days, a boon or a curse

2009-07-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Makes you lazy so hard to move, but then you spend most of the time in water to cool yourself and get loads of exercise without feeling like you are getting it.

Remember to drink lots of water to stop any possible dehydration. Diabetics have worser effects when dehydrated.

Sometimes the wind under your sails just dies out

2009-07-23T22:22:00.001-07:00

Imagine this, you are sailing the oceans in a nice sailboat. The winds are catching nicely on the sails and you are sailing effortlessly. Then suddenly the wind dies out. You are now sitting in a nice boat with the sail all limp and no sign of any wind and you are wondering now what will I do.

Something like this is happening with my diabetes right now. I feel like I was sailing and there was lots of winds helping me coast and suddenly it is all gone. I am sitting in the middle and waiting to see if a new wind comes along so I can take a ride and start moving again.