I know it's been a long time since I've posted here, but in addition to being a type 2 diabetic, I am also a homeschool mom with a son who works part-time and requires me for transportation, and I am a writer who is trying to write devotions, magazine articles, and fictional stories in addition to this blog and a writing blog (which I am sorry to say, for those of you who are interested in this blog, is my priority). So, needless to say, I am very busy.
However, something major happened in September of this year and following that I felt it was well worth sharing. Actually, it began before September. I would get frequent times where I would suffer pain in the center of my chest in the area of the body of my sternum. Then I would get nausea and would eventually vomit, after which all pain went away and I was fine. At first I thought I had some weird kind of 24 hour bug, but as it began to happen periodically, I began to wonder. Then on Monday, September 22, 2014, I had the same thing occur but with much more intense pain that shot through to my back, and this time, when I vomited, I got no relief. My husband took me to the doctor who wasn't sure what it was but said it could be a gall bladder problem. He said if the pain got worse I should go to the hospital. Well, I ended up waking my husband up at midnight because the pain was so bad I could not get comfortable or sleep. We arrived at the ER about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 23rd. We remained in the ER until 8:30 a.m. and they took blood to test, they took X-rays and they gave me an ultrasound, and finally, gave me something for pain. It was determined that I have gall stones and I was released with the instructions to avoid the following foods: anything greasy, fatty or fried, dairy, chocolate, pretty much the American diet. I was told to eat fruits and vegetables and bland foods. So that's what I began to do.
Then on Friday, September 26th, I shared this information with two friends and one of them gave me a business card and said that I needed to call that person, who turned out to be a chiropractor/nutritionist. I called and made an appointment and I have to say that's the best thing I could have done. The medical doctors wanted me to have surgery to remove my gall bladder. The chiropractor/nutritionist had a better idea. She tested my heart and did a muscle test. She sat down and explained how unhealthy I was, and how certain foods have huge amounts of the things are bodies need to be healthy, and she gave me some natural whole food supplements and a folder with some other information.
I took the folder home and read everything in it, and it included a plan for healthy eating. I looked it over carefully and thought it looked do-able. I decided to follow it and to fill out the food logs included in the folder as well.
Well, the first week wasn't the easiest week to try to follow this new plan because we went on vacation, and we had free breakfast each morning at the hotel, we ate empanadas (little Spanish meat pies) that I had made to take along for lunches to save money, and we ate dinner out every night. I made the best choices I could for breakfast and for every dinner. I thought I did pretty well considering the circumstances.
When we returned from vacation, I really got serious about this food plan and let me tell you, I have been following it for about 1 1/2 months now, and I have already lost some weight, and I feel really good and have lots more energy than I've had in quite some time.
For the first three weeks, I went to the chiropractor/nutritionist once a week. The third week, she told me to come back in two weeks. Yesterday, she was extremely pleased with my food charts and said that I was much stronger and had more energy and that I should only come back in three weeks! And, when she tested me yesterday, she found no sign of gall stones! She has me on two whole food supplements that are supposed to help the body rid itself of the stones or help the stones dissolve, and I have had no gall attacks since the one on September 22nd, and I am not having my gall bladder removed!
I plan to follow this healthy eating for the rest of my life, and I believe that I will eventually be able to stop taking the medications I am on for the type 2 diabetes and things the doctors consider related, because since I've been following this healthy eating plan, my blood sugars have been great and remain steady.
I'm sure you want to know all about this healthy eating plan, but this post is long enough. I will try to post about my eating program before the week is over.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Healthy!
I usually make peanut butter and coconut cream eggs for Easter, but since being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, I didn't want to make them and have them around to tempt me.
So, imagine my delight when my youngest child brought home a recipe book for a "Healthy Snacks" class that included a Healthier Peanut Butter Eggs recipe! I love chocolate and peanut butter together! So happy we didn't have to forgo the peanut butter eggs for Easter after all, AND I like these even better than my original sugar-filled recipe! I think they are more peanut buttery and more creamy! So, this may be too late for you to make for Easter, but who says you can only eat them at Easter anyway?
