Ok, I am a bad little blogger. I keep on thinking of things to say, then I get sucked into other endeavours on the computer. I've been doing some consulting work (or starting to do so), and it seems to be an interesting way to putter away my limited nap time. Well, my darling daughter's limited nap time (grin).
So, what's up?
Well, said daughter and I ran our first 10k - the Terry Fox Run - last weekend. I think that I finished in under an hour. Pretty good for a banana break (dd's), a couple of blood sugar checks (mine), a water break (both of us), and running the whole thing with a jogging stroller. Hint: That is NOT good for my back. Ouch. And dd ran the last 1/2 kilometre with me. I had to bribe her with the fact that there was a fire truck waiting for us at the other end. She wanted to fall asleep in the stroller instead. I wanted the photo finish, with toddler.
Speaking of toddlers and pumping, that's on my list of blog "to dos". So, here's a shot at it.
Reasons why diabetes and insulin pumping make parenthood more interesting and enjoyable:
1. An old meter makes a most excellent cell phone for a toddler.
2. Pump backlights are PERFECT for checking on sleeping kiddos. Not too bright.
3. It's very interesting to go for a walk, go low, and realize that you've been singing the same song about underwear ten times in a row to your daughter, and enjoying it all of the way.
4. A site insertion device makes a convenient distraction when you're on the phone.
5. Children love to "feed" mama when she needs to tweak her blood sugar. Imagine the genial toddler: I feed mama? Here, mama? More food, mama? Sure.
6. A baby or toddler or (dare I say) preschooler is the BEST 3 am blood sugar checking reminder in the world. Whatever will I do when dd sleeps through the night consistently?
As for the knitting end of things. I had a story in the paper about the wacky knitting of the world's longest awareness ribbon endeavours, and that set off a possible yarn donation and a possible knitting instructor. Looks like we're rocking. The only thing is: stop this train! It's too busy! It's crazy.
The only good thing about all of this crazy life is that it's preventing me from thinking too hard about embarking on another pregnancy...yet.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Run faster! Faster!
So - I've now started the Learn to Run 10K Faster program. Yesterday I had a great run. I ran a road that took my 45 minutes to do at the beginning. It took me 20 minutes. Yes, I'm still moving at a slooooow pace, but I'm hoping that this program will up my overall speed a bit.
I'm looking forward to my first official run on Sunday, September 16th - the Terry Fox Run. I'm doing 10k in honour of a friend who died of cancer earlier this year.
I also tried out a jogging stroller on the weekend. Whoa. Ok, I was always of the snarky, holier-than-thou opinion that jogging strollers were for yuppies. For shame, for shame. It handles like a dream. The only trick is convincing my two-year-old that it might be interesting to stay in the seat instead of trying to run alongside mama the entire way.
I'm looking forward to my first official run on Sunday, September 16th - the Terry Fox Run. I'm doing 10k in honour of a friend who died of cancer earlier this year.
I also tried out a jogging stroller on the weekend. Whoa. Ok, I was always of the snarky, holier-than-thou opinion that jogging strollers were for yuppies. For shame, for shame. It handles like a dream. The only trick is convincing my two-year-old that it might be interesting to stay in the seat instead of trying to run alongside mama the entire way.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
On Trust
Something inside me is broken. Yeah, I know…it’s my pancreas. But when I was diagnosed with diabetes, something else broke too – my trust in my body.
I used to have survivalist fantasies about the end of the world. With all of my ecological knowledge (hah! Right!), I’d head off into the wilderness and survive on my own. I’d live out my happy hippie dream of living off the land. When you need insulin and you depend on the global medical system to survive, there’s not a hope in heck of that happening. Sure, it was a fantasy, but it gave me trust in the ability of my body to get through anything I could throw at it.
I approached pregnancy the same way. I don’t believe that women are broken. I believe in my body’s capacity to create life and nurture it and give birth to a child. That broke too, because without modern medicine my daughter and I wouldn’t be here.
Now running is starting to give me a bit of that trust back. I still have to use my brain to overcome my body’s challenges, but I am starting to feel like I can do things. Things like run a LONG WAY.
There’s another trick I’m trying too. It’s a mental construct that’s working for me in some respects.
You see, another blogger posted about a young woman who believes that cancer is the body’s failed attempt at self-repair. Our bodies haven’t learned how to regrow damaged parts, but cancer is trying. It’s part of an evolution.
I like this idea. I can see how it might relate to autoimmune disorders, too. Recent research pointed to the fact that pancreatic cells aren’t getting the “go juice” that they need, and this triggers and autoimmune process. So you see, my body is getting rid of a part that is damaged. Smart body. It just hasn’t figured out how to clean out the damaged parts and regrow a new one. One day, maybe all of these cancers and autoimmune disorders will result in STRONGER people. People who are more resilient. People who can restore themselves.
