How Many Times Have You Tested Your Blood Sugar Today?

So it's Friday and I thought just for shits and giggles I'd ask you to post how many times you've tested your blood sugar today. And look, there's no right anwer to this question and this is a judge free zone - No one is going to call you out on your testing.... or there lack of.
This is just a question of the day type of thing.
And if you feel like posting your actual blood sugar numbers, great! 
If not, that's great too!
And since I can't ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself, I'll start the ball rolling.
So far I've tested three times today and my numbers were:
146
147 (I know, weird.)
126
Have I officially logged these numbers??? That would be negatory.
And while I'm being honest, guess who forgot to bolus for dinner last night and ended up with a #bgnow of 330 before she went to bed last night??
Here's a clue: Her first name rhymes with "belly" and her last name rhymes with "eunuch"!
Your turn!

For Those That Think Diabetes Is A Four Letter Word & A Character Flaw -

For those that think diabetes is a four letter word & a character flaw - 

You are wrong on every level.  

First off, diabetes it’s a word containing 8 letters, not four - any kindergartner can tell you that. 

And being diagnosed with diabetes means that you either have an auto immune disease ( type 1 or type 1.5) or a metabolic disorder (type 2) , and last I checked, neither of which was defined as a character flaw or four letter word.

Diabetes is not a dirty word, it’s not foul language, or an adjective for the word ‘lazy” or code for the term: They brought it on themselves .  

Here’s a news flash: People living with diabetes aren’t the sugar inhaling idiots who could "cure themselves of diabetes if they just did the right thing,"  that so many would like you to believe. 

The fact is, being a person with diabetes takes a tremendous amount of work - And that work is never ending. 

Because like it or not, diabetes is our constant companion and living with diabetes is 247, 365 days a year with no time off for vacations or good behavior. 

Being a person with diabetes takes copious amounts of determination; education, inspiration and perspiration. 

Living with diabetes is both a singular and team sport and directly effects everyone who loves the person in their lives living diabetes.

Diabetes can be damn scary. Scary because of the unknown... And because of the known. 

And diabetes is scary because diabetes is never the same game (let alone disease) two days in a row - And regardless of the type. 

So before you crack that joke about people with diabetes scarfing down donuts and mainlining sugar filled sodas - Get your diabetes facts straight. 

And remember that  PWDs (people with diabetes) are everywhere and we come in all shapes and forms. 

So remember what I'm telling you, because the next person that you might try to impress by perpetuating diabetes myths and stereotypes, might just have diabetes themselves, or love some one with diabetes. 

And I promise you, they won’t hesitate to school you with the very real diabetes facts of what diabetes really is and what living with diabetes is really like. And they won't sugarcoat it!

You’ve been warned.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Ripples = Big Waves... And Smaller Daily Totals~

Here's the thing - I used to workout a lot, so I know what exercise can do for your blood sugars, insulin daily totals, etc. But I obviously needed a visual reminder!

And for the record, now that i've stated out loud to the entire Diabetes On-line Community that my daily totals haven't gone above 39 in three weeks, I have no doubt that my streak will end almost immediately!

It's called #murphyslawdiabetesstyle ;)

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I've been working out since the end of August at least 4 times per week and I've noticed a drop in my insulin "Daily Total" rates. 

I haven't gone above 39.5 units a day in at least 3 weeks - And here's visual proof of the last 13 days. 

Little ripples = big waves.. And victories, both big and small~

Diabetes Art Day: Diabetes As A Life Game & The Game Of Our Lives~

It's Diabetes Art Day (and thank-you Lee Ann Thill for creating it and inspiring all of us in the DOC to embrace art as both esthetically & therapeutically!)  and yours truly has embraced her inner artist. 

I've always thought of diabetes as never ending chess game, even though I don't know how to play chess - At all. 

Except I know there's Queen, a King and something called a Rook (which looks like a castle) involved.

I also know that chess takes some skill to play - Just like diabetes.

And I also know that chess also takes determination - Just like diabetes.

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that diabetes is a Life Game and a never ending game of all our lives. 

New playing pieces are always being added and the layout of the diabetes game board is ALWAYS changing -and so are the rules.

So here's Diabetes Art Day Project - 

Diabetes As A Life Game.  

Diabetes - The never ending & 24X7 game of our lives!

