Arbonne and Diabetes

I recently hosted an Arbonne Party.
What is Arbonne? Well its a company that sells beauty and health products. I compare it to Mary Kay, but its supposed to be "better" than Mary Kay because its a Swiss company that follows Swiss regulations rather than USA product regulations. My sales rep Sue said that over seas there are much stricter and tighter regulations on companies making products for human use. Arbonne's Promise is to deliver pure, safe and beneficial products in line with their botanical tradition.
I'm not a good sales person, and I don't know enough about the company, but my sale's rep Sue did do a really good job convincing me this is a quality product.

I ended up buying:
"Digestion Plus" A package of single serving of flavored powder which provides prebiotics, which help to support optimal digestive health. The powder you add to a beverage and drink it. I decided on this because honestly I don't have the best digestive health. Also Sue explained when you take antibiotics, the medicine kills off the good prebiotics in your body. I've taken antibiotics a lot recently, so I figured this would help. Additionally, Sue said prebiotics in yogurt don't always work because if the yogurt isn't keep at the exact needed temperature the entire life of the yogurt, the prebiotics will die. Your yogurt will be fine, but you'll just be eating regular old yogurt. She explained that Arbonne's Digestion Plus packs are fast freeze dried so that the prebiotics don't die and are useful to you once you drink them. Sounds good to me, lets see how they work.

 

I also bought

"Herbal Detox Tea" I decided to buy this because the description said that ingredients in the tea support "the liver and kidneys for overall health." As a diabetic, giving a little boost to my liver and kidneys sounded like a good idea.

I also got

"Nourishing Daily Shampoo" Shampoo isn't too exciting, but this shampoo is supposed to be really good and I have really picky hair. Plus Sue said this shampoo works well for frizzy hair.

And finally, the last thing I bought is:

"Conditioning Body Moisture" I have some of the driest skin in the world. Sue did an excellent job of explaining why lotion we buy in the grocery store is so bad for us. I had no idea Mineral Oil is a bad thing! Did you know Mineral Oil is a byproduct of making gasoline?!? Yuck. So hopefully this lotion will help and maybe I won't get cancer now.

I'll blog about how these products work out. There are actually a lot more Arbonne products I was interested in buying but because they are kind of pricey (paying for quality here), I will have to pace myself.

Thankful

My toe is healing very well. I thought about posting a picture, but I realize I've posted a lot of pictures of my feet and people are going to start to think I have a foot fetish. Just know, my foot is better. Not quite well enough to get a pedicure, but its getting there.

I noticed people have been posting things they are thankful for on Facebook. I supposed they are doing this because its November and Thanksgiving is coming up. I think that is a wonderful idea.
I was actually thinking of sending "Thank You" cards to people who have affected my life in a positive away to say thank you (my old boss, old teachers, special friends, etc...) I might still do that but I think I want to steal the Facebook thankful posts and do something like that here only diabetes related.

Thankful Day 1

I am thankful for my parents.

Obviously my parents raised me and have taken care of me through out the years, but specifically my parents did a great job raising me as a diabetic. They had training. My sister was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 13 years old, right before I was born. This is a thankful post where I could go on and on, but its late and words could never describe how much my parents have done for me over the years. Additionally, my parents support is on going; my mom accompanied me tonight to our local ADA's annual meeting. She's always there for me.

Thank you mom and dad. 

Parents get pump tattoos to support their diabetic son!

 

My parents would never do this because they both hate tattoos!

But this diabetic kid sure does have an awesome mom and dad,

reminds me of my awesome mom and dad. :)

You can read the full story here: http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/familyhealth/children%27shealth/article/1102456--parents-get-insulin-pump-tattoos-to-support-diabetic-son

My poor toe...

I know I haven't blogged in FOREVER, but I am so impressed, surprised, and honored, that people have continued to read and follow this blog. I have had over 1,000 visits to this blog even though I haven't been blogging. That tells me there are people out there, diabetics and people who love and support diabetics, who have questions about this disease (yes I know its not technically a disease...) and people who want to connect with people who have the same concerns.  

