Oooops

Hi

Any one who received my last post via E-mail would not have seen the embedded table that was on the website with the Exercise formulas on it.

Please click on this link if you would like to view this.

The whole post

That is a pain in the butt.

Kim

You learn something new in dealing with Diabetes every day.

Part 1

Here are a few things I have learnt while I have been away from this blog:

• Exercise is good for a Diabetic or anyone really we could spend so much time doing close to nothing physical every day. 

• Exercising is not always easy for a Diabetic , a Non Diabetic can just decide I am going to exercise , get into exercise gear and go work out. Us as Diabetics need to calculate, plan, calculate again and still sometimes we do not get it right.Here are some scenarios : Decide it is time to do a workout , get dressed into top selling workout gear , find any other equipment you might need (this all seems very regular) time now to test your blood sugar before the workout that you are now fully prepared to take. Here then can come your first curve ball Scenario # 1 too high over 13.9 /250 and they recommend NOT to exercise due to the possibility you might have ketones and then are at risk of Ketoacidosis. Workout on hold. Scenario # 2 Under 5.6/100 and they recommend you need to now go and eat a fast acting 15g carb snack (But I am trying to loose weight here ???) Another step to take before you can start that workout. That is just a few immediate hiccups.

• I love a good formula but be careful this is just a guideline, no two Diabetics are the same so  the formula does not always apply and a lot of tweaking needs to be done to get YOUR formula. These are 2 exercised related formulas I love and am now in the process of tweaking.    

The first one is perhaps your better option it is always better to reduce the insulin rather than to feed the insulin. I have this printed out and stuck to the the cover of my iPad along with my carb ratio for the different meals of the day.

• I have also found that it helps a lot to log your readings and other Diabetes related information, but to find a good App is next to impossible that was of course until recently. In the US they have just bought out a product called One Drop this is a subscription service for a meter and unlimited test strips. How does this help me in South Africa? They have also bought out an App that is so amazingly cute and functional all in one. There was some issues with Android (I believe the dev. team is working on it.)but I loved it so much that I now carry my iPad around for logging stuff . So do yourself a favor and load the One Drop App this valentines day you can set your goals and it even has some nice hearts that show your progress. I have a bit of a fear of failure issue but as my dear husband pointed out to me this app can easily be a case of "Bull S**t In Bull S**t out" so in other words log every reading good or bad this can help in so many ways - You see a trend of highs and you start analyzing am I stressed , could I be getting sick, am I eating badly. Someone said recently that there are studies that show people that log their readings even if they aren't really doing anything with the info they subconsciously start making some form of change to achieve better readings.  

       

  There is tons more I have learnt recently so I will make this a 2 part post so don't forget to stay linked.

In closing it will soon be Valentines day and I want to share a link to a Diabetes Daily article called 5 great Valentines Day Gifts for people with Diabetes. I really like the 4th idea. This costs no money but would be a great and supporting way of showing your love for your PWD.

5 Great Valentines Day Gifts for people with Diabetes.

Have a Love filled February.

Kim

The Fit with Diabetes Challenge

The Fit with Diabetes challenge

I am learning so much I wish I knew years ago on the Fit With Diabetes challenge. Sorry about no blog posts at present. But please go check out http://thefitblog.com/ you will learn so much I can guarantee it. It is worth so much more to your health and management than my stories, so if you go check it out and better still start it my goal has been achieved.

Helps that this fit and fantastic looking lady is a Type 1 Diabetic as well.

 You can do the challenge in your own time just start at Day Number 1 and go from there. Hell I would even recommend this to non diabetics that want to get into shape. #Justkeepmoving

Happy Birthday to me, I made it through another year.

I am sure you have noticed a lack of posts, I think in my past life I was a bear that went into hibernation during the winter period but I did managed to poked my head out from under the duvet today considering it is a very special day.

I can't remember when the exact date of my Diaiversary is,(Shh sometimes I also don't remember my Anniversary.) but I do remember that I was 10 years old.So on my Birthday I also celebrate living another year with Diabetes.

I have been a Diabetic for 32 years Wow. Still relatively healthy apart from the frozen shoulder which from my internet research would just magically disappear in 2 years time, unfortunately I was talking to my Uncle about a month ago and he said he had, had a frozen shoulder for over 5 years now but that is another story which I don't want to think about today.

I am healthy and I thank God for that plus as my Doctor always says you have some good genes and I always think , hell these genes are what gave me the Diabetes but the rest are good ones.(Levi's or something.)

I would like all my readers today to remember that you are in control of whatever life throws at you. This can apply to a variety of situations but lets take the Diabetes , you have many options when being diagnosed -

• You can deny it and act like you don't have a life threatening disease.
•  You can blame every one else , My Doctor is no good , my medical aid is no good , my Spouse is no good.
• It is too expensive to follow a healthy diet. (One of the best things to lower the GI of a meal is Baked Beans please)

You can probably come up with more of these reactions but the only one that you need to set in your mind is this.