Diabetesaliciousness Lite - The Hell of A lot of Acronyms Edition:

This Edition of Diabetesalicious Lite is heavy on the acronyms.  Acronyms like YDMV/FDA, TCOYD, WEGO, NO D-Day, and other cool stuffs sans Actonyms.
Things like Diabetes Art Day,  The Partnership With Patients Summit, Sleep Walk With Me, and everydayhealth.com   
Today is the kickoff of The Partnership with Patients Summit in Kansas City, Missouri and it sounds like a great event that will help Patient Advocates (and I'm quoting thier website here, ) "a place to network, learn and grow as patient advocates who focus on health policy ." It runs through Sunday and I'm not sure if you can purchase day passes or not, but I say if your near the Marriott Down Town, 200 West 12th St in Kansas City, Missouri, why not find out!
This is the weekend to get your Diabetes Art on.  Why> because Monday September 24th is the fourth annual Diabetes Art Day ( WOW, I can't believe it's the third one) and I've been gathering up my used diabetes supplies for months. So embrace your inner Picasso and give it a diabetes twist!
Info on how to participate can be found at: http://www.diabetesartday.com/

Here come some Acronyms
Want a chance to let the FDA know what your thinking when it comes what diabetes issues you'd like them to address?  Well, Bennet over at YDMV can help us do that.
Checkout his step by step post on submitting an open docket to the FDA. Bennet spells it out for us and provides us with all the proper links and letter templates. As always, BENNET ROCKS.
http://www.ydmv.net/2012/09/get-you-fda-pre-sub-docket-comments-here.html

If your live in, near, or not so near Des Moines Iowa this weekend, try your best to attend  the TCOYD (Taking Control Of Your Diabetes) conference at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention @Veterans Memorial on Saturday September 22nd. 
While on-line registration for the TCOYD is now closed but you can still register on Saturday by going to Hyvee Hall B.
The event features so many great speakers who will help you walk the diabetes walk/talk the diabetes talk, including lots of familiar names and faces from the DOC! 
Want more info?? Here's the link for tomorrow's event!
http://tcoyd.org/national-conferences/des-moines-ia-2012.html

It's that time for the second annual WEGO Health Activist Awards and  I say lets make sure the Diabetes On-Line Community has a strong showing. To check out the catagories and place your votes, click HERE.
October 1st is NO D Day, created by the ever fabulous Ninjabetic. Basically, you can blog about pretty much what ever floats your boat, EXCEPT DIABETES - And then link to your NO D-DAY blog post, HERE.
Speaking of NO D -DAY, my niece Cristin has a supporting role in the new Mike Birbiglia film Sleep Walk With Me. Cristin plays Mike's sister Janet and I couldn't be more proud of her! The movie received GREAT reviews and is both in the theaters ( in limited release) and On Demand under MOVIES. CHECK IT OUT!

Lastly, a while back I was quoted for an article about confusion re: the various types of diabetes in Everydayhealth.com.
(Sidebar: Type 1.5 is missing from the article and I was sorry to see that omission. But with that being said, the article states many accuracies for both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes - And I appreciate that.)
A few weeks later everydayhealth.com emailed me again and for an interview about living with Type 1 Diabetes. And I was blown away that they wanted to interview me. And I have to admit, being the person being interviewed always feels a little strange to me - I get nervous. .
With that being said, you can find it (me?) HERE.
Also, and I think that you'll get a kick out of this - The article ended up being run on the AOL News home page, and if you go to the Diabetesaliciousness Facebook Page and scroll down a bit, there's a screen shot of me - Alongside Lindsey Lohan & Kelly Ripa. That right there will make you spit out your coffee!

Mani, Pedi, Insulin Pump & Getting Lost In Translation.

Everyone once in a while I neglect to remember that "my normal," (living with diabetes,) isn't exactly everyone else's normal.