Healthier Peanut Butter Eggs
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup Quick Oats
3 Tbsps. raw honey (I used regular, because I didn't have raw on hand)
1 Tbsp. powered sugar (I didn't use this in mine)
Directions: Blend everything together in a food processor until oatmeal is mixed in well. (I don't have a food processor, so I blended the oatmeal in my blender until it was like fine powder, then I mixed it well with the peanut butter and honey.) Use a small scoop and scoop mixture on to wax paper (I rolled them in my hands). Refrigerate until firm and dip in chocolate. (I put mine in the freezer for 20 minutes. That worked better and kept them from falling apart while dipping.) Add sprinkles or drizzle melted white chocolate over eggs, if desired.
I coated some with regular milk chocolate for my family and used sugar-free coating chocolate to coat some for me.
So, imagine my delight when my youngest child brought home a recipe book for a "Healthy Snacks" class that included a Healthier Peanut Butter Eggs recipe! I love chocolate and peanut butter together! So happy we didn't have to forgo the peanut butter eggs for Easter after all, AND I like these even better than my original sugar-filled recipe! I think they are more peanut buttery and more creamy! So, this may be too late for you to make for Easter, but who says you can only eat them at Easter anyway?
Healthier Peanut Butter Eggs
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup Quick Oats
3 Tbsps. raw honey (I used regular, because I didn't have raw on hand)
1 Tbsp. powered sugar (I didn't use this in mine)
Directions: Blend everything together in a food processor until oatmeal is mixed in well. (I don't have a food processor, so I blended the oatmeal in my blender until it was like fine powder, then I mixed it well with the peanut butter and honey.) Use a small scoop and scoop mixture on to wax paper (I rolled them in my hands). Refrigerate until firm and dip in chocolate. (I put mine in the freezer for 20 minutes. That worked better and kept them from falling apart while dipping.) Add sprinkles or drizzle melted white chocolate over eggs, if desired.
I coated some with regular milk chocolate for my family and used sugar-free coating chocolate to coat some for me.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Discipline and Commitment
Discipline and commitment, two things needed to succeed in living a more healthy lifestyle and in controlling your blood sugar. Are these things easy? Not for me.
When are the most difficult times? Whenever my schedule/routine changes. As long as we will be home in the evenings and I have dinner planned, I am fine. However, when unexpected things come up and I haven't planned and prepared for dinner, I struggle and often fail. Over the past two weeks I have struggled and failed most evenings because my husband was in need of a car and his work schedule and the hours that car lots are open didn't allow much time. Therefore, we were out several evenings in one week searching, and when we finally found a car and decided to make a purchase on a Saturday late afternoon, until all was said and done, it was past dinner time, and I had nothing planned, so we ended up eating at a restaurant, as we had the other evenings we were out searching. I try very hard to stay away from the fast food restaurants, but it doesn't always work.
So, what do I do when I've had these struggles and failures? I get back on track as soon as possible. I try to keep our schedule/routine as simple and controlled as possible which enables me to plan dinners. This works most of the time. We don't often have times like the past two weeks and I am grateful for that. So, I look through my Fix-it-and-Forget-it Diabetic and Fix-it-and-Enjoy-it cookbooks and plan meals and make my store list from the recipes. That way I have a plan and those are the meals we eat for the week. It helps me to stay on track and feel good both physically, because I am eating right, and mentally, because I know that I am eating what I should and therefore am not stressed out.
Now, if I could just get our weather to cooperate so that I could start taking a walk every evening, with our dog, that would be great! Hopefully tomorrow.
