SweetLifeStories Diabetes Blog

So, here I am, still working 8 weeks later to adjust to fitting back into my routine life after a whirlwind 3+ weeks traveling in Japan and then a crazy but fun-filled four days of photographing red rock formations in Moab, Utah!

The small amount of Japanese language I had begun to understand and use has mostly faded from my brain cells, and I find I’m missing the excitement of trying to function between two languages, two geographic places, two cultures! But I still find myself processing what went well for me as a traveler with diabetes; someone who had the luxury (guided by my Tokyoite friend Chikako who traveled with me) of being so immersed in the Japanese culture, and what didn’t go so well in terms of living with my diabetes.

The basic staples of the Japanese diet: rice and noodles (udon; ramen; soba), served in huge amounts, were definitely an obstacle to good control. I am embarrassed to admit my recent HA1C was 8.5; gulp! one of my highest ever. Yet I found I needed to eat these carbs in Japan, since I had to be sure my blood sugar level didn’t fall too low while I walked miles every single day! That’s a common dilemma for many of my friends who have diabetes and travel anywhere. What I learned to do was add good protein, when available, to my meals, in the forms of fish (all types cooked and yes, even raw), egg, and chicken. The amount of protein served in meals was very small compared to what we eat in the U.S., so I supplemented my diet with protein bars and spoonfuls of peanut butter (which I brought in a plastic jar with me) when needed. This helped me survive pretty well!

The “new” carb that seems to be helping to skyrocket the number of Japanese being diagnosed with diabetes is, of all things, bread. White bread. Lots of it, everywhere, in patisserie specialty shops. And lots of sweets in the form of cakes, cookies, pastries. The Japanese definitely have a sweet tooth, and I was saddened to hear (and see) that many are paying for it . . . becoming overweight and diabetic. This was almost unheard of a generation ago, so it’s something to think about.

With the exception of battling high blood sugar levels after carb-laden lunches of noodles, ramen or udon soups, or rice dishes, I’m confident I managed my blood sugars and tweaking my insulin in such a distant land quite well!  I’m working on bringing that high average HA1C level down. But traveling definitely makes me quite grateful for home glucose testing (which most of us probably take for granted these days) and my insulin pump (for which I often give thanks for its ability to enable me to sleep later, switch time zones, cover extra carbs with boluses of insulin, and even suspend insulin, as  needed)!

Thanksgiving may be over on this year’s calendar. But in living my own life, there’s reason to celebrate and give thanks every day in terms of my gratefulness and sheer pleasure at the possibility of being immersed in the zest and best of life.

B well, b happy. Until next time (my procrastinating days are over; I’ll be writing again soon!), Kath

Konban-wa; good evening. Hello from Japan. Hai (yes), I’m actually in Japan, and it has been a whirlwind of activity trying to manage my diabetes in the land of carbs aplenty . . .

I’ve learned a few important lessons about how to cover food when you are in a place that serves rice, udon or soba noodles, and low amounts of protein at every meal. Being here turned my world of normalcy upside down, although my immersion into the people, values, culture, and history has been priceless, and thus, worth the bumpy ride of trying to do everything I can to feel okay!

For one–and perhaps the most important thing–I’ve had to increase my bolus rates of insulin before meals about 15-20% to cover simple carbs. This has been true even when I’ve been walking and sightseeing all day!  At home, my rule is to almost never consume foods like white rice, white breads, noodles of any kind . . . etc. Here, you’d simply starve! It’s the basis (and done up quite creatively, I must say) for all meals and snacks. And with mainly fish, egg, or bits of pork or chicken to provide protein, those simple carbs are what there is to eat. So it’s been hard to embrace that kind of thing when I’d been doing well on an extremely low-carb diet at home.

Another tidbit?  Be open to eating all kinds of the healthy protein; any that’s available in your country or region of travel!  Doing so has helped me keep going on long excursions almost every day, although I’ll admit I found it awfully difficult to eat some soba (buckwheat) noodles with uncooked egg yolk at lunchtime today. And parts of meats I don’t typically eat have proven challenging. But today I forced myself to tackle (some of) my bowl of wet soba, and that got me through to the next meal. Trying to find good quality protein sources can be a hard quest, so there are some things I just don’t order (chicken livers, gizzards, and skin among them). I’ve found some trusted sources to fall back on; eggs, low-fat/low-sugar yogurt, and tofu. Eating them has helped give me longer-lasting energy for getting to shrines, walking hours in challenging cities, and getting out to immerse myself (without fear of blood sugar dropping) in photographing jaw-dropping scenes.

