DIABETES IS LIKE.........

Diabetes is like a scorned vengeful woman,
whose need for attention
is constant.
Fail to fulfill, and you will pay the consequencences
of a hurt woman in need.

RECIPE(Uintentional)PLUM TOMATOS/WITH BLOOD SAUCE

I decided for my Dinner that a few fresh plum tomatoes with garlic and Lamb would make an excellent sauce over cooked noodles. A good mix of protein and carbs.
I always score the tomato skins so I can peel them more easily after they are blanched.
However what I found myself doing was not only making the cuts into the tomatoes, but my thumb as well......deep ones where the bleeding did not stop.
Since I was experiencing another episode of Hypoglycemia Unawareness and my Hands with the rest of my Body were seizing and spastic, I could not hold anything .
I managed to open a jar of honey and put my hands inside to scoop out anything that rested on my palm or fingers, which I fed to my mouth.
A great deal of blood was dropping into the saucepan and on top of the noodles as well.
My first concern was not with my Dinner, but with the Saving/Healing of my Self.
The effects of the Honey finally kicked in and I was now able to regain my balance without falling on the floor.
So for those of you who are not taken aback by your own blood(think of all the finger-sticks you have done throughout the YEARS). Here is the recipe that provided nourishment while being prepared in a state of spasticity and semi-consciousness:
It tasted great!!

4 cloves fresh garlic (pounded or smashed)-skin off.
4 plum tomatoes that you will score on the back with a sharp knife.
1/4 lb. chopped Lamb.
Choice of your favorite cooked noodle.
Olive Oil
2T of Thumb Blood.(optional)
Salt to taste

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 sec. then put into an ice bath, where you will peel the skin off.
Cut the tomatoes very fine since these will be in a saucepan where you have place the Olive oil, chopped Lamb, garlic under medium heat. Add chopped Tomatoes and salt. At this point the 2T Thumb blood(optional) can be added as well.
Lower flame and cook about 15 minutes adding any basil or/and oregano at the end.
Pour over a bowl of your favorite noodles with fresh chopped parsley on top.
Red wine would be a good accompaniment.

COTTON COFFIN

I am four as I look out of my window onto the world
that shows a limping sparrow.
I prepare a cotton filled box that will provide softness
for its pain with a small bowl of water nearby and some bird seeds as well.
In the morning as both the sun and I rise, I look at the soft cotton box
with the sparrow inside. It does not move.
I now have its pain and no comfort follows.

AUTUMN

I unlock my door to rush out into the cool Wind of Autumn.
It blows against my cheeks as I play a game with the forces of Nature.
The faster I walk up to the Wind, the stronger its voice makes
its presence known to me.
I use the power of my legs and the Breathe of my Lungs/Heart to rush me forward................and the Wind stays with me to remind me of the Beauty of Life.
The rushing of the Wind against my face are but subtle messages within Nature if we care to hear them at all.
I care.

DIET TIPS FOR YOUR DIABETES

It is unfortunate that at times many Physicians, CDE'S and other Health-care Providers do not give their patients who have Diabetes and may be overweight enough information about sensible nutrition.
Here then is a clip that will offer informative suggestions in eating correctly.
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

WE ALL NEED A BREAK FROM THE PAIN

Those of us with T1DM(Type 1 Diabetes) know or will eventually know that despite all the correct things that we are doing for ourselves and all the gadgets provided for good Glucose control we will develop Complications associated with this complex Disease.
We can be the best athletes with great Bodies and excellent HgbA1C's who eat and consume fresh vegetables and lean proteins and lower our CHO Intake, but despite all these great and honorable efforts, WE will NOT succeed at preventing the horrors of COMPLICATIONS that are a part of this Disease called Type 1 Diabetes.
So, I think I will drink some red wine today which will give me the beneficial effects of Resveretrol as well as a space within time(intoxication) to put my anxiety and pain that is a part of my Diabetes and its consequences at rest.
I have also given my cats catnip so they as well can have the pleasure and time to rest over their rescue attempts for me as well as their concern.
THERE MUST BE A SOLUTION TO ALL OF THIS!!