And my body, right now, is part of that evolution.
This makes me trust a little bit more.
I used to have survivalist fantasies about the end of the world. With all of my ecological knowledge (hah! Right!), I’d head off into the wilderness and survive on my own. I’d live out my happy hippie dream of living off the land. When you need insulin and you depend on the global medical system to survive, there’s not a hope in heck of that happening. Sure, it was a fantasy, but it gave me trust in the ability of my body to get through anything I could throw at it.
I approached pregnancy the same way. I don’t believe that women are broken. I believe in my body’s capacity to create life and nurture it and give birth to a child. That broke too, because without modern medicine my daughter and I wouldn’t be here.
Now running is starting to give me a bit of that trust back. I still have to use my brain to overcome my body’s challenges, but I am starting to feel like I can do things. Things like run a LONG WAY.
There’s another trick I’m trying too. It’s a mental construct that’s working for me in some respects.
You see, another blogger posted about a young woman who believes that cancer is the body’s failed attempt at self-repair. Our bodies haven’t learned how to regrow damaged parts, but cancer is trying. It’s part of an evolution.
I like this idea. I can see how it might relate to autoimmune disorders, too. Recent research pointed to the fact that pancreatic cells aren’t getting the “go juice” that they need, and this triggers and autoimmune process. So you see, my body is getting rid of a part that is damaged. Smart body. It just hasn’t figured out how to clean out the damaged parts and regrow a new one. One day, maybe all of these cancers and autoimmune disorders will result in STRONGER people. People who are more resilient. People who can restore themselves.
And my body, right now, is part of that evolution.
This makes me trust a little bit more.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Bottles and butter
Just got back from a vacation. I'm running longer runs - long being an hour or so. I've discovered that my endorphins start to kick in around 35 minutes of running. Then I feel HAPPEEEEEEE! And spaced-out. So I start to obsessively check my blood sugar, because that's how I feel when I'm low.
On another note, my daughter is totally focused on plastic water bottles at the moment. I find these to be wasteful, toxic, and generally blech. She loves em. We just got her a clean, stainless-steel one, so hopefully that helps. Her focus makes me so worried, though. Drinking a lot of water is a sign of diabetes. No word from Trialnet yet about whether she has Type 1 diabetes antibodies, but so far her blood sugar is fine. But why oh why does a Type 1 diabetic get a kiddo who's so interested in drinking water as a hobby???!!!
Another water bottle point of interest. I've decided that I will multi-task when I am jogging. My water bottle sloshes around so much, I've decided to buy whipped cream, but it into another bottle, and make butter as I jog. Tee hee. I may just give it a try this week. Yum, organic butter.
My knitting plans are stressing me out. I now have a knit-a-thon scheduled for September 22nd at Lonsdale Quay. Now I need to do PR! AUGH!
On another note, my daughter is totally focused on plastic water bottles at the moment. I find these to be wasteful, toxic, and generally blech. She loves em. We just got her a clean, stainless-steel one, so hopefully that helps. Her focus makes me so worried, though. Drinking a lot of water is a sign of diabetes. No word from Trialnet yet about whether she has Type 1 diabetes antibodies, but so far her blood sugar is fine. But why oh why does a Type 1 diabetic get a kiddo who's so interested in drinking water as a hobby???!!!
Another water bottle point of interest. I've decided that I will multi-task when I am jogging. My water bottle sloshes around so much, I've decided to buy whipped cream, but it into another bottle, and make butter as I jog. Tee hee. I may just give it a try this week. Yum, organic butter.
My knitting plans are stressing me out. I now have a knit-a-thon scheduled for September 22nd at Lonsdale Quay. Now I need to do PR! AUGH!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Roadblocks
Ok, I'm, hitting a mental roadblock in this running thing.
I'm on strike (literally) at work at the moment, so that threw my pace off a bit. I normally run home from work. So now I'm running to my strike.
And there is a killer, killer hill that I need to get over to get there. Yesterday the outline said, "Run 40 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 20 minutes." Yeah, right. The outline didn't see that hill!
I almost made it up without walking. I tried to be tough. But when your running speed slows to below walking speed...well, it's a little discouraging.
I figure that this hill is mine to conquer. Once I'm back to work (soon, please!), I will make this my weekend run. If I can get up this danged hill, a marathon should be a piece of cake. Right?
I'm on strike (literally) at work at the moment, so that threw my pace off a bit. I normally run home from work. So now I'm running to my strike.
And there is a killer, killer hill that I need to get over to get there. Yesterday the outline said, "Run 40 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 20 minutes." Yeah, right. The outline didn't see that hill!
I almost made it up without walking. I tried to be tough. But when your running speed slows to below walking speed...well, it's a little discouraging.