It's not that I forget I have diabetes, because I don't. But living with diabetes and all that comes with it allows for some moments of being on Diabetes Auto Pilot.
Like you, I don't think twice about saying "I'm high," in public because testing my blood sugar is a constant.
I "dial up for insulin," ( bolusing on my insulin pump) without skipping a beat in any given conversation and I'll poke my finger to test my blood sugar anytime and anywhere because those things are the norm in living a diabetes life.
Bottom line: Everyone has a different normal - funky pancreas or not.
Anyway, a few weeks back I treated myself to a much needed mani-pedi (a manicure/pedicure) at a local place that only does manis/pedis and offers to do both  on the cheap for a grand total of $25.
It's a relaxing hour and a special treat that I don't indulge in often, but when I do, I really enjoy it.
Beforehand I always let the person doing the mani/pedi know that I have diabetes before we get started and I always ask them to clean the mani pedi tools in front of me before they use them - And they're always very accommodating and very gentle.
So anyway there I was sitting in the throne like pedicure Barko Lounger, adjusting the Barko's massage settings and soaking my 'feets', when my insulin pump started to chirp a familiar tune.
I glanced down and unclipped my pump from hip and saw that my insulin reservoir was officially low with only 20 units left to go.
The woman giving me my pedicure looked up and said in broken English: Your beeper?
Me: Nope, not a beeper - it's actually my insulin pump.
And she looked at me like I had 3 heads.
Me: It's for my diabetes.
And she still looked at me like I had three heads. So I tried explaining that instead of needles, I wore an insulin pump and I showed her the tubing and pointed to where it connected to the infusion set in my abdomen and rambled on about how it worked.
But I could tell from her expression that something was getting lost in the translation.
And then she started talking Korean ( OK, I think it was Korean because the owner of the shop is Korean and they speak fluently to one another in what I assume is indeed Korean.  And FTR, I hope I'm not offending anyone because I don't mean to at all) to another technician and kept pointing to me and I recognised the words "diabetes" followed by the words "insulin pump?" said in an inflectionlike it was followed by at least there question marks.
"You need some juice," the other tech said to me with a smile and a concerned look.
Me: No, I'm OK, but thank you.
Other Tech: OK, good. But you let us know if you need some juice - we have some in the back, fruit too.
Me: OK, I will.
And then I chuckled to myself for all sorts of reasons, but mostly because even though the insulin pump meaning got lost in translation - like it or not some things are universal and good intentions are always appreciated~

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Wonderment

I shot this pic a few weeks back and it's one of my favorites!

And it made me think of Sara and a certain post she wrote over at Moments of Wonderful, another cool DOCer named Jen and a boy whose first name starts with the letter B ~
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"Is this place for real, Kel?"

Melt Down At My Endo's Office - About Everything.

Sometimes you just have to let it all out - And then do your best to let it all go~
######

So I had my Endo appointment last week and it was a stressful one. 

Things started to go down hill quickly when I arrived at the office and got a copy of my labs and three things screamed from the page: 

1. My a1c was 7.6, up from 7.1 - And I was crushed

2. My lab work was incomplete - My cholesterol info was missing & so were my triglycerides 

3. This was not the way I wanted to end a stressful couple of weeks.

And I tried my damnedest to calm myself down, I really did. But I just couldn't keep it together and I began to cry. Because I was tired. Tired of my diabetes; tired of worrying about my diabetes, tired of worrying about my genetics, and tired of worrying about where I was going in my life. 

And at that moment, it was really hard for me to see the glass half full - And normally that's not a problem for me. 

And then the Attending walked in and introduced herself and asked my why I was crying. 

Me: I'm tired of worrying about my health - I want a Diabetes vacation - I want someone else to think about this shit for a while - I want some time off - stick a fork in me, I'm done.   

And I miss my mom. She died at the end of last September - And I'm the Executor and we sold the house....and then I moved all... and that was only the first 6 months. And the whole thing has just been catching up with and I don't think I've dealt with the grief and the loss yet. 

And the stupid lab didn't do my cholesterol screens and I'm pissed. But I called them while I was waiting for you and Dr. J and all you guys need to do is call in the other tests you want because they still have my blood since it was just drawn yesterday.  

The Attending was kind as we talked about my illustrious family medical history and all it's numerous and gnarly branches. We talked about recent blood sugars and the lab neglecting to complete my lab work. And we talked about how hard it was to lose a parent and that until you experience it - you just don't understand it. 

Attending: No worries Kel, we'll call the additional labs it in. 

Me: Ok, great. Sorry to cry - I'm going to get my period any day now - that doesn't really help does it? 

Attending: I hear yeah on that one. So you blog about diabetes, right? 

Me: Yeah, I do. 

And then we talked about all sorts of stuff like the Diabetes On-line Community and being healthy/healthier and how fast the summer had gone by. Then she took my blood pressure again (this time it was normal,) and then she left to consult with Dr. J. 