When are the most difficult times? Whenever my schedule/routine changes. As long as we will be home in the evenings and I have dinner planned, I am fine. However, when unexpected things come up and I haven't planned and prepared for dinner, I struggle and often fail. Over the past two weeks I have struggled and failed most evenings because my husband was in need of a car and his work schedule and the hours that car lots are open didn't allow much time. Therefore, we were out several evenings in one week searching, and when we finally found a car and decided to make a purchase on a Saturday late afternoon, until all was said and done, it was past dinner time, and I had nothing planned, so we ended up eating at a restaurant, as we had the other evenings we were out searching. I try very hard to stay away from the fast food restaurants, but it doesn't always work.
So, what do I do when I've had these struggles and failures? I get back on track as soon as possible. I try to keep our schedule/routine as simple and controlled as possible which enables me to plan dinners. This works most of the time. We don't often have times like the past two weeks and I am grateful for that. So, I look through my Fix-it-and-Forget-it Diabetic and Fix-it-and-Enjoy-it cookbooks and plan meals and make my store list from the recipes. That way I have a plan and those are the meals we eat for the week. It helps me to stay on track and feel good both physically, because I am eating right, and mentally, because I know that I am eating what I should and therefore am not stressed out.
Now, if I could just get our weather to cooperate so that I could start taking a walk every evening, with our dog, that would be great! Hopefully tomorrow.
Monday, March 3, 2014
My Hardest Moments and a couple of Recipes
This past weekend we attended a wedding and had a church fellowship meal. These are the times it's tough to choose foods wisely and not give in to temptation. The wedding served brunch items, so I ate vegetable quiche, spinach and strawberry salad and one cinnamon crunch muffin, two lemon poppy seed muffins and a small piece of the wedding cake, which was a delicious triple berry. I didn't think that was too bad, but then my sister-in-law invited us for dinner that evening and I ate one helping of baked ziti (made from a healthy recipe), one buttermilk biscuit with butter and sugar-free apple butter and salad, but then she brought out dessert -- chocolate (one of my biggest weaknesses) brownie marshmallow peanut butter crunch. Yes, I ate a piece. I spent the rest of the night feeling uncomfortable, so I learned a lesson. I should have eaten much less at dinner, probably should've skipped the dessert or at the very least, had only a very small piece.
So, yesterday, Sunday, I strive to do better, fellowship meal or no fellowship meal, and bless whoever brought the Kashi bars and put them on the dessert table. I ate one beef and bean burrito, two small slices of ham, a little cheese ravioli, spinach and strawberry salad, and two Kashi bars (one of each of the two flavors). I was quite happy with myself. Then at home, for dinner, my mother-in-law had sent the left-overs of that chocolate dessert home with us Saturday evening, so I ate a SMALL piece of it with two-and-one-half scoops of Whoppers ice cream and two whole wheat hard pretzels with no salt (not the best choice), but I wasn't uncomfortable, and I knew that today I would be back on track.
I know there will be times when I will cheat, but I also know that I will do my very best to really limit the number of times I cheat and the choices of foods and the portion sizes I cheat on. I have already come to realize that my body feels physically better when I eat wise choices of foods in smaller portions.
Now for a couple of the recipes that I have been enjoying from the Fix-It-and-Forget-It Diabetic cookbook:
Tonight's dinner: Szechwan-style Chicken and Broccoli
2 whole, boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breasts
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 cup picante sauce
2 Tbsps. light soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 cups broccoli florets
1 medium red pepper, cut into pieces
1. Cut meat in 1" cubes and brown lightly in oil in skillet. Place in slow cooker.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Cover. Cook on High 1 - 1 1/2 hours or on Low 2-3 hours.
(I made rice to serve this over.)
Last week one evening for dinner: Chicken and Stuffing
2 1/2 tsp. salt-free chicken bouillon powder
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 - oz. can mushrooms, stems and pieces, drained (I left these out. My family isn't keen on mushrooms.)
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp. rubbed sage (I didn't have rubbed. I had ground sage and used just 1 tsp. of it.)