I have a good reason for not blogging lately. I got a job! I am just starting to get used to waking up at 5am and getting home after 6pm. I used to blog to fill my time, I will now have to make an effort to find time. But I know this is important, so I'll try my best to keep up.

In my last post I talked about my toe being infected. I think its kind of funny that was my last post because that same toe is currently having serious issues. I stubbed my big toe so bad last weekend that I cut it very badly. Lucky me I had Monday off so I was able to make a doctor's appointment. My doctor put me on antibiotics to ward off any possible infection. My new job has been great too. I've been wearing only one shoe to the office and to court. I've been able to walk around with only a sock on my sore foot.

I post this picture for those who don't like blood and guts.

I can't handle real life blood and guts but I wanted to share photos of my foot/toe

so please be aware that these photos may not be appropriate for all. 

 

Gross toe pictures to follow...

 

 

 

 

 

I think I'll be able to wear a shoe again by Monday. I've been taking the medicine prescribed by my doctor, soaking my foot in soapy water as directed by my doctor, and wearing a band aid with Neosporin. Fingers crossed this heals quickly, doesn't get infected and my toe looks normal after this is all said and done.

 

Another sad part to this is that I have the worlds driest skin on my heels (I'll post pictures some time) and I get pedicures to maintain somewhat decent heels. However with this huge hole in my big toe, I won't be going to the nail salon any time soon. :( Sad to say, but I guess I'll have to think twice about wearing flip flops.

 

I have a blood draw scheduled on Sunday. Fun fun. Hopefully there is a little improvement in my A1C. We shall see... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toe infected, again...

So my toe, same toe, is infected again.

OUCH. Red nail polish to match my red boo boo.

It hurts a lot right now, its just a big red bump next to my toe nail. I think I have an in grown toe nail problem. Not sure. Last time I went to the doctor she game me some antibiotics for it. I have another skin infection as well that hasn't quite healed. The doctor said I am prone to infections because of high bloods. I've been trying to improve my blood sugars (always trying to improve my blood sugars) but I've been incredibly stressed lately, Ive been eating WAY too much junk food and I haven't been exercising at all.

So do I go back to the doctor (a $25 copay plus the cost of my prescription) or do I attempt to treat this at home first. I know it shouldn't be about money when its about my health, but money is incredibly tight right now. I will try to treat this at home first and see if it gets any better. If it gets worse or stays the same I will for sure schedule a doctor appointment.

This is what I found regarding home treatment of an infected in grown toe nail.

• Soak the foot in warm water four times a day. You do not need to add soap, salts, or antibacterial agents to the water.
• Wash the foot, including the affected area, twice a day with soap and water. Keep the foot clean and dry during the rest of the day.
• Do not wear high heels or tight-fitting shoes. Consider wearing sandals, if possible, until the condition clears up.
• Try to lift up the corner of the nail that is digging into the skin. Take a small piece of cotton or gauze and roll it between your fingers to form a small roll or wick. Then place the roll between the nail and the skin to keep it elevated. This is painful but is the most important part of home treatment. After every soaking, try to push the roll a little farther in. Change the roll out every day. It may take from seven to 15 days for the nail to grow out so that it does not poke into the skin any longer.
• You may take a pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).
• If you see no improvement within three days, call your doctor.

I wore high heels yesterday, I don't think that helped. :/

Infected toe on the left, healthy toe on the right.

Didn't realize my big toes curved inward so much, kind of silly looking. :-)

Do not rely on my blog post as medical advice. I found this information from a website and every website I came across said a diabetic should schedule a doctors appointment. Since I am in generally good health I am going to try to treat this at home first, but I am not a doctor, and you should always follow what your doctor has prescribed for you.

Don't stress

I am reminded yet again how stress and negative feelings can effect my blood sugar. Just got into a bit of a fight with the husband and now my blood is 399. NOT GOOD.

After eight years of marriage I can't seem to get it through my head to not
--have a serious conversation with him at 1am
--take serious things he's said after he's been drinking
--they are his angry words, I don't need to make them mine
--etc...