And then I decided to just lay back on the exam table and flip through my iPad and try to stay calm. 

I caught up on emails and facebook statuses and then decided to play Fruit Zombies so I wouldn't have to think about anything but smashing fruits. 

15 minutes later Dr. J walked in with the attending and was like: Hello Kelly - How are you? 

Me: NOT HAPPY. 

Dr. J: OK, first off, lets talk about labs. The ones that are here look great - And we ordered the ones that are missing - If they don't look good, I'll call you, ASAP - But I know they will. Your cardio tests from last week all came back and they were good, you're working out four days a week, you're doing what you're supposed to. 

Kelly, we have to continually keep being proactive with our health. Knowledge is power and you are doing what you must to live your best life  - And there are going to be tweaks every now and then. Tweaks in treatments and tweaks in meds. 

Me: I'm afraid of the tweaks. 

Dr. J: I get that. look we can only do our very best - And that's what you're doing. Keep doing it - And keep moving forward with your life, you have so much to offer, both personally and professionally!

Now let's talk about your a1c and you getting a new insulin pump - because it's time - You are well passed your pump warranty - BY YEARS. 

Me: I know it's time - I just can't deal with it - I have Insulin Pump Purchase Anxiety so I've just chosen to ignore the whole thing entirely. 

Dr. J:  Well, we gotta figure it out. Insulin pumps are like any other piece of electronics, they lose their efficiency the older they get - which is probably why your a1c is 7.6.  Get a new one and I bet your a1c will be in the high sixes.

Look at what's out there and if you'd like you can set up an appointment with Cheryl (his right arm and CDE,) to go over what pumps interest you and why - And what pumps work for you. 

Me: And what pumps my insurance will cover. 

Dr. J: Yes,what pumps are covered by your insurance. 

Now, lets schedule an appointment for you and I to meet in January and shoot Cheryl an email and set up a visit with her in October/ November to talk about your diet, pumps, etc. 

Then he handed me a bag with insulin samples and told me to call or email if I needed him and to have a great Fall. 

And as I drove back home I kept thinking about everything that when down in the appointment. 

Bottom line: Stressing isn't helpful nor is it healthy - Actually, stress is terrible when it comes to our health - And our confidence. 

Knowledge is power in life and living a healthy life..... And knowledge can be scary. 

So can change, and  and a lot of change in a very short time is overwhelming. 

And lastly, a good cry and bitching every now and then doesn't hurt either - As long as the bitching is in controlled increments, not massive doses. 

It's Official: I'm A Big Kid~

True Story: I was playing "mama" with my friend's two children and had just picked them up to take them out for pizza. I borrowed their mom's car instead of transferring the car seats to my Honda Accord, grabbed the diaper bag and we were off on our pepperoni pizza adventure.
And as we sat in the parking lot singing "I Got The Moves Like Jagger," out loud and sans the radio (it's the 2 year old's favorite song, btw) while simultaneously waiting for me to finish testing my blood sugar and all of us to collectively finish the song.
For the record - Normally I would have just tested in the pizza joint because quite frankly, that's how I roll. 
But yours truly had to carry my handbag, a ginormous diaper bag (not to mention a two year old,) and hold-on tight to a six year old's hand and cross said parking lot in order to actually set foot in the pizza joint .
So yeah, it was just so much easier for me to test in the car - And before my hands were full.
Anyway back to the story. Out of the blue, my friend's son suddenly asked: Hey Kelly, are you a grown up or a kid?
Did I mention that this boy is 6 and smarter than most?
I met his gaze in the rear-view and said: What do you think, B?
And he stared back at me in the mirror for a good 10 seconds and than nodded, smiled and said: Yeah, you're a kid. What's your blood sugar?
Me: 117 - Thanks for asking, now let's go get some slices!

And that's exactly what we did - And a wonderful time was had by all the kids that day!
And this kid still smiles every time she thinks about it - And hopes you do too~

National Invisible Illness Week: Worrying As A Life Skill

National Invisible Illness Week Continues - And yours truly continues to learn.....

#iiwk12 #invisibleillness

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So I was talking to my friend the other phone about life - And I blurted out: God, I am so tired of thinking about my health!

And damn if it was like crickets on the other end of the receiver - I literally was like: Helloooo, Is this thing on?? 