DON'T LET DIABETES DEFEAT YOU!!

I could not say it better than what is said in an amusing way on this clip. Even-though it really is addressing the issue of Insulin Resistant Disease(aka Type 2 Diabetes), it is still interesting to see how Bill's Physician has resigned himself to the feeling that he(Bill) will not modify his Life and thus be subjected to all the Horrors that can ensue.
Click with your mouse to play:
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

STARBUCKS/FIRST AID STATION

My subway ride down to Farmer's Market this afternoon recorded a bs reading of 170mg/dl.
I figured that that number would provide safety while in the Market since it was also post lunch.
At the Market I began to feel those familar symptoms of just before unconsciousness begins with the 1-2 second intervals of blackout while still upright.
Immediately I rushed across the street not cognizant of green yellow or red light. My main goal was to reach the Starbucks on the near corner where I knew SUGAR would be available.
The canisters of white granulated sugar were no-where to be found. I saw an employee and told her that I have Diabetes and am on the verge of losing consciousness in their store and was unable to find any sugar to treat my Hypoglycemia. She told me that they were "out of sugar" and asked if I would like sugar syrup instead. I said yes, and the manager asked me how many pumps of the syrup would I like?
I said, "5 pumps."
He quickly brought over a container of hot water which was filled with the 5 pumps of the sweet syrup.
After I quickly drank the sweet mixture, I checked my bs and got a reading of 40mg/dl.
Waiting 20 minutes for the effects to work, I rechecked and got a 77mg/dl.
Another day in the adventures of having T1DM and being on Insulin Analogues that are missing C-peptide(found in Porcine and Bovine Derived Insulin) which always gave me much earlier warnings of impending Hypoglycemia.

LAST NIGHT I DREAMT.........

My dreams are usually very intense and meaningful, last night was no exception.
I dreamt that I was instrumental in creating a Research Facility ONLY geared to treating, improving the Lives of and even curing those with Type 1 Diabetes.
This *complex* Disease has existed for thousands of years with the continuation of all the "side-effects" associated. We all know them, for those that do not here is a list:
1. Amputation
2. Heart Disease
3. Blindness/Retinopathy
4. Sexual Problems
5. Fertility Problems
6. Kidney/Bladder Damage
7. Premature Cataract Formation(Diabetic Cataract)
8. Stress
9. Depression
10. Micro and Macro Vascular damage.
11. Peripheral Neuropathy
12. Autonomic Neuropathy
13. Increase in Candida and Skin Infections
14. Conception & Delivery problems
15. Dental problems(there is a loss of dental bone in those w/T1DM) and cavity exposure from "correcting" Hypoglycemia in having the sweet residue remain on tooth surfaces for too long of time.
16. Defective counter-regulatory mechanisms to help correct Hypoglycemia.
All these can (and sometimes do) occur in people with T1DM despite having good Glucose/HgA1C Numbers.
No one wants to hear "bad news," but those of us w/T1DM should still be aware of how complex and awful this Disease is. The reason why it still does not gain Media Exposure compared to HIV or Type 2 Diabetes, is that it is not as "sexy" to write about this 10-15% Disease.
Those organizations that are suppose to "represent us," should be more vocal(shouting instead of speaking with political correctness).
My initial exposure to Type 1 Diabetes came after I was diagnosed at six and later would meet with an Endocrinologist while waiting to be called in a large room within a hospital filled with other people with Diabetes. Many of these other people had only one leg and those with two legs were not able to see.

Some of you will say that, 'we now have many tools available to us to make our Lives easier and better.'
The reality is that despite all these "tools," WE still have a serious and complex Disease that not too many Researchers, Physicians and others in Healthcare have a good enough grasp on to prevent all of the potential damage that this Disease is capable of creating.