I figure that this hill is mine to conquer. Once I'm back to work (soon, please!), I will make this my weekend run. If I can get up this danged hill, a marathon should be a piece of cake. Right?
Friday, July 13, 2007
Just a few of my Diabetes Rules!
When I was thinking about my last post, I decided to make a note of some of my personal “diabetes rules.” I stopped when I got to the end of my piece of paper. It got too overwhelming!
Whatever happened to that “eat well, take your insulin, and exercise” myth about diabetes management?
Everyone’s body is so very different. These are my rules for my body, gleaned over two years of diabetes. They include:
Exercise:
If I exercise right before a meal, I set my basal (background) insulin to 25%
If I exercise for up to 3 hours after a meal, I need to eat to bring my blood sugar up to AT LEAST 9, then monitor several times during exercise to make sure I don’t go low.
If I plan to exercise right after a meal, I give myself 2/3 of the insulin for the meal (less if it will be strenuous exercise), and give myself 50% up front and 50% over the next hour.
Meals:
For breakfast, I take my insulin all at once. I can eat eggs, Red River cereal, steel cut oats or buckwheat, tofu, or yogurt and fruit. That’s all. Anything else makes my blood sugar NASTY.
At lunch, my body is a bit slower to digest the food. I take 50% of my insulin up front, and 50% over the next two hours.
For dinner, I take 50% of my insulin up front, and 50% over the next three hours.
If I want to eat fatty foods, I take less up front and more over time.
I eat low-glycemic foods that reduce the “spike” in my blood sugar. If I eat high glycemic foods like corn or potatoes or melons, I take more insulin up front.
Treats:
Because treats aren't really meals, but treats are good for my mental health.
I can eat dark chocolate, the occasional cheesecake, and Breyers light ice cream. Any other sweet treats need to be eaten right before a walk so that I can bring my blood sugar down right away. Cake and cookies and other baked goods like muffins are OUT.
Sleeping:
2 hours after dinner, my blood sugar should be around 7. If it is not 7, I correct by eating. If it is too high, I wait and see.
At bed time, my blood sugar should be 7 or just under. Repeat the process above.
Every night, I wake up 1-2 times a night to make sure that my blood sugar is not too low or too high.
Sites:
I change my pump infusion site (where the insulin goes into my body) every 2.5 days. I change it in the mid-afternoon or before dinner. That way, it doesn’t stop working (or not even start working) overnight, and I don’t have a high blood sugar catastrophe. Theoretically.
I use one sort of pump site on my tummy and another on my – ahem – rear end.
So this is what’s going on in my head during the average day. And more. Oh yeah, and testing my blood sugar 10-12 times a day, correcting it with food or insulin. Woo hoo! Diabetes. It sure ain’t “eat well and exercise” anymore, baby!
Whatever happened to that “eat well, take your insulin, and exercise” myth about diabetes management?
Everyone’s body is so very different. These are my rules for my body, gleaned over two years of diabetes. They include:
Exercise:
If I exercise right before a meal, I set my basal (background) insulin to 25%
If I exercise for up to 3 hours after a meal, I need to eat to bring my blood sugar up to AT LEAST 9, then monitor several times during exercise to make sure I don’t go low.
If I plan to exercise right after a meal, I give myself 2/3 of the insulin for the meal (less if it will be strenuous exercise), and give myself 50% up front and 50% over the next hour.
Meals:
For breakfast, I take my insulin all at once. I can eat eggs, Red River cereal, steel cut oats or buckwheat, tofu, or yogurt and fruit. That’s all. Anything else makes my blood sugar NASTY.
At lunch, my body is a bit slower to digest the food. I take 50% of my insulin up front, and 50% over the next two hours.
For dinner, I take 50% of my insulin up front, and 50% over the next three hours.
If I want to eat fatty foods, I take less up front and more over time.
I eat low-glycemic foods that reduce the “spike” in my blood sugar. If I eat high glycemic foods like corn or potatoes or melons, I take more insulin up front.
Treats:
Because treats aren't really meals, but treats are good for my mental health.
I can eat dark chocolate, the occasional cheesecake, and Breyers light ice cream. Any other sweet treats need to be eaten right before a walk so that I can bring my blood sugar down right away. Cake and cookies and other baked goods like muffins are OUT.
Sleeping:
2 hours after dinner, my blood sugar should be around 7. If it is not 7, I correct by eating. If it is too high, I wait and see.
At bed time, my blood sugar should be 7 or just under. Repeat the process above.
Every night, I wake up 1-2 times a night to make sure that my blood sugar is not too low or too high.
Sites:
I change my pump infusion site (where the insulin goes into my body) every 2.5 days. I change it in the mid-afternoon or before dinner. That way, it doesn’t stop working (or not even start working) overnight, and I don’t have a high blood sugar catastrophe. Theoretically.
