Sugar, we’re goin down…

I’m thinking about making a nifty little mix of songs about diabetics. The idea started when my friend Staci began composing a list of “Songs Everyone Loves” and proposed that Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” be a part of it. My first thought was, “That’s a terrible name for a song!” It also reminded me of when Harvin convinced our friend Nikki that I would get really sick if sugar were sprinkled on my arm.

Then I started thinking about other songs with the word “sugar” or “sweet” in the title, and now I have the Fall Out Boy song stuck in my head. This song is much more appropriate, as I’d like my sugar to go down…as long as it’s not too much. Anyway…

On a more serious note, the walk was this past weekend. Despite my concerns and serious lack of fundraising efforts, our team actually exceeded our goal, in large part due to Harvin, who is perhaps the greatest best friend ever and contributed a sizable donation when she found out she couldn’t actually walk with us. Thanks, Harvin. You’re the best!

The 3.1 miles was actually not so bad, too. And my blood sugar level was great that night, thanks to all the exercise. So that was awesome, too.

Also awesome was seeing my friend Ruth Campbell, who drove from Wake Forest to walk with me. That’s like 300 miles away. She’s amazing. My parents also made the trip from North to hang out with me (and my mom walked for part of the way, too). Andrew and Melissa also came, too.

There’s not too much else to report. I’m doing well. Occassionally, my blood sugar goes a little spastic, but it’s always going to do that due to stress or other factors. [Like that sugar-free latte I ordered from Starbucks that apparently wasn't actually sugar-free. But that won't happen again, as I'm making a staunch effort to avoid caffeinated coffee. I'm not completely off caffeine yet (I still have to have the occasional Coke Zero), but it's now been 5 days without real coffee. And I'm doing all right. ] I’ve also lost somewhere around 70-75 pounds, and while I’m still losing weight, I’m not losing it as rapidly as I was back in the spring. This is a good thing, though, as it means that I can actually wear my clothes longer, and eventually, I’ll reach a healthy weight.

I think that’s all I have to report. No really big news or hilarious jokes, just life, moving along.

P.S. If you think of any songs that would work well on my diabetic music mix, leave me a comment and let me know.

Check this out…

This isn’t diabetic-related, but it is Harvin-related, so I’m posting about it, okay?

Harvin was a guest this week on the podcast for “The Revenant Culture,” which is actually an arts and literary publication issued by our favorite bookstore, The Silver Chair. She’s really involved with the gaming community online, and she talked about upcoming video games and stuff like that. She’s awesome.

It’s really good, so you should go listen to it here.

I’m considering adoption.

Harvin, through one of her co-workers, found a link this week to a cat who needs adopting. Now, I’m a fan of cats, and I really wish we could have one, but the poor thing would be neglected with my busy schedule, AND our apartment charges a $500 pet deposit, plus $20 extra a month to keep a pet.

Nonetheless, this particular cat makes me want to sacrifice the money and the time required to adopt him:

 

What a delightfully awkward-looking creature! He’s a 20-pound, 8-year-old Maine Coon mix, and he’s described as a “big loverboy.” He apparently likes to cuddle, and what cat lover doesn’t want that?

The best part of all though? He’s diabetic and requires insulin twice a day!

In the immortal words of Harvin, “The two of you could shoot up together!”

Hmm…it might be worth it. I wonder if I could add him as a dependent on my insurance and get his insulin covered? Or, as Andrew suggested, maybe we could just share mine.

BS in the Church

While Haley and I are both believers in Christ, our church going has declined over the years.  Walking into a new church full of strangers and feeling transparent before all are some of the fears we’ve let keep us from the search for a new church community.  Thanks to the encouragement of friends, particularly Andrew, we finally accepted an invitation to Radius last Sunday night.

We arrived to find that of all Sunday nights, the church was going to have worship through music, play a relevant, short movie, and then worship through communion and song.  From my seat in the aisle, I noticed the large loaf of bread and the small cups of purple-amber liquid.  Is that juice or wine? And without skipping a beat, I wondered, how many carbs are in that bread?

I learned later that Haley skipped communion out of fear for the carb and sugar potential, fervently asking God for forgiveness for not partaking in his body and blood.  But I really want to know, Jesus: do the carbs count in communion?

And if we were followers of transubstantiation (the belief that communion literally becomes the blood and flesh of God), would the carb count differ?

Ah… diabeetus!  You have taken over my life’s perceptions!

The Breakfast of Champions?