But what can you do when you are upset and frustrated? It's human nature to be emotional and stress out, the key is to realize you are upset and move from there. Take a moment to analyze why you are upset. Is it something you can take care of right this second? (If its passed midnight probably not). Most of the things we get upset about are completely out of our control.
In this case I was getting upset about what my husband was saying to me. His words and actions were not okay, but a discussion about them at 1am is not going to be productive. I should have let it go until the morning. As with most things, you are going to be able to better resolve your issue once the sun has risen. So if you need to, literally take a note of whats upsetting you and come back to it later.

That's all fine and dandy, but what if you are already extremely upset (you tried to solve the problem at 1am) and your blood is high?
--Of course take insuln (or other diabetic meds)
--If you can, go for a walk. Its 1am here, so I am going to pass on that one. If I wasn't so tired though, I could drive down to the 24 hour gym and get on a treadmill.
--Do some calming breathing exercises. Calm breathing exercises seriously help and it will probably improve your blood sugar too.
--Turn on a funny movie or TV show. Not only will it make you laugh but it will distract you from whats upsetting you.
--Do something else (like blog).
--Even better, do something productive (like the laundry).
--Do something creative, like paint a picture. This is supposed to be very therapeutic.
--Take a bath
--Drink a hot tea (NO sugar or cream though...you know that will just make your blood higher)

No matter what you decide to do, DON'T dwell on what is making you upset. I am sure you are 110% entitled to your angry feelings, but they will only hurt you. Stress will for sure raise your blood sugar.

Time to practice what I preach. Think I'll turn on an episode of How I Met Your Mother.
(I tried to find a picture of Barney and Robin fighting to stick here...sadly I could not find one)

Blood Test Results-A1C

I recently had my blood work done. FYI I am a huge wimp. I am a diabetic who is afraid of needles. I cannot watch TV shows or movies with too much blood and guts. I could never have been a medical doctor or a crime scene investigator.

So when I sit down to have my blood drawn the first thing I always say is, "I'm a big wimp, don't let this hurt."

Well last week when I went to get my blood work done, this is what the technician said in response, "Hi my name is John and I am an intern."

"What!"
I was very nice about it, but I basically said, "NOPE" you aren't going to be poking me today. They gave me to the pro and thank God they did because as it was he was having a difficult time finding my vein and had to take blood from my hand!

Anyways after that traumatic experience my blood results are in...and they aren't good. My A1C is high and my cholesterol is high. On the plus side I do not have Celiac Disease (although that means I have no idea why I am having stomach issues).

My doctor wants me back in SIX WEEKS to test my blood again. The A1C is usually done every 3 months...so she means business.

I am going to share my A1C with you. I think this is a very personal number for diabetics because if the number is bad (as mine is) I believe a diabetic feels it is a reflection of them as a person. Much like overweight people don't like to share their weight (not going to do that one today!) But I am sharing it because I know I'm not the only person with a bad A1C and I want other people to know they aren't alone in this. I'm also sharing this number with you because I want to try really hard over the next six weeks to improve that number.

A1C as of today: 9.7

How am I going to improve that number?
Testing my blood regularly
Eating well and taking the proper amount of Insulin for what I eat
Doing my best to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.

Wish me luck...

Check your feet

I have a doctor's appointment this morning to have my toe looked at. My big toe is infected. It already had puss come out of it last week and now it is still hurting. Having an infection can be serious business for a diabetic. We are often slower to heal, an infection can cause high bloods (which I've had lately), and in severe cases, you can lose the part of your body that is infected.

My sister also has diabetes and she is missing a few of her toes.

I think its infected because of an ingrown toe nail. I am hoping it is something easy to resolve and that the doctor can give me some medication and we'll be good to go. I am not a fan of going to the doctor.

In addition to my toe, I have another infection on my body (I sound like the plague has attacked me). I have what appears to be an infected skin tag. I think it might be from an ingrown hair or maybe it got nicked while shaving. Same thing though, I hope there is an easy solution.

Healthy toe, although my feet are very dry.

Please ignore the "hairy feet" my husband says I have Hobbit's feet.

Infected toe.

Ouch.

Here's wishing for a pain free easy doctor's visit.