1 tsp. poultry seasoning (I didn't have this, so I simply omitted it.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
12 cups day-old bread cubes (1/2 - inch pieces)
2 eggs
10 3/4 - oz. can 98% fat-free, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup
5 cups cubed cooked chicken
1. Combine all ingredients except bread, eggs, soup and chicken in large saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Place bread cubes in large bowl.
3. Combine eggs and soup. Stir into broth mixture until smooth. Pour over bread and toss well.
4. Layer half of stuffing and then half of chicken into very large (6 qt.) slow cooker (or two medium-sized cookers). Repeat layers.
5. Cover. Cook on Low 4 1/2 - 5 hours.
The recipe says this makes 14 - 16 side dish servings, but we used it as a main dish and had a vegetable and some fruit with it.
You may be wondering what I drink with my meals, and I will tell you -- WATER! I drink water all day long and with every meal, except breakfast, where I drink about 6 oz. of 100% grape juice. Sometimes, in the evenings, I will have a cup of tea, but I do drink a lot of water. I have done that for years, so that is not something I needed to teach myself to do for my health. It was one thing I was already doing.
So, yesterday, Sunday, I strive to do better, fellowship meal or no fellowship meal, and bless whoever brought the Kashi bars and put them on the dessert table. I ate one beef and bean burrito, two small slices of ham, a little cheese ravioli, spinach and strawberry salad, and two Kashi bars (one of each of the two flavors). I was quite happy with myself. Then at home, for dinner, my mother-in-law had sent the left-overs of that chocolate dessert home with us Saturday evening, so I ate a SMALL piece of it with two-and-one-half scoops of Whoppers ice cream and two whole wheat hard pretzels with no salt (not the best choice), but I wasn't uncomfortable, and I knew that today I would be back on track.
I know there will be times when I will cheat, but I also know that I will do my very best to really limit the number of times I cheat and the choices of foods and the portion sizes I cheat on. I have already come to realize that my body feels physically better when I eat wise choices of foods in smaller portions.
Now for a couple of the recipes that I have been enjoying from the Fix-It-and-Forget-It Diabetic cookbook:
Tonight's dinner: Szechwan-style Chicken and Broccoli
2 whole, boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breasts
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 cup picante sauce
2 Tbsps. light soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 cups broccoli florets
1 medium red pepper, cut into pieces
1. Cut meat in 1" cubes and brown lightly in oil in skillet. Place in slow cooker.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Cover. Cook on High 1 - 1 1/2 hours or on Low 2-3 hours.
(I made rice to serve this over.)
Last week one evening for dinner: Chicken and Stuffing
2 1/2 tsp. salt-free chicken bouillon powder
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 - oz. can mushrooms, stems and pieces, drained (I left these out. My family isn't keen on mushrooms.)
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp. rubbed sage (I didn't have rubbed. I had ground sage and used just 1 tsp. of it.)
1 tsp. poultry seasoning (I didn't have this, so I simply omitted it.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
12 cups day-old bread cubes (1/2 - inch pieces)
2 eggs
10 3/4 - oz. can 98% fat-free, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup
5 cups cubed cooked chicken
1. Combine all ingredients except bread, eggs, soup and chicken in large saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Place bread cubes in large bowl.
3. Combine eggs and soup. Stir into broth mixture until smooth. Pour over bread and toss well.
4. Layer half of stuffing and then half of chicken into very large (6 qt.) slow cooker (or two medium-sized cookers). Repeat layers.
5. Cover. Cook on Low 4 1/2 - 5 hours.
The recipe says this makes 14 - 16 side dish servings, but we used it as a main dish and had a vegetable and some fruit with it.
