Monday, January 26, 2009

" I Confess - Guilty As Charged!" & I'm totally OK with It!


OK – I have guilty pleasures related to food – and I’m TOTALLY willing to admit it.

My guilty food pleasures are surprisingly simple – for the most part.

Peanut Butter and Jam on a spoon and a big old glass of Low Fat Vanilla Silk Soy

Nutella and Peanut butter on a spoon and a big old glass of Low Fat Vanilla Silk Soy

Nutella on a spoon and a big old glass of Low Fat Vanilla Silk Soy

Dark Chocolate and a big old glass o Low Fat Vanilla Silk Soy

A Cocoa Jones Brownie (Jr Jones individual serving size) and a big old glass of Vanilla Silk Soy

2 Reese’s Peanut butter cups and a big old glass of Vanilla Silk Soy – can you see a running theme here?

Olive & Sun dried Tomato tapenade with goat cheese (or without) on crackers, or on celery stalks

Cheese and Crackers

Pan popped popcorn with Chili powder & Sea Salt.

And every once in a while – Ice Cream, which does not cause nearly the mental or blood sugar stress that a serving of pasta does, at least for me. I don’t crave ice-cream much in the winter though, so as of late, it really hasn’t been an issue.

I test & count carb accordingly and bolus and the fact that I let myself indulge usually means (note the word USUALLY) I won’t go over board on a daily basis.
The fact that I don’t ban these foods entirely means that I don’t always crave them, and don’t feel as guilty when I have them.

For instance: I bought a two Cocoa Jones Brownies at my neighborhood health food store last week.
I tested, and bloused for the first serving of 28 grams of chocolate goodness right away. It was heaven in the form of a chocolate brownie. I kept the other one in my desk for a week before I ate it. I didn’t forget about it, I knew it was there, calling my name and reminding me of its existence on a daily basis. But the fact that I could eat the brownie whenever I wanted made me crave it…LESS. It still tasted as delicious as the first a week later when I finally answered its call to "Eat me.”

I'm not talking about going totally bat- sh*t with your food choices, I'm talking about learning how to handle food related guilty pleasures - incorporating them so they no longer hold the power that "off limit" foods have over us. I can't make it happen for all my guilty food choices - far from it -Just the ones mentioned above.

Pasta or a big bowl of rice and beans can rock my world for days, and not in a good way.
And unless the pizza is a super thin crust, I still got lots of issues!!!!
Don't even get me started on the bread basket at restaurants -I have no control there!

Are you able to reach "Blood Sugar Nirvana" (achieving text book numbers after, testing, carb counting, and bolusing for tough to figure foods such as pizza, brownies, etc) after indulging in any of YOUR forbidden foods?

What’s your guilty pleasure as far as foods concerned? Have u learned to bolus for it so your not 300 two hours later?

Do you find that by allowing yourself to have the “forbidden fruits” makes them easier to refuse?

What "forbidden fruits" are no longer off limit and which ones are still a riddle to you?

Is this post totally annoying, or only marginally annoying?



Wednesday, January 21, 2009

"This ONe's for You, Wherever You Are."

My sister Debbie and I, circa 1979 - I'm eating my snack and she's lighting a cigarette
We were laughing as my Uncle took this pic -and that's what how I'm trying to remember her today...laughing.

Well, it's been 18 years since you left us Deb, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about you and all you went through. The world of diabetes has changed so much and I wish that you could have benefited from all the research.

last year I wrote a post on your life and how you suffered with diabetes. Today, I'm just trying to remember you laughing, because when you laughed, I loved you the most.

To quote Barry Manilow - one of your favorites, "This one's for you, where ever you are."

Hope heaven is all it's cracked up to be and that every day there is better than the one before. Give Daddy a hug and a kiss for me and know that I miss and love you both very much.
Peace~

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

An Apology – Numbers – Lunch with DOC friend – And History Being Made…

I feel like I’ve been apologizing to dBlogville as of late and I’m doing it again.

Life’s gotten in the way and I’ve been feeling it. My mom’s surgery is on February 17th and I’m scared. I’ve been going to a crazy amount of Docs appointments with her to get pre surgery clearance. The Vascular surgeons, her cardiac Dr’s, even her Dentist, plus a multiple appointments with her Orthopedic surgeon.