Must Floss

I recently went to the dentist. Good news--he told me my teeth look clean and cavaity free.
Bad news--he said I HAVE to floss more. Aparently because I do not floss as often as I should (okay hardly ever), my gums are irritated because of food particles that get stuck in between my teeth. He said that if my gums don't begin to show signs of improvement he may need to see me every 3 or 4 months rather than every 6 months and that I may need to have a deep cleaning done. That does not sound like fun.

The dentist said because of my diabetes it is even more important that I floss regularly. I said okay, and that I would, but I wanted to know why it was so important. (I'm sure he explained this at the time, but he probably explained at the same time I zoned out).

So I googled.

The basics are that bacteria in your mouth may cause buildup of plaque on your teeth. Plaque leads to tarter and tarter can irritate your gums. I think this is where my mouth is now.

The bacteria and plaque can lead to gingivitis, gingivitis can then lead to periodontitis which is an infection of the gums and bone. Periodonitis can cause your gums to recede and in advanced cases cause your teeth to fall out.

"Periodontitis tends to be more severe among people who have diabetes because diabetes lowers the ability to resist infection and slows healing. An infection such as periodontitis may also cause your blood sugar level to rise, which makes your diabetes more difficult to control. Preventing and treating periodontitis can help improve blood sugar control." From Diabetes and dental care: Guide to a healthy mouth, by the Mayo Clinic.

It gets even scarier...
"A 2008 study by scientists at the University of Bristol found that, when bacteria in the mouth get into the bloodstream through the gums, it can combine with platelets in the blood to create blood clots. If these reach the heart, they can cause heart attacks in people who are otherwise fit and healthy."  From the article How flossing can save your life by Simon Usborne (interestly, this article was published on my birthday, May 18, 2010).

 

From the same article...

"A study published last week by researchers at the University of Edinburgh appeared to confirm a suspected link between gum disease and diabetes. They found that chemical change caused by inflammation in the mouth can reduce the effectiveness of insulin, making it more difficult for people with type 2 diabetes to control their blood sugar levels." (I don't understand why they have to say "type 2 diabetes" here, obviously if this is affecting the effectiveness of insulin, it would affect type 1 diabetcis as well...)

 

I hope this information scared you as much as it scared me. I am for sure going to floss more.

Because I have a small mouth and short stubby fingers, I picked up this flossing tool to help me reach my back teeth.

 

 

Picked this up, along with a pack of changeable floss heads for about $1.50 at Big Lots.  Additionally, I want to put a picture or something inspirational in my bathroom to help remind me to floss. I was thinking a cross stitch design that says in fancy letters, "FLOSS".

These are cute too...

 

This cross stitch pattern can be purchased here

 

This item can be purchased here

Found this one when I googled, "Cross stitch teeth"

 

 

You Can Do This Project

I just learned from a fellow diabetic blogger about the You Can Do This Project, which just celebrated its first birthday yesterday. You can read her link about it below...

"Bitter~Sweet: Happy Birthday YCDT: Did you know that the You Can Do This project was launched a year ago today ? You Can Do This is a project dreamed up by Kim of Texting..."


Diabetics are supposed to create a Youtube video meant for other diabetics (and their supporters) explaining their diabetic story. Although this sounds wonderful, I don't feel I am quite ready to venture into the online video world. For now I will continue to try to tell and share my story via this blog. (Which I also need to get better about).


I wanted to share a random new exciting thing with you....I got a new gym bag. Check it out!

For my $15 donation to the ADA I got this lovely bag.

Now I can advertise my advocacy against diabetes at the gym!

What goes in your gym bag? Here is a list of my must haves (notice, that's a big bag!)
--Diabetic blood testing machine
--Hand sanitizer
--Multiple snacks
--Car/House keys
--Cell phone
--Ipod
--Wallet containing ID and money.
--Small towel
AND
--WATER!!! Lots of water.

Close up of image on the bag. 

Keep Moving!
--Jillian

3rd Annual Diabetes Blog Week

I didn't realize it, but apparently its diabetes blog week. Perfect timing too, since my birthday is this week!

Below are the topics...
Created by Karen Graffeo at Bitter-Sweet Diabetes Blog.
http://www.bittersweetdiabetes.com/

I need to get some errands done, but I hope to tackle this tonight. If not tonight, I will for sure start it tomorrow!


