A SMALL glimpse of my life outside of D

Having missed a few days of the suggested posts of National Health Blog Post Month I've decided to do a post completely off the list.  On Friday I saw a tweet come through from Alanna suggesting to everyone to write a post about #lifeoutsideofD.  I think it is a great idea so here is a small glimpse.  The plan is to be back on track with NHBPM tomorrow.  Keep your fingers crossed.

I had fully planned on having posts pre-written and schedule to automatically post over the long Thanksgiving weekend. That didn't work. I did have my Thanksgiving Day post all written. I even set the schedule to post it. Technical failure. I don't know what I did wrong. My daughter checked to make sure it posted (I didn't have much internet access) and she told me, "Mom... it's not there." *sigh* After a little bit of awkward texting she was able to get it posted for me.

If it weren't for my daughter, there are many times I feel I would be lost.. and bored. She'll be graduating High School this next May, and I'm not sure I will recognize my life afterwards. Over the last 18 years I have done so much for and with her that I will have a SIGNIFICANT amount of time on my hands. OK.. maybe not SIGNIFICANT, but there will be a lot more time for me to do things for me.

Don't get me wrong... I wouldn't change one minute of the last 18 years. OK... maybe there are a couple minutes I'd change. Like the time I told her for the fourteenth time to make her bed. Or maybe the time when one of her teachers called and said, "She's OK, she's just been hit in the head with a rifle.* Would you like us to take her to the ER, or do you want to pick her up?"

She has been one of my most supportive Type Awesomes. She even wrote her college application essay on how there is not a local sharps container exchange program. (She's is working on getting it submitted to the hospital and city officials in hopes of changing that.) She did T14ADAY and read each text to me and asked how close it was to reality.  She is one of the first to congratulate me on my A1C.  She knows it's just a number, but she also knows that a *WooHoo* or *high five* or *Way to go Mommy* goes a long way to making the day feel better.

My daughter is a huge part of my life outside of D.  She is also my best friend... and always will be.

{*My daughter was walking by the JROTC armed drill team while they were practicing.  The commander of the team tossed the rifle backwards right as she was passing him.  No stitches were required, but it did leave an AWESOME scar.  To this day the commander still feels guilty.}

Healthcare Provider and Social Media - Post 15

One of today's suggestions was to write about why healthcare professionals should use social media.

I am blessed to have an AWESOME primary diabetes healthcare provider. Dr. R. isn't an endocrinologist but she is an ANP-BC, CDE. I looked it up. It is "Adult Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified, Certified Diabetes Educator". I'm not sure she could fit many more letters behind her name.

My visit with her two times ago she asked me if I tweeted. At the time I didn't. I didn't even have a smart phone (.. and still don't. Don't judge.)  She had been to a recent CDE seminar where she met Cherise.  She told me about how they all wore blue for Blue Friday and how there is a group of people on Twitter who are there to help at anytime.  "They are there to talk to or to even ask the carb count of something, like German Chocolate Cake, if you don't know it*." I was hesitant.  I didn't know if I would be able to Tweet from anything but my computer, and what good would that do when I was out and about.  I left that appointment with Twitter on the brain and vowed to look into it sometime that week.

A couple days later during my lunch hour I logged on to Twitter and did some research.  I could use my antiquated old phone, it would just take a little more work.  So I went ahead and signed up.  I believe that is the best thing I have personally done for my diabetes care.  Since then I have participated in many a Wednesday evening #DSMA chat.  I have made many new friends around the world that I wouldn't trade for anything.

I do not know whether or not my HCP uses social media for professional work, but I do know that she very highly recommends it to her patients.  Now, if only I could get insurance to cover a smart phone... Hmmmm.




Picture and Recipe found here.

*{A slice of three layer German Chocolate Cake - which is 1/12 of a 9in round cake with coconut pecan frosting, is about 83carbs}

Veteran's Day - Post 11

One of today's post suggestions was to write about a favorite thing that is not health-related but likely improves my life.  Today is also Veteran's Day in the United States. 

First and foremost I want to say Thank You to all veteran's who have served their country, be it the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia or any other country.  There is a special place in my heart for anyone who has and is willing to put their lives on the line for someone else.

My family has a long line of military members.  Both my maternal grandparents, my paternal grandfather, a great uncle, my brother, my husband, my husband's father and his step-father all served.  They represent the Army (6), Navy (1), and Marines (1).  My daughter has been a member of her high school's AFJROTC (Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) for four years.  Many of her friends, and kids that have called me Mama Bear, have joined the military.  One just recently returned home after graduating Marine Corps boot camp.  It was so much fun to listen to him and my husband compare stories.  There may have been decades difference in time, but the stories are the same.

As a small token of appreciation a flag is presented to the next of kin at the funeral or memorial service of any veteran.  I have been given the great honor of being 'Keeper of the Flags' for the family.