And then I followed up my statement by asking: Don't you ever think about your health?

And her response was basically (and I'm paraphrasing here) No, not really. 

OK,to be more specific in my paraphrasing, it was more like,  no she doesn't spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about her health because:

1. She's healthy, takes care of herself and is self admitted General when it comes to eating healthy food 

2. She has her own issues and thoughts about medicine and medical tests

3. She works out

4. A bunch of other stuff I can't remember because at that very moment I was seeing stars.

Part of me was really jealous of her for being all carefree when it came to her health. She'd never heard of diabetes burnout (she's a healthcare professional and for the record, not a great patient,)  and she's never experienced living with a body that didn't have something chronically busted or faulty.

When you live with diabetes you worry a lot - And a lot of times you don't even realize you're worrying  - you're just doing what you're supposed too in order to treat your diabetes. 

Some of the worries are valid, some not so valid. Some of the worries are in your control and some are out of your control.

 But worrying becomes a life skill that you're not even aware you possess when you live with a chronic illness. 

And speaking of worried...... The other part of me was worried for her.  

I know she's healthy, I know she's a food General and I know that she works out like a fiend. 

But I also know that what you don't know can hurt you - And I want good health for all friends, whether their pancreases are busted, faulty or fully functioning.

Here's the thing: As much as I can bitch, stress and feel overwhelmed sometimes because of living with my diabetes 24 X7, I know for a fact that diabetes has made me more proactive in other areas when it comes to my health in general. Diabetes has forced me to listen to my healthcare professionals and my my own body.

I guess I'm writing about our conversation because I was literally floored when I found out that she didn't spend a lot of time thinking or worrying about her health - that just blew my mind!

Because since I've been 8 years old I've worried about my health.... And it was during that conversation I realized that - And it hit me like a ton of bricks. 

Wordless Wednesday: Always Be Yourself. Unless....

Words to live by!
Picture & awesome words to live by courtesy of  Rabbi Shai Spacht 
This man of faith TOTALLY gets the Diabetes On-Line Community!!

Invisible Illness Week: Committing To Exercise Can Be A Bitch!

National Invisible Illness Awareness Week Continues - And invisible illness or not, committing to exercising can be a challenge - So I've decided to commit to moving - as in having my body in motion instead - Because it's just easier.
###

So exercise and I have had commitment issues over the years.

There was a time I exercised a lot.... Like daily. 

And I had the body the prove it - Seriously, there was a few years where I was the proverbial Brick House.

And there were times when I didn't work out - And I had the body to prove it - I was more like a Pillsbury built house.

Current status: The Temple of Kelly is somewhat doughy in certain areas, but with a solid brick foundation - give or take a few cracks. 

The past few years I've managed to stay somewhat active, but I'm still not exercising as much as I should - both for my mind and my diabetes.

Basically: It's been a real bitch for this Bitch to commit to exercising. 

 I let life get in the way of working out and when I would start to focus on working out, I found myself getting so caught up in how many calories I needed to burn and inches and pounds that I needed to lose that exercise became daunting -And broken toes and Metatarsalgia didn't help!

After losing my mom, focusing on anything became difficult. 

My primary focus was dealing with the loss of her in my life, dealing with the estate and cleaning the house out to be sold. 

By the time the house was sold, cleaned out and I'd moved into a new place (and all within six months of her death,)  I was exhausted - both mentally and physically. 

When I wasn't working, I spent a lot of time crying  - and exercise was the last thing on my mind.

This past summer I swam and body surfed every weekend and managed to fit in a few weekly walks- which made feel like I was doing something, but it also made me realize that I was way out of practice when it came to cardio. 

I also knew that genetically speaking, I needed to workout more because not only does type 1 diabetes run rampant in my family - so do heart attacks and strokes... So there's that. 

And while my cholesterol numbers are damn good - and better than most people 5 years younger and without diabetes or a family history of heart disease, I still have to be aware. 

I also have it on very good authority that I need to be an overachiever in that area, thanks to my said family history. 

Exercise is a way to become an overachiever in cardiovascular area, even if I wasn't going to become an overachieving athlete. Am I making sense? 

I knew I needed to recommit myself to working out 4 days a week, 45 to 60 minutes each of the four days. 

So I decided that instead of focusing on calories burned, miles walked, cycled, or swam, my focus would be on moving four days .... and 45 to 60 minutes each of those four days. 

