SweetLifeStories Diabetes Blog

And the morning didn’t disappoint. The birds’ sequined feathers dazzled me. Their quest for energy-sustaining liquids fascinated. And their near-nonstop activity was mesmerizing. Then, looking at all the energy these jeweled hummers expended, a curious thought grabbed me.

Though I love watching these tiny acrobats, I can’t imagine how much sugar (i.e., carbs and food) it would take to keep me going like that! Our group’s hosts, in fact, let us know that they mix up, on average, over 300 pounds of sugar and water in one season. That translates into 1,733 calories (straight carbs) per pound of sugar, or almost 520,000 calories per season for those busy little creatures! I can’t even imagine having to figure out insulin coverage for this type of routine!

Having to count my carb intake every day and balance it with activity, sometimes feeling trapped into a “Groundhog Day” repetitive pattern of being chained to food as an insuling-taking Type 1 diabetic, this thought of never being able to do anything but sustain one’s life by a singular quest for food takes my breath away! And exercising like that? It really would take a miracle for any of us to sustain that level of activity (insulin-dependent or not). Go hummers, go!  Amazing what we take for granted, isn’t it?

B well, b happy. I’d love to hear about your passions that keep you going in spite of health challenges.

Until next time, kath

Just a quick thought to share today as spring tempts us to be more active outdoors and blood sugar levels start to drop . . .

I love challenging myself to guess my blood sugar several times every day. It’s like playing a game, but the reward of being satisfied that you are close to being in the right range is great! Except, of course, when you’re not, but that’s a different story!

Today, for example, I was lured outdoors by the warmth of a sunny morning. Before I knew it, I began to trim a few roses and collect fallen leaves from the garden soil. An hour later, I started to feel a little shaky. I’d only eaten a light bf of egg and tea since I’d awakened at 170. But gardening worked its magic in more ways than one; I knew I had to check my blood sugar, and I used the moments before doing so to guess what it would register on my meter. Hmmm; I’ll bet it’s 48 right now, I thought. And moments later, voila! 52 appeared on my meter.

Not a bad guess at all! And a fun way to check up on affirming I’m in touch with reading–correctly or not–what’s happening with my body and blood sugar shifts. Such a strange way to poke at living day to day with diabetes, I know, but also an important tool to focus on connecting with my state of health, too.

B well, b happy, b FUN.

Until next time, Kath

All in my quest to stay active and healthy both physically and mentally, I’ve been calendar-driven and goal-focused to the max. It’s not only friends and family who can’t believe how full my days are; I, too, wonder how I’ll get through most everything on my list. I mentally check off everything a week contains: a writing-critique group meeting, dog classes, 2 clay classes, photography club, calling (and maybe trying to get over to see) my parents. The list goes on and on. But then I take a deep breath and think, So what if not everything gets done? It’s working on the process that counts, and whatever goals and tasks haven’t been “checked off” should be worthy of my continued attention over a longer period of time.

So I am left wondering about the “whys” of overfilling my lists each day, week, month. There’s no doubt that keeping busy staves off overeating and my fears about the future.  But then I take another look, noting that most of my activities are fun. Meaningful, too. Staying so busy, keeping my daily life brimming with learning opportunities and connections with others makes me happy. Provides a road toward new skills, some laughter along the way, and anticipating new challenges with more zest than trepidation.

But I know, too, that building in some give time is essential. “Give time” . . . as in giving meaningful time to connect to others, and allowing myself time to reflect, to revamp direction and some of my efforts, where necessary. Thus comes the big question on how to manage adding too much: 2 new writing groups; 5 dog classes;  a multitude of springtime dog trials and shows; 1 new mentor photography group filled with amazing women and potential friends; weekly visits with one dog to hospice patients; all important, rewarding, and somewhat altruistic, right?

So why the nagging? Why do I still find myself struggling with how to embed the highest priority item of exercise into my routine: walking every day, for instance, or exercising somewhere–anywhere!–to manage my blood sugars, keep my heart healthy, and help my body and mind stay strong after so many years of living with Type 1 diabetes.  So I’m struggling, realizing that the 3-4x I’ve committed to x-c skiing and snowshoeing every winter month–for me an extraordinary commitment–are still not enough.

How much IS enough? Am I being too hard on myself? Or do I reluctantly realize that the Number One priority of physically taking care of yourself every single day when you live with diabetes cannot have much “give” to it month after month, year after year? So many of us can rationalize this issue by saying: both physical and mental nourishment go hand-in-hand. One is void without the other. But I sure wish–I think I wish–I knew the answer!