I use one sort of pump site on my tummy and another on my – ahem – rear end.
So this is what’s going on in my head during the average day. And more. Oh yeah, and testing my blood sugar 10-12 times a day, correcting it with food or insulin. Woo hoo! Diabetes. It sure ain’t “eat well and exercise” anymore, baby!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The diabetes rules
What are the diabetes rules?
A friend at work was discussing her recent first aid training. The firemen who were teaching the course actually talked about the symptoms of low and high blood sugar. A first, in my books. I've never gone through that in level one first aid before.
This got me to thinking about the general public's knowledge about diabetes "rules". Well, that and the fact that my great-aunt's chocolate cake recipe is heading to the newspapers tomorrow. You see, I do a bit of work with the media through my job as an education coordinator. Today I was asked to submit my favourite recipe to the local newspaper. I thought. I pondered. I decided that my great-aunt's chocolate cake was a sure winner.
Now, I am involved in a local project to connect those who can't afford fruits and veggies with yummy, locally-grown produce. I am a member of a local organic farm and eat truckloads of organic greens every week in the summer. My fridge is full of them as I write. Am I shaming myself as a person with diabetes and a greens lover? Am I setting a bad example?
There is a prevailing myth that people with diabetes can't eat refined sugar. But it's not that simple. You see, I use insulin to eat. To eat ANYTHING. Heck, even soy burgers and my bean sprouts have carbohydrates in them. Insulin turns soy burgers and sprouts and yes, even chocolate cake into useful energy for my body.
It's a fine balance, and it's a lot more complicated than "don't eat sugar." All sugars are not equal. Corn spikes my blood sugar, because it's a fast-acting carbohydrate. An equal amount of pasta will raise my blood sugar slowly, over a number of hours. A meal with fat slows the food in my tummy down, reducing spikes in my blood sugar. It doesn't matter whether that fat comes from ice cream or avocado. It has the same impact on my blood sugar. Ok, maybe not on my arteries, but my arteries are currently VERRRRY happy, thank you very much. Oh yeah, and I can eat very few sorts of food on an empty stomach, since everything I eat seems to barrel right on into my bloodstream.
So, diabetes rules are complex. They're personal, to a degree. And although chocolate cake isn't really on my list of favoured foods for everyday eating, dang it - it's an important part of a happy lifestyle. Isn't it?I'm not going to outlaw chocolate cake. The world would be a more dire and dismal place.
By the way, I compromised. I added the option to substitute whole wheat flour and grated zucchini in the chocolate cake.
Now where's my halo????
A friend at work was discussing her recent first aid training. The firemen who were teaching the course actually talked about the symptoms of low and high blood sugar. A first, in my books. I've never gone through that in level one first aid before.
This got me to thinking about the general public's knowledge about diabetes "rules". Well, that and the fact that my great-aunt's chocolate cake recipe is heading to the newspapers tomorrow. You see, I do a bit of work with the media through my job as an education coordinator. Today I was asked to submit my favourite recipe to the local newspaper. I thought. I pondered. I decided that my great-aunt's chocolate cake was a sure winner.
Now, I am involved in a local project to connect those who can't afford fruits and veggies with yummy, locally-grown produce. I am a member of a local organic farm and eat truckloads of organic greens every week in the summer. My fridge is full of them as I write. Am I shaming myself as a person with diabetes and a greens lover? Am I setting a bad example?
There is a prevailing myth that people with diabetes can't eat refined sugar. But it's not that simple. You see, I use insulin to eat. To eat ANYTHING. Heck, even soy burgers and my bean sprouts have carbohydrates in them. Insulin turns soy burgers and sprouts and yes, even chocolate cake into useful energy for my body.
It's a fine balance, and it's a lot more complicated than "don't eat sugar." All sugars are not equal. Corn spikes my blood sugar, because it's a fast-acting carbohydrate. An equal amount of pasta will raise my blood sugar slowly, over a number of hours. A meal with fat slows the food in my tummy down, reducing spikes in my blood sugar. It doesn't matter whether that fat comes from ice cream or avocado. It has the same impact on my blood sugar. Ok, maybe not on my arteries, but my arteries are currently VERRRRY happy, thank you very much. Oh yeah, and I can eat very few sorts of food on an empty stomach, since everything I eat seems to barrel right on into my bloodstream.
So, diabetes rules are complex. They're personal, to a degree. And although chocolate cake isn't really on my list of favoured foods for everyday eating, dang it - it's an important part of a happy lifestyle. Isn't it?I'm not going to outlaw chocolate cake. The world would be a more dire and dismal place.
By the way, I compromised. I added the option to substitute whole wheat flour and grated zucchini in the chocolate cake.
Now where's my halo????
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