"Find A Friend - Monday 5/14
It seems the most popular thing about Diabetes Blog Week is that it helps us find blogs we weren’t reading yet and connect with some new blog friends. With that in mind, let’s kick off Diabetes Blog Week by making some new connections. Think about the d-blogs you read that you think we may not know about and introduce us to one that you love!! Let’s all find a new friend today! (Special thanks to Gina, everybody’s Diabetes BFF, for helping me title this post!)

One Great Thing - Tuesday 5/15
Living with diabetes (or caring for someone who lives with it) sure does take a lot of work, and it’s easy to be hard on ourselves if we aren’t “perfect”. But today it’s time to give ourselves some much deserved credit. Tell us about just one diabetes thing you (or your loved one) does spectacularly! Fasting blood sugar checks, oral meds sorted and ready, something always on hand to treat a low, or anything that you do for diabetes. Nothing is too big or too small to celebrate doing well!

One Thing to Improve - Wednesday 5/16
Yesterday we gave ourselves and our loved ones a big pat on the back for one thing we are great at. Today let’s look at the flip-side. We probably all have one thing we could try to do better. Why not make today the day we start working on it. No judgments, no scolding, just sharing one small thing we can improve so the DOC can cheer us on!

Fantasy Diabetes Device - Thursday 5/17
Today let’s tackle an idea inspired by Bennet of Your Diabetes May Vary. Tell us what your Fantasy Diabetes Device would be? Think of your dream blood glucose checker, delivery system for insulin or other meds, magic carb counter, etc etc etc. The sky is the limit – what would you love to see?

What They Should Know – Friday 5/18 
Today let’s borrow a topic from a #dsma chat held last September. The tweet asked “What is one thing you would tell someone that doesn’t have diabetes about living with diabetes?”. Let’s do a little advocating and post what we wish people knew about diabetes. Have more than one thing you wish people knew? Go ahead and tell us everything.

Saturday Snapshots - Saturday 5/19
Back for the third year, let’s show everyone what life with diabetes looks like! With a nod to the Diabetes 365 project, let’s grab our cameras again and share some more d-related pictures. Post as many or as few as you’d like. Feel free to blog your thoughts on or explanations of your pictures, or leave out the written words and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Diabetes Hero - Sunday 5/20
Let’s end our week on a high note and blog about our “Diabetes Hero”. It can be anyone you’d like to recognize or admire, someone you know personally or not, someone with diabetes or maybe a Type 3. It might be a fabulous endo or CDE. It could be a d-celebrity or role-model. It could be another DOC member. It’s up to you – who is your Diabetes Hero??

Something Good To Eat Wildcard
Inspired by DFeast Fridays share a favorite recipe with us. It can be healthy, or it can be a yummy indulgence. Extra points if you can include carb counts and other nutrition info!! If it’s not an original recipe, be sure to properly credit your source.

Diabetes Creativity Wildcard
Creativity comes in all shapes and forms, so take this where ever it leads you. Write a diabetes poem. Create some D-Art. Record a vlog. Write a diabetes song parody. Scrapbook, collage, sew, knit, crochet . . . . use your favorite creative outlet to create a diabetes project!"

Diabetes and Physical Activity

I am generally a very organized person, but sometimes my organized life gets a little backed up. Today I am working on sorting mounds of papers I have managed to collect over the past couple months. I sort all my papers into different binders. Some of the binders include: Bills, Student Loans, Weight Watchers, Our Health, Pet's Health, and Health. My Health binder has different tabs for different subjects including: Healthy Weight, Food, Nutritional Values, Diabetes (of course), Heart, Skin, Mental, Women's Health and Men's Health.

While sorting all my health related paperwork I came across this and I thought I would share.

"10 Helpful Things to Know About Physical Activity"

1. Why its good to get moving.
           Physical activity can help you burn calories and sugar, and lose weight if necessary.

2. Lower your blood sugar levels.
           Exercise requires your muscles to work harder, pulling the stored sugar out which results in
           lower blood levels.