Left to right: Maternal Grandfather (Navy), Maternal Grandmother (Army), Father-in-law (Army), Paternal Grandfather (Army), Paternal Great Uncle (Army), Step Father-in-Law (Army).

The Veterans in my life have improved and protected my life in more ways than I can count, and they will always do so.  I will never be able to fully express my gratitude for the sacrifice that each and every member of the military has given.  I just hope and pray they know.

My prayer for today is that each and every member of the armed service is kept safe and that each and every member of their family knows how thankful we are for their sacrifice as well. 

Community Care Package - Post 9

Today's suggested post topics were to create the perfect care package or tell a descriptive story.  I love giving gifts.. and getting gifts, so I chose to stuff a care package. Nothing is as exciting as getting a box in the mail. True, most of the time it has pump supplies in it, but still.. it's a box. I get the stuff, and my kitties get the box. Win win!

If I were to receive a Care Package this is what I would love to see in it (in no particular order):

• Teddy Bear - Or some other stuffed animal, like a purple unicorn with a rainbow tail. There are times when you need to hug something, or throw something and a stuffed animal is the best for both. 
• Coffee/Tea - There is just something comforting about a hot beverage.
• Cute and fun notebooks - You'll end up using them to log food intake, note trials and errors and successes, vent when you've had enough, doodle when your waiting at the doctor's office/lab, etc.
• 52-12pks of Diet Coke - There should be at least 52. Enough to get you through the first year, if you only go through one 12 pack a week.
• Candy variety, snack size bags - These are to treat those pesky lows. There should be Snickers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Smarties, Dum Dums, nuts, crackers w/cheese, etc. I could go on... but I'm getting hungry
• Blog roll - A list of all the blogs related to Diabetes.
• 5-10 extra meters - You can put one at work, one in your car, one in your purse, one in your significant other's car, one in the bathroom, one in the bedroom, one in the kitchen, and one in the closet. That way you have a spare just in case.
• 100 boxes of test strips - What's the point of having the extra meters if you don't have enough test strips.
• Insulin pump - I absolutely fell in love with mine when I got her. 
• Books - I have read "How to think like a Pancreas".  I know there are other great books out there, so include your favorite one.  There should also be some fun books that are NOT related to diabetes. 
• Smart phone - It is useful for so many things.  Looking up nutrition facts and keeping in touch with the #DOC are just two I use the most often.  Not to mention a good game of Words With Friends or Angry Birds.
• You Can Do This bracelet - I know these are a limited, and coveted, item, but wouldn't it be great for everyone to have that visual reminder everyday (Thanks Kim for founding this great project.)

I am sure I have left out many things that you would like to see in a care package, but I think the package would already be delivered on a pallet.  Hmm.. send two packages maybe?

A letter to my health - Post 8

Today's suggestion of writing a letter to my health really hits close to home. Throughout the last couple years when I've had stressful situations with people, particularly those close to me, I write them a letter. To this day these letters have never been mailed, and some I have even burned. Will I every mail them? I highly doubt it. The benefit I got from writing them, and being able to say what I needed to say without fear of retribution, was significant. I highly recommend you try it sometime.

Dear Jenn's Health,

I first want to thank you for doing such a good job. There have been many a time when the sniffles have ran through my house and you've been able to fight them off and keep me feeling good. I've only broken two bones in my life time of which only one required a cast.. darn tree.. anyways. Thanks for making my bones strong. My eyesight hasn't changed over the years at all. There was a couple months in junior high when a money hungry optometrist said I needed glasses. That was a yucky couple weeks of wearing them. I'm glad that was over quickly. You have done a good job... almost too good.

I'm not quite sure why you decided that parts of me that I was born with were all of a sudden alien and needed to be destroyed, but you did. Were you being over confident and cocky? I really did need those, they were very important to me. Now, because you were being overly self-assured, I have to watch things more closely myself. I get to spend time with a lot more people. That really nice lady at the top of the stairs who gives me gold star stickers, the not so nice guy in the white coat with a bat on it, the funny guy who thankfully doesn't say, "this little piggy when to market" when checking my feet, and the guy who really should smile more but looks funny anyway when my eyes are dilated.  I am very thankful that I've met all these people, but you didn't have to push the issue.  I would have gotten around to it eventually... maybe.

So I ask one favor of you.  The next time you think something should be killed off that has been with us for as long as we both can remember, check with me first.  If I am not sure, I will consult one of my new friends before I tell you how to proceed.  Either way, it will save us both a lot of work in the future.

Thanks,
Jenn

My #ListOf3 - Post 5

My "List of 3" things I'm thankful for was actually given to me by a very very dear friend of mine back in high school.  I have fallen back on this list of three many times and have shared it, with some modification, with many people.  Over the years, each item has changed as to why I'm thankful for it, but never has it fallen off the list. (WARNING: I get a little sentimental at the end.. you might need a tissue.)