You may be wondering what I drink with my meals, and I will tell you -- WATER! I drink water all day long and with every meal, except breakfast, where I drink about 6 oz. of 100% grape juice. Sometimes, in the evenings, I will have a cup of tea, but I do drink a lot of water. I have done that for years, so that is not something I needed to teach myself to do for my health. It was one thing I was already doing.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
My Progress and Some Great Recipe Resources
My most recent check-up with the doctor surprised me. I didn't think that I had made the decision to finally accept my diagnosis and really take care of myself for a long enough period of time to affect this particular check-up. As a matter of fact, I was expecting a bad report and a scolding from my doctor.
So, imagine my surprise when I was told that I had lost 9 pounds since my last check-up (6 months earlier) and that my A1c is stable at 6.6. The doctor said he'd like to see it a little lower but that it isn't terrible, and he was satisfied that it was stable. My kidney function is normal and my triglycerides level is still high but it has dropped by 157. He told me to keep doing what I'm doing, and I thought, "No, I will be doing much better than what I've been doing." I really don't know how these numbers were so good, but I know that I can't keep eating whatever I want and keep having things go this well. I also believe that the changes I made in the two weeks before this check-up had some affect on the number, but not that much on my weight. However, from here on out, I was going to do better, and I can't wait to see what happens at my next 6-month check-up after spending six full months being intentional about taking proper care of myself.
So, what does being intentional look like? Well, first of all, I have never been a fan of physical exercise, and I hate to run, but I love to walk and I enjoy dancing to music in my own home. I have some exercise videos, but they aren't my favorite way to exercise either, and to find time to do those is not something I make a priority. Time has always been an issue when it comes to finding time for deliberate exercise as well. I figured all of the running around I do, running my kids here and there, and going up and down stairs several times a day, especially on laundry days, was enough -- apparently not.
In the fall, my husband and I found a nearby park that has a great walking trail -- no steep hills, but not completely flat and easy either. We walked there in the evenings, often taking our youngest dog with us, as the older dog couldn't handle that much walking anymore. I really enjoyed that. Then this winter hit with snow after snow after snow and sub-zero temperatures for quite a few days in a row, and there went the walking. I may enjoy walking but not enough to continue to walk in this kind of weather. I do hope to get back to this in the spring.
So, in this winter weather, what can I do without having to plan it and set aside a chunk of time to exercise. Well, I found that when I am cooking and/or baking in the kitchen, I enjoy listening to music, AND when I listen to music with a good beat, I enjoy dancing. So, I decided to combine the two -- when I work in the kitchen now, I put my ipod earphones in, play my favorite dance tunes and dance in the kitchen while working. Not only is it good exercise, but it's also fun, and it adds something to my kitchen work.
What about eating? Well, I have two great cookbooks for Diabetics: Fix-It and Forget-It Diabetic and Fix-It and Enjoy-It Diabetic. I have begun to rely on these two cookbooks, not only because they have healthy, diabetic-friendly recipes that are easy to make and use easy-to-find ingredients, but also because with two of the boys working and me being their transportation, I am often driving one or both of them home at our normal dinner time, so planning to make recipes from Fix-It and Forget-It Diabetic is not only healthy and diabetic-friendly, it is also convenient. I put the stuff in the crockpot and let it cook all day, and when we arrive home after I have picked the boy(s) up from work, we can simply sit down and eat. It's a win/win for everyone. If what I am making requires something additional, I will plan so that I have time to prepare that ahead of time as well and then we just have to heat that up in the microwave.
Recipes from Fix-It and Enjoy-It Diabetic are good for evenings when using the crockpot isn't necessary, and the recipes in this book are just as healthy and diabetic-friendly and easy to prepare. Oh, and the recipes we have tried so far from these two cookbooks are pretty tasty.