3. Help your body use insulin more efficiently.
           Your muscles and other tissues are able to use insulin more easily because of exercise. Less
           insulin is needed to move sugar out of the blood and into the muscle cells because of physical
           activity.

4. Improve your overall health.
            Regular physical activity has been shown to help protect against heart disease and stroke.
            Exercise also helps reduce stress and manage your weight.

5. Be smart and play it safe.
             Discuss with your doctor and health care team an exercise program that's right for you.
             Don't over do it, you should be able to talk while exercising. Stop if you don't feel well or
             feel pain. Drink plenty of water. Carry glucose tablets or other snacks with you in case your
             blood sugar drops too low. And do an exercise you enjoy.

6. You've already got what it takes.
             Even a little bit of physical activity can improve your health.
             Take the stairs, park far away in the parking lot so you have further to walk, exercise during
             commercials, take a walk around your neighborhood.

7. Walk whenever you can.
              Walking is one of the best ways to improve your healthy and get in shape. Walk with a
              friend or your dog. Wear a pedometer to track your steps. Set a goal for yourself, once
              you've met that goal, set another higher goal!

8. Put together a plan.
               Determine your current fitness level. Eat healthy and properly. Set realistic goals.
               Monitor your blood sugar levels and you may need to adjust your insulin amounts.

9. Watch your blood sugar levels.
               Exercise, if you are not careful (and even when you are careful!) can cause hypoglycemia.
               Make sure to test your blood sugar level before engaging in any physical activity. Also be
               aware of how you feel during exercise, you may need to check it while you exercise. It is
               a good idea to check it again after exercise.

10. Keep track of your results. 
               Keeping track of your daily exercise will be a great motivator to keep going.

Birthday cake alternative

Today is my mom in law's birthday! (Which means mine is only a week away!) What do you diabetics out there do for your birthday? Do you load up on Insulin so you can eat a piece of cake?

I have had diabetes since I was four years old, so my mom got creative early on regarding what to do when it comes to birthdays and all the sugary food that comes with them.

My mom created, copyright pending :) the watermelon birthday cake.

Okay, NOT this--although this does look pretty awesome.

THIS!

My mom literally cut open a watermelon and stuck birthday candles in it.

Writing this blog post makes me realize (although I already knew) just how awesome my mom is. I had to scroll through pages of google pictures to find my mom's version of the watermelon birthday cake.

I've always been pretty lucky when it comes to food and my diabetes. Well what I mean is that I'm not a sweet nut. I don't even like cake. I didn't used to like ice cream till just recently (when I discovered Cold Stone) and I'm not into candy. I do however LOVE cookies and my stress food is powered donuts (thanks Jordan). But generally I would say I don't have a sweet tooth (salt tooth is another story).

Please share if you have any healthy birthday desserts--diabetic or not, we could all celebrate our special days a little more healthier. Happy Birthday Mom in Law!!! 

A Challenge

This is a challenge to you and to me. My current health care provider has asked me to do a few things in order to assess where I am with my diabetes management. Easier said than done. I figured I may have a better chance if I made this public and challenged myself along with others to complete this task.

They are asking for my current blood sugars, for five days. They provided me with a handy dandy chart to record my numbers.

Blood Sugar Results BEFORE MEALS
Date             Breakfast                      Lunch                 Dinner                                 Bedtime
                   

The chart only asks for my blood sugar and Insulin taken. I highly suggest you also record the food you eat, but then again, I'm not a MEDICAL doctor :)

Do this for a week (or five days) and see how your blood sugar levels change through out the day. I know mine always tend to be high in the morning. Take your results to your health care team and see what conclusions you can come up with regarding your diabetes management.
Since I put this out there, I better do it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Walk!

I am sure I said it before, if not here at least a million times in real life. Exercise is just as important as Insulin and proper food. Exercise is part of a diabetic's treatment. Now it seems like everyone is trying to do their part to make Americans more healthy, including corporations and companies. Walgreens recently launched, "Walk With Walgreens", a coupon incentive program to encourage walking. Although I'm not a fan of the website, I am a fan of the idea.

http://walk.walgreens.com/

Its really easy, all you have to do is go to their website and create a user name and log in to start tracking your steps/miles. The more you walk the more coupons you'll earn. But that's not why you are doing it, although coupons can be awesome, you're doing it for your health. And it's fun to track your progress. They've also set it up so that you can create and join teams. I have been trying to create an Insulin Junkies team, but as I said, I'm not a fan of their website and have not been able to. As soon as I create a team, I'll let you know. I encourage you to join a team in your community, or a team that shares some personal interest or connection with you. Or if you have better luck with their website, start your own team!