I do not want to present a fatalistic and totally despairing outlook for those of us with T1DM in spite of the seriousness of this Disease.
So, what are the things that we may do to alter/modify and influence the direction of T1DM upon our bodies?
1. Learn everything about T1DM. That includes reading, and asking many questions.
2. Be Proactive about T1DM. This is your Body!! You are in control 24/7......Respect your Body and listen to its needs.
3. Have a Physician who will both listen to your concerns and be able to communicate with you. Do not sit in the "backseat" while your Physician drives the car. You should be in the front seat along w/your Physician.
4. Exercise everyday instead of very other day or 5 days a week. Exercise anerobic or/and aerobic will reduce your glucose levels and make your Body more Insulin sensitive.
5. Learn how to Meditate to relieve Stress that any Chronic Disease(T1DM) will bring.
6. Eat FRESH foods rather than can/frozen. There is more of the nutrition value obtained from fresh foods that your Body needs and wants.
7. Decrease your carbohydrate intake. Remember you have T1DM so your Body cannot "automatically" supply the additional Insulin needed for the conversion of carbs to glucose that will occur.
8. If you are overweight......lose wight. Most, if not all of people w/T1DM do not have a weight problem. Remember T1DM as a group are 2-5X more vulnerable to any type of Heart Disease.
9. Examine the use of CAM for your Body. Complimentary Alternative Medicine. The NIH even has incorporated a special division which researches the influence of CAM over Disease and Illness.
10. Keep in mind that there is a high degree of Inflammation associated with any Chronic Disease, especially T1DM..........there are certain herbs and Nutraceuticles that will reduce the level of Inflammation within your Body without the side-effects and toxicity of NSAID'S.
11. Keep an *Open Mind*.......Learning is continual.
12. Remember....not all Endocrinologists have the interest/intelligence and passion to be Physicians for those of us with Type 1 Diabetes.
13. Since Medicine has UNFORTUNATELY become a BUSINESS instead of Science with Compassion...........CHANGE DOCTORS IF NECESSARY!!

DIABETES DISTRESS SCALE

Recently contained in the Annals of Family Medicine a distress screening
instrument was created for Primary Care Physicians and other Healthcare Providers who interface with people with IRD(aka type 2 Diabetes).
The problems listed can readily apply to those of us with T1DM as well, which is why I will list them here.
This is another example of T1DM getting *short shrift* when it comes to Diabetes. In spite of that, we can still use this tool and yes, you may copy and use it(answer it as well), provide it to your PCP, Endocrinologist or/and CDE so that they might know "how you have been feeling w/Diabetes 24/7."
...........and think of how much time you will save during that 15min interlude that your Physician only has with you.lol
You can even share it with your Spouse or Significant Other so that they will know, *how you really feel.*

Directions Living with diabetes can sometimes be tough. There may be many problems and hassles concerning diabetes and they can vary greatly in severity. Problems may range from minor hassles to major life difficulties. Listed below are 17 potential problems that people with diabetes may experience. Consider the degree to which each of the items may have distressed or bothered you DURING THE PAST MONTH and circle the appropriate number.
Please note that we are asking you to indicate the degree to which each item may be bothering you in your life, NOT whether the item is merely true for you. If you feel that a particular item is not a bother or a problem for you, you would circle "1." If it is very bothersome to you, you might circle "6."

1. Feeling that diabetes is taking up too much of my mental and physical energy every day.
1
2
3
4
5
6

2. Feeling that my doctor doesn't know enough about diabetes and diabetes care.
1
2
3
4
5
6

3. Feeling angry, scared and/or depressed when I think about living with diabetes.
1
2
3
4
5
6

4. Feeling that my doctor doesn't give me clear enough directions on how to manage my diabetes.
1
2
3
4
5
6

5. Feeling that I am not testing my blood sugars frequently enough.
1
2
3
4
5
6

6. Feeling that I am often failing with my diabetes regimen.
1
2
3
4
5
6

7. Feeling that friends or family are not supportive enough of my self-care efforts (eg planning activities that conflict with my schedule, encouraging me to eat the "wrong" foods).
1
2
3
4
5
6