This morning, Harvin and I attended the official team captains’ kick-off breakfast for the Step Out Walk to Cure Diabetes. Recently, Harvin threw out the question that must be asked: what would they be serving for breakfast? Obviously, I gave the standard answer: “Something diabetic-friendly, I’m sure.”

Wrong.

On the buffet: bagels (loaded with carbs, but a half of one could be okay). Cream cheese (loaded with fat). Fruit (always good, as long as one doesn’t go overboard). Coffee (with a variety of artificial sweeteners…good job). But the kicker: yogurt that was definitely not low-carb (it was unbearably sweet) and large bottles of juice (each containing close to 60 grams of carbs…mostly sugar).

As I mentioned to Harvin when we sat down, fortunately, my blood sugar was a little low (54 or so) when I woke up, so I had eaten a high-protein cereal bar before going to the breakfast.  So I merely enjoyed some fruit and coffee. But I made a note to blog about it, so there you are.

Most of the team captains there, however, seemed to be from different businesses and corporations in the Greenville area. I watched the people eating, and I don’t think most of them were diabetic. Or if they were, they were perhaps pre-diabetic or on a less strict diet than I am.

Beyond the actual food, I really enjoyed being there. I’m looking forward to raising money and walking in ten weeks. The truth of the matter is that no matter how many jokes we make, diabetes is really serious. It’s the fastest spreading disease in America right now. Over 23 million Americans are diabetic, with another 57 million who are pre-diabetic, which means that they have a risk of developing the disease as they get older.

Enough with the facts, though. You can look them up on your own.

I’m 23 years old. I’ve been diabetic for seven and a half months. When I was first diagnosed, and I spent those nights in the hospital crying because I just didn’t understand why, I never imagined that my life would actually be as great as it is right now. I never realized that I would be healthier than I’ve ever been in my whole life. I never thought I’d actually be thankful that this happened to me.

No matter how many times we intentionally mispronounce “diabetes,” or joke about how cake = death, or try to make people believe that sprinkling sugar on my arm will cause me to go into a coma, I’m still diabetic. I still get cravings for donuts and peanut M&Ms that I can’t give in to. I still have to pack extra food and glucose tablets in case my blood sugar drops too low. I still have to carry around an extra bag with insulin, syringes, and pills.

It’s very possible that I will die of this disease. Not any time soon, of course, as it seems I’m managing it pretty well. Even if I’m 60 or 80, it will probably kill me. As I get older, managing the disease will get more complicated.

Unless a cure is found.

A slight cause for concern.

I mentioned in my last post that my blood sugar levels have been much better lately, for which I’m really thankful. A downside of that, however, is that often, they slip to the low side, which can be more dangerous than occassionally running too high, I think. Often, I wake up in the middle of the night (or early in the morning) because my blood sugar has dropped. It’s a strange feeling when it happens: I get shaky, obviously, but my hands and arms feel sort of tingly and numb. I’m not really sure how to describe it.

Anyway, the past few weeks, I’ve hit new lows with my blood sugar. It’s like my body is getting more used to the low levels, and it takes longer for me to wake up. On Saturday morning, I woke up around 2:30 and pulled out my blood glucose monitor. The reading was 36. It scared me, to be honest. That’s insanely low. And while I know I worry far too much, I can’t help but wonder if it’s gonna drop so low one day, and I’m just not gonna wake up.

That’s probably a little dramatic. And, after all, I think I scared myself enough that, subconsciously, I’m more aware of what’s going on. At 1:30 this morning, I woke up and my BS level was 72, and I could feel it. At any rate, I’ve put in a call to my doctor to ask if my insulin dosage should be adjusted. I should hear something back later today.

Harvin asked me if she needed to start waking me up at 3 a.m. to make sure i was still alive. Thanks for the offer, Harvin, but I’ll probably be fine.

When I went grocery shopping yesterday, I bought things with more protein: cheese, pepperoni, protein breakfast bars. Protein is supposed to help stabilize blood sugar, so while I need to be watching the carbs I eat, I need to make sure I’m getting enough protein, as well. We’ll see how that works out.

A smattering of news-worthy items

1. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I wrote this post about losing 40 pounds. I’m pleased to announce that two months later, I’m still on track. Six months after my diagnosis, I’ve now lost 60 pounds. As a result, I find that my wardrobe is severely limited, and I have to buy new clothes again. Sweet. I’m still averaging a weight loss of 10 pounds a month. And, according to my funny little brother’s calculations, in a year and a half, there will be nothing left of me.

