Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Places I'd Like To Go

So I've been dreaming about vacations recently, mostly because I need one bad!!

I can dream about a super fancy, super expensive vacation, but since it is not in our budget at this time, I am aiming for a few more modest destinations.

Here are my top three to visit in the next year:


Las Vegas!!!!



The Grand Canyon/Santa Fe/Albuquerque



San Diego


A girl can dream, right???

Saturday, September 24, 2011

I can do it!

Going to the doctor yesterday and finding out my newest A1C value (6.2% -thankyouverymuch) makes me feel like I can do it!  It's not easy and it's certainly never fun, but I can do it.  I can be healthy and happy and take good care of myself.

I am constantly learning about my disease and how it is always changing and how what I eat, how stressed I am or how other things can all affect me.  I think I will always be learning. 

I feel good about where I am except for one thing.  My weight.  My doctor basically gave me permission to up my dose of one of my medicines and it should help me lose weight.  I am not sure why, but I am a little hesitant to up the dose, only because it is sooooo expensive.  I guess I have to look at it this way.  Would I pay $100 a month for a weight loss pill that ACTUALLY worked?  Oh and had other positive benefits to my body also?

Anyway, this is where my head is at now.  Feeling pretty good despite the extreme stress I'm under at work. I keep telling myself it's only temporary - because it is.  I will survive.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Diabetes Lesson of the Day

I went to the doctor today and got my newest A1C - 6.2%!!!!  Woohoo!  My last one was over 11 about 3 months ago and I have been busting my butt to get it in control and it has worked!

I am on a journey to take better care of myself and I feel like the more I educate myself, the better I will do.  Not that anyone cares but I find the science behind Diabetes pretty fascinating.

I copied the following from Wikipedia as to how Type 1 Diabetics become Diabetic in the first place and some other interesting facts.

"Diabetes type 1 is caused by the destruction of enough beta cells to produce symptoms; these cells, which are found in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, produce and secrete insulin, the single hormone responsible for allowing glucose to enter from the blood into cells (in addition to the hormone amylin, another hormone required for glucose homeostasis). Hence, the phrase "curing diabetes type 1" means "causing a maintenance or restoration of the endogenous ability of the body to produce insulin in response to the level of blood glucose" and cooperative operation with counterregulatory hormones."

"Most people who develop type 1 are otherwise healthy.[5] Although the cause of type 1 diabetes is still not fully understood it is believed to be of immunological origin."

"Evidence so far indicates that the development of diabetes type I is induced by more or less a combination of genetic susceptibility, a diabetogenic trigger and exposure to a driving antigen.[8] Many risk factors have been suggested, and there is ongoing research into the influence of environmental factors. There is also research being conducted on individual factors, and whether some may be regarded as sufficient to cause the disease by themselves or only in addition to other risk factors."

"Type 1 diabetes is not currently preventable.[22] Still, promising therapies are emerging, and it has been suggested that, in the future, diabetes type 1 may be prevented at the latent autoimmune stage, probably by a combination therapy of several methods."

"Diabetes mellitus type 1 (Type 1 diabetes, IDDM, or, formerly, juvenile diabetes) is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.[2] The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose. The classical symptoms are polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), polyphagia (increased hunger), and weight loss.[3]"

I don't understand a lot of the terms myself but I have a basic understanding of how I got the disease and obviously how to treat it. 

And there you have it.  It's not preventable, it's treatable but not by diet alone and I will have to take insulin the rest of my life unless there is a cure.  Knowledge is power people!

Monday, September 12, 2011

9-11

I know I am a day late, but wanted to post what I feel about yesterday.

I remember where I was when I heard about the attacks- I think most people do.

I was working a temp job at an insurance company in Lincoln, NE at the time.  I was 18, almost 19.  My life was not what I wanted it to be then anyway and this event made me even more confused and unsure of life.

I remember someone I work with telling me what happened and then we all got up and went to the TV in the break room to watch.  I just couldn't believe it.  How could something like that happen?

I also remember walking out of that temp job shortly after that happened (within a few weeks).  It was all too much to deal with and the job wasn't something I wanted to do long term anyway.

It's weird because even though I remember hearing about it for the first time, I really don't recall much about it from the weeks and months after it happened and looking back now and some of the pictures and stories, they amaze me because they are the first time I had heard or seen them!

What also gets me is that there are people out there who think it was an inside job.  How can you think our government is so evil that they would do this to their own country?  Sick.  But what's funny is when I hear people say stuff like that, I want to look into it and see why they think it was an inside job and what 'evidence' they supposedly have.  I would need to read a lot more about the logistics before I could ever say for sure, but for now I refuse to believe that nonsense.

Anyway, my heart goes out to all who were affected by that awful day and I hope nothing like that ever happens again.  I will never forget about that day.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Out of touch

I feel so out of it, like I have no idea what is going on in the world since I have been working so much.  I feel like I must be missing something.

I keep thinking 'did I remember to pay all of my bills?' and 'have I missed any appointments?' or 'whose birthday have I missed?'

It's not going to get better soon.  Probably at least two months until things slow down a little bit at work and I start working less.  There are days that I feel so overwhelmed with everything I have to do that I literally feel like I am going to throw up.  Not nauseous, but like I am just going to suddenly barf.  It is the weirdest feeling.

I am so tired an exhausted and I am surprised I haven't gotten sick yet.  I am just waiting for it.  I hope I don't get sick but feel like I will.  On top of this all, I am trying to stay on top of my diabetes and am hoping to get an insulin pump soon which will bring a new set of challenges.

I am ready for these next few months to be over with so I feel more caught up on life and not so out of it all the time.

Friday, September 2, 2011

A 3 day weekend???

I have my post title with question marks because I am not sure if this holiday weekend will be a full weekend for me or not.  I am trying to decide if I will come into work this weekend or if I will just let it all go and hope that when I get back on Tuesday that I don't start out super behind.

The other thing I might do is take some work home so I can get stuff done without actually having to come into work. 

Right now I have a ton of stuff to do at home and I feel like my personal life is chaos due to me working so much and trying to get the promotion I am going for.

I am hoping the hiring process goes quick so my stress level improves and the crazy long hours I am working go away.

I am excited for the opportunity but also drained with how much I have been working.