8. Feeling that diabetes controls my life.
1
2
3
4
5
6

9. Feeling that my doctor doesn't take my concerns seriously enough.
1
2
3
4
5
6

10. Not feeling confident in my day-to-day ability to manage diabetes.
1
2
3
4
5
6

11. Feeling that I will end up with serious long-term complications, no matter what I do.
1
2
3
4
5
6

12. Feeling that I am not sticking closely enough to a good meal plan.
1
2
3
4
5
6

13. Feeling that friends or family don't appreciate how difficult living with diabetes can be.
1
2
3
4
5
6

14. Feeling overwhelmed by the demands of living with diabetes.
1
2
3
4
5
6

15. Feeling that I don't have a doctor who I can see regularly about my diabetes.
1
2
3
4
5
6

16. Not feeling motivated to keep up my diabetes self-management.
1
2
3
4
5
6
17. Feeling that friends or family don't give me the emotional support that I would like.
1
2
3
4
5
6

ANNALS OF FAMILY MEDICINE ♦ WWW.ANNFAMMED.ORG ♦ VOL. 6, NO. 6, ♦ MAY/JUNE 2008
Copyright © 2008 The Annals of Family Medicine, Inc

DIABETES/THE NITTY GRITTY

Scott Strumello @sstrumello.blogspot.com has tagged me for *5 Things You Won't Find In A Book*
Thanks Scott.

Some of these items that I will list, you might find in a book. But all come from a personal relationship that I have had with Diabetes(T1DM) for a long time.
1. If you are newly diagnosed w/T1DM or you are the Mother of a child with Diabetes, then learn as much as you can retain about this complex disease.......and keep learning.

2. Always have some sort of ID on your person that says, that you have Diabetes and are on Insulin.

3. Treat signs/symptoms of Hypoglycemia IMMEDIATELY w/o first using your meter to check your blood sugar level. The time wasted, even in seconds can be dangerous where a rapidly declining glucose is occurring. If later upon checking your glucose value, you can always correct "mistakes," with additional Insulin. Remember, you do not "have to pass Go" in order to treat a possible Hypoglycemia crisis.

4. Keep an Opened Mind regarding T1DM and Treatment. The Body is under a constant state of stress because of the presence of this chronic Disease.
Anything that will help your Body/Mind/Spirit is worth developing and using. This might mean food modification where you will avoid certain foods and utilize others, the use of Meditation to lower stress levels, the use of exercise to help balance and reduce Glucose levels, the use of certain herbs that have been used for thousands of years in the treatment of Diabetes,
the performance of Martial Arts where your Body/Mind/Spirit become one and unified. This is helpful against any Disease.
Basically, you have to find what *works* for your own Body so that you are creating a "better playing field" than before.

5. Don't be a "Passenger" in your Doctor's office. You have to be proactive and involved in all treatments and decision making regarding your health.
It is your Body, not your Physicians.........respect it. Thus, both you and your Physician can both be "Partners" and sit together in the front of the car.

There is of course much more that I can offer, but like advice from anyone and anywhere, you take what applies to you and what you can use.

I pass this chain now to Kathy at PurpleHaze.com

HOW HOMER DEVELOPS DIABETES

Most of you who are fans of the Simpsons know how overweight Homer is and how awful of a diet he has, with a fondness for doughnuts and other tasty treats. This history along with a lack of exercise
makes Homer a *ripe candidate* for the development of Diabetes(Type 2).
There is a message to be learned as well, and that is, what is perceived by
Marge as an addiction is really not but an attempt to inject Insulin.
Unfortunately, it looks as if Homer is doing it via IV rather than Subcutaneous.
Still funny.