MOVING has become my focus.

My neighbor filled my bike tires up with air and I bought a a spiffy new white basket with purple, pink and yellow flowers for my bike - very popular with the 6 to 9 year old set, btw.

It was official: I no longer had had the tandem excuses of having no air in my tires or no where to hold my diabetes accoutrement. And then I started peddling.

And so far I've managed to workout 12 out of the past 19 days for a total of about 15.5 hours.

Now a few of the workouts were long, but the majority of the days, the workouts were between 45 and 75 minutes in length.

 I try not to think about miles cycled (though this weekend I rode 13 miles in two days,) or walked - even thought I'm the first one to mapquest my total workout distance. 

I just tell myself that on certain days and at certain times I will be moving, in the form of  walking, biking or swimming for 45 to 60 minutes.  
I prepare my temporary basal rates accordingly, grab a larabar and some glucose tabs and I hop to it. 

Afterwards, I feel tired, but I feel good. And for the most part, my blood sugars have benefited as well. 

So for now I'm just going to keep moving  - And hopefully other things in my life will move in the right directions as well. 

Pedals to the metal - And spiffy new basket ~

Invisible Illness Awareness Week: What You Don't See And What You Do

This week is Invisible Illness Awareness Week  and it's all about people living with... invisible illnesses, like Diabetes.

All week there's online conferences, seminars and the likes there of - Not to mention amazing blog posts from all around the blogosphere.

It's also about making everyone more aware of what life is like on a daily basis for those that live with an invisible illness.

Looks can be deceiving and there's so many lessons to be learned from what we don't see.  

So be sure to checkout the website and follow the hashtags on the twitter:

#iiwk12 #invisibleillness

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My diabetes is invisible to most, sans the insulin pump tubing peaking from what most people think is a beeper (yeah, I know - it's so 1992,) clipped to my hip.

But for the most part when people see me, they see a brunette with her mother's hazel eyes, her father's sass and a smile that I've been told lights up my face.
What they don't see is that behind the smile is a woman who's brain is always on and continually worrying.
Worrying about calculating carbs, blood sugars gone wild,and diabetes "what ifs" that have been known to stop me in my tracks.
People don't realize that my hands are calloused because of constant blood sugar testing and that my handbag always holds spare insulin pump batteries, glucose tabs, a meter, test strips and a granola bar.
Most never realize that my brain looks at food in the form of numbers and that time goes by in increments of units not just seconds.
They have no idea that under my clothes hide a series of never ending "dead-spots" (areas that no longer absorb insulin) from wearing an insulin pump for 10 years.
Most never realize the apprehension and fear I experience every single time I walk into a Doctor's office.
The majority see me as feisty - And I'm more than OK with that.
But the feistiness comes from always having to pick myself up from my bootstraps whenever diabetes wants to kick me down.
But here's the real kicker - Through my almost 35 years of living with diabetes, I've also developed some wonderful skills because of my busted pancreas - Skills that many might never "see" when they think of diabetes living with a chronic illness in general.
Diabetes has taught me that hope does indeed float and diabetes has shown me that within myself lies the power to learn, to be, to become... And to overcome.
Diabetes forces me to speak up and advocate for myself - And not because I wanted to, but because I have to.
And because of diabetes I now use my voice to advocate for and encourage others to use their own diabetes voices.
Because of diabetes I am part of a tribe of others who live the diabetes life - and because of them I know I am not the only one.

We are not invisible just because we live with an invisible illness.

Alone we trudge up hills, but together we move mountains and change lives for the better - Including our own~

Because Today All I Can Think About Is Them....

There's been a lot going on as of late in my world and I have posts both in the que and in my head all ready to go. But honestly guys wheneve I think about posting, all I can think about is Meri, Ryan and thier boys - And nothing I have to say seems to hold a candle to what they're going through.
So do me a favor and please stop over and read what Meri had to say on her blog yesterday if you haven't already:
http://www.ourdiabeticlife.com/2012/09/aching.html?showComment=1347038843948#c5283067609719223394

And then please check out the fundraising page that's been set up for them.
And whether you donate or not, please forward the following link to someone who you think might be able to help them out.
Because IMHO, more people in this world need to be moved by the Schuhmacher family and all they've endured.
http://www.giveforward.com/schuhmacherfamilymiracle2