My mom is having a complete Knee replacement – a difficult surgery on the body to say the least, but compound it with her being extremely high risk with her defibulator, pacemaker, and family history of strokes - and I’m kept up at night with the dreaded what-ifs. I smile and stay positive in public - telling my mom (and anyone else) “failure is not an option, and that I wouldn’t make a very good orphan so she has no choice but to come through the operation with flying colors.” But I cry in private, fearing her surgery every day as it draws near. She’s in pain with every step and her quality of life is not what it
was. She needs the surgery- but the High Risk term keeps ringing in my brain.

After losing my father 8 years ago, I realized just how fragile parents are. The past 6 months I’ve been reminded of that lesson again and again.

I’ve also been in the road a lot for work – I’m in Sales and have been on the road at least 3 days a week visiting clients. I’m in my car so much that I’ve contemplated (VERY BRIEFLY) buying a Winnebago. I feel as if I live in my car and have a c
ell phone perpetually growing out of my ear.

As far as my Diabetes work – that’s still going strong – there was a lull during the holidays, but the phone has started ringing again and talks are in the works to getting more gigs on the books.

So with all that is life as of late, by the time I get home, my energy is drained and I just want to sleep.
My blog has suffered – postings have been scant this month and I’m trying to rectify that – I’M SO SORRY. I WILL DO BETTER.

As far as my Diabetes, I had my own Endo appt last week. My numbers were good. I’ve lost 9 lbs since the spring, my A1C was 6.9 (Dr. J thought it would have been lower – closer to 6.6, had I not had the $424 sinus infection) and my blood pressure was textbook.

BUT (and there always seems to be a but,) he wants me to go on Cholesterol medication.
My bad Cholesterol was 120. Not terribly high, but since it’s been fluctuating the past year between 96 and 120 and my family history being what it is, (heart attacks, angioplasty, quadruple bypass surgery) he wants to prevent any and all plac from forming.

I was bummed – I’ve worked really hard to these past two quarters to get my health grooving and I didn’t like hearing that I had to go
on another medication.

“I barely eat meat, & I practically drink Olive oil, I don’t know what else to do.” I said somewhat bitch like.

But Doctor J said something that really stuck: “Kelly, don’t stop eating another thing. You’re doing everything right! This is your genetics speaking
and you need to listen. Your doing great – you just need some help in the Cholesterol. Let’s just try a low dose and see how your numbers are for the next year.”

I felt better and agreed I grabbed my RX (I’d say the name of the medication, but I have a call into his office because I can’t read his RX to tell you the name) and said I’d do it.

Before I said goodbye, Dr. J said snagged 8 bottles o
f insulin for me and said: “I’m so happy with your numbers and I’m going to tell Cheryl (my CDE) when I see her today –she’ll be so excited!” So I made my Diabetes Entourage happy - I got that going for me!

Afterwards, I met LeeAnn from The Butter Compartment for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in South Philly’s Italian Market. We’d been trying to get together for months and we managed to finally get together - be it last minute on my end. I was so happy to have someone who got the whole diabetes rollercoaster with me that I promptly gave her 2 bottles of my insulin booty when she walked in!

"The Mad Hatter Sisters!"
Lee Ann & I with our lunch leftovers
Photo by Lee Ann Thill - The Butter Compartment

We had a great time! We laughed and talked about anything and everything. The food was fantastic – the conversation even better.

After lunch we went to my favorite Italian bakery, and in my eyes, the Holy Grail of all things delicious and sweet – Isgro’s. The place is a like a Disneyland of baked goods – and yes we indulged! Can you say "BOLUS!"


As for this very moment – I’m doing paperwork (the thorn in every Sales Reps side,) putting the finishing touches on this blog post, I’ve just finished listening to “Air and Simple Gifts” being played with such gusto at the Presidential Inauguration.
Like the today’s events, the music inspires me.

John G. Roberts has just given the oath of office to Barrack H. Obama, and President Obama is now the leader of our county. I’m so happy and proud of the people of the U.S. on so many levels.