Until next time. B well, b happy, Kath

today– 1/1/11 –was such a lazy day. so c-c-cold here in the aftermath of arctic air sweeping down to the southwest, even my pup tess was curled up in front of the space heater. so i just took time to catch up on the computer, immersed myself in a good book, and picked up around the house. of course, lazing around makes me feel so guilty, what with not exercising or actively working on managing my blood sugars. but everyone needs to build in these cerebral quiet kind of days to reflect and move forward with new plans.

and those resolutions are definitely on my calendar:  3 new puppy training classes starting at the end of the week.  joining a local gym (a have-to, but all i can say about going there a few times a week is . . .  ”blech!”). and, if i don’t freeze to death while doing it, getting out to the local mountains to x-c ski in two days for the first time this winter!  i prepaid and thus obligated myself to 6-7 x-c and snowshoeing trips through february with a great group of people, so aside from whining about the possibility of freezing, i expect to have lots of fun and reap the benefits of getting outside during the worst of these cold winter months.

here’s hoping you’ve had a chance to plan out and make good on some health(y) resolutions, too! wishing a happy and healthy new year filled with ongoing zest for life’s passions to all my friends and family!

B well, be happy. Until next time, Kath

My life has been a whirlwind–turned upside down not by the expected stress of the holidays, but by an innocent adorable puppy! I didn’t expect or even want to add a 3rd dog to our brood until summer, but a friend of ours we know through lure coursing with our whippets begged us to “try” her as part of our family–one who is eager to train and work their dogs on agility courses. I have been training Zoe, our 5-year old, for over two years in agility (which is really to say, I’ve been training myself to do the right things!), and we’re finally ready to start competing. The skills classes and agility drills alone have done wonders for keeping my blood sugar levels under control! And they’re so much FUN!  But just how in the world do you just “try out” a dog?    

So our brindled Tesla (whom we call Tess) came to stay the day after Thanksgiving at four months of age. Despite turning down a pup from this litter several times, we were finally and unabashedly worn down by the breeder’s begging and belief in us. And zapped full force by the puppy’s adorable antics! I’m enrolled in not one, but THREE new year’s classes for little Tess:  Puppy Foundations in Agility, Puppy Obedience, and even the much dreaded Conformation Skills (yes, it’s really killer out there in the show ring, much like the world portrayed in the cult classic movie “Best in Show”). All to see what potential this charming beautiful smart-as-a-whip puppy has to offer . . .    

And I’ve unexpectedly found a delightful benefit of training a puppy: Little to no holiday stress or time to fixate on holiday food! No time = no worries. Oops; except for the albatross of housebreaking, which means I have to run, grab some reinforcing treats, and get Tess outside NOW!    

My newest piece of heaven

B well, b happy, b full of spirit and purpose! Happy holidays to you and yours! Until next time, Kath

Oh brother, what a week. After returning from the hottest week on record spent in Los Angeles with my kids, the phone call about my results from 5 long days of wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) finally came, and the news wasn’t what I expected. The conversation went something like this:

   “Kathy, your HA1C (hemoglobin A1C) was high.”

   “Oh? Well, I’m not surprised. How high was it?”

   “8.7.”

And I thought: OMG, in the years since we’ve been able to measure average sugar levels carried by blood cells, I’d never had a higher number. I felt AWFUL. Actually, like I was really a bad person and deserved some type of punishment.  This . . . despite the fact that I’d been closely monitoring my blood sugars almost every 2-3 hours during the time I was awake, and trying to fight rising glucose level readings. Truthfully, I was terrified, even before the nurse’s phone call. I wondered if, for some unknown reason, I’d started to become what they call “insulin resistant.” Not a good thing when you have to take insulin 24/7 and try to thrive on it!

But then, my thoughts bent on the why’s and ways to problem-solve them were startled by the nurse’s next comment:  “We can’t include you in the Type 1 Study.”

WHAT???? My heart thudded. Me, a virtual poster girl for “talk with me and be inspired about how to live well with–and in spite of–diabetes?”  I was positively horrified. But there it was: I didn’t qualify for the study. I was . . . in a word . . . rejected!

It wasn’t the high HA1C that booted me. The study’s goal is to analyze how much impact the timing of insulin prior to 3 major meals/day impacts control. In my case, being small (5 ft tall when cheating), I’ve learned to try to control my blood sugars and try to avoid big ups and down swings by eating very small amounts of food throughout the day. This works a little better for me than eating a few medium-large meals each day. So, yeah, I’ll admit I’ve known my eating patterns are a little outside the norm. And it turns out that study participants need to eat a lot more carbs at each mealtime than I typically do. So I understand this issue and my (gulp) disqualification from the study.

That reasoning, I can take. The abnormally high HA1C, not. Monday I’m off to the gym. Punishment or reward? It’s such a thin line. Only time will tell.

B well. B happy.  Until next time, Kath

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