2. Vacationing and moving are good for diabetics. Did you know that? July has been a ridiculously busy and awesome month, during which I went to Florida for the weekend of the 4th, packed and moved from TR to Greer, and then went to Myrtle Beach with my family. I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my blood sugar levels. More and more, I’m waking up to find my blood sugar on the low side (which concerns me a little, but I’m hoping my doctor adjusts my insulin a little to prevent this). Some days, I’ve even found that my blood sugar is low enough before dinner that I don’t have to take my fast-acting insulin before I eat. This is a very good thing.

3. Now that things seem to be calming down, I hope to seriously start planning for the Step Out walk. I’ve created a Facebook group and an event to get the word out. And in the beginning of August is a team captain’s breakfast kick-off meeting thing that I’m planning to attend. Again, if you’re interesting in walking/donating/coming up with ideas, let me know. And spread the word.

I’m reasonably sure that’s all I have to report right now. Until next time…

Walk for the cure.

On a whim, I decided to peruse the American Diabetes Association’s website today. I was reminded about the Step Out walk to cure diabetes. Greenville is hosting one on October 18. I’m seriously considering entering, even if I walk by myself.

But would anyone be interested in starting a team? If you are, let me know. We could all walk together, or raise money together. Or you could just give me your money, and I’ll go walk.

The Greenville walk is a 3.1 mile route. That’s good, right? Exercising and curing the diabeetus? Awesome.

If you’re interested in any way (walking, donating, handing me water bottles as I trudge by), leave a comment. Or email me. Or call. Or…you get the drift.

Let’s do this, okay?

Awareness At Last

A small paragraph I wrote on May 29th that has finally resurfaced for your semi-sweet pleasure.

A lady from HR came by my office today with treats: M&Ms, apples, cookies, a box of popcorn, and sodas (“I thought I’d bring y’all lots of caffeine”). She set them on the table outside my “office” (I’m working with 2 other people in the storage closet). I heard her list everything she’d brought; someone asked her a question and she began to respond, yet I couldn’t hear what she was say saying. But when I stood up at my desk and saw the items and immediately thought, “I hope no one is diabetic.”

We’ve found a cure.

Haley and I frequently work in unison: while she was typing the first version of this story, I was throwing in my own sentences.  Here are both of our interpretations.

 ~*~*~*~
So Harvin and I have recently read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. It’s a young adult series (currently consisting of 3 books, and the 4th and final book comes out in August) about a human girl who falls in love with a vampire. Please don’t judge us. They’re actually really good.

Anyway, Harvin and I have been discussing various details of the books. According to vampire folklore (of sorts), if a person is created into a vampire, he or she will retain all of the physical characteristics of the body at the time of the change. For example, a woman who is pregnant will forever appear to be pregnant, although the fetus would die. Additionally, vampires have no need of bodily fluid, including blood.

Which led me to a vital question. What if a diabetic were changed into a vampire?

There’s no blood. And no blood sugar. Ergo . . . a cure! Edward Cullen, I’m yours.

~*~*~*~
Harvin’s Version

Haley and I just finished the Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series.  They’re freaking amazing books about a human girl, Bella, who falls in love with a gorgeous vampire, Edward Cullen.  Her Native American buddy is a werewolf and there’s all sorts of conflict, but details aside, the story is amazing.  Honest.  I’m not too old to enjoy fantasy, right?

Anywho, we kicked back tonight and started this great discussion about how Haley liked the books whereas I’m obsessed.  Feeling the need to defend myself to my lesser half (it’s all out of ritual, nothing meaningful), I tried to explain why I loved the books so much.  Discussion of this led to mention of that until we started a very detailed discussion on vampire living.  What would it be like to live as a vampire?  What would happen if a vampire were killed in a motorboat accident?  Does your hair ever grow?  Y’know, those kinds of random questions.

Haley mentioned that she’d read Stephenie Meyer’s FAQ where she mentioned that a pregnant woman will always be pregnant if she’s bitten by a vampire.  Their bodies NEVER change (which is crazy cool!); and another interesting point, they never secrete any bodily fluids (so why do the Cullens have bathrooms?  I digress…)  Haley’s epiphany face appeared, and she looked at me on the couch: “So what would happen if a diabetic became a vampire?”

Me: :Responding epiphany face: “She’d be cured.  There aren’t any bodily fluids, so there’s no need for insulin.”  Wait… no broken panky… we have a cure!!!

I’m calling Edward Cullen up tonight.  I have a friendly neck he needs to taste.  And then when he’s done…

we’ll have a fantastic conversation on vampire living.  Gosh Haley!  Stop assuming crap!