President Obama’s speech ignites me to meet the challenges in front of me. “To be a risk taker and a doer,” to work even harder, and “to pick myself up, and dust myself off,” and to be positive in the face of what scares me – which has been so difficult as of late.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

I'm A Moretic....OR Introducing Molly Moretic, the Space-Cadet Diabetic

After reading and commenting on Cara's great post "I'm a Moron", I started thinking.

I came up (at least I think I came up with it, I'm not sure – I Googled it and I think I am - but again, I'm not sure - and on a personal note, I've had way to much caffeine if you can't already tell) with the term.

MORETIC, which is short for Moron Diabetic, which got me thinking for just one second of Toys R Us, more specifically Moretics R Us, and then I thought, "Yeah, that would apply to many of us in dBlogville – myself included. We’ve all written about our idiotic diabetic moments…we’ve all pushed, when we should have pulled so to speak. Each in every member of the D.O.C is a graduate of “Midvale, School for the Gifted.


It happens to all of us, as many of us on stated on Cara's blog. From time to time, even with all our hard work, we do moronic things regarding our diabetes – and in life.

I think we should start an official Moretics club with Membership cards- etc.

Tee shirts could be printed – Maybe “Moretics of the world unite!” - And instead of Gerry the Giraffe as our mascot we could have Molly Moretic - Space Cadet Diabetic.

Watch Molly as she tests, boluses, calculates and counts with the best of them, all the while –forgetting to correctly “plug-in” her infusion set. Like us all, she’s human, and mistakes happen – even in diabetes land.


Perhaps we could get sponsorship for our mishaps. For example, for every 10 infusion sets we get caught on doorknobs, our insulin pump company could give us a box free.

I say we get Cold Stone Creamery to give Moretics members a free ice cream for our
D – anniversary – I know we are capable of figuring out the carbs for that prize!

Speaking of carb counting, we could print Carb Counting cheat sheets to all MORETIC members.

We could have contests! You know, who has the funniest pump battery dying at the most inopportune moment story. Winner gets a stuffed Energizer Bunny and a 20 pack of pump batteries.

A year supply of Slinky’s would be given to the member with the most erratic blood sugars for the month.

Who ever is off the most in carb calculations could be given an abacus and "Deal A Meal," The Richard Simmons diet game that was big in the 90's.

Knee & elbow pads and a bike helmet could be awarded to the member who has the worst injury after being clunked in the face with their insulin pump. Just imagine the photo gallery!

Maybe members could have insulin bottles that are in rubber or plastic bottles instead of glass, since insulin bottle clumsiness seems to follow MORETICS wherever we go!

How about Bumper stickers?

“I break for Moretics.”

“I’m a friend of Molly M.”

“Moretically speaking….”

"Moretics - the few, the proud, the Moron Diabetic!"



The possibilities are endless and I could keep going - but I want to hear your moretic moves.

Moretics - It's just another part of the wonderfulness of living with diabetes!





Thursday, January 8, 2009

In Box & Other Stuff

Trying to get in the 2009 groove and what can I say – real life has reared it’s ugly head & I literally haven’t talked to you all since 2008!

So first off, Happy and belated 2009! I expect it to be a great year for all of us in dBlogville! After a bit of a slow and cold start – 2009 is officially off and running!

Thought I'd share some of what's come across my inbox as of late.

Your chance to say what you feel! Yes, it's been all over the D.O. C. but I'm posting bout it as well. Here’s our opportunity to tell the FDA how they can help diabetics. Sign the on-line petition to change the FDA’s approval system for Diabetes drugs & devices. Diabetes treatment is expensive and we wait years for the latest and greatest to come on the market. That needs to change. Sign it & pass the link along to everyone you know!

How’d you like to fight the big D, help the Joslin Diabetes Center, save money and look fabulous all at the same time? Damn right you would! Beginning January 14, through January 27th, T.J. Maxx customers will be offered the opportunity to donate a dollar to the High Hopes Fund and Joslin Diabetes Center will reap the benefits. Hold on to your Christmas cash for a few more days and then head to TJMaxx and shop for T1!

So, I’m not doing the whole “I’m dropping 10 lbs resolution.” No, my goal is to exercise more and cook more healthy meals. I found this link to 100 food blogs to inspire healthy eating. – Get inspired!

So have you heard about the Apple computers latest laptop? Check it out!


And finally, laughter lowers blood sugar – seriously, it’s true, I Googled it !