Monthly Archives: May 2011
Obligatory cat photo.
May 30
Of course a cat was the first thing I photographed with my new camera (Nikon D3100.)
Peeking through the clouds.
May 27
The first hour of the long holiday weekend made up for a week full of doubts and tears and frustrations.
I picked out a restaurant near work, grabbed a couple glasses of prosecco along with a caprese platter and a thin crust pizza, all of which was on happy hour special.
I paid no attention to potential carbohydrate counts or that I was dining alone. Instead, I focused on the attractive foreign waiter and the woman (in a larger group) who told me it was “awesome” I did not shy away from dining alone.
Now that I am home, I find myself seeing a little more clearly through the clouds.
(…And here I am, actually smiling, finding out that the internet is even more full of cats thanks to Android.)
Skip over this.
May 25
The unoccupied mind wanders, wanders far and wide.
Friendly territory, sometimes; deep dark places, more likely.
Tonight, I feel no better than I did a few weeks ago. Tonight, I linger in the sadness of all the tough decisions I have had to make these last few months and I linger in the anger of the situation, and wonder when things really will get better, better beyond just a false sense of turning a corner.
Would have escaping to Europe for awhile and blowing my savings been a better option? Not exactly practical, but at least I would not feel like a broken record skipping over the same spot over and over.
A simple visualization, revisited.
This week marks the beginning of the 12-week WildFit program designed for active women with diabetes looking to kick things up a notch, but who are not quite ready to make a triathlon or long cycling event a short-term goal with Team Wild.
That sounds like me!
With help from a RD/CDE and a fitness coach, I am hoping to lower average blood glucose back down under 120 mg/dl and lose 75% of the weight gained over the emotionally and physically stressful events of the last eighteen months.
That being said, I need to get back into the mindset of visualizing what exercise does for me like I wrote about at Diabetes Daily in September 2009…
“Every step forward. Every step up the hill. Every lift of the weights. Every abdominal crunch. The music fades and the concentration begins.
I visualize the meter taking a downward trend with every move I make.
I visualize anxiety taking its leave of me with every breath I take.
And afterwards, the meter tells me I’ve done right for my body and the calm tells me I’ve done right for my mind.
A future full of complete health seems absolutely possible when I really put my mind to it.”
Inappropriate baby gift.
Shhh…don’t tell Elly…
I found the perfect gift for her unborn male spawn this evening!
(Oh crap, I missed the “adult” part.)
Turning a corner.
May 17
For awhile
I found the hospital wristband (and what it represents)
made me weak,
made me vulnerable,
made me unable to believe in myself,
as a new unrelated challenge presented itself.
Turning a corner
I find the hospital wristband (and what it represents)
makes me stronger,
makes me secure,
makes me believe,
as new paths open their gates to me.
DBlogWeek #7: What We’ve Learned
May 15
Since finding the DOC…
I’ve learned that there are awesome people out there who at least attempt to bridge the two major types of diabetes. (Especially Scott and Kerri.)
I’ve learned that besides diabetes, there are people with whom I have so much in common. (Sara with enjoying Criminal Minds; Julia with the love of reading and cooking; Lee Ann with the interest in eating disorders and how they relate to diabetes; Mike D. with the awesome sense of humor; Kathy and Karen with my burgeoning interest in knitting; George, k2, and bacon; and so much more!)
Since starting this particular #DBlogWeek…
I have learned that there are some who come to the rescue when a blogging platform fails and that there are so many voices I have yet to fully discover.
Who knows what the future holds…
I hope there are more opportunities for more to raise their voices, though I hold my breath with more pharma/medical device companies or even non-profits wishing to consult with us. Are they simply looking to compete with what has already been done with social media mavens like Roche and J&J or are they really seeking what is in our best interest?
I hope the community grows and grows – at least until a reasonable treatment (or dare I say cure?) comes. The DOC is ever evolving, with voices coming and going. I wish more would stay, of course, but given how my own life has changed since I started blogging five and a half years ago, I can certainly see where life dictates leaving the scene.
All I know is that my diabetes life is better for knowing all of you in the diabetes online community – and I thank each and every one of you, for both our similarities and for our differences.
DBlogWeek #6: Saturday Snapshots
(A few photos from my Diabetes365 project on Flickr, currently on hold until I buy a new camera; then some “oldies” but goodies from diabetes meetups.)
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- Gusher!
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- Going from 100 test strips/month to 50/month – thanks, health insurance!
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- Hiking makes for an excellent #sweatbetes workout
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- Kerri, Julia, and I at Cloud Gate (aka, “The Bean”)
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- Photo courtesy k2, welcoming committee for the latest ninja ever.
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- Photo courtesy Stacey.
DBlogWeek #5: Most Awesome Thing Done Because of Diabetes
Jumped up and down in excitement.
Oh yes, I did. I literally jumped up and down. And when my father found out what I was doing, a big smile crossed his face, for good reason.
After a few e-mails back and forth (with a little influence from Amy Tenderich), and a long phone conversation, I snagged an invitation to be part of the American Heart Association‘s Connected Council in October 2009 to consult on (what was then) “The Heart of Diabetes” project of that organization. That included a trip to Dallas and to the AHA headquarters, all expenses paid along with an honorarium.
For someone who, at the age of seventeen, watched her father in the midst of a heart attack and then undergo quadruple bypass surgery, well before type 2 diabetes came into the picture for either one of us, it was a true honor to be able to see where the inner workings of such a significant organization for the lives of people with heart disease. (Especially where they talk the talk AND walk the walk.)
While my voice seemed tiny next to Amy, Scott Johnson, and Sean Kelley while at the meeting in Dallas, I found that type 2 diabetes/heart disease advocacy voice growing a bit stronger in the weeks that followed with videos for the project and with follow-up conference calls. Unfortunately, between some funding cuts and that major health crisis of mine, my involvement did not last very long. (It was short but sweet…no pun intended).
P.S. Sean Kelley has got to be THE foodie of all foodies who happen to have diabetes. Just saying.