So, imagine my surprise when I was told that I had lost 9 pounds since my last check-up (6 months earlier) and that my A1c is stable at 6.6. The doctor said he'd like to see it a little lower but that it isn't terrible, and he was satisfied that it was stable. My kidney function is normal and my triglycerides level is still high but it has dropped by 157. He told me to keep doing what I'm doing, and I thought, "No, I will be doing much better than what I've been doing." I really don't know how these numbers were so good, but I know that I can't keep eating whatever I want and keep having things go this well. I also believe that the changes I made in the two weeks before this check-up had some affect on the number, but not that much on my weight. However, from here on out, I was going to do better, and I can't wait to see what happens at my next 6-month check-up after spending six full months being intentional about taking proper care of myself.
So, what does being intentional look like? Well, first of all, I have never been a fan of physical exercise, and I hate to run, but I love to walk and I enjoy dancing to music in my own home. I have some exercise videos, but they aren't my favorite way to exercise either, and to find time to do those is not something I make a priority. Time has always been an issue when it comes to finding time for deliberate exercise as well. I figured all of the running around I do, running my kids here and there, and going up and down stairs several times a day, especially on laundry days, was enough -- apparently not.
In the fall, my husband and I found a nearby park that has a great walking trail -- no steep hills, but not completely flat and easy either. We walked there in the evenings, often taking our youngest dog with us, as the older dog couldn't handle that much walking anymore. I really enjoyed that. Then this winter hit with snow after snow after snow and sub-zero temperatures for quite a few days in a row, and there went the walking. I may enjoy walking but not enough to continue to walk in this kind of weather. I do hope to get back to this in the spring.
So, in this winter weather, what can I do without having to plan it and set aside a chunk of time to exercise. Well, I found that when I am cooking and/or baking in the kitchen, I enjoy listening to music, AND when I listen to music with a good beat, I enjoy dancing. So, I decided to combine the two -- when I work in the kitchen now, I put my ipod earphones in, play my favorite dance tunes and dance in the kitchen while working. Not only is it good exercise, but it's also fun, and it adds something to my kitchen work.
What about eating? Well, I have two great cookbooks for Diabetics: Fix-It and Forget-It Diabetic and Fix-It and Enjoy-It Diabetic. I have begun to rely on these two cookbooks, not only because they have healthy, diabetic-friendly recipes that are easy to make and use easy-to-find ingredients, but also because with two of the boys working and me being their transportation, I am often driving one or both of them home at our normal dinner time, so planning to make recipes from Fix-It and Forget-It Diabetic is not only healthy and diabetic-friendly, it is also convenient. I put the stuff in the crockpot and let it cook all day, and when we arrive home after I have picked the boy(s) up from work, we can simply sit down and eat. It's a win/win for everyone. If what I am making requires something additional, I will plan so that I have time to prepare that ahead of time as well and then we just have to heat that up in the microwave.
Recipes from Fix-It and Enjoy-It Diabetic are good for evenings when using the crockpot isn't necessary, and the recipes in this book are just as healthy and diabetic-friendly and easy to prepare. Oh, and the recipes we have tried so far from these two cookbooks are pretty tasty.
Monday, February 24, 2014
My Diabetic Story
Apparently, if you have multiple blogs with Blogger, you can't vary your "About" section for each one. I tried because the "About" section on my other blog really doesn't apply to this blog. Therefore, I am not creating an "About" section on this blog.
So, today's post will begin with my Diabetic story. In the summer of 2011, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and a couple of weeks later with Type 2 Diabetes. The Lyme was caught early and I was put on antibiotics and that took care of it. The Type 2 Diabetes, of course, is a different story.
When I received my diagnosis, I didn't accept it because I had no symptoms -- no persistent thirst or abnormal numbers of trips to the bathroom or anything.
Now it's 2014 and I have gone through periods of trying to accept it and live healthier. I have attended the local Diabetic educational classes to learn more, but I still didn't really accept it until a couple of weeks ago. I did subscribe to "Diabetic Living" magazine and I like it enough to read it from cover to cover each time it arrives in my mailbox. But it only arrives quarterly. It didn't prove enough motivation until I sat down to read the current issue Spring 2014, and I read the article "Denying your Diabetes" and read the words that a wife had written to her husband: "My wife wrote me a letter explaining that I was a very selfish person -- that I wasn't taking into account anyone else's feelings. She wanted me to be around for our son's life. She wanted him to have a father."