Samantha Brown’s travel show gave me this next idea: I took a jar of peanut butter with me. A great protein snack and energy booster, and very comforting when trying to adjust your diet to such a different cuisine!

Another must? Bring one of the new simple electronic translators. I’ve had several instances where I’ve had to ask how much sugar is in a certain brand of yogurt, for example. A translator that can give you phrases and words from English to Japanese (or another language) has been invaluable!

How often have I been testing my blood sugar levels? Every 2-4 hours until bedtime beckons. That’s a necessity when I travel to letme know the range in which my glucose falls to determine whether I need a snack before hiking somewhere or , instead, to give a blus of insulin and then go on my way! 

In terms of diabetes management supplies, for this trip I brought along twice the normal amount (insulin, blood sugar strips, pump infusion sets, extra sticky tapes, batteries for my insulin pump and blood sugar testing kit, a back-up mini-testing kit, glucose tablets, and high protein mini-snack bars), along with an English-Japanese brief medical letter from my doctor! With the language barrier here, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

So far, I’ve successfully tackled life in Tokyo, Nikko (2 hours north), Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Fukui on Japan’s west coast. And soon, I’ll be off to Toyama and then headed back to Tokyo for my last few days abroad before returning home. But oh . . . the adventures I’ve experienced in a place and culture so different from that in the U.S. Yet even with these differences, I’ve found out that the rate of diabetes is soaring here, too.  That’s rather intriguing to me, and I’ll share some of my insights about it in another post.

B well, B happy.  Until next time, sayonara,

Kath

Ahhh; just back from 10 days spent in pristine, laid-back, too-friendly-to-believe-these-days Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the amazing AirVenture Fly-in event. My first time there! Near tens of thousands of people matched by thousands of planes from every era; incredible airshows filled with aerobatic stunts (my stomach lurched just watching from the ground, but oh, what photographic and visual joy!), jet fly-by’s, Warbird formations, fireworks; and vendors hawking everything from multi-million dollar aircraft to GPS units to fly-in community developments to food.

What was that? FOOD? Yeah, lots of the usual event-style food. Not healthy, but considering the miles walked every day in the double digits, I got away with eating some of it. The rest of the time, I packed my snacks and lunches, better to control what I ate and actually enjoyed it more. Except, of course, for the soft-serve that made my tongue literally drool. Once in a while, I added that to my meal plan, too. To be honest, I did some quick mental calculations on calories and food values so that the soft-serve and custard actually became my meal plan. To me, it made sense. Like Bill Cosby’s feeding his kids chocolate cake for breakfast while they sang his praises, it ingeniously became an all-inclusive meal for me in one delightful product:  milk = protein and fat and carbs/sugars (tempered by miles of walking). Couldn’t be more perfect! Another dietary blessing on planet Earth! Sigh . . .

Wow; if I could only keep getting the same low blood sugar readings I got all weekend while trekking with a group of friends along breathtaking trails in Ouray, Colorado!  By low blood sugar readings, what I really mean is finding myself somehow, miraculously, in the NORMAL range!  Blood sugars below 130?  YES!!!  All day–for two whole days–while hiking, seeking out great photo shots (no pun intended), and doing all the set-up for them. That was nearly 48 hours, or 2,880 minutes, or 172,800 seconds of bliss. But who’s counting?

Some of you might even know what I mean by feeling normal (which is so rare!)–being able to eat and not take any insulin boluses (or shots, for you non-pumpers) or give it much thought while out and about just enjoying life like everyone else. What a luxury; one that I don’t ever take for granted since they occur so infrequently. Of course, I had to keep testing my blood sugar. While traveling and on active trips, I probably do that even more than I usually do–just to stay safe, keep out of trouble (and any potential emergency situations).