1. I'm alive - Never can that be a more thankful thing than after being diagnosed with a chronic illness/disease/condition.  I am thankful every morning when I wake up that I'm still alive to be there for my daughter.  Being able to be there for her and watch her grown into the beautiful, special, talented, and totally awesome young woman that she is turning out to be is a complete blessing in and of itself.  I'm alive by the Grace of God and the miracles of medicine.  For that I am eternally greatful. 
2. The sun is shining - This is one thing that can be taken for granted so easily.  In light of the recent hurricane (bad Sandy) and other storms that have hit/will hit, I am thankful everyday for the sunshine.  In the middle of August when my thermometer says 118, it may be a little harder to be thankful for that same sun, but I just remind myself of those times when it felt like the sun would never come back out and I would never be warm.
3. I love my husband - I love my husband and I am thankful I do.  Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful that he loves me too, but that isn't in my top three.  This is the one thing that has changed the most since I was diagnosed.  I loved my husband dearly before, but I love him even more now.  I love him when he's laying on the kitchen floor with me waiting for a low to come up.  I love him when he's calling me every hour while I'm at work because I had a glucoaster the day before and he is worried.  I love him when he offers to pick me up a box or 6 of my favorite Oreo cookies at Christmas time (the white fudge covered Oreos only come out at Christmas and they ARE. THE. BEST.), even though he knows they will mess with my levels he knows I deserve a treat sometimes.  I love him when he shares stories about seeing someone with a pump or about correcting an untruth he overheard.  I am thankful that I love him and that he is mine to love. 

Being Treated Normally

Not too often, when eating at friend's houses, do I not have to answer questions like, "Can you eat this?" or deal with a comment like, "I tried to make sure I cooked something I thought you could eat.".  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE that my friends are aware and try to accommodate me.  It also gives me the chance to teach them more about the specifics and that I really can eat what I want, in moderation.  The more people out there that know more the better is it for everyone.  But there are times that it is nice to just be "one of the group".

Yesterday, my husband and I went over to some friend's house.  We had planned an afternoon of target shooting, but they wanted to feed us lunch first.  She was making homemade Navajo Tacos.  Everything was fresh made.  The beans had been cooking since early morning.  The meat mixture was being browned up while I sat there watching.  She even made the frybread from scratch and deep fried it while we chatted.  It was the best lunch (and we were sent home with the left overs).  When we got back, they even made smoothies for us.  A mixed bag of frozen fruit and some ice cream.  I was in heaven.

This couple knows that I have Type 1.  Her mother, before her passing, had just received her insulin pump.  Her mother wasn't diabetic, but had her pancreas removed a few prior so they new the drill of carb counting, injections, testing, etc.  We've talked about my diagnosis and the struggles and the successes.  I think it was because of this that not once did either of them say, "Is this OK for you to eat?" "Is there something else I can get you instead." "The fruit should be OK, but what about the ice cream." or any number of other questions/comments.  Maybe it was just me, but I LOVED it.  I felt.. normal.  I pointed this out to my husband while we were laying on the kitchen floor about six hours later waiting for a low to come up (did I say it was a yucky day bg-wise? No?.. it sucked!), and he just smiled.  He knows he doesn't 'get it' all the time, but he is awesome in letting me vent it all out when I need to.  Thanks Sweety!  And thank you deer friends for giving me a moment of normalcy, you'll never know how much it really meant.

A View From Outside

(I know I know... it's not even close to Christmas, but hang in there, it'll be worth it.)

Have you ever been in the perfect setting?

Picture this:  A few nights before Christmas and everyone is at the local Christian school for their annual Christmas program.  All the kids are dressed up in red velvet dresses, shirts and ties, and new shoes.  The young ones are fidgety, and singing way off key.  The older girls are trying to walk in heals for the first time, and the boys are trying to be all cool.  The parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. are all sitting in the pews with video cameras in hand.  As the students sing Silent Night and the congregation joins in, you can see the big fat snowflakes beginning to fall outside.

Does it look/sound like a Hallmark movie? 

What we don't see is the family that is sitting there glad that there was a dinner before the program because that is the only meal they'll have that day.  We don't see the dad at the back who is stressing because he's been out of work for 6 months and there is no money for Christmas.  We don't see the grandma sitting there soaking it all in because after the doctor's appointment earlier in the day she doesn't expect to make it to another Christmas program.  We don't see all that, but it is still there.

That sound more real?

Do you like that first image better?  I know I do.  In fact, I have been in that first image.  It is because of that that I find great comfort in taking a brief view of my life from the outside.  It helps me to see the peace, happiness, and blessings that are always there but get overshadowed by blood sugar lows/highs, doctor's appointments, car repair bills, insane schedules, neverending chores,  etc. 

Next time you have a chance, when you're sitting there with your feet up on the couch reading your favorite book, or out in the back yard doing some gardening, take a deep breath and imagine the scene from the outside.  I can almost guarantee you'll end up smiling.