I am married and have three children, one of which is grown but still single and at home and I want to be around for my children. I hope to be around to spoil my grandchildren. I didn't realize that ignoring my diabetes was being selfish. I am the wife and mother. I am used to taking care of everyone else and sacrificing my own needs and/or desires. After reading those words of that wife to her husband, I realized that not taking care of myself is not doing anyone any good, and I decided to get serious about this diabetes stuff.
I decided to plan all of our evening meals again and use diabetic recipes. I decided that I didn't have to give up desserts, I just need to make diabetic-friendly desserts, which really do taste good. Then, I decided to start this blog to keep myself motivated and accountable. So far, so good.
Tomorrow, I will post about my diabetic recipe resource, my exercise and some more specific statistics on my diabetes.
So, today's post will begin with my Diabetic story. In the summer of 2011, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and a couple of weeks later with Type 2 Diabetes. The Lyme was caught early and I was put on antibiotics and that took care of it. The Type 2 Diabetes, of course, is a different story.
When I received my diagnosis, I didn't accept it because I had no symptoms -- no persistent thirst or abnormal numbers of trips to the bathroom or anything.
Now it's 2014 and I have gone through periods of trying to accept it and live healthier. I have attended the local Diabetic educational classes to learn more, but I still didn't really accept it until a couple of weeks ago. I did subscribe to "Diabetic Living" magazine and I like it enough to read it from cover to cover each time it arrives in my mailbox. But it only arrives quarterly. It didn't prove enough motivation until I sat down to read the current issue Spring 2014, and I read the article "Denying your Diabetes" and read the words that a wife had written to her husband: "My wife wrote me a letter explaining that I was a very selfish person -- that I wasn't taking into account anyone else's feelings. She wanted me to be around for our son's life. She wanted him to have a father."
I am married and have three children, one of which is grown but still single and at home and I want to be around for my children. I hope to be around to spoil my grandchildren. I didn't realize that ignoring my diabetes was being selfish. I am the wife and mother. I am used to taking care of everyone else and sacrificing my own needs and/or desires. After reading those words of that wife to her husband, I realized that not taking care of myself is not doing anyone any good, and I decided to get serious about this diabetes stuff.
I decided to plan all of our evening meals again and use diabetic recipes. I decided that I didn't have to give up desserts, I just need to make diabetic-friendly desserts, which really do taste good. Then, I decided to start this blog to keep myself motivated and accountable. So far, so good.
Tomorrow, I will post about my diabetic recipe resource, my exercise and some more specific statistics on my diabetes.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
My Vision for this Blog
Hello, I have decided to begin a blog about my diabetic journey: my challenges and successes, recipes and resources that I find helpful and updates on my personal progress on this journey, as well as anything else I consider important to share on this journey.
I thought by starting a blog, it would help me connect with others who are on their own diabetic journey and, maybe, we can help each other along the way with words of understanding and encouragement and showing that none of us are on this journey alone. There are others out there who face the same daily challenges.
My hope is that this blog would also keep me accountable and keep me motivated as I share as often as possible here on this public page. I won't promise daily or even weekly posts because this is not my first blog and, in addition to being a diabetic, I am also a wife, mother and homeschool teacher, all of which keep me very busy.
I thought by starting a blog, it would help me connect with others who are on their own diabetic journey and, maybe, we can help each other along the way with words of understanding and encouragement and showing that none of us are on this journey alone. There are others out there who face the same daily challenges.
My hope is that this blog would also keep me accountable and keep me motivated as I share as often as possible here on this public page. I won't promise daily or even weekly posts because this is not my first blog and, in addition to being a diabetic, I am also a wife, mother and homeschool teacher, all of which keep me very busy.
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