Walking is one of the easiest and best exercises you can do. I found this picture on pinterest.com (my new FAVORITE website) and it does a great job of explaining why walking is so good for you, but it doesn't even explain ALL the benefits. Don't take my word for it, go a walk for yourself and see how positively it affects your blood sugar.

Taking Control of your Diabetes

Hi all!

I am sorry I went for so long without blogging. Life has been kind of crazy lately. I know, NO EXCUSE. All kinds of stress will come and go, but diabetes is forever and it does not take time off just because life gets crazy.

This past Saturday I went to the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes conference in Sacramento, Ca. It was fantastic. I don't even know where to start. I could develop a year's worth of blog posts from all the wonderful information I learned from the conference. This conference, put on by TCOYD (Taking Control of Your Diabetes), was the 133rd conference put on by them, and was the 2nd one to take place in Sacramento. I am sad to say that I had never heard about TCOYD until I received a flier for the conference in the mail.

TCOYD was founded by Steven V. Edelmen, MD who is an Endocrinologist and a type 1 diabetic, as well as the author of several publications.

Dr. Edelman.

Founder and Director of TCOYD

The day began with a speech, "Knowledge Gives You the Power to Take Control of Your Diabetes" by Dr. Edelman himself. The speech was very informative and although he discussed a lot of things I already knew, it was great listening to a diabetic speak who I could relate to. He was saying things in his examples that I have heard myself say countless times. One of my favorite examples was, when you test your blood and its 95, you are extremely proud of yourself and you show everyone around you, "hey look my blood is perfect!" But when your blood is 250 and you quickly put your blood machine away and when someone asks how your blood was, you respond, "its fine..."  Although most of the information was not new, it energized me to tackle my diabetes again and it gave me new motivation, which I'm sure we all need every now and then.

The second speaker was William Polonsky, PhD, CDE and author of Diabetes Burn Out. I was so excited when he got on stage and I realized who we was. I have read Diabetes Burn Out! It was like listening to a diabetic celebrity.

After that we had our morning break and we were able to explore the health fair. Of course in attendance was the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) as well as some insulin pump companies and pharmaceutical companies, but there were also a lot of other great groups there. Some of my favorites were Diabetes Lifestyle Apparel who sold special shorts to wear under your clothing to hold your pump. I am going to have to invest in a pair in the future because I can imagine it would make wearing a dress or skirt a lot easier. Also there was Sacramento Walking Sticks, a local walking club, and Team Type 1, a national group make up of diabetic athletes including cycling teams, triathlon teams and running teams. I was also able to buy diabetic cookbooks by diabetic chef Robert Lewis, AND he was there to sign them for me. Not only that, but he gave a cooking presentation to the conference on how to cook a healthy yummy meal. AND on top of that, our lunch (with was included in our $25 ticket) was one of his personal recipes.

 

The special Guest Speaker during lunch was Urban Miyares, a blinded Veteran, Entrepreneur, and Motivational Speaker living well with type 1 diabetes. His speech was titled, "Diabetes Saved My Life." He is an amazing man and gave an amazing speech that brought me to tears a few times.

Urban Miyares

After lunch I actually didn't make it back to any of the break out sessions because I was too busy trying to do and see everything at the health fair. I was able to speak to a Podiatrists and a Dietitian. The Podiatrist actually examined my feet. He told me my circulation was good and that I had no gross deformities to my feet (yay!) He also gave me tips on how to heal my cracked heels. (I will blog about this soon). The Dietitian gave me some great tips about eating and exercise (which I'll also blog about soon).

Overall this conference and health fair was a great experience and I would highly recommend going to any event put on by TCOYD. Thank you for letting me ramble on about my experience and I promise not to be a stranger.