Wordless Wednesday: Sometimes Stormy Waters Happen Closest To The Shore~

Sometimes stormy waters happen closest to the shoreline.
Land is just in view but just out reach.
You spend more time treading water and bobbing in the waves and if feels like the waves are holding you back from your destination.
It doesn't mean you won't reach the shore - It just means that it will take you longer to get there.
But in the end you become a stronger sailor/swimmer for it.
#fact

This One's For Ryan, Meri & The Boys ~

The Schuhmacher's

Ryan ~

I don't know how to write this post - I just don't. I'm sad and worried and my heart goes out to our friend Meri Schuhmacher and her beautiful family over at OurDiabeticLife.com  
I've been staring at my computer the past couple days and have had no idea what to write. So, I'm just going to write what I know. 
###### 

When I found out Meri's husband Ryan lost his battle with brain cancer on Sunday, I literally shouted"OH NO," out loud and in front of my computer and started to cry. 
I cried for Ryan, I cried for Meri and I cried for their 4 beautiful boys. 
I wanted to transport myself from my living room on the east coast to Petaluma California and hug them and hold them and tell them all that everything would be OK. 

As many of you know, our wonderful friend Meri is hope personified. A mother of four children (three of whom have type 1 diabetes,) who continually shares her life as a D Mama, loving wife and community cheerleader to those of us in the DOC and beyond.
Through our lovely Meri we learn about McGyvering insulin pumps and dealing with middle of the night lows in triplicate. 
And through her actions  we are shown that grace under fire truly does exist- And that a positive attitutude shines an amazing inner light that affects everyone who reads her words and or meets her in real life.
 When we learned that the love of her life, Ryan was diagnosed with a very rare form of brain cancer - many of us froze in our tracks.
But Meri showed us that we must advocate and push ahead for those we love and never give up hope.
And through everything, Meri has kept her faith and grace and has shown us what it is to love without limits and have faith no matter what. 
I only met Ryan once, this past summer at Friends For Life. Ryan was experiencing health issues in Florida and I didn't get the chance to talk to him much. But we were both in the buffet line at the banquet on opposite sides of the buffet table and I introduced myself. He smiled at me from across the BBQ'd pulled pork and held out his hand. "I know who you are, I know you from Meri and I know you from your blog. I'm Ryan, nice to meet you!" His younger boys ran  up to him in line and let him know where they were playing and he just smiled and laughed and told them to keep playing.
We talked about the pulled pork being bolus worthy and how happy were were to at Friends For Life. 
And as we talked, I kept thinking that Ryan was what we in Jersey call: GOOD PEOPLE. 
Then when stopped holding up the pulled pork line, said see ya and went our separate ways - And we continued to wave at one another whenever we saw one another in the ballroom. 
I'm so glad and blessed I had the chance to meet him and see him with his family. 
Now, Ryan is out pain and watching his family from above. 

And his family has to deal with the the very real pain and realities of losing someone they love. 
And in the DOC, when one of us struggles, we all struggle. 
So I'm asking anyone reading this post to please consider donating to http://www.giveforward.com/schuhmacherfamilymiracle2 
This fundraiser was originally set up to help with any of the needs that the family might incur.
Things like hospital bills; cancer treatment and drug costs,and  other medical costs like insulin, insulin pumps & test strips. Then there's the cost of food and clothes for four growing boys - Too many costs to mention.  These needs/costs will be even more now that Ryan has passed and no donation is too small. 
And if you can't donate, forward the info to some who might. 
And please reach out to the family via their face book page and send them continued love and prayers because  they really do need and would appreciate them very much. 

Give Paw, Catch Ball, NO, THAT'S MY INSULIN PUMP!

This is my niece Kayla: 

 SHE'S DELICIOUS AND AN AWESOME SILLY GOOSE. 

Kayla is lovable and kind and she LOVES to play - She's a puppy trapped in a 6 year old dog's body! 

Our latest game is called: Give paw, Fetch Ball. And NO, THAT'S MY INSULIN PUMP. 

And please forgive the crappy camera work in advance!

 I was shooting from my iPad and I had a real problem figuring out where to aim/point the thing. 

Look, I can barely chew gum and walk at the same time, let alone film; talk, play catch and protect my insulin pump all at the same time. 

With that being said, I think it still #makessenseifyouhavediabetes.