But I’ll admit I enjoyed this experience for all it was worth. And the delightful tastes of reasonable amounts of a delectable pb&j sandwich, ice cream and even chocolate (quite deserving of their very own food categories in the food pyramid of diabetic life) were scrumptious, pretty much guilt-free, and indeed a luxury.  My highest blood sugar after each day of hiking?  123!  Magnificent, even inspirational, no? 

b well, b happy!  Until next time, Kathy

Had a  whirlwind week in sunny CA; the first 3 days in Los Angeles with all of our small immediate family members and a few extended family members (great to see Sue, Ron & Dar!) who flew in to celebrate my son’s graduation with his MBA. NICE! A different restaurant every night, plus visits to fantastical exhibits at the Ghetty (itself an architectural design treasure) and National Geographic’s Water exhibit–thought-provoking and beautiful images of the necessity and scarcity of water at the heart of conflict in human survival–at the Annenberg Center for Photography. 

Then the next 3 days were spent in San Diego, where I got to experience my first real earthquake. Ate dinner with friends in Del Mar, enjoyed a half-glass of wine on the patio, and about 9:30 p.m. PT, felt a rolling sensation. “Hmmm,” I wondered, “Did I perhaps have too much wine? I’m feeling VERY mellow!” Looking around to double-check my senses, I saw other diners doing the same. Then their heads started nodding recognition and acknowledgement; yep, an earthquake! It was a 5.7, centered in the Mojave Desert only 80 miles from where I sat. Everything was ok; no damage, no one hurt. Though just a bit psychologically jarring, as my brain struggled to appreciate being in the “here and now” instead of the OMG dimension of “What IF . . . ???” One big question I later asked myself was: “What if my blood sugar was low and there was no food to be had? What if I (and my family/friends) were trapped in rubble or earthquake debris?” Perhaps needless to say, sleep was elusive that night, resulting in higher blood sugars the next morning!

Now comes the hard work to try getting back into my real-life groove. Need to focus on the dogs by resuming agility training, creating some new pieces of pottery, working in my garden, reconnecting with friends, and exercising so my head, heart, and body feel better and I can start to feel like my old (mostly functioning) self. Reconciling one’s life “post-vacation” is harder than I’d like to admit . . .

Spending a week in winterproof Florida; the so-called Sunshine State known for its immunity from major coldspells, sirens calling me to the beach anytime, right?

My recent vacation with my better half (here for a conference) began with two stormy days. Drove from Ft. Lauderdale thru the Upper and Middle Keys down to Key West. Fun stops, though–first to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo with walks among the mangroves. Wish I could get up the nerve to learn to dive, but that’s always worried me since I wear an insulin pump. I wonder how many other people taking insulin have managed to dive–how in the world do they manage their sugars and taking insulin? It’s on my to-do list but still a huge stretch for me to grapple with since i’m on short-acting insulin only!

Islamorada was our next stop; very picturesque despite the brewing storm clouds overhead. Then on to Marathon, Big Pine Key and the Lower Keys. Lots of sitting led to many blood sugar level checks. Where was my anticipated sun?

Four hours later, we finally arrived in Key West. Grey water and dark angry skies. So much rain made us crave seeking cozy eating spots (yep; had to keep “juicing up” with insulin!) between our adventures to the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory (where we captured some great photos indoors) and the mind-boggling above-ground historic cemetery (which was mysteriously beautiful with crumbling crypts, family plots, and gravestones awash with puddled water). So much for walks on the beach or swimming laps in the beautiful hotel pool! An hour before sunset, though, the storm clouds broke and rays of warm sunlight streaked through the sky, leaving us with the magic of a stunning sunset on our last day there.

The next morning, we retraced our route to Ft. Lauderdale, allowing for a few nature walks/bird search diversions and a stop for an inexpensive but oh-so-tasty (yep: high carb, too!) Cuban lunch. Delightful.

The last two days have been cool and rainy. I learned something today: native Floridians told me that they experience winter weather thru the end of March! I pride myself on learning something new every day, but I’ll ruefully admit that this wasn’t news I really wanted to understand or embrace!

Ha, ha: the last laugh (hopefully) isn’t on me, becuz with the sun finally out, I got to walk a few miles on Hollywood Beach Boardwalk today. Northern weathered sunbirds (retirees from colder climes) were out in force–sunning themselves to brilliant crimson hues. What a kick to see everyone, turned toward the sun like rows of egrets drying their feathers, warming their beleaguered cold-weary bodies. A soft kiss on their cheeks, and mine.  So welcome! Winter, it seems, is definitely in the eyes of the beholder, and differently defined and appreciated.