Here is a visual development as to how it really took place:
↓ ↓

That's Marge in the opening scene feeding Homer nutritious hot Oatmeal so he will feel better.

DEATH RIDES THE OVERPASS

I just came across a story published in the Edmonton Journal(Canadian newspaper) by Jim Farell.
I and many others in the T1DM Community can relate to these events since it covers the horrible consequence of Hypoglycemia Unawareness that has again occurred to "One of Us."

Shaughn Butts/Canwest News Service: A semi truck and trailer lie in wreckage after crashing. The driver was killed after smashing into a guard rail on the overpass and crashing onto the railway tracks below.


EDMONTON -- Friends and relatives of the truck driver who died Monday in a fiery crash after a 20-kilometer, wrong-way drive down Yellowhead Trail believe his bizarre behavior was caused by diabetes, not anger or suicidal impulses.

"He has had Type 1 diabetes since he was young, and he has medically crashed many times after going into hypoglycemia," said Bill, a family friend of the 25-year-old driver. Bill is the uncle of the driver's girlfriend, whom he intended to marry.

Dr. James Shapiro, a prominent diabetes researcher from the University of Alberta, refused to comment about the specific aspects of the driver's death since he had never treated him, but he said that when a diabetic's blood sugar plunges below a certain point, bizarre behavior can result.
When blood sugar drops below a certain point, the brains of some people with diabetes can no longer function properly, Dr. Shapiro said. Results can range from sleepiness to unawareness and a mental disconnect with a person's surroundings. "It's certainly possible that a diabetes patient can be in a prolonged hypoglycemic state for minutes and hours," Dr. Shapiro said.

People tend to forget how complex of a Disease T1DM is. In spite of having "good numbers," there are hosts of other factors within the Body that can go awry because of the Diabetes.

Six Word Meme

Thank you for the Tag Minnesota Nice.............and that you are.
Here then w/o further delay is my Six Word Meme:

Still looking around Corners
for Cure..........

I, in-turn pass the Six Word Meme to:
Seonaid @http://snd1590.wordpress.com

Scott @Scott's Web Log

EAT SOMETHING GOOD(FOR YOU)

As reported in the Boston Globe 2/25/08/www.boston.com/news/health/articles
Eating Oats(Whole Oats) is good for you!!
The reason being, is that they contain an ample supply of beta-glucan, a natural anti-inflammatory agent that suppresses the body's production of certain cytokines.
Cytokines are Inflammatory Agents that produce elevated levels of Inflammation within the Body. This Inflammation can be found in Diabetes, Heart Disease, MS, Arthritis, Allergies, Asthma and many other Auto-Immune Illnesses. Often with this Inflammation comes further harmful effects within the cells, tissues, organs and vasculature leading to other Diseases or a further breakdown that has already begun.
So, here is something that is Natural and without side-effects that would be useful to all those with Diabetes and other Illnesses.
Oats have been available for a long time, are in abundance, are easy to prepare and digest; and have many healthful benefits to offer. They also lower LDL(bad cholesterol) levels. For those of us w/T1DM that is important because the risk of Coronary Disease is elevated in those with Diabetes.
Part of the treatment for T1DM is to be actively involved with taking care of your Body in a positive way.

You have to be willing to accept responsibility and modification for your own Body.
Remember, what you want are whole oats, not the 30 second kind.
In this case, a little cooking effort goes a long way. Have it with slices of fresh fruit or berries on top, sitting across the table from the person you love. If there isn't a person you love sitting across from you, have it anyway.

