Very Old, Very Healthy Diabetic

...or die trying.
I was diagnosed in 1998 at the age of 33 with NIDDM or Type 2 diabetes. I come from a diabetic clan. I even married a diabetic. Are you on the diabetes road, too?
This is my goal: to become a very old, very healthy diabetic by day to day choices regarding eating, exercise and medical management. Walk along with me...

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Play Therapy

I wrote several emails today and got strange questions from my co-workers about them, so I think my brain is 'off' somehow. Here's hoping this entry will make more sense.

Two delightful social workers, S & E, spent their weekends entertaining Dr Parts & me and a roomful of other prospective adoptive parents. [Jargon alert: PAP=Prospective Adoptive Parents, or Potential Adoptive Parents. Lots of new alphabet soup to me.] This was the Special Needs Adoption Coalition training provided for folks who are considering adopting kids who are in the custody of the State of Oregon.

S was especially good. I mean fabulously good. I mean'take me hope adopt me now please please please' good. Entertaining and informative. Realistic. Acknowledging how hard it really is. And it is hard.

So, if I can't adopt George and his brood, I'm happy to say that Dr Parts & I are happy to be considering adopting a boy or two through the State of Oregon.

Right now, I want these three cutie pies. They were listed in the Oregonian today, so I'm OK with linking up to them. Thankfull, Dr Parts will remind me of our practical limitations. In other words, it may be unreasonable to expect a 9th grader, an 8th grader and a kindergardener to share a single bedroom.

Sigh.

We have to collect lots of paperwork and we're probably 6 months out from being ready to present ourselves to the decision-makers as a home-study ready family. That and a lot of cleaning & sorting to do at home. Hopefully these three kids will already be with their growing-up family by that time.

But, we felt committed and ready enough to commit retail.

Thus, the photo. Lego Therapy. The kids may never get this stuff away from Dr. Parts.

Isn't there a LegoLand in San Diego? Or should we go right to Denmark?

I am still frightened that my health and/or my diabetes may prevent me from becoming a parent, even with the adoption route. My foot pain has to be under enough control to give me the emotional reserves to be able to deal with supporting growing boys.

Since seeing the fasting BG reading of 165 yesterday, I didn't test this morning. Not the most health-supporting move.

Tomorrow is another day. Another day to live healthy and make good choices. Another day closer to being a mom.

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Textbook of Pain


They put me in the wrong room for my latest appointment with the nurse practitioner at the pain center. I couldn't resist this photo. Do you see that book? Did youknow there was a Textbook of Pain?
Hopefully, all the medical team there have studied these books well and are applying them to me.
I do feel much better. My pain is at a manageable level.
My weight is up. 192 as of this morning.
My numbers are up. 165 fasting reading this morning. I see my Internal Medicine doctor on Friday. Will she suggest Lantus? Should I?

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Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Grand Detour

Just south of where we live, in Brooks, Oregon, is Antique Powerland. It is indeed a great place, with all sorts of farm equipment, motors, trucks, and railway stuff-I'm sure there is a much more respectful term, but it escapes me at the moment. Two weekends a year-the last weekend in July and the first weekend in August-they have the annual Great Oregon Steam Up.

With apologies to farm equipment, motor, tractor, railroad, and all the other fill-in-the-blank enthusiasts, let me state, that if one is not farm equipment, motor, tractor, railroad, and all the other fill-in-the-blank enthusiast, this event could be pretty boring. Oh, logging equipment. I forgot logging equipment enthusiast. It is impressive. There are many beautiful examples of this 19th & 20th century technology. The shopping opportunities were ... limited, but pleasant.

There are not enough benches. There is lots of walking.

In my family, I am surrounded by folks who really do appreciate a fine machine and the wonders of mechanical thinking. So I go to these things. We walked. I sat when I could. My feet hurt. We did not overspend. It was hot. We did not overeat. Dr. Parts took lots (and lots) of photos & videos. We only got a little sunburned. The little dog did not bite anyone. She only had one illicit food opportunity.

How does this relate to diabetes? Does it relate to diabetes?

These machines, as I walk among them, show the loss of physical exercise that has contributed to the current epidemic of obesity among north americans. They show the development of technology that is part of the ancestry of the technology that we use in day to day modern life. The improvements that make the tractors safer, now make my car safer. The food on my table is plentiful, due to the efficiency of food production, harvesting, refrigeration and transportation.
And my magical little meter, that give me my numbers. How could I live without that?

My photo is of one example a display of painted tractor seats. (can't get photo to load-curses) They were ornate and beautiful. Similar purpose: to hold up the farmer, hopefully with a minimum amount of discomfort, as he worked. Variations in shape and size, in placement of logos, etc. All the same, all different.


That reminds me of the people I know with diabetes. In my office alone, today, I interacted with two people who have the diagnosis of diabetes. One guy, he's lost twenty pounds, and he's off all diabetes meds. He's working on getting off the blood pressure meds next. (I just wish I hadn't found his lost twenty pounds. Still, he solved a major crisis for us today. ) Caution bells go off in my head for him, though. His future is not that much different than mine. His sugar process is not normal. If he gains weight, he will regain his diabetes.

We are everywhere. I wish we weren't. I wish there were more and more former people with diabetes, "cured" diabetics, if you will.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Hiding Out


I'm not dead. I'm not injured. I guess I'm just hiding out.

Since Nana's death, and her funeral, I've been very busy. We refinanced the house. My job responsibilities have changed, and they do not play to my strengths. I'm supposed to be part of the new dLife Blogabetes project, but I haven't written any entries for them. I feel very unsuccessful. I like the idea of taking part in the Blogabetes project, but they want they nice short focused entries. Blog Haiku, almost.

My blogging is usually too long, and all over the map.

Today's photos are of my grandfather's 90th birthday party "cake". We had this party last weekend. This is a carved watermelon, in place of a cake. Very nice. Mom remembers always having a watermelon on her dad's birthday, July 19, which might be the first watermelon the family would have had that summer.

The photo below is of my grandfather, Orville, with his grandson, my first cousin, Kyle. Now, Kyle greatly resembles Orville and his body movements are almost exactly the same. Which means that Kyle, if Kyle gets to be 90 years old, may greatly resemble Orville. Poor kid.

Also notable in this photo, in the back, dressed in black, is Naomi, Kyle's older sister. Let's hope if she gets to 90, she will not resemble Orville as much as does her brother.

And, speaking of brothers, my brother is in this photo, cleverly disguised as that blur next to Naomi.

My number have been up slightly. My weight remains stable, too high. I am frustrated at my ability or inability to control my eating and increase my exercise. My July 2007 HbA1c reading was 6.8, when it's normally under 6.0. Curses.

So, too much work, too much stress, not enough time. Same old, same old, in other words. Life is good. It's good to have a birthday. It's good to have a birthday party.

And it's good to have good family times.

We must keep on trying, every day, every meal, every bite.

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