• I am in control of this disease,I make my own life choices, I need to educate myself about this disease, I need to know and acknowledge when I make the wrong choices and try and correct these as soon as possible, I want to live a healthy long life

Having said that, today I am going out to dinner with my wonderful husband to "Piccolo Mondo Week"the only time us plebs can eat in style at Sandton's Michaelangelo hotel at a reasonable price. Looking at the menu for tonight I will probably make the wrong choices but I will correct them as soon as possible, you don't turn 42 more than once.

It is very funny that Google had their Birthday Doodle for me of cakes and sweets.(Here it is.)

Here's to healthy living.

Stay Linked

Kim

Eyes, Feet, Diet, HBA1C

I am alive!

So I have had another session of doing all the requirements for being a Diabetic on the managed health care programme the CDE.

I have been to the Dietitian, the podiatrist, the ophthalmologist and had the vampires test my blood.

What have I learnt from all these visits?

•      My employer always jokes that I am worse than my kids when it comes to Doctors appointments but luckily I am the one with the chronic disease and not them. Although he says this there is never any problem with me going so a big thumbs up to awesome employers.

•        The Dietitian had nothing new to say except that Sweeto is sugar free and helps make water taste better as I need to drink liters more than I do now. Coffee is made with water isn’t it?

•        The podiatrist poked my feet spoke about unrelated things was happy I had hair on my toes and told me to dry between my toes after washing.

• .       The ophthalmologist told me my eyes where fine granted I am as blind as a bat without glasses and earned my respect by testing my blood sugar before testing my eyes which is the first time ever someone has done that.

•        The HBA1C was good again. Dedicated blood drawers at the labs are far better and painless than a doctor drawing your blood.   

All results from these experts where good. So in summary what I learnt was I have good employers ,I must drink more water and less coffee, I must make sure I keep the hairs on my toes, I am not going blinder and I should keep up the good work.

I also learnt that there are some people with far greater problems Diabetes wise and sadly they have  a lack of willingness to do anything about it.

All the tests and examinations hopefully will catch anything bad happening before it gets worse.

Thanks to the professionals that-

Look at stinky feet all day long

That gaze into a strangers eyes day in and day out

That try endlessly to change lifelong bad eating habits

That do something as accurate and dangerous as drawing a vile of blood.

Here goes to another 32 years of living life with Diabetes.

Stay Linked

Kim

Putting your Diabetes first.

Towards the end of this year I would have been a Mother for 13 years it sounds incredibly long but also feels short at the same time.

 (I will write a post one of these days about my experience of being a Pregnant Diabetic not once but twice so keep a look out if you are at all interested.)

I am blessed with 2 healthy boys of 12 and 9 years old. I am so grateful that God allowed us to have the responsibility of caring for and loving these 2 young boys. They have both enriched my life in so many ways, each with their totally different personalities and all though their looks are pretty much the same they are so very different in their characters and personalities.

Lately I feel like I am going from one check up to the next, First the PT for my shoulder, then the annual Doctors Check to talk about the blood test results, then the Eye Doctor to check the eyes , then the Dietitian and then later it will be the podiatrist. I was complaining about it as I always seem to be asking for time off from work to go to yet another medical appointment.

But the thing is I need to do all of these things and manage my Diabetes and take the insulin and check the blood sugars (Often). God entrusted us with not one but 2 children. But what kind of a good job am I doing at achieving all of these lifes responsibilities if I don't manage my Diabetes correctly.

I might say like so many other Moms that I want to put my children first but after awhile as a Diabetic you need to alter you mind set and say that part of putting my children first is putting my Diabetes first.

If I don't I might not live to see my boys graduate from university. I might not see them married or having kids of their own. That might be a bit harsh but if I do live to see future awesome things with my boys I want to be able to experience these moments not in pain or being any kind of unfit,unhappy complicated Diabetic.

My oldest son said to me the other day.(Referring to my Shoulder) Mom you can't go on holiday so I looked at him a bit confused and said why not? So he turned to me and said you won't be able to sit like this and he raised his arms and clasped them behind his head and smiled at me.

Something like this.

 He was joking with me but I want to be able to once again go on holiday with my Family and say lets relax and do that exact pose.Amazing what little things can motivate you.

Thank you Matthew and Jared for understanding and accepting that by putting my Diabetes first I am in a way putting you first.

Love to every parent out there.

Stay linked

Kim



  

April Fools Day Diabetes funnies

Just a few funnies for Friday since it is April Fools day.

Hope you enjoy.