Diabetes Poetry

I turn the key to my apartment where I then drop spasmodically to the Floor.
Two dozen eggs are mixed as for an omelet that I never wanted as they fall out of the bag with me to the floor exposing yellow yolks on a brown wood surface creating the loss of a front tooth as I convulsively mash my jaw up/down and side to side not knowing what is real and what is temporary.
Unable to stand.
The refrigerator is near as my cats approach who have all too often seen their "Loved One" in similar past experiences.
They perform rescue by taking their claws to the open arm of my body that lays convulsing about in trying to revive me from the "Depths of Horror."
I squiggle to the refrigerator door and try to access any contents that will bring the Blood Glucose back up.
Pineapple juice bottle lay visible on the shelf as I reach for it but find my appendages are unable to grasp the potion as they continue to spasm.
I fight on...........Eternal Sleep is not welcomed.
Another attempt at the juice bottle yields it but quickly falls to the floor where juice and eggs now become a marsh reflection of Hypoglycemia.
Some juice remains in the bottle as I force myself to drink whatever liquid remains.
I lay in the marsh as my cats meow away the Evil from pressing on.
I search for honey and find a jar unable to avail itself because of immovable "stuck" lid.
Slowly the effects of the juice earlier consumed enables me to a steady gaze of another source which I now open and drink.
All is restored again, until.............................................................................

THE DEPTH OF DARKNESS

I seem to be sitting and wasn’t sure except my sense of touch appeared to be returning. All I knew was that I was in some type of dark enclosure within a space I never knew. I tried to get up, but each time I attempted this, my legs would buckle from under me and so I would fall back to the same original spot of fear and the unknown. There was no orientation to Time, Place or Space.
My next attempt was to find something around me that might support my decision to try and stand. The outstretched hand of my arm began to scan the void around me for an object that might help. I still was unable to see within the darkness and still without any identity as to what my relationship to everything around me was. A total loss of the power of navigation, knowledge and control within time - space - object.
My hand felt an object that by touch resembled a broom. and began to feel hopeful that my sense of touch recognition was returning but still within a dark void.

I decided that I would attempt to use this broom-like object to help me stand upright, which it did. In reaching a different perspective, I saw what appeared to be small flickering slivers of light within the space I was in. The broom stick pole aided my walking to this light but I nevertheless banged my body into an immovable object which prevented my going further.

I felt my senses slowly returning minus of being cognizant of where I was other than it was a room. I slowly began walking in different directions at the same time using my sense of touch to try to find a source of light that would visually tell me where I was. The pain in my ribs and other places of my body no longer mattered, my attention was only to access light as well as understanding from all of this. Slowly and slowly I felt my presence returning even in the “dark pit” of who and what I was in relation to everything around me.
My hand then felt a smooth object that turned out to be my refrigerator door. I knew that upon opening this door a light would come on which it did.
Without going through the time wasted protocol of testing my blood sugar to determine if I was Hypoglycemic(like asking someone who has one leg, if they have difficulty in walking) and besides I could not even find it at that moment in time anyhow. What I did find when I opened the refrigerator door was a thankful recognition of where I was as well as much needed sweet juice on the inside which I quickly consumed.
It turned out that the slivers of light that I first saw, were the pilot lights on top of my stove which I was unable to recognize at the time in greater context.

This rescue made possible by the grace and power of a force that very few of us know, is a miracle. It puts into actual meaning what the Body and its relationship with Outside things are as well as the integration of Body-Mind-Spirit are all about. I was returning back into being aware of the moments(hours) before this occurred. Being in bed and drifting off within the realm of sleep in my bedroom until transported to a different room and space no longer recognized by me within the depths of unconsciousness.
The contusions and open cuts from my falling which later turn to scars(Physical/Emotional) are but added mementos to previous ones on this adventure in having T1DM.
Insulin is just a Bandage for this Disease since it is only being treated as a Symptom. It is much more than that. It (Diabetes) is an open wound that continues to bleed through the Bandage and in spite of it.

"I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am. Like a
newborn baby before it learns to smile, I am alone
without a place to go."

Tao Te Ching/Lao Tzu

WHAT DIABETES IS NOT

Sitting on the subway this A.M., I noticed a billboard sign directly in front of me which was sponsored by the Epilepsy Society of Southern New York, It read:
"Epilepsy is about what we have..........Not who we are."

This same Wisdom should apply to those